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

[dariusf2]

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'm not familiar with road bikes much but in the mountain bike world the transition to 1x was years ago. I can't think of a single brand offering 2x now. My 2015 Salsa Bucksaw came as a 2x10 setup but I converted it to 1x11 around 2017. I can't stand front derailleurs for all the issues you mention. Now on the road bike I can see the need for wider gear ratios for sure but on gravel bike not so sure. If this bikes gear range for some reason does not work for you then you might want to upgrade the cassette to something like Sunrace CS-MX 11sp 11-51T from the included 11x42T. I have yet ran in to a need to us the 42 chainring on this Bikesdirect bike and have done some significant climbs on gravel trails around here although I did boost the pedal assist as I'm recovering from the ankle brake.

 

[robrob]

After reading some reviews of the Motobecane eMulekick pro that ease my mind about the 215 watt-hour battery I am very seriously considering pulling the trigger--I really want a eGravel bike.

Here's some more info on the 1x chainring and available gear ratios. My Motobecane Immortal Disc Pro gravel bike is 2x with (34T and 50T) chainrings and 11-34T cassette so lowest gearing is 34:34 or 1:1 (one turn of the crank turns the rear wheel one time). Highest gearing is 50:11 or 4.55 turns of the wheel to each turn of the crank. When running downhill my cadence gets uncomfortably high--I wish it was geared a little higher.

The eMulekick 1x with 42T chainring and 11-42T cassette has lowest gearing at 42:42 or 1:1, so same as my Immortal but highest gear is only 42:11 or 3.82 wheel turns to each turn of the crank. That is 19% lower than the Immortal so downhill pedaling would be very quick indeed.

Since the eMulekick has assist for climbing steep hills I could probably live with raising the lowest gearing by moving up from the 42T chainring to a 46 or 48T which would make the highest gearing 48:11 or 4.36 wheel turns for each turn of the crank. Still not the 4.55 of the Immortal but probably close enough.

 

[JRA]

Problem is that in order to get to the DH to use the high gear you are targeting it takes a complimentary low gear to get up there. While you can depend somewhat on the motor to assist in that effort these small motors I find climb best if spun at a high cadence rather than lugging them so what you gain on one end you lose on the other with single ring systems, there really is no getting around it. It is a somewhat delicate balance on the low watt/wh/weight bikes to overcome the extra weight and complexity of the e system in general.

Haven't read much about the performance of the M800 motor but let's face it a watt is a watt. If the M800 decouples well when not engaged and the extra weight of the bike is manageable enough so that you can ride it with little or no e assist and are happy with your speed over ground that is the best case scenario regardless of gear ratio's. But 215wh's is not much capacity even given that use of under 10wh/mi is considered frugal, although there are reports of less but in actuality how much benefit are those getting from the assist as mentioned? If they had an extender type battery to go with that would be a plus.

Don't get me wrong a drop bar e gravel bike can be alot of fun and I have been riding them for 4 years now. But I use a stronger motor and more battery capacity with a wide range of gearing and the resulting heavier bike but I like the feeling of getting somewhere faster than I can normally with the same amount of effort up, down and across.

 

[robrob]

Since I can climb my steepest hills at a 1:1 gear ratio on my non-electric Immortal gravel bike I should be able to do the same hills with a 48T chainring and gear ratio of 1:1.14 with 250 watts of assist. I have a lot of experience with European 250 watt Class I ebikes so I know what to expect.

I should have said that I only use assist on steep hills. I enjoy my non-electric Immortal gravel bike but I live in hilly East Tennessee so I have several steep climbs that I dread on all my regular rides. I believe the small 215WH battery of the eMulekick will be completely adequate for my typical 30 mile rides. I have a 50lb ebike cruiser and in a 30 mile ride I typically use only 20% of its battery capacity. With lower weight and much less rolling resistance the eMulekick should do well.

 

[JRA]

Different strokes I guess and it seems like you are well on your way towards your decision. Personally I decided years ago that coming home both physically drained and battery depleted made for the most fun rides.

 

[tripledigits]

I just bought the eMulekick Express and have been having display lockup problems. It freezes on assist level 1 and the mode that it was last in before freezing. The first time this happened, it unfroze on its own after I unplugged the display, removed and reinstalled the battery, and cycled the power switch. It happened a day later and I haven't been able to reset it. The bike came with no manual or other paperwork on the drive system. I have emailed BD and Ebike Essentials (Bafang's customer service??) and am awaiting a reply. Display head is a DP C260 C 1.0. I haven't had any luck yet finding the manual online, which surprises me since the system has been around awhile.

