Electric road/gravel bike for £3-4k
Discussion
My last thread got derailed slightly asking for recommendations so starting a new one.
Looking for a new electric road/gravel bike with the following requirements (not a hard set but more of a preference list)
Budget is around £3-4k. Closer to the £3k limit preferred as that's covered by the company bike scheme (Bike2Work) but happy to add a little bit if I get a significantly better bike that will keep me engaged for about 3yrs before I get the itch to upgrade again.
Ones that I've considered so far:
Looking for a new electric road/gravel bike with the following requirements (not a hard set but more of a preference list)
- Dropped handlebars - so it looks like a road bike
- Comfortable geometry and ride - I won't be racing or entering any sportives, this is for runs of between 50km and 120km over the weekend
- Long range with existing battery or by adding additional battery/range extender - ideally 120-150km. Birdbike craps out at the 60km range.
- Bikes that don't slow you down (massively) on the flats - current birdbike electric bike generally pulls me back to the 25km/h limit on flats, when I can easily do 30km/h on my manual boardman on the same stretch.
- Carbon frame and forks - if possible
- Prefer 1x Gearing - I like the simplicity on the birdbike of the thumbshifters and visual display.
- Ability to take decent sized tyres for comfort - with mudguards.
Budget is around £3-4k. Closer to the £3k limit preferred as that's covered by the company bike scheme (Bike2Work) but happy to add a little bit if I get a significantly better bike that will keep me engaged for about 3yrs before I get the itch to upgrade again.
Ones that I've considered so far:
- Ribble Endurance SL e - Sport Shimano 105 - £3200 + £500 for battery extender
- Boardman ADV 8.9e Evation 2023 - £2800 so within budget but my first bike was a Boardman so want a change, and also the range on these is not great. Not sure if a range extender can be added
- Giant Road E+1 Pro - £3500, but it looks it's either discontinued or out of stock everywhere
- Cannondale Synapse Neo SE - £3800, highest price but I really like the look of this. However, it looks like out of stock everywhere I check online.
Snapped it up during Tredzs last pre Xmas sale. 2021 model, but essentially same bike 2023 version. On paper my Boardman 8.9e is very similar, 250watts, smallish 250wh vs 320wh battery, 15.5 vs 12.7 kgs. But riding them is two different experiences, the Boardman is a very average bike made good by electrical assistance. The Creo is a just a fabulous bike that sometimes I forget is electrically assisted.
Just spend a lovely week on gravel tracks near Loch Lommand. The Creo was fantastic, really missing not riding on those roads this week
.
The only thing it needs is some nicer wheels, the frame runs a boost thrule axle setup so wheel choices are limited to Revo ones or custom build.
Just spend a lovely week on gravel tracks near Loch Lommand. The Creo was fantastic, really missing not riding on those roads this week
.The only thing it needs is some nicer wheels, the frame runs a boost thrule axle setup so wheel choices are limited to Revo ones or custom build.
Edited by gangzoom on Tuesday 6th June 07:28
Thanks, the way you've described and from the reviews I'm reading - this is basically what I want.
The issue I have with my current electric bike is that it's big and heavy (23.4kg) and you can feel it. On hills and climbs, the motor assistance is great but you definitely feel the weight on the flats and I can feel the bike pulling me back to the limiter speed - which is annoying. And trying to go on pedal power alone when the battery is close to empty means you feel the full weight of the bike.
The way the Specialized seems to run is to give you a gentle push when needed, but feels like a normal bike most of the time.
Does yours have 1x gearing? Also, is the battery detachable for recharging or do you plug the bike into a wall outlet?
The issue I have with my current electric bike is that it's big and heavy (23.4kg) and you can feel it. On hills and climbs, the motor assistance is great but you definitely feel the weight on the flats and I can feel the bike pulling me back to the limiter speed - which is annoying. And trying to go on pedal power alone when the battery is close to empty means you feel the full weight of the bike.
The way the Specialized seems to run is to give you a gentle push when needed, but feels like a normal bike most of the time.
Does yours have 1x gearing? Also, is the battery detachable for recharging or do you plug the bike into a wall outlet?
The Creo will make your current eBike feel ancient!! I try not to ride my Boardman now as it’s just so disappointing to ride in comparison.
