Haibike AllMtn 3.0 2020 initial review

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
People, as a newbie to the forum I thought I would give a little something first, as I am sure there will be much I will take from these great pages..

To give a little background, I have been using the Giant Trance platform for the last 15 or so years, and owned various different specs/models. I am a big fan of the Trance as you have probably guessed and particularly it’s rear linkage system which IMO works extremely well. They are also a great price for their spec and my last one (a 2019 X3) was indeed a great bike, the most surprising component of the lot being the Suntour AION 35 forks which left me stunned with their performance, having only used Rockshox and Fox previously. As a result, my first searches for an EMTB naturally led me to the Trance E+ range, however due to Covid supply issues I couldn’t find any anywhere, at least not in my usual Large frame size. So onwards I looked.

I had always been taken with how ‘aggressive’ Haibikes looked and I knew they had been doing EMTB’s for years. This wasn’t to be my first ebike, I had used an OxyDrive Bafang rear hub kit on one of my previous Trance’s which tbh I was impressed with and gave me many miles of riding pleasure until it got nicked. Obviously, it had severe limitations off road so I vowed that my next ebike would be crank drive. Although I was erring towards Haibike, I still looked at other manufacturers but again there wasn’t much available. I eventually found a 3.0 in an LBS quite local to me in Canvey Island, Essex (Les’ Cycles) but it was an XL. Now given my previous Large bikes (I am 6’ 1”), I would not even have looked at an XL had Les’ not been a 30min drive. Boy I’m glad I made the trip – Les’ were really good, pulling the bike from display and allowing me to ride up and down the street outside their shop. Straight away the bike felt very similar in size to my Trances. I was smitten! But the £4.5k price tag was more than I wanted to spend – I was looking around the £3.8k mark and had seen the 2019 AllMtn advertised for around this price so I had been aiming at that. And Les’ weren’t budging on the price – largely because the bulk of the cost would be funded by my C2W scheme (and for which Les’ lost a not insignificant 15%) but also because due to Covid it was clearly a sellers market. They would shift the bike at full retail no problem and I can understand their stance. So, knowing that the bike fitted and it was everything I wanted in all other respects (I also preferred the non-jockey wheel and bigger battery on the 2020 bikes) I bit the bullet. 2 weeks later I picked the bike up. I can’t rate Les’ highly enough, all staff were brilliant and even though they were steadfast on the price they did throw in a decent lock, water bottle, cage and some special cage mounts for the Haibike rail system. Definitely recommended as a good old-fashioned LBS.

The following will be my initial take on the 3.0, and for ease I have written my thoughts in sections rather than lump everything together.

FRAME: ‘Stout’ is the first word that comes to mind. It also looks heavy, I would love to know how much it actually weighs. As mentioned above it’s an XL and it feels perfect for me, the only thing I would change is a slightly lower seat tube so I could drop the post a little more but I would rather have this issue than go down a size and cramp the cockpit up. It’s a really ‘tidy’ looking setup, all the cables/hoses are as hidden as you can get them and some thought has gone into their placement. I can’t see there being any rubbing issues in the future. Overall construction looks good, my only gripe being that the void around the top of motor could have been put to better use (a small storage area?) or even just made the frame to ‘encase’ the motor neatly. It’s almost like they built the frame for another motor and at the last minute decided to fit the CX Gen 4. That said the paintwork is stunning and well finished.

FORKS: The RockShox 35 Yari’s didn’t impress me one bit at first and I was really disappointed. Massively harsh and small bump compliance seemed non-existent. They also had too much stiction for my liking. Way worse than my previous ‘lower spec’ Suntour AION’s. So of course I started off by dropping the pressure a little (to 25~30% sag for my 95kg), zeroed compression damping and backed off rebound to 4 clicks to give them the best chance possible of redeeming themselves. Better, but still not good enough, nor impressive. I noticed that there was no way I was going to use the current available travel (I am not a big hitter) so thought I would check for volume spacers – lo and behold there was two inside (I was supplied two with the bike so didn’t think there would be more than one fitted, if any) so both came out and this made a marked difference. After adjusting sag again I could now actually get the forks to move decently. There is still a little more stiction than I would like (I am a bit OCD with plushness) but this does seem to be improving with every ride. Maybe the seals just need bedding in. I may well change them out for SKF Greens just to see if it makes a difference. As it stands, I still wouldn’t say the Yaris perform any better than the AION’s, which I am surprised at given people don’t seem to have a lot of love for Suntours in general. Branding hype for RockShox maybe…?

REAR SUS: Very similar circumstances to the above, if not worse. I honestly thought the linkages were binding. I could barely get the shock to move, let alone use it’s full travel. Like the forks, it had higher pressure than I needed so once sag adjusted it was better but still very harsh. So off came the shock and I found that the lower bush wasn’t centered which I imagined wasn’t helping. I also thought I would again check for any tokens and once again I found not only two but three of the buggers inside. Out came the lot, refitted the shock, centered the bush, adjusted sag and finally it was working as I expected. How much the bush was affecting things I don’t know as I didn’t try it on it’s own but I’m just glad that things worked out. I can only assume that Haibike are expecting a 6’5” gorilla to be taking the bike down the blacks at Morzine to supply bikes setup stock like this. I totally accept that this is an XL frame and from Haibikes point of view it is probably safer to set up too firm than too soft but still. I haven’t put enough miles on the bike yet to decide whether the RockShox Deluxe Debonair is better/worse than the Fox RP types I have used previously but at the moment they do feel very similar which is fine by me.

BRAKES: One word - Amazing. And that's coming from XT's with 203's. Never used Maguras before and after bedding in these stop effortlessly with one finger. I haven’t taken this bike to Morzine yet (hopefully later this year) so can’t comment on how they handle heat but the power is there for sure. I can’t think of any improvements I would make at this point, the levers are nice too, which I think were changed on the 2020 model. No flex in them anywhere and have reach adjust.

DRIVETRAIN: Works very well. No issues with shifting or dropping chains. That said I have read numerous horror stories about the stock SX derailleur either breaking or failing in some way which I didn’t want happening in the middle of nowhere, let alone whilst on holiday with the bike. So 30 miles in, despite zero problems, I swopped out the mech and (for good measure) the trigger to Shimano SLX which I have used in the past and always been happy. I know the cassette is also a lowly SX but reports seem to be good as despite its weight this can actually be a bonus on an ebike as it’s all steel and therefore stronger. I can live with that. I may well however upgrade the chain when it wears. The 38t chainring seems about perfect for me, giving the ability to pedal up to about 20mph and still permits real low speed stuff on the 50t rear. A very nice spread.

MOTOR/BATTERY/DISPLAY: Very impressive. As iterated earlier though, I have not used a crank drive before. However, I am extremely pleased with how the CX Gen4 delivers, and all modes are good in their respective uses. I do quite a lot of road riding (I know, why need 160mm travel – it’s because I can only have one bike for everything) and the ECO and TOUR modes work really well for this. EMTB mode is where it really shines off road though, very smooth, no spikes, it really feels just like an extension of your own legs ability. I tested a few extreme hills yesterday and it went up them like a mountain goat. I honestly can’t see me wanting for more power although I may dongle it to get an assisted 20mph. The battery lasts well for a 625Wh, I can get 60 miles no problem on ECO although obviously this will drop significantly with off-road/hills use. It certainly seems enough for my use case. The battery retention system works well and no rattles/movement anywhere. The rubberized edge on the battery cover seals well against the frame to prevent water ingress although I did adjust the locking mechanism to achieve this, it was a little looser as supplied. Can be charged off the bike too, handy for me as I never leave it on the bike overnight (something less to go missing should the bike get nicked). The stock 4A charger is more than quick enough for me, being used to my previous ebike charger, most of which are generally 2A. The Purion display works well and I don’t think I would want anything bigger. It has all the info I need, the only thing I would change is the addition of a clock. Sounds daft I know, but I like being able to know the time without pulling my phone out and I don’t wear a watch. Easy to switch modes/reset trip too. Nothing in general I would want to change with the whole system though tbh.

WHEELS/HUBS/TYRES: All good here too. Straight as a die, run smooth and the 35mm rear with the 2.8 Maxxis Minion DHR2 sticks like the proverbial. The front isn’t a problem either with the 2.5 variant on a 30mm rim. The mullet does take a little getting used to but it certainly inspires confidence on the downs and I can’t notice any flexing anywhere.

