motobecane ef3 vs haibike radius tour vs pedego latch

[vincent]

thought some would find this interesting
bought the motobecane folder with e5000 motor and felt it was lacking in power in steeper hills, fine bike for the flats
light bike and 3 inch tires which i liked but did not like the power output
believe this is a 40 or 50nm bike

already had a haibike radius tour with the older yamaha motor, think 70nm

tried both those bikes on a short but pretty steep hill in flagstaff and the shimano struggled, but that is not surprising

picked up a pedego latch with the front hub motor and 3 speed igh, think this one is 30nm
took it on the same hill several times the other day and it did better than the shimano e5000 mid drive...
maintained 1-1.5 mph faster than the e5000
took some work and burned some battery but not as much as work as the e5000...

of course the yamaha did better than either

interesting comparison and shows it is hard to compare hub and mid drive motors

 

[Catalyzt]

I know this is an older post, but yes, I do find that very interesting! I'm looking at the Ultra E-adventure with the e5000 vs. the Nireeka Homie w/ a 250w hub motor.

My current bike is a mid '90s Trek 930 with a 250W front hub drive, and it's surprisingly good on hills and can handle 15% grades... where it struggles is if you hit the hill at too slow a speed, which totally makes sense.

Anyway, thanks for that, I know the folder is a very different geometry from either the the UItra E. But you're comparing two bikes that are similar, so that is helpful. I bet the deficits of the e5000 are magnified by the smaller wheels, but it's still good info.

 

[Maineiac]

I know this is an older post, but yes, I do find that very interesting! I'm looking at the Ultra E-adventure with the e5000 vs. the Nireeka Homie w/ a 250w hub motor.

My current bike is a mid '90s Trek 930 with a 250W front hub drive, and it's surprisingly good on hills and can handle 15% grades... where it struggles is if you hit the hill at too slow a speed, which totally makes sense.

Anyway, thanks for that, I know the folder is a very different geometry from either the the UItra E. But you're comparing two bikes that are similar, so that is helpful. I bet the deficits of the e5000 are magnified by the smaller wheels, but it's still good info.

Hi Vincent, I know this goes back a ways but when you tried out the Pedego Latch in 2020, how did it ride? You seemed to be surprised by its torque output.

 

[vincent]

Hey
I did not keep it long, nice bike but still not enough for what I needed it to do
Did seem to climb better than the motobecane though

Out of the latch and evelo I would go with the evelo but that’s just me

they are both nice bikes and for flat stuff etc should do fine
In some ways wish I had kept the Motobecane and put an e7000 kit on it
It would’ve been a lot of money tied up in that bike no throttle

Still no one has built the perfect folder, we need 50 pounds or lighter folders with belt IGH, 2.4 tires and decent power
The evelo to me comes closest just wish the motor was a little more powerful

I would personally take two or 3 pounds of extra weight to have a bigger motor..

honestly the evelo might do 75% of what I want but occasionally want to fold it up and put it on my kayak with the trailer and haul 80-90 pounds back to the car in some decent hills/small mtns - this is where I think i It would not work for me…

and it gets pretty pricey adding the second battery that I would need

 

[Maineiac]

Hey
I did not keep it long, nice bike but still not enough for what I needed it to do
Did seem to climb better than the motobecane though

Out of the latch and evelo I would go with the evelo but that’s just me

they are both nice bikes and for flat stuff etc should do fine
In some ways wish I had kept the Motobecane and put an e7000 kit on it
It would’ve been a lot of money tied up in that bike no throttle

Still no one has built the perfect folder, we need 50 pounds or lighter folders with belt IGH, 2.4 tires and decent power
The evelo to me comes closest just wish the motor was a little more powerful

I would personally take two or 3 pounds of extra weight to have a bigger motor..

honestly the evelo might do 75% of what I want but occasionally want to fold it up and put it on my kayak with the trailer and haul 80-90 pounds back to the car in some decent hills/small mtns - this is where I think i It would not work for me…

and it gets pretty pricey adding the second battery that I would need

Hey Vincent,
Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it. As much as I’d like to purchase a good folder, I think I’ll just have to wait. I spoke to someone at FlyRides USA the other day and they may be getting a couple of Cube folders at some point in 2022. He asked me if I wanted to reserve one. It was the Sport version with chain/derailleur for $4199, crazy price. I can just imagine how much more the belt drive IGH version is and good luck trying to get one.

 

[Catalyzt]

Hey
I did not keep it long, nice bike but still not enough for what I needed it to do
Did seem to climb better than the motobecane though

Out of the latch and evelo I would go with the evelo but that’s just me

they are both nice bikes and for flat stuff etc should do fine
In some ways wish I had kept the Motobecane and put an e7000 kit on it
It would’ve been a lot of money tied up in that bike no throttle

Still no one has built the perfect folder, we need 50 pounds or lighter folders with belt IGH, 2.4 tires and decent power
The evelo to me comes closest just wish the motor was a little more powerful

I would personally take two or 3 pounds of extra weight to have a bigger motor..

honestly the evelo might do 75% of what I want but occasionally want to fold it up and put it on my kayak with the trailer and haul 80-90 pounds back to the car in some decent hills/small mtns - this is where I think i It would not work for me…

and it gets pretty pricey adding the second battery that I would need

I have had the Moto Ultra for nearly 600 miles now with the E5000, and I love it. I did drop 3 pounds (total weight approx. 46 lbs.) and decrease rolling resistance by getting Maxxis Ikon tubeless tires. (Also replaced the seat, so the tires saved two pounds and the seat saved one.)

It is a workout going uphill, but that's what I was looking for, and I can climb over 4,000 feet and have a range of just over 40 miles which is ideal for where I live and because I'm riding for fitness and exploring. I ran into some acoustic mountain bikers at the top of Verdugo Peak who were a little stand-offish until they learned how underpowered my motor was! ("Oh, wow, that's just an E5000? You road here all the way from East Hollywood? Hey, have a beer!" < I don't drink! >)

Unfortunately, I do not think you can replace the E5000 with an E7000, the mounts are completely different. I rode a Rossignol hard tail with the E7000 and whoa, that is a MUCH more powerful motor. I would love to do that very swap someday, hopefully over five years from now, when I'm older and more decrepit, but I will probably have to hire Pedaluma to do it for me! Welding is definitely involved, and plenty of it, I believe.

 

[vincent]

Hmmm
I was pretty sure that I talked to Shimano and they said that was a straight swap

But it’s been a while now so I’m not sure

 

[Catalyzt]

Hmmm
I was pretty sure that I talked to Shimano and they said that was a straight swap

But it’s been a while now so I’m not sure

That would be great news! Here's hoping I'm wrong... I'd definitely need a different battery, the 7000 would gobble up my 410, and I'm certain that the frame mount on the Ultra only fits the 410 battery, but as custom jobs go, that one would be easier.

 

[vincent]

Please keep us up to date if you that and how it goes

too bad some of these places with matching motor mounts don’t allow you to pick which motor you want ..

 

[Catalyzt]

Hmmm
I was pretty sure that I talked to Shimano and they said that was a straight swap

But it’s been a while now so I’m not sure

That would be great news! Here's hoping I'm wrong... I'd definitely need a different battery, the 7000 would gobble up my 410, and I'm certain that the frame mount on the Ultra only fits the 410 battery, but as custom jobs go, that one would be easier.