Riese & Müller Delite review

[Matt A]

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to begin this thread early in the hopes to answer some community questions in a video review I will be creating in the near future. I recently purchased a Riese & Müller Delite GT NuVinci HS from Chris and Kyle Nolte at Propel Bikes in Brooklyn, NY. I am still in the process of customizing it to my specific needs but the gentlemen at Propel were there for me every step of the way to find a high quality solution for everything.

I hope to provide some valuable first-hand information and experience with this bike that I wish I would have had before my purchase. Due to this brand being so new in the US, reviews were hard to find. I have posted some pictures below, and feel free to ask any questions about the bike and I will answer them here and also cover them in the video.

When I was in the process of purchasing the bike, I had a TON of little questions about all of the details. Just ask @Chris Nolte and @Kyle Nolte, they can confirm how annoying I was lol. I am glad to be a resource for anyone interested in learning about this bike.

 

[Matt A]

 

[Matt A]

Great idea. I'm looking forward to your review.

P.S. You need not only to upload the pictures, but also insert them. Otherwise they aren't visible for us (as is now the case).

Glad to hear you are looking forward to the review. I actually forgot to upload/insert the pictures after the initial post, I was trying to fit this in between classes haha. I believe they are up now

 

[Over50]

Cool. I'm looking forward to the review. When I tested my Charger at Propel I ogled the Delite they had on the floor. The ultimate long distance commuter or touring bike. Do you plan any long trips on the bike? I'd be curious to hear in your review how it responds if you're riding with just one of the batteries. I'm assuming no difference but I thought that was a cool option (to ride with both or just one). You picked my favorite color offered for the Delites. Awesome bike. Congrats on the purchase.

 

[Matt A]

Cool. I'm looking forward to the review. When I tested my Charger at Propel I ogled the Delite they had on the floor. The ultimate long distance commuter or touring bike. Do you plan any long trips on the bike? I'd be curious to hear in your review how it responds if you're riding with just one of the batteries. I'm assuming no difference but I thought that was a cool option (to ride with both or just one). You picked my favorite color offered for the Delites. Awesome bike. Congrats on the purchase.

I tried the delite they had on the floor and was sold right away. My girlfriend will be purchasing a Charger soon as well. I haven't gone on any trips far from home, however I do ride all over the place within Philadephia and went 30 miles each day on saturday and sunday. I still had at least half battery at the end of each trip.

With just one battery on the bike, it feels the same but the range is of course cut in half. I will mess around with it more, but I was told that in order to use one battery, the top tube one must be attached. With the 2 batteries I can easily get 65-75 miles and thats with me using Turbo a fair amount. I was really surprised at how easy it was to still hit top speeds in Eco, considering when this bike is loaded up it weighs in at over 100 pounds. I wish I didn't live on the 3rd floor, I underestimated the effort it takes to carry this bike up a steep narrow staircase.

I do love the color as well, but I will be riding the hell out of this bike so I try not to think about the paint job, it won't be perfect for long haha. Thank you and congrats on your purchase as well! The charger is still a great bike, I almost went with that one but decided on the Delite NuVinci HS because I will be putting a ton of miles on it, and figured I would get enough use out of the bike for it to really be worth the extra cost.

P.S. I was having problems with the dual battery system, it works fine for riding the bike but the two batteries do not want to charge past 70% or so when I charge them together on the bike. To remedy the situation, Kyle sent me an additional Bosch charger so I can at least still charge both fully off the bike. They seem to charge just fine to 100% when off the bike.

 

[Over50]

...My girlfriend will be purchasing a Charger soon as well...I was really surprised at how easy it was to still hit top speeds in Eco, considering when this bike is loaded up it weighs in at over 100 pounds...but decided on the Delite NuVinci HS because I will be putting a ton of miles on it, and figured I would get enough use out of the bike for it to really be worth the extra cost...

Interesting stuff indeed. Which Charger is your girlfriend buying? I think you volunteered yourself to bring us a Charger review as well! What are your impressions thus far of the Nuvinci?

Yes, I can get up to about 25 mph in Eco on good pavement on a flat without tremendous effort. I did find myself wishing I had more gear range to push it up more without having to jump up to Tour or beyond in order to maintain or increase my speed. I felt that with just a little more gear range I could get a bit more from the battery by getting a bit more out of my body. I thought about that dual battery for my rather long work commute (the Charger can be ordered with dual battery I believe) but ultimately I felt, at least for my case, that it might be more practical to buy an extra charger for my office. On the one work commute I have made since owning the bike, I did about 36 miles in probably 80-85% Eco mode (on a rather cold day using the neoprene sleeve). The bike said I still had 17 miles of range in Eco remaining when I finished. But I would like to use Tour mode more in order to reduce my commute time so I think I really need to charge at work. I think I'd be satisfied if could do the commute in 50% Eco mode. That should be a good compromise between getting a good workout and also having ability to speed through the tough parts of my commute.

