Moustache eBikes - What do you think?

[Martin@e-bikeshop]

Hi Guys,

We are always looking to expand our electric bike range. At the NEC I wondered round all the brands on show. The Moustache electric bikes in particular really stood out to me. Seeing them in the flesh really showed the quality of the build. I was rather Impressed.

Chatting to the designer it was clear they have passion behind there eBikes which I always highly respect in a brand.

I thought the bikes were very well specc'd for the money too.

The Moustache eBikes can be found here - Moustache Bikes | E-bikes e-powered by Bosch
(Although not yet updated with their 2014 electric models)



What do you guys think?
Looking for some opinions..

Regards
Martin

 

[Streethawk]

They look pretty good, despite the stupid name.

 

[trex]

they are getting quite popular in France.
I'd say 30% of the French e-bike shops have them on demo.
They don't look showy the the bh, I expect they appeal to older generations.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Martin I have to say I think there are other Bosch bikes with better spec. for the money. However they are nice bikes and well built.

 

[EddiePJ]

How much are they?

Edit... Found the costs.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Some prices on this dealers website
moustache electric bikes

 

[ghouluk]

heh! i tested a couple of the moustache's too (all those test rides of mine paid off in what i didn't buy at least )

they are beautiful engineering, very comfortable to ride, and well equipped, i found the buttons a little fiddly with gloves, and of course the drive suffered from my foot problem.

the bike they reminded me of most to ride was the swiss flyer, but they are a lot less ugly

I'd agree that they do make a nice individual choice (and as above in your case Martin, an alternative to the haibike for those looking for a more relaxed trundle.) I'd question the value though, they seemed a bit pricey to me compared to other similar models.

I don't think they are substantially better to ride to the raleigh crank drive you let me try with my Dad that time, and 2.5 times the price is a lot to pay for the styling.

 

[funkylyn]

They were the bikes that stood out for me too at the NEC.....design just a little different and decent quality.....shame about the name though.....

Lynda

 

[EddiePJ]

Out of interest, what am I missing in relation to the quality.

Taking the Samedi 26-10S for example, the forks are good, and leaving the electrical items aside, the rest of the components are just 'base spec' stuff that can be bought for next to nothing.

After buying the BH without first researching component quality, I'm starting to realise that a fair few manufactures use pretty low/base spec components, which ultimately don't justify the overall bike cost.
Any MTB e-bike over the 2k mark should be dripping in at least XT or SLX gear, along with possibly higher quality brakes, although seemingly cheap brakes still seem pretty efficient.
I'm also not saying the cheap components aren't adequate, just disappointing.

 

[ghouluk]

uhhmm so my comment on quality was build and general construction, components are disapointing.

i dunno though, i guess you have to consider a couple of things (and i share your dissapointment with the bh components) take off the cost of the motor and battery, take off a bit more for the higher risk of early adopter failure, higher r&d costs, then you should have a bike of roughly the same quality....when i did that i wasn't *that* unhappy.

I think for me it's similar to the other thread on dealers, etc - just got to revise my expectations on what i expect from a 2k bike, and make it a 4-500 quid bike .....

Lynda - you don't fancy people passing comment on how great your moustache is looking then

 

[Wander]

Out of interest, what am I missing in relation to the quality.

Build quality of the frame was what made them really stand out from most of the competition for me at the NEC. Just beautiful.

 

[jackhandy]

The Lundi that JustEbikes James brought down to Eden in April proved extremely popular, partickly with the ladies Of All Ages: The saddle didn't get a chance to cool off during the ride sessions & I thought we'd have to perform surgery to get the Eden staffers off it at one point.

To me, it felt fairly heavy, very much like the A2B, but a delight to ride on the test track; and the styling is a real design statement.

All in all, a cracking townee's bike.

 

[RobF]

There's now a £5K Moustache with a bigger wheel on the front than the back.

It can only be a gimmick, and an expensive one at that.

Speaking of money, perhaps we could call it the Franc-centime.

Electric Mountain Bike | Electric MTB | Moustache Samedi 279 | Electric mountain bike UK

 

[tillson]

There's now a £5K Moustache with a bigger wheel on the front than the back.

It can only be a gimmick, and an expensive one at that.

Speaking of money, perhaps we could call it the Franc-centime.

Electric Mountain Bike | Electric MTB | Moustache Samedi 279 | Electric mountain bike UK

The Penny Farthing uses similar technology, but I'm more of a Safety Bicycle fan.

 

[Martin@e-bikeshop]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the feedback, some mixed here. Hopefully get a post from an owner shortly too, that would be perfect.

