# When is a E-Bike not an E-bike?



## JRTemple (27 Apr 2020)

Hi, I'm looking to get a bike and i am going to go for an E-Bike, i'm 49 live on a hill and am not fit!
The main purpose to getting this bike is to help me get fit, working from home has made the cookie jar an easy target!
Once the lock down is over and my office opens up I will probably just need to go in once a week as I can continue to work from home, my office is in London which is 24 miles for me and too far for me on a normal bike.
Being a bloke I didn't want a massive battery sticking out and wanted the E-Bike to look like a normal bike, I have found a bike called Orbea Gain which hides the battery in the front downtube.
My budget is around £2000 so i was looking at the D50
3 questions, first one is any comments on the Orbea Gain D50
second one is, any alternatives within my price bracket ? must look like a normal bike
and thirdly I understand the law might change in the UK and the speed limit could increase, do we have any idea when this might happen?

Thank you all 

JR


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## CXRAndy (27 Apr 2020)

JRTemple said:


> I understand the law might change in the UK and the speed limit could increase, do we have any idea when this might happen?


Don't hold your hopes on this. It may happen but I doubt it until a seismic shift towards cycling as major transport is promoted by any UK government


If you want a little more speed with assistance, then aftermarket kits are the only way.

As ever ride sensibly


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## Smudge (27 Apr 2020)

Any ebike that doesn't look like an ebike, tends to have a small battery hidden in the frame. Small battery, small range, unless you use low assistance setting and do a lot of the work yourself.
If you want the motor to take you faster than 15.5 mph, then get a motorcycle or a moped.


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## Dogtrousers (27 Apr 2020)

Can't help with your question but ...

 to the forum

I get annoyed when, in response to posts that clearly say "please advise me on details of X" people reply with "why don't you do Y instead?" so I'll resist that temptation  But can I just ask - how steep and long is the hill that you live on?


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## Profpointy (27 Apr 2020)

JRTemple said:


> Hi, I'm looking to get a bike and i am going to go for an E-Bike, i'm 49 live on a hill and am not fit!
> The main purpose to getting this bike is to help me get fit, working from home has made the cookie jar an easy target!
> Once the lock down is over and my office opens up I will probably just need to go in once a week as I can continue to work from home, my office is in London which is 24 miles for me and too far for me on a normal bike.
> Being a bloke I didn't want a massive battery sticking out and wanted the E-Bike to look like a normal bike, I have found a bike called Orbea Gain which hides the battery in the front downtube.
> ...



This one seems pretty nippy if the law changes to allow it


View: https://youtu.be/vlxZs2-gICc

(sorry I couldn't resist posting this again as it's just so impressive. Note: the film is NOT speeded up)


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## youngoldbloke (27 Apr 2020)

CXRAndy said:


> Don't hold your hopes on this. It may happen but I doubt it until a seismic shift towards cycling as major transport is promoted by any UK government
> 
> 
> If you want a little more speed with assistance, then aftermarket kits are the only way.
> ...


- not for the Gain, or the X35 system.


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## youngoldbloke (27 Apr 2020)

JRTemple said:


> Hi, I'm looking to get a bike and i am going to go for an E-Bike, i'm 49 live on a hill and am not fit!
> The main purpose to getting this bike is to help me get fit, working from home has made the cookie jar an easy target!
> Once the lock down is over and my office opens up I will probably just need to go in once a week as I can continue to work from home, my office is in London which is 24 miles for me and too far for me on a normal bike.
> Being a bloke I didn't want a massive battery sticking out and wanted the E-Bike to look like a normal bike, I have found a bike called Orbea Gain which hides the battery in the front downtube.
> ...


- take a look at the Orbea Gain thread https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/orbea-gain.229793/
Ribble use the same system in their e-road bikes.


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## JRTemple (27 Apr 2020)

Smudge said:


> Any ebike that doesn't look like an ebike, tends to have a small battery hidden in the frame. Small battery, small range, unless you use low assistance setting and do a lot of the work yourself.
> If you want the motor to take you faster than 15.5 mph, then get a motorcycle or a moped.



they do sell an additional battery that looks like a water bottle!


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## JRTemple (27 Apr 2020)

Dogtrousers said:


> Can't help with your question but ...
> 
> to the forum
> 
> I get annoyed when, in response to posts that clearly say "please advise me on details of X" people reply with "why don't you do Y instead?" so I'll resist that temptation  But can I just ask - how steep and long is the hill that you live on?



It’s not just the hill I live on the whole area is hilly and I’m just not fit.


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## ColinJ (28 Apr 2020)

JRTemple said:


> It’s not just the hill I live on the whole area is hilly and I’m just not fit.


It _IS _tough for the first few weeks but it is surprising how quickly you get fit enough for the hills though... Soon after I started riding in West Yorkshire I tried riding up the Keighley Road out of Hebden Bridge. The first time I only made it about 1 km up the hill. The second time I got about 2 kms up it. On the 3rd attempt I made it 7 kms to the summit and have never had a problem with it since then.

Whatever bike you get, I hope you carry on riding and enjoy getting fitter!


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## CXRAndy (28 Apr 2020)

An Ebike doesn't necessarily mean you wont get as fit. You will just be quicker, especially in a hilly area


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## JRTemple (28 Apr 2020)

I’m hoping to ride to my office in London when Covid is over, it’s 20 miles door to door, just feel an electric bike would help, I’m asthmatic and run out of wind quickly!


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## CXRAndy (28 Apr 2020)

JRTemple said:


> I’m hoping to ride to my office in London when Covid is over, it’s 20 miles door to door, just feel an electric bike would help, I’m asthmatic and run out of wind quickly!


That's a perfect scenario where if you're feeling a bit tight chested, easing up on the effort will help considerably. 

Im too mildly asthmatic, cycling does keep my lungs in better condition


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## JRTemple (28 Apr 2020)

So I’ve found a Orbea Gain D50 LR (never seen LR mentioned before) 2020 model at £1700, what I like is it doesn’t look like a E-bike, any others bikes I should consider?


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## Phil_CP (7 May 2020)

I'm 70 this month, had to be jump started twice last year, and picked up a US version Orbea Gain F30 (hybrid) on a Black Friday year end closeout special. Until Covid19 caused a shelter in place order I was riding 50 miles a week on it. I too live in hilly country, east of Sacramento California. I'm also a member of a 600+ cycling club. There are four Orbea Gains in the club and a handful of others. 
IMHO an eBike needs to be a bike you'd ride 20+ miles off. To do that there needs to be zero drag from the e-drive when it is off. That's a relatively new feature on eBikes. The rest of the definition should be based on what you want out of a normal bike. Mine has everything I want but the gearing lacks the low end for some local 10% grades. While shut in, I been researching changing the gearing. Orbea sells Gain models with the gearing I want, I just jumped on a good deal. It works fine up 8-9 %. 
Orbea sells a Gain model of almost all their bikes. I'm heavy enough a carbon fiber frame is off my list. The carbon fiber eBikes come in at 24 pounds (11Kg) while the aluminum frame models are 31 pounds 31 pounds (14Kg). The F30 is a disc brake gravel bike. I wanted slightly wider tires than a normal road bike. It came with Kenda 38 cm tires that had a lot of rolling resistance. I had Continental Grand Prix 4000 II on my old bike so I went tubeless this time with Continental GP 5000 TLs, a 32 cm rear and a 28 cm front. Now my eBike (off) out performs my old bike (except for gear range). It is 8.3 pounds heavier but that doesn't seem to matter.
My normal distance is 25-32 miles but I ridding another 100km event in the fall. I'll just save the boost for uphill and finishing.


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