While the single battery is probably more practical for a work commute where I have to lock the bike in a public area, if I had any ability to do some bicycle touring or camping etc, that dual battery setup would have been a no-brainer.

 

[Chris Nolte]

Great posts in here! Matt you're definitely not annoying! I really enjoy hearing from and learning about all of the unique uses of these bikes. I can only learn so much from my own usage, I'm really thankful for you, @Over50 and others on the forum that share their experiences. It helps us grow this thing in a smart way.

Excited to see you on here and looking forward to seeing more of your posts Matt

 

[Drumulac]

Congrats Matt! Looking forward to your impressions/review of the Delite.

I just purchased the Rohloff Delite GX HS that is currently on Chris's floor. You probably demo'd it at the shop . . . don't want to hijack your thread, so as I get the chance, I'll start another one with details and my experiences with it.

Keep us posted.

 

[Matt A]

Interesting stuff indeed. Which Charger is your girlfriend buying? I think you volunteered yourself to bring us a Charger review as well! What are your impressions thus far of the Nuvinci?

Yes, I can get up to about 25 mph in Eco on good pavement on a flat without tremendous effort. I did find myself wishing I had more gear range to push it up more without having to jump up to Tour or beyond in order to maintain or increase my speed. I felt that with just a little more gear range I could get a bit more from the battery by getting a bit more out of my body. I thought about that dual battery for my rather long work commute (the Charger can be ordered with dual battery I believe) but ultimately I felt, at least for my case, that it might be more practical to buy an extra charger for my office. On the one work commute I have made since owning the bike, I did about 36 miles in probably 80-85% Eco mode (on a rather cold day using the neoprene sleeve). The bike said I still had 17 miles of range in Eco remaining when I finished. But I would like to use Tour mode more in order to reduce my commute time so I think I really need to charge at work. I think I'd be satisfied if could do the commute in 50% Eco mode. That should be a good compromise between getting a good workout and also having ability to speed through the tough parts of my commute.

While the single battery is probably more practical for a work commute where I have to lock the bike in a public area, if I had any ability to do some bicycle touring or camping etc, that dual battery setup would have been a no-brainer.

Most likely she will be getting the GT Nuvinci. Haha yes we can review that too but it will probably be a month or two by the time she decides to buy and then it ships.

So far I do like the Nuvinci, but there are some things you have to learn about it from experience. The gear range is fine for my uses, I have very few long stretches where the higher gear would really do anything for me, I just use it on city streets with lights and stop signs constantly. I like that you can shift while standing still, but it is resistant to shifting if you are pedaling. I find that from a stop, I have to stop pedaling as I speed up and change gears. You can switch gears somewhat while pedaling, but to get to the highest gear you have to stop pedaling while you change it.

I think it will be a good idea for you to charge while at work. If you don't need the range of the extra battery, then you are better off with an extra charger. With a full battery you could probably get one way to work using only Tour, so you could do any combination of Tour and Eco and even Sport or Turbo if you wanted, and still make it one way. When I ride, I stop and start a lot with cars behind me so I use Turbo from a stop and then go down to tour to just keep pace with the cars. Being on city streets, I can ride in front of cars just fine because I can go the same speed, and they take a lot longer to get through stop signs.

The dual-battery is great for very long trips. If my girlfriend gets the Charger with dual battery, I could carry two batteries in the pannier bags and then have over 250 miles of range in Eco!! lol

Great posts in here! Matt you're definitely not annoying! I really enjoy hearing from and learning about all of the unique uses of these bikes. I can only learn so much from my own usage, I'm really thankful for you, @Over50 and others on the forum that share their experiences. It helps us grow this thing in a smart way.

Excited to see you on here and looking forward to seeing more of your posts Matt

I can definitely tell you enjoy helping customers and hearing their experience, I was just joking, but I did feel kind of annoying sometimes lol I still am enjoying the bike, it rides great. Getting close to 200 miles on it in this first week! I will continue to update on here about the experience and will keep preparing the video review, but I do want to wait until I have the bike totally complete, can't wait to use that supernova at night!

Congrats Matt! Looking forward to your impressions/review of the Delite.

I just purchased the Rohloff Delite GX HS that is currently on Chris's floor. You probably demo'd it at the shop . . . don't want to hijack your thread, so as I get the chance, I'll start another one with details and my experiences with it.

Keep us posted.

Thanks! Congrats on your purchase as well! I did try that bike out, it was great. It would be cool if you could share your experience on this thread about the bike. I think anything Delite is free game in here. I think it would be helpful to everyone here if we continue this thread with new experiences and stories, I don't think mine alone could keep this thread going But it's up to you, I don't want to stop you from doing your own thread either!

 

[Drumulac]

... Thanks! Congrats on your purchase as well! I did try that bike out, it was great. It would be cool if you could share your experience on this thread about the bike. I think anything Delite is free game in here. I think it would be helpful to everyone here if we continue this thread with new experiences and stories, I don't think mine alone could keep this thread going But it's up to you, I don't want to stop you from doing your own thread either!

