New e-bike owner

Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
Hi.

Andy here.

Just ordered my first e-bike - a 2019 CUBE Touring Hybrid One 500.

After a couple of months' research and humming and hawing I settled on this as it's got the quiet (and zero resist) 3rd gen Activeline Plus motor, a 500W battery and comes with stuff like mudguards, rack and lights already on board. It also looks well built and I like the semi-integrated look of the battery and the bike's lines.

I got it for £1570 from an actual B&M bike shop on a Black Friday deal (though it won't actually be in stock for a few weeks). I could have got it £50 cheaper from Bikester, but I'm no bike techie and prefer being able to drive to the actual bikeshop that sold me it both to pick it up and to take it back if anything goes seriously wrong.

My bike use isn't very hard-core. I won't be commuting with it (I live 5 minutes from a train station and the cycle commuting would be a death trap) and I don't like cycling on busy roads at all.

I in my early fifties and live 400 yards off the TransPennine Cycle Route (near Stockport) and for 20 odd years have used an old 1993 Marin Muirwoods MTB that I inherited from a friend I used to own a house with (he emigrated to Oz and left me the bike). It's an old steel thing (18kg) but basically bombproof. I haven't ever had a puncture on it and wouldn't have a clue what to do if I did. It needed a new chain about a year ago and otherwise is exactly as I inherited it.

My family (despite my having bought bikes for them all) don't really like cycling.

I have a 15km circuit I have done hundreds of times for fitness and have discoved perhaps a dozen other 'routes' from my house over the years - all of which are basically on cyclepaths, river and canal banks, through parks or on very quiet roads. These range from the basic circuit - which takes about 45mins usually and is almost all on the flat - to ones ranging up into the high peak (Glossop etc.) or down the Chesire plains as far as Lymm and back about 70km).

I do the longer ones on weekends - often on Sunday mornings when everyone else in the house (including the three dogs) is in bed drowsing.

This year (and last to a lesser extent) my health and fitness hasn't been as good as usual and I've also put on far too much weight (I'm over 15st which is about 2st more than usual), so I'm struggling more than I usually do on the rides.

After my next door neighboor dropped dead on his MTB in Snowdonia about 5 years ago I have been very strict on not hitting Heart Rate Max on rides - I have a good bluetooth HR monitor, link it to Strava and if my heart rate gets above about 160-165 just ease off until it falls back (my HRM is about 175 under normal circumstances). With less fitness and added weight this year this has meant that any longish hill is a bit tortuous - I can get up most of them keeping the HR under 165 but really slowly and the longer rides up into the High Peak become real no-no's and have dropped off my routes. It also makes any significant elevations stressful and not fun to ride.

However the ride that convince me a wanted an e-bike was one on a very hot Summer Sunday earlier this year - and was my favourite 'escape from it all' ride down to Lymm and back. This follows the River Mersey until the Bridgewater Canal and then proceeds canalside then down a country lane onto a cycle path all the way down to Lymm. Where I rest up for an hour and come back. I have done it many times before and it's almost all flat and about 70km. And beautiful waterside cycling on goodish tracks for the most part.

But that day I had underestimated the heat. When I set off it was nice but by the time I got to Lymm it had already been a hard slog, it was scorching and I was basically 'blown'.
I rested up, gobbled some water and ice cream and set off back, but at the first gentle turn of the pedals my HRM said I was hitting HR Max :(
With no trains to help for more than 2 hours I instead tortuously ground my way back along the route all the way back home at a snail's pace through the heat of the day and arrived home feeling that has been torture rather than fun. And I kept thinking - an ebike would have avoided this...so here I am.

So the purpose of the e-bike is to assist me up relaltively small elevations, allow me to enjoy routes I have already found but have been avoiding this year and to explore new routes and roam further afield. If I could convince any of my family members to us the ebike to cycle short routes with me so much the better, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

My only thoughts on upgrading the bike at this point are to perhaps swap the tyres out for Marathon Pluses (I really don't want a puncture) and to look at a compatible water bottle and on bike security systems.

What I suppose I like to know is what the realistic range is going to be and whether I'll be able to pedal it unassisted on flat tarmac cycle tracks and so extend the range by just using assistance on the off road type tracks and for uphills.

I know it's 5kg heavier than the Marin, but it's going to have bigger wheels and probably significantly less rolling resistance (as well as effectively wider gearing to choose from as it has 9 gears and I only ever use the Marin's middle seven.

Also recommendations on bike insurance would be handy.

Anyway I'll post updates as and when I get the bike and what it's like in real world use...
 

Stradaman

Pedelecer
Oct 11, 2018
43
11
North West
Welcome to the forum

Good choice! The cube hybrid a lovely looking bike and seems to be a very popular choice with people here so you’re In good hands.

The motor you have is a good one its one of the few I test rode and should suit you well for the type of riding you do. It has 4 modes Eco, tour, sport & turbo.

The tour mode is fantastic,I’m assuming you’ll be probably be switching between Tour & sport for the most part until you build your fitness back up.

