Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
"Quality E-Bikes at Reasonable Price..."
...is the motto of the Czech e-bike manufacturer Lovelec from Český Těšín in the Silesia province (Slezko). The city is the sister town of Cieszyn in Poland, only bordering through the River Olše/Olza. During the past many years both cities have actually become an entity, now sadly divided again by the epidemics. Since the cities are also close to the Slovak Republic, the bike factory has good market opportunities in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia.
When I first learned about e-bikes, I intended to convert my traditional hybrid bike but I realised it was safer and smarter to just buy a real e-bike. The Lovelec Diadem hybrid e-bike was my first choice. The price of the model with the 576 Wh battery was around US$1900. To many of you, especially to those who live in North America it might appear costly. What I have, however. noticed is the European Union blocks imports of very cheap Chinese e-bikes, so Lovelec e-bikes are one of the least expensive electric bicycles that you can buy here. Also, e-bikes sold in the EU have to be compliant with severe standards (for example, the motor cannot exceed 250 W nominal power).
I admire how good e-bike was conceived and made by Ing. Stanislav Glac for a reasonable price. The aluminium frame is made by Lovelec in the Czech Republic (with lifetime warranty), bicycle components are decent although not the top tier (for example Shimano Acera group for drive-train, Shimano 180 mm hydraulic disk brakes, Promax stem, handlebars and suspension seat-post). The bike is driven by Chinese AKM100 rear-hub drive which is decently quiet.
The Medium size e-bike makes the impression of being huge although it is not overly heavy (the weight with the battery minus all optional components is some 25 kg). A little secret is you can de-restrict the bike with a hidden menu option. With my weak legs, the unrestricted e-bike behaves like the one of the U.S. Class 1 but there is no power cut-off at 20 mph, so a stronger rider can ride the Diadem faster.
I like riding the Diadem on long routes. The bike, once it gets onto travelling speed, "likes" keeping the constant speed. 3x8 drive-train is appropriate, especially as the bike is a poor climber. The greatest benefit is the very efficient motor. When I was riding the Diadem in August 2019 in the unrestricted mode, it could make 93 km (58 mi) on a single battery charge in PAS 1. When restricted to 25 km/h, it could make up to 135 km total on a single charge. Now, with permanently strong winds and low temperatures (so high PAS is used), the range is 57 km (35+ mi) which is still better than the Specialized Vado 5.0 (28 mph version) under the same conditions. The spare Lovelec 576 Wh battery costs around US$550 (US$925 for the Vado 604 Wh battery).
So, I like riding the Lovelec Diadem on long trips. What is dislike is not only the poor climbing capability of the bike but also how much it is being slowed down by strong wind gusts. Still, my metric centuries were done on my Lovelec. Obviously, I notice some corner-cutting in the manufactured bike. Since I precisely need two e-bikes, I have given the Diadem many upgrades to make it more on par with my Vado (the latter fitted with top-notch components by Specialized). For example, the bike needed a better rear-rack or far better kickstand. Also, separate quality lights were necessary. (The bike came without the water-bottle cage).
In some situations, for example in the need of bike-specific parts, I'm getting a good support from the Polish office of Lovelec in Cieszyn, so I'm very happy.
Two different e-bikes (the Diadem and the Vado), each with two batteries. I ride both of them alternately for less wear and to keep both ridden all the time and maintained. My Diadem rode about 2200 km now and is in the perfect shape.
Lovelec Diadem (576 Wh) on the delivery and after the initial setup, August 20th, 2019.
Lovelec Diadem on my first metric century ride, March 17th, 2020.
Heavily upgraded Lovelec Diadem on its latest ride. The next upgrades include Ergon GP5 grips and the Kinekt 2.1 suspension seat-post.
...is the motto of the Czech e-bike manufacturer Lovelec from Český Těšín in the Silesia province (Slezko). The city is the sister town of Cieszyn in Poland, only bordering through the River Olše/Olza. During the past many years both cities have actually become an entity, now sadly divided again by the epidemics. Since the cities are also close to the Slovak Republic, the bike factory has good market opportunities in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia.
When I first learned about e-bikes, I intended to convert my traditional hybrid bike but I realised it was safer and smarter to just buy a real e-bike. The Lovelec Diadem hybrid e-bike was my first choice. The price of the model with the 576 Wh battery was around US$1900. To many of you, especially to those who live in North America it might appear costly. What I have, however. noticed is the European Union blocks imports of very cheap Chinese e-bikes, so Lovelec e-bikes are one of the least expensive electric bicycles that you can buy here. Also, e-bikes sold in the EU have to be compliant with severe standards (for example, the motor cannot exceed 250 W nominal power).
I admire how good e-bike was conceived and made by Ing. Stanislav Glac for a reasonable price. The aluminium frame is made by Lovelec in the Czech Republic (with lifetime warranty), bicycle components are decent although not the top tier (for example Shimano Acera group for drive-train, Shimano 180 mm hydraulic disk brakes, Promax stem, handlebars and suspension seat-post). The bike is driven by Chinese AKM100 rear-hub drive which is decently quiet.
The Medium size e-bike makes the impression of being huge although it is not overly heavy (the weight with the battery minus all optional components is some 25 kg). A little secret is you can de-restrict the bike with a hidden menu option. With my weak legs, the unrestricted e-bike behaves like the one of the U.S. Class 1 but there is no power cut-off at 20 mph, so a stronger rider can ride the Diadem faster.
I like riding the Diadem on long routes. The bike, once it gets onto travelling speed, "likes" keeping the constant speed. 3x8 drive-train is appropriate, especially as the bike is a poor climber. The greatest benefit is the very efficient motor. When I was riding the Diadem in August 2019 in the unrestricted mode, it could make 93 km (58 mi) on a single battery charge in PAS 1. When restricted to 25 km/h, it could make up to 135 km total on a single charge. Now, with permanently strong winds and low temperatures (so high PAS is used), the range is 57 km (35+ mi) which is still better than the Specialized Vado 5.0 (28 mph version) under the same conditions. The spare Lovelec 576 Wh battery costs around US$550 (US$925 for the Vado 604 Wh battery).
So, I like riding the Lovelec Diadem on long trips. What is dislike is not only the poor climbing capability of the bike but also how much it is being slowed down by strong wind gusts. Still, my metric centuries were done on my Lovelec. Obviously, I notice some corner-cutting in the manufactured bike. Since I precisely need two e-bikes, I have given the Diadem many upgrades to make it more on par with my Vado (the latter fitted with top-notch components by Specialized). For example, the bike needed a better rear-rack or far better kickstand. Also, separate quality lights were necessary. (The bike came without the water-bottle cage).
In some situations, for example in the need of bike-specific parts, I'm getting a good support from the Polish office of Lovelec in Cieszyn, so I'm very happy.
Two different e-bikes (the Diadem and the Vado), each with two batteries. I ride both of them alternately for less wear and to keep both ridden all the time and maintained. My Diadem rode about 2200 km now and is in the perfect shape.
Lovelec Diadem (576 Wh) on the delivery and after the initial setup, August 20th, 2019.
Lovelec Diadem on my first metric century ride, March 17th, 2020.
Heavily upgraded Lovelec Diadem on its latest ride. The next upgrades include Ergon GP5 grips and the Kinekt 2.1 suspension seat-post.
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