I was able to test ride them at The New Wheel and LOVED it SO much! Karen was right that though I prefer the ease of belt/enviolo, the regular chain ring setup is necessary for our SF hills. Every spec was noticibly high quality. Great vid as always!
Agreed. I also went with the regular chain setup instead of the enviolo for the exact same reason. Much better for steep hill climbing. The enviolo felt like there was a resistance and I needed to put in much more effort to climb hills. I also test road the Rohloff setup and it is better then enviolo but I feel the chain derailure is still better.
I have been riding a Gazelle Orange C7+ for over six years, and it's been great. I would love to get my hands on this new Gazelle, but unfortunately, Gazelle are no longer exporting to Australia. I hope they will change their mind soon so that I and other Australians can once again enjoy these superbly-made e-bikes. The main issue with my current bike is that a new chain does not last long before it starts stretching. After about 5000km, 6 months of riding for me, it needs replacing. I have read that a belt can last much longer. It's also more convenient as it does not need lubrication. Also, my current bike is only 40Nm, not quite powerful enough to climb some of the steep hills in our area that I presently avoid for that very reason. I haven't seen the specs of this new model but I'm pretty sure it would be at least 60Nm.
Very well produced and informative review. Step thru is practical for anyone but there is generally one area lacking in Euro bikes and that is lights. In general they are good enough to pass laws but in practice they are lacking and this is something nearly every review does not show. As the bike is designed with distance in mind some people are going out before sunrise or coming home after sunset or both. All in all I commend Gazelle for being practical in what people want.
I love the bike, it's gorgeous and like all Gazelles it's high quality and build to last. That being said, for this price they should've installed a superior Rohloff gearhub instead of the Enviolo that I can find on great bikes at half the price.
Fair point but keep in mind the transmission is only part of the price on a bike like this. A rohloff hub is nice but would increase the price by at least $500 or so. Enviolo works very nicely for this style of bike and most riders.
I am in The Netherlands and just want to say i loved your review and presentation . Off course i am gonna test the bike but to be honest the decision is already made to buy it !
Turbo Vado 5 is my choice and Specialized can’t really be described as ‘cheap’ in terms of quality. But they do have flash sales all the time so much easier to get a deal. This is the first time I would consider a competitor, but only when there’s an offer!
Just took delivery of mine here in the UK - so EU spec, assist only to 15.6mph but it counts as a normal pedal cycle in legal terms so you can use it on any bike path or shared use space - and had the bike shop add an Automatiq to the Enviolo so the bike is a full automatic, I just set a desired cadence using the bosch controller and the hub will adjust to keep you around that number. If I also use Auto assist mode from the motor it's actually kind of a bizarre experience, just constant flow regardless of terrain(and where I live has some gnarly hills, though perhaps not quite SF gnarly lol) or surface quality(if you live anywhere with a historic town centre where they insist on continuing to use rounded cobbles, your bum will love this bike). That said, tall people should be aware that you will be limited to a very "active" riding posture even on the largest frame size - at just shy of 6'3" and with the seat set to a comfortable height, the default handlebars and stem left me feeling uncomfortably hunched over and even a bit precarious given how aggressive the brakes are(I can literally stop the bike in moments using only one pinkie finger - do NOT panic-grip these or you will go right over the bars), since there's a limit on what angle you can push the adjustable stem to and the cable routing means you can't flip it around so it angles backward. As someone who came from a regular citybike and wanted this as an all-purpose ride I wasn't comfortable on it, but luckily it is possible to swap the stem for a different Gazelle one that will fix that problem, though you'll lose the fancy split-grip for the bars and you need to buy a mount for the Kiox in addition to the stem. Overall though it's a beautiful machine and my only regret is I'm now completely paranoid about leaving it locked anywhere lol.
