Orbea Gain E-Road Bike
- Thread starter Rincon
- Start date
Zeek48
Active Member
Laws in NA allow for speed limiter to be set at 32 kpm. Believe it to be in the factory set software default and cannot be reset without factory/dealer codes. Not sure why EU limits would be so low.
Thanks, will try the importor.
Jaxx
Well-Known Member
Copy that Zeek, we could be twins. Last bike also 56cm, soon as I sat on the large Gain, I knew it was too big.
Just to let people know how ordering an Orbea Gain mail-order worked out for me. I ordered a Gain F30 from Mike's Bike in California. It got here with free shipping in about 12 days. The packaging was top-rate, not a single scratch on the box or the bike. The downside is that to package it efficiently it was a little more dissassembled then other bikes I have had shipped to me, with both tires removed. For people with any bike knowledge it should be a breeze to assemble, but for dolts like me it was quite a lot of work, especially since there are no instructions and the only video they have at Mike's Bike website is about how to remove the rear wheel. Since there is no savings buying it mail order there is no way I wouldn't buy it from an LBS if there is one near you since you would get a professionally assembled bike for the same cost. If I were an LBS I would really want to carry this line, it seems to be real popular and you don't have to w, and orry about on-line sellers taking your margins. Ebikemotion requires an app that is needed for upgrading many parts, warranty coverage, etc. so they go out of their way to support local dealers. Thankfully Mike's Bike had the bike in operational mode, not demo mode, and had registered it with Orbea so there was no problem with using the app, warranty registration or anything else. I have only taken one real ride on it of 25 miles. This is Southwest Florida so it is flat as a board, the temperature was in the low 90's with high humidity so the real feel temp. was 105, and I weigh 175 pounds and am only moderately fit.
(1) I love the bike, even though it is one of the cheapest Gains it handles like a bike, the brakes are wonderful and it is fairly light. I'm comparing this to my other electric bike (a sigle speed SS-Glide) and my wife's Diamondback and it is night and day. This feels like a bike, not a tank, and it is easy to ride with the power off unlike many ebikes. There's no drag, etc. and the extra weight from the motor and battery is minimal.
(2) This is exactly what I wanted but I would never tell someone who didn't want a bike for exercise to buy this. I can't stress it enough, this is a bike that happens to have a motor for occasional use, not a bike that can be used with ghost peddaling or a throttle. By the time I got home I had 41% battery left, although quite frankly this was because I was really tired towards the end and for the last mile or 2 had it at max power. Had I been taking my time and not ready to have a heat stroke I could see this having a range of about 60 miles if you go easy on the power assist. My heart-rate during the ride ranged from the 120s to 145, so the amount of work I was doing made it a real work out, and my average speed was about 14.5 mph with a high of 21 or so. Remember, it's Florida, so there are no downhills where you can easily gain some speed.
(3) Things I really liked are that the flat bar models have an iwoc trio on the handle bar (in addition to the regular iwoc on the tube) so If you are paranoid about taking your hands off the bar you don't have to. Things I missed from my other bikes are no throttle (I never use them on the other bikes EXCEPT when crossing a busy intersection to get to a trail). With the way people drive here being able to quickly cross some roads and get up to speed fast is almost a safety issue. And on the last few miles I was envying my buddy who was riding on my old bike on throttle mode while I was having to use some energy even on the max power mode. Honestly though that's why I wanted this type of bike - there's no temptation to avoid exercise.
(4) It may be me not being the sharpest tool in the shed but the ebikemotion app, although incredibly useful and well worth downloading, is confusing as heck to figure out, as is the Orbea manual. And it's not a translation issue, my mother was Spanish so I grew up speaking it - the manual is confusing in multiple languages, as is the documentation supplied by ebikemotion.
(1) I love the bike, even though it is one of the cheapest Gains it handles like a bike, the brakes are wonderful and it is fairly light. I'm comparing this to my other electric bike (a sigle speed SS-Glide) and my wife's Diamondback and it is night and day. This feels like a bike, not a tank, and it is easy to ride with the power off unlike many ebikes. There's no drag, etc. and the extra weight from the motor and battery is minimal.
