Riese & Müller Delite review

Delite would probably handle the ice & snow fine
And it does, but the fenders clearly weren't designed for that and probably need to be removed. I'm scraping the rear fender by with 2.6 Ice Spikers.

I don't recommend the Nyon to anyone. It's just not good enough and not worth the money. If you can connect a phone (that COBI thing looks interesting), do it! The Nyon is annoying, glitchy, its features are quite simply unreliable (GPS, navigation, ...).
 
... just wondering how the R&Ms are holding up for all...

No issues with my Charger. I stopped commuting in Nov and did weekend casual riding into Dec on several bikes. I finished the year with just under 2K miles on the R&M and about 3.3K miles overall. Once I can get back on the bike and I top 2K, I'll probably take it in to have the brake pads checked. Come mid year 2018, after the Bosch Powertubes are available in the US, I might consider moving to a dual battery option and the New Charger with traditional chain/drivechain is at the top of my list. And there is a remote chance I would consider a Delite with the Rohloff. In either case, I would probably put my Charger with the Nuvinci up for sale.
 
Has anyone gone for the COBI setup yet? It looks like a viable alternative to the Nyon, however, even though my phone has a waterproof case and has withstood multiple accidental drops, etc., I'm not so crazy about subjecting it to the abuse it will inevitably take on the handlebars or depending on it to always control the motor functions without hiccups. To my thinking, a dedicated piece of hardware always trumps using another device programmed for a secondary purpose. That being said, COBI did do the smart thing by designing the mount to slide over the stock Intuvia one, as well as retaining the remote controller. I guess this would allow you to swap out/exchange the phone and the Intuvia (or Nyon) at will So, no doubt I'll talk myself into going for one . . . especially since it appears that Bosch has no intention of making the Nyon available here in the States.
I've been using a COBI myself - you can find my video review here: http://citruscycles.ca/cobi-bosch-smart-ebike (We are in Canada, BTW, in case you are wondering why the price is higher - it is in CAD.)

One of the features I really like is that it can give you audio feedback, so you can ride with your phone in your pocket if you prefer - it doesn't have to be on the holder. I really like the fitness features as well as the mapping, and being able to adjust the volume on my phone from the Bosch remote is also very handy. (I use bone conduction headphones on trails, so don't worry, I'm still fairly safe even when listening to music!)
 
I've been using a COBI myself - you can find my video review here: http://citruscycles.ca/cobi-bosch-smart-ebike (We are in Canada, BTW, in case you are wondering why the price is higher - it is in CAD.)

One of the features I really like is that it can give you audio feedback, so you can ride with your phone in your pocket if you prefer - it doesn't have to be on the holder. I really like the fitness features as well as the mapping, and being able to adjust the volume on my phone from the Bosch remote is also very handy. (I use bone conduction headphones on trails, so don't worry, I'm still fairly safe even when listening to music!)
Nice video Kelly - super helpful and detailed! Thanks for doing that. I did forget that you are in Canada, so was at first marveling at your speed - until I realized that your unit was km/hr, not mph of course. That still gets me when I first cross the border to visit my nephew in Quebec . . .

I like that the COBI could replace my Garmin and thus remove one item from the "dashboard". Besides navigation, I've come to love all the fitness metrics that the Garmin pushes to my phone and PC, but it appears that the COBI covers that too.

Looks like a COBI is getting budgeted before riding season starts up. Another unanticipated "must have" expense, darnit!
 
Nice video Kelly - super helpful and detailed! Thanks for doing that. I did forget that you are in Canada, so was at first marveling at your speed - until I realized that your unit was km/hr, not mph of course. That still gets me when I first cross the border to visit my nephew in Quebec . . .

I like that the COBI could replace my Garmin and thus remove one item from the "dashboard". Besides navigation, I've come to love all the fitness metrics that the Garmin pushes to my phone and PC, but it appears that the COBI covers that too.

Looks like a COBI is getting budgeted before riding season starts up. Another unanticipated "must have" expense, darnit!

I'm glad to hear it was helpful - I had fun doing the video, and it is a great alternative to the Nyon. It will be interesting to see what the future of the Nyon will be now that Bosch owns COBI. I've been really impressed with the mapping data they are using, as it actually has most of the trails and shortcuts I use around here that don't show up on Google maps.
 
>... but the fenders clearly weren't designed for that and probably need to be removed. I'm scraping the rear fender by with 2.6 Ice Spikers.
Agreed that the fenders would pack up with snow and put you down rudely. Still, I'm tempted to remount my Rock Razors and play in the next snowstorm.

Good to hear from another Delite Rohloff owner. It seems that most folks are opting for the Nuvinci. As I've mentioned in previous posts, having already owned a Rohloff on another machine for the past 9 yrs, laying out the extra money for a Rohloff on the Delite was a no-brainer for me. Still happy with that decision. Absolutely no issues with it - it just works and has such a great gearing range. Especially appreciated in my hilly area. Just did an oil change and it is good to go for another season.
 
I might consider moving to a dual battery option and the New Charger with traditional chain/drivechain is at the top of my list.
Yeah, there is a lot to be said for drive line simplicity and the ready availability of service and parts that a derailleur affords. But, despite the complexity of the thing, until I start having issues with the Rohloffs, I'm going to be willing to lay out the (albeit considerable) extra expense to have one on all future bikes.