I think all the Creo’s are x1, no issues for me. Battery is fully integrated into the bike, I keep mine in the house so charging isn’t an issue (it’s really a dry day only bike). There is an option to limit the battery charge to 80% which will keep the battery health for longer, unlike the Fazua system on the Boardman where you have to charge it to 100% - and if I don’t ride it for a few days, the battery sits there fully charged which shortens the life of the pack.
I think all the Creo’s are x1, no issues for me. Battery is fully integrated into the bike, I keep mine in the house so charging isn’t an issue (it’s really a dry day only bike). There is an option to limit the battery charge to 80% which will keep the battery health for longer, unlike the Fazua system on the Boardman where you have to charge it to 100% - and if I don’t ride it for a few days, the battery sits there fully charged which shortens the life of the pack.
If you want distance then you need to look at battery size which also adds weight
I have a Cannondale Synapse neo with a 500w battery and I can do 80 miles plus around the Yorkshire Dales so not flat.
Generally the rear hub light weight bikes will do 50 miles but they are lighter
The Specialized is a good option
I have a Cannondale Synapse neo with a 500w battery and I can do 80 miles plus around the Yorkshire Dales so not flat.
Generally the rear hub light weight bikes will do 50 miles but they are lighter
The Specialized is a good option
MaxFromage said:
I have a Giant Road E+2. It's great, but it definitely sounds like you want to go for the lighter bikes. The Giant is still 18kg IIRC.
I recon you could get the weight of Creo down to below 12kg which considering the funky from 'suspension' is pretty good. There are some near sub 10kg eBikes around now with the Mahle system. The Scott eRide looks fab with neat fully integrated cabling but is big £££££.I'm after a hardtail now, was surprised how 'light' the full suspension Specialized Turbo Levo SL was when I picked it at the shop - sub 18kg in top spec I believe. Very very nice, but need to save up for quite a few years to even consider the 5 figure price tag for the S-works version
. OttoMattik said:
My last thread got derailed slightly asking for recommendations so starting a new one.
Looking for a new electric road/gravel bike with the following requirements (not a hard set but more of a preference list)
Budget is around £3-4k. Closer to the £3k limit preferred as that's covered by the company bike scheme (Bike2Work) but happy to add a little bit if I get a significantly better bike that will keep me engaged for about 3yrs before I get the itch to upgrade again.
Ones that I've considered so far:
ADV8.9e owner here, range extender doesn’t exist, it can piss you off with exactly what you’re talking about around the drop off point for assistance.Looking for a new electric road/gravel bike with the following requirements (not a hard set but more of a preference list)
- Dropped handlebars - so it looks like a road bike
- Comfortable geometry and ride - I won't be racing or entering any sportives, this is for runs of between 50km and 120km over the weekend
- Long range with existing battery or by adding additional battery/range extender - ideally 120-150km. Birdbike craps out at the 60km range.
- Bikes that don't slow you down (massively) on the flats - current birdbike electric bike generally pulls me back to the 25km/h limit on flats, when I can easily do 30km/h on my manual boardman on the same stretch.
- Carbon frame and forks - if possible
- Prefer 1x Gearing - I like the simplicity on the birdbike of the thumbshifters and visual display.
- Ability to take decent sized tyres for comfort - with mudguards.
Budget is around £3-4k. Closer to the £3k limit preferred as that's covered by the company bike scheme (Bike2Work) but happy to add a little bit if I get a significantly better bike that will keep me engaged for about 3yrs before I get the itch to upgrade again.
Ones that I've considered so far:
- Ribble Endurance SL e - Sport Shimano 105 - £3200 + £500 for battery extender
- Boardman ADV 8.9e Evation 2023 - £2800 so within budget but my first bike was a Boardman so want a change, and also the range on these is not great. Not sure if a range extender can be added
- Giant Road E+1 Pro - £3500, but it looks it's either discontinued or out of stock everywhere
- Cannondale Synapse Neo SE - £3800, highest price but I really like the look of this. However, it looks like out of stock everywhere I check online.
Doing those sort of distances it sounds like you more want a comfy road bike than gravel ability, in that case I’m not sure I would opt for 1x out of preference. The number of times I find myself not quite where I want on cadence is notably worse than on my other 2x gravel bike.
