Talk me out, or in, of 2026 Homage 5.

A

AlmonteGuy

New Member
Region
Canada
Well, here I am, mid-70s, in decent shape with a good 10+ years of riding, so I'm eyeing a new Homage 5 (with Rohloff, ABS, Jonny Watts, Comfort kit, etc). I looked one over very carefully at my dealers (but couldn't ride it), and I really like everything about it - except it only comes in Class 1 (I wish it had a throttle like my current bike ... but I'd get used to it.)

For those with a Homage 5, can I get your pros and cons about it?

FYI, I'm 173cm high (5'9"), weigh 80Kg (175lbs). I exclusively ride rail trails (crushed stone base, mostly), lots of gravel roads, regular roads. No forest stuff, very few inclines, but a few beaches thrown in. I'm after comfort, safety, reliability, agile handling, reliability, and functional storage for my "stuff".

Thanks for your input.
 
The Homage is the e-bike SUV. Capable, comfortable, heavy. As long as you do not need to lift or carry it, you cannot lose with it. Are you getting the ABS in Canada? Wow! (Before, ABS was limited to Europe only).

I cannot understand why you mention Class 1 as Canada is 32 km/h, and U.S. e-bike classes do not apply to Canada. (With the 14-speed Rohloff you wouldn't even notice the lack of the throttle).
 
Stefan Mikes said:
The Homage is the e-bike SUV. Capable, comfortable, heavy. As long as you do not need to lift or carry it, you cannot lose with it. Are you getting the ABS in Canada? Wow! (Before, ABS was limited to Europe only).

I cannot understand why you mention Class 1 as Canada is 32 km/h, and U.S. e-bike classes do not apply to Canada. (With the 14-speed Rohloff you wouldn't even notice the lack of the throttle).
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Indeed I am in Canada and getting the ABS. What we cannot get here is the Rohloff HS (class 3) and we cannot get the Pinion system. As for a throttle, I just like to stop pedaling, on occasion, as my knees get mad at me after a while. My bike rack has a ramp so I should be fine and, if not, I'll get one of those bike rack lifters for it. Thanks for your input.
 
If you learn pedalling faster (at a higher cadence), that is, in the lower gear than usually, then your knees will thank you :) As far as I can understand it, the Rohloff can be set the way it goes into a low gear automatically as you are stopping. Restarting the ride should be simple.

Regarding various limitations with the option choice, please bear in mind both R&M and Bosch are German companies, and they would not do the slightest against the local law. For instance, the e-bike motor for Canada is hard restricted to follow the laws of Canada already in the motor factory. I'm, however, surprised R&M does not allow Pinion in Canada. Perhaps these motors are hard restricted to the EU's 25 km/h still.

("Hard" restriction is one that cannot be even changed by the dealer).
 
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AlmonteGuy said:
As for a throttle, I just like to stop pedaling, on occasion, as my knees get mad at me after a while.
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With your 10+ years of riding experience, you probably have your seat height dialed in. But when I hear about knees getting sore mid-ride, seat height comes to mind.

So, the new bike could be an oppotunity to revisit seat height. Just as an experiment, you might mention your knees to the dealer and start with the seat height they recommend — especially if they have an experienced bike fitter on staff.

Curious, you can't get a test ride before buying a bike that expensive? For starters, I'd want to feel for myself how a bike that heavy handles and accelerates — especially in an urban setting with frequent stops and road furniture to navigate — how the assist and gearing and ride actually feel in use, and how it climbs.

Just because the bike's expensive doesn't mean that all those things will be your taste. And you really need to make sure that it'll work for you without a throttle.
 
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Jeremy McCreary said:
With your 10+ years of riding experience, you probably have your seat height dialed in. But when I hear about knees getting sore mid-ride, seat height comes to mind.

So, the new bike could be an oppotunity to revisit seat height. Just as an experiment, you might mention your knees to the dealer and start with the seat height they recommend — especially if they have an experienced bike fitter on staff.

Curious, you can't get a test ride before buying a bike that expensive? For starters, I'd want to feel for myself how a bike that heavy handles and accelerates — especially in an urban setting with frequent stops and road furniture to navigate — how the assist and gearing and ride actually feel in use, and how it climbs.

Just because the bike's expensive doesn't mean that all those things will be your taste. And you really need to make sure that it'll work for you without a throttle.
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Jeremy, thanks for the pointers, and my bad as I meant to say 10+ years LEFT to ride. All in I have well over 60 years of riding. Anyway, as for a test ride, these are not exactly common bikes that are just sitting around in a store. My dealer does have one that's nearly to my specs and I did take a close look at it and all that but could not ride it as it is sold and waiting for its new owner to pick it up. It's a gamble, no doubt, but I'll take my chances and if it doesn't work, oh well, I don't get worked up with this kind of thing anymore. Cheers!
 
AlmonteGuy said:
Jeremy, thanks for the pointers, and my bad as I meant to say 10+ years LEFT to ride. All in I have well over 60 years of riding. Anyway, as for a test ride, these are not exactly common bikes that are just sitting around in a store. My dealer does have one that's nearly to my specs and I did take a close look at it and all that but could not ride it as it is sold and waiting for its new owner to pick it up. It's a gamble, no doubt, but I'll take my chances and if it doesn't work, oh well, I don't get worked up with this kind of thing anymore. Cheers!
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Fair enough. In that case, I'd definitely get their input on seat height.
 
AlmonteGuy said:
Well, here I am, mid-70s, in decent shape with a good 10+ years of riding, so I'm eyeing a new Homage 5 (with Rohloff, ABS, Jonny Watts, Comfort kit, etc). I looked one over very carefully at my dealers (but couldn't ride it), and I really like everything about it - except it only comes in Class 1 (I wish it had a throttle like my current bike ... but I'd get used to it.)

For those with a Homage 5, can I get your pros and cons about it?

FYI, I'm 173cm high (5'9"), weigh 80Kg (175lbs). I exclusively ride rail trails (crushed stone base, mostly), lots of gravel roads, regular roads. No forest stuff, very few inclines, but a few beaches thrown in. I'm after comfort, safety, reliability, agile handling, reliability, and functional storage for my "stuff".

Thanks for your input.
Click to expand...
I ride similarly to the way you do. You might want to look into a fat-tire bike. Look at the Aventon selection, which I think is available in Canada. The Aventure M is interesting to me because it has a lot of cool tech at a very reasonable price.

Anyway, good luck in the hunt.
 
I read up on them, I fell in love with it until I saw the price. It appears to be a very high end e bike, a lot of power a features. The weight? It looks like about 65 pounds to me. My Trek weighs about 50 pounds so that weight doesn’t scare me. Take the battery out and it will weigh less. I have a ramp for my bike rake but rarely use it. I take the battery out and just lift it up.
 
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