kennyb
Member
Chris:
Enjoy the sun and fun in LA. It does not look good out East in the Big Apple.
Kenny B
Riese & Muller Tinker
- Thread starter kennyb
- Start date
Chris:
Enjoy the sun and fun in LA. It does not look good out East in the Big Apple.
Kenny B
Chris Nolte
Well-Known Member
Thanks! It's definitely not the worst place to be stuck
E-Wheels
Well-Known Member
kennyb
Member
Yes I saw the review. It is a very thorough review. I get the impression Court really likes the bike. Going to get a chance to ride it next week at an ebike expo in Los Angeles. Pretty excited to see how it rides. A bit disappointed to hear that it will not make it to the States until April for purchase though.
Kenny B
David Bonde
New Member
Hi,
Maybe you guys are up for new questions
I am in the market for a new bike and got interested in the Tern Vektron. Then I saw this thread and sort of fell in love with the Tinker. I really like the design, the belt drive and the hub-thing. I can see that it comes in two versions one with the Bosch active motor and a 8 speed hub and one with the cx motor and the nuvinci hub. Unfortunately I would really have to stretch it price wise to go with the cx motor and the nuvinci. So my question basically is. Are that upgrade worth the extra buck? I really like the idea of the nuvinci hub, but don't know if I would need the extra performance in the cx motor.
I need the bike for a short commute outside of the town and for longer pleasure rides in the weekend and just to get on the bike more often than now, where I choose my car more often than not. I will properly share the bike with my daughter for her ride 10km to dance lessons and my wife.
Chris, you wrote that with no upgrade you would recommend the Vektron. Is that because the Vektron is better value than the "basic" Tinker? I can see that the motor and battery is the same on the Vektron and the "basic" Tinker.
I like the folding option on the Vektron but I will properly not be using that much. But it might come in handy from time to time.
Thanks - David - Denmark
Maybe you guys are up for new questions
I am in the market for a new bike and got interested in the Tern Vektron. Then I saw this thread and sort of fell in love with the Tinker. I really like the design, the belt drive and the hub-thing. I can see that it comes in two versions one with the Bosch active motor and a 8 speed hub and one with the cx motor and the nuvinci hub. Unfortunately I would really have to stretch it price wise to go with the cx motor and the nuvinci. So my question basically is. Are that upgrade worth the extra buck? I really like the idea of the nuvinci hub, but don't know if I would need the extra performance in the cx motor.
I need the bike for a short commute outside of the town and for longer pleasure rides in the weekend and just to get on the bike more often than now, where I choose my car more often than not. I will properly share the bike with my daughter for her ride 10km to dance lessons and my wife.
Chris, you wrote that with no upgrade you would recommend the Vektron. Is that because the Vektron is better value than the "basic" Tinker? I can see that the motor and battery is the same on the Vektron and the "basic" Tinker.
I like the folding option on the Vektron but I will properly not be using that much. But it might come in handy from time to time.
Thanks - David - Denmark
kennyb
Member
David:
I have a Vektron and love it. I can't say enough about it. I too was torn between the tinker and Vektron but ended up with the Vektron due to its foldability and the fact that Chris was the only one in the US that had one and I live in STL MO. There ended up being a Tern dealer less than two hours from me. I rode it at the Long Beach bike expo and was sold. I did speak a lot with the R and M guys at Long Beach and they are great guys that make a great product. I rode one of their bikes with the belt drive and it was real smooth. The Vektron is a tad less expensive, is foldable and offers Bosch quality . I wish u luck with your decision.
Kenny B
I have a Vektron and love it. I can't say enough about it. I too was torn between the tinker and Vektron but ended up with the Vektron due to its foldability and the fact that Chris was the only one in the US that had one and I live in STL MO. There ended up being a Tern dealer less than two hours from me. I rode it at the Long Beach bike expo and was sold. I did speak a lot with the R and M guys at Long Beach and they are great guys that make a great product. I rode one of their bikes with the belt drive and it was real smooth. The Vektron is a tad less expensive, is foldable and offers Bosch quality . I wish u luck with your decision.
Kenny B
Chris Nolte
Well-Known Member
I think in simple terms, they are similar, but it's really what you want or need. I think one key element is that they both have the Bosch system, which is a win in my book. I think the Tinker is special in that it has a suspension fork, available with a Belt for lower maintenance. It's possible to get it with the 500Wh battery if you need longer range and it's a rigid frame so there are less moving parts to wear or break.
The difference with the Vektron is, it's foldable at a lower price point with slightly less expensive parts. All in all they're both very good quality bikes, it just depends on your needs and budget.
