Orbea Gain

[Scaleyback]

Don’t forget to get your spoke tensions checked during service guys, I ‘sprung’ a spoke while riding today !

 

[Storck]

Don’t forget to get your spoke tensions checked during service guys, I ‘sprung’ a spoke while riding today !

You make it back OK?

 

[Southernguns]

That's wheely bad luck

Were you far from home?

 

[Scaleyback]

You make it back OK?

Yes thanks, 22 mile ride and I was about 4 miles from home. You can usually ride safely with a spoke out or even a few but of course depends on the surface, riders weight etc. Funny enough I had a service a couple of weeks ago (LBS non Orbea dealer) the mechanic said he would need to check up on the spoke tensions and would get back to me. He never did and I let it slide now I will get back to him and get them checked.

 

[Storck]

Yes thanks, 22 mile ride and I was about 4 miles from home. You can usually ride safely with a spoke out or even a few but of course depends on the surface, riders weight etc. Funny enough I had a service a couple of weeks ago (LBS non Orbea dealer) the mechanic said he would need to check up on the spoke tension and would get back to me. He never did and I let it slide now I will get back to him and get them checked.

Back in the 80's into first 2 miles of tour in France, six spokes popped out. Directly opposite specialist bike shop. Was made most welcome, with a coffee, back on road within the hour. He checked out other wheel before setting off.

 

[Solom01]

Hi folks, just a quick note to let you all know that I got my Gain F30 (just about the cheapest Gain, but I don't have unlimited funds). I got it mail order from Mike's Bike in California. I'm in Venice Florida and there aren't any Gain Dealers anywhere nearby. It would have been nice to buy from a local shop. I didn't save any money buying it mail order, but it was the only way to get it. The packaging was great, no damage and it wasn't in the demo mode, which I was worried could be an issue. I'm 6'2" and have a 34" inseam so the Large size that I got was the right size. I could probably get away with a medium, but I'm glad I got the large. I was surprised to know that besides the iwoc1 control the flatbars also have an iwoc3 control on the handlebars so if you're worried about taking your eyes off the road this makes a nice addition. The ebikemotion app is well worthwhile, it adds a lot of information and gives you more granular control of power levels and so forth - although instructions are a bit cryptic so be prepared to spend some time on it. I'm a huge fan of the Gain at this point. If anything I am getting more exercise than before and although the power level is not huge and the battery capacity is low I don't worry about running out, because it's as easy as a normal bike to ride without the assist. I'm not trying to skimp on power usage yet and can easily get 50-60 miles range if I'm willing to put some leg effort into it. Thank you all for all your help in the process. This is the best ebike I can imagine assuming you're not looking for a moped type experience.

 

[Scaleyback]

Welcome Solom01,
If the Gain power output suits you it is a great bike (imo)
I only have a iwoc1 but I can handle it without looking down. Having said that I don’t change assist levels much so pretty much always know where I am.
I guess the Iwoc3 is going to make the Gain more recognisable as an e-bike some may not want that ? Enjoy !

 

[Solom01]

I agree with you, it's not a big deal to use the iwoc1, but some people seem upset at the idea of briefly looking away. The Iwoc3 is just a small (maybe 1/2" wide) black control with a couple of small leds on the left side of the handlebar nestled against the brake/shift controls so honestly I doubt that it would stand out much. The one thing I do like about it is that it allows you to go up/down and select power levels without cycling through all of them, so that's kind of nice.

 

[Storck]

I agree with you, it's not a big deal to use the iwoc1, but some people seem upset at the idea of briefly looking away. The Iwoc3 is just a small (maybe 1/2" wide) black control with a couple of small leds on the left side of the handlebar nestled against the brake/shift controls so honestly I doubt that it would stand out much. The one thing I do like about it is that it allows you to go up/down and select power levels without cycling through all of them, so that's kind of nice.

Agree Sol, on the discreet nature of the Iwoc on flat bar Gains. While I have no problem with the Iwoc on the top tube (just like reaching for a bottle) I don't like having to toggle through to get back? I can see Emotion sorting that maybe even for 2020 models?

 

[Southernguns]

The one thing I do like about it is that it allows you to go up/down and select power levels without cycling through all of them, so that's kind of nice.

That is probably my only criticism of the bike - with the iwoc1 you have to cycle through. It is no big deal and you soon get used to it, it's just a little irritating. I use it without looking down and always manage to find the level I want (other than when it occasionally has a funny 5 minutes and does all sorts of weird things). However, the option of an easily added/removable iwoc3 would be a nice addition for those that want it on the D and M series bikes.

