New Motobecane Gravel/Road Bikes with Integrated Battery and MidDrive BAFANG M800 System

[FlatSix911]

I figured out why this bike is so much cheaper than other brands. It only has one chainring, so is a 11 speed not 22 speed. The limited gear range makes this not a true road bike. It’s just a regular hybrid bike with drop bars attached to it. Their comparison with Trek Domane and Specialized Turbo Creo is not a valid comparison.

It's actually a Gravel Bike which uses a 1X drive train for off-road terrain. Take a look a the tires, bars, brakes, and GRX groupset... all optimized for a Gravel bike.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Byunbee, the Creo only has one chainring and an 11 speed cassette. I'd be interested in reading a review on the gravel/road version, because the price seems to be too good to be true.

 

[byunbee]

Byunbee, the Creo only has one chainring and an 11 speed cassette. I'd be interested in reading a review on the gravel/road version, because the price seems to be too good to be true.

Oh really? I wasn't aware of that! Learned something new..

I guess Trek Domane is the only one with two chainrings. I've been researching road bikes that use Bafang M800 and came across this post again. Surprisingly, there's only a couple of manufacturers that I can find.

 

[FlatSix911]

Oh really? I wasn't aware of that! Learned something new..

I guess Trek Domane is the only one with two chainrings.

I've been researching road bikes that use Bafang M800 and came across this post again. Surprisingly, there's only a couple of manufacturers that I can find.

I have some information and links that I can share on the M800... will have to check my files this evening.

 

[byunbee]

I have some information and links that I can share on the M800... will have to check my files this evening.

I only saw a couple - Maserati...but they moved to Fazua and some Taiwanese vendor but their bike didn't look very enticing.

 

[Mrburg]

I have purchased and received this bike and will try to post an update once I accumulate some miles. I will say that the range seems very short unless you’re on one or two assist setting. If you crank it up to five it depletes the battery very quickly. It seems to be a proprietary battery so I’m trying to find a way to add an extra one.

 

[FlatSix911]

I have purchased and received this bike and will try to post an update once I accumulate some miles. I will say that the range seems very short unless you’re on one or two assist setting.
If you crank it up to five it depletes the battery very quickly. It seems to be a proprietary battery so I’m trying to find a way to add an extra one.

I would be interested in hearing more about your new Mulekick... thanks for posting!

 

[FlatSix911]

I have some information and links that I can share on the M800... will have to check my files this evening.

Here are the specs I found on the Bafang M800 system. New Bafang powertrain paves the way for ultra lightweight electric road bikes - Electrek

 

[Rixtory]

I figured out why this bike is so much cheaper than other brands. It only has one chainring, so is a 11 speed not 22 speed. The limited gear range makes this not a true road bike. It’s just a regular hybrid bike with drop bars attached to it. Their comparison with Trek Domane and Specialized Turbo Creo is not a valid comparison.

New to the eBike forum, but I have to disagree - Road, Gravel, and some MBX are moving to a 1x Crank. The Creo's I test rode this fall were all 1x cranks. The Vado-5 SL I picked up was a 1x12 and my Spec Diverge (Analog bike) even had a 1x12 option 5 years ago.

 

[PetroK]

I have purchased and received this bike and will try to post an update once I accumulate some miles. I will say that the range seems very short unless you’re on one or two assist setting. If you crank it up to five it depletes the battery very quickly. It seems to be a proprietary battery so I’m trying to find a way to add an extra one.

Any updates on your experience?

 

[runjohn42]

Any updates on your experience?

Please tell us about your emulekick

 

[FlatSix911]

Looks like the eMulekick is back in stock at BD.
$2,300 for a 28 mph Class-3 Gravel bike with a BAFANG M800 Electric MidDrive and SRAM APEX 1X11.

Save Up to 60% Off eBikes LTD QTYS of these Flat Bar eBikes Electric Disc Brake Gravel/Road bikes 2024 Motobecane eMulekick EXPRESS with Integrated Battery Electric MidDrive Flat Bar, Carbon Fork Electric eBikes Shimano Hydraulic Disc Brakes Carbon

 

[robrob]

I figured out why this bike is so much cheaper than other brands. It only has one chainring, so is a 11 speed not 22 speed.

Good catch, I was just about to pull the trigger on this when I read your post. I'll wait for a dual chainring version.

 

[drewberz]

1 chainring versus 2 chainrings doesn't imply an inferior setup. Recent trends have been to add cogs (10 speed versus 11 versus 12 versus 13 speed) to the cassette, then make the high higher, and the low lower. Some people don't like front derailleur rub, the extra weight, dropped chains, crossover in gear ratio, sometimes cheaper, so prefer 1 chainring.

It really is a matter of what you are using the bike for. For example, tourers will still opt for a 3 chainring setup.

 

[Jack Cox]

1 chainring versus 2 chainrings doesn't imply an inferior setup. Recent trends have been to add cogs (10 speed versus 11 versus 12 versus 13 speed) to the cassette, then make the high higher, and the low lower. Some people don't like front derailleur rub, the extra weight, dropped chains, crossover in gear ratio, sometimes cheaper, so prefer 1 chainring.

It really is a matter of what you are using the bike for. For example, tourers will still opt for a 3 chainring setup.

I love love love he 1x setup on my Creo. I don't think I want to go back to front shifting. Nothing worse than needing to drop out of the big ring to shift to the big cog....just so... clumsy.