Riding unassisted will be a bit of a struggle to be honest until you get used to the bike. But by that time you’ll most likely be cycling around or above the 15.5mph threshold using little of the motors power.

Check out the following link. Just input your average speed and Bosch will give you an estimated mileage figure based on the mode used.

https://www.bosch-ebike.com/en/service/range-assistant/

You can fine tune it by adjusting the other parameters such as total weight, cadence (rpm), surface type, tire tread, wind conditions, terrain etc.

Should give you a rough idea of what to expect.

Re insurance I cant comment as I don’t have it but as far as on bike security i think I’m well protected, Myself and a lot of others in here use an Abus Granite X plus 540 ULock for the frame and an Abus Cobra cable or something equally as strong to secure the front/rear wheels. I’d remove the quick releases from the wheels too if your bike has them. A GPS tracking device (probably overkill for me) is also something I’m looking into.

Anyway hope this helps, Im no expert just thought id chuck in my 2 pence.

Enjoy the bike and I’m Looking forward to reading your initial thoughts write up.
 
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Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
Thanks a lot for that.
Putting in the figures it looks like I can get 153km on eco mode, 88km on tour and 67km on sport..on the flat Lymm ride.

I'd likely just use eco (or nothing) on the way there when on tarmacced bike paths and eco or tour on the flat riverside gravel paths. On the way back I imagine I'll be more tired and use tour or sport as and when needed, but should still be able to cover the 70km flat route easily.

Now the ascent into High Peak might be more interesting...
 
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Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
OK so bike has now arrived in UK and I can pick it up this weekend.
But my home insurer (Co-op) won't cover electric bikes over £1k in value.

Is Cycleguard well-regarded or do you have any other suggestions for a specialist bike insurer? Looks like family and public liability cover on that site would be something around £120 a year for me.
 

James63

Pedelecer
Sep 4, 2018
29
19
61
Yellow Jersey insurance were recommended to me and charged me £145ish, (there was some sort of £10 discount code), based on £2500 price of bike. They include some DNA bike marking stuff. That seemed a reasonable enough deal.

You must be quite excited. Have fun with the new bike.
 

Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
Had a look - £126 including tax but the DNA thing might be useful...I have a terrible cold at the moment so I don't think I'll be out on in that much over Xmas to be honest :(
 

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
Had a look - £126 including tax but the DNA thing might be useful...I have a terrible cold at the moment so I don't think I'll be out on in that much over Xmas to be honest :(
Hi Andy, hope the cold is subsiding. Am interested to know what you think of the Bosch Active Line Plus motor as am considering that Cube next year. At present I have a Haibike Trekking with the Yamaha PW motor, but want to eventually swap to Bosch as my wife has a Riesse and Muller Tinker with the Bosch motor, and I want to borrow her battery as a spare when doing long distance runs. My Yamaha PW gives out about 75 nm of torque, and the Active Plus provides 50nm, so will be interested as to whether you feel it is powerful enough on the hills around Derbyshire Peak district. Was thinking that the lower torque but possible better range might be better for touring. The Cube you have chosen seems fantastic value for money especially when comparing to the Riesse and Muller or Moustache models with identical Bosch motors. Would assume that their build quality is better at almost twice the cost, so look forward to your future reports. I,m a big fan of Riesse and Muller bikes and of the good back up service. Hope the Cube gives you lots of pleasure in the new year, they seem to have many satisfied customers.
 

Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
I think the Cube build quality is pretty good - assembled in their state of the art factory in Germany.

The Hybrid One compromises a bit on the other components - 9 speed derailleur (at least cheap to replace if any issues), Schwalbe Range Cruisers rather than Marathons etc. but it doesn't compromise on the two key ones - the Bosch Active Line Plus and the 500W battery (plus it looks really sleek with the battery hidden in its lines).

I also looked at the 2018 Haibikes as several of them were on special offer in or around the same price range adn the PW motor is a monster for hills - but I decided that the Active LIne Plus with its zero resist when off was what I really needed for my rides..I''m not a real mountain biker.

I'm also not entirely sure about the 50nm in the hills once I get up into High Peak but my main aim is just to add back the run up to Glossop from the Mersey and Tame valleys to my standard routes. If I could get up there a couple of years ago on an 18kg 25 year old Marin, it should be a breeze on the Cube...

This review suggests it's OK until you reach gradients in the twenties, which I'm not planning to do!

https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/reviews/components/bosch-active-line-plus-motor-1680

"It wouldn’t be any use if the motor was silent and ran out of puff at the first sign of a gradient, but with a claimed 50Nm of torque on tap the Active Line Plus is more than capable of handling pretty much anything that the type of bike it’s fitted to is likely to encounter. I tested the motor on a Raleigh Motus Grand Tour and I found that Bath’s many and varied hills were generally no problem. In turbo mode with a big rider on board (I’m 92kg) the motor was happy on slopes well into the teens, and only really got overwhelmed when the gradient reached 20% or above, which is unlikely to be a gradient most riders will be pointing a city bike at."


https://roadcyclinguk.com/sportive/ten-best-cycling-climbs-peak-district.html#dArSMfgfYUDSEy7O.97

So perhaps Gun Hill or Rowsley Bar would be too much for it, but the other Peak Distict climbs look do-able.

