I will stay FF thanks. If raw speed is your thing, FF wins every time.
Plus, if you go for a "light" e-bike and take a range extender, you are nearly right back to the weight of a FF.
The Orbea is a beautiful-looking bike though. Great proportions. Just way too slow for me.
One reason why my e-bikes run flawlessly might well be that I sponge-wash only, straight after every ride, and always keep them in my heated man-cave. A wet bike sat in a cold shed is a recipe for problems.
I have had nothing but 100% reliable fun out of my 3 heavily-abused Shimano motors. To such an extent that I will not buy another make. The Shimano is perfect. They are only upgrading it next year for marketing reasons, I would imagine.
I am also sticking to external 500 batteries. So easy to...
Same here. had 2 bikes with Shimano motors. Bullet (and water) proof. So good all-round I would be very reluctant to buy a non-shimano bike. My current commencal has 2,000 HARD miles, always turbo, and battery-motor are like new.
I had Di2 on another e-bike and loved it, but would MUCH rather have a cable rear mech as I have at the moment, simply because it's so much more fixable than e-shifters. And cheaper to replace! Go Di2 if you ride modest trails and want to spend money, but stay with cables if you ride hard.
No Clunks or Pops on my Shimano 8000 setup after 1,200 km. Still as sweet as new, and also no play in the crank. And I run it on turbo mode 90% of the time. I'm sure other systems are good, but I will stick with what I know.
Took the side cover off yesterday. Absolutely caked in mud from 6...
Perhaps we should have a general "Manufacturers Support" thread, calling out bad service. I have a Commencal and a Lapierre. Small niggles on both bikes were fixed by the manufacturer (Commencal) and Importer (Raleigh-LaPierre) IMMEDIATELY. I was delighted with the response from both companies...
I urge @Rob Hancill to take the hint and do a review of trackers and location devices very soon. That would be a very useful service. There seems to be a lot of experience already on this site, so he'd be off to a flying start. (y)
Go for it Rob! I ride almost always on my own, flat-out, and...
Well I hit a left crank so hard on a rock that I bent the 160mm XT crank. No damage to the Shimano motor, which was impressive. I took it off and bent it straight in the vice, good as new (apart from the vice marks). I really rate the Shimano setup, I've put it through some serious punishment...
But... it's unlikely you will match up a new cassette with your old chain, so swapping wheels will possibly involve a new chain and 2 new cassettes.
Geometry doesn't change, just ride height. Not so crucial on the road. Works great for me!
I've set my Commencal up for road simply by swapping the tyres for Schwalbe big ben, £24 each. Hell of a difference on road and cinder tracks. Definitely worth doing if you commute all week, then swap tyres for the weekend mudfest.
If you are a spectacular crasher, it's better to not have levers and display unit too tight. They can then move with any impact, and be repositioned when you finally find the bike again.
I have 35mm bars. My shim display is just mounted a bit further away from the clamp, where the bars start to narrow. Doesn't have to be super-tight. Been on for a year no problem.