O.K. Matt, Good idea - I'll post to this thread.

Here's the funny thing: You've ridden my new bike, I have not! Just bought it this week (as a demo) totally on faith without a test ride. As you mentioned, there isn't much out there yet re: reviews. I've been looking for an ebike with the right combination of components that would come from a manufacturer with a sterling reputation, purchased from an reputable/knowledgeable dealer. After spending this winter researching, I decided that I'd finally hit on it - contacted Propel and we made the deal. Probably the easiest sale of a high end bike that Chris has made in a while! Actually, I'm in the northern ex-burbs of NYC, so Propel is only a 1 hour drive away, so it is stranger still that I haven't been to the shop (but that's a different story). Yes, a leap of faith - or a very expensive disappointment - but I don't see how you can go wrong with an R&M. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice. Life is too short, etc.

Main motivation for getting this - daily commute and possible long distance touring. My office moved to a "commutable" location a while back. I was doing the commute on my human powered Cannondale, but eventually found it was just a bit too hilly to arrive at work without being too sweaty, etc. Plus, I'm now aged 63 (and counting!), so the body does tend to revolt. Last year, I thought I'd solve that issue by electrifying my Greenspeed trike. I purchased an EcoSpeed boom mount kit for the trike and installed it last spring. Figured that the boost would allow me to neutralize any visibility issues that the low seating position creates by being able to keep up with traffic and accelerating faster. Well, the conversion went well and riding the "enhanced" trike is a total kick (it flies!), but . . . after a few trips to work on it, I realized that I was arriving sweat free but entirely too tense - still not a real street friendly vehicle, at least with the drivers in my area (where Redneck meets the Bronx). So I'm back to using the trike for bike paths and country roads. It did sell me on the ebike concept though.

Having used a Rohloff for over 8 years, forking over the extra bucks for this option on the Delite was a no-brainer. The Rohloff on my trike has 20,000 + rough miles on it and has proven to be bulletproof, even with the addition of the powerful EcoSpeed mid-drive motor. Won't take delivery for another few weeks - Chris needs it on the floor to sell from while waiting for a new one to arrive - not a problem considering that it is 22 degrees outside at the moment (!).

And yes, I hope to eventually do some extended touring on it once I've set up the bike and gotten any kinks ironed out. Having been cross country and through Alaska on two wheels "self contained" without electric assist, this should prove to be an interesting alternative. Yeah, a few extra battery packs in the panniers might be helpful. I may just get spoiled.

 

[Drumulac]

GX vs. GT: So Matt, I'm going to be interested in comparing your on-road experience with your GT vs. my GX. As a long time member and advocate for the Rails to Trails Conservancy, I love to get on these paths, which more often than not are ballast. Also, when touring in the West or Alaska, the more interesting roads are gravel/graded dirt. So, in addition to a comfortable commuter, I wanted a touring capable sprung bike with beefier tires. The GX fits the bill w/27.5 x 2.35 Rock Razors standard. I do expect to be swapping them out for a more street friendly tire for the daily commute - most likely Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 27.5 x 2.00 tires. The expectation is that the e-assist will even out the disadvantage of the extra rolling resistance on the road. Will see.

 

[Matt A]

O.K. Matt, Good idea - I'll post to this thread.

Here's the funny thing: You've ridden my new bike, I have not! Just bought it this week (as a demo) totally on faith without a test ride. As you mentioned, there isn't much out there yet re: reviews. I've been looking for an ebike with the right combination of components that would come from a manufacturer with a sterling reputation, purchased from an reputable/knowledgeable dealer. After spending this winter researching, I decided that I'd finally hit on it - contacted Propel and we made the deal. Probably the easiest sale of a high end bike that Chris has made in a while! Actually, I'm in the northern ex-burbs of NYC, so Propel is only a 1 hour drive away, so it is stranger still that I haven't been to the shop (but that's a different story). Yes, a leap of faith - or a very expensive disappointment - but I don't see how you can go wrong with an R&M. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice. Life is too short, etc.

Main motivation for getting this - daily commute and possible long distance touring. My office moved to a "commutable" location a while back. I was doing the commute on my human powered Cannondale, but eventually found it was just a bit too hilly to arrive at work without being too sweaty, etc. Plus, I'm now aged 63 (and counting!), so the body does tend to revolt. Last year, I thought I'd solve that issue by electrifying my Greenspeed trike. I purchased an EcoSpeed boom mount kit for the trike and installed it last spring. Figured that the boost would allow me to neutralize any visibility issues that the low seating position creates by being able to keep up with traffic and accelerating faster. Well, the conversion went well and riding the "enhanced" trike is a total kick (it flies!), but . . . after a few trips to work on it, I realized that I was arriving sweat free but entirely too tense - still not a real street friendly vehicle, at least with the drivers in my area (where Redneck meets the Bronx). So I'm back to using the trike for bike paths and country roads. It did sell me on the ebike concept though.

