New member with a new bike on it's way

[erikV]

Hello fellow e-bikers!

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Erik, I'm a 23 year old student and bike enthusiast from Norway. I bought my first e-bike back in april and this opened up a whole new world to me. From what I know, I were the first owner of a bike from Rotwild's new e-mtb line in Norway as I imported it myself from Germany.

The bike I bought you ask?

Rotwild R.C1 + HT 29 EVO size XL

Amazing bike with great components and 90nM of torque and superb battery life. Sadly the bike started to have problems with its controller / electric system and had to go back for service within three months. A practically new bike costing >$6,5k with problems? Very, very disappointing to say the least - therefore I sold the bike.

That leaves me here: with no e-bike in my garage but with pockets full of money for a new purchase. I came up with two choices which both had their strengths and weaknesses: the M1 Spitzing R-pedelec and the Optibike SIMBB 29r. Both expensive bikes in the high end segment and with different "selling-points". I love the Optibike's low-mantainance and apparently 'bomb-proof' setup with rohloff, gates carbon drive, SIMBB drive unit and steel frame. Optibike also offers GREAT warranty and a whopping 90 days 'love it or return it' satisfaction guarantee. On the other hand the Spitzing offers great speed and battery life, full suspension and it's also a little more friendly to the wallet. Both bikes would have to be imported by me personally, SIMBB from the US and Spitzing from Germany.

As of now, I put down a 20% deposit on the Optibike back in June when they had a special offer to their newsletter subscribers - if everything goes as it should I'll take delivery of my new bike in October. I chose the Optibike because of the rohloff/GCD combo and it's fairly powerful and nicely integrated SIMBB unit. Also I really don't need full suspension on my daily 18 miles commute and on my local trails around the coast here in western Norway. Additionally, although of a minor concern: the Spitzing is not road legal in Norway either. I really hope I made the right choice and that I can avoid sending it back to the factory because of issues

A review and pictures will of course follow when I get some use on the bike.

Thank you for reading my post and happy riding!

Erik

 

[Adrian]

A pity, I would have loved to hear impressions of the M1 Spitzing R. Though I must admit that the Rohloff and carbon drive would be tempting.

Doesn't the Optibike SIMBB 20r have a 600W motor? That's not exactly road legal in Norway either...

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

A pity, I would have loved to hear impressions of the M1 Spitzing R. Though I must admit that the Rohloff and carbon drive would be tempting.

Doesn't the Optibike SIMBB 20r have a 600W motor? That's not exactly road legal in Norway either...

SIMBB 29er only has throttle support, no pedal assist. I'm not sure if he will need L1e license on that !

 

[erikV]

I'm curious to hear what comments you might have about the handling characteristics of the Brose drive on your ex-bike. Also, were the issues you had recurring or was it just a single issue?

The Brose drive is very responsive and the bike just takes off as soon as you start pedaling. It is also very silent, I doubt most fellow commuters would notice the Rotwild as an electric bike due to its silent drive and well integrated motor and battery.

The problem were related to the controller / shifting between assist-levels. After about one month the bike would not respond when I tried to change between the support modes, it was stuck in the lowest eco-mode. It could stay like this for a couple of hours or even days before it suddenly worked without problems again. After some time the problem were back.

A pity, I would have loved to hear impressions of the M1 Spitzing R. Though I must admit that the Rohloff and carbon drive would be tempting.

The new German company HNF Heisenberg released some very interesting bike a week ago. Take a look at their ultra-premium offering XF1:

Full suspension speed-pedelec with rohloff and gates carbon drive. Frame made by Nicolai and premium components as Magura MT7 brakes and Rock Shox Pike fork.
http://www.hnf-heisenberg.com

EDIT: When I crunch the numbers this one actually comes out $330,- cheaper than the Optibike, taking shipping costs into consideration the savings are even more. Way better equipped bike with full suspension and proven electronics compared to the Opti, hmm..

Doesn't the Optibike SIMBB 20r have a 600W motor? That's not exactly road legal in Norway either...

I belive the advertised 600W motor is maximum output? The Rotwild bikes with Brose motor are advertised as 250W bikes but will produce up to 580W quite consistant, same as the new Specialized Levo.

SIMBB 29er only has throttle support, no pedal assist. I'm not sure if he will need L1e license on that !

While that was the case with the pre-production demo SIMBB bikes, Optibike told me that the production bikes now come with digital display / dashboard showing speed, battery life and distance travelled as well as a four levels of support pedelec system.