FINISHING KIT: All pretty good to be frank. The 780mm bars are perfect for me, the short stem no problem, the dropper post works well although to raise it I do need to apply some weight onto it first before it will pop up. I don’t know if this is by design or whether it’s simply sticking. It’s not a big deal for me though. Pedals were pretty crap although I was surprised it came with any at all tbh. They were swopped out straight away for my usual DMR V12’s. I also swopped out the grips – the stock one weren’t bad per se but I just prefer the larger diameter RaceFace ones, and I could get them in blue (natch). The seat was the only thing I didn’t have a choice with – it had to come off. What Haibike were thinking with it I have no idea. I get that we are all built differently but to make a seat where the centre section is actually raised is bonkers for male riders. On went a new Ergon and it’s been great.

MODS: Aside from the previously mentioned SLX mech/shifter/grips and pedals, I also fitted a RockShox fender which, being designed by them, fits the forks really well. Oh and I had to get a black/blue one of course which matches the paint pretty closely. I also fitted some blue (of course) plastic inserts to the calipers, swopping out the stock silver ones. The aftermarket ones (from the Bay) are bigger and more noticeable. The colour isn’t a great match but it works. I also went with a blue (see the theme here..?) decal kit for the forks. I honestly can’t think of much more I want to do/change on this bike apart from maybe a dongle. I wouldn’t mind going to the 220mm disc for the front, if only to look better with the 29” rim.

SUMMARY: I can genuinely recommend this bike. It’s a great all-rounder for sure, but be prepared to lose some of the bloody tokens if you aren’t built like Arnie. Set it up to what suits you and I am confident you will get a lot of fun from this bike for many miles. Also bear in mind that IMO these frames run small. Don’t discount going up one size from your usual. No the bike isn’t cheap but are any decent ebikes? The only other thing I will mention is that if you can stretch to an extra £800~£1000 I would deffo go for the full carbon framed AllMtn 6.0 which also gets you Fox 38’s and an upgrade in some drivetrain components. I just couldn’t justify it myself, but for the difference in cost it would be a no brainer if I could. You do lose 25Wh of battery with the Yamaha setup but that’s not a deal breaker.

So there we are, I hope it helps give someone food for thought if you are contemplating the Haibike range, or the 3.0 in particular. I will update further as and when I have something else to say ?

IMG_20210314_111949_699.jpg
 

Jackware

Fat-tyred Freakazoid
Subscriber
Oct 30, 2018
1,876
2,027
Lancashire
Thanks for the review, I'm interested in your changes to the Yari fork, you mention a lack of small bump compliance and that you removed the 2 tokens, (Sram list how many tokens are fitted as standard in the online fork specs), but I've always understood that you improve this by dropping the air pressure and adding tokens to control the progression and avoid bottoming out due to the lower pressure being used?
 

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
Hi, no it's the opposite. Ideally you run the least amount of tokens you can get away with without bottoming out (assuming sag is correct in all cases). And yes, the forks do come with 2 as stock as I later found out, I am just surprised that no one on the Haibike team felt that 2 was too harsh during testing. Like I say, maybe they push the bikes to the max and feel that everyone else will too.

Adding tokens simply reduces the volume of air. So what air you have left in the chamber ramps up pressure very quickly per cm of travel - maybe ideal for bit hits where you don't want to bottom out but in an ideal world you want as much volume as possible to play with because this provides compliance.

Static air pressure should never be used for controlling bottoming out. Static air pressure should always be set for correct sag and nothing else. If there are then issues with too much/too little travel then tokens come into play although that said tokens are IMO a crutch at best but it does give you wiggle room if nothing else.

I have seen many riders getting nowhere near the full travel out of their forks/shocks during their hardest riding. So by definition all they are getting is increased harshness/poor small bump compliance for nothing.
 

sunstoner

Active member
Aug 2, 2020
173
102
Nottinghamshire
People, as a newbie to the forum I thought I would give a little something first, as I am sure there will be much I will take from these great pages..

To give a little background, I have been using the Giant Trance platform for the last 15 or so years, and owned various different specs/models. I am a big fan of the Trance as you have probably guessed and particularly it’s rear linkage system which IMO works extremely well. They are also a great price for their spec and my last one (a 2019 X3) was indeed a great bike, the most surprising component of the lot being the Suntour AION 35 forks which left me stunned with their performance, having only used Rockshox and Fox previously. As a result, my first searches for an EMTB naturally led me to the Trance E+ range, however due to Covid supply issues I couldn’t find any anywhere, at least not in my usual Large frame size. So onwards I looked.

I had always been taken with how ‘aggressive’ Haibikes looked and I knew they had been doing EMTB’s for years. This wasn’t to be my first ebike, I had used an OxyDrive Bafang rear hub kit on one of my previous Trance’s which tbh I was impressed with and gave me many miles of riding pleasure until it got nicked. Obviously, it had severe limitations off road so I vowed that my next ebike would be crank drive. Although I was erring towards Haibike, I still looked at other manufacturers but again there wasn’t much available. I eventually found a 3.0 in an LBS quite local to me in Canvey Island, Essex (Les’ Cycles) but it was an XL. Now given my previous Large bikes (I am 6’ 1”), I would not even have looked at an XL had Les’ not been a 30min drive. Boy I’m glad I made the trip – Les’ were really good, pulling the bike from display and allowing me to ride up and down the street outside their shop. Straight away the bike felt very similar in size to my Trances. I was smitten! But the £4.5k price tag was more than I wanted to spend – I was looking around the £3.8k mark and had seen the 2019 AllMtn advertised for around this price so I had been aiming at that. And Les’ weren’t budging on the price – largely because the bulk of the cost would be funded by my C2W scheme (and for which Les’ lost a not insignificant 15%) but also because due to Covid it was clearly a sellers market. They would shift the bike at full retail no problem and I can understand their stance. So, knowing that the bike fitted and it was everything I wanted in all other respects (I also preferred the non-jockey wheel and bigger battery on the 2020 bikes) I bit the bullet. 2 weeks later I picked the bike up. I can’t rate Les’ highly enough, all staff were brilliant and even though they were steadfast on the price they did throw in a decent lock, water bottle, cage and some special cage mounts for the Haibike rail system. Definitely recommended as a good old-fashioned LBS.

The following will be my initial take on the 3.0, and for ease I have written my thoughts in sections rather than lump everything together.

FRAME: ‘Stout’ is the first word that comes to mind. It also looks heavy, I would love to know how much it actually weighs. As mentioned above it’s an XL and it feels perfect for me, the only thing I would change is a slightly lower seat tube so I could drop the post a little more but I would rather have this issue than go down a size and cramp the cockpit up. It’s a really ‘tidy’ looking setup, all the cables/hoses are as hidden as you can get them and some thought has gone into their placement. I can’t see there being any rubbing issues in the future. Overall construction looks good, my only gripe being that the void around the top of motor could have been put to better use (a small storage area?) or even just made the frame to ‘encase’ the motor neatly. It’s almost like they built the frame for another motor and at the last minute decided to fit the CX Gen 4. That said the paintwork is stunning and well finished.

FORKS: The RockShox 35 Yari’s didn’t impress me one bit at first and I was really disappointed. Massively harsh and small bump compliance seemed non-existent. They also had too much stiction for my liking. Way worse than my previous ‘lower spec’ Suntour AION’s. So of course I started off by dropping the pressure a little (to 25~30% sag for my 95kg), zeroed compression damping and backed off rebound to 4 clicks to give them the best chance possible of redeeming themselves. Better, but still not good enough, nor impressive. I noticed that there was no way I was going to use the current available travel (I am not a big hitter) so thought I would check for volume spacers – lo and behold there was two inside (I was supplied two with the bike so didn’t think there would be more than one fitted, if any) so both came out and this made a marked difference. After adjusting sag again I could now actually get the forks to move decently. There is still a little more stiction than I would like (I am a bit OCD with plushness) but this does seem to be improving with every ride. Maybe the seals just need bedding in. I may well change them out for SKF Greens just to see if it makes a difference. As it stands, I still wouldn’t say the Yaris perform any better than the AION’s, which I am surprised at given people don’t seem to have a lot of love for Suntours in general. Branding hype for RockShox maybe…?

