Motobecane HAL eBoost PRO

[Varaxis]

At $3500 shipped, I figured this would be the best option with least financial investment to dive into the ebike world and still have a trail capable machine. I've had it since Nov '17, and have a little over 1000 miles on it.

Save Up to 60% Off LTD QTYS of these eBoost Mountain bikes 2018 Motobecane HAL eBoost PRO with Shimano XT / E8000 Electric MidDrive 27.5PLUS Full Suspension Mountain eBikes Shimano XT Hydraulic Disc Brakes Rockshox PIKE 140mm Forks | Save up to 60% off list prices on new bicycles

My first impressions of the bike were written up on mtbr: Motobecane hal-e. Looks like a cool whip!- Mtbr.com

Continuing on my experience:

- Upgraded the front to a 203mm rotor, and used a Shimano 180->203mm adapter. Brake pad wear on the rotor seems to be a bit too outboard by 2-3mm.

- Added a neoprene boot for the shock, as it's in a very vulnerable area. I know from my days commuting in flooded roads, that the tire sprays that area of the bike heavily.

- The Pike's charger 2 damper was slightly low on oil. I topped it off when I did my lower leg service. I also increased my negative chamber air volume by removing the excess grease that is not doing anything.

- The KMC chain (X11E EBIKE) fails chain wear gauge in multiple spots at .75%. Learned that these 11spd chains should be swapped at .5%, but my gauge is old and only checks for .75%-%1 wear. Chose Shimano XT 11spd chain to replace it, due to prior positive experience with SIL-TEC coating. The marketing wank is strong with this one--"Stretch-proof" and tripleX durability likely doesn't mean resistance to wear/grinding that causes chain "stretch". Also, KMC doesn't make modern Shimano chains.

- The bike skips in the 13t cog if I mash too hard. It tends to skip twice in each occurence--makes me suspect that it's happening at the chainring due to the narrow-wide teeth pattern. It happens to be my sweet spot gear for riding at 17-18 MPH comfortably (I ride a lot of pavement). I had an injured thumb so I couldn't downshift easily for about 6 weeks, so restarting at all the intersections probably took its toll on this specific gear. I will probably switch to a 11-42 10spd Deore cassette for economics. I happily discovered that the freehub is steel, rather than soft alloy. The cassette was loose, yet the freehub splines were undamaged. No broken teeth, so I don't know what's causing the skipping, besides from wear.

Overall, the bike doesn't seem to be a replacement for a regular mtn bike. It's my go-to transportation though. And since I transport myself to the trailhead by bike, I haven't really put more than 50 miles on my other bikes per month, while the ebike has been racking up 50-150 miles/week. I like to hit up the trails that happen to be ~15 miles from my doorstep.

 

[Stoddy]

At $3500 shipped, I figured this would be the best option with least financial investment to dive into the ebike world and still have a trail capable machine. I've had it since Nov '17, and have a little over 1000 miles on it.

Save Up to 60% Off LTD QTYS of these eBoost Mountain bikes 2018 Motobecane HAL eBoost PRO with Shimano XT / E8000 Electric MidDrive 27.5PLUS Full Suspension Mountain eBikes Shimano XT Hydraulic Disc Brakes Rockshox PIKE 140mm Forks | Save up to 60% off list prices on new bicycles

My first impressions of the bike were written up on mtbr: Motobecane hal-e. Looks like a cool whip!- Mtbr.com

Continuing on my experience:

- Upgraded the front to a 203mm rotor, and used a Shimano 180->203mm adapter. Brake pad wear on the rotor seems to be a bit too outboard by 2-3mm.

- Added a neoprene boot for the shock, as it's in a very vulnerable area. I know from my days commuting in flooded roads, that the tire sprays that area of the bike heavily.

- The Pike's charger 2 damper was slightly low on oil. I topped it off when I did my lower leg service. I also increased my negative chamber air volume by removing the excess grease that is not doing anything.

