Deno

Gen2 CX. 18k miles until main bearing failure. Rebuilt by ebike motor centre and did another 18k until it happened again. Original battery was low on capacity so replaced the bike. Bike was delimited and never left me stranded through hail, rain and snow so I take the view that it owed me nothing. So I bought another Bosch bike.

I had 19,000km on my Bosch Gen 2 CX when the main bearing collapsed. I had it rebuilt by Ebike motor centre in late 2020 and its just ticked over 30,000km. The only other failures have been the motor to battery harness and a well used and abused battery. The bike is de-restricted and in daily use so it not been an easy life but pretty astonishing reliability.

My dad has the D21 because he needed decent range and relatively low weight with a torque sensor. Its the only folding ebike that delivers that at its price point. I would describe the ride as 'sporty' but its certainly not uncomfortable. It handles tidily and seems very rigid for a folder. The fit and finish is comparable/favorable to my cube - the welds and paint finish are really very smart. I am the 6'3" and I didn't feel cramped but you know its a compact frame. The bike is very able to reach its limiter and then suffers from quite a drop off beyond that, its not so much power but it runs out of gearing for me, suspect a larger chainring would be required. In saying that I am reasonably fit and this would not be an issue for everyone. Also I suspect most folders have the same issue due to wheel size. No experience of the rambletta but Woosh have a good rep. on here.

My dad has a D21 which he loves. I’ve ridden it a couple of times and I fit reasonably well and I’m 6’3”. You definitely feel that it’s a compact frame but it’s not uncomfortable. As for the gearing he and I find it too low, hills are certainly not a problem and he lives on a steep one. We were only discussing if you could change the front ring to a larger one the other day actually. The only thing that’s uncomfortable on the bike is the handlebar grips - soon to be changed for Ergon ones. I think the D11/21 are great value folders btw. they’re miles ahead of nearly every other folder on weight and battery range. Haven’t tried a X but surely it’s even more impressive.

Mid-drive motors can be rebuilt by someone like Performance Line Bearings - they did my gen2 Bosch (at 18,000km incidentally). The battery would be more of a concern due to postage and cost issues. In my case the cost of a new battery might be better spent on a replacement bike considering the use i've gotten out of it.

18k km on my gen2 CX when it needed a rebuild, 25k on it now. I've had to swap wear parts in the drivetrain and wheel hubs and the motor to battery wiring harness but its been incredibly reliable on balance. The battery is losing capacity now which is expected as it get recharged twice a day for the part 4yrs. Suggest you keep the bike and go on a holiday instead...

Any thoughts on the Drift Ghost XL, its one that caught my interest. Ghost XL – Drift Innovation Seem popular with Motorcyclists and mentions good low light performance but its hard to tell from youtube clips. Also has good battery life and ability to link multiple cameras together so that they sync and are controlled by a master camera. Also the Cycliq cameras seem to have good performance but they are expensive.

I had to drop the motor to ferret the wires down the saddle and downtube. I also had to connect the light wires to the bosch harnesses (make sure you connect the right one, the rear light does not get the same power as the front - I got it wrong). I soldered the wires and then used heat shrink. I would be the same as you in that I do my own maintenance so it sounds like you could easily do it yourself. You may need a torque wrench for the motor mounting bolts and crank bolts. Also do you need a tool to remove the chainring - not sure what gen motor you have, mine was gen2.

Is it a Bosch? I did a similar job and its relatively easy but it did take me a few hours, in saying that I would expect a professional to do it quicker. I had to get a dealer to enable the light function however (they charged a small fee for this).

I had very similar issues with a gen2 CX. Bike would power off mid-cycle. I solved it by replacing the wiring loom between the battery mount and the motor. Problem went away. I think that the contacts in the battery mount were worn and it was loosing connection as a result.

I had very similar issues with a gen2 CX. Bike would power off mid-cycle. I solved it by replacing the wiring loom between the battery mount and the motor. Problem went away. I think that the contacts in the battery mount were worn and it was loosing connection as a result.

Both range and efficiency. The OP is talking about taking the bikes on longer rides and I have made an assumption that the OP will go above the 15mph limit at times. The lower profile city bike will be more efficient at that speed, if only marginally. Do 90% of riders use riser bars? I want to get mine lower.

I'd spend the extra 100quid (cash?/Deposit? - I'm sure a work with the retailer would suffice) and get the Hybrid 500. I have a 2017 Cube Reaction and its been a great bike but I've had to add rack, mudguards and lights afterwards at considerable expense, and in the case of the lights - faff. Also had to swap the tyres out but you might have to do that on both bikes. Also the reaction MTB seems to have a higher profile and will be a bit less efficient due to drag, may not concern those going offroad etc. but I notice it on longer road trips.

Also thinking that I might go with a KT type controller initially and see how I get on rather than go directly for a torque sensor. - Anyone know what setup I need to cruise at 40kph? - Is the 135mm 9mm QR dropout an issue? - Are 32h rims an issue to lace to a Hub motor (Q128?)? Thanks

I've done a good bit of searching and all I can say is that thru-axles are a curse! Very few gravel type bikes are now QR and even less of them have hydraulic brakes. So ive narrowed it down to 4 bikes. VECTOR DROP — Orbea Beautiful bike but expensive. Not sure I need Tiagra and it has a press fit BB which may be an issue if I want a TS bottom bracket sensor. Boardman CXR 8.9 Cyclocross Bike - S, M, L, XL Frames | Halfords UK Cheaper than the Orbea and I like the simplicity of 1x11. A bit racy for a daily and would need new tyres for pavement. Unsure about tyre clearance. Breezer Bikes - Radar-expert A wildcard but I like it. Tough steel frame with upright geometry. Massive tyre clearance. Threaded BB. Only issue is cable actuated hydraulics but I think I could live with it. Also liked the Cube Nuroad but they all have cable disks and the cost to upgrade brings you up to the Orbea. I did up a comparison but I'm leaning towards the Breezer Radar if I can get it in my size