REAR SUS: Very similar circumstances to the above, if not worse. I honestly thought the linkages were binding. I could barely get the shock to move, let alone use it’s full travel. Like the forks, it had higher pressure than I needed so once sag adjusted it was better but still very harsh. So off came the shock and I found that the lower bush wasn’t centered which I imagined wasn’t helping. I also thought I would again check for any tokens and once again I found not only two but three of the buggers inside. Out came the lot, refitted the shock, centered the bush, adjusted sag and finally it was working as I expected. How much the bush was affecting things I don’t know as I didn’t try it on it’s own but I’m just glad that things worked out. I can only assume that Haibike are expecting a 6’5” gorilla to be taking the bike down the blacks at Morzine to supply bikes setup stock like this. I totally accept that this is an XL frame and from Haibikes point of view it is probably safer to set up too firm than too soft but still. I haven’t put enough miles on the bike yet to decide whether the RockShox Deluxe Debonair is better/worse than the Fox RP types I have used previously but at the moment they do feel very similar which is fine by me.

BRAKES: One word - Amazing. And that's coming from XT's with 203's. Never used Maguras before and after bedding in these stop effortlessly with one finger. I haven’t taken this bike to Morzine yet (hopefully later this year) so can’t comment on how they handle heat but the power is there for sure. I can’t think of any improvements I would make at this point, the levers are nice too, which I think were changed on the 2020 model. No flex in them anywhere and have reach adjust.

DRIVETRAIN: Works very well. No issues with shifting or dropping chains. That said I have read numerous horror stories about the stock SX derailleur either breaking or failing in some way which I didn’t want happening in the middle of nowhere, let alone whilst on holiday with the bike. So 30 miles in, despite zero problems, I swopped out the mech and (for good measure) the trigger to Shimano SLX which I have used in the past and always been happy. I know the cassette is also a lowly SX but reports seem to be good as despite its weight this can actually be a bonus on an ebike as it’s all steel and therefore stronger. I can live with that. I may well however upgrade the chain when it wears. The 38t chainring seems about perfect for me, giving the ability to pedal up to about 20mph and still permits real low speed stuff on the 50t rear. A very nice spread.

MOTOR/BATTERY/DISPLAY: Very impressive. As iterated earlier though, I have not used a crank drive before. However, I am extremely pleased with how the CX Gen4 delivers, and all modes are good in their respective uses. I do quite a lot of road riding (I know, why need 160mm travel – it’s because I can only have one bike for everything) and the ECO and TOUR modes work really well for this. EMTB mode is where it really shines off road though, very smooth, no spikes, it really feels just like an extension of your own legs ability. I tested a few extreme hills yesterday and it went up them like a mountain goat. I honestly can’t see me wanting for more power although I may dongle it to get an assisted 20mph. The battery lasts well for a 625Wh, I can get 60 miles no problem on ECO although obviously this will drop significantly with off-road/hills use. It certainly seems enough for my use case. The battery retention system works well and no rattles/movement anywhere. The rubberized edge on the battery cover seals well against the frame to prevent water ingress although I did adjust the locking mechanism to achieve this, it was a little looser as supplied. Can be charged off the bike too, handy for me as I never leave it on the bike overnight (something less to go missing should the bike get nicked). The stock 4A charger is more than quick enough for me, being used to my previous ebike charger, most of which are generally 2A. The Purion display works well and I don’t think I would want anything bigger. It has all the info I need, the only thing I would change is the addition of a clock. Sounds daft I know, but I like being able to know the time without pulling my phone out and I don’t wear a watch. Easy to switch modes/reset trip too. Nothing in general I would want to change with the whole system though tbh.

WHEELS/HUBS/TYRES: All good here too. Straight as a die, run smooth and the 35mm rear with the 2.8 Maxxis Minion DHR2 sticks like the proverbial. The front isn’t a problem either with the 2.5 variant on a 30mm rim. The mullet does take a little getting used to but it certainly inspires confidence on the downs and I can’t notice any flexing anywhere.

FINISHING KIT: All pretty good to be frank. The 780mm bars are perfect for me, the short stem no problem, the dropper post works well although to raise it I do need to apply some weight onto it first before it will pop up. I don’t know if this is by design or whether it’s simply sticking. It’s not a big deal for me though. Pedals were pretty crap although I was surprised it came with any at all tbh. They were swopped out straight away for my usual DMR V12’s. I also swopped out the grips – the stock one weren’t bad per se but I just prefer the larger diameter RaceFace ones, and I could get them in blue (natch). The seat was the only thing I didn’t have a choice with – it had to come off. What Haibike were thinking with it I have no idea. I get that we are all built differently but to make a seat where the centre section is actually raised is bonkers for male riders. On went a new Ergon and it’s been great.

MODS: Aside from the previously mentioned SLX mech/shifter/grips and pedals, I also fitted a RockShox fender which, being designed by them, fits the forks really well. Oh and I had to get a black/blue one of course which matches the paint pretty closely. I also fitted some blue (of course) plastic inserts to the calipers, swopping out the stock silver ones. The aftermarket ones (from the Bay) are bigger and more noticeable. The colour isn’t a great match but it works. I also went with a blue (see the theme here..?) decal kit for the forks. I honestly can’t think of much more I want to do/change on this bike apart from maybe a dongle. I wouldn’t mind going to the 220mm disc for the front, if only to look better with the 29” rim.

SUMMARY: I can genuinely recommend this bike. It’s a great all-rounder for sure, but be prepared to lose some of the bloody tokens if you aren’t built like Arnie. Set it up to what suits you and I am confident you will get a lot of fun from this bike for many miles. Also bear in mind that IMO these frames run small. Don’t discount going up one size from your usual. No the bike isn’t cheap but are any decent ebikes? The only other thing I will mention is that if you can stretch to an extra £800~£1000 I would deffo go for the full carbon framed AllMtn 6.0 which also gets you Fox 38’s and an upgrade in some drivetrain components. I just couldn’t justify it myself, but for the difference in cost it would be a no brainer if I could. You do lose 25Wh of battery with the Yamaha setup but that’s not a deal breaker.

So there we are, I hope it helps give someone food for thought if you are contemplating the Haibike range, or the 3.0 in particular. I will update further as and when I have something else to say ?

View attachment 55671
Nice review that and ace looking bike n all! ?
 

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
Cheers! Made some ghetto Newmen spacers today, was so fed up fighting to align the front wheel. Couldnt find the Newmens anywhere in the UK, and although they are only £5 from Germany, shipping was £15 so one of Mrs P's old trusty Ikea plastic chopping boards came to the rescue, and perfect width at 2.5mm. Front wheel goes in perfect now every time.

Also fitted a 180mm air shaft, was a bit fed up with the Yaris known trait of sitting low in their travel prior to even being loaded. Yes I could have fitted the 'modded' 2021 airspring which reduces the problem but they have the side effect of increasing progression which I didnt want. Sits nice now with the 180 and no loss of plushness.

20210317_151931.jpg
 

Jorel

Active member
Mar 4, 2021
109
290
Germany
Thanks for the review.
The standard dopperpost (XLC) should pop up only by pushing the lever.
No extra weight required.
I have three of them running on my Haibikes and all are the same.

As a first solution try some WD40 or better Brunox fork spray to clean and lubricate the dropper.
Then check the tension of the cable.
If all of this won't work then it's time for a visit at your LBS.

Edit:
Could also be that the clamp is tightened too much and the dropper-tube gets pressed in. Check the correct torque.
 
Last edited:

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
Thanks, I will try those suggestions. The post is really smooth up and down once the initial movement down has been made and the lever/cable action seems smooth so its a bit odd. I will have a look tomorrow and see what I find.
 

Crazee horse

New Member
Sep 20, 2020
63
33
Uk
Great review, and she's a looker. I run aions on my cube and absolutely love them
Bike was ex demo so I guess they'd already been bedded in. Very smooth amd I'm using most if the travel without bottoming out.
 

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
Cheers, and if you haven't already, I can strongly reccomend the Suntour 'soft' negative spring which makes them even plusher off the top. Which reminds me, I must put the one I took off mine before sale up on the bay :)
 

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
Ok now done 150 miles on the bike, nothing major to report, the dropper is still sticking despite the possible solutions above so I've made my LBS aware and will hopefully get it sorted sometime soon.

