Switched to Haibike SduroTrekking

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
Well here we go, my third ebike starting with a Giant, then Kalkhoff, and now onto a Haibike SduroTrekking 5.0. I've always liked the look of the Haibike but previously was swayed by the longer range of the Kalkhoff Integrale. But the latest test ride on the Haibike was convincing in that it is very responsive and well equipped for my preferred type of cycling.
So I took the Haibike home and placed in the conservatory for a proper inspection ( I have a very understanding wife) ; I like the styling, and the solid rack, and the integral lighting, the tyre sizing, the understated decals and prefer the Yamaha motor. Am also pleased that the battery charger is a manageable size and fits nicely in my rack pack. Battery fully charged I set out to fully drain it asap using the higher two of the four available modes, up our local hills to do so. Initial feel of the bike around the local lanes was favourable, it feels nimble compared to other ebikes tried, the geometry is spot on and the ride is silky smooth with no rattles or squeaks at all. The motor is a little noisier than the Impulse but I was aware of that before and now hardly notice the difference. The Yamaha unit is really smooth and responsive with instant torque delivery, don't think there's much to choose between this and the Bosch, just personal preference. My first long run was yesterday when I ventured up into the Derbyshire White Peak district using a mixture of lanes and disused rail track, generally undulating and covered 82 miles in total. I mainly used Eco and Eco+ modes, but utilised the Standard mode now and again over the final 15 miles as the hills got steeper . The Haibike performed effortlessly coping easily as expected and the 'fit' of the frame is perfect for me. The saddle is not to my liking though and have changed it for a spare ergonomic saddle I have, and if that is no better, will put the old faithfull Brooks Flyer on. Saddles are a personal preference though and the stock Haibike saddle seems to be of good quality with a broad base. Half way through the ride at 44 miles with about 46% of battery remaining I accessed some power whilst dropping into my sister and brother in laws caravan just below Buxton. Around two hours later after coffees and sarnies, the battery was almost fully charged again and I set off for home. The. Battery had 52% remaining after retracing the same route back this due to there being a steady down hill most of the way. So as expected I may be able to expect around 60 to 80 + miles per charge depending on terrain and weather etc. Today I was out again for 28 miles , finding it hard to keep off this bike !
 

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
Just about 250 miles completed with no complaints so far, the ergonomic bike but saddle is far more comfortable for me than the stock one, but will also try the Brooks Flyer in near future. Half thinking of doing one of the sustrans routes next month, either the 'way of the roses' or the 'pennine cycleway' Derby to Berwick on Tweed. Anyone done longer tours on an ebike? How did you get on accessing battery power? Reckoning on around 60 to 70 miles daily cus still assessing the Haibike average range from its 500 w/hr battery and there's a fair amount of climbing en route. Am trying to minimise the range anxiety, do we really need to spoil a good ride by continually scanning the battery bars? Maybe just plan the ride to suit the bikes capability and am hoping to be flexible with accomodation. Am expecting the bike to cope well with the lanes and uneven trails, towpaths etc but will try the bike loaded up in case I decide to take camping gear, to see how it handles. Being able to pitch a light tent as and when would be good but obviously need to have access to power. Early days yet but this bike performs well making it honestly enjoyable to ride every time out.
 

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
350 miles completed mainly locally but did a short ride out from Moneyash in the peak District with Mrs G on her Giant. (Am working on Mrs G joining the forum and posting her own reviews and ebike experiences, although there may be the risk of some detrimental entries towards myself!) Haibike SduroTrekking Trekking still running faultlessly and really am struggling to find any negatives at all. It handles the light tracks and trails without any problem and is a dream on the roads as well. The frame is responsive and well balanced, the motor continues to be spot on and gears ,brakes etc work well. I'm having a rethink on attempting the Pennine Cycleway in its entirety next month and probably do a shortened route instead. Looking at the Sustrans route I realised that the battery capacity may struggle to complete some of the daily mileages due to the extreme gradients over the Pennines and may have needed to spend valuable time finding electric and waiting for recharges to complete. As I needed to make sure I was home on time to be available childminding duties I decided to shorten the tour on this occasion to two or three days instead. During 10 miles in the peak District over some longish climbs the battery used 16% per cent of its charge giving an estimated possible total range of 62.5 miles. However I know from experience that the Pennines' hills are far more steep and plentiful so my planned schedule may have been doubtful. So maybe there may be a case for buying a spare battery but at £850 will put that on hold until I do some more research. Incedentally I soon got fed up of loading the bikes into the back of the car when taking them up to Moneyash o the next day purchased a Thule carrier to fit on to the cars towbar. Money well spent really pleased with it. Maybe will start a separate thread relating to the transporting ebikes, especially when towing a caravan. So up to now the Haibike is great and can definitely recommend it.
 

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
Forgot to add there doesn't seem to be any water bottle braize on bosses unusual for a trekking bike. Anyone know of best place to carry bottles on this model. The frames an unconventional shape.
 

LesTocknell

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 24, 2017
15
3
73
Ross on Wye
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
There's all sorts of bottle holders on Ebay. You can fit them to the handlebars, crossbar, seat tube, seat or wherever you want. You can get convetional ones that fit to the down-tube with velcro straps or cable-ties.

Alternatively, you can put your own rivnuts in the frame for a conventional bottle holder. It's not difficult.
 

chris_n

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 29, 2016
656
399
62
Niedeau, Austria
350 miles completed mainly locally but did a short ride out from Moneyash in the peak District with Mrs G on her Giant. (Am working on Mrs G joining the forum and posting her own reviews and ebike experiences, although there may be the risk of some detrimental entries towards myself!) Haibike SduroTrekking Trekking still running faultlessly and really am struggling to find any negatives at all. It handles the light tracks and trails without any problem and is a dream on the roads as well. The frame is responsive and well balanced, the motor continues to be spot on and gears ,brakes etc work well. I'm having a rethink on attempting the Pennine Cycleway in its entirety next month and probably do a shortened route instead. Looking at the Sustrans route I realised that the battery capacity may struggle to complete some of the daily mileages due to the extreme gradients over the Pennines and may have needed to spend valuable time finding electric and waiting for recharges to complete. As I needed to make sure I was home on time to be available childminding duties I decided to shorten the tour on this occasion to two or three days instead. During 10 miles in the peak District over some longish climbs the battery used 16% per cent of its charge giving an estimated possible total range of 62.5 miles. However I know from experience that the Pennines' hills are far more steep and plentiful so my planned schedule may have been doubtful. So maybe there may be a case for buying a spare battery but at £850 will put that on hold until I do some more research. Incedentally I soon got fed up of loading the bikes into the back of the car when taking them up to Moneyash o the next day purchased a Thule carrier to fit on to the cars towbar. Money well spent really pleased with it. Maybe will start a separate thread relating to the transporting ebikes, especially when towing a caravan. So up to now the Haibike is great and can definitely recommend it.
What you need is an extender battery like mine, 378Ah just over 1.5 kg and fits on top of the motor. (Must get round to painting the mounting brackets)
20170812_145900.jpg
 

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
Have you got a link for the saddle you bought please :)
Hi Fordulike, it's a Bikehut anatomical saddle so available at any Halfords store. Firm and comfortable , pretty good quality, can't be certain of price from memory but was in the sale and a bargain at the time. It's suits the bike and is more comfortable than even the Brooks Flyer. One man's meat is another man's poison though, as the saying goes ☺
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Fordulike

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
What you need is an extender battery like mine, 378Ah just over 1.5 kg and fits on top of the motor. (Must get round to painting the mounting brackets)
View attachment 21116
What you need is an extender battery like mine, 378Ah just over 1.5 kg and fits on top of the motor. (Must get round to painting the mounting brackets)
View attachment 21116
Thanks Chris , I remember reading your thread on this, looks pretty neat, is it something on sale or did you fabricate it yourself? Is it costly?
 

