Decathlon Riverside E-Bike
Discussion
I am considering a Decathlon Riverside 500E hybrid as a commuter bike.
Will buy on cycle to work for the tax reduction so these are (I think) fairly cheap and generally seem to get good reviews. £1300 less the tax benefit.
It's <9km and I do cycle it on a cheap Raleigh MTB, but even if I try to have a gentle ride I get just a bit too much of a sweat on to be comfortable in my work clothes. I can shower at work but it makes it more of a mission. On the way back home I go up a steep-ish hill so sweat like a pig... But that's less of a problem.
It has a rear hub motor, 250W, 42Nm torque. Range not a problem seems to do much further than my commute on max power, which I won't need apart from very short sections.
My question is, is the 42Nm enough for city commute with a few hills?
There is the 540E for about £600 more that has a mid motor, with 60Nm torque... Is that upgrade necessary? If so I have a feeling that the ~£2200 price point brings some other brands into play.
Finally... The E-MTB offering... They have the e-st500 with same 42Nm, but the mid motor e-st900 version has 70Nm torque, and is priced at £2k... So some man maths is kicking in...
Would E-MTB be much worse than hybrid over my short distance? then I could potentially also take it a bit more off road. (Not that I probably will, but you never know).
Cheers guys! (Sorry if this has been covered but I searched and didn't find much on these bikes)
Will buy on cycle to work for the tax reduction so these are (I think) fairly cheap and generally seem to get good reviews. £1300 less the tax benefit.
It's <9km and I do cycle it on a cheap Raleigh MTB, but even if I try to have a gentle ride I get just a bit too much of a sweat on to be comfortable in my work clothes. I can shower at work but it makes it more of a mission. On the way back home I go up a steep-ish hill so sweat like a pig... But that's less of a problem.
It has a rear hub motor, 250W, 42Nm torque. Range not a problem seems to do much further than my commute on max power, which I won't need apart from very short sections.
My question is, is the 42Nm enough for city commute with a few hills?
There is the 540E for about £600 more that has a mid motor, with 60Nm torque... Is that upgrade necessary? If so I have a feeling that the ~£2200 price point brings some other brands into play.
Finally... The E-MTB offering... They have the e-st500 with same 42Nm, but the mid motor e-st900 version has 70Nm torque, and is priced at £2k... So some man maths is kicking in...
Would E-MTB be much worse than hybrid over my short distance? then I could potentially also take it a bit more off road. (Not that I probably will, but you never know).
Cheers guys! (Sorry if this has been covered but I searched and didn't find much on these bikes)
Some experience here:
My wife has a Decathlon Bosch mid motor e bike, 4 years old now, 11,000km on it and it’s been faultless. Even with normal 38mm city tyres she’s been on some pretty daft trails following me on my e MTB.
Talking of which, my Cube Bosch e hardtail/hybrid has also been excellent. 12,000km now and it’s had a main bearing rebuild (€200) but it’s had a really hard life commuting in all weathers.
I had Schwalbe Big Apple tyres on it when I was mainly commuting with mudguards. It does both roles (road and easy trails) really well but I’m no lunatic.
In short, I can strongly recommend Decathlon as a bike seller, and the Bosch mid drive system for reliability. That hardtail you mentioned has a Brose motor, I think, I have no experience with that system.
My wife has a Decathlon Bosch mid motor e bike, 4 years old now, 11,000km on it and it’s been faultless. Even with normal 38mm city tyres she’s been on some pretty daft trails following me on my e MTB.
Talking of which, my Cube Bosch e hardtail/hybrid has also been excellent. 12,000km now and it’s had a main bearing rebuild (€200) but it’s had a really hard life commuting in all weathers.
I had Schwalbe Big Apple tyres on it when I was mainly commuting with mudguards. It does both roles (road and easy trails) really well but I’m no lunatic.
In short, I can strongly recommend Decathlon as a bike seller, and the Bosch mid drive system for reliability. That hardtail you mentioned has a Brose motor, I think, I have no experience with that system.
Edited by Barchettaman on Monday 9th May 08:11
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