The only other concern I have is that the shifter is able to contact the top tube at full rotation. I have put an invisiframe oval sticker on there for now (a few bits came with the bike) to protect the paint but I am in no doubt that in a big off it will go straight through, muller the paint and possibly dent the tube. I really dont want to change the angle of the shifter as much as I would need to in order to clear the frame. Are there any 'knock blok' retrofit kits available that dont require drifting in new cups to the frame? I am not a big crasher by any means (too old and scared) but it would only take one...

Other than that the bike is still awesome, really pleased with the 180mm air spring (I used the older Debonair, not the newer one) and the rear shock has definately bedded in a bit, seems to be less stiction for sure. Going to get some Hope 220mm discs for shits and giggles, if only cos they have nice blue anodised centers (such a tart).
 

Jay355

Active member
Apr 10, 2020
88
85
East Anglia
People, as a newbie to the forum I thought I would give a little something first, as I am sure there will be much I will take from these great pages..

To give a little background, I have been using the Giant Trance platform for the last 15 or so years, and owned various different specs/models. I am a big fan of the Trance as you have probably guessed and particularly it’s rear linkage system which IMO works extremely well. They are also a great price for their spec and my last one (a 2019 X3) was indeed a great bike, the most surprising component of the lot being the Suntour AION 35 forks which left me stunned with their performance, having only used Rockshox and Fox previously. As a result, my first searches for an EMTB naturally led me to the Trance E+ range, however due to Covid supply issues I couldn’t find any anywhere, at least not in my usual Large frame size. So onwards I looked.

I had always been taken with how ‘aggressive’ Haibikes looked and I knew they had been doing EMTB’s for years. This wasn’t to be my first ebike, I had used an OxyDrive Bafang rear hub kit on one of my previous Trance’s which tbh I was impressed with and gave me many miles of riding pleasure until it got nicked. Obviously, it had severe limitations off road so I vowed that my next ebike would be crank drive. Although I was erring towards Haibike, I still looked at other manufacturers but again there wasn’t much available. I eventually found a 3.0 in an LBS quite local to me in Canvey Island, Essex (Les’ Cycles) but it was an XL. Now given my previous Large bikes (I am 6’ 1”), I would not even have looked at an XL had Les’ not been a 30min drive. Boy I’m glad I made the trip – Les’ were really good, pulling the bike from display and allowing me to ride up and down the street outside their shop. Straight away the bike felt very similar in size to my Trances. I was smitten! But the £4.5k price tag was more than I wanted to spend – I was looking around the £3.8k mark and had seen the 2019 AllMtn advertised for around this price so I had been aiming at that. And Les’ weren’t budging on the price – largely because the bulk of the cost would be funded by my C2W scheme (and for which Les’ lost a not insignificant 15%) but also because due to Covid it was clearly a sellers market. They would shift the bike at full retail no problem and I can understand their stance. So, knowing that the bike fitted and it was everything I wanted in all other respects (I also preferred the non-jockey wheel and bigger battery on the 2020 bikes) I bit the bullet. 2 weeks later I picked the bike up. I can’t rate Les’ highly enough, all staff were brilliant and even though they were steadfast on the price they did throw in a decent lock, water bottle, cage and some special cage mounts for the Haibike rail system. Definitely recommended as a good old-fashioned LBS.

The following will be my initial take on the 3.0, and for ease I have written my thoughts in sections rather than lump everything together.

FRAME: ‘Stout’ is the first word that comes to mind. It also looks heavy, I would love to know how much it actually weighs. As mentioned above it’s an XL and it feels perfect for me, the only thing I would change is a slightly lower seat tube so I could drop the post a little more but I would rather have this issue than go down a size and cramp the cockpit up. It’s a really ‘tidy’ looking setup, all the cables/hoses are as hidden as you can get them and some thought has gone into their placement. I can’t see there being any rubbing issues in the future. Overall construction looks good, my only gripe being that the void around the top of motor could have been put to better use (a small storage area?) or even just made the frame to ‘encase’ the motor neatly. It’s almost like they built the frame for another motor and at the last minute decided to fit the CX Gen 4. That said the paintwork is stunning and well finished.

FORKS: The RockShox 35 Yari’s didn’t impress me one bit at first and I was really disappointed. Massively harsh and small bump compliance seemed non-existent. They also had too much stiction for my liking. Way worse than my previous ‘lower spec’ Suntour AION’s. So of course I started off by dropping the pressure a little (to 25~30% sag for my 95kg), zeroed compression damping and backed off rebound to 4 clicks to give them the best chance possible of redeeming themselves. Better, but still not good enough, nor impressive. I noticed that there was no way I was going to use the current available travel (I am not a big hitter) so thought I would check for volume spacers – lo and behold there was two inside (I was supplied two with the bike so didn’t think there would be more than one fitted, if any) so both came out and this made a marked difference. After adjusting sag again I could now actually get the forks to move decently. There is still a little more stiction than I would like (I am a bit OCD with plushness) but this does seem to be improving with every ride. Maybe the seals just need bedding in. I may well change them out for SKF Greens just to see if it makes a difference. As it stands, I still wouldn’t say the Yaris perform any better than the AION’s, which I am surprised at given people don’t seem to have a lot of love for Suntours in general. Branding hype for RockShox maybe…?

REAR SUS: Very similar circumstances to the above, if not worse. I honestly thought the linkages were binding. I could barely get the shock to move, let alone use it’s full travel. Like the forks, it had higher pressure than I needed so once sag adjusted it was better but still very harsh. So off came the shock and I found that the lower bush wasn’t centered which I imagined wasn’t helping. I also thought I would again check for any tokens and once again I found not only two but three of the buggers inside. Out came the lot, refitted the shock, centered the bush, adjusted sag and finally it was working as I expected. How much the bush was affecting things I don’t know as I didn’t try it on it’s own but I’m just glad that things worked out. I can only assume that Haibike are expecting a 6’5” gorilla to be taking the bike down the blacks at Morzine to supply bikes setup stock like this. I totally accept that this is an XL frame and from Haibikes point of view it is probably safer to set up too firm than too soft but still. I haven’t put enough miles on the bike yet to decide whether the RockShox Deluxe Debonair is better/worse than the Fox RP types I have used previously but at the moment they do feel very similar which is fine by me.

BRAKES: One word - Amazing. And that's coming from XT's with 203's. Never used Maguras before and after bedding in these stop effortlessly with one finger. I haven’t taken this bike to Morzine yet (hopefully later this year) so can’t comment on how they handle heat but the power is there for sure. I can’t think of any improvements I would make at this point, the levers are nice too, which I think were changed on the 2020 model. No flex in them anywhere and have reach adjust.

DRIVETRAIN: Works very well. No issues with shifting or dropping chains. That said I have read numerous horror stories about the stock SX derailleur either breaking or failing in some way which I didn’t want happening in the middle of nowhere, let alone whilst on holiday with the bike. So 30 miles in, despite zero problems, I swopped out the mech and (for good measure) the trigger to Shimano SLX which I have used in the past and always been happy. I know the cassette is also a lowly SX but reports seem to be good as despite its weight this can actually be a bonus on an ebike as it’s all steel and therefore stronger. I can live with that. I may well however upgrade the chain when it wears. The 38t chainring seems about perfect for me, giving the ability to pedal up to about 20mph and still permits real low speed stuff on the 50t rear. A very nice spread.

MOTOR/BATTERY/DISPLAY: Very impressive. As iterated earlier though, I have not used a crank drive before. However, I am extremely pleased with how the CX Gen4 delivers, and all modes are good in their respective uses. I do quite a lot of road riding (I know, why need 160mm travel – it’s because I can only have one bike for everything) and the ECO and TOUR modes work really well for this. EMTB mode is where it really shines off road though, very smooth, no spikes, it really feels just like an extension of your own legs ability. I tested a few extreme hills yesterday and it went up them like a mountain goat. I honestly can’t see me wanting for more power although I may dongle it to get an assisted 20mph. The battery lasts well for a 625Wh, I can get 60 miles no problem on ECO although obviously this will drop significantly with off-road/hills use. It certainly seems enough for my use case. The battery retention system works well and no rattles/movement anywhere. The rubberized edge on the battery cover seals well against the frame to prevent water ingress although I did adjust the locking mechanism to achieve this, it was a little looser as supplied. Can be charged off the bike too, handy for me as I never leave it on the bike overnight (something less to go missing should the bike get nicked). The stock 4A charger is more than quick enough for me, being used to my previous ebike charger, most of which are generally 2A. The Purion display works well and I don’t think I would want anything bigger. It has all the info I need, the only thing I would change is the addition of a clock. Sounds daft I know, but I like being able to know the time without pulling my phone out and I don’t wear a watch. Easy to switch modes/reset trip too. Nothing in general I would want to change with the whole system though tbh.

