BucksCS

Incidentally, the IWOC trio on the Orbea Gain F series also has an additional useful function; when the going gets too steep even with full assistance (in my case about 20% gradient) holding down one of the buttons gives a powered "walk" function (about 5-6 kmph) which at least enabled me to get up the last ramp of Kop Hill (23%) without having to push. I don't expect to use it often but nice to know it is there. I can't see this feature mentioned anywhere except in the very small print of the Trio documentation.

At 5"8", the medium F40 is perfect for me. If in doubt, it's worth the effort of finding one to try, even if it means travelling. I just asked my local (ish) Orbea dealer who let me try one for 30 mins, even though they didn't have an official "demo" bike.

Thank you, enjoying it so far :-). Yes, it has an IWOC Trio mounted on the left side of the handlebars where the front shifter would normally be - very convenient to use with the thumb. I believe these can be purchased separately but it obviously relies on having enough space on the bar to fit. The F40 also has the IWOC1 on the crossbar but I only use that to power the bike up and switch it off.

Thanks for the advice, and I agree - I managed to try an F40 last week and really liked it, so ordered and took delivery on Tuesday. I did a 20 mile "shakedown" yesterday and used 34% of the charge; the last 8 miles were into a gusty headwind (and rain) which would have been unpleasant without the assistance, but the assistance made it comfortable and enjoyable. I like the simplicity of the F40 and especially the additional power control on the bar, it's much easier than trying to use the power button on the top tube. So far I am very satisified - unfortunately I wont be able to get out again now until Sunday but looking forward to trying it on some of the hills then.

Thank you - hope you enjoy it

If you don't mind me asking, which model have you ordered, and why? I'm going through similar process myself re Orbea so would appreciate your thoughts.

The Ribble Hybrid AL e is on my shortlist, along with the Orbea F20/F30; I know the Ribble is relatively new, but has anyone bought (or tried) it yet? If so, I am very interested in your experiences. All input gratefully received, Thank you

Jim, did you end up buying the F20? If so, I would be interested in hearing your experiences to date as that is on my shortlist, thank you

You're right, it was a lovely day! I want to keep the Boardman as it is as I will still use it for local flat rides, shops, etc, so don't really want to go down the conversion route. But thank you for the suggestion and great to hear that it works for you :-).

Jonah, Thanks for the input, much appreciated. I'm not looking to do 100 mile rides - I'd be very happy doing regular 20-30 mile trips. If the Gain takes the effort out of getting up some of the hills around here and provides some assistance into head winds then that would suit me fine and make cycling a pleasure rather than the current half-chore half-pleasure; kudos to those people who enjoy climbing hills but I am not one of them! On paper, I like the "normality" of the Orbea and it's fairly low weight (it's only 1-2 kg more than my Boardman hybrid); the more bulky/awkward looking options don't appeal, even if they are considerably more powerful - I want to be able to ride it on the flat and on gentle inclines and still get a reasonable amount of exercise. The Cannondale looks good but is out of my budget range (I'm looking at up to circa £2k). The Ribble AL E Hybrid also looks worth considering but have not seen any real reports on that yet (it is a quite different spec to the Ribble CGR E which was launched at the same time and which seems to be getting the headlines). Downside of the Ribble is that they don't seem to do demonstrators at all so I would be buying blind - at lease Orbea have a demo fleet, even if there are none near me. From what you've said, I think I need to find a demo Orbea, even if's not the flat bar version - it sounds as though it be close enough to give an idea. Thank you again for the input.

Hi Jonah, thanks for this. Yes, I had read through that thread which had pointed me in the Orbea direction ( I had searched for Orbea before I posted). Although there are obviously similarities, there are also clear differences in build between the road bikes and the hybrids which I am interested in. Thank you anyway for the quick response :-)

Hi, I'm new on here and am researching my first e-bike. I'm looking for a light(ish) weight hybrid to assist me on the local hills (Chilterns); the Orbea Gain F20/F30 look like they may be good options - does anyone have experience of these specific models? And if so, are there are any pros/cons? My expected use would be 75% tarmac and 25% light duty off-road (gravel tracks, forest, etc). There are no dealers with demonstrators within about a 200 mile radius, otherwise that would have been my first port of call. All input greatly appreciated, thank you!

Thank you! Looking forward to finding out more about the world of e-bikes

Hi, I just signed up this morning, and am hoping to get some helpful input and advice, and obviously will be very happy to contribute where possible. I am semi-retired, living in the Chilterns and currently ride a hybrid bike (Boardman MX Comp). I have cycled on and off over the years and now find myself with more time to get out and enjoy the beautiful (and hilly) countryside around us. However I struggle with the hills so am starting to think about buying an electric-assisted bike so hopefully be able to find useful information here to inform my decision. Looking forward to discussing with you and hopefully being able to make some contributions too :-).