(2) This is exactly what I wanted but I would never tell someone who didn't want a bike for exercise to buy this. I can't stress it enough, this is a bike that happens to have a motor for occasional use, not a bike that can be used with ghost peddaling or a throttle. By the time I got home I had 41% battery left, although quite frankly this was because I was really tired towards the end and for the last mile or 2 had it at max power. Had I been taking my time and not ready to have a heat stroke I could see this having a range of about 60 miles if you go easy on the power assist. My heart-rate during the ride ranged from the 120s to 145, so the amount of work I was doing made it a real work out, and my average speed was about 14.5 mph with a high of 21 or so. Remember, it's Florida, so there are no downhills where you can easily gain some speed.
(3) Things I really liked are that the flat bar models have an iwoc trio on the handle bar (in addition to the regular iwoc on the tube) so If you are paranoid about taking your hands off the bar you don't have to. Things I missed from my other bikes are no throttle (I never use them on the other bikes EXCEPT when crossing a busy intersection to get to a trail). With the way people drive here being able to quickly cross some roads and get up to speed fast is almost a safety issue. And on the last few miles I was envying my buddy who was riding on my old bike on throttle mode while I was having to use some energy even on the max power mode. Honestly though that's why I wanted this type of bike - there's no temptation to avoid exercise.
(4) It may be me not being the sharpest tool in the shed but the ebikemotion app, although incredibly useful and well worth downloading, is confusing as heck to figure out, as is the Orbea manual. And it's not a translation issue, my mother was Spanish so I grew up speaking it - the manual is confusing in multiple languages, as is the documentation supplied by ebikemotion.
Jaxx
Well-Known Member
Excellent review Sol, agree on the confusing manual. Twenty five miles today, a few weeks time? Well done, it's only gonna get better from here.
I feel like I might get as much as 60 miles of range from my F30 if I had it on lowest assist the whole time. In that mode, the assist you're getting is just the equivalent of a tailwind. That's nice to have, but for the price of the F30 one might also consider just getting a much lighter bike for kind of the equivalent effect. The F30 is useful to me because I can use level 2 assist for the toughest 10% of my commute. But the impression I get is that level 2 discharges the battery at a significantly greater rate. I never need level 3, but of course that would be even faster discharge. Folks thinking about buying a Gain should understand that levels 2 and 3 will move you along very well, but will also drain the battery very quickly.
Hi Adanadawn, do you need the lowest level of assist to sustain a reasonable pace on the flat or is it just nice to have when needed? My fitness is average for 57 (reason for the bike) and very much would like the support for hills but would be a bit disappointed to have to use it to carry its own extra weight on the flats.
I think the F30 is around 31pounds which is about 12-13 pounds heavier than a very good endurance bike such as a Giant Defy pro 0.
My current older Trek is 22 pounds and is fine on the flat but not sure I could pedal 31 pounds without help. Many thanks
Zeek48
Active Member
Energy 11, I ride a Gain m20i. I ride it without assistance as much as I can using the power assistance only for when I need it ie riding into the wind or climbing. My bike is about 24 lbs and I am 190 lbs. I need to lose 10 lbs and I will be equal to riding my old road bike. I do not notice a lot of difference peeling on the flats without power. I am 71.
Jaxx
Well-Known Member
Energy, no on the flat unless you are seriously out of shape? You don't need assist. The Gain rides like a normal bike. I average the same speed with a head or tail wind on my Gain as I do on my other much lighter road bikes, on flatish roads. Makes hell of a difference in the hills though.
youngoldbloke
Member
Another view - I have one of the original Tiagra equipped Gains, weighs around 35 (edit: pounds not Kg) with all equipment - saddle pack, mudguards, bottles etc. I find it a very heavy bike to ride unassisted., but I also find my 16.5 lb Rose hard to ride due to my having developed peripheral arterial disease, affecting both my legs. That's why I bought the Gain and it enables me to ride reasonable distances at a reasonable speed again - so I use assistance all the time - mostly lowest level. I'm almost 72
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The F30 can definitely be ridden on flats without assist. It's not a fast bike in that mode, but it's only slightly faster with level 1 assist on. There's been times I've switched off assist when going down hills and forgotten to switch it back on in the flats, and only noticed the lack of assist when I start to go uphill. It's a sturdy hybrid/commuter bike with heavier, puncture-resistant tires. I think if you compare it to similar bikes that are not ebikes, like say a Marin Presidio, you'll find there's not much difference when pedaling on the flats.
For me at least you can easily ride the F30 on flats with no assist (after all, it doesn't weigh much more than high-end bikes did too many years ago). If for whatever reason you need longer assist range there is an optional water bottle battery available that would greatly extend your range. I'm not sure if it's actually in stock at the moment but it appears that the price will be about $649. Not cheap, but nice to be able to extend the range when needed with a dual battery system.
Hi All. I've had my M20i for a couple months now and am really enjoying it. I think this bike is more for an older rider like me who have lost some pedal power over the years. It really makes riding fun again and I feel almost as fast as I was 20-30 years ago. Back then may I would average 20-22 mph for a 30-40 mile ride, now I’m lucky to be 16-17 mph on a regular bike and that’s at the end of the season.
With my Gain I can now average 20 mph while keeping my heart rate in line to where it should be at my age. Head wind, no problem, hills, no problem.
I’m fine with the 20 mph limit and feel that if it was any higher the battery life would not be as good.
In the highest setting I can go 18 miles before it goes to 50% battery, in medium setting it will go to 20 to 22 miles and at the lowest setting it will go 28 – 30 miles before 50%. Keep in mind it depends a lot on headwinds and hills of the route I may be on.
Only a couple small issues I have are some creaking in the stem/handle bar area.
Misaligned rear disc causing it to rub and I’m having a hard time adjusting it. It appears that the bottom mounting surface that the caliper bolts rest on have a slight curve causing the bolt head to slip out of alignment.
The other issue for me is the rear gearing. I like to spin more than a slow grind and the shift point at the motor turn off point the gear spacing seems to be too large for me. If I shift I’m doing the slow grind to stay above 20, if I shift I’m spinning a bit too fast to stay above 20. I suppose I can try a different cassette in back to solve this.
Anyway I would recommend this bike to anyone who’ve lost a few strokes and want to feel fast again.
BTW we purchased a TREK CrossRip + so she can finally ride with me and that has an assist speed up to 27 mph I believe. She really thinks it’s funny when she can blow by me on the hills but she has to put it in the turbo mode in order to because that is one heavy bike at 46 lbs.
With my Gain I can now average 20 mph while keeping my heart rate in line to where it should be at my age. Head wind, no problem, hills, no problem.
I’m fine with the 20 mph limit and feel that if it was any higher the battery life would not be as good.
In the highest setting I can go 18 miles before it goes to 50% battery, in medium setting it will go to 20 to 22 miles and at the lowest setting it will go 28 – 30 miles before 50%. Keep in mind it depends a lot on headwinds and hills of the route I may be on.
Only a couple small issues I have are some creaking in the stem/handle bar area.
Misaligned rear disc causing it to rub and I’m having a hard time adjusting it. It appears that the bottom mounting surface that the caliper bolts rest on have a slight curve causing the bolt head to slip out of alignment.
The other issue for me is the rear gearing. I like to spin more than a slow grind and the shift point at the motor turn off point the gear spacing seems to be too large for me. If I shift I’m doing the slow grind to stay above 20, if I shift I’m spinning a bit too fast to stay above 20. I suppose I can try a different cassette in back to solve this.
Anyway I would recommend this bike to anyone who’ve lost a few strokes and want to feel fast again.
BTW we purchased a TREK CrossRip + so she can finally ride with me and that has an assist speed up to 27 mph I believe. She really thinks it’s funny when she can blow by me on the hills but she has to put it in the turbo mode in order to because that is one heavy bike at 46 lbs.
Jaxx
Well-Known Member
You could have described me Brew. I too have a M20i, and purchased it for the very same reasons. Only here in the UK it's limited to 16mph accordingly I average 120 miles per charge.
Guitar dave
New Member
I know the US version has assist to 20 mph theoretically, but are people finding this to be actual? Just curious because I have had a specialized turbo which was supposed to assist to 28 but actually cut out about 26.5. Does the Gain actually assist to 20 mph?
Got the D30 bike this week and happy to report it met and maybe exceeded my expectations so far. My commute is now 2-3 minutes shorter (from 51 to 48)! I am still playing around with the assist level as It seems I need level 1 for most of my commute so not using much of the battery specially since I ride mostly beyond the 20 mph (in US).
I have a question if anyone put fenders on it and a rack. Any suggestions for what brand or size (I have no idea i have never bought a rack or fenders)? I want to get panniers now that I can.
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