WHEELS/HUBS/TYRES: All good here too. Straight as a die, run smooth and the 35mm rear with the 2.8 Maxxis Minion DHR2 sticks like the proverbial. The front isn’t a problem either with the 2.5 variant on a 30mm rim. The mullet does take a little getting used to but it certainly inspires confidence on the downs and I can’t notice any flexing anywhere.

FINISHING KIT: All pretty good to be frank. The 780mm bars are perfect for me, the short stem no problem, the dropper post works well although to raise it I do need to apply some weight onto it first before it will pop up. I don’t know if this is by design or whether it’s simply sticking. It’s not a big deal for me though. Pedals were pretty crap although I was surprised it came with any at all tbh. They were swopped out straight away for my usual DMR V12’s. I also swopped out the grips – the stock one weren’t bad per se but I just prefer the larger diameter RaceFace ones, and I could get them in blue (natch). The seat was the only thing I didn’t have a choice with – it had to come off. What Haibike were thinking with it I have no idea. I get that we are all built differently but to make a seat where the centre section is actually raised is bonkers for male riders. On went a new Ergon and it’s been great.

MODS: Aside from the previously mentioned SLX mech/shifter/grips and pedals, I also fitted a RockShox fender which, being designed by them, fits the forks really well. Oh and I had to get a black/blue one of course which matches the paint pretty closely. I also fitted some blue (of course) plastic inserts to the calipers, swopping out the stock silver ones. The aftermarket ones (from the Bay) are bigger and more noticeable. The colour isn’t a great match but it works. I also went with a blue (see the theme here..?) decal kit for the forks. I honestly can’t think of much more I want to do/change on this bike apart from maybe a dongle. I wouldn’t mind going to the 220mm disc for the front, if only to look better with the 29” rim.

SUMMARY: I can genuinely recommend this bike. It’s a great all-rounder for sure, but be prepared to lose some of the bloody tokens if you aren’t built like Arnie. Set it up to what suits you and I am confident you will get a lot of fun from this bike for many miles. Also bear in mind that IMO these frames run small. Don’t discount going up one size from your usual. No the bike isn’t cheap but are any decent ebikes? The only other thing I will mention is that if you can stretch to an extra £800~£1000 I would deffo go for the full carbon framed AllMtn 6.0 which also gets you Fox 38’s and an upgrade in some drivetrain components. I just couldn’t justify it myself, but for the difference in cost it would be a no brainer if I could. You do lose 25Wh of battery with the Yamaha setup but that’s not a deal breaker.

So there we are, I hope it helps give someone food for thought if you are contemplating the Haibike range, or the 3.0 in particular. I will update further as and when I have something else to say ?

View attachment 55671
Good review, and excellent summary. I have the 3.5 and have nearly 1850 miles clocked up now and the bike is approaching 1yr old. Absolutely no issues, squeaks or rattles. The dropper did get sticky due to severe winter riding but a new cable, Tube clean and lube its now sorted by my LBS for £10.
I would also recommend this bike, my wife rides it a lot and she finds it very balanced and stable, excellent at climbing and there very good in the winter, definitely better in the mud than my Cube and it seem much easier to clean due to the excellent internal cable routing.
 

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
Well the 220 Hopes are now on, pretty simple as you would expect. The Yari runs a 180mm post mount as stock, so a 180 to 220mm (same as a 160 to 200) Magura adaptor went on. All lines up nicely and the swept area of the disc has been checked and its bang on.

The rear was a bit more involved, the stock mount is for 200mm and I couldnt find a 220 mount anywhere that would bolt direct to the swingarm, so I used the stock mount plus a 160>180 rear mount off my sons Trance as my old 200's have gone on his bike anyway. Again the swept area is spot on, although in the interests of neatness I would still like a single mount to go direct from the swingarm to the caliper. I also had to ditch the stock speed magnet (very nicely integrated into the stock disc) and run a Bosch bolt-on magnet (bloody £16!) as theres no pre-drilled hole for the stock magnet on the Hope discs. You can just see the magnet at the rear of the axle. My ocd is telling me to spray it black as it sticks out on the blue centres...

Just gotta bed the buggers in now, will update on how it compares although the Maguras were awesome anyway so this was all really for shits and giggles.

20210408_182320.jpg


20210408_182258.jpg
 

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
Decided to fit a shiny new gold XX1 chain after only 175 miles on the bike, with the aim of not having to faff with rotating cheaper chains for a while. Also got a pair of blue CNC jockeys for giggles. No idea if they will hold up - they are only the cheapo £11.75 a pair Smllow ones off the bay rather than the £30 Superstar ones. We'll see. Plus I dont know yet if I will find them too noisy. Still haven't bedded in the Hopes yet, but the front certainly seems quoeter than the Magura.
20210415_115021.jpg

20210415_115354.jpg
 

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
Just done a 2 part video review, much of which covers the above but a couple of other things too. The delivery is poor and cinematics are even worse but if you have 45mins to burn fill ya boots :)

Part1:

Part2:
 

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
Just a further little update after working on the stiction issues I had with the forks and rear shock. I created a fork update here, but for the rear shock I thought I would just tag it on to this review.

After sorting the forks, it highlighted even more how bad the shock was. So off it came and stripped it down. All seemed OK inside, just about the right amount of grease and a smattering of oil (I think RS recommend 1ml above and below the airspring). Anyway, cleaned it all back with alcohol anyway. Prior to this though, I noticed the lower mounting pin was super tight in the bushing. I actually had to use a bushing puller to get it out. There was no way it was free enough to allow rotational movement without a LOT of force but I did wonder if it was supposed to be like that. I have seen some RS manuals where they actually show diagrams of a puller being used to extract the pin but with no ballraces on the Haibike lower mount (there is on the upper trunnion) it didn't seem right.

I didn't want to try reaming the bushing that was already fitted so I pulled it out and rummaged around my box of spares. I tried a couple and found one which gave a nice snug fit with zero pin play but still allowed the pin to slide in with a little finger pressure.

I went outside the recommended box and instead of using RS Dynamic Seal Grease + oil, I used SRAM butter and no oil. I think RS went to DSG to provide better longevity between services but I don't put huge miles on the bike nor am I a big hitter so thought I'd try it and don't mind servicing the shock more often than stated as it's not exactly a big job.

Re-installed the shock and the difference was huge. Like the forks, I could initiate movement with one hand on the saddle with little effort which was impossible before. On riding, small bump compliance was immediately better and now works as well as the forks.

I'm not 100% sure whether it was the change of grease or the sticking pin, but I would put money on it being the pin. It was so tight it must have really struggled to rotate to compensate for the forward/back action of the shock. As a consequence, it would also have been loading up one side of the airspring/damper seals which wouldn't have helped matters.

So there you have it. Nothing major in terms of work to sort the forks and shock but a massive difference to how the bike rides.
 

MrMarzocchi

Active member
Apr 26, 2021
201
180
Wales
People, as a newbie to the forum I thought I would give a little something first, as I am sure there will be much I will take from these great pages..

To give a little background, I have been using the Giant Trance platform for the last 15 or so years, and owned various different specs/models. I am a big fan of the Trance as you have probably guessed and particularly it’s rear linkage system which IMO works extremely well. They are also a great price for their spec and my last one (a 2019 X3) was indeed a great bike, the most surprising component of the lot being the Suntour AION 35 forks which left me stunned with their performance, having only used Rockshox and Fox previously. As a result, my first searches for an EMTB naturally led me to the Trance E+ range, however due to Covid supply issues I couldn’t find any anywhere, at least not in my usual Large frame size. So onwards I looked.

