Does anyone have an Orbea Gain F20 or F30?

[BucksCS]

Hi,
I'm new on here and am researching my first e-bike. I'm looking for a light(ish) weight hybrid to assist me on the local hills (Chilterns); the Orbea Gain F20/F30 look like they may be good options - does anyone have experience of these specific models? And if so, are there are any pros/cons? My expected use would be 75% tarmac and 25% light duty off-road (gravel tracks, forest, etc). There are no dealers with demonstrators within about a 200 mile radius, otherwise that would have been my first port of call.
All input greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

[Jonah]

Have a look at this thread https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/orbea-gain-e-road-bike.33598/

 

[BucksCS]

Hi Jonah, thanks for this. Yes, I had read through that thread which had pointed me in the Orbea direction ( I had searched for Orbea before I posted). Although there are obviously similarities, there are also clear differences in build between the road bikes and the hybrids which I am interested in.
Thank you anyway for the quick response

 

[Jonah]

Leaving aside the overall weight and quality of components, the difference between the drop bar and flat versions is probably not that great. The assist properties will of course be identical. Interestingly, my LBS, which is very road bike focused, sells mostly flat bar Gains. I think most people looking at ebikes are also looking for a more comfortable / relaxed ride. If you are a regular cyclist looking for the occasional bit of help, this bike will serve you well. The only drawback being range limitations on hilly rides. If I were planning 100 mile tours I would be a bit concerned. Many kit conversions follow a similar approach but you can be more flexible on the battery size. On the downside, it won’t look as slick as the Gain. You will probably have seen on other threads an alternative way to go if you want more powerful assist is with a lightish Bosch ALP motor on a bike like the Cannondale Synapse Neo.

 

[BucksCS]

Jonah,
Thanks for the input, much appreciated. I'm not looking to do 100 mile rides - I'd be very happy doing regular 20-30 mile trips. If the Gain takes the effort out of getting up some of the hills around here and provides some assistance into head winds then that would suit me fine and make cycling a pleasure rather than the current half-chore half-pleasure; kudos to those people who enjoy climbing hills but I am not one of them! On paper, I like the "normality" of the Orbea and it's fairly low weight (it's only 1-2 kg more than my Boardman hybrid); the more bulky/awkward looking options don't appeal, even if they are considerably more powerful - I want to be able to ride it on the flat and on gentle inclines and still get a reasonable amount of exercise. The Cannondale looks good but is out of my budget range (I'm looking at up to circa £2k). The Ribble AL E Hybrid also looks worth considering but have not seen any real reports on that yet (it is a quite different spec to the Ribble CGR E which was launched at the same time and which seems to be getting the headlines). Downside of the Ribble is that they don't seem to do demonstrators at all so I would be buying blind - at lease Orbea have a demo fleet, even if there are none near me.
From what you've said, I think I need to find a demo Orbea, even if's not the flat bar version - it sounds as though it be close enough to give an idea. Thank you again for the input.

 

[Inveral]

Jonah,
Thanks for the input, much appreciated. I'm not looking to do 100 mile rides - I'd be very happy doing regular 20-30 mile trips. If the Gain takes the effort out of getting up some of the hills around here and provides some assistance into head winds then that would suit me fine and make cycling a pleasure rather than the current half-chore half-pleasure; kudos to those people who enjoy climbing hills but I am not one of them! On paper, I like the "normality" of the Orbea and it's fairly low weight (it's only 1-2 kg more than my Boardman hybrid); the more bulky/awkward looking options don't appeal, even if they are considerably more powerful - I want to be able to ride it on the flat and on gentle inclines and still get a reasonable amount of exercise. The Cannondale looks good but is out of my budget range (I'm looking at up to circa £2k). The Ribble AL E Hybrid also looks worth considering but have not seen any real reports on that yet (it is a quite different spec to the Ribble CGR E which was launched at the same time and which seems to be getting the headlines). Downside of the Ribble is that they don't seem to do demonstrators at all so I would be buying blind - at lease Orbea have a demo fleet, even if there are none near me.
From what you've said, I think I need to find a demo Orbea, even if's not the flat bar version - it sounds as though it be close enough to give an idea. Thank you again for the input.

 

[Inveral]

I tried an Orbea Gain F20 at our local dealer as they didn’t have a drop bar that I wanted to buy. I wasn’t sure if the power would meet my needs. I tried the bike on several steep hills near the shop and it gave a really good level of assistance. On the flat or gentle slopes it handled like a normal bike. I’m 70 with dodgy knees so I’m sure it will meet your needs.
I’ve ordered the drop bar and my average rides are 45 to 50 miles with several quite steep hills on most routes.

 

[BucksCS]

Thanks for the advice, and I agree - I managed to try an F40 last week and really liked it, so ordered and took delivery on Tuesday. I did a 20 mile "shakedown" yesterday and used 34% of the charge; the last 8 miles were into a gusty headwind (and rain) which would have been unpleasant without the assistance, but the assistance made it comfortable and enjoyable. I like the simplicity of the F40 and especially the additional power control on the bar, it's much easier than trying to use the power button on the top tube. So far I am very satisified - unfortunately I wont be able to get out again now until Sunday but looking forward to trying it on some of the hills then.

 

[badlywornroy]

Enjoy your F40, I had to look it up to see where this ‘fitted’ in the lineup.
I ride the drop bar D30. Interested in your words “ the additional power control on the bar “ reading the spec on the F40 leads me to believe it has the Iwoc1 control button on the crossbar. Is yours different ?

 

[BucksCS]

Thank you, enjoying it so far . Yes, it has an IWOC Trio mounted on the left side of the handlebars where the front shifter would normally be - very convenient to use with the thumb. I believe these can be purchased separately but it obviously relies on having enough space on the bar to fit. The F40 also has the IWOC1 on the crossbar but I only use that to power the bike up and switch it off.

 

[BucksCS]

Thank you, enjoying it so far . Yes, it has an IWOC Trio mounted on the left side of the handlebars where the front shifter would normally be - very convenient to use with the thumb. I believe these can be purchased separately but it obviously relies on having enough space on the bar to fit. The F40 also has the IWOC1 on the crossbar but I only use that to power the bike up and switch it off.

 

[BucksCS]

Incidentally, the IWOC trio on the Orbea Gain F series also has an additional useful function; when the going gets too steep even with full assistance (in my case about 20% gradient) holding down one of the buttons gives a powered "walk" function (about 5-6 kmph) which at least enabled me to get up the last ramp of Kop Hill (23%) without having to push. I don't expect to use it often but nice to know it is there. I can't see this feature mentioned anywhere except in the very small print of the Trio documentation.