Haibike is a German manufacturer, (despite their Chinese sounding name) that started out making non-E MTBs but they have progressed heavily into eBikes. AFAIK, they currently run either Bosch or Yamaha systems, no Shimano or others. Prior to 2018, an "Sduro" indicated Yamaha, and an "Xduro" indicated Bosch, but for 2018 they got away from that and confusingly started naming less aggressive bikes "Sduro" and more aggressive bikes "Xduro", regardless of motor system.
I got a killer deal from a local shop on a 2016 Xduro (Bosch) HardNine (29'er) 5.0 hardtail and have ridden it for about nine months. I use the stock 29" wheels with some 700x40 cyclocross tires for commutes, and I added a set of 27.5x2.6" wheels for MTB use. I love the bike, and my wife does as well. We decided to get another eBike so we can E together.
I found a 2017 Xduro (Bosch) HardSeven 6.0 at Random Bike Parts for a great price. This is a native 27.5"x3.0 bike, as opposed to the 27.5 conversion I did on the HardNine. Advantages include a proper BB height and since this is a 27.5 "Plus" bike, clearance for bigger tires.
The 2017 HardSeven 6.0 is a 27.5x3.0" Boost hardtail MTB, with a Bosch Performance CX system (Intuvia display), 500WH battery, RockShox Yari fork with 120mm of travel, SRAM NX 11-speed drivetrain with an 11-42 cassette and the Bosch 18T chainring, Magura MT4 brakes, *nice* wheels with Haibike branded (Formula, I think) hubs, Alex MT40 rims (27.5x40mm), and Schwalbe Nobby Nic 27.5x3.0 tires. The rest of the spec is Haibike house-branded cockpit (works great, saddle is extremely comfortable), and some worthless s**t pedals.
After assembling the bike, which came in the most enormous bike box I have ever seen (shipping weight= 80lb!), pumping up the tires (20lb since there are tubes) and shock, and putting some actual pedals on, I went for a ride.
Bosch systems have five power modes: Off, Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo, each with progressively more power output. The HardSeven was upgraded by Random before shipping to the latest firmware from Bosch, so "Sport" mode is "eMTB" mode. Check out the Bosch website for information about eMTB, but the bottom line is that it makes the power delivery completely intuitive based on the amount of force the rider puts into the crank. It allows a rider on trails to "set it and forget it". Rather than just multiplying the power input, it senses crank speed, bike speed, power input, and gearing to make the feel as close to "normal" as possible. It especially makes a difference at low speeds, where the rider is approaching an obstacle to wheelie over, or when a rider is attempting to start from a dead stop on a steep uphill grade. The Intuvia display is theoretically the top of the Bosch line, but it sits on a perch on top of the stem. It provides a lot of information, including trip time, trip distance, speed, average speed, power remaining, power settings, overall distance, and time of day. It has a really nice "progress bar" showing the exact amount of power currently being provided by the motor battery system as well. Controls are conveniently located at the rider's left thumb, as well as on the display itself. With that said, I *hate* the display. It is huge, obtrusive, and in a very vulnerable position. You might as well resign yourself to killing this thing in a crash someday. It also prevents you from turning the bike upside down and resting it on the handlebars and saddle. I never do this with my "normal" bikes, but once you have attempted to remove a wheel from a 50 lb eBike one time, you will see the value in flipping the behemoth over and working on it upside down. The display is easliy removed, but you have to remember to do that, or you will scratch the hell out of the screen. The easy removeability also means you should remove it every time you stop at a coffee shop or whatever, or someone will swipe it. Bosch offers the "Purion" display that has fewer features but which sits next to the grip on the left side, and that would be a better option for actual off road use. It can be swapped in place of the Intuvia, and runs about $120. It also can't be easily removed, which might make you feel better about leaving it in a bike rack at the local Starb**ks.
