BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Basque bike brand Orbea has launched a carbon version of its Gain electric road bike. The aluminium version of the bike was launched last year