I'm glad you are enjoying the Gain, Solom

 

[Ckspark]

Hi I'm new to here, I'm thinking of getting my wife a Orbea Gain so she can join me and our son on rides without holding us back too much. She also wants to exercise/train indoors as we already do. My question is does anyone know if the gain can be used on a Tacx Bushido or Vortex wheel on turbo trainer?

 

[areyouactuallymoving]

Had my F10 a couple of weeks now, and there is one thing I can't quite work out, which is the power % when using an assist level. It seems that there is less power when I am going slowly, and therefore need the assist more, than when I am already over about 10 mph. I am misunderstanding what the power % represents? Or is there a way to make the power kick in more at lower speeds?

I am also slightly disappointed with the range so far. If I do a hilly 12 miles with full assist on all the time I use up about 35% of the battery from fully charged, (I am using the bike for a commute and full power so I get there un-sweaty or at least less sweaty). This doesn't seem like I would get the range oft quoted. Admittedly I am about 85 kgs, so not a lightweight, but at that level of consumption I would only be able to do 30 miles if I used the assist all the time.

 

[Scaleyback]

Hi I'm new to here, I'm thinking of getting my wife a Orbea Gain so she can join me and our son on rides without holding us back too much. She also wants to exercise/train indoors as we already do. My question is does anyone know if the gain can be used on a Tacx Bushido or Vortex wheel on turbo trainer?

I owned a Tacx Vortex 'back in the day' I cannot be certain but I would think the Gain will fit any 'wheel on' trainer. However, if you do use the Gain and subscribe to a cycling simulation game, Zwift ? better make sure the pedal-assist is switched off ? Otherwise she will be posting w/kg (power) figures and times that make her look like a potential recruit for Sky (Ineos) And if I know Zwift (and I do) she will get all sorts of 'dogs abuse' because it will be somewhat obvious from the power & times she is posting that she is on an e-bike. Maybe better to get her a cheap bike just for trainer use than manhandle the heavy Gain into and out of the trainer ?

 

[Solom01]

Hi, I can't really answer the power question since I'm in the US and our Gains are set to cut off power at 20 mph but your range figures seem pretty good. The Orbea has a fairly small battery and it doesn't last very long, especially at the 2 higher assist levels. When I talk about 50-60 miles of range a huge percentage of that is on no-power or just the first level. I'm also riding on flat terrain - I'm sure hills would cut down the range substantially. I guess I see the gain as being more of a regular bike with the assist being there just to help out for short periods of time. Outside of saying that maybe a heavier, more traditional type of eBike with a much larger battery would be more suited to your needs which is not very helpful maybe you should consider buying the optional water bottle battery? It's pretty expensive at about $645 US dollars in the US (although it isn't available yet) but it should just about double your battery capacity and range and you would only have to use it on days when you needed maximum range.

 

[areyouactuallymoving]

Hi, I can't really answer the power question since I'm in the US and our Gains are set to cut off power at 20 mph but your range figures seem pretty good. The Orbea has a fairly small battery and it doesn't last very long, especially at the 2 higher assist levels. When I talk about 50-60 miles of range a huge percentage of that is on no-power or just the first level. I'm also riding on flat terrain - I'm sure hills would cut down the range substantially. I guess I see the gain as being more of a regular bike with the assist being there just to help out for short periods of time. Outside of saying that maybe a heavier, more traditional type of eBike with a much larger battery would be more suited to your needs which is not very helpful maybe you should consider buying the optional water bottle battery? It's pretty expensive at about $645 US dollars in the US (although it isn't available yet) but it should just about double your battery capacity and range and you would only have to use it on days when you needed maximum range.

Sorry, I maybe didn't explain it very well. The bikes here cut out at 15.5 mph. I was talking about the 'power' gauge in the app and that I appear to get less assist when I'm going at about 6mph up a hill than when I'm going about 10mph on a smaller hill.

The Gain is very definitely the right bike for me, all I am after is a bit of help up hills. While I have used full assist on the way there, I only use it with assist when really necessary on the way home when it doesn't matter if I arrive sweaty. I am already cycling further and more frequently and loving the bike.

The range just seems to be a bit less than promised, especially as I am going at over 15.5 mph for a fair bit of time and therefore not using the assist. But I know terrain and rider (& pannier etc. ) weight will affect how it performs for me.