The drivetrain is SRAM NX 11-speed. While this is the lowest tier of 11-speed shifting in the SRAM sport MTB lineup, the performance is amazing. Honestly, the torture I have put the older HardNine through should have broken *something*, but is just keeps ticking. The HardSeven has the same drivetrain, and it again proves that if you don't mind a few ounces of weight, the NX group is simply amazing. The Bosch motor system does not allow for a dual chainring setup on the front, and the only complaint is that the 42 tooth low combined with the Bosch/Haibike 18T chainring is simply not low enough for some situations, even with assist. The Bosch system has a 2.5:1 gear reduction, making the 18T operate essentially like a 45T "normal" chainring. 45x42 is simply not low enough. There are smaller chainrings available, and since the NX is not available with a larger cog than 42, a smaller chainring is an upgrade that riders in mountainous areas will want to consider. Unfortunately, swapping the chainring requires a somewhat pricey special Bosch tool, so you might want to leave that task to your dealer. The other downside to the Bosch gear reduction is the slight whine you constantly hear, even when pedaling with power off. Obviously, there must be a small amount of drag as well. Tradeoffs, tradeoffs, tradeoffs.
The 27.5x3.0 wheels on the HardSeven 6.0 transform the riding experience. Seemingly bottomless float and traction are available. The HardNine I converted to 27.5 for trail use has great traction and "float" over obstacles, but even with low 18lb pressures, has some kick and roughness over the steep, rocky trails here in Colorado. The 27.5x3.0 sized wheel/tires seem to soak up trail gnar while allowing insane cornering and braking traction, even with the tubes and 20lb of pressure I am running out of the box. The wheels are stout and probably really heavy, but ebikes are heavy beasts, so there. A tubeless upgrade allowing 15lb pressures would improve the ride even more, I'll be doing that. The combination of rubber, weight, and geometry work together to provide extreme confidence. Since this is a hardtail, you still get some "hit" on drops, and there is a little soft bobbing on the flats and on climbs where you are cranking 80+RPM, but the very, very large tires (thanks POTUS), and the structurally stiff, relatively soft riding RockShox Yari fork soak up anything short of large air. The Yari "only" provides 120mm of relatively soft travel, but once you figure out the compression and rebound settings along with proper air pressure in the fork, you do not feel held back by the somewhat short travel. On the downside here, Haibike did not include a shock pump, but I think this is the way all manufacturers have gone.
I got a killer deal from a local shop on a 2016 Xduro (Bosch) HardNine (29'er) 5.0 hardtail and have ridden it for about nine months. I use the stock 29" wheels with some 700x40 cyclocross tires for commutes, and I added a set of 27.5x2.6" wheels for MTB use. I love the bike, and my wife does as well. We decided to get another eBike so we can E together.
I found a 2017 Xduro (Bosch) HardSeven 6.0 at Random Bike Parts for a great price. This is a native 27.5"x3.0 bike, as opposed to the 27.5 conversion I did on the HardNine. Advantages include a proper BB height and since this is a 27.5 "Plus" bike, clearance for bigger tires.
The 2017 HardSeven 6.0 is a 27.5x3.0" Boost hardtail MTB, with a Bosch Performance CX system (Intuvia display), 500WH battery, RockShox Yari fork with 120mm of travel, SRAM NX 11-speed drivetrain with an 11-42 cassette and the Bosch 18T chainring, Magura MT4 brakes, *nice* wheels with Haibike branded (Formula, I think) hubs, Alex MT40 rims (27.5x40mm), and Schwalbe Nobby Nic 27.5x3.0 tires. The rest of the spec is Haibike house-branded cockpit (works great, saddle is extremely comfortable), and some worthless s**t pedals.
After assembling the bike, which came in the most enormous bike box I have ever seen (shipping weight= 80lb!), pumping up the tires (20lb since there are tubes) and shock, and putting some actual pedals on, I went for a ride.