I'm feeling vindicated this year by my choices hacking around with e-bikes over the past 7 years. This bike is basically the Homage I bought from you guys back in 2017 and hacked with a tuner chip to make it high-speed, and swapped the Enviolo for a high range SRAM groupo for the big hills and a little bit of trail fun. You mostly focused on the urban riding aspects, but Gazelle actually markets this as an all-around bike you can use on trail adventures as well. Likewise, at the end of last year I bought an already cheap hard tail XC bike, the Ride1up Prodigy v1 XC variant, and upgraded its components to make it a cheap alternative to full suspension e-mtb's; but now this year everyone and their dog is producing affordable hard-tail e-mtb's. And then a few years ago I built a sort of franken-mullet, fat bike in the front, 26x2.35 in the rear, dual motor DIY e-bike to use as my urban bike truck; I kind of see the Tern Orox in equivalent terms, although a bit more adventurey with the full fat-tire set up, and more cargo with the longtail frame. It's great to see the industry paying attention to what people want: more affordable bikes that can be used for both errands and for fun. In a future video I would be very interested in hearing how the recent San Francisco fire code change affects you guys; I looked at the chargers and batteries for our 5 e-bikes (the new fire code actually limits the quantity you can own to 4), and only one charger was UL listed, and none of the batteries were, including the Bosch batteries on our Homage. Newer Bosch batteries and chargers are no doubt fully certified for UL 2849. However, they all had at least CE or TUV certification, which I understand to be UL equivalent, and are mentioned in the fire code as potential exceptions. But notably, even the charger that is UL listed was certified before the UL 2849 standard was released. I understand the need for safety, but find this fire code both needlessly draconian and simultaneously unenforceable. I also notice that the same degree of strictness has yet to be applied to EVs despite the large number of house fires caused by Teslas and the relatively low number caused by e-bikes or whole-house back-up batteries, on both of which SFFD has decided to crack down. In 7 years of charging batteries from diverse systems--Bosch, Brose, GSD, Grin, Rubbee and Bafang--I have never had an issue, which I think comes down to all of those brands already being very safe, and also due to good habits on my part. Really curious how or whether this affects you and your thoughts.
Thanks for the post! We worked to try and make the fire code more sensible but it was not so successful. Agreed that it is unenforceable for individuals but it is quite misleading. We are working to try and improve it and make it better.
Looking at my personal ebike on the other side of the room, there's nothing "outside the box" about this ebike, it has all the same features as my bike just with a different choice of drivetrain. Having slightly different performance characteristics isn't any sort of paradigm shift.
It’s a bargain compared to my R14 - 10K (all dressed up). And my R14 was a bargain compared to the bike I really wanted but didn’t buy: R&M Load 60 (4) - 14K! My R14 has a two year drive train warranty (like most new cars), and 8yrs - frame and paint. But they are indeed EXPENSIVE. But with proper maintenance it will bring years and years of better health and personal enjoyment. Did I have to reach to purchase it, sure! But I look at it as 1) vehicle replacement. , and 2) a life enhancement for me and my family. I can’t put a price on that.
It's my favorite now. Was looking at the Como 5.0, but this one is a complete UL approved "system", which the Specialized bikes are not. But I have a real issue with the companies that use the Enviolo Hubs, and DO NOT "drill the spoke holes" so they angle correctly to the hub. Now they are severally "bent" at the rims, and I get broken spokes at the nipples on mine when tensioned correctly. You would think they would learn. You can get rims that are correctly drilled for the spokes for Rohloff hubs. Why not for the Enviolo???
I would love to hear more about the bike itself than the philosophy of the manufacturer. What is the power of the motor, what is the estimated range carrying an example weight at an example speed?
The Bosch Performance Speed drive is 85nm of torque. Estimated range is very hard to calculate as there are so many factors. Check this out to run some calculations based on the 750wh battery on this bike and your riding location and style: www.bosch-ebike.com/us/service/range-calculator
Am I right in thinking it’s one of those twist gear changes please tell me I’m wrong , please tell me it’s a button shifter . Older now so have problems with my wrists, with the belt drive and hopefully a button shifter will buy one straight away.
