That will be seriously under powered compared to the giant..
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
As you know, the Giant uses a re-branded Yamaha crank drive.
They've proved reliable, so for one owner to get five wrong uns is beyond unlucky.
The nearest equivalent would be a Cannondale Neo which uses the Bosch Active Line Plus motor.
It's 'zero resistance' and slightly less powerful than the Bosch Performance motor on my bike, all of which adds up to improved (ie: less) power consumption.
A Fazua motored bike might suit, although however you cut it, you have a smaller capacity battery which must impact adversely on range.
TyrannosaurusTreks
Formerly known as Giantbadge
- Location
- Somerset
The 4 previous bikes all had broken forks & headstock problems this is the first motor problem.
This latest bike has headstock & motor issues which I didn’t notice only the shop.
I’ve ridden the cube and it’s not bad up the hills with 63nm torque it does shift.
With the bike being 6kg lighter & no resistance over 15mph I feel pulled towards it.
Also if needed I can remove battery & motor & ride .
I’ve read about the ribble & orbea slightly put off by noisy motor & app issues.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Can't say fairer that - you've ridden the bikes so you know what's what.
Aren't there a couple of other makes that use the Fazua motor?
Cubes tend to be good value, so that probably is the brand to go for to get a bike with that motor.
TyrannosaurusTreks
Formerly known as Giantbadge
- Location
- Somerset
Yes there are a few manufacturers out there but at a lot higher price with the same group sets.
Trek has just brought out a high spec Bosch mid drive at £5k.
There is a big choice out there but after all the hassle I just want something that’s going to be reliable & for me Giant isn't.
Trek has just brought out a high spec Bosch mid drive at £5k.
There is a big choice out there but after all the hassle I just want something that’s going to be reliable & for me Giant isn't.
OP
OP
Foghat
Freight-train-groove-rider
Did the shop provide any sensible explanation for all these failures pertaining to the forks/headsets? E.g. exactly which parts broke....and were they down to design problems, or manufacturing faults? And had they seen it on others' bikes, not just yours?
I took my fork out recently for an inspection and for a clean/re-grease of the headset bearings, and it all looked fairly simple in there without the odd features I seem to recall you mentioning in the past. Still confounded by all your bikes' problems.....
proton666
Active Member
- Location
- The California Abyss
Maybe an informal poll is needed here.
@Giantbadger if I recall correctly you have the XL version of this bike.
Perhaps other rides in the community can answer these questions:
- Anyone else riding the XL?
- What size do you ride?
- What is your weight?
- How would you describe your riding style
- How many miles do you have on your bike
- How often have you had to service your bike
- What problems / issues have you experienced (no matter how minor they may be)
- I ride the M.
- I weigh a scant 135 Lb. (my riding nick name that stuck is "bird legs")
- I'm an ex-competitive rider so I ride reasonably hard but I'm more of a climber and definitely not a roller / sprinter so I can't mash it like the big boys do.
- I have had a couple of random reset of the odometer so I do not know my exact milage on the bike but it's probably around 2500 miles.
- I service the bike every 200 miles or so (I service my own bikes).
I have my share of clicks, creaks and rattles (mine come and go with servicing) but they are all minor torquing / greasing issues but non of them are on the magnitude / frequency that Giantbadger has experienced (not yet anyway). I will say that compared to my non ebikes these issues seem much more frequent with the Giant. But my non ebikes are all carbon and I know from past experience that aluminum frames can be creak magnets.
Maybe it's as simple as the frame's size to rider's wright ratio being the issue (perhaps, at the XL scale the bike is pretty much at the limits of it's intended performance envelope so it's far easier for a fit rider to exceed those limits).
@Giantbadger if I recall correctly you have the XL version of this bike.
Perhaps other rides in the community can answer these questions:
- Anyone else riding the XL?
- What size do you ride?
- What is your weight?
- How would you describe your riding style
- How many miles do you have on your bike
- How often have you had to service your bike
- What problems / issues have you experienced (no matter how minor they may be)
- I ride the M.
- I weigh a scant 135 Lb. (my riding nick name that stuck is "bird legs")
- I'm an ex-competitive rider so I ride reasonably hard but I'm more of a climber and definitely not a roller / sprinter so I can't mash it like the big boys do.
- I have had a couple of random reset of the odometer so I do not know my exact milage on the bike but it's probably around 2500 miles.
- I service the bike every 200 miles or so (I service my own bikes).
I have my share of clicks, creaks and rattles (mine come and go with servicing) but they are all minor torquing / greasing issues but non of them are on the magnitude / frequency that Giantbadger has experienced (not yet anyway). I will say that compared to my non ebikes these issues seem much more frequent with the Giant. But my non ebikes are all carbon and I know from past experience that aluminum frames can be creak magnets.
Maybe it's as simple as the frame's size to rider's wright ratio being the issue (perhaps, at the XL scale the bike is pretty much at the limits of it's intended performance envelope so it's far easier for a fit rider to exceed those limits).
Last edited:
TyrannosaurusTreks
Formerly known as Giantbadge
- Location
- Somerset
The first 2 forks broke at the top tube where they are resin glued not welded.
The 3rd set was a new redesigned fork with a longer tube but that only lasted a short time
A 3 month wait for the 2019 bike and 50 miles in, the top head bearing wouldn’t seat into frame due to manufacturing fault in headstock
Next & last 5th bike, 250 miles in, creaking dry & knocking noise from headstock & motor.
I would say in my experience that the frame & fork design aren’t strong enough for the weight of an e-bike.
I’ve not had a true full answer on how many bikes have suffered the same problems.
I can’t see this bike lasting another 100 miles,
So for a £3.5k bike it’s not acceptable,I love the motor & battery range & it’s going to be hard not having it.
TyrannosaurusTreks
Formerly known as Giantbadge
- Location
- Somerset
Thanks Proton666.
My first 3 bikes were size large, in 2019 they brought out the XL 2 of them.
I weigh 95kg 6ft2” I ride quite hard but only for pleasure
The weight of an ebike pursey shouldn’t be an issue as the bike would have an overall weight allowance.......I.e 120kgs bike and rider for example
Myself I went the emtb route and put slick tyres and rack on the commuter E and left the weekender as standard and just added a rack.....I myself weigh 118kgs and have had zero issues with either bike....they even got 28 spokes on the wheels
TyrannosaurusTreks
Formerly known as Giantbadge
- Location
- Somerset
They don’t really want me to have the cube due to the fact there not a authorised cube dealer & if there was any problems with the Fazua motor, there is no uk repairs base.
That's a really nice bike Giantbadge. I road tested the Cube with the Fazua motor a few months back. It was great on the flat or smallish hills but I did not find it much help on very steep (greater than 20% gradients). I ended up buying a Cannondale Synapse Neo 2 which I have been very impressed with. It has been fine on all the hills I have tried in my area.
TyrannosaurusTreks
Formerly known as Giantbadge
- Location
- Somerset
It comes in at 17kg - 38 pounds
TyrannosaurusTreks
Formerly known as Giantbadge
- Location
- Somerset
Had a quick ride tonight down the seafront