Having used a Rohloff for over 8 years, forking over the extra bucks for this option on the Delite was a no-brainer. The Rohloff on my trike has 20,000 + rough miles on it and has proven to be bulletproof, even with the addition of the powerful EcoSpeed mid-drive motor. Won't take delivery for another few weeks - Chris needs it on the floor to sell from while waiting for a new one to arrive - not a problem considering that it is 22 degrees outside at the moment (!).

And yes, I hope to eventually do some extended touring on it once I've set up the bike and gotten any kinks ironed out. Having been cross country and through Alaska on two wheels "self contained" without electric assist, this should prove to be an interesting alternative. Yeah, a few extra battery packs in the panniers might be helpful. I may just get spoiled.

I think you made a good purchase, the bike is great, and I like the orange color too. Don't worry you'll love it. I would have went with a Rohloff if I had the experience with it that you do. I just wanted the belt drive though

That sounds cool about the trike, I would probably be scared to ride that! I was actually riding yesterday for a few hours and it was absolutely freezing lol. It sounds like you have been on some really cool rides and I hope to take some similar ones on this bike one day. You should post pictures on here of any ebike travels you do once you get your new bike!

GX vs. GT: So Matt, I'm going to be interested in comparing your on-road experience with your GT vs. my GX. As a long time member and advocate for the Rails to Trails Conservancy, I love to get on these paths, which more often than not are ballast. Also, when touring in the West or Alaska, the more interesting roads are gravel/graded dirt. So, in addition to a comfortable commuter, I wanted a touring capable sprung bike with beefier tires. The GX fits the bill w/27.5 x 2.35 Rock Razors standard. I do expect to be swapping them out for a more street friendly tire for the daily commute - most likely Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 27.5 x 2.00 tires. The expectation is that the e-assist will even out the disadvantage of the extra rolling resistance on the road. Will see.

I have enjoyed the GT tires on there, the Super Moto-x, this edition of them has the reflective sidewalls which is great. I did like the GX tires, and with the assist you will have no problem with any tire, it just may affect the range. I did feel I could turn faster and maybe even stop faster with the GX tires, they felt more in control. The GT tires though are great for me in the city and I would take them on light trails no problem. I have ridden on some dirt/muddy trails a little bit, and the tires do fine. I definitely enjoy the GT.

 

[Drumulac]

Not being familiar with them, I just took a look at the Super Moto-X tires on the Schwalbe site . They certainly would more than handle rail trails just fine - after all, these trails are pretty tame. I'm thinking they may be a good all around choice for me, but of course I'll run the Rock Razors that come with the GX and see how they work out for the street first. I actually have two wheel sets for my hybrid so that I can easily swap them out if I'm going off the street. Not happening with my Delite Rohloff unless I hit Lotto! There really is very little difference between our bikes other than the choice of internal hubs and a few differences in component brands. I would love to have a belt drive coupled with the Rohloff, but I understand that there were alignment issues doing so. I'm sure that R&M will figure out a way to resolve that, but I'm fine with the chain - no big deal.

No doubt I'll be thrilled with the R&M. Thanks for the encouraging words. Not exactly an impulsive purchase on my end, but it is a lot of money to layout on faith . . . Yes, I'll certainly post the long distance rides. Back in the nineties and up to about 10 yrs ago, my wife and I would annually take three weeks off and do self contained touring. Montana, the Southwest, Alaska, New England, western Canada, etc. In 1999, we rode from northern Maine back to our house in NY. The next year we were homebound since we were each dealing with the terminal illnesses of a parent. That behind us, in 2001 we took a left turn out of our driveway and spent the summer continuing the ride cross country, ending up on the west coast in Washington. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes and we haven't done any substantial long distance riding together in the past 10 years or so. Of course, my wife describes our previous tours as "boot camp" now, but she certainly cherishes the memories. I've done some east coast 1 to 2 week distance riding solo since, but Alaska and the American west beckon, so the R&M purchase is a great motivator to get out there and put some quality miles on it.

It sounds like you are thoroughly enjoying your GT, witnessed by your Saturday ride in the arctic conditions. Nothing like a new bike to get you out the door and riding! We get older and, as they say, our toys just get more expensive . . . Enjoy!

 

[Matt A]

Not being familiar with them, I just took a look at the Super Moto-X tires on the Schwalbe site . They certainly would more than handle rail trails just fine - after all, these trails are pretty tame. I'm thinking they may be a good all around choice for me, but of course I'll run the Rock Razors that come with the GX and see how they work out for the street first. I actually have two wheel sets for my hybrid so that I can easily swap them out if I'm going off the street. Not happening with my Delite Rohloff unless I hit Lotto! There really is very little difference between our bikes other than the choice of internal hubs and a few differences in component brands. I would love to have a belt drive coupled with the Rohloff, but I understand that there were alignment issues doing so. I'm sure that R&M will figure out a way to resolve that, but I'm fine with the chain - no big deal.