No electronic shifting on this bike. You may consider a bike like the R&M Nevo here: newwheel.net/collections/riese-muller/products/riese-and-muller-nevo4
Bret never answer your partner when she asked you if you had drinks...it may lead to uncomfortable followup questions👀 And I like your videos together! would not want to jepordize that.
I’m 6’8”. I just did some research and found that in Europe the step through is available in 60cm. If the 55 is appropriate up to 6’6”, then, possibly, the 60cm would fit me. Question: can the 60 be special ordered directly from the factory?
i can take one look at a bike liek that and know it's not for me, because the manufacturing techniques necessary to make a bike like that mean that bike is more expensive than any bicycle ought to be.
I was able to test ride them at The New Wheel and LOVED it SO much! Karen was right that though I prefer the ease of belt/enviolo, the regular chain ring setup is necessary for our SF hills. Every spec was noticibly high quality. Great vid as always!
So glad you were able to test ride already and especially to hear about your experience. This is indeed an impressive ebike.
Agreed. I also went with the regular chain setup instead of the enviolo for the exact same reason. Much better for steep hill climbing. The enviolo felt like there was a resistance and I needed to put in much more effort to climb hills. I also test road the Rohloff setup and it is better then enviolo but I feel the chain derailure is still better.
I have been riding a Gazelle Orange C7+ for over six years, and it's been great. I would love to get my hands on this new Gazelle, but unfortunately, Gazelle are no longer exporting to Australia. I hope they will change their mind soon so that I and other Australians can once again enjoy these superbly-made e-bikes. The main issue with my current bike is that a new chain does not last long before it starts stretching. After about 5000km, 6 months of riding for me, it needs replacing. I have read that a belt can last much longer. It's also more convenient as it does not need lubrication. Also, my current bike is only 40Nm, not quite powerful enough to climb some of the steep hills in our area that I presently avoid for that very reason. I haven't seen the specs of this new model but I'm pretty sure it would be at least 60Nm.
Very well produced and informative review. Step thru is practical for anyone but there is generally one area lacking in Euro bikes and that is lights. In general they are good enough to pass laws but in practice they are lacking and this is something nearly every review does not show. As the bike is designed with distance in mind some people are going out before sunrise or coming home after sunset or both.
All in all I commend Gazelle for being practical in what people want.
Step throughs are always significantly less rigid than the top tube versions of most bikes. If you are a bigger person that is significant.
I love the bike, it's gorgeous and like all Gazelles it's high quality and build to last. That being said, for this price they should've installed a superior Rohloff gearhub instead of the Enviolo that I can find on great bikes at half the price.
Fair point but keep in mind the transmission is only part of the price on a bike like this. A rohloff hub is nice but would increase the price by at least $500 or so. Enviolo works very nicely for this style of bike and most riders.
Enviolo gears and Gates belt are definitely the way to go.
Looking forward to trying this out - and I think my wife will love it too.
Right on! You are going to love it. Book a test ride at newwheel.net/ride!
Sadly, I'm in the UK!@@thenewwheel
Indeed but like the R&M nevo4 should have a enviolo automatiq option. Did about 12000km on mine in little over a year.
That’s the one i bought recently, Top e bike
I am in The Netherlands and just want to say i loved your review and presentation . Off course i am gonna test the bike but to be honest the decision is already made to buy it !
Thank you so much! Happy riding!
Wow I can almost buy 2 Turbo Vado 4.0s for the price of one of these gazelles.
There are cheaper bikes out there even. Budget is a personal thing and we can't make that call for you!
Turbo Vado 5 is my choice and Specialized can’t really be described as ‘cheap’ in terms of quality. But they do have flash sales all the time so much easier to get a deal. This is the first time I would consider a competitor, but only when there’s an offer!
Lovely bike and great review my dudes. What a clever spot for a charge port! Nice Job Gazelle.
We agree!
Just took delivery of mine here in the UK - so EU spec, assist only to 15.6mph but it counts as a normal pedal cycle in legal terms so you can use it on any bike path or shared use space - and had the bike shop add an Automatiq to the Enviolo so the bike is a full automatic, I just set a desired cadence using the bosch controller and the hub will adjust to keep you around that number. If I also use Auto assist mode from the motor it's actually kind of a bizarre experience, just constant flow regardless of terrain(and where I live has some gnarly hills, though perhaps not quite SF gnarly lol) or surface quality(if you live anywhere with a historic town centre where they insist on continuing to use rounded cobbles, your bum will love this bike).
That said, tall people should be aware that you will be limited to a very "active" riding posture even on the largest frame size - at just shy of 6'3" and with the seat set to a comfortable height, the default handlebars and stem left me feeling uncomfortably hunched over and even a bit precarious given how aggressive the brakes are(I can literally stop the bike in moments using only one pinkie finger - do NOT panic-grip these or you will go right over the bars), since there's a limit on what angle you can push the adjustable stem to and the cable routing means you can't flip it around so it angles backward. As someone who came from a regular citybike and wanted this as an all-purpose ride I wasn't comfortable on it, but luckily it is possible to swap the stem for a different Gazelle one that will fix that problem, though you'll lose the fancy split-grip for the bars and you need to buy a mount for the Kiox in addition to the stem.
Overall though it's a beautiful machine and my only regret is I'm now completely paranoid about leaving it locked anywhere lol.
0:42 based on the experience, he was not given beer but the famous magic dutch truffle :)
Thanks for the review, very well done. Haven't seen a review here in the Netherlands yet. 👍👍👍
Thank you!
I'm feeling vindicated this year by my choices hacking around with e-bikes over the past 7 years. This bike is basically the Homage I bought from you guys back in 2017 and hacked with a tuner chip to make it high-speed, and swapped the Enviolo for a high range SRAM groupo for the big hills and a little bit of trail fun. You mostly focused on the urban riding aspects, but Gazelle actually markets this as an all-around bike you can use on trail adventures as well. Likewise, at the end of last year I bought an already cheap hard tail XC bike, the Ride1up Prodigy v1 XC variant, and upgraded its components to make it a cheap alternative to full suspension e-mtb's; but now this year everyone and their dog is producing affordable hard-tail e-mtb's. And then a few years ago I built a sort of franken-mullet, fat bike in the front, 26x2.35 in the rear, dual motor DIY e-bike to use as my urban bike truck; I kind of see the Tern Orox in equivalent terms, although a bit more adventurey with the full fat-tire set up, and more cargo with the longtail frame.
It's great to see the industry paying attention to what people want: more affordable bikes that can be used for both errands and for fun.
In a future video I would be very interested in hearing how the recent San Francisco fire code change affects you guys; I looked at the chargers and batteries for our 5 e-bikes (the new fire code actually limits the quantity you can own to 4), and only one charger was UL listed, and none of the batteries were, including the Bosch batteries on our Homage. Newer Bosch batteries and chargers are no doubt fully certified for UL 2849. However, they all had at least CE or TUV certification, which I understand to be UL equivalent, and are mentioned in the fire code as potential exceptions. But notably, even the charger that is UL listed was certified before the UL 2849 standard was released. I understand the need for safety, but find this fire code both needlessly draconian and simultaneously unenforceable. I also notice that the same degree of strictness has yet to be applied to EVs despite the large number of house fires caused by Teslas and the relatively low number caused by e-bikes or whole-house back-up batteries, on both of which SFFD has decided to crack down. In 7 years of charging batteries from diverse systems--Bosch, Brose, GSD, Grin, Rubbee and Bafang--I have never had an issue, which I think comes down to all of those brands already being very safe, and also due to good habits on my part. Really curious how or whether this affects you and your thoughts.
