Orbea D20 E-bike

[179club]

I now have my Orbea D20 road bike over a week now. Pricy bike but is very good quality. I have ridden 90% without any assistance. 270 miles covered so far. Did I make a mistake forking out more for an E-bike when I could have got a good carbon lighter bike for same or less money? Yes and no. If you are a serious cyclist who loves a good long spin and workout an E-bike is not for you ever. If you like a good long cycle and find headwinds and hills or long upward inclines hammer you then an E-bike is worth considering if it is possible. I am still unsure if I made the right choice. I will update more soon for a clearer picture. By the way, the front brake is left-handed, a bit scarey getting used to it

 

[Scaleyback]

Hi 179club,
I have the Orbea Gain, mine is a 2019 D30, same bike as yours I believe but D30 has 105 groupset.
I have covered almost 3,000 miles on mine. I got a few loose spokes early on and the black finish on the wheel rims is already badly
'pockmarked' poor quality paint finish I suppose. Annoying but purely cosmetic. Otherwise the bike has been brilliant and I have no
'buyer remorse'
Your comment " I have ridden 90% without any assistance. " leads you to question if an e-bike purchase was a wise decision.
I would ask "what sort of miles are they" riding without assistance on flattish terrain is not difficult (imo) for a reasonably fit rider.
I cycle in and around the Yorkshire dales and to cycle 90% without any assistance around here, so effectively averaging over approx 15.5 mph
for 90% of the time would certainly impress me.

 

[179club]

Hi. I would not be riding on hills like yourself as the Dales is a hilly area. On flat it is easy to ride the bike. On some steep hills or a long uoward inclines with a headwind I would use L1 sometimes L2. I would average on a 20+ miles run 16.1 mph so not bad.

 

[Scaleyback]

How old are you 179club ?

I am 73 and at 71 kg consider myself pretty fit for my age. No cycling impediments except my age I thought similar to you before I
purchased my Gain. Did I need it ? would it wreck my fitness level ? I had/still have a 8kg carbon road bike (which I still ride) I can still ride plenty of miles on my unassisted bike including some 12-15% hills providing they are reasonably short. What the Gain does is allow me the freedom to ride farther and higher without finding myself 20 miles from home and knackered. I have 'dialled' the lowest assistance level down to 80% and I almost exclusively ride at this level to help me maintain good fitness. Sure I have lost a little of the power and stamina I had even 18 months ago ! maybe riding the Gain has a little to do with that but at my age I accept it is inevitable. Incidentally the majority of my rides on the flatter courses would average 16 to 17 mph.
Here is my Garmin data from what I consider a flattish ride.
Distance 19.31 mi Time 1:09:05 Avg Speed 16.8 mph Elev Gain 663 ft.

I have cycled between 4,000 and 5,000 miles for the last 5 years and have every ride saved on Garmin Connect and therefore
I can plot my decline as 'old father time goes to work on me.

A year is a long time (power and stamina wise) in one's 60's and 70's. When I look back at my rides from 1 > 2 years ago I wonder what happened to that man ? but I will not stop until I cannot (for whatever reason) cycle. As time passes I appreciate my Gain more and more.
I still love cycling and ride between 80 & 100 miles every week. I am a great believer in 'use it or lose it'

Sorry, this post has almost turned autobiographical and I'm even beginning to bore myself.

Adieu

Roy

 

[179club]

Excellent post. I am 55 years young and 84kg and fit enough. I am blessed I have very strong stamina. You ride because you enjoy it so much and it benefits your mind... body....and health so much. Yes the gain works for you perfect. It drives you more as it has a helping hand when you begin to tire. You are still young at 73 and light at 71kg. I 100% agree with your post and others who will read itwill be inspired by you like me. Never give up. God Bless you.

 

[gzoom]

Did I make a mistake forking out more for an E-bike when I could have got a good carbon lighter bike for same or less money? ...... I am still unsure if I made the right choice.

Am 38, by no means quick but am often close to or in the top 10-20% of most Strava segments, and in the top 10 for a few.

I bought a Boardman 8.9e in Feb to help ease me back into cycling after a 4 year pause, I use it everyday for the commute to work. I also have a 7.8kg Trek Road bike from 2011 which I ride on at weekends.

This is my commute back from work yesterday done on my Trek road bike and than a few days before on my hybrid eBike. As you can see am QUICKER on my road bike by some margin, the conditions were similar and same slight tail wind.

I also sometimes wonder if I should have just not bought the eBike, but two points I've come to realise.

1. The eBike lets me take things easy, so I get to work not sweaty and hot. This means I actually use the bike more.
   
2. One a windy, wet day just the psychological effect of seeing I have an eBike with assistance helps me to keep taking the bike rather than drive.
   
3. Without riding my eBike to work everyday there is no way my overall bike fitness would be nearly back to my peak from years ago.

So in summary, yes I could have done without the eBike, but eBike has enabled me to spend more time in the saddle which ultimately means am fitter than before and can enjoy my road bike more.

Given what I know now though I would have just got a cheaper eBike rather than a more expensive one, and as always the right number of bikes is n+1 .

 

[179club]

I am the same. Having had e-bikes for three years makes me cycle a lot more snd enjoy it very much. I only started cycling at age 52 so this has been a great benefit to me.