Bosch systems have five power modes: Off, Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo, each with progressively more power output. The HardSeven was upgraded by Random before shipping to the latest firmware from Bosch, so "Sport" mode is "eMTB" mode. Check out the Bosch website for information about eMTB, but the bottom line is that it makes the power delivery completely intuitive based on the amount of force the rider puts into the crank. It allows a rider on trails to "set it and forget it". Rather than just multiplying the power input, it senses crank speed, bike speed, power input, and gearing to make the feel as close to "normal" as possible. It especially makes a difference at low speeds, where the rider is approaching an obstacle to wheelie over, or when a rider is attempting to start from a dead stop on a steep uphill grade. The Intuvia display is theoretically the top of the Bosch line, but it sits on a perch on top of the stem. It provides a lot of information, including trip time, trip distance, speed, average speed, power remaining, power settings, overall distance, and time of day. It has a really nice "progress bar" showing the exact amount of power currently being provided by the motor battery system as well. Controls are conveniently located at the rider's left thumb, as well as on the display itself. With that said, I *hate* the display. It is huge, obtrusive, and in a very vulnerable position. You might as well resign yourself to killing this thing in a crash someday. It also prevents you from turning the bike upside down and resting it on the handlebars and saddle. I never do this with my "normal" bikes, but once you have attempted to remove a wheel from a 50 lb eBike one time, you will see the value in flipping the behemoth over and working on it upside down. The display is easliy removed, but you have to remember to do that, or you will scratch the hell out of the screen. The easy removeability also means you should remove it every time you stop at a coffee shop or whatever, or someone will swipe it. Bosch offers the "Purion" display that has fewer features but which sits next to the grip on the left side, and that would be a better option for actual off road use. It can be swapped in place of the Intuvia, and runs about $120. It also can't be easily removed, which might make you feel better about leaving it in a bike rack at the local Starb**ks.
The drivetrain is SRAM NX 11-speed. While this is the lowest tier of 11-speed shifting in the SRAM sport MTB lineup, the performance is amazing. Honestly, the torture I have put the older HardNine through should have broken *something*, but is just keeps ticking. The HardSeven has the same drivetrain, and it again proves that if you don't mind a few ounces of weight, the NX group is simply amazing. The Bosch motor system does not allow for a dual chainring setup on the front, and the only complaint is that the 42 tooth low combined with the Bosch/Haibike 18T chainring is simply not low enough for some situations, even with assist. The Bosch system has a 2.5:1 gear reduction, making the 18T operate essentially like a 45T "normal" chainring. 45x42 is simply not low enough. There are smaller chainrings available, and since the NX is not available with a larger cog than 42, a smaller chainring is an upgrade that riders in mountainous areas will want to consider. Unfortunately, swapping the chainring requires a somewhat pricey special Bosch tool, so you might want to leave that task to your dealer. The other downside to the Bosch gear reduction is the slight whine you constantly hear, even when pedaling with power off. Obviously, there must be a small amount of drag as well. Tradeoffs, tradeoffs, tradeoffs.
The 27.5x3.0 wheels on the HardSeven 6.0 transform the riding experience. Seemingly bottomless float and traction are available. The HardNine I converted to 27.5 for trail use has great traction and "float" over obstacles, but even with low 18lb pressures, has some kick and roughness over the steep, rocky trails here in Colorado. The 27.5x3.0 sized wheel/tires seem to soak up trail gnar while allowing insane cornering and braking traction, even with the tubes and 20lb of pressure I am running out of the box. The wheels are stout and probably really heavy, but ebikes are heavy beasts, so there. A tubeless upgrade allowing 15lb pressures would improve the ride even more, I'll be doing that. The combination of rubber, weight, and geometry work together to provide extreme confidence. Since this is a hardtail, you still get some "hit" on drops, and there is a little soft bobbing on the flats and on climbs where you are cranking 80+RPM, but the very, very large tires (thanks POTUS), and the structurally stiff, relatively soft riding RockShox Yari fork soak up anything short of large air. The Yari "only" provides 120mm of relatively soft travel, but once you figure out the compression and rebound settings along with proper air pressure in the fork, you do not feel held back by the somewhat short travel. On the downside here, Haibike did not include a shock pump, but I think this is the way all manufacturers have gone.
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