Intro and New to Ebikes

NHMike

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USA
Hello everyone. I recently joined this forum as I found it very helpful in my decision making recently. I am a NH native who moved to FL for 5 years then came back to NH. In FL I was able to ride VERY long distances as everything was flat. I owned a Trek FX6 and my wife had a Verve 3 to occasionally go with me. Coming back to NH I realized two things....Im old and my knees are not what they used to be. I decided to part with my FX6 (it wasn't easy) and have purchased an Allant+ 8s. My wife made a similar move and sold the Verve, opting to purchase the Electra Vale Go 9D EQ S (in her words..."the pretty white one that looks like a chariot"). We have a 1up Super Duty rack (WELL worth the money if you're considering buying one) so we've been taking these around the state to try different places. What a blast!

Anyway this is my new ride attached. Only modifications were replacing the stock saddle, adding the Redshift stem, bar ends, and Ion light kit from my FX. Also bought a Redshift suspension seat post (well worth the $) and I removed the fenders. Stock tires are okay but Im sure I could do better.

Very happy with it so far. I've put about 500 miles on it in the last month. No issues with the Smartphone Hub. Holds my iPhone no problem. The Cobi software is okay....took some getting used to, but I've got it setup the way I want it now, integrated with an Apple Watch, and Strava to track my rides. I had thought about switching to a Nyon but meh - this is working, and it holds my phone really well. LBS performed a system update and enabled light control for me. I just use the front light as a backup for the Ion. I thought about waiting to see what Trek might eventually do with Bosch's new "Smart System" and the CX motor (see https://ebike-mtb.com/en/bosch-performance-line-cx-smart-system-2022/ and hxxps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbKJWCMwlxg), but considering how much the supply chain has sucked for the last 1.5 years and will continue to suck for awhile, and how long many people are waiting to get the bike they want, I weighed the pros and cons, and sprung at the chance to score the two we actually wanted when they were available. Plus, I needed something sooner than later if I was going to keep up with my riding.

My wife loves her bike as well. I'm happy we decided on Class 3 motors. I test rode a Verve+ and my riding style brought me over the 20mph assist limit too much.

Anyway that's my novel. Thanks for reading.

Mike
 

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Hi Mike from Mike in Tennessee. Welcome to the forum. Glad you’re enjoying your new bike. Removing the fenders is a cool look. Looks like a big bad MTB. I bought an 8s back in June and love it. Enjoy your ride.
 
I am also named Mike and also have an 8s. From now on, only Mikes may post in this thread. We’re all unique, just like everyone else!

I did a lot of the same mods, Redshift stem and seatpost were the first things I added. Made all the difference. I love the way the 8s rides. It’s such a solid and smooth bike, and the motor feels great. Just a pleasure to be on. Glad you are enjoying it too! I was in the same boat between the Specialized Turbo Vado 4 and the Allant 8s in that my LBSes had both in stock, but the Allant just fit better so I jumped on it.

I am about to swap the SPH for a Nyon. The hub doesn’t hold my phone at all, so I’m using an old backup iPhone. I’m just not a fan of the cobi app.
 
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Let me know what you think once you get this done. I had gone back and forth with doing it, though "Congress" did not approve funding and I've been signing too many Executive Orders lately.
So, I’ve got it installed! I had to source all the parts separately because retrofit kits are just sold out everywhere. But it was about the same price so, meh. I did have to buy screws as the individual bits don’t come with any. But install was a cinch. Took about 20min. Plus another 10 to set up the ebike-connect app and let the Nyon download a software update.

First impressions: HOLY CRAP. This is so much better than the Cobi.bike app. Like it’s not even close. I’ve only been on one (short) ride but I like the whole experience much better. Being able to customize all the little tiles to make your own screens is great. It’s bright and easy to see.

It will take some time to know how good it is, but so far it feels far superior to the cobi app and SPH.
 
NHMike, where are you in NH? I'm in the SW part, near Mt. Monadnock. We have some great rides around here for bikes like the 8s. We have two of them.

I thoroughly despise cobi.bike, but I won't bore you with details here. But I'm not sure I can swing $400-500 per bike to replace it.
 
NHMike, where are you in NH? I'm in the SW part, near Mt. Monadnock. We have some great rides around here for bikes like the 8s. We have two of them.

I thoroughly despise cobi.bike, but I won't bore you with details here. But I'm not sure I can swing $400-500 per bike to replace it.
I used to live out that way. We moved out of state for 5 years then smartened up and came back. We're outside of MHT now. Yeah the Cobi app needs some serious TLC/development that it's unfortunately not going to get. It's too bad because it was a good idea in theory. My wife's bike has a Kiox and she likes its simplicity but she couldn't connect her fitbit to it. I know I cant connect my Apple watch to the Nyon, but the Cobi lets me. All first-world problems I know :). At some point I imagine Bosch will bring all the plus's from each system together into one line rather than how they're handling it now. They do like to over-engineer their stuff. I have one of their dishwashers and I have a mutual love/hate relationship with it.
 
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NHMike, where do you ride in your area? Just driving around there, I find traffic everywhere, and I know NH is not big on bike paths. Around here, for example, our rail trails are mostly snow mobile routes, difficult to impossible for biking.
 
NHMike, where do you ride in your area? Just driving around there, I find traffic everywhere, and I know NH is not big on bike paths. Around here, for example, our rail trails are mostly snow mobile routes, difficult to impossible for biking.
Sorry, Im just now seeing this. There's a rail trail that starts at MHT airport and goes through Londonderry, Derry, Windham and Salem. I like that one. I also ride on the secondary roads alot at lunch just to get out. On the weekends we take the bikes to wherever. Couple weeks ago we did Hampton to Portsmouth. Might go check out the Cape Cod Canal trail this weekend unless the rain moves in.

I ended up replacing the hinge on the cobi hub with a phone case. Clips into the hub much nicer and it charges the phone without the cable.
 
Sorry, Im just now seeing this. There's a rail trail that starts at MHT airport and goes through Londonderry, Derry, Windham and Salem. I like that one. I also ride on the secondary roads alot at lunch just to get out. On the weekends we take the bikes to wherever. Couple weeks ago we did Hampton to Portsmouth. Might go check out the Cape Cod Canal trail this weekend unless the rain moves in.

I ended up replacing the hinge on the cobi hub with a phone case. Clips into the hub much nicer and it charges the phone without the cable.
If you want to get away from crowds and traffic, come to this side of Temple Mountain. It's loaded with country lanes with little traffic, great scenery (lots of ponds and wetlands) and a few hills to challenge your ebike, depending on the route.
 
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