I had always been taken with how ‘aggressive’ Haibikes looked and I knew they had been doing EMTB’s for years. This wasn’t to be my first ebike, I had used an OxyDrive Bafang rear hub kit on one of my previous Trance’s which tbh I was impressed with and gave me many miles of riding pleasure until it got nicked. Obviously, it had severe limitations off road so I vowed that my next ebike would be crank drive. Although I was erring towards Haibike, I still looked at other manufacturers but again there wasn’t much available. I eventually found a 3.0 in an LBS quite local to me in Canvey Island, Essex (Les’ Cycles) but it was an XL. Now given my previous Large bikes (I am 6’ 1”), I would not even have looked at an XL had Les’ not been a 30min drive. Boy I’m glad I made the trip – Les’ were really good, pulling the bike from display and allowing me to ride up and down the street outside their shop. Straight away the bike felt very similar in size to my Trances. I was smitten! But the £4.5k price tag was more than I wanted to spend – I was looking around the £3.8k mark and had seen the 2019 AllMtn advertised for around this price so I had been aiming at that. And Les’ weren’t budging on the price – largely because the bulk of the cost would be funded by my C2W scheme (and for which Les’ lost a not insignificant 15%) but also because due to Covid it was clearly a sellers market. They would shift the bike at full retail no problem and I can understand their stance. So, knowing that the bike fitted and it was everything I wanted in all other respects (I also preferred the non-jockey wheel and bigger battery on the 2020 bikes) I bit the bullet. 2 weeks later I picked the bike up. I can’t rate Les’ highly enough, all staff were brilliant and even though they were steadfast on the price they did throw in a decent lock, water bottle, cage and some special cage mounts for the Haibike rail system. Definitely recommended as a good old-fashioned LBS.

The following will be my initial take on the 3.0, and for ease I have written my thoughts in sections rather than lump everything together.

FRAME: ‘Stout’ is the first word that comes to mind. It also looks heavy, I would love to know how much it actually weighs. As mentioned above it’s an XL and it feels perfect for me, the only thing I would change is a slightly lower seat tube so I could drop the post a little more but I would rather have this issue than go down a size and cramp the cockpit up. It’s a really ‘tidy’ looking setup, all the cables/hoses are as hidden as you can get them and some thought has gone into their placement. I can’t see there being any rubbing issues in the future. Overall construction looks good, my only gripe being that the void around the top of motor could have been put to better use (a small storage area?) or even just made the frame to ‘encase’ the motor neatly. It’s almost like they built the frame for another motor and at the last minute decided to fit the CX Gen 4. That said the paintwork is stunning and well finished.

FORKS: The RockShox 35 Yari’s didn’t impress me one bit at first and I was really disappointed. Massively harsh and small bump compliance seemed non-existent. They also had too much stiction for my liking. Way worse than my previous ‘lower spec’ Suntour AION’s. So of course I started off by dropping the pressure a little (to 25~30% sag for my 95kg), zeroed compression damping and backed off rebound to 4 clicks to give them the best chance possible of redeeming themselves. Better, but still not good enough, nor impressive. I noticed that there was no way I was going to use the current available travel (I am not a big hitter) so thought I would check for volume spacers – lo and behold there was two inside (I was supplied two with the bike so didn’t think there would be more than one fitted, if any) so both came out and this made a marked difference. After adjusting sag again I could now actually get the forks to move decently. There is still a little more stiction than I would like (I am a bit OCD with plushness) but this does seem to be improving with every ride. Maybe the seals just need bedding in. I may well change them out for SKF Greens just to see if it makes a difference. As it stands, I still wouldn’t say the Yaris perform any better than the AION’s, which I am surprised at given people don’t seem to have a lot of love for Suntours in general. Branding hype for RockShox maybe…?

REAR SUS: Very similar circumstances to the above, if not worse. I honestly thought the linkages were binding. I could barely get the shock to move, let alone use it’s full travel. Like the forks, it had higher pressure than I needed so once sag adjusted it was better but still very harsh. So off came the shock and I found that the lower bush wasn’t centered which I imagined wasn’t helping. I also thought I would again check for any tokens and once again I found not only two but three of the buggers inside. Out came the lot, refitted the shock, centered the bush, adjusted sag and finally it was working as I expected. How much the bush was affecting things I don’t know as I didn’t try it on it’s own but I’m just glad that things worked out. I can only assume that Haibike are expecting a 6’5” gorilla to be taking the bike down the blacks at Morzine to supply bikes setup stock like this. I totally accept that this is an XL frame and from Haibikes point of view it is probably safer to set up too firm than too soft but still. I haven’t put enough miles on the bike yet to decide whether the RockShox Deluxe Debonair is better/worse than the Fox RP types I have used previously but at the moment they do feel very similar which is fine by me.

BRAKES: One word - Amazing. And that's coming from XT's with 203's. Never used Maguras before and after bedding in these stop effortlessly with one finger. I haven’t taken this bike to Morzine yet (hopefully later this year) so can’t comment on how they handle heat but the power is there for sure. I can’t think of any improvements I would make at this point, the levers are nice too, which I think were changed on the 2020 model. No flex in them anywhere and have reach adjust.

DRIVETRAIN: Works very well. No issues with shifting or dropping chains. That said I have read numerous horror stories about the stock SX derailleur either breaking or failing in some way which I didn’t want happening in the middle of nowhere, let alone whilst on holiday with the bike. So 30 miles in, despite zero problems, I swopped out the mech and (for good measure) the trigger to Shimano SLX which I have used in the past and always been happy. I know the cassette is also a lowly SX but reports seem to be good as despite its weight this can actually be a bonus on an ebike as it’s all steel and therefore stronger. I can live with that. I may well however upgrade the chain when it wears. The 38t chainring seems about perfect for me, giving the ability to pedal up to about 20mph and still permits real low speed stuff on the 50t rear. A very nice spread.

MOTOR/BATTERY/DISPLAY: Very impressive. As iterated earlier though, I have not used a crank drive before. However, I am extremely pleased with how the CX Gen4 delivers, and all modes are good in their respective uses. I do quite a lot of road riding (I know, why need 160mm travel – it’s because I can only have one bike for everything) and the ECO and TOUR modes work really well for this. EMTB mode is where it really shines off road though, very smooth, no spikes, it really feels just like an extension of your own legs ability. I tested a few extreme hills yesterday and it went up them like a mountain goat. I honestly can’t see me wanting for more power although I may dongle it to get an assisted 20mph. The battery lasts well for a 625Wh, I can get 60 miles no problem on ECO although obviously this will drop significantly with off-road/hills use. It certainly seems enough for my use case. The battery retention system works well and no rattles/movement anywhere. The rubberized edge on the battery cover seals well against the frame to prevent water ingress although I did adjust the locking mechanism to achieve this, it was a little looser as supplied. Can be charged off the bike too, handy for me as I never leave it on the bike overnight (something less to go missing should the bike get nicked). The stock 4A charger is more than quick enough for me, being used to my previous ebike charger, most of which are generally 2A. The Purion display works well and I don’t think I would want anything bigger. It has all the info I need, the only thing I would change is the addition of a clock. Sounds daft I know, but I like being able to know the time without pulling my phone out and I don’t wear a watch. Easy to switch modes/reset trip too. Nothing in general I would want to change with the whole system though tbh.

WHEELS/HUBS/TYRES: All good here too. Straight as a die, run smooth and the 35mm rear with the 2.8 Maxxis Minion DHR2 sticks like the proverbial. The front isn’t a problem either with the 2.5 variant on a 30mm rim. The mullet does take a little getting used to but it certainly inspires confidence on the downs and I can’t notice any flexing anywhere.

FINISHING KIT: All pretty good to be frank. The 780mm bars are perfect for me, the short stem no problem, the dropper post works well although to raise it I do need to apply some weight onto it first before it will pop up. I don’t know if this is by design or whether it’s simply sticking. It’s not a big deal for me though. Pedals were pretty crap although I was surprised it came with any at all tbh. They were swopped out straight away for my usual DMR V12’s. I also swopped out the grips – the stock one weren’t bad per se but I just prefer the larger diameter RaceFace ones, and I could get them in blue (natch). The seat was the only thing I didn’t have a choice with – it had to come off. What Haibike were thinking with it I have no idea. I get that we are all built differently but to make a seat where the centre section is actually raised is bonkers for male riders. On went a new Ergon and it’s been great.

MODS: Aside from the previously mentioned SLX mech/shifter/grips and pedals, I also fitted a RockShox fender which, being designed by them, fits the forks really well. Oh and I had to get a black/blue one of course which matches the paint pretty closely. I also fitted some blue (of course) plastic inserts to the calipers, swopping out the stock silver ones. The aftermarket ones (from the Bay) are bigger and more noticeable. The colour isn’t a great match but it works. I also went with a blue (see the theme here..?) decal kit for the forks. I honestly can’t think of much more I want to do/change on this bike apart from maybe a dongle. I wouldn’t mind going to the 220mm disc for the front, if only to look better with the 29” rim.