Depends on how hard you pedal, terrain and headwinds etc but my theoretical range is anywhere between 40 and 170km.
Thank you for all the comments. So after 3 days of solidly calling dealers and bike shops across the country - I think I can conclusively conclude that the 2021 Specialised is well and truly out of stock. There is a handful of bikes left with a supplier somewhere but in the XXL range (useless for me).
Such a shame as it looked like the perfect fit for what I needed and within budget.
The 2022 model seems to be more readily available but is a massive jump up to £6k+ at most places.
Looking at the Merida now which is an Alu frame though seems to be decently reviewed as well. Finding stock of this looks like no mean feat though.
I thought the mania of 2020-21 was over and stock levels were returning back to normal? eBikes still seem quite hard to source.
Such a shame as it looked like the perfect fit for what I needed and within budget.
The 2022 model seems to be more readily available but is a massive jump up to £6k+ at most places.
Looking at the Merida now which is an Alu frame though seems to be decently reviewed as well. Finding stock of this looks like no mean feat though.
I thought the mania of 2020-21 was over and stock levels were returning back to normal? eBikes still seem quite hard to source.
I have a Ribble SLE and absolutely love it. I'd whole-heartedly recommend it , apart from the fact that you say you are looking for a fairly relaxed ride, as Ribble seem to have gone for quite an aggressive geometry.
Have you considered an Orbea Gain? When I was looking, the Orbea seemed to offer similar spec/VFM as the Ribble, but with a slightly more relaxed geometry and a bit more clearance.
I have nothing but praise for the Mahle ebikemotion set-up. Absolutely minimal drag as far as I can tell and, apart from when you are climbing, it is almost indistinguishable from riding a normal road bike. Power might be a bit down on the bottom-bracket motors, but the "feel" of the assistance is brilliant - it just feels like someone has taken 30-40 years off the age of my heart, lungs and legs (which is exactly what I was looking for). The phone app allows you to set custom maps for the motor, so you can set the three levels at whatever percentage of the available 250 watts you want. I never push the range limit, but if you are likely to do that, you can set a "get you home" level that would eke out the remaining power as long as possible.
With regards to the range extender, I believe there were issues with the first generation, as the recharging ability of the booster seemed to get screwed quite quickly. (When in use, I believe the down tube battery recharges itself against the range extender, and something about the process wasn't particularly healthy for the booster battery). I believe that the current iteration has solved the issue, but I'd approach the range extender on a "buyer beware" basis.
Here's a pic of mine - I have the maximum headset spacing in place, which gives me exactly the position I'm looking for, but you are always likely to end up with bars/hoods below the height of the saddle on this bike .
Have you considered an Orbea Gain? When I was looking, the Orbea seemed to offer similar spec/VFM as the Ribble, but with a slightly more relaxed geometry and a bit more clearance.
I have nothing but praise for the Mahle ebikemotion set-up. Absolutely minimal drag as far as I can tell and, apart from when you are climbing, it is almost indistinguishable from riding a normal road bike. Power might be a bit down on the bottom-bracket motors, but the "feel" of the assistance is brilliant - it just feels like someone has taken 30-40 years off the age of my heart, lungs and legs (which is exactly what I was looking for). The phone app allows you to set custom maps for the motor, so you can set the three levels at whatever percentage of the available 250 watts you want. I never push the range limit, but if you are likely to do that, you can set a "get you home" level that would eke out the remaining power as long as possible.
With regards to the range extender, I believe there were issues with the first generation, as the recharging ability of the booster seemed to get screwed quite quickly. (When in use, I believe the down tube battery recharges itself against the range extender, and something about the process wasn't particularly healthy for the booster battery). I believe that the current iteration has solved the issue, but I'd approach the range extender on a "buyer beware" basis.
Here's a pic of mine - I have the maximum headset spacing in place, which gives me exactly the position I'm looking for, but you are always likely to end up with bars/hoods below the height of the saddle on this bike .
^I was tempted by the Ordea/Riddle bikes, but not been able to change wheelsets easily due to hub motor meant I looked more at mid drive bikes.
On my Boardman I actually destroyed one rear wheel during commuting in winter, a cheap £20 replacement off the Web sorted it. Fixing a knacked rear wheel with a hub motor would be far harder I suspect.
