I think it is good that there is a push for lighter and small power ebikes so its you doibg the work. Heavy duty ebikes for cargo and commute is great, but for exercise and recreation, a light bike is better and faster. Thing is, I think the e assist should be at the BB as it is more centered because when descending and cornering, it feels more natural and your mass distribution is more at the centre
I bought the Orbea D40 at €2500. I live Wicklow Ireland (Dublin mountains hill country). I’m almost 70, highly competitive and hate cheats. BUT this new bike is no cheat! 13kg and rides like a conventional road bike. The X35 motor system is a Godsend for me as it helps me to ride alongside younger much fitter athletes without hindering them or dying trying to keep up! My intention is to use the X35 as little as possible, that’s my nature but for older or infirm riders this bike is a new lease of life. Stuff the naysayers and the critics, I’ll happily wear a sign on my back saying e-bike rider! This is not cheating it’s equalising and socially inclusive. Viva Orbea (other e-bikes are available at eye watering prices) - this is the future for anyone starting out or trying to get back into cycling. It builds confidence and encourages riders to extend their distances without panicking about whether there’s enough left in the tank to get home. X35 has you covered if it’s managed properly......
Thank you for this! I’m from Mayo but living in London. Thinking of investing for delivery to make it faster and more enjoyable! I’ve only ever been on a jump Uber bike. I’m sure it’s the same thing right? I felt like I had super powers! That’s what I want! Do you think I’m onto the right thing?
But you’re not equal to a 40 year old fit cyclist. That’s life. Whatever way you want to justify it to yourself you’re cheating by using an electric motor on your bike. Sure why don’t we let less able riders equalise in the TDF and give them a motor too?? You say you’re highly competitive and that’s your problem. You can’t compete with younger fitter men these days. It’s called growing old. Do it gracefully and accept it. I can’t compete with 21 year olds but I don’t expect to. I don’t mechanically dope to do so. You’re prob that guy who goes up climbs stealing hard earned KOMs and revels with the kudos you didn’t earn, still believing you’re in your glory days. As the Boss sings, they pass you by.
@@Imthekingofdogshite Peter, you should get out more - preferably on your bike. Actually Jim Durie nailed it. I can/would change only 3 points. I - ride another electric road bike brand / am 80 / and do not live in Ireland. Up to yesterday's purchase I rode an Argon 18 Plutonium but the problem on my daily ride is that I finish on a 13 degree hill to get home in one direction and a prolonged 7-9 degree in the other direction. This encourages a heart attack which somewhat defeats the purpose of a daily ride. Jim Durie: .."encourages riders to extend their distances without panicking about whether there’s enough left in the tank to get home." Precisely. I am now able to add another 20kms daily knowing that I can call on some assistance in the last 10 minutes. The rest of - certainly the majority of - the ride is motor off. "I don't mechanically dope to do so" is an asinine statement which might have some relevance to professional riders in competitions secretly and illegally having some motorised assistance but for myself and likeminded others the suggestion is laughable.
@@johnd1727 so if you aren’t mechanically doping to keep up with younger fitter riders by riding an ebike what are you doing? If you aren’t mechanically doping by now being able to go up 13% gradients easily on your ebike what are you doing? I couldn’t really care less about people using an ebike. But when they are trying to say on the one hand they are highly competitive and hate cheats but don’t consider using an ebike as cheating but merely ‘equalising’ then it’s obviously hypocritical.
Of course with an e-bike - when Dan does a very much needed comeback to the road, and there’s an e-bike involved, then you know everything is right as it should be😂
Those integrated lights are fantastic. That's a no-brainer evolution for the e-bike market that has finally hit its stride. The bikes as a whole are sure making huge strides lately, but I love these fine details that are working their way in.
I have the 2020 D30 gain which is aluminium , bought for a 30 miles ( each way ) covid avoiding commute into London ... Awesome bike , just smooths off the climbs and has enough charge to allow me to drop it into max assist mode for the final 10 miles if i am feeling tired . This new carbon one looks fantastic.
