Last summer I was trying out Estarli’s e28.X “City Belter”, a belt driven hybrid e-bike with a two-speed Bafang automatic gearbox in the rear hub.
I liked it so much I bought one, and I love it.
But my evaluation did highlight some issues with the standard version that I thought could be changed to suit me better, in particular the gearing/pedalling cadence, and on the one I bought I opted for a larger crankset that addressed this to an extent.
I also wrote, last August:
I have also gathered that, in a spirit of constant research and development, Estarli are actively working on a three speed automatic gearbox e-bike, which is something I suggested in my previous discussion about cadence.
Apparently they have been testing a few such motor technologies. They are fine tuning the feel and function and have encountered some teething issues. But they say it is something they definitely plan to offer once it meets their demanding standards: there is no likely date yet.
Well it turns out the date was – three days ago. Estarli announced that their award-winning e28.X had “just got even better”. It is now available with a new 3-speed Bafang motor—alongside the existing 2-speed—for an extra £50, while still weighing under 20kgs.
In addition, their website now offers buyers two gear ratios: standard and low cadence. Taken together, I expect these would satisfy the reservations I had about the initial offering. They have also added a striking cobalt blue frame colour to the previous midnight blue, pistachio and bronze.
Acknowledging how easy the bike is to ride without using the motor at all, they are also offering a new (black only) dummy battery, filling in the hole in the down tube, with its electrical contacts, that is exposed when the battery is removed for charging or safekeeping. I have just ordered one.
I would be very interested to try the new three-speed version. But having said that, the two-speed gearbox and five power assist levels suit me just fine here in north Essex, where we do not really encounter any significant hills. The sheer simplicity of the setup is hard to beat.
Others did have concerns too, and it is great that this British bike maker has responded to them. More power to their elbow–if not, now, their drive train.
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