# Yamaha launch the Wabash gravel e-bike



## theloafer (22 Mar 2019)

liking the look of this ... 

*https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/n...Q_hVi1t8dgUWhz7agqFUQUrEb-eUDeWe4H1YthdJZpFno*


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## Bonefish Blues (22 Mar 2019)

You and you both


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## Spiderweb (22 Mar 2019)

That’s just ugly, why have they gone for the large visible battery pack when other manufacturers ebikes, eg. Orbea, Ribble, Bianchi etc, look pretty much like most road bikes.


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## jowwy (22 Mar 2019)

Spiderweb said:


> That’s just ugly, why have they gone for the large visible battery pack when other manufacturers ebikes, eg. Orbea, Ribble, Bianchi etc, look pretty much like most road bikes.


Personally I would prefer the bigger battery and assist levels that the orbea, rubble, Bianchi don’t have......but the Cannondale Neo does


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## dodgy (22 Mar 2019)

Spiderweb said:


> That’s just ugly, why have they gone for the large visible battery pack when other manufacturers ebikes, eg. Orbea, Ribble, Bianchi etc, look pretty much like most road bikes.



There are advantages with this approach. What happens with a concealed battery design when the battery either develops a fault, or inevitably, become less efficient in years to come?


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## Ming the Merciless (22 Mar 2019)

Would be classed as a moped / motorbike in the UK.


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## Heltor Chasca (22 Mar 2019)

Yamaha didn’t weally spend much time coming up with the name ‘Wabash’ did they?


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## Spiderweb (22 Mar 2019)

jowwy said:


> Personally I would prefer the bigger battery and assist levels that the orbea, rubble, Bianchi don’t have......but the Cannondale Neo does


I’ve just shown how little I know about eBikes, so the Yamaha has assist more like an e mountain bike, I still think they could have avoided that big bolt on battery look, just look at some off road ebikes now, they look so much better eg Trek Powerfly and the Cube range. This to me just looks like early days ebike design.


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## youngoldbloke (26 Mar 2019)

dodgy said:


> There are advantages with this approach. What happens with a concealed battery design when the battery either develops a fault, or inevitably, become less efficient in years to come?


I assume the battery is removed and replaced. There is access to the battery, it is not sealed forever within the frame.
I very much agree with Spiderweb, it looks dated. It's also heavy.


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## dodgy (26 Mar 2019)

youngoldbloke said:


> I assume the battery is removed and replaced. There is access to the battery, it is not sealed forever within the frame.
> I very much agree with Spiderweb, it looks dated. It's also heavy.



Well yes, the battery looks simple to replace on this Wabashi. You're saying that's also the case for the Ribble, Giant and other concealed battery designs?


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## jowwy (26 Mar 2019)

Spiderweb said:


> I’ve just shown how little I know about eBikes, so the Yamaha has assist more like an e mountain bike, I still think they could have avoided that big bolt on battery look, just look at some off road ebikes now, they look so much better eg Trek Powerfly and the Cube range. This to me just looks like early days ebike design.



In a nutshell, yes that washabi does have the same power as my current cube ebike - 50nm of torque, 250w motor, 500wh battery....
the ribble and the orbea are different altogether in that it has a rear hub motor, 250w, 40nm torque, but only 250wh battery.....but is a lot lighter at around 14kgs compared to the 21kgs of my cube and is easier to pedal unassisted as its cranks are just standard road ones.


there a lots of different options out there now in road design ebikes from the likes of cannondale, cube, orbea, pinarrelo, colnago, raliegh...that all have a different idea of what an E-road bike should be capable of......for me all i did was buy the cube emtb, switch the wheels and tyres to lighter and slicker, removed suspension forks and added MTB carbon forks and switched out the 9spd runing gear, for 11spd di2 and now i have exactly what i want for commuting and pleasure...

i then bought the same cube emtb as a 2nd bike and kept it all standard, for doing muddy towpaths, winter etc etc....i now have the best of both worlds available within the man cave


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## youngoldbloke (26 Mar 2019)

dodgy said:


> Well yes, the battery looks simple to replace on this Wabashi. You're saying that's also the case for the Ribble, Giant and other concealed battery designs?



I'm not saying it is simple, I was answering _dodgy's_ point (post#5) :
_"What happens with a concealed battery design when the battery either develops a fault, or inevitably, become less efficient in years to come?"
_
my reply: 
_"I assume the battery is removed and replaced. There is access to the battery, it is not sealed forever within the frame. ..." 
_
My Orbea Gain has an access panel near the bottom bracket on the underside of the down tube, and I assume the other makes using the EBM X35 system (Ribble, Wilier, Bianchi, Pinarello etc) are similar. Here is a link to a thread where battery replacement is discussed.


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## dodgy (26 Mar 2019)

Ah sorry for the misunderstanding.


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## Smudge (30 Mar 2019)

A couple of advantages of the Wabash battery location, is that it can be easily removed for charging away from the bike. Also, when the battery is coming to the end of its life, it can be sent off to be recelled by companies that do this.
There's always plus's & minus's to any system.


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## youngoldbloke (30 Mar 2019)

Smudge said:


> A couple of advantages of the Wabash battery location, is that it can be easily removed for charging away from the bike. Also, when the battery is coming to the end of its life, it can be sent off to be recelled by companies that do this.
> There's always plus's & minus's to any system.



Yes, BUT, for me, the big minus is the way it looks!


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