No doubt I'll be thrilled with the R&M. Thanks for the encouraging words. Not exactly an impulsive purchase on my end, but it is a lot of money to layout on faith . . . Yes, I'll certainly post the long distance rides. Back in the nineties and up to about 10 yrs ago, my wife and I would annually take three weeks off and do self contained touring. Montana, the Southwest, Alaska, New England, western Canada, etc. In 1999, we rode from northern Maine back to our house in NY. The next year we were homebound since we were each dealing with the terminal illnesses of a parent. That behind us, in 2001 we took a left turn out of our driveway and spent the summer continuing the ride cross country, ending up on the west coast in Washington. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes and we haven't done any substantial long distance riding together in the past 10 years or so. Of course, my wife describes our previous tours as "boot camp" now, but she certainly cherishes the memories. I've done some east coast 1 to 2 week distance riding solo since, but Alaska and the American west beckon, so the R&M purchase is a great motivator to get out there and put some quality miles on it.

It sounds like you are thoroughly enjoying your GT, witnessed by your Saturday ride in the arctic conditions. Nothing like a new bike to get you out the door and riding! We get older and, as they say, our toys just get more expensive . . . Enjoy!

I have been impressed with the tires so far. Today especially I hit a ton of large potholes at high speeds not paying attention to the road but more the cars. They absorb the impacts well, in addition to the suspension. I also heard class pop/crush quite loudly when I was riding fast but nothing happened and there was nothing stuck in the tire. I don't think you will go wrong with them, but I think the only negative with the GX tires would be a slight range loss. I have no idea how much but if you aren't stretching your battery consistently then it really doesn't matter.

Our bikes are almost the same you are right. I just have remember as a kid I had chain grease permanently tattooed in black on my legs, and in general wanted something that lasts the longest between replacements. I am not well informed about bicycle chains, but I think a belt stands up better to the use of a motor. From videos I have seen from Court, the shift sensing with Bosch works, but you still can mash the chain and wear that and your cassette down. This really is negligible to someone that is an experienced cyclist and used to maintaining a chain.

You are clearly an extremely experienced rider, and I am sure those trips were wonderful. I am sorry you had family illnesses to deal with, that is never easy. Unfortunately life does get in the way a lot, I would love to do more recreational riding, but my schedule is too crazy at this point in life.

Riding today was much nicer than over the weekend, it was in the 60s and didn't dip below 50 at night. I really do enjoy riding the bike and even when I get home I still want to go around the block a few more times no matter how many miles I just rode. This was an extremely expensive toy haha, but I think it is worth it. Unfortunately, I have a habit of purchasing whatever is the most expensive whether it is practical or not. Luckily, this purchase is worth it relative to the ebike market. Could I have done something better with such a large sum? Probably, but it wouldn't bring the same amount of joy!

I wanted to ask you something as an experienced cyclist. This is diverging from this thread's purpose, but I need some advice. I want a saddle that is comfortable, and that can be ridden on for a very long time. The one the Delite came with was killing me at first, but I got used to it I guess because it is not so bad now, however there is still some soreness. I do not experience any numbness, but I have read some information on how bicycle seats that allow pressure on the soft tissues down there can cause long term and potentially irreversible damage, even with know symptoms until it's too late. This pressure was mostly due to the nose, which is why noseless seats were created. I admit they are ugly, but there is a study with some evidence that there is at least a reasonable risk to prolonged use of a traditional bike seat. I really was not ready to go noseless, I wanted to go more with a Brooks saddle before I came across the information.

So anyway, I found a saddle that may be the best of both worlds. There are a couple brands with this similar concept, but I liked how Bisaddle Da Vinci Performance looked and it seems like the perfect seat with a full range of adjustments. It is more expensive than any of the Brooks saddles I have seen.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

My purpose in all of this is to ask your opinion and experience on saddles, and what you think of the Bisaddle. I have read many articles, watched many videos, and read the threads on saddles on EBR. I think the Bisaddle would be the best idea, I emailed them and apparently sometime soon they have a newer Da Vinci model with a longer more standard nose size coming out. I would want to go with that one most likely. Anyway I just wanted to know what you think

 

[Drumulac]

I just have remember as a kid I had chain grease permanently tattooed in black on my legs, and in general wanted something that lasts the longest between replacements. I am not well informed about bicycle chains, but I think a belt stands up better to the use of a motor. From videos I have seen from Court, the shift sensing with Bosch works, but you still can mash the chain and wear that and your cassette down. This really is negligible to someone that is an experienced cyclist and used to maintaining a chain.