Thanks for the post! We worked to try and make the fire code more sensible but it was not so successful. Agreed that it is unenforceable for individuals but it is quite misleading. We are working to try and improve it and make it better.
that's ridiculous, move to Texas and you won't suffer the nonsense of the gov regulating to a nonsensical level, I did and have never looked back..
Looks like a good bike. But I wish you would have more affordable speed pedelecs with the smart system as well.
Looking at my personal ebike on the other side of the room, there's nothing "outside the box" about this ebike, it has all the same features as my bike just with a different choice of drivetrain. Having slightly different performance characteristics isn't any sort of paradigm shift.
You'll just have to watch the video when it launches to get where the title comes from! 😉
$6000, what a bargain
Yeah right
thats crazy yeah haha
It’s a bargain compared to my R14 - 10K (all dressed up). And my R14 was a bargain compared to the bike I really wanted but didn’t buy: R&M Load 60 (4) - 14K! My R14 has a two year drive train warranty (like most new cars), and 8yrs - frame and paint. But they are indeed EXPENSIVE. But with proper maintenance it will bring years and years of better health and personal enjoyment.
Did I have to reach to purchase it, sure! But I look at it as 1) vehicle replacement. , and 2) a life enhancement for me and my family. I can’t put a price on that.
It's my favorite now. Was looking at the Como 5.0, but this one is a complete UL approved "system", which the Specialized bikes are not. But I have a real issue with the companies that use the Enviolo Hubs, and DO NOT "drill the spoke holes" so they angle correctly to the hub. Now they are severally "bent" at the rims, and I get broken spokes at the nipples on mine when tensioned correctly. You would think they would learn. You can get rims that are correctly drilled for the spokes for Rohloff hubs. Why not for the Enviolo???
I would love to hear more about the bike itself than the philosophy of the manufacturer. What is the power of the motor, what is the estimated range carrying an example weight at an example speed?
The Bosch Performance Speed drive is 85nm of torque. Estimated range is very hard to calculate as there are so many factors. Check this out to run some calculations based on the 750wh battery on this bike and your riding location and style: www.bosch-ebike.com/us/service/range-calculator
Am I right in thinking it’s one of those twist gear changes please tell me I’m wrong , please tell me it’s a button shifter . Older now so have problems with my wrists, with the belt drive and hopefully a button shifter will buy one straight away.
No electronic shifting on this bike. You may consider a bike like the R&M Nevo here: newwheel.net/collections/riese-muller/products/riese-and-muller-nevo4
@@thenewwheel oh , ok .
That bike is huge.
?
I was told it can't have a front basket...I think in your review you show a drawing it can
No front basket on this model, but you can click in a basket on the rear rack
I am in UK and just purchased this bike in step through the fork on my bike is a spring fork how come on your bikes it’s an air fork
Unsure. Maybe in the USA it is different.
Looks like R&M Nevo in price and specs. Its a pity they don't seem to sell a enviolo automatiq version.
You'll need to go to R&M for that!
Bret never answer your partner when she asked you if you had drinks...it may lead to uncomfortable followup questions👀 And I like your videos together! would not want to jepordize that.
How did they build this frame without a single visible weld? It's wild.
Agreed!
I’m 6’8”. I just did some research and found that in Europe the step through is available in 60cm. If the 55 is appropriate up to 6’6”, then, possibly, the 60cm would fit me. Question: can the 60 be special ordered directly from the factory?
No, unfortunately not. I might recommend looking at an R&M as you can order a bike that will fit you well.
i can take one look at a bike liek that and know it's not for me, because the manufacturing techniques necessary to make a bike like that mean that bike is more expensive than any bicycle ought to be.
Does it have a throttle?
No throttle, but you'll never miss it on this bike. Highly recommend a test ride!
Alps? Dutch? lol ummm no. Netherlands means low lands.
Is it difficult to do hills with this bike?
No not at all! It's a dream!
Intro is 🔥🍄