- The KMC chain (X11E EBIKE) fails chain wear gauge in multiple spots at .75%. Learned that these 11spd chains should be swapped at .5%, but my gauge is old and only checks for .75%-%1 wear. Chose Shimano XT 11spd chain to replace it, due to prior positive experience with SIL-TEC coating. The marketing wank is strong with this one--"Stretch-proof" and tripleX durability likely doesn't mean resistance to wear/grinding that causes chain "stretch". Also, KMC doesn't make modern Shimano chains.

- The bike skips in the 13t cog if I mash too hard. It tends to skip twice in each occurence--makes me suspect that it's happening at the chainring due to the narrow-wide teeth pattern. It happens to be my sweet spot gear for riding at 17-18 MPH comfortably (I ride a lot of pavement). I had an injured thumb so I couldn't downshift easily for about 6 weeks, so restarting at all the intersections probably took its toll on this specific gear. I will probably switch to a 11-42 10spd Deore cassette for economics. I happily discovered that the freehub is steel, rather than soft alloy. The cassette was loose, yet the freehub splines were undamaged. No broken teeth, so I don't know what's causing the skipping, besides from wear.

Overall, the bike doesn't seem to be a replacement for a regular mtn bike. It's my go-to transportation though. And since I transport myself to the trailhead by bike, I haven't really put more than 50 miles on my other bikes per month, while the ebike has been racking up 50-150 miles/week. I like to hit up the trails that happen to be ~15 miles from my doorstep.

Here's my Motobecane!, I think yours might beat me on the trails though!

Stoddy.

 

[Varaxis]

Spent a good amount of time checking that classic Motobecane out. Shaped a lot like a bicycle, but with motor and fuel tank added on. The front of it is quite a complex looking assembly.

Cleaned my bike and found half of the muck that the rear tire sprayed was liquid latex sealant (TruckerCo). That stuff doesn't come out my clothes. Not buying it again. Their formula, advertised to have a high concentration of liquid latex, apparently doesn't seal as instantaneously as Stan's. Bontrager TLR is the only alternative I've found that I've liked as much as Stan's. Curious about the Finish Line/Multi-Seal bike formula though.

Tried to test the slipping in the 13t, by trying to mash with the brakes held, but it wouldn't slip with the new Shimano chain.

The bike isn't as capable as my real MTBs. It seems to prefer moderate speeds--anything above 20 mph and it starts to get nervous, and it is super prone to pedal strikes. Got my eyes peeled for the 165mm Shimano cranks.

Going to try taking some PoV videos of me riding it on some MX trails.

 

[Varaxis]

The best way to check the wear on the 13t sprocket, is to remove the wheel, place a chain whip on said sprocket, and smoothly lever it down as hard as you can in the drive direction. Do this at several points, and you should quickly discover if it is worn, as the whip will slip. Careful of your knuckles though when doing the above.

There's more leverage through the cranks, since there's the chainring + the crank, plus all the force I can concentrate through my leg. I cannot get such force through my arm, nor can my other arm brace the wheel as well as my brakes.

Plus, I have an HG-X checker.


Still haven't confirmed anything based on all the tests I've ran. I try not to jump to conclusions.

BTW, why do you consider your method to be best? Sounds kind of contentious.

 

[Varaxis]

Decided to clean the bike. Used a bucket with car wash solution, a big soft bristle brush, magic eraser, long stiff bristle paint brush, towel, flashlight, and some compressed air.

I advise no one to get this bike if you want it clean... the thing just has so many places to catch and store muck.

Note that these are pictures *after cleaning*. It had a nice layer of latex already splattered all over, as you can see from the pic above.

Meh, clean enough. It'll just get dirty again. xD The dirt comes off easily enough with the brush, but whenever my rear tire gets a puncture, it sprays liquid latex all over, which needs to be peeled off. The stiff brush did some in all the crevices by the rocker, inner linkages, and even by the crank and spider. I use TruckerCo brand sealant, which I do not recommended if you want instant sealing like Stan's and Bontrager TLR.

Oh, and I discovered the reason behind why the chain skips in the 11 and 13t. It's because Shimano's 11-46 cassette is a poorly optimized cassette. When you set your RD's upper pulley to clear the big pie plate granny cog, it's like 2"/50mm away from the smaller cogs. The chain occasionally wags into the next cog up and it skips.