I'll run some hill tests as soon as I can and report back...
 
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Artstu

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 2, 2009
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https://roadcyclinguk.com/sportive/ten-best-cycling-climbs-peak-district.html#dArSMfgfYUDSEy7O.97

So perhaps Gun Hill or Rowsley Bar would be too much for it, but the other Peak Distict climbs look do-able.

I'll run some hill tests as soon as I can and report back...
Gun Hill is pretty tame to be honest. My weedy Bosch classic with hub-gear friendly reduced power goes up Winnats like this.

On the segment in the link I'm still 11 secs faster than Andy who holds the KOM. However on the e-bike segment someone has smashed my time by about 40 seconds, but he's a much younger and healthy tri-athlete and he has a more powerful new Bosch powered bike.
Winnats 22-4-14.JPG
 
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Crossroads

Pedelecer
Apr 22, 2017
89
49
Andy,

Your bike looks a very good choice for range.

If you want to ensure you can always get home after a flat or mechanical problem with your bike, you can get breakdown cover from ETA for £18 a year. They get you and your bike to a cycle shop, railway station or home.They don't attempt to repair a bike. They will turn out for punctures that you cannot repair and also cover you if you become ill or injured.

I haven't used them yet, but I understand a common rescue is an 8 seater taxi that will take a you and the bike back home.

I believe they include this, at no extra charge, with their Bike Insurance policies. Might be worth a look.

Happy riding.
 
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Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
Thanks for this - ETA Insurance looks very good.

£144 a year but they offer monthly premiums at same price as annual cover, and you don't have to secure it to a fixing in your garage if the bike is locked inside and can't be seen (and they don't require stupid locks on the garage door that no garages have in the real world as some policies do).

So all good there. I will gold lock secure it to a huge cross-trainer that is in my garage and park my car right in front of the door overnight but that would fall foul of some of the small print in other policies.

Also the bike retrieval thing could be handy if something goes wrong 40+ miles away from home - especially as the last time I had to repair a puncture was 40 years ago!

I'll go with them I think.

Cheers
 

Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
Oooh - picked it up this morning!


Looks great - wasn't even expecting the suspension seat post and Intuvia display (thought it was specced with Purion).

Unfortunately pissing down with rain today until after dark. Tomorrow looks dry though!



Cube Touring Hybrid One.jpg
 
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Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
OK - interesting - I have now had a closer look at the bike trying to figure out why I might have got an Intuvia display.

It looks as though Cube have shipped a slightly different bike to the one I ordered (at a guess possibly to fulfil the order before Xmas).

What I ordered (for £1570) was the 2019 CUBE Touring Hybrid One 500

What it looks like I have got is the CUBE Touring Hybrid 500 2019.

Specs are the same except:
  • The One is black with blue lettering, mine is iridium black
  • The One has a Shimano RD-M2000-SGS, 9-Speed derailleur, mine has Shimano Deore RD-M592-SGS, 9-Speed
  • One has 680mm handlebars, mine has 700mm
  • One has Natural Fit Active saddle, mine has Selle Royal Ariel
  • One has CUBE Performance Post, mine has CUBE Suspension Seatpost.
  • One has CUBE Performance Grip, mine has Natural Fit GRIP Comfort grips.
  • One has Bosch Purion, mine has Bosch Intuvia
  • One has Trelock LS611 Duo Flat rear light, mine has Herrmans H-Trace
  • One has ACID Semi-Integrated Carrier, ACID RILink Adapter Compatible and Rail , mine has CUBE Integrated Carrier 2.0, ACID RILink Adapter Compatible, SnapIt Compatible and Rail
All in all I feel that I got a slight upgrade here (it looks like the Iridium model's list price is £2199 as against £1799 for the One).

:)
 
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soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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you can change the display diy its just one plug that goes in to the motor intuvia displays go for about 50 quid on ebay ;)
 

Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
Sure the changes aren't worth anything like £400, but I'd still rather than an Intuvia for a touring bike than the Purion and a better rack is nice.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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well you can change it if needed but first thing id change is those forks as there not very good at that price range no matter what you buy ;)
 

Andy McNish

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2018
303
203
I'll probably just lock them out for most rides - I;ve managed the last 30 years on my Marin with no travel at all :)

Seriously though, I'll work out what to change after I've put a few hundred miles on it...
I supect the first change will be to upgrade tyres to Marathon Pluses...
 
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soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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I'll probably just lock them out for most rides
yeah that will be the first thing to go lol esp on cheap forks, what you want is some air forks so you can adjust them to ur waight and be more serviceable as the miles will soon ad up over a year.

you wont think it makes much difference until you try decent fox or rock shock forks ;)
 
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