Thanks to forum member Croxden I had a ride on his Haibike XDuro All MTN Pro.
It's a full suspension Bosch bike with the performance motor and top spec kit all round, including the newish Shimano 11 speed cassette and a dropper seat post.
Croxden led the ride on his Delite along a shortened version of one of his regular loops.
We only did 17 miles, but the countryside on the edge of the Peak District is glorious, and there is just so much to see.
Lots of pretty villages, an old abbey, a pumping station, an enormous quarry - arguably a blight on the landscape but quite a sight nonetheless.
We also had a ride on a road marked 'private' through what could be termed the JCB estate, although I'm not sure if anyone lives there.
Oh, and Mr Bamford is building a golf course, presumably using lots of JCB diggers.
Our progress was nicely interrupted by bumping into several people Croxden knew, and a couple he didn't.
Riding a bicycle really is an excellent way to see the countryside, and the regular stops to talk to people just add to the experience.
So how did the bike perform?
Very well is the short answer.
The ride was hilly and nicely mixed - asphalt, cycle paths, a muddy former railway track, and a dirt and gravel trail through a forest.
I'm not very confident on mud, but the Haibike could plough through almost anything with a more skilled rider on board than me.
I can see why Croxden bought it, he likes to ride year-round, and even in June some of the conditions would have been hard work on a trekking bike with shallow tread tyres.
The dropper seat post was handy, although not for its intended use.
My increasingly knackered hip makes getting on and off a bike increasingly difficult.
The dropper post sorted that, it has a lovely, smooth hydraulic action, unlike some of the cheaper pogo sticks I've seen.
The bike has the Nyon display, which I rather liked when set to the standard ride information screen.
If the sat nav worked as it should, it would be a 'very nice to have', if not an essential.
The ride was my first extended try of the Bosch performance motor.
Definitely some extra torque over the standard one.
It makes the bike more ridable in eco mode than other Bosch bikes, and the extra oomph is handy if you get caught in the wrong gear on a sharp incline.
Downside is probably power consumption.
Using mostly tour, I finished the ride on two bars of battery remaining, Croxden finished on three, although he is a lighter and stronger rider than me.
The 11 gears of the Haibike change a treat, even under a bit of power, although I would probably look into lowering the range a bit via a yet smaller front ring.
There's no doubt the more expensive Shimano groupsets are better all round than the budget ones.
Croxden's bike is fitted with the Thule carrier on the rear triangle.
Something else that is not cheap, but it's an excellent solution to the problem of mounting a carrier on a full sus bike.
I didn't set the suspension for my weight so didn't get the best out of it, but it's Fox all round so ought to be about as good as it gets.
The front fork was noticeably superior to the Suntour on my Rose, and I'm sure a bit of give in the rear added to comfort and general stability.
The bike was rock solid on a 30 mph road descent towards the end of a ride, pretty good for a bike on knobblies.
All in all, I liked the bike - it would be hard not to.
Thanks again to Croxden for letting me ride it, and almost as importantly, for sharing his hard won route knowledge.
It's a full suspension Bosch bike with the performance motor and top spec kit all round, including the newish Shimano 11 speed cassette and a dropper seat post.
Croxden led the ride on his Delite along a shortened version of one of his regular loops.
We only did 17 miles, but the countryside on the edge of the Peak District is glorious, and there is just so much to see.
Lots of pretty villages, an old abbey, a pumping station, an enormous quarry - arguably a blight on the landscape but quite a sight nonetheless.
We also had a ride on a road marked 'private' through what could be termed the JCB estate, although I'm not sure if anyone lives there.
Oh, and Mr Bamford is building a golf course, presumably using lots of JCB diggers.
Our progress was nicely interrupted by bumping into several people Croxden knew, and a couple he didn't.
Riding a bicycle really is an excellent way to see the countryside, and the regular stops to talk to people just add to the experience.
So how did the bike perform?
Very well is the short answer.
The ride was hilly and nicely mixed - asphalt, cycle paths, a muddy former railway track, and a dirt and gravel trail through a forest.
I'm not very confident on mud, but the Haibike could plough through almost anything with a more skilled rider on board than me.
I can see why Croxden bought it, he likes to ride year-round, and even in June some of the conditions would have been hard work on a trekking bike with shallow tread tyres.
The dropper seat post was handy, although not for its intended use.
My increasingly knackered hip makes getting on and off a bike increasingly difficult.
The dropper post sorted that, it has a lovely, smooth hydraulic action, unlike some of the cheaper pogo sticks I've seen.
The bike has the Nyon display, which I rather liked when set to the standard ride information screen.
If the sat nav worked as it should, it would be a 'very nice to have', if not an essential.
The ride was my first extended try of the Bosch performance motor.
Definitely some extra torque over the standard one.
It makes the bike more ridable in eco mode than other Bosch bikes, and the extra oomph is handy if you get caught in the wrong gear on a sharp incline.
Downside is probably power consumption.
Using mostly tour, I finished the ride on two bars of battery remaining, Croxden finished on three, although he is a lighter and stronger rider than me.
The 11 gears of the Haibike change a treat, even under a bit of power, although I would probably look into lowering the range a bit via a yet smaller front ring.
There's no doubt the more expensive Shimano groupsets are better all round than the budget ones.
Croxden's bike is fitted with the Thule carrier on the rear triangle.
Something else that is not cheap, but it's an excellent solution to the problem of mounting a carrier on a full sus bike.
I didn't set the suspension for my weight so didn't get the best out of it, but it's Fox all round so ought to be about as good as it gets.
The front fork was noticeably superior to the Suntour on my Rose, and I'm sure a bit of give in the rear added to comfort and general stability.
The bike was rock solid on a 30 mph road descent towards the end of a ride, pretty good for a bike on knobblies.
All in all, I liked the bike - it would be hard not to.
Thanks again to Croxden for letting me ride it, and almost as importantly, for sharing his hard won route knowledge.
