Multitinker Owner First Week Impressions

[jamgolf]

After crossing into my 50s I had become a bonafide couch potato so finally decided to do something about it. I had sold my Yeti mountain bike as it was not getting used and frankly I had over estimated my capabilities when I purchased it. We live in an area surrounded by mountains and trails so I thought I would use the high performance mountain bike but my tolerance for injury and desire for being airborne did not match the bike's capabilities

I knew I had to be realistic this time around, so I started looking into eBikes and the ones that I could ride mainly on paved trails instead of mountain biking trails. Get groceries etc. Another very important factor for me was the ability to have my wife as a passenger. She did not learn how to ride a bike as a child, and due to some impediments can't learn now. So I started looking into cargo bikes for their ability to carry weight - cargo or passengers. As we live in a hilly area, having a good amount of torque and battery power to go uphills was a must since it would be impossible for me to do so with my wife as a passenger without electric assist. To be totally honest I was having a hard time going uplhills just by myself on my son's mountain bike.

Based on my research I thought Tern GSD R14 might fit the bill. I decided to goto a nearby shop to try it. They had multiple cargo bikes in their demo fleet. I tried Tern GSD (not R14), Benno Boost, Riese Muller Multitinker and Aventon. After short test rides on these four, to my surprise Tern GSD was my least favorite. I must admit, before going to the shop I was unaware of Riese Muller brand's existence.

I decided to buy Multitinker for a few reasons:

1. It has a lower center of gravity and easier to get on/off
2. Auto mode for the battery assist felt just right
3. The Enviolo option is very simple compared to the conventional shifters its just easy to operate
4. The carbon belt and the internal gearing means lower maintenance
5. General overall premium feel of the Riese Muller bike

Now after having owned the bike for a few days, I have been riding around 8-10 miles daily. I try to keep the assist off or set to Auto (never Turbo). My wife has been on a couple of rides with me and with both us on the bike is maxed out in terms of its load capacity, yet I am impressed how I am able to go uphill with a heavy bike plus the two of us on it, in Auto mode. Just incredible. I am not afraid of the hills coming up - I know I just need to stay in auto and adjust the Enviolo shifter into an appropriate gear and no worries.

Longest ride (alone) so far has been ~14 miles with about 1000 feet of elevation gain with ~37% battery used so realistically I think if I was constantly gaining elevation, I could probably go ~20 miles alone or ~14 or so miles with my wife.
I am quite pleased with the quality of the bike. Feels great and I am really really happy that I purchased it, even though it was quite expensive.

Just thought I'd share my impressions here since I did not see many Multitinker owner reviews on this Riese Muller forum.

 

[jamgolf]

Favorite features:
1. Auto Mode
2. Torque from the Bosch CX motor
3. Connectivity with Flow app to track rides in terms of distances and elevations etc.

 

[DiggyGun]

Welcome and good choice of bike.

Both Mrs DG and me have R&M Nevo3 GT Vario GX bikes and we love them.

DG…

 

[fooferdoggie]

Your cadence is really slow you’re never going to get good power from the motor. Or won’t be as smooth either you want it above 60 and for the most power at least 80

 

[jamgolf]

@fooferdoggie
Thanks for your suggestion regarding my cadence, I'll keep that in mind and try to work toward that 60+ as my health/fitness improves.
In the mean while, even at my current cadence, I do not feel power from the motor is lacking for my needs. So, I imagine the power at a higher cadence would be even better - which would be fantastic.

 

[fooferdoggie]

@fooferdoggie
Thanks for your suggestion regarding my cadence, I'll keep that in mind and try to work toward that 60+ as my health/fitness improves.
In the mean while, even at my current cadence, I do not feel power from the motor is lacking for my needs. So, I imagine the power at a higher cadence would be even better - which would be fantastic.

its actually easier to peddle faster. you can put out more power with less effort.

 

[JRA]

Using auto exclusively does not mean that that the motor is not using "turbo", re: the highest watt output when called for. Especially when on hills with two people aboard. No shame in that as that is what e assist is all about. A higher cadence using a lower gear ratio is actually easier on your health and fitness than pushing a higher gear.

 

[jamgolf]

Yes, I understand Auto uses Tubro as needed. I just meant that I keep it in Auto mostly and its great to not have to think about mode. And I am not ashamed to use it - after all thats why I got an eBike
Auto was actually one of the main features that convinced me to buy Riese & Mulller, among the bikes I tested.

 

[sammcneill]

One of the challenges with “average cadence” is how inaccurate it is when riding hilly areas - most people’s cadence drops going up hills (more experienced riders know to try maintain cadence and go to lower gears, but on steepest hills sometimes you’re IN the lowest gear and can’t get your cadence higher).

However the real issue for average cadence is most people glide down hills not pedalling at all so the average drops quickly.

For people learning to ride I generally encourage them to aim for around 80rpm where possible and get it closer to 90rpm as they become more experienced.