Yeah Matt, I certainly would have preferred the belt. The only experience I've had with a Gates belt drive was on a Harley I once owned. Apples and oranges, I know (motorcycle vs. bicycle), but it was a great improvement over chain lines. That said, I don't have an issue with a chain with the Rohloff. I've been using White Lightning chain lube for 20 + yrs on all my bikes. It is a wax based lube. It will still tattoo you if you haven't cleaned the chain in awhile, but generally it is still much cleaner than petroleum based lubes. Only problem is that it does tend to cake up on components such as derailleurs and tensioners, so you occasionally need to take care of that + I tend to use a lot of it since it is designed to flake off with the contaminants as you ride. The thing with the Rohloff is that you are not continually bashing the chain against the cogs every time you shift. It simply runs from front to rear sprocket, no side to side movement jumping up and down on a rear cassette + front chainrings. Chain life, with a little attention, is probably triple that of a derailleur. The sprockets will eventually need replacement, but not for a long time. Also, the Roloff has a reversible sprocket. You simply spin it off and turn it around, so you get twice the life. Just did that on my trike Rohloff after getting maybe 10K miles on the one side. Only the second sprocket I've had on the trike in over 20K miles.

I wanted to ask you something as an experienced cyclist. This is diverging from this thread's purpose, but I need some advice. I want a saddle that is comfortable, and that can be ridden on for a very long time. The one the Delite came with was killing me at first, but I got used to it I guess because it is not so bad now, however there is still some soreness.

Oh man, that's an age-old problem with no good answer. My thoughts on that: the bicycle, by design, is a bit of a torture device. You are forced to bend over like a pretzel while getting a seemingly postage stamp size saddle ("so called support") up your butt. I don't know if anyone totally beats that issue. I think we just minimize the problem. When purchasing a new bike, my LBS has allowed me to take a saddle and try it out for a few rides, then return it an try another if that isn't working out. I've heard of shops that will accept a deposit, then do the same thing. The thing is, everyone is built differently and each bike has different geometry. Getting the right saddle for yourself is a black art - and certainly there are no pat answers. You will find that very slight tweaks in handlebar and seat height, or the forward/backward pitch of the saddle, can make a huge difference. Everyone is different. I find the Terry Men's Liberator:

http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles/Mens-Saddles/Liberator-Y-Elite

works great for me - all day riding with no pain - but I have friend who thinks it sucks. He is a Brooks guy. Retro-grouch. I did buy a Brooks about 15 years ago and lived with if for maybe 2000 miles. Beautiful workmanship, but it never broke in to my satisfaction. To each their own. I have never tried the Ergon saddle (same as yours) that comes with the GX, but I'll certainly give it a shot before switching it out. The Bisaddle looks very interesting. I'm guessing that you'll end up with one, so please let us know your impressions. The immediate - though not elegant - solution for you may be to get a gel cover for the Ergon, at least until you figure out the best solution. My wife has a saddle that the guys at my LBS call "the sofa". Super wide, looks like it is made for a stationary trainer (probably is). She has a gel cover on it and it got her through thousands of touring miles. Like I said, all of us are different and the combinations/solutions are endless . . . One reason I bought a trike was that those issues totally go away: you are pedaling in a relaxed, laid back recumbent position while sitting on what almost amounts to a lawn chair.

Matt: it is great to hear that you are so enjoying your bike. Makes me super eager to get a hold of my Delite and start riding. Kind of glad I have been forced to wait a few weeks for delivery though - at the moment in NY it is windy and cold for the foreseeable future. Snow today, super cold over the weekend, and more snow predicted for next week. If I had the bike now, like you, I'd be out there courting frostbite, for sure.

 

[Matt A]

Yeah Matt, I certainly would have preferred the belt. The only experience I've had with a Gates belt drive was on a Harley I once owned. Apples and oranges, I know (motorcycle vs. bicycle), but it was a great improvement over chain lines. That said, I don't have an issue with a chain with the Rohloff. I've been using White Lightning chain lube for 20 + yrs on all my bikes. It is a wax based lube. It will still tattoo you if you haven't cleaned the chain in awhile, but generally it is still much cleaner than petroleum based lubes. Only problem is that it does tend to cake up on components such as derailleurs and tensioners, so you occasionally need to take care of that + I tend to use a lot of it since it is designed to flake off with the contaminants as you ride. The thing with the Rohloff is that you are not continually bashing the chain against the cogs every time you shift. It simply runs from front to rear sprocket, no side to side movement jumping up and down on a rear cassette + front chainrings. Chain life, with a little attention, is probably triple that of a derailleur. The sprockets will eventually need replacement, but not for a long time. Also, the Roloff has a reversible sprocket. You simply spin it off and turn it around, so you get twice the life. Just did that on my trike Rohloff after getting maybe 10K miles on the one side. Only the second sprocket I've had on the trike in over 20K miles.



