Ortler Wien 7-Speed

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
I recently bought this bike via eBay from a gent who really wasn't cut out for commuting. It was bought by him in November 2017 and done 180 miles in the time since.

I picked it up from London earlier this week and rode it from Embankment to Marylebone Station with it as was. That was exciting! I soon got used to the cut & thrust of London traffic - it was snarled up, so easy! - but the main impediment was the fact that there was only about 15psi in the large tyres. I was bouncing around all over the place. I duly arrived in one piece and took it back home on the train.

A quick look round the next day showed that the brake cables had stretched and a bolt holding the mudguard in-situ had loosened. That was tightened up. Also, the suspension seatpost bounced me around like a jack-in-the-box. I took it off and screwed the adjustment bolt and it now seems much better, if a little squeaky. It was the work of a few minutes to rectify those little issues.

The bike is dusty, but otherwise almost as new. It's very well put together, as befits a German machine. The Bosch Active system works and the display is reasonably intuitive.

First impressions:

Good:
Very well made
Quality componentry - with one exception
Built in lights - for being seen, not necessarily for seeing
Comfy bar ends

Not-so-good/so-so:
The battery is only 300w/8.4Ah
The seatpost is a bit naff
The rack does the job, but isn't top notch
The adjustable stem brings the bars rather too close to me when raised
The inner tubes have Woods valves (& will be replaced with prestas)
It has a coaster brake - not my favourite, though it has its uses
Twist grip shifter - I might see if a trigger shifter is available

Poor:
The pedals are distinctly cheap & will be replaced at the weekend

I rode it into work today on my 9.5-mile commute. Not knowing how well the battery would stand up, I nursed it along in Eco mode most of the time, switching to Tour on hillier stretches. On the way home I can be a little more generous with the power (if the gauge can be believed) as I still have 4 bars out of 5. I'll try out the Sport and Turbo modes to see how it goes.

The Nexus gearing seems well suited to the task of commuter. I haven't ridden the route for 8 weeks, so was out of condition, but the range seems to suit the power available. It seems well geared at the lower range, which is good. I can always coast down hills, but need help uphill.

The brakes are good. My other bikes have discs, but the v-brakes stop it well enough. I can start to get used to using the coaster brake as a regulator.

I have some Raw mudguard extensions to fit at the weekend. I want to keep the Bosch unit as protected as possible. I may see if I have some bars that will counter the rather cramped riding position, but I'll tinker with the settings on the saddle rails and bars before doing that.

For £800 I'll consider it a bargain, but I hadn't realised how expensive Bosch Powerpack batteries and chargers are! A 500w battery is >£500! I may end up getting one though.
 
Last edited:

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
Thanks for the link, it's very useful. It estimates 35Km range at 25Km/h. Touch and go with a Badass fitted...
 
Last edited:
  • Informative
Reactions: Woosh

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
A bit more tweaking today. I fitted some Raw mudguards to protect (me &) the transmission and fine-tuned the riding position. It's still not quite right, but I know what I need to do to to get it right. Part of the solution was to fit a non-suspension seatpost that has a very nice Selle Royal saddle attached.

I dusted it and adjusted the v brake clearances. On a short test ride, it rode very well in Sport mode. I'll try it on that setting on Monday's commute.
 
Last edited:

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
It did the 9-mile morning commute today in a combination of Tour and Sport modes and averaged 16.2MPH. Once my fitness returns, Tour mode will be about right.

It is a very smooth, accomplished machine and the Nexus hub works well. I suspect I may have to change the rear sprocket to raise the gearing, as I'm spinning out in top (7th) gear.
 

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
Right, I've now done the commute two days running and using Sport mode there and back, I'm only down to 2 bars when I get back home. That's at an average speed of >15MPH. That's better than I expected. Yesterday it was a 20-mile return trip, so the battery is lasting well.
 

Trevormonty

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 18, 2016
1,135
564
17
NZ
It did the 9-mile morning commute today in a combination of Tour and Sport modes and averaged 16.2MPH. Once my fitness returns, Tour mode will be about right.

It is a very smooth, accomplished machine and the Nexus hub works well. I suspect I may have to change the rear sprocket to raise the gearing, as I'm spinning out in top (7th) gear.
Buy spider tool to allow you to remove chain ring, good to have for servicing and allows you to change chainring sizes to find right gearing. If it doesn't have bearing seal fit one (google bosch seal kit).

If you change gearing and move wheel in and out slightly can effect spoke magnet/sensor alignment. Will need to setup amd test ride.

Make sure you carry all tools needed to remove rear wheel in case of puncture. Best try it at home first.