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
There's all sorts of bottle holders on Ebay. You can fit them to the handlebars, crossbar, seat tube, seat or wherever you want. You can get convetional ones that fit to the down-tube with velcro straps or cable-ties.

Alternatively, you can put your own rivnuts in the frame for a conventional bottle holder. It's not difficult.
Cheers Dave. Will get it sorted
 

chris_n

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 29, 2016
656
399
62
Niedeau, Austria
I bought the battery a 10s3p with Samsung INR18650-35E cells from Akkuservice Dellinger in Germany (info@akku-dellinger.de) complete with BMS and fabricated a housing for it ( I know of someone who used a Rosswheel frame phone bag to contain the battery but theirs was 10s4p). It is connected with XT60 connectors to the bottom of the Yamaha battery receiver terminals. You do need to charge the batteries separately and ensure voltage is the same before connecting.
Cost was less than €300. Lars at Dellinger speaks good English and that price includes shipping to the UK.
 

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
I bought the battery a 10s3p with Samsung INR18650-35E cells from Akkuservice Dellinger in Germany (info@akku-dellinger.de) complete with BMS and fabricated a housing for it ( I know of someone who used a Rosswheel frame phone bag to contain the battery but theirs was 10s4p). It is connected with XT60 connectors to the bottom of the Yamaha battery receiver terminals. You do need to charge the batteries separately and ensure voltage is the same before connecting.
Cost was less than €300. Lars at Dellinger speaks good English and that price includes shipping to the UK.
Will have to look further into this, it looks a nice neat job, but would it invalidate the warranty if anything went wrong?
 

chris_n

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 29, 2016
656
399
62
Niedeau, Austria
I'm sure it would invalidate the warranty. If you are careful it is possible to do this with little trace, if I removed mine I doubt any bike shop would spot that it had been there. If I had been at home with more equipment then I am sure it could have been done with even less trace.
 

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
I'm sure it would invalidate the warranty. If you are careful it is possible to do this with little trace, if I removed mine I doubt any bike shop would spot that it had been there. If I had been at home with more equipment then I am sure it could have been done with even less trace.
Thanks for your info Chris, will check it out. Incidently, have just added new thread in Charging Post re favourite watering holes. Bet you could make good recommendations considering your locations?
 

Robbieg

Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2016
188
71
66
Burton on trent
The 500 mile point appeared on the odometer as I was heading south towards Buxton from the Glossop area. The weather was attrosious with non stop rain and high winds, not just normal rain but stinging your face rain and places where the road turned into a stream. I had made my way up to Hadfield the previous day along Sustrans route 68, a 66 mile route with some serious climbing that caned the battery needing some additional charge at a pub halfway. The bike performed brilliantly throughout the complete 130 mile two day ride on varied surfaces and awful conditions. The Haibike coped with the steep hills with ease, mostly in eco mode and at times in standard mode. No problems with braking on the wet roads, the bike is comfortable and I couldn't detect any flex in the frame despite two large loaded panniers and close on 40 mph downhills. ( Always tour with Ortlieb panniers they are totally waterproof and excellent build quality). So with approx 540 miles on the clock I continue to be well pleased with this bike, it seems to be a great allrounder, lovely to ride, an adequate range and very reliable up to now. Still undecided whether to buy a spare battery for longer runs, don't think I will be doing too many so the £850 cost may not be worth it. Would be good if 50 cycles could introduce a battery hire service for such situations. Maybe they might want to comment on that? Overall, a great ebike and up to now can recommend the SduroTrekking
 

The Bear

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 10, 2017
517
179
52
South Yorks
That was an interesting write up for me as I'm considering purchasing a Haibike Trekking, many thanks.