Oh man, that's an age-old problem with no good answer. My thoughts on that: the bicycle, by design, is a bit of a torture device. You are forced to bend over like a pretzel while getting a seemingly postage stamp size saddle ("so called support") up your butt. I don't know if anyone totally beats that issue. I think we just minimize the problem. When purchasing a new bike, my LBS has allowed me to take a saddle and try it out for a few rides, then return it an try another if that isn't working out. I've heard of shops that will accept a deposit, then do the same thing. The thing is, everyone is built differently and each bike has different geometry. Getting the right saddle for yourself is a black art - and certainly there are no pat answers. You will find that very slight tweaks in handlebar and seat height, or the forward/backward pitch of the saddle, can make a huge difference. Everyone is different. I find the Terry Men's Liberator:

http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles/Mens-Saddles/Liberator-Y-Elite

works great for me - all day riding with no pain - but I have friend who thinks it sucks. He is a Brooks guy. Retro-grouch. I did buy a Brooks about 15 years ago and lived with if for maybe 2000 miles. Beautiful workmanship, but it never broke in to my satisfaction. To each their own. I have never tried the Ergon saddle (same as yours) that comes with the GX, but I'll certainly give it a shot before switching it out. The Bisaddle looks very interesting. I'm guessing that you'll end up with one, so please let us know your impressions. The immediate - though not elegant - solution for you may be to get a gel cover for the Ergon, at least until you figure out the best solution. My wife has a saddle that the guys at my LBS call "the sofa". Super wide, looks like it is made for a stationary trainer (probably is). She has a gel cover on it and it got her through thousands of touring miles. Like I said, all of us are different and the combinations/solutions are endless . . . One reason I bought a trike was that those issues totally go away: you are pedaling in a relaxed, laid back recumbent position while sitting on what almost amounts to a lawn chair.

Matt: it is great to hear that you are so enjoying your bike. Makes me super eager to get a hold of my Delite and start riding. Kind of glad I have been forced to wait a few weeks for delivery though - at the moment in NY it is windy and cold for the foreseeable future. Snow today, super cold over the weekend, and more snow predicted for next week. If I had the bike now, like you, I'd be out there courting frostbite, for sure.

It sounds like you've got a great setup for yourself there with the Rohloff and chain, it would be nice to ride the Rohloff again and compare it since now I know how the NuVinci feels. The Rohloff sounds really cool now that you are explaining it to me. I am not really sure how the internals work so I am having a hard time picturing your explanation of it, so I will take the time to research it a bit. I researched the NuVinci a lot before getting it so I fully understand the planetary gear system now. That's great that you've gotten so many miles out of your Rohloff, thats really a lot. I have had my bike 2 weeks now and have about 300 miles on it. It has been cold though so that will likely increase. I will probably put 7500-10,000 miles on the bike per year, so I really want durable materials that last a long time. It's nice to have more commercial quality components than consumer quality when they are really going to see some use.

Thank you for your insight into the saddle issue. Your experience with it has helped me understand more about the products I have looked at. I like how you refer to the bicycle as a torture device haha. Bisaddle is apparently about to come out with a new version, which is really the same thing, they are just making it so that they have even more interchangeability between parts so that you can replace every piece as they wear, instead of getting an entire new saddle. I have actually grown to like the Ergon saddle now, it is only slightly uncomfortable at times, but we are talking about a bike saddle here so you will always feel it. I will eventually end up with a Bisaddle I am sure, it seems like the least risky purchase since it can be so customized to you, even if it is $300.........

You will not be disappointed when you get your bike, and I was very eager about getting mine as well. When I first test rode the bike I was a little nervous about it and only went a couple blocks, but later on I regretted it because I almost forgot what it all felt like since it was such a short ride. I really only paid attention to the amount of power the bike had to offer. Not being knowledgeable in bicycle components at all at that point, I just figured with that brand and the advice at Propel that I could trust the components.

We got some crazy snow to endure tomorrow! You definitely won't be missing your bike this week. I may go out on it tomorrow a little bit, we'll see how it looks in Philadelphia haha. Stay safe during the storm!

 

[Matt A]

Yeah Matt, I certainly would have preferred the belt. The only experience I've had with a Gates belt drive was on a Harley I once owned. Apples and oranges, I know (motorcycle vs. bicycle), but it was a great improvement over chain lines. That said, I don't have an issue with a chain with the Rohloff. I've been using White Lightning chain lube for 20 + yrs on all my bikes. It is a wax based lube. It will still tattoo you if you haven't cleaned the chain in awhile, but generally it is still much cleaner than petroleum based lubes. Only problem is that it does tend to cake up on components such as derailleurs and tensioners, so you occasionally need to take care of that + I tend to use a lot of it since it is designed to flake off with the contaminants as you ride. The thing with the Rohloff is that you are not continually bashing the chain against the cogs every time you shift. It simply runs from front to rear sprocket, no side to side movement jumping up and down on a rear cassette + front chainrings. Chain life, with a little attention, is probably triple that of a derailleur. The sprockets will eventually need replacement, but not for a long time. Also, the Roloff has a reversible sprocket. You simply spin it off and turn it around, so you get twice the life. Just did that on my trike Rohloff after getting maybe 10K miles on the one side. Only the second sprocket I've had on the trike in over 20K miles.