@@alexisv3875 charging is something like 3hrs. But I can do the 60 miles return trip without charging . In fact, sometimes I get home with 40+ % battery life left . (sometimes it will be 30% if i am tired) This probably means that I am going a bit too fast and not sitting back and allowing the motor to do its thing up to 15.5mph. The 20 mph cut of speed of the US bikes would be interesting to experience , but it must drain the battery much quicker as the motor would be running for a much higher proportion of the ride time
Ordered my customized 2021 Gain M20i in October 2020 and got delivery in mid December. This was an upgrade to the 2019 Gain M20i so I was quite excited to see the redesign addressed most of the flaws I found riding the older version. I'm a dedicated roadie and in my latter 60's so after 4+ decades of bike life welcome the just enough power assist concept allowing me to continue vigorous and robust training at speeds and distances to which I'm accustomed. The performance geometry suits my reduced hip and lumbar flexibility but did find the proprietary cockpit components (-7 degree stem) limit fit options and a seatpost with the option for 0 degree set back would have made the fit less a challenge for me personally. The riser bar option did help and with a few tweaks found a comfort zone though not perfect makes the bike relatively comfortable for rides up to 3 hours. Battery life is virtually the same as with the previous Gain so at about 210 lbs I routinely do 50-60 mile rides in rolling terrain without drawing the battery down into the blinking red zone. The bike handling of this iteration is a quantum leap above my older Gain, gone is the twitchy feel and clunky cornering and no longer do I clench my teeth on descents, particularly in curves and switchbacks as the bike tracks remarkably well much like my 3 year old Colnago C60, a bike I prefer on faster, flat roads and less windy days. I was a little suspicious about the 'plus' rating of the X35 motor since that sounds like marketing hype but it does exactly what it says it will do. Engagement of the motor as cadence changes smooths out to the extent I don't feel the jerky transition when applying power after a momentary halt in pedaling or standing on the pedals while climbing, something I don't do much of anyway with my goal being mostly getting to the top. The improvements overall were well worth the price of the upgrade and the Gain M20i is still a best value dollar for dollar compared to other name brand ebikes that include carbon components, wheels, and electronic shifting in their specs. The stock OC carbon rim depth is less than the Mavik Cosmic Carbon Pro's on my 2019 Gain but found they act pretty much the same regards rolling resistance and cross winds so no significant differences that I noticed. There's a point not so far off where except for power assist the appearance, feel and rideability of the ebike compared to the standard road bicycle will be virtually undetectable. The debate about that being a good or bad thing will go on but given how so many premium brands are investing R&D money bringing ebikes to the marketplace speaks to consumer demand and a good indication the ebike is here to stay. For me it's all about keeping fit and active on the bike and doing what I love doing until I can't do it anymore. MTB'ers say 'Shred till your Dead'. Yeah, it's like that.
Quick question on noticable differences between the 2019 and 2020 models you owned. I have the chance to get a good deal on a 201 Orbea model D31 E bike which i assume are pretty similar beside higher end components and the carbon vs aluminum frame. Thanks..
I've had this bike for about 2 weeks now. I absolutely love this bike so much! I didn't find the Ultegra group set worth it to me so mine was swapped with 105 instead (saved a few hundred bucks). My favorite part about this bike is that it feels perfectly normal even with the motor off. There's little to no drive train drag (at least from what I can feel). All in all I love this bike so much and it's been perfect for getting me back into cycling.
@@timothygettelfinger6836 my dealer told me and I honestly can't remember. It's incredibly light though (at least to me). The majority of the weight is in the back since that's where the motor is. I come from a world of heavy mountain bikes and it's way lighter than any of those if that means anything.
I own the 2019 ORBEA Gain M30 (stealth black,105 Groupset) It is indeed an amazing bike , just make sure to have enough battery for to get home or you will feel the extra weight of the rear hub Ebikemotion X35 at lower speeds. The bike itself has been a life saver for my rides to my nearest archery club. The Ebikemotion X35 hub pedal assist enough to offset the extra weight of my all the archery equipment I have to carry when going to my archery club while keep the ride enjoyable. The 105 groupset has been amazing but I do plan to upgrade to Shimano Ultegra d12 next year.