The two main points I have picked up so far are the price and the good quality.
Ill expand in a seperate post below. Thanks to all your opinions so far. Its nice to have a community that gives feedback like this.

Regards
Martin

 

[Martin@e-bikeshop]

There's now a £5K Moustache with a bigger wheel on the front than the back.

It can only be a gimmick, and an expensive one at that.

Speaking of money, perhaps we could call it the Franc-centime.

Electric Mountain Bike | Electric MTB | Moustache Samedi 279 | Electric mountain bike UK

Hi Rob,

Thatll be the one in the picture on the opening post then?
No gimmick there. Talking to the designer was very passionate about the design, had a lot of testing pre-production. It does make sense to have the rolling capability of the 29" up front and the maneuverability of the 27.5" at the rear. My hat goes off to him for creating the geometry of this bike.

It actually won the Eurobike design award! -

The winner of the Eurobike E-bike design award was from the French company Moustache Bikes, showing the full-suspension version of their Samedi line, using 27.5 inch wheels. This diameter of wheel is halfway between the 26-inch and 29-inch wheels. 29′r wheels have grown in popularity over the past year, and the 27.5 size is an industry response to cyclists who want something larger than the common 26-inch, but not quite as big as the 29′s. The Samedi series has joined the Bosch mid-drive family, and their new model uses hydro-formed aluminum tubing for an upgraded look.
Hydrofroming is when a partially pre-shaped tube is put inside a two-piece mold, and then water at a very high pressure is pushed into the inside of the tube to force the tube walls outward. This increasingly popular manufacturing method causes the tube to take on a complex shape that would be difficult to create any other way.

Regards
Martin

 

[Martin@e-bikeshop]

With regards to the specification, its a little confusing as I was referring to their 2014 line up of bikes with the new Bosch motor. I have the 2014 details here but Moustache does not yet have them on their website.

The new prices are pretty good seeing the quality you are getting. They have obviously expanded production for 2014 and therefore are into bigger qty's and can pass on the lower rates.

I'll delve into quality below..

Regards
Martin

 

[Martin@e-bikeshop]

They look pretty good, despite the stupid name.

they are beautiful engineering, very comfortable to ride, and well equipped, i found the buttons a little fiddly with gloves, and of course the drive suffered from my foot problem

They were the bikes that stood out for me too at the NEC.....design just a little different and decent quality.....shame about the name though.....

Lynda

Build quality of the frame was what made them really stand out from most of the competition for me at the NEC. Just beautiful.

As quoted above the quality of these bikes really does stand out.
I walked around the NEC looking for something 'Special' & something I would part my hard earned with (aside from a Haibike )

The moustache bikes really were very well finished. In geometry, design, welding, format etc.
Yes they do work out a couple of hundred quid more than some of the other 'Aggressively priced contenders' but some of my customers look for that quality look and feel and are happy to pay a little more for something they are proud of. Its the old saying 'you pay for what you get'.

Some of the other brands looked good on paper (spec wise) & looks but in the flesh some seemed a little unfinished. I didn't get a chance to picture the Moustache bikes too much as I got carried away speaking to the designer. However I walked away with some newly earned respect for the bloke.

I managed to find a picture of the new 2014 Samedi 28" Priced @ £2599 -

My eyes were drawn to the finish, design and welding. Then I looked at specification.
An example of what I mean by 'unfinished' -

Now in now way am I having a pop at other brands. Before anyone pipes up. Hence why I have clipped this image down to not display any names.
BUT look at the mounting of the new Bosch motor on the Moustache. You'd struggle to fit a fag paper through the gap. The welding around it is phenomenal as well. The picture above represents another brand integrating the same motor - to me it looks untidy and not finished.
I personally would rather pay the extra couple hundred - Just my opinion.

What do other think?
Any owners out there? Or Should I hit up the French pedelec forum?

Regards
Maritn

 

[ghouluk]

martin - maybe a pm to wittgenfrog?

agree with most of what you say, but for me, that didn't translate into an amazing ride that justified the extra cash (though you know about me and crank drive bikes)

 

[Martin@e-bikeshop]

martin - maybe a pm to wittgenfrog?

agree with most of what you say, but for me, that didn't translate into an amazing ride that justified the extra cash (though you know about me and crank drive bikes)

Good Idea!

Yes - I remember your thoughts when we met before. I wish I have pictured your face when I pulled that Haibike down from upstairs haha. Good to see you at the NEC by the way. Shame I didn't have a second to chat :/

Regards
Martin