An upgrade to Magura HSxx hydraulic rim brakes maybe worth considering, see how you get on in wet.
 

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
Thanks. If I do tweak the gearing - which is looking more likely - I will do it by changing the rear sprocket. I'm fairly sure I have a few in the garage. That won't affect the rear wheel position, but I'll probably need to shorten the chain a link or two.

The brakes are actually better than I was expecting. The rear coaster is useful to slow down on the approach to junctions and to regulate speed on downhill stretches.

How would I find out if the Bosch unit has a bearing seal? That sounds like a useful extra.
 
Last edited:

Deno

Pedelecer
Jan 24, 2018
91
47
43
Dublin
Changing the front chainring is easy and painless imo. The only issue is that every increase of 1 tooth, for instance, equates to 2.5 teeth due to the gearbox in the CX.

Re. seal service, see attached .pdf. I get all my parts from bikediscount - chainrings and seal service kit in this example.

Edit - just remembered its a hub drive, doh.
 

Attachments

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
The rear sprocket change is much simpler and more incremental.

My bike is a mid-drive Bosch Active Line unit, but made after 2015, so it should have the seal, shouldn't it?
 

Trevormonty

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 18, 2016
1,135
564
17
NZ
The rear sprocket change is much simpler and more incremental.

My bike is a mid-drive Bosch Active Line unit, but made after 2015, so it should have the seal, shouldn't it?
My 2016 CX didn't have it but 2017 warranty replacement motor did. Wifes 2017 activeline has it.
 

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
I took a very long, mainly off-road route into work this morning and set the assistance to Tour. This was to see how the power stood up. It stood up well, and the only adjustments I had to make was to ride slightly slower in one gear lower. If my experiences of the battery on my Oxygen hold with the Bosch, the lower temperature will have an impact on the performance of the battery. Riding 20 miles at c.15MPH in Sport mode sees me down to one power bar. I'd like to have more in reserve in winter.
 

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
Assuming I get back home today, I've done 100 miles of commuting on the Ortler this week. Faultlessly, I add. It's kicked the Oxygen into touch for now, although it was much slower on an off-road route I took one morning. Still, it isn't designed for that sort of riding and it coped reasonably well. I can really see the benefit of the torque-sensing Bosch drive. It just works. The chain looks a bit slack and I may have to move the wheel slightly back in the dropouts, but I'll be careful to move the sensor if necessary.
 

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
I didn't know whether to put this on the Oxygen thread or here, but seeing as I'm trying to sell the Oxygen, here'll do!

I rode into work on the Oxygen today on the usual setting (level 6 on Eco Mode). Wow, such a difference! The Bosch drive is so much more sophisticated than the Oxygen's set up. In particular I noticed that the power comes in instantly on the Ortler, whereas there is a distinct lag on the Oxygen that I hadn't noticed before.

The Ortler is lighter, has a better drive system and is more nimble. What the Ortler Bozen Performance would be like with the CX drive is an exciting prospect - as long as it has the 500W battery!

It has confirmed my thoughts that I'm right to sell the Oxygen. A pair of Schwalbe Land Cruisers will make the Ortler better off-road, although it will never be as versatile as the Oxygen in that respect.
 

Trevormonty

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 18, 2016
1,135
564
17
NZ
Assuming I get back home today, I've done 100 miles of commuting on the Ortler this week. Faultlessly, I add. It's kicked the Oxygen into touch for now, although it was much slower on an off-road route I took one morning. Still, it isn't designed for that sort of riding and it coped reasonably well. I can really see the benefit of the torque-sensing Bosch drive. It just works. The chain looks a bit slack and I may have to move the wheel slightly back in the dropouts, but I'll be careful to move the sensor if necessary.
Adjusting for chain slack shouldn't be enough to effect magnet/sensor alignment, swapping sprockets or chainrings yes. Shimano recommend 25mm of up and down slack on chain for Nexus. If in doubt go slightly loose, too tight and both hub and motor bearings will be put under constant strain.
 

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
I definitely need to do something about the chain. It's so slack it came off this morning. Normally that's a 10-second job to put right, but this bike has a coaster brake, so the normal back pedalling method wouldn't work. It was a bit of a faff to get it back on, but I got there. It really is very slack and needs a link or two removing. BUT I will bear the advice above in mind.
 

Warwick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 24, 2015
731
225
Warwick
Good point, thanks.
 

peter.c

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 24, 2018
1,611
491
thurrock essex
The best trick with the chain is the alfine tensioner make sure you get the spring loaded one its a easy fit to the rear wheel no more chain problems
 

Related Articles

Advertisers