@@abeladames9625 With a full charge in the Highest mode about 30 miles. Bosch have devised a handy eBike Range Assistant/calculater you can use to get a fairly accurate estimate on your range.
@MRGRUMPY53 yeah mine was a little over $4,000. They're definitely not cheap. But Orbea outlet section has these pretty heavily discounted. Only real difference outside of the fancy internal cable routing is that those don't come with the little computer thingy (which I don't find all to useful anyway)
@@richardevans9465 Because people with certain medical conditions can find them super helpful. My partners father, who has bad arthritic knees rides a pedal assist mountain bike because he can't ride a normal bike any more. It's still exercise and it gets him outside.
Life changing bike for me after I developed big problems with my breathing! Cannot recommend it enough, great design, great system and a complete bike!
Cheers GCN it was you who introduced me to the Gain... well the ebikemotion system in general when this video dropped all those months ago. My M30 arrived yesterday after months of trying to get one. After swapping the tyres for some gravel ones i've had a blast on it. I've found my times are similar to what I was doing on my 2014 RX9 but i'm not ruined when I get home. Granted I have only had it a day but already I know I made a good choice going with an ebikemotion equipped bike.
@@DanTuber if you don’t want carbon and can settle for slightly worse gears , can get one for just over $4k. Same motor, electronics and hub as the more expensive ones
Great bike - love to be able to take this out in hilly country - back to my youth ! It would never replace my " normal bike "but they have missed nothing here design tech beautifully integrated - great presentation !
When Dan does a very much needed comeback to the road, and there’s an e-bike involved, then you know everything is exactly as it should be. Just kidding, though. I do miss Dan on the road - thankfully, we still have Si (best presenter with Dan) on the road still. He can never step down! Love you guys!
@@martinbywater I hate Pinarello. Had two of them until they both broke at the bottom of the seat tube and couldn't get either one of them warrantied. They both were just two years old. Pinarello is junk in my mind.
He mentioned a sensor on the cassette lock ring. My sensor has 20 small round magnets surrounding the lock ring. What I discovered about the sensor, the motor would continue to engage as long as the sensor was spinning. How I discovered that is my chain broke on a steep climb, I panic for a sec thinking now I have a long walk home. So I decided to get back on the bike and to my surprise, I found that the motor did engaged as long as the rear wheel was spinning. So I ended up with a nice ride home, ... can you call it - non pedal assist with no chain? ... Lol
As an Orbea Gain owner I can say you do get drag from the motor, a very small amount but it's there non the less, set assistance to off or actually turn the system off and it's gone.
how are they on long rides (hilly too)? I'm getting older, and live in Scotland. each year we do the 5 ferries, which is pretty hilly in parts, and I've felt I was struggling this year. Its about 70 miles, done in about 6 hrs normally due to stops, and ferries. I was thinking of getting this bike to replace my Orbea Avant M30, which I love. I just feel I've struggled to keep up with the group on the high hilly sections. Does it stay charged well? Would it last a 70-80 mile route with several large hills?
Hi Des what is the weight please ? Plus, is the battery removable, I think its not designed to be in the same way as the crank motor ebikes are but would be useful if it is easily removed to then use the bike as a more normal road bike. I assume you can just change the back wheel after disconnecting the motor.
@@scoffer234 its 14kg, you can remove the battery but i have never tried. yes you can disconnect the rear drive motor but have not fitted an ordinary wheel to try it
Pity the battery is not user removable. If it was, you could remove it, replace the rear wheel with the motor by a standard wheel and have a normal road bike if and when you need one
Looks great ,what does it weigh? As I'm sure one day you will have a flat battery so you would have to ride home with good old fashioned leg power only ...