Oh man, that's an age-old problem with no good answer. My thoughts on that: the bicycle, by design, is a bit of a torture device. You are forced to bend over like a pretzel while getting a seemingly postage stamp size saddle ("so called support") up your butt. I don't know if anyone totally beats that issue. I think we just minimize the problem. When purchasing a new bike, my LBS has allowed me to take a saddle and try it out for a few rides, then return it an try another if that isn't working out. I've heard of shops that will accept a deposit, then do the same thing. The thing is, everyone is built differently and each bike has different geometry. Getting the right saddle for yourself is a black art - and certainly there are no pat answers. You will find that very slight tweaks in handlebar and seat height, or the forward/backward pitch of the saddle, can make a huge difference. Everyone is different. I find the Terry Men's Liberator:

http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles/Mens-Saddles/Liberator-Y-Elite

works great for me - all day riding with no pain - but I have friend who thinks it sucks. He is a Brooks guy. Retro-grouch. I did buy a Brooks about 15 years ago and lived with if for maybe 2000 miles. Beautiful workmanship, but it never broke in to my satisfaction. To each their own. I have never tried the Ergon saddle (same as yours) that comes with the GX, but I'll certainly give it a shot before switching it out. The Bisaddle looks very interesting. I'm guessing that you'll end up with one, so please let us know your impressions. The immediate - though not elegant - solution for you may be to get a gel cover for the Ergon, at least until you figure out the best solution. My wife has a saddle that the guys at my LBS call "the sofa". Super wide, looks like it is made for a stationary trainer (probably is). She has a gel cover on it and it got her through thousands of touring miles. Like I said, all of us are different and the combinations/solutions are endless . . . One reason I bought a trike was that those issues totally go away: you are pedaling in a relaxed, laid back recumbent position while sitting on what almost amounts to a lawn chair.

Matt: it is great to hear that you are so enjoying your bike. Makes me super eager to get a hold of my Delite and start riding. Kind of glad I have been forced to wait a few weeks for delivery though - at the moment in NY it is windy and cold for the foreseeable future. Snow today, super cold over the weekend, and more snow predicted for next week. If I had the bike now, like you, I'd be out there courting frostbite, for sure.

I braved the storm today and rode about 20 miles throughout the afternoon/evening in Philadelphia today. I put up a picture of the bike tonight while waiting for the subway home.

The GT tires did alright. I was riding on a bunch of different snow situations; soft thick snow, slushy roads, hard packed snow, ice. The bike just goes right through the majority of it. You cant really go through 6 inches of soft snow without slipping unless its only a few feet. When I had to go through that I would ride until the bike would slip to one side and just catch it and walk the rest. After a while I started getting some courage and riding right through it, usually had to put my foot down to stop from falling over every few feet though.

Over hard packed snow and really thick slush, you can move quickly but you have to keep perfect balance and go straight, if you turn the handlebars at all you start to slide and have to hope you catch yourself. When I was riding on a thin layer of slush up to an inch or so it was fine, you will only slip if you turn try to turn fast. When it was later in the evening and all that soft snow turned to that crunchy ice snow, the bike went over and through that perfectly fine almost as if it was asphalt, you could turn and go fast. Most of the main roads were just wet with patches of snow/slush so it wasn't too bad. The back roads were tough though, sometimes I would use the sidewalk since that was the only thing plowed. I enjoyed riding the bike in the snow even tough I had to put my foot down to stop from sliding at least a hundred times lol. Just thought I would share that experience!

P.S. When I am not logged into the site and try to read the forums, it tells me my IP address is banned. It allows me on the site but if I click forum it would say I am banned unless I login. Weird....

 

[romagjack]

Matt, you are my idol. I wish I had your courage. Sounds like you need a set of chains for your bike - ha.

 

[Drumulac]

Way to go Matt! We got a bit more snow here in the NYC ex-burbs (two feet). Would have been fun to try out my GX on it - I image the Rock Razor tires would work well; however, the low clearance fenders would probably pack up with snow and rudely stop the proceedings. I knew you couldn't resist riding yesterday - thanks for the post!

The bike looks none the worse for wear. Guess the belt drive handled the snow/slush well.

 

[Over50]

I braved the storm today and rode about 20 miles throughout the afternoon/evening in Philadelphia today. I put up a picture of the bike tonight while waiting for the subway home....

Great pic! They let you take a full sized bike on the subway? Can you just walk it on with you or do they have racks for them somewhere? Sounds like you made the most of the weather. Wish I could say the same. The weather that hit us last week left me without power at home for almost seven days (a tree fell and took out our service lines). So the Charger has been resting for a couple of weeks. Hope to have it out this weekend.

By the way, have you played with the front suspension settings very much? For city riding, do you have preferred settings for the rebound, the lockout and the psi? I imagine with a full suspension bike your front fork settings might differ vs if it was a hardtail (?). Not having had adjustable suspension prior buying my Charger, I was really ignorant on how to tune the fork for certain types of riding. Its something I'm still trying to figure out. I've been riding with different settings and logging them prior to setting out. My current settings are certainly better than when I started but I still feel like I haven't found the ideal settings. I'd just be curious to hear about your experience if you have been tuning the ride.