 

[Adrian]

The new German company HNF Heisenberg released some very interesting bike a week ago. Take a look at their ultra-premium offering XF1:

Full suspension speed-pedelec with rohloff and gates carbon drive. Frame made by Nicolai and premium components as Magura MT7 brakes and Rock Shox Pike fork.
http://www.hnf-heisenberg.com

Wow. That's my kind of bike, at least in the S-Pedelec configuration with a 45kph speed limit - not legal in Norway I know. 9,000Eur/80,000kr is a big chunk of change though!

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Great that Optibike is finally listening to the market.
Updated dashboard, controls, PAS would make a compelling case for their bikes in this market which is growing very rapidly.

 

[Reddy Kilowatt]

Welcome Erik:
I don't think you'll be at all disappointed in the Optibike 29-er. Their other bikes are as ugly as homemade sin, except the one I bought, the (relatively) inexpensive Pioneer Allroad.
I've only put 1,200 or so miles on the Grey Ghost, but it's been super-reliable and is as quiet as a church mouse.
I covet the SIMMB but it's more than a little too rich for my blood. Optibike's machines are very good though, and I bet the SIMBB will rock your world.
Allen

 

[Reddy Kilowatt]

Hello again Erik:
Here's a picture of the Grey Ghost for your delectation.
Allen

 

[erikV]

Hello all members of the EBR community!

Hope you had a great summer with a lot of memorable trips and rides. Thought I should share som pictures as I bought myself a new bike as a replacement for the Rotwild this week. With my previous negative experiences I wanted a proven and reliable motor system with local customer support and trained mechanics. It also had to be lightweight, fast and with excellent components. With that in mind I headed out to my LBS and oh-my did I get excited when I found Cube's premium carbon hardtail with just the right frame size in the store; Cube Elite Hybrid HPC SLT 29!

A few of the highlights: amazingly lightweight at 17,178kg with Syntace NumberNine titanium flats, RockShox RS-1 fork, Magura MT8 brakes and SRAM XX1 gears. The motor is responsive and the bike is very nimble and fun! According to my LBS I could 'chip-tune' without voiding the warranty to make the bike even faster, so I just ordered the parts to do that from Germany.

More to come ...

Specs: http://www.cube.eu

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Hello all members of the EBR community!

Hope you had a great summer with a lot of memorable trips and rides. Thought I should share som pictures as I bought myself a new bike as a replacement for the Rotwild this week. With my previous negative experiences I wanted a proven and reliable motor system with local customer support and trained mechanics. It also had to be lightweight, fast and with excellent components. With that in mind I headed out to my LBS and oh-my did I get excited when I found Cube's premium carbon hardtail with just the right frame size in the store; Cube Elite Hybrid HPC SLT 29!

A few of the highlights: amazingly lightweight at 17,178kg with Syntace NumberNine titanium flats, RockShox RS-1 fork, Magura MT8 brakes and SRAM XX1 gears. The motor is responsive and the bike is very nimble and fun! According to my LBS I could 'chip-tune' without voiding the warranty to make the bike even faster, so I just ordered the parts to do that from Germany.

More to come ...

Specs: http://www.cube.eu

Simply beautiful!
I'm sure you already know this but this bike won the Eurobike Gold award last year.

http://www.cube.eu

Can you share the 'chip' link?

Thanks

 

[erikV]

Thank you Ravi! It's a beautiful bike and also won the Red Dot Design award.

I opted for the badassebikes Chiptuning Box Typ3.3 as it's very easy to take in/off but there are several types to choose from.
https://www.badassebikes.com/en/badass/home-typ3-3/
http://www.ebiketuning.com

 

[Oded]

For these high end bikes, wouldn't you prefer to buy locally or at leadt from a nearby country?
These bikes need specialists to work on in case of trouble (like you already encountered). Do you have any high end candidates which are being sold in Norway?

 

[erikV]

I bought this Cube in my local bike store. It gives peace of mind knowing that should anything need service / warranty work the store has highly qualified mechanics, with a good knowledge about the products they sell. Many of the high end european pedelecs are represented by importers and distributors here like Flyer, Haibike, Cube, Riese & Muller, Starckbikes, Focus, Ghost etc.

 

[Oded]

I think you made an excellent choice with the cube.
Ride safe!

 

[Bike_On]

Great that Optibike is finally listening to the market.
Updated dashboard, controls, PAS would make a compelling case for their bikes in this market which is growing very rapidly.

I can confirm in convo with Jim Turner that Optibikes are getting PAS added.

 

[irenewg13]

Hello fellow e-bikers!

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Erik, I'm a 23 year old student and bike enthusiast from Norway. I bought my first e-bike back in april and this opened up a whole new world to me. From what I know, I were the first owner of a bike from Rotwild's new e-mtb line in Norway as I imported it myself from Germany.

The bike I bought you ask?

