Just bought an Ultimate C8 HMB

[mikemdd]

Greetings,
New member / picked up an Ultimate C8 recently. Thanks for the info shared from others in this sub-forum. Very helpful.
Here's some pics and notes to share so far:
View attachment 145879

• Primary use case is for becoming active again, getting exercise, and to drop some weight.
• So far I've been toggling Modes "Off" and "Eco" (maximize my input / lean on assist only when needed) and am quite pleased that this model feels like a regular bike throughout.
• Fit feels perfect - I'm 6'0" and 215lbs. but have a 30" inseam and use the Medium size 53 frame
• Love the grips, saddle, and the small basic Purion display/controls - I appreciate that the bike overall doesn't scream "e-bike here"
• Meets just about all of my shopping requirements:
  • Bosch motor
  • Gates Belt / Internal Gears
  • Easy to remove battery
  • Fairly quality build / parts overall
  • Fenders, rack, lights
  • Some suspension
  • Cam release front wheel for ease of transport
  • Step-through design yet regular / a bit sporty looking
  • Mid-price / warranty & LBS support
• Bike feels like it's happiest on paved surfaces. My riding will be 90%+ on paved surfaces, so that should work fine for me.
• I wonder if an upgraded post will help with gravel trails, or if simply deflating tires a bit will do the trick.
• Fallback is to use my relatively inexpensive Lectric XP 3.0 for off-road trails as needed
• Ordered the XP first as a low-risk gateway into e-bikes and it only took 2 weeks after to go look at Specialized and Gazelle models
• XP is fun, but I learned that I'm just not a throttle guy nor a rear hub motor guy. The rear hub pedal assist is very digital (on or off) versus the mid-mount which feels progressive/analog.
• We're still keeping the XP though as my wife can use it to cruise comfortably with and I can bang around on it too / the folding makes it easy to stuff into a car.
• Didn't get to test a Turbo Vado, as they seem too popular and stock is low right now around me. I didn't want a Como. Vado SL is appealing but I didn't like the internal-only battery.

Yeah. Overall I'm pleased with the purchase. Well, honestly I'm really stoked. Did not pay MSRP either, which totally made this a slam dunk.
Cheers.
View attachment 145880

Congrats on the new bike. I just bought the Ultimate C380 for myself and the Ultimate C8 for my wife. Both are in the 46" frame. The only difference in the 53" and 46" frame is the seat post height. I raised my seat about 1" which made it perfect for my pedal position. However, I found the handlebars to be a little low and it fatigued my arms when riding. I raised the bars to their maximum height and it is now perfect. We love the balance/weight distribution. As someone else said, it looks just like a non ebike unless you look carefully. I did find the AXA lock cables that plug into the cafe lock to be difficult to find for my wifes C8. The lock plug is a smaller size than the one for my C380 and had to be ordered from Europe. Very happy with our decision.

 

[srolle]

I went with the Suntour seat post suspension as my choice. It is 27.2 mm diameter and a lot less expensive. No squeaks and great performance.

Thanks for the input - certainly a more cost effective solution.

 

[srolle]

Congrats on the new bike. I just bought the Ultimate C380 for myself and the Ultimate C8 for my wife. Both are in the 46" frame. The only difference in the 53" and 46" frame is the seat post height. I raised my seat about 1" which made it perfect for my pedal position. However, I found the handlebars to be a little low and it fatigued my arms when riding. I raised the bars to their maximum height and it is now perfect. We love the balance/weight distribution. As someone else said, it looks just like a non ebike unless you look carefully. I did find the AXA lock cables that plug into the cafe lock to be difficult to find for my wifes C8. The lock plug is a smaller size than the one for my C380 and had to be ordered from Europe. Very happy with our decision.

Nice, good to see other owners happy with the bike as well and good to see a rack to that fits perfectly. Do you remove the batteries while driving? I can't help but think of a "Final Destination" type scene for a trailing driver if they ever popped loose and fell off. Ah, those were fun movies in 3D.

 

[mikemdd]

Nice, good to see other owners happy with the bike as well and good to see a rack to that fits perfectly. Do you remove the batteries while driving? I can't help but think of a "Final Destination" type scene for a trailing driver if they ever popped loose and fell off. Ah, those were fun movies in 3D.

I had issues finding a bike rack that would fit these bikes and the Kuat Piston Pro worked perfectly without causing damage where most racks hold the bikes. I did not take the batteries out while taking them home from the dealer but would for sure take them out when transporting any distance.

 

[AvalancheRun]

Is it normal to negotiate the price of these bikes, or was your bike discounted already?

 

[Kless]

Is it normal to negotiate the price of these bikes, or was your bike discounted already?

My experience in Vancouver, Canada is that the bike shops won't negotiate on MSRP for Gazelle bikes, but they may throw in a few extras such as helmet, panniers, etc. The 2022 Gazelle models are now on sale in North America at up to $500 off.