Keep in mind that the bikes are slightly different in Denmark and I tried to cater my response to you a little more. The Shimano hub isn't offered here in the US, but it's a good option to save a few bucks. The Nuvinci might be easier for family members to use if they are not that familiar or comfortable with shifting.
If you have the opportunity to ride both of them I would highly recommend it.
I hope that helps.
The difference with the Vektron is, it's foldable at a lower price point with slightly less expensive parts. All in all they're both very good quality bikes, it just depends on your needs and budget.
Keep in mind that the bikes are slightly different in Denmark and I tried to cater my response to you a little more. The Shimano hub isn't offered here in the US, but it's a good option to save a few bucks. The Nuvinci might be easier for family members to use if they are not that familiar or comfortable with shifting.
If you have the opportunity to ride both of them I would highly recommend it.
I hope that helps.
David Bonde
New Member
Kenny and Chris - Thanks for your time and answers I appreciate it.
It turns out that a bikeshop near by has the Tinker standing and ready. Vektron will arrive late May. I will take a ride on the Tinker, and see if I want to wait and also try the Vektron.
The Tinker with the 8 speed hub and active motor is the same price as the Vektron.
Cheers
It turns out that a bikeshop near by has the Tinker standing and ready. Vektron will arrive late May. I will take a ride on the Tinker, and see if I want to wait and also try the Vektron.
The Tinker with the 8 speed hub and active motor is the same price as the Vektron.
Cheers
I'd love to hear of "user" reaction to test-riding or owning a Tinker (no offense to dealers who test-ride the bike without an interest in owning one). I'm thinking of it as being somewhat of an electrified Birdy with a non-folding frame. I've realized that a folding e-bike is not in my future as the good ones (looking at you, Vektron) are too heavy for me to lift into my SUV (post back surgery).
Also... Since it looks like I may not be able to arrange a test ride before buying, I am (of course) concerned about bike geometry. The Tinker stem is adjustable in angle (3 positions) and height. The seat height, of course, is also adjustable. I'm wondering if anyone can advise me if it is possible to adjust the Tinker handlebar position at all similar to the positioning of the Birdy bike bars with the Birdy "comfort" stem? (helluva question, i know!)
Chris Nolte
Well-Known Member
The Birdy Confort stem is about 10 degrees and the sport stem is 20. The Tinker has 3 angled positions and goes about 15 degrees forward or back or straight up and down. Then their is the height adjustment and between the two I'm sure you can nearly replicate any position. Let me know if you would like some measurements. The Birdy we have had a Sport stem but I have the comfort stem in order for spare parts. In theory I could swap them to test.
Chris, thanks for the information and opinion; it's helpful.
I'm most reluctant to take you up on your offer as if I buy a Tinker I'll do so from my local (Portland, Oregon) R&M vendor. Theydo not have a Tinker and have not seen one but are willing to order one for me (and, being local, will be able to service it for me). I think it would be unfair of me to ask you to got to the effort of mounting a comfort stem on the Birdy in order to compare it's geometry with the Tinker; having you do so would be much appreciated but (I think) unfair of me to ask you to do so.
Mark
Another of my concerns relates to the quality and efficacy of the front suspension fork. An online search for information about the Spinner Grind OS 20" suspension fork revealed mostly negative (and old) reviews. Perhaps that information does not reflect adequately the quality of the model that Riese & Muller are placing on the Tinker. Any information about how effectively the fork functions and/or how well it holds up?
R&M relatively recently added a "Flow" option to their e-mountain bikes ("From 1/8/2017, eMTB mode is available from your specialist dealer. Retrofit your bike now!"). I wonder if that update can be added to the Tinker, with its CX motor? Though the Tinker is apparently intended for metropolitan riding, some cities have hills. Does anyone know?
Chris Nolte
Well-Known Member
This is definitely possible. You just need the most recent update.
Chris Nolte
Well-Known Member
I think it's not a bad idea. I can try it out next week and let you know how it goes.
Kelly @ CitrusCycles.ca
Member
I've updated a number of our R&M eBikes with the eMTB mode, including Tinker, and I love it, but I also miss Sport mode...
I think of it as an "automatic" mode since I no longer have to change assistance levels, and I really like that. However, if I want to ride in the equivalent of the old Sport mode, I have to work a bit harder - which isn't necessarily a bad thing! However, if I don't want to work harder, but want more assistance, I have to use Turbo. I'm sure I will get over not having Sport mode, but it can take a little bit of getting used to if you use Sport frequently right now.
Hopefully that helps!
That does indeed help... a lot! I envision riding mostly in the off-eco-tour range; when I need assistance on a hill or accelerating in traffic from stops I'd prefer to be able to leave the control in a more "adaptive" mode such as that provided by the "Flow" software. Giving up a discrete Sport mode I do not think would be of concern.
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