RichT
New Member
I finally brought my Tero 5.0 home yesterday afternoon after a two week wait, charged the battery, did a little more reading and fiddling around with gadgets, and this afternoon had a chance to go for a quick ride. I rode on pavement, gravel, dirt, up and down hills, across a dozen cattle guards, over some rough roads with rocks, ruts, pot holes, and water bars, and dodged a few obstacles, one cow (turbo was nice here) and one car.
So how did it go? Over all just fine. I got plenty of exercise but didn’t have any problems on any of the hills (I was a little apprehensive about one of them). I quickly learned to blend switching between the three basic power levels with shifting the 11 gears to have more options to maintain the optimum cadence, range, speed and effort for almost the entire ride. I didn’t use the 10% increment “infinite tune” capability becasue I was wearing insulated gloves and didnt need it anyway. Its a nice touch but you can anticipate the needs of most rides in advance, do any fine tuning you want to the three modes, and that will give you a good enough power range without messing with 10% here or there.
I used 32% of the battery over 12 miles so there will be no 90 miles days on this type of ride, but that's not what I bought the bike for. I also spent some time on easy terrain (level to down hill) with the assist turned off which was not bad at all. In that “mode” it’s just a heavy bike and other than amplifying bumps a bit, it has no ill affects. Also the dropper post is a welcome upgrade over the 3.0. I used it more for getting on and off the bike rather than its intended purpose. I’m 6’5” so the ride height of the seat is up there a bit. Being able to lower it for access both ways is nice. Later this month and next month I’ll have the opportunity to do some longer rides on more gentle terrain so I’ll have a better idea about the bike’s range on that type of riding.
As to my first impressions, it could use some more gearing, either a bigger chain ring, or another gear on the cassett or both - I’ll be looking in to that. I hit a top speed of 33.3 mph (down hill), but there is no pedaling down hill after about 22 mph, for me anyway. So even though I have assist up to 28mph (free upgrade from the standard 22 mph), I really can’t seem to use it much except when beginning to climb a grade. More gears would make road riding more enjoyable and probably better exercise.
I would also appreciate a more comfortable seat. I have one on order with more padding, a wider profile, and springs, and will change it out as soon as I get it. Im 64 and don’t need or want a racy saddle, gel or no gel. Ergonomically (other than the seat) the bike was pretty good. I found the skinny straight grips a little uncomfortable after a while and I’m replacing them with the grips that come on the Tero 4.0 - they look like they provide better support and more comfort. Also the stock pedals are a bit sub-par but I guess thats to be expected. Something with more grip will improve control since I don’t see myself using cleats or clips or whatever.
Lastly these bikes are not quiet. If you are using the assist, you are making noise. Its not bad, but I found coasting, easy pedaling, and riding with the assist off more enjoyable from a nature enjoyment aspect. I have to admit though that I also enjoyed hearing it growl as I accelerated through the gears under power. Just different types of riding.
The bottom line for me is that I wouldn't (and haven't) ridden that far on a route like that on my standard mountain bike, and I haven’t ridden like that (powering up hills) since I was a kid, so that was quite pleasing. I also got a decent workout without hurting myself or disliking the experience. I think this bike will be very good for me (with some minor mods) and maybe just the thing to rehab my worn out knees. We’ll see but it has me out riding again, and thats what’s important.
So how did it go? Over all just fine. I got plenty of exercise but didn’t have any problems on any of the hills (I was a little apprehensive about one of them). I quickly learned to blend switching between the three basic power levels with shifting the 11 gears to have more options to maintain the optimum cadence, range, speed and effort for almost the entire ride. I didn’t use the 10% increment “infinite tune” capability becasue I was wearing insulated gloves and didnt need it anyway. Its a nice touch but you can anticipate the needs of most rides in advance, do any fine tuning you want to the three modes, and that will give you a good enough power range without messing with 10% here or there.
I used 32% of the battery over 12 miles so there will be no 90 miles days on this type of ride, but that's not what I bought the bike for. I also spent some time on easy terrain (level to down hill) with the assist turned off which was not bad at all. In that “mode” it’s just a heavy bike and other than amplifying bumps a bit, it has no ill affects. Also the dropper post is a welcome upgrade over the 3.0. I used it more for getting on and off the bike rather than its intended purpose. I’m 6’5” so the ride height of the seat is up there a bit. Being able to lower it for access both ways is nice. Later this month and next month I’ll have the opportunity to do some longer rides on more gentle terrain so I’ll have a better idea about the bike’s range on that type of riding.
As to my first impressions, it could use some more gearing, either a bigger chain ring, or another gear on the cassett or both - I’ll be looking in to that. I hit a top speed of 33.3 mph (down hill), but there is no pedaling down hill after about 22 mph, for me anyway. So even though I have assist up to 28mph (free upgrade from the standard 22 mph), I really can’t seem to use it much except when beginning to climb a grade. More gears would make road riding more enjoyable and probably better exercise.
I would also appreciate a more comfortable seat. I have one on order with more padding, a wider profile, and springs, and will change it out as soon as I get it. Im 64 and don’t need or want a racy saddle, gel or no gel. Ergonomically (other than the seat) the bike was pretty good. I found the skinny straight grips a little uncomfortable after a while and I’m replacing them with the grips that come on the Tero 4.0 - they look like they provide better support and more comfort. Also the stock pedals are a bit sub-par but I guess thats to be expected. Something with more grip will improve control since I don’t see myself using cleats or clips or whatever.
Lastly these bikes are not quiet. If you are using the assist, you are making noise. Its not bad, but I found coasting, easy pedaling, and riding with the assist off more enjoyable from a nature enjoyment aspect. I have to admit though that I also enjoyed hearing it growl as I accelerated through the gears under power. Just different types of riding.
The bottom line for me is that I wouldn't (and haven't) ridden that far on a route like that on my standard mountain bike, and I haven’t ridden like that (powering up hills) since I was a kid, so that was quite pleasing. I also got a decent workout without hurting myself or disliking the experience. I think this bike will be very good for me (with some minor mods) and maybe just the thing to rehab my worn out knees. We’ll see but it has me out riding again, and thats what’s important.
Last edited:
