o00scorpion00o
100 kW
I was in Germany the last few days and I got to test the Bosch mid drive on a Raleigh bike.
Here it is.
I was really, really impressed, I never tested a 250 pedelec bike so I can't compare but I can tell that there is no way this bosch drive is 250 watts, It was able to pull me up really steep 12% +hills no problem, I'd say at least 500 watts probably more. There is a video on youtube with an speedict kit hooked up to the Bosch showing 750 watts max being pulled. I could say it would tackle 16% no problem.
I Climbed some long steep stuff and when I got off the bike at the top there wasn't a hint of heat anywhere.
The Pedelec system was fantastic and incredibly smooth and seems so natural. It was much smoother than trying to manage a throttle, there is just no comparison.
From looking around the net it seems they have a 350 watt 45 kph version, but i don't know where this can be purchased ?
I was at a local bike shop where I was staying and they had the new Bosch Drive which has a 400 watt (36V 11 ah) battery and a really nice display.
On the older system I tried had an 8ah 36V battery, the new system seems much easier to use but the old one isn't bad, I forgot to take pics of the different displays.
It was really cool the way you could adjust the assistance levels on the fly, even on eco 1 it provided a decent level of assistance for smaller hills and turning the assistance off al together was really noticeable form the lowest eco 1 setting. Speed 3 was the highest setting and pretty cool on the steep stuff.
The chain drive really makes a difference, being able to drive through the gears makes all the difference.
It was hardly any noisier than a mac geared hub.
The weight in the centre makes a difference to balance without doubt.
I could easily see myself who makes good effort to pedal getting 30+ miles form just 36v 8ah and more with the new 11ah battery 40+ miles should be easily achievable.
Most of the time I needed assistance for smaller hills I used eco 1, but for a lot of the time I used no assistance at all so I guess that means it's easy enough to pedal unassisted but I'd need more time to decide.
Here is the Haibike that my GF Dad bought, It's a fraction under 20kg and it doesn't feel much heavier than my mountain bike with no electrics at all. I don't know the weight of the raleigh, but it did feel heavier than the haibike.
http://www.haibike.de/
Notice the motor upside down for greater ground clearance.
The Battery, 2.5 kg maybe someone can talk about the cells Bosch use ? I believe this pic will give clues ?
The charger, it's got a 4 amp and a 1 amp setting. So 2 hrs from empty to full, depending on how long it takes to balance of course.
I was really impressed with the quality of the Haibike, sadly I didn't get a chance to test it out as the Weather in Germany and most of Europe has been like winter even in May but I got out Saturday it was around 12 C and today when I left it was 7 C, unbelievable!
The bike shop even allows you to take test drives which I though was cool, I only got a quick spin on the new Bosch system.
The conclusion.
I was really impressed with the smoothness of the system and how it seems so natural and the ability to adjust the assistance levels on the fly is really cool. I like to put in serious pedal effort and so eco 1 was my mode most of the time and I was happy until I was confronted by very large hills where I threw it into speed 3 and dropped a few gears for max power. But it was surprisingly powerful.
This system should be more than suitable for most people who would otherwise not bother to cycle because it's too difficult, it should encourage a lot more people to get on the saddle and leave the car at home. I can only imagine it beats the crap out of any hub motor, even at 500+ watts.
I loved the clean design and the lockable battery.
The Bosch system is far more than enough for all but the power junkies here on ES who might dismiss it, but I was really impressed.
I could only highly recommend the Bosch drive, but sadly it is expensive, 2k+ depending on bike of course. But it could be seen as a long term investment.
The German bike trails are a dream and my GF's Dad had to keep reminding me that no cars are allowed that I don't need to ride on the right, I was astonished as a lot of the bike trails were as wide as some of our roads but hard as it is to believe they are much smoother than a lot of our roads.
I really wish the Irish Government would install a lot more proper off road bike lanes to encourage people to cycle more, trails are much more fun than on dangerous roads with traffic, but sadly most of Ireland is owned by farmers who would never allow any form of bike trail through their land and there is very little land for the public to enjoy, far too few parks and no natural forest left! another story for another time.
Here it is.
I was really, really impressed, I never tested a 250 pedelec bike so I can't compare but I can tell that there is no way this bosch drive is 250 watts, It was able to pull me up really steep 12% +hills no problem, I'd say at least 500 watts probably more. There is a video on youtube with an speedict kit hooked up to the Bosch showing 750 watts max being pulled. I could say it would tackle 16% no problem.
I Climbed some long steep stuff and when I got off the bike at the top there wasn't a hint of heat anywhere.
The Pedelec system was fantastic and incredibly smooth and seems so natural. It was much smoother than trying to manage a throttle, there is just no comparison.
From looking around the net it seems they have a 350 watt 45 kph version, but i don't know where this can be purchased ?
I was at a local bike shop where I was staying and they had the new Bosch Drive which has a 400 watt (36V 11 ah) battery and a really nice display.
On the older system I tried had an 8ah 36V battery, the new system seems much easier to use but the old one isn't bad, I forgot to take pics of the different displays.
It was really cool the way you could adjust the assistance levels on the fly, even on eco 1 it provided a decent level of assistance for smaller hills and turning the assistance off al together was really noticeable form the lowest eco 1 setting. Speed 3 was the highest setting and pretty cool on the steep stuff.
The chain drive really makes a difference, being able to drive through the gears makes all the difference.
It was hardly any noisier than a mac geared hub.
The weight in the centre makes a difference to balance without doubt.
I could easily see myself who makes good effort to pedal getting 30+ miles form just 36v 8ah and more with the new 11ah battery 40+ miles should be easily achievable.
Most of the time I needed assistance for smaller hills I used eco 1, but for a lot of the time I used no assistance at all so I guess that means it's easy enough to pedal unassisted but I'd need more time to decide.
Here is the Haibike that my GF Dad bought, It's a fraction under 20kg and it doesn't feel much heavier than my mountain bike with no electrics at all. I don't know the weight of the raleigh, but it did feel heavier than the haibike.
http://www.haibike.de/
Notice the motor upside down for greater ground clearance.
The Battery, 2.5 kg maybe someone can talk about the cells Bosch use ? I believe this pic will give clues ?
The charger, it's got a 4 amp and a 1 amp setting. So 2 hrs from empty to full, depending on how long it takes to balance of course.
I was really impressed with the quality of the Haibike, sadly I didn't get a chance to test it out as the Weather in Germany and most of Europe has been like winter even in May but I got out Saturday it was around 12 C and today when I left it was 7 C, unbelievable!
The bike shop even allows you to take test drives which I though was cool, I only got a quick spin on the new Bosch system.
The conclusion.
I was really impressed with the smoothness of the system and how it seems so natural and the ability to adjust the assistance levels on the fly is really cool. I like to put in serious pedal effort and so eco 1 was my mode most of the time and I was happy until I was confronted by very large hills where I threw it into speed 3 and dropped a few gears for max power. But it was surprisingly powerful.
This system should be more than suitable for most people who would otherwise not bother to cycle because it's too difficult, it should encourage a lot more people to get on the saddle and leave the car at home. I can only imagine it beats the crap out of any hub motor, even at 500+ watts.
I loved the clean design and the lockable battery.
The Bosch system is far more than enough for all but the power junkies here on ES who might dismiss it, but I was really impressed.
I could only highly recommend the Bosch drive, but sadly it is expensive, 2k+ depending on bike of course. But it could be seen as a long term investment.
The German bike trails are a dream and my GF's Dad had to keep reminding me that no cars are allowed that I don't need to ride on the right, I was astonished as a lot of the bike trails were as wide as some of our roads but hard as it is to believe they are much smoother than a lot of our roads.
I really wish the Irish Government would install a lot more proper off road bike lanes to encourage people to cycle more, trails are much more fun than on dangerous roads with traffic, but sadly most of Ireland is owned by farmers who would never allow any form of bike trail through their land and there is very little land for the public to enjoy, far too few parks and no natural forest left! another story for another time.
And no I am not talking about Mal Wart. 
