# Scott eRide opinions please



## mynydd (9 Nov 2019)

Anyone got any opinions on The Scott sub active eRide 2019 Electric Crossbar Hybrid?

its reduced from £2,148 to £1,399 in rutland cycles.

I had been waiting until I could afford to get a cube one 500, then I saw this online this morning.

it would be mainly for commuting. My ride home is very hilly, approx 1300 of climbing in 7 miles, some of it quite steep...... I read one review that said you had to work quite hard on hills.........

many thanks


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## Pale Rider (9 Nov 2019)

Scott is as good a brand as any.

There's not much to choose between Bosch bikes from the various makers.

They all have the same motor and same or similar components from the usual suspects, such as Shimano.

I think the Scott bike you are looking at may have the smaller capacity 400 wh battery.

Not as desirable as a 500wh, but it should do your commuting round trip a couple of times.


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## mynydd (10 Nov 2019)

Thanks for the reply, yes the battery is smaller, but wouldnt be an issue commuting wise.
reading a few reviews saying mudguards, rack etc are flimsy .... so may just be patient, as the cube does seem well built and solid.


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## Smudge (10 Nov 2019)

Motor is the active line, which is the least powerful motor in their line up. Only 40nm torque.


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## mynydd (10 Nov 2019)

Smudge said:


> Motor is the active line, which is the least powerful motor in their line up. Only 40nm torque.


 ah.... that’s useful, I didn’t realise that. I need as powerful as I can afford really, for my hills home. Thanks


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## CXRAndy (10 Nov 2019)

If you currently have a steel or aluminuim bike with a 68mm threaded bottom bracket then a retrofit Bafang or TSDZ2 kit will have more power, torque and, options to choose larger capacity battery- you can even go with custom firmware to optimise settings (pre-loaded or optional upgrade later) Buy a system with 48 Volt battery as standard. A complete kit with battery around £500-750, they are very simple to install.

Endless sphere website-non hub drive forum has lots of advice, comments about all sorts of crank based Ebike drives


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## mynydd (10 Nov 2019)

CXRAndy said:


> If you currently have a steel or aluminuim bike with a 68mm threaded bottom bracket then a retrofit Bafang or TSDZ2 kit will have more power, torque and, options to choose larger capacity battery- you can even go with custom firmware to optimise settings (pre-loaded or optional upgrade later) Buy a system with 48 Volt battery as standard. A complete kit with battery around £500-750, they are very simple to install.
> 
> Endless sphere website-non hub drive forum has lots of advice, comments about all sorts of crank based Ebike drives



yes this is definitely and option, in fact it would be my preferred way forward as I’ve a newish (less than a year old) boardman adv 8.9 that is my usual commuter, and perfect in all ways apart from being a bit heavy to lug back up hill.......
but I’d been concerned about the reliability etc. Of kits.....
will have a look at the forum you’ve suggested, thanks


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## Pale Rider (10 Nov 2019)

The power delivery of crank drive kits can be a bit clunky in comparison to a Bosch bike, which is about as smooth as it's possible to get.

This may not matter if you've never ridden either, but I'm aware of people who have tested a Bosch bike, bought a Chinese kit, and been disappointed.

As with all things, you get what you pay for.

The Scott bike is a good example, it's cheap for a quality brand Bosch ebike, but fairly low spec.

Not that I would rule it out - the Active motor may well be plenty for your needs.


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## CXRAndy (10 Nov 2019)

Pale Rider said:


> The power delivery of crank drive kits can be a bit clunky in comparison to a Bosch bike, which is about as smooth as it's possible to get.
> 
> This may not matter if you've never ridden either, but I'm aware of people who have tested a Bosch bike, bought a Chinese kit, and been disappointed.



They may not built to the highest spec of Bosch, but spares are plentiful and very modest in costs. Gears, bearings £20-30, Motors, controllers £40-50 and Displays £40-60.