 

[robrob]

You can see from the pic the gearing range would be very limited for that 1x "gravel bike" when on pavement. I want to be able to grind up steep hills without assist when the battery goes but also need high speed gearing for downhill pavement so a 2x would be needed.

 

[jabberwocky]

Nothing wrong with 1x, as long as you have a wide enough range cassette (the motobecane has an 11-42 which is about as wide range as anything non-mtb gets). All depends on your gearing requirements. My giant has an 11-42 with a 44t ring and thats fine for everything I've ridden with it. I can pedal it into the 30s, and once I'm over 35mph I'm coasting. 11-42 lets me climb anything I need to climb with the motor assisting.

My non-e gravel bike still has a double and I don't see changing that. I'm not strong enough to climb everything without the small ring up front. But its also a narrower range cassette (11-28 or 11-32, can't remember which).

The Motobecane is doing a 42t ring with an 11-42 cassette, which is probably a good range for most people. Pedaling cadence of 100 gets you over 30mph. If you're a strong rider could probably swap the 42 for a 44 or 46 to get some more top end. Traditional roadie low gear with a compact is 34-28; 46-42 beats that and you have a motor.

 

[Jack Cox]

You can see from the pic the gearing range would be very limited for that 1x "gravel bike" when on pavement. I want to be able to grind up steep hills without assist when the battery goes but also need high speed gearing for downhill pavement so a 2x would be needed.

I have the Creo - which is pretty similar weight and battery size as this. It isn't hard to avoid that situation, really plenty of range if you spin.

I have (riding with my wife) ridden many hours without turning the assist on, and it works pretty great. a 46x46 or 42 in the back is fine, and the 46x11 gets you way over 30mph downhill.

I actually went the other way here in flat Texas - I put a 12x25 cassette, which really tightens up the gaps between shifts, no hills to go down, but I"d probably go to a 44t chainring rather than back to the bigger cassette. I really like how that straight block shifts and I can still spin this faster than 30mph without difficulty.

 

[robrob]

My analog gravel bike has 11x42 with 2x gearing up front and it's barely adequate so a 1x chainring & 11x42 rear isn't even close for a road bike.

 

[dariusf2]

I had the Express model for several months and put on it around 400 miles. I got the bike to help me with recovering from a bracken ankle 14 months ago and 5 surgeries. Really like the bike given my use case and its a really good value. Components are not the best but honestly the drivetrain shifts quite well comparing to my mountain bikes which have Sram GX 1x11, Sram NX 1x11 and Shimano XT/XTR 1x10. Frame is a sold construction and wheels/hubs/tires will do. Although have not done any really extreme terrain with it and would use one of my mountain bikes anyway. Have been using this bike exclusively on a combination of asphalt and gravel and its a sold bike for the money. I did upgrade the handlebars to carbon, saddle to WTB Pure and better grips and some magnesium MTB pedals I had laying around. Typically doing between 25-50 mile rides and keeping the assist on a combination of level 1 or off, turning on the assist higher when facing strong headwind or climbs which I definitely need due to my injury. The motor at 1 is almost not audible and at 5 you can hear it a little bit but not more then the sound of rolling 3" plus tires on asphalt. The assist kicks in when pedaling and turns off when not and is very smooth and transparent. It feels like you got extra power in your legs or strong back wind pushing you. Level 1 gives you 47 miles and the estimate is quite accurate, not sure how much you get with higher levels as I did not really pay attention to it.

The bad: Components could be better but for the price there is nothing to complain. The charging of the battery is a pain as it needs to be removed due to not having external charge plug. I try to limit the assist to be able to use one charge for 2 rides. Charger does get quite warm during charging which is a bit concerning. The controller is nice but the UI is a bit annoying. In order to reset trip one has to go in to the service menu and navigate multiple menu levels. You also can't cycle through options but can only go up or down in the menu so a lot of clicking. I just don't bother and look at Strava. The rest of the screens are fine and give you a bunch of details although some data points could have been combined reducing the number of screens to cycle through. The mat black paint looks good until you take it on the trails as it picks up scratches easily. Should have installed helicopter tape and not rush to ride it. The front thru axle is 12mm and would be stiffer and more standard / modern to have 15mm. Was going to install suspension gravel fork and all the new ones for tapered head tube are 15mm so would need to get a new hub and rebuild the wheel which I may still do at some point as I'm spoiled with full suspension mountain bikes Still looking for information online for service as at some point I will need to grease the motor and I do all my maintenance. Not aware of any Bufang service centers in the US so not sure how warranty would be handled and shipping parts around the globe is not a fun activity. Front chainring mounting does not look like any standard I know so not easy to swap the size although the available gear range is just fine for where I ride. I may swap the cassette to a wider range and a much lighter weight like one of the higher end Sunrace models (have a spare new one anyway). Tried to convert to tubeless and had issues with leakage from the bead at anything over 40psi and did not want to mass with it anymore and wanted to ride so back to tubs for now.

Overall I really enjoy the bike and considering I'm still recovering and learning to walk, it gave me the freedom I needed to ride, even if asphalt / gravel which I do not really enjoy. I did manage to take my Salsa a few times on single track but no hardcore riding, jumps or rock gardens for me for a while

Other (mountain) bikes: Ibis SLR (27"), Ibis Mojo 3 (27"+), Salsa Bucksaw (27"x3" for summer and 26"x4" for winter/snow), old Specialized Epic