Rotwild R.C1 + HT 29 EVO size XL

Amazing bike with great components and 90nM of torque and superb battery life. Sadly the bike started to have problems with its controller / electric system and had to go back for service within three months. A practically new bike costing >$6,5k with problems? Very, very disappointing to say the least - therefore I sold the bike.

That leaves me here: with no e-bike in my garage but with pockets full of money for a new purchase. I came up with two choices which both had their strengths and weaknesses: the M1 Spitzing R-pedelec and the Optibike SIMBB 29r. Both expensive bikes in the high end segment and with different "selling-points". I love the Optibike's low-mantainance and apparently 'bomb-proof' setup with rohloff, gates carbon drive, SIMBB drive unit and steel frame. Optibike also offers GREAT warranty and a whopping 90 days 'love it or return it' satisfaction guarantee. On the other hand the Spitzing offers great speed and battery life, full suspension and it's also a little more friendly to the wallet. Both bikes would have to be imported by me personally, SIMBB from the US and Spitzing from Germany.

As of now, I put down a 20% deposit on the Optibike back in June when they had a special offer to their newsletter subscribers - if everything goes as it should I'll take delivery of my new bike in October. I chose the Optibike because of the rohloff/GCD combo and it's fairly powerful and nicely integrated SIMBB unit. Also I really don't need full suspension on my daily 18 miles commute and on my local trails around the coast here in western Norway. Additionally, although of a minor concern: the Spitzing is not road legal in Norway either. I really hope I made the right choice and that I can avoid sending it back to the factory because of issues

A review and pictures will of course follow when I get some use on the bike.

Thank you for reading my post and happy riding!

Erik

Hi Erik,

Welcome to EBR. I too, am a newcomer to this forum. You will find many friendly, helpful, and very knowledgeable people. They were so very helpful for me, as I was just buying my first ebike.
Happy trails,
Irene

 

[Bike_On]

Nice choice Erik. Going local on a high end bike is a plus+.

 

[Deleted member 803]

Hello fellow e-bikers!

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Erik, I'm a 23 year old student and bike enthusiast from Norway. I bought my first e-bike back in april and this opened up a whole new world to me. From what I know, I were the first owner of a bike from Rotwild's new e-mtb line in Norway as I imported it myself from Germany.

The bike I bought you ask?

Rotwild R.C1 + HT 29 EVO size XL

Amazing bike with great components and 90nM of torque and superb battery life. Sadly the bike started to have problems with its controller / electric system and had to go back for service within three months. A practically new bike costing >$6,5k with problems? Very, very disappointing to say the least - therefore I sold the bike.

That leaves me here: with no e-bike in my garage but with pockets full of money for a new purchase. I came up with two choices which both had their strengths and weaknesses: the M1 Spitzing R-pedelec and the Optibike SIMBB 29r. Both expensive bikes in the high end segment and with different "selling-points". I love the Optibike's low-mantainance and apparently 'bomb-proof' setup with rohloff, gates carbon drive, SIMBB drive unit and steel frame. Optibike also offers GREAT warranty and a whopping 90 days 'love it or return it' satisfaction guarantee. On the other hand the Spitzing offers great speed and battery life, full suspension and it's also a little more friendly to the wallet. Both bikes would have to be imported by me personally, SIMBB from the US and Spitzing from Germany.

As of now, I put down a 20% deposit on the Optibike back in June when they had a special offer to their newsletter subscribers - if everything goes as it should I'll take delivery of my new bike in October. I chose the Optibike because of the rohloff/GCD combo and it's fairly powerful and nicely integrated SIMBB unit. Also I really don't need full suspension on my daily 18 miles commute and on my local trails around the coast here in western Norway. Additionally, although of a minor concern: the Spitzing is not road legal in Norway either. I really hope I made the right choice and that I can avoid sending it back to the factory because of issues

A review and pictures will of course follow when I get some use on the bike.

Thank you for reading my post and happy riding!

Erik

Congratulations and enjoy!

 

[erikV]

A little update regarding the Cube Elite Hybrid HPC SLT:

My local bike shop today replaced the back wheel as it developed a ticking noise we could not sort out. Shows how great it is to have local backup when it comes to expensive, high-end items. The bike is now as new and with no ticks.

The Badass Bike chip arrived yesterday and I brought it with me to the shop. VERY easy to install and just as easy to take it off again should it be necessary. Now there are no speed limits on the system and I easily came up in 50 km / h on flat stretches (according Endomondo).

I am very happy with my purchase and LBS, can not thank them enough for providing excellent service!

 

[Ann M.]

Good to hear you're enjoying your new Cube @erikV ! Thanks for the detailed pics of the bike. Feel free to share some video or pics from rides around where you live; we'd all enjoy seeing that.