Notwithstanding the above issue, I am happy with the bike. I bought it because I wanted a gravel bike, and decided to try a fairly light ebike. I am impressed with the seamless power assist and quiet operation of the M800. The steering quickness is just right for me. Efficiency of the bike with power off is roughly equivalent to my FS 30 lb. MTB with inverted tread tires. I have no complaints with the brakes or derailleur system. The battery is not 215 Wh as advertised, it's a 200 Wh.

I'll follow up if I come across any information on resetting the display. If I am unsuccessful, I'll most likely return the bike in the 30 day return window. This is my second bike from BD, and I have to give them credit for giving us a good bang for the buck. I also like supporting my LBS, but can't always do that when they don't have what I'm looking for.

 

[dariusf2]

I just bought the eMulekick Express and have been having display lockup problems. It freezes on assist level 1 and the mode that it was last in before freezing. The first time this happened, it unfroze on its own after I unplugged the display, removed and reinstalled the battery, and cycled the power switch. It happened a day later and I haven't been able to reset it. The bike came with no manual or other paperwork on the drive system. I have emailed BD and Ebike Essentials (Bafang's customer service??) and am awaiting a reply. Display head is a DP C260 C 1.0. I haven't had any luck yet finding the manual online, which surprises me since the system has been around awhile.

Notwithstanding the above issue, I am happy with the bike. I bought it because I wanted a gravel bike, and decided to try a fairly light ebike. I am impressed with the seamless power assist and quiet operation of the M800. The steering quickness is just right for me. Efficiency of the bike with power off is roughly equivalent to my FS 30 lb. MTB with inverted tread tires. I have no complaints with the brakes or derailleur system. The battery is not 215 Wh as advertised, it's a 200 Wh.

I'll follow up if I come across any information on resetting the display. If I am unsuccessful, I'll most likely return the bike in the 30 day return window. This is my second bike from BD, and I have to give them credit for giving us a good bang for the buck. I also like supporting my LBS, but can't always do that when they don't have what I'm looking for.

That sucks, is there no way to get them to ship you a new display?

 

[dariusf2]

For anyone wondering, I weighed my bike which is medium, did change the saddle and bars to carbon. It came in at 36.32lb

 

[tripledigits]

That sucks, is there no way to get them to ship you a new display?

I’m working on it. Will post the resolution.

 

[dariusf2]

I managed to get almost 900 miles on this bike between my 7 leg surgeries in 2 years. So far the bike is doing great. Just replaced the tires, still could have done maybe another 100 miles on them but now that I'm back mostly on gravel I need a bit more aggressive tires and went with Maxxis Rambler 45mm. I also did a deep clean of the chain and cassette, checked all the spokes and torqued all the bolts and was surprised all looked great. Wheels still very true. I'm still getting about 47 mile range but stretch it out more by turning off assists from time to time throughout the ride. The pedaling resistance is definitely apparent when going from a stop but once up to speed I can't really tell.

In terms of climbing, just did a fast 12.65 mile gravel ride couple days ago. One of the climbs called "heart attack hill" is 0.07 miles, elevation gain 85 feet, grade 21.8%. Lots of loose gravel and rots from water coming down. With a short runup, level 5 assist and gradually dropping the gears down I managed to climb it in 0:29 seconds. This is 12 weeks after my last surgery to remove the external fixture after rebreaking and resetting by tibia and fibula bones in February. Loosing quite a bit of muscles, still not walking much and 3rd week back on the bike. If you are concerned with climbing ability given 1x11 setup and are in half decent shape I don't think you have much to worry about. The shifting as I climbed the hill was surprisingly good considering the drivetrain level. I'm sure I can beat that time with the new tires as the old stock rear tire thread was quite far gone and the rear wheel was slipping several times. I can't stand on pedals due to my leg recovering and did the whole climb sitting down and that helped with trying to keep the rear from slipping. My personal record before my accident 2 years ago on a Salsa Bucksaw full suspension bike 27.5+ wheels with 3" tires was 0.15 seconds. Given my situation I'm supper happy with what I can do with this bike.