The dual battery setup really is nice and hopefully it will extend battery life. I picked up two additional packs from Chris at Propel back in September in anticipation of a ride across Wyoming planned for this year - lots of wide open, unoccupied space between towns with prevailing headwinds when riding east to west, plus I'll be camping part of the way with nightly recharge resources being questionable.

I'm sure you'll have no problems selling the Charger. Sounds like it has been a great machine so far. If I recall, Chris Nolte mentioned that it is Propel's most popular R&M bike.
 
Good to hear from another Delite Rohloff owner.
My decision to go for Rohloff over NuVinci was due to the desire for numbers. If I had a constantly variable gear shift, I wouldn't be able to remember the engine modes and corresponding speeds that I'm most comfortable at. At least with Rohloff I can remebber the numbers and adjust discrete values. I also view the 'climbing man' on NuVinci gear shift as a gimmick and a distraction, because sometimes you want more power not because you're climbing but because you're on an open road with cars and just need to go quicker.

Agreed that the fenders would pack up with snow and put you down rudely. Still, I'm tempted to remount my Rock Razors and play in the next snowstorm.
To be fair, the entire frame packs up with snow/mud because there's a zillion places on the Delite for matter to accumulate.

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My decision to go for Rohloff over NuVinci was due to the desire for numbers. If I had a constantly variable gear shift, I wouldn't be able to remember the engine modes and corresponding speeds that I'm most comfortable at. At least with Rohloff I can remebber the numbers and adjust discrete values. I also view the 'climbing man' on NuVinci gear shift as a gimmick and a distraction, because sometimes you want more power not because you're climbing but because you're on an open road with cars and just need to go quicker.


To be fair, the entire frame packs up with snow/mud because there's a zillion places on the Delite for matter to accumulate.

SBUFjPu1KMk.jpg
Hey Matt! Good to hear from you. Looks like you've been having fun. Are those Rock Razors underneath the mud?
 
Not my name :) But yes, Rock Razors.
Sorry Dmitri. I looked at your post on my phone and somehow thought it was Matt A, who initiated this thread. Same color Delite, though I should have noticed the driveline (he has a Nuvinci). Chalk it up to the small image on my phone and my failing eyesight! Anyway, great to see you are putting your machine through it's paces.
 
Sorry Dmitri. I looked at your post on my phone and somehow thought it was Matt A, who initiated this thread. Same color Delite, though I should have noticed the driveline (he has a Nuvinci). Chalk it up to the small image on my phone and my failing eyesight! Anyway, great to see you are putting your machine through it's paces.
No probs. And regarding Rock Razor tires... I've been thinking about replacing them with 3.0" (to be fair, you could even stick 3.25" in there just fine), but there are issues. First, the fenders would have to go, and I'm not quite at the stage where I'm prepared to buy PVC plumbing pipes and shape them into fenders with the use of a heat gun. I also need fenders because how dirty the country is, regardless of season and amount of precipitation. And second, I wouldn't know what to replace the Rock Razors with. I've tried plus-size Nobby Nics and the amount of vibration they put through the bike on pavement is ridiculous. Super Moto X is too slick for me, I do want to be able to do some light park riding from time to time. Maybe WTB Ranger would be a good fit for me, who knows.
 
Maybe WTB Ranger would be a good fit for me, who knows.
The WTB Rangers look a lot like the Rock Razors, so the performance may not differ too much. But, they do come in 2.8" & 3.0". Worth a try. Also less expensive than the Schwalbes.
 
I own a Delite with Rohloff and highly recommend it. I just wish it had powertubes instead of those sticky-out batteries. But whatever the case, DualBattery is awesome.
When I originally purchased the Charger with the Nuvinci, I considered the Rohloff to be overkill for my commuting application. I also knew I would be parking my bike at a public rack while at work so I wasn't comfortable leaving batteries on the bike thus the dual battery option didn't get much consideration.

I thought the Rohloff to be primarily a tool for high mileage, off -the-beaten-path touring. But recently I watched the Citrus Cycles review video on the Delite with the Rohloff and I started to realize that frequent city commuting - particularly a longer commute as I have - bears some similarities to touring. That is, you must have reliability, your racking up miles, and you don't have a lot of time for frequent drive train cleaning. So yes, I am considering the option now.

I'm happy with my Charger but at time of purchase I didn't know what I didn't know. I needed this first year of commuting to 1). become comfortable with my security situation (where I park my bike) which is why now I would consider dual battery (ie leave two batteries on the bike vs hauling one battery with me in my backpack; 2). to learn that I desire a wider gear range than the Nuvinci provides; 3). to learn I don't have a lot of time to frequently clean my drive train as I must do when I ride my Haibike. Given these "learnings", a dual battery bike and the Rohloff are options I am now much more open to considering.
 
A few questions: 1) Noise from the Bosch. I just watched Court's EBR and he commented on the noise level of the Bosch. Your comments? 2) I will be doing mostly touring in the Adirondacks and one of my main concerns is (motor aside), how does the bike do going DOWN hills. I like to build up a lot of speed (35mph) going down hills in order to coast up the next hill as far as possible (without the motor). I tested a 20mph Verve+ and once I got beyond the motor limitations, I could not get any push from the highest gear once past 20mph. Wondering about the gearing beyond 28mph on the R&M. Thoughts? and thanks so much for all the info!
 
Noise from Bosch is minimal, and when you're outdoors it gets drowned out by the level of background noise anyway. Noise from Rohloff on some of the lower gears is very pronounced and sounds a bit weird.
 
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