SUMMARY: I can genuinely recommend this bike. It’s a great all-rounder for sure, but be prepared to lose some of the bloody tokens if you aren’t built like Arnie. Set it up to what suits you and I am confident you will get a lot of fun from this bike for many miles. Also bear in mind that IMO these frames run small. Don’t discount going up one size from your usual. No the bike isn’t cheap but are any decent ebikes? The only other thing I will mention is that if you can stretch to an extra £800~£1000 I would deffo go for the full carbon framed AllMtn 6.0 which also gets you Fox 38’s and an upgrade in some drivetrain components. I just couldn’t justify it myself, but for the difference in cost it would be a no brainer if I could. You do lose 25Wh of battery with the Yamaha setup but that’s not a deal breaker.

So there we are, I hope it helps give someone food for thought if you are contemplating the Haibike range, or the 3.0 in particular. I will update further as and when I have something else to say ?

View attachment 55671
Super clean
 

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
Bit of a milestone today - saw the Purion hit 1000 miles.

Nothing has gone wrong with the bike at all. Nada. Not changed anything since my last update either so nothing much to report really.

The dropper still sticks a bit on the 1st use of the day, but I honestly can't be bothered to go back to the LBS as it's just not a big enough issue for me.

The only thing I would fancy swopping out is a coil shock for the rear. Not really necessary for my riding, but I'm a sucker for SBC. The current RS air is doing what it should (I believe) but I'd love to feel what zero stiction feels like.

The Yari's (with the SKF wipers) are still doing fine.

The XX1 chain, original cassette and chainring are all well within wear limits. Be interesting to see how long I get out of them.

The MT5's/Hope 220's are bloody awesome.

So in all, very happy indeed with the bike overall :)
 

unclezz

Member
May 3, 2020
174
89
CZ
Thanks for sharing the experience with this bike. Tomorrow I am going to bring my wife to the LBS where they have one 2022 model with discount. If the size fits her we are most probably going to buy it.

Your post made even more convinced this can be a good bike for my wife.
 

Expidia

Well-known member
Subscriber
Jun 27, 2022
547
435
Capital Region, New York
People, as a newbie to the forum I thought I would give a little something first, as I am sure there will be much I will take from these great pages..

To give a little background, I have been using the Giant Trance platform for the last 15 or so years, and owned various different specs/models. I am a big fan of the Trance as you have probably guessed and particularly it’s rear linkage system which IMO works extremely well. They are also a great price for their spec and my last one (a 2019 X3) was indeed a great bike, the most surprising component of the lot being the Suntour AION 35 forks which left me stunned with their performance, having only used Rockshox and Fox previously. As a result, my first searches for an EMTB naturally led me to the Trance E+ range, however due to Covid supply issues I couldn’t find any anywhere, at least not in my usual Large frame size. So onwards I looked.

I had always been taken with how ‘aggressive’ Haibikes looked and I knew they had been doing EMTB’s for years. This wasn’t to be my first ebike, I had used an OxyDrive Bafang rear hub kit on one of my previous Trance’s which tbh I was impressed with and gave me many miles of riding pleasure until it got nicked. Obviously, it had severe limitations off road so I vowed that my next ebike would be crank drive. Although I was erring towards Haibike, I still looked at other manufacturers but again there wasn’t much available. I eventually found a 3.0 in an LBS quite local to me in Canvey Island, Essex (Les’ Cycles) but it was an XL. Now given my previous Large bikes (I am 6’ 1”), I would not even have looked at an XL had Les’ not been a 30min drive. Boy I’m glad I made the trip – Les’ were really good, pulling the bike from display and allowing me to ride up and down the street outside their shop. Straight away the bike felt very similar in size to my Trances. I was smitten! But the £4.5k price tag was more than I wanted to spend – I was looking around the £3.8k mark and had seen the 2019 AllMtn advertised for around this price so I had been aiming at that. And Les’ weren’t budging on the price – largely because the bulk of the cost would be funded by my C2W scheme (and for which Les’ lost a not insignificant 15%) but also because due to Covid it was clearly a sellers market. They would shift the bike at full retail no problem and I can understand their stance. So, knowing that the bike fitted and it was everything I wanted in all other respects (I also preferred the non-jockey wheel and bigger battery on the 2020 bikes) I bit the bullet. 2 weeks later I picked the bike up. I can’t rate Les’ highly enough, all staff were brilliant and even though they were steadfast on the price they did throw in a decent lock, water bottle, cage and some special cage mounts for the Haibike rail system. Definitely recommended as a good old-fashioned LBS.

The following will be my initial take on the 3.0, and for ease I have written my thoughts in sections rather than lump everything together.

FRAME: ‘Stout’ is the first word that comes to mind. It also looks heavy, I would love to know how much it actually weighs. As mentioned above it’s an XL and it feels perfect for me, the only thing I would change is a slightly lower seat tube so I could drop the post a little more but I would rather have this issue than go down a size and cramp the cockpit up. It’s a really ‘tidy’ looking setup, all the cables/hoses are as hidden as you can get them and some thought has gone into their placement. I can’t see there being any rubbing issues in the future. Overall construction looks good, my only gripe being that the void around the top of motor could have been put to better use (a small storage area?) or even just made the frame to ‘encase’ the motor neatly. It’s almost like they built the frame for another motor and at the last minute decided to fit the CX Gen 4. That said the paintwork is stunning and well finished.

FORKS: The RockShox 35 Yari’s didn’t impress me one bit at first and I was really disappointed. Massively harsh and small bump compliance seemed non-existent. They also had too much stiction for my liking. Way worse than my previous ‘lower spec’ Suntour AION’s. So of course I started off by dropping the pressure a little (to 25~30% sag for my 95kg), zeroed compression damping and backed off rebound to 4 clicks to give them the best chance possible of redeeming themselves. Better, but still not good enough, nor impressive. I noticed that there was no way I was going to use the current available travel (I am not a big hitter) so thought I would check for volume spacers – lo and behold there was two inside (I was supplied two with the bike so didn’t think there would be more than one fitted, if any) so both came out and this made a marked difference. After adjusting sag again I could now actually get the forks to move decently. There is still a little more stiction than I would like (I am a bit OCD with plushness) but this does seem to be improving with every ride. Maybe the seals just need bedding in. I may well change them out for SKF Greens just to see if it makes a difference. As it stands, I still wouldn’t say the Yaris perform any better than the AION’s, which I am surprised at given people don’t seem to have a lot of love for Suntours in general. Branding hype for RockShox maybe…?

REAR SUS: Very similar circumstances to the above, if not worse. I honestly thought the linkages were binding. I could barely get the shock to move, let alone use it’s full travel. Like the forks, it had higher pressure than I needed so once sag adjusted it was better but still very harsh. So off came the shock and I found that the lower bush wasn’t centered which I imagined wasn’t helping. I also thought I would again check for any tokens and once again I found not only two but three of the buggers inside. Out came the lot, refitted the shock, centered the bush, adjusted sag and finally it was working as I expected. How much the bush was affecting things I don’t know as I didn’t try it on it’s own but I’m just glad that things worked out. I can only assume that Haibike are expecting a 6’5” gorilla to be taking the bike down the blacks at Morzine to supply bikes setup stock like this. I totally accept that this is an XL frame and from Haibikes point of view it is probably safer to set up too firm than too soft but still. I haven’t put enough miles on the bike yet to decide whether the RockShox Deluxe Debonair is better/worse than the Fox RP types I have used previously but at the moment they do feel very similar which is fine by me.

BRAKES: One word - Amazing. And that's coming from XT's with 203's. Never used Maguras before and after bedding in these stop effortlessly with one finger. I haven’t taken this bike to Morzine yet (hopefully later this year) so can’t comment on how they handle heat but the power is there for sure. I can’t think of any improvements I would make at this point, the levers are nice too, which I think were changed on the 2020 model. No flex in them anywhere and have reach adjust.