I have and ride my 2019 Orbea Gain D31 all the time over 4000 miles on it no issue with motor or battery…. Only issue was rear wheel spokes too weak had to have them all replaced… I’m 6’1 200 lbs
I own the carbon Gain and love it. Also, own 4 electric bikes and about 15 road bikes. They say it is a good handling bike. It is the worst handling bike, even compared to my 2001 and 3 2010 bikes. It's not worth going on and on and explaining it because it's simply an electric bike and works great for that but don't expect it to be anything like a roadbike. The brakes are great and it's a smooth engine.
All the specs then but no impressions on how it rides or how the assistance actually feels and potential range..... surely the whole point of a review.
I see that it only has the single (iwoc one) power and light select button. You have to either take your eyes off the road to look at it, unless you can get it right from your memory. I have a Gain F35. The handlebar mounted iwoc trio control is much easier and safer to use - much like a gear shifter.
It's pedal-assist, so it adjusts its output to match your input: basically it shares the load with you up to 250w + 250w. But, and it's a big but (I like them, can't lie) it's more about the torque than the power. As a hub motor, it's not designed to put out the same grunt (i.e. torque) as a bottom-bracket motor - it's more like having a super-strong mate pushing you uphill by a hand in the back, or a constant tailwind, but only up to 15.5mph in the UK (25kmh). At that point the assist fades out, so you can find yourself drifting in and out of assist mode as the gradient changes and your speed drops below 25kmh. It's really natural feeling in the lower two power modes - you just feel like you're having your best climbing day ever. In the 'red' mode (the button changes colour with each power mode - green/orange/red) it's hard not to go 'wooohooo' out loud :) I have a Ribble gravel bike, with wider rims but 32mm road tyres at the moment, which uses the same drive system (as do the Bianchis and an increasing number of other road-style e-bikes) and it's alloy framed and weighs 12kg, so I guess a carbon frame + more suitable road rims would be around 11 - 11.5kg. Once it's rolling, you don't notice the extra weight really, even with the motor off.
Very curious how Merida, Scott and now Orbea have Nearly identical e-bikes. (250wh, 40nm, single button, rear motor, Downtube expandable battery) Am I missing something? Are they the same company?
Beautiful looking road ebike. Hopefully, once the UK finally leaves the EU they can dump the stupid 25kph motor cut-off and go with something more sense for a fast road bike.
Just get a Chinese fat tyre ebike and derestrict it to go to 20mph. Much better value than this massively overpriced ebike and will only cost you about £900.
Very nice bike. I'm curious Dan I assume the batteries are replaceable but how? Does Orbea list any length of life for the batteries? Not for rides but actual life span before they need to be replaced. And I suspect that IF you didn't want to ride with the electric assist you could actually put a standard wheel on the back and drop the weight of the hub motor. Add to that what appears to be ample clearance and you could go with a gravel tire. Technically seems like a great option for someone that can't afford or doesn't have room for 3 bikes!
Read that the battery is removable but not really designed to be does it invalidate a warranty ? Thought the whole system is 3.5kg added weight not just the battery which is around 1.5kg. Hope I am wrong as it would make the orbea more attractive
You should look at ebikes powered by the Fazua Evation system as both battery and motor are removable. Benefit they have over the Orbea’s system is they’re mid-drive and have a torque sensor as opposed to cadence in the X35 motor.
@@justinseau thanks for that justin, the price difference is quite marked but it is a lot easier as you say as it is designed to do that on a regular basis. Watched a video removing the x35 and it is quite laborious to say the least
I have recently bought the M20 and can find no way of having the integrated lights on high or low beam, they are just on or off, am I missing something or have specs changed since Dan’s review ?
Those would be some slow KOM’s. E assist drops at 20mph and then you are pedaling a 25lb+ bike. It’s not just pedal and go fast bike. Unless steep climbs, an e-assist bike isn’t going to help on KOM dominance.
Aside from the considerable ecological imapct of producing these leisure ebikes...motorised road bikes are absolutely brilliant for people of advanced age or that have various disabilities or health probems!
Had my orbea gain for just over a year now definitely makes the hills easier no difference on the flats and descents though. Battery life could be a lot better and its very restricted thanks to the ridiculous laws the government have imposed