See here http://www.pswpower.com/ven.php?cargo-s210032

That website sells both full kits too. There are others

I doubt you could get a bosch drive repaired cheaply if at all-

EDIT I understand a few repair shops have sourced or had bearings made to repair Bosch units, Bosch also supplies most bearings too

The custom firmware has made the TSDZ2 power extremely smooth in delivery either in application or switching off. The TSD is torque drive so responds to user power delivery, not a simple on off action

If the user wants an extremely tough motor drive the Bafang do an off road built grade, to cope with the riggers of MTB users. They also work on road bikes.


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## mynydd (10 Nov 2019)

thanks for the input, am now seriously considering buying a kit, just slightly concerned about getting one from overseas....
also, I understand you need brake leavers that cut off the motor? but I'm only seeing mountain bike type levers. the bike I'd possibly convert has drop bars and hydraulic breaks, any suggestions? thanks


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## CXRAndy (10 Nov 2019)

mynydd said:


> thanks for the input, am now seriously considering buying a kit, just slightly concerned about getting one from overseas....
> also, I understand you need brake leavers that cut off the motor? but I'm only seeing mountain bike type levers. the bike I'd possibly convert has drop bars and hydraulic breaks, any suggestions? thanks



The TSDZ2 kit doesn't require brake lever switches, its torque sensing, if you lift off power assist stops too. The custom firmware has improved further smoothness. 

I got my kit excluding battery from here https://www.electrifybike.com/store/c38/TSDZ2_Open_Source_Firmware_(OSF)_Upgrade_Products.html#/

A great information resource is here
https://github.com/OpenSource-EBike-firmware/TSDZ2_wiki/wiki

You dont have to adjust settings beyond UK requirements, but can if you want a little bit more or add additional limits to protect the motor and controller. You can choose battery from 36-52V in the menu. I use 52V but current UK regulations state 48V max. 

I would order the custom kit 48V and leave it Standard for UK regulations.


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## CXRAndy (10 Nov 2019)

The power assisted motors like the Bafang do need brake lever switches to kill assist when braking, you can micro switches with the kits, but need to fitted to levers. -thats why I chose the TSDZ2 for its simpler setup.

The PSPower website does standard kits, much cheaper than the USA supplier. Ive not used them personally but lots do. I ordered my battery from a supplier through DH Gate site. 

Both my motor and battery arrived with 10 days. It took me about an hour to loosely setup the system on the bike and another couple of hours to do a tidying up of wiring, heat shrink connections and weather proofing everything


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## Pale Rider (11 Nov 2019)

Bosch spares is not the company's strongest point, although there are now a couple of third party suppliers for bearings at moderate cost.

A new Bosch bike would have a pan-European warranty of two years, and benefit from the Bosch service promise - spares will be available for at least seven years after the motor drops out of the catalogue, albeit a full motor rebuild is not cheap.

You might get some support buying a Chinese kit from a UK supplier, but if you buy from abroad you will almost certainly be your own if it breaks down.

If it breaks down after a few years, spares will be a problem no matter where you bought it from.

Ebikes are still fairly thin on the ground, so it's hard to judge reliability.

I can say Bosch bikes will do thousands of miles because I've owned/own three that have performed reliably over that distance.

I've never seen a Chinese motor do that sort of mileage, which might be because I don't know that many ebikers who use them.

But I can't quite shake the notion that Chinese electrics are not up to much.


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## CXRAndy (11 Nov 2019)

Pale Rider said:


> But I can't quite shake the notion that Chinese electrics are not up to much



Im not saying Chinese ebike motors are designed to exacting standards of Bosch, but they are being used by many with excellent performance. Have you checked that the Bosch units arent built in China? Vast majority of equipment is built in China. If I had a motor failure it would be £50 to replace. In fact ive ordered a spare motor complete, because they are so cheap to have a full set of spares readily available. I doubt it for my wife, she doesn't put out big power, so unlikely to stress the motor/ controller


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## Pale Rider (11 Nov 2019)

We could have another discussion about quality variations from Chinese factories, sometimes dependent on the amount the customer is able to lean on the supplier.

The bigger the customer, the better the job they are able to get.

I posted elsewhere about the two Chinese ebikes in my local bike shop for which spares are unavailable.