Great thoughts on your new bike, glad you’re loving it!

 

[jamgolf]

@sammcneill You are right ... on steep downhills my bike does not have a gear that allows pedaling so I just don't pedal which effects my average cadence considerably.
Usually I am going downhill swiftly as we have steep hills, essentially trying to slow myself down.

 

[fooferdoggie]

One of the challenges with “average cadence” is how inaccurate it is when riding hilly areas - most people’s cadence drops going up hills (more experienced riders know to try maintain cadence and go to lower gears, but on steepest hills sometimes you’re IN the lowest gear and can’t get your cadence higher).

However the real issue for average cadence is most people glide down hills not pedalling at all so the average drops quickly.

For people learning to ride I generally encourage them to aim for around 80rpm where possible and get it closer to 90rpm as they become more experienced.

Great thoughts on your new bike, glad you’re loving it!

I dont think it gets thrown off if your not peddling. I am stuck at 80 too many years at that.

 

[jamgolf]

A bit better cadence today

 

[peterh_nz]

most people’s cadence drops going up hills

Is that most people's experience? Maybe it depends on the bike's gearing and the chosen power assist level.

My bike is an HS model and on steep hills in the lowest gear my cadence increases from about 80 to over 90. I couldn't imagine peddling slower up hills.

Rather than focusing on trip average cadence, when riding "normally" the point for me is to have my current cadence (as displayed) in the optimal range.

In getting an overview of one's cadence the graph of cadence over a trip is probably more useful than the trip average value.

 

[sammcneill]

Is that most people's experience? Maybe it depends on the bike's gearing and the chosen power assist level.

My bike is an HS model and on steep hills in the lowest gear my cadence increases from about 80 to over 90. I couldn't imagine peddling slower up hills.

Rather than focusing on trip average cadence, when riding "normally" the point for me is to have my current cadence (as displayed) in the optimal range.

In getting an overview of one's cadence the graph of cadence over a trip is probably more useful than the trip average value.

In non-electric bikes, absolutely as most people find it harder to push against the increased resistance, even in lower gears. on my road bike going up Hackthorne Road for example (I know you'll know that @peterh_nz) my cadence will drop to 60-75 depending on how strong I'm feeling however my roadbike has nowhere near the low gears compared to my Rohloff for example.

I went up "the bastard" yesterday (Gebbies Pass to Sign of the Kiwi) and my cadence of my Rohloff dropped to 70-80rpm even in the lowest three gears.

An electric bike will overcome a lot of this, and your HS combined with Rohloff should mean you don't see too much difference. My HS with Enviolo would certainly still some some reduction in cadence due to the lowest gear not being as low as Rohloff.

Of course, the pro tip is keep your cadence the same irrespective of gradient, but for mere mortals, especially on unassisted bikes, that's often hard!

 

[peterh_nz]

however my roadbike has nowhere near the low gears compared to my Rohloff

Ah ... so it's primarily a gearing issue on a particular bike, and what speed you're trying to maintain?

Cheers

 

[sammcneill]

Ah ... so it's primarily a gearing issue on a particular bike, and what speed you're trying to maintain?

Cheers

yes, I can keep my cadence higher on my rohloff, but I'm just "spinning" and not going fast at all. Having a higher care, thus more power, I'm dropping cadence but my speed is going to increase (although given it will be much harder to maintain, I likely will burn out quicker!)

Couple of pics from the big ride yesterday (113km, no assist!)

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The "average cadence" is all nonsense. It is only valid for competing cyclists who are pedalling all the time. A recreational rider is often coasting -- not only on downhill segments but also on the flat -- as constant pedalling is tiresome. My Wahoo has the option of not including "zeros" in the cadence reporting but whenever you coast even for the while, the instrument records the dropping cadence value as you stop pedalling, and increased cadence when you start pedalling again.

I am a "cadence rider", that is, it is a shame for me to be pedalling below 70 rpm, my natural cadence is 77, and if the gearing has gaps, I prefer pedalling over 80. Whenever I pedal unassisted, my cadence becomes very high as I know it provides more pedalling power at less fatigue (the power meter data field is next to my cadence readout). On my "Summit/Climbing" data screen, the cadence is the biggest of the fields, followed by the leg power figure. I consistently downshift on any climb, often down to the 1st gear and spin the cranks!

Then, I'm getting these results...

This is from my unpowered ride on a lightweight e-bike with the assistance OFF. See the large discrepancy between the "average" and "maximum" cadence. How comes a rider who can muster as much as 117 rpm has the average cadence of only 71? See also a big difference between my average and peak leg power. It is all bullshit.

This is from my low assistance 100 km ride. Cadence of 63? For a "cadence rider" as I am? It is just a joke. Do not pay any attention to "average cadence". Set the current cadence on your display (if doable) and work on the cadence there.