DRIVETRAIN: Works very well. No issues with shifting or dropping chains. That said I have read numerous horror stories about the stock SX derailleur either breaking or failing in some way which I didn’t want happening in the middle of nowhere, let alone whilst on holiday with the bike. So 30 miles in, despite zero problems, I swopped out the mech and (for good measure) the trigger to Shimano SLX which I have used in the past and always been happy. I know the cassette is also a lowly SX but reports seem to be good as despite its weight this can actually be a bonus on an ebike as it’s all steel and therefore stronger. I can live with that. I may well however upgrade the chain when it wears. The 38t chainring seems about perfect for me, giving the ability to pedal up to about 20mph and still permits real low speed stuff on the 50t rear. A very nice spread.

MOTOR/BATTERY/DISPLAY: Very impressive. As iterated earlier though, I have not used a crank drive before. However, I am extremely pleased with how the CX Gen4 delivers, and all modes are good in their respective uses. I do quite a lot of road riding (I know, why need 160mm travel – it’s because I can only have one bike for everything) and the ECO and TOUR modes work really well for this. EMTB mode is where it really shines off road though, very smooth, no spikes, it really feels just like an extension of your own legs ability. I tested a few extreme hills yesterday and it went up them like a mountain goat. I honestly can’t see me wanting for more power although I may dongle it to get an assisted 20mph. The battery lasts well for a 625Wh, I can get 60 miles no problem on ECO although obviously this will drop significantly with off-road/hills use. It certainly seems enough for my use case. The battery retention system works well and no rattles/movement anywhere. The rubberized edge on the battery cover seals well against the frame to prevent water ingress although I did adjust the locking mechanism to achieve this, it was a little looser as supplied. Can be charged off the bike too, handy for me as I never leave it on the bike overnight (something less to go missing should the bike get nicked). The stock 4A charger is more than quick enough for me, being used to my previous ebike charger, most of which are generally 2A. The Purion display works well and I don’t think I would want anything bigger. It has all the info I need, the only thing I would change is the addition of a clock. Sounds daft I know, but I like being able to know the time without pulling my phone out and I don’t wear a watch. Easy to switch modes/reset trip too. Nothing in general I would want to change with the whole system though tbh.

WHEELS/HUBS/TYRES: All good here too. Straight as a die, run smooth and the 35mm rear with the 2.8 Maxxis Minion DHR2 sticks like the proverbial. The front isn’t a problem either with the 2.5 variant on a 30mm rim. The mullet does take a little getting used to but it certainly inspires confidence on the downs and I can’t notice any flexing anywhere.

FINISHING KIT: All pretty good to be frank. The 780mm bars are perfect for me, the short stem no problem, the dropper post works well although to raise it I do need to apply some weight onto it first before it will pop up. I don’t know if this is by design or whether it’s simply sticking. It’s not a big deal for me though. Pedals were pretty crap although I was surprised it came with any at all tbh. They were swopped out straight away for my usual DMR V12’s. I also swopped out the grips – the stock one weren’t bad per se but I just prefer the larger diameter RaceFace ones, and I could get them in blue (natch). The seat was the only thing I didn’t have a choice with – it had to come off. What Haibike were thinking with it I have no idea. I get that we are all built differently but to make a seat where the centre section is actually raised is bonkers for male riders. On went a new Ergon and it’s been great.

MODS: Aside from the previously mentioned SLX mech/shifter/grips and pedals, I also fitted a RockShox fender which, being designed by them, fits the forks really well. Oh and I had to get a black/blue one of course which matches the paint pretty closely. I also fitted some blue (of course) plastic inserts to the calipers, swopping out the stock silver ones. The aftermarket ones (from the Bay) are bigger and more noticeable. The colour isn’t a great match but it works. I also went with a blue (see the theme here..?) decal kit for the forks. I honestly can’t think of much more I want to do/change on this bike apart from maybe a dongle. I wouldn’t mind going to the 220mm disc for the front, if only to look better with the 29” rim.

SUMMARY: I can genuinely recommend this bike. It’s a great all-rounder for sure, but be prepared to lose some of the bloody tokens if you aren’t built like Arnie. Set it up to what suits you and I am confident you will get a lot of fun from this bike for many miles. Also bear in mind that IMO these frames run small. Don’t discount going up one size from your usual. No the bike isn’t cheap but are any decent ebikes? The only other thing I will mention is that if you can stretch to an extra £800~£1000 I would deffo go for the full carbon framed AllMtn 6.0 which also gets you Fox 38’s and an upgrade in some drivetrain components. I just couldn’t justify it myself, but for the difference in cost it would be a no brainer if I could. You do lose 25Wh of battery with the Yamaha setup but that’s not a deal breaker.

So there we are, I hope it helps give someone food for thought if you are contemplating the Haibike range, or the 3.0 in particular. I will update further as and when I have something else to say ?

View attachment 55671
She's a beauty for sure, congrats. . . and a great review, thx
 

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
692
428
Belgium
Just a further little update after working on the stiction issues I had with the forks and rear shock. I created a fork update here, but for the rear shock I thought I would just tag it on to this review.

After sorting the forks, it highlighted even more how bad the shock was. So off it came and stripped it down. All seemed OK inside, just about the right amount of grease and a smattering of oil (I think RS recommend 1ml above and below the airspring). Anyway, cleaned it all back with alcohol anyway. Prior to this though, I noticed the lower mounting pin was super tight in the bushing. I actually had to use a bushing puller to get it out. There was no way it was free enough to allow rotational movement without a LOT of force but I did wonder if it was supposed to be like that. I have seen some RS manuals where they actually show diagrams of a puller being used to extract the pin but with no ballraces on the Haibike lower mount (there is on the upper trunnion) it didn't seem right.

I didn't want to try reaming the bushing that was already fitted so I pulled it out and rummaged around my box of spares. I tried a couple and found one which gave a nice snug fit with zero pin play but still allowed the pin to slide in with a little finger pressure.

I went outside the recommended box and instead of using RS Dynamic Seal Grease + oil, I used SRAM butter and no oil. I think RS went to DSG to provide better longevity between services but I don't put huge miles on the bike nor am I a big hitter so thought I'd try it and don't mind servicing the shock more often than stated as it's not exactly a big job.

Re-installed the shock and the difference was huge. Like the forks, I could initiate movement with one hand on the saddle with little effort which was impossible before. On riding, small bump compliance was immediately better and now works as well as the forks.

I'm not 100% sure whether it was the change of grease or the sticking pin, but I would put money on it being the pin. It was so tight it must have really struggled to rotate to compensate for the forward/back action of the shock. As a consequence, it would also have been loading up one side of the airspring/damper seals which wouldn't have helped matters.

So there you have it. Nothing major in terms of work to sort the forks and shock but a massive difference to how the bike rides.
Just saw this post. I had the same with my 2021 rs pike ultimate. I did a small service and the difference is insane. Fork geels super smooth now.

I also have the same rs deluxe select plus . Like you the shock don't move that much if I put some weight on the saddle.
I read that you only did the grease and no oil? How does that works?
Im no big hitter but I do ride long distances 100-130km rides.

I've used this grease on my fork GREASE and plan on using it on my shock to. The oil that rs recommend is only available in 1 l and cost like 40 euro's wich is insane if I only have to use 2-3 ml for a service
 

Planemo

E*POWAH Elite
Mar 12, 2021
575
660
Essex UK
I read that you only did the grease and no oil? How does that works?

Yes, RS suggest only adding oil if using their Dynamic Seal Grease. I suspect it may be because DSG is more viscous than Sram butter so needs a bit of help. Dunno really. I did of course oil the sponges and used butter everywhere else.

That said, when I pull the forks apart next over the winter I may go the other way and try DSG + oil in the legs just to see if it's any different. It's so quick and easy to pull lowers it's not an issue to try it out.

Despite how much better they are now than when new I still feel theres too much stiction. But I'm running out of ideas now, it's looking like the only thing left is slightly tight bushings which I can't do anything about personally and I'm not about to splash the sort of money that a specialist would want on what is a pretty low level fork.

When I pull the forks I will remove the dust seals and test each stanchion in the lower separately to see if I can find whether the stiction is indeed coming from the bushings and if so which side (or it maybe both). As I say, not much I will do about it if so but it will satisfy my curiosity.

Edit: I think you are referring to the rear shock too - currently I am using DSG and oil as I fitted a MegNeg and it came with both the lubes so thought I would just use it. MegNeg works really well, I did put up some comments on it somewhere.
 

EMTB Forums

Since 2018

The World's largest electric mountain bike community.

518K
Messages
25,445
Members
Join Our Community

Latest articles


Top