The only fix effectively amounts to replacing the entire system, which the owners are reluctant to pay for.

On the other hand, they recently fitted a Bafang kit and were pleasantly surprised by the apparent quality.

I would just be a little more convinced if I saw more - or any - Chinese ebikes on the road which have done a few thousand miles or lasted a few years.


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## confusedcyclist (11 Nov 2019)

If you are a heavy rider, and/or plan on including steep hills and want to minimise the hard work, the only Bosch motor worth your time is the CX performance which has 75Nm torque, and the 2020 model is much improved(*) over previous iterations. Bosch designed out the internal gearing drag that made the motor feel sluggish once the motor cuts out, so pedalling under your own steam feels more like spinning a traditional bottom bracket. You won't find it heavily discounted until next years tech is being marketed. If you don't plan on riding much over 15.5mph, then you might find the older CX performance motor equipped bikes well priced and suitably powerful enough to get you up steep climbs. If are prepared to work a little harder (not much mind) you might find the Active Line Plus equipped bike at a better price, but they have 50Nm torque. The more basic 40Nm Active Line motor seems to me to be aimed at flatter, casual and urban rides, the CX at mountain bikers, performance road ebikes, and heavy touring whereas and the AL+ is the middle ground, probably good enough for commuting that doesn't include big hills.

*I have yet to try it myself, but ask me again next week when I'll finally have taken delivery.


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## mynydd (11 Nov 2019)

Thanks for all the input. Having spent a lot of yesterday trawling the internet for electric kits etc. I've decided to sit tight until I can buy an entire ebike locally (current favourite being the cube touring 500) the main reason being the need for reliability, warranty etc. the bike will be used daily, and to be honest my experience of lighting systems etc, bough online from afar, that appear to be great, until they suddenly stop working puts me off....
but I do like the idea of building my own ebike, maybe one day as a project but not for the bike I rely on daily to get to and from work, in all weathers.
Thanks again, you've all been really helpful.


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## Pale Rider (11 Nov 2019)

Not a bad plan.

A local dealer should be able to give you a test ride.

One Bosch bike is much like another, so a ride on any bike with that motor will give you a good idea if one will be suitable.

Most pushbike riders like the Bosch motor for its natural cycling feel, but it is no moped which means some effort will be required particularly on steeper hills.


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## mynydd (11 Nov 2019)

Pale Rider said:


> some effort will be required particularly on steeper hills.


That's fine.... I still want a bit of a workout, just not quite as much as I'm currently getting


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## Smudge (14 Nov 2019)

The Scott eride in the OP post is now down to £1,099 at Rutland. Which is a really good deal if the lower torque Bosch motor doesn't bother you.


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## mynydd (14 Nov 2019)

Smudge said:


> The Scott eride in the OP post is now down to £1,099 at Rutland. Which is a really good deal if the lower torque Bosch motor doesn't bother you.


 if only I didn’t live at the top of a seven mile bloody hill......


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## Pale Rider (14 Nov 2019)

mynydd said:


> if only I didn’t live at the top of a seven mile bloody hill......



Don't rule the bike out because of the lower torque motor.

As a commuter, you must be reasonably fit.

The Scott bike may be enough for you requirements, even if you have to resort to turbo setting for the hill.

With a comparatively short round trip you don't need to worry about battery consumption.


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## mynydd (14 Nov 2019)

They’ve all gone now, which probably isn’t a bad thing tbh......


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## Pale Rider (15 Nov 2019)

You could do worse than have a squint at the Halfords Crossfuse bike that has a Bosch motor.

The spec is not that clear on the web, but it is one of the latest Active Line motors.

Currently showing at £1,699, but more skilled internet shoppers than me might be able to get a few hundred off that.

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...use-mens-electric-hybrid-bike-17-19-21-frames


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## Phil Fouracre (15 Nov 2019)

Not that knowledgeable on the full range of these bikes available, but, we’ve bought two Scott Axis eride evo’s and, not sure if it’s any help, but absolutely love them :-)


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