For the Creo I'm now just saving up for some nice road wheels, and will than put some fat tires the stock wheels. This with than mean I can essentially make the Creo into a road or gravel bike just by swapping over the wheels.
On my Boardman I actually destroyed one rear wheel during commuting in winter, a cheap £20 replacement off the Web sorted it. Fixing a knacked rear wheel with a hub motor would be far harder I suspect.
For the Creo I'm now just saving up for some nice road wheels, and will than put some fat tires the stock wheels. This with than mean I can essentially make the Creo into a road or gravel bike just by swapping over the wheels
.I have an Orbea Gain D30 1X electric gravel bike, bought new in early 2021. I use it all year round in all weathers, and absolutely love it. It's uses the excellent Mahle rear hub motor system, the power delivery is very smooth. I fitted some wider 40c tyres for improved grip and comfort across gravel as the standard tyres are a bit thin in my opinion.
It's done about 11,000 miles now with no reduction in battery capacity noticed so far, you can easily get 50 miles on a charge and a range extender is available.
Inevitably if you are using a bike daily as a replacement for a car, then you are going to have regularly replace 'consumable parts' and do maintenance. I'm on the third front chain ring, chain, cassette and bottom bracket, and the headset and front wheel bearings are going to need doing soon. Achilles heel on these is the freewheel on the rear hub, it's part of the motor cover and can only be replaced with the motor cover and costs £80. But luckily the rear wheel motor/axle bearings feel smooth and as good as the day they were new so hoping for many more miles from the bike.
It's done about 11,000 miles now with no reduction in battery capacity noticed so far, you can easily get 50 miles on a charge and a range extender is available.
Inevitably if you are using a bike daily as a replacement for a car, then you are going to have regularly replace 'consumable parts' and do maintenance. I'm on the third front chain ring, chain, cassette and bottom bracket, and the headset and front wheel bearings are going to need doing soon. Achilles heel on these is the freewheel on the rear hub, it's part of the motor cover and can only be replaced with the motor cover and costs £80. But luckily the rear wheel motor/axle bearings feel smooth and as good as the day they were new so hoping for many more miles from the bike.
Would you consider second hand? This seems a good deal? https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/54988453...
If you're a medium...
If you're a medium...
I wanted a e-gravel bike to replace my manual Boardman.
My overarching concern was to get rid of the frustration caused by year round use impact & wear on chain & gears - I felt it completely spoiled the enjoyment of cycling, for me at least. So I went for a gates belt drive & manual Enviolo (CVT) gear set up. The compromise was weight as such drivetrain set ups are realistically few & far between & are really only on commuter flat bar bikes (went to a Canyon Precede on 7 in the end). It can only be a matter of time where such a drive train is available on a gravel bike though, and that would in my view be an ideal set up
My overarching concern was to get rid of the frustration caused by year round use impact & wear on chain & gears - I felt it completely spoiled the enjoyment of cycling, for me at least. So I went for a gates belt drive & manual Enviolo (CVT) gear set up. The compromise was weight as such drivetrain set ups are realistically few & far between & are really only on commuter flat bar bikes (went to a Canyon Precede on 7 in the end). It can only be a matter of time where such a drive train is available on a gravel bike though, and that would in my view be an ideal set up
Edited by volvos60s60 on Thursday 15th June 09:56
OttoMattik said:
Thank you for all the comments. So after 3 days of solidly calling dealers and bike shops across the country - I think I can conclusively conclude that the 2021 Specialised is well and truly out of stock. There is a handful of bikes left with a supplier somewhere but in the XXL range (useless for me).
Hope you find some stock for the Creo, after spending an amazing half term cycling around fire roads around Loch Lommand, I thought I explore the tracks around the house and came across this....I wimped out after 2 miles as 28mm road tires really don't like gravel. I'm so close to pulling the trigger on a set of Roval carbon wheels that's on down from £2000+ list to £1500 on Tredz.
Two sets of wheels with slick on the nice set and gravel tires on the OEM wheels would mean the Creo becomes 2 bikes in one.
Riding it on the roads around the normal routes honestly feels like riding my analogue Trek Madone.......If we were trying to save money the wheels would be ordered by now!....so tempted
Edited by gangzoom on Wednesday 21st June 20:54
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