Orbea Gain M20 - Battery Life???

[MaximusDM]

Hi

How long (time/distance) is your Orbea Gain battery lasting?

I've done three almost flat test rides of 40km lasting 2 hours on medium assist on my new M20 and my battery drops from full charge all the way down to 20% left. That is no where near enough to tackle some of the Adelaide Hills near where I live in terms of time/distance.

I've read a reviews that stated;
"One 90 minute ride using high power modes on steep hills didn't cause the battery indicator to drop below 75% " -
"The Gain has a range of around 100 km" -
"I managed 93.3km and 1,086m of climbing" -
"Orbea doesn’t make any claims, but many riders say that the battery gets 100+ km of range with juice to spare"

Love the bike and the e-assist but a bit perplexed about the short battery life.

 

[Jaxx]

Hi

How long (time/distance) is your Orbea Gain battery lasting?

I've done three almost flat test rides of 40km lasting 2 hours on medium assist on my new M20 and my battery drops from full charge all the way down to 20% left. That is no where near enough to tackle some of the Adelaide Hills near where I live in terms of time/distance.

I've read a reviews that stated;
"One 90 minute ride using high power modes on steep hills didn't cause the battery indicator to drop below 75% " -
"The Gain has a range of around 100 km" -
"I managed 93.3km and 1,086m of climbing" -
"Orbea doesn’t make any claims, but many riders say that the battery gets 100+ km of range with juice to spare"

Love the bike and the e-assist but a bit perplexed about the short battery life.

I can get 100 miles out of a single charge at level 1. But then I can often ride above the 15.5mph cut off. The factors to consider are many, wind, terrain even tyres all play a part along with weight of rider. The approximately 60 miles that Orbea claim is in my experience easily doable for most folk, using level 1.

 

[Solom01]

Maximus, I've seen claims all over the place too, but there are so many variables including rider weight, cut-off speeds (in the US it's a bit over 21mph, which means most of the time you'll be using power unlike the EU where at 15.5 mph you won't) and a zillion other factors. One easy check is to use the Orbea App. Take a look at the battery capacity and it will let you know the real capacity of the battery, which will go down with age and use. Then look at when you're using power and how much on the upper right hand side of the app when you're riding. On level one it should range from 0 to about 35% if you have maximum level one power set to 100% (default mode). After doing this you'll know your maximum battery capacity and how much you're using based on your variables and not those of others. If you're interested in maximizing range that will give you the info. you need to decide when to use power. If you're looking for an ebike with the maximum amount of assist and range the Orbea probably isn't the way to go, although buying the water bottle battery will help a lot.

 

[Zeek48]

My maximum on a flat ride is about 100kms. I have squeezed 120 kms by either being over 32 kph and turning on and off.

Have the extender battery as well. Bit disappointed in its range especially when the extra weight is considered. Only getting at most an extra 60km.

Most of my rides are in the 65-80 km range with probably one ride a week at 100-110 kms. I move back and forth between L0 and L1. This winter I have started to use L2 more fore climbing.
Did a recent ride of 85km and about 650 metres of climbing with a 20 kph + wind one way and exhausted the the extra battery and was into the the red (less than 25%) zone on bike battery Ki at the end of the ride. I am also a bit on the heavy side at 195 lbs and the extra battery at about 4 lbs.

 

[oswaldr2]

Any issues in cold weather? i.e. charging in temps, riding in cold weather, storing in cold temps, etc....?

 

[Zeek48]

Any issues in cold weather? i.e. charging in temps, riding in cold weather, storing in cold temps, etc....?

How cold? I normally ride in the winter in AZ. (home in Canada 2 months early this yr.) Rode yesterday for 1st time this spring. About 6C/43F. Have ridden at 1C/33F both here and AZ with no issues. Not interested in going any colder. Always stored inside the house in Canada and the garage in AZ. They recommend that the battery not get much colder.

 

[oswaldr2]

How cold? I normally ride in the winter in AZ. (home in Canada 2 months early this yr.) Rode yesterday for 1st time this spring. About 6C/43F. Have ridden at 1C/33F both here and AZ with no issues. Not interested in going any colder. Always stored inside the house in Canada and the garage in AZ. They recommend that the battery not get much colder.

Gotcha, it's around that in Denver right now. I'll bring her inside.

Hopefully my GF doesn't realize it's not my Diamondback Century 6c. Has been amazing that I diverted the UPS guy to the side of the house, did some minor assembly, got rid of the box and she still has no idea I have it. BAHAHA

 

[Zeek48]

Gotcha, it's around that in Denver right now. I'll bring her inside.

Hopefully my GF doesn't realize it's not my Diamondback Century 6c. Has been amazing that I diverted the UPS guy to the side of the house, did some minor assembly, got rid of the box and she still has no idea I have it. BAHAHA

It's like the saying "when I die, good friends won't let my wife sell my bikes for what I said I paid for them."

 

[oswaldr2]

It's like the saying "when I die, good friends won't let my wife sell my bikes for what I said I paid for them."

that's amazing, I love it. Yeah i'll probably tell her I practically stole it paying $1k and can resell it for more when I'm done with it.

She had no clue when I was taking it in. but going in and out is a pain in this 1895 victorian we rent, the cellar is not a bike friendly staircase.

Do I need to worry about heat in the summer? I'm hoping I can keep it in the garage some of the year....

 

[Zeek48]

She had no clue taking it in. but going in and out is a pain in this 1895 victorian we rent, the cellar is not a bike friendly staircase.

Do I need to worry about heat in the summer? I'm hoping I can keep it in the garage some of the year....

I have ridden mine into May in AZ. Temps into the high 90s.No issues. Its stored in the house for the summer. House temp kept at 85F. Here in Canada, it never gets too hot.

 

[ChrisH]

I also live in Adelaide and have a Orbea Gain M20i. I generally only use the Gain for rides in Hills. I can get two 40 to 50 km rides out of a charge. Rides might be Adelaide, Mt Lofty to Norton Summit and back or Adelaide, Montacute and down Norton Summit. Most of the riding would be in assistance level 1 (set at 60%) but using level 2 on some of the steeper parts.

Chris

 

[MaximusDM]

Any issues in cold weather? i.e. charging in temps, riding in cold weather, storing in cold temps, etc....?

Hi. Never gets to cold in Adelaide. The rare times the temp is less than 15c, I usually dont ride. Summer is a different issue! I have a pic of my cycling computer with a temp of 51.7c!!!

 

[MaximusDM]

I suppose weighing 103kg doesn't help battery life.

 

[Solom01]

Hi Oswald. I live in SW Florida where it never gets cold, but it gets hot and humid so I always keep my Gain inside the house. Unless your garage is temperature controlled they tend to get very hot in the Summer, which theoretically is not good for the lifespan of a lithium battery. Since the built-in battery has to be dealer replaced and since it's a fairly small battery without a lot of range to spare I've been babying it so I store the bike inside and try to not charge it over 90% or under 20%. Of course if you have a good dealer nearby and don't mind the expense of replacing the battery a bit sooner it's just as valid to have fun and not obssess about maximing the battery life.

 

[oswaldr2]

I've been babying it so I store the bike inside and try to not charge it over 90% or under 20%. Of course if you have a good dealer nearby and don't mind the expense of replacing the battery a bit sooner it's just as valid to have fun and not obssess about maximing the battery life.

Is the 90/20 a thing the manufacturer recommends or is this just something general you believe or know to prolong the battery life?

 

[Solom01]

Actually I think either Mahle and or Orbra recommend it somewhere in their literature, but it's also the way lithium batteries work. There's no magic to it and regardless of what the vendor claims everyone is subject to the same laws of nature, but it's up to the owner to decide what's important to them. Even Tesla points out in their manuals about how charging to 100 and discharging too low is bad for longevity, and their bms is light years better then those in ebikes. But if you're trying to get maximum range with a small battery some faster degradation may be a worthwhile trade-off.

 

[Jaxx]

Is the 90/20 a thing the manufacturer recommends or is this just something general you believe or know to prolong the battery life?

You should also treat your mobile phone the same way. If you want to prolong the battery life.

 

[Captain Slow]

Hi. Never gets to cold in Adelaide. The rare times the temp is less than 15c, I usually dont ride. Summer is a different issue! I have a pic of my cycling computer with a temp of 51.7c!!!

Holy Cow!!!! I frequently ride when the temp is below 15c, but I doubt I'd venture out above 40c!!!! I guess it's what you become acclimated to.

There are lots of variables, but a 40 km flat ride that is averaging 20 km/hr. - that certainly doesn't sound right and out of line with the experience others have had. I'd suggest you get the shop you bought the bike look at it.

 

[Zeek48]

Holy Cow!!!! I frequently ride when the temp is below 15c, but I doubt I'd venture out above 40c!!!! I guess it's what you become acclimated to.

There are lots of variables, but a 40 km flat ride that is averaging 20 km/hr. - that certainly doesn't sound right and out of line with the experience others have had. I'd suggest you get the shop you bought the bike look at it.

If I didn't ride when it is less than 15C, I would lose 75% of my rides in Canada. When I ride in AZ in late Apr early May we start the ride at 5 AM. During the summer months (when I'm not there) the group starts in the 4-4.30 AM range to miss the worst of the heat. It can be be nearing triple digits (100F) when they are done.

Re 2 rides of 40-50 kms to a charge, I don't think think is unreasonable given 105 kg weight. The stated range is only about 100 km. I often need to be turning mine off/on to get anymore than than 100km. My weight is 85 kg.

 

[Jaxx]

If I didn't ride when it is less than 15C, I would lose 75% of my rides in Canada. When I ride in AZ in late Apr early May we start the ride at 5 AM. During the summer months (when I'm not there) the group starts in the 4-4.30 AM range to miss the worst of the heat. It can be be nearing triple digits (100F) when they are done.

Re 2 rides of 40-50 kms to a charge, I don't think think is unreasonable given 105 kg weight. The stated range is only about 100 km. I often need to be turning mine off/on to get anymore than than 100km. My weight is 85 kg.

I believe you're right? Getting two rides approximately 90/100 kms out of a charge ain't too bad at all. OK, I can often get 100+ kms out of one charge BUT? Here in the UK max assist speed is 15.5mph, I can do this on my own and when I do use assist (almost only level 1) it's set at 80% also helps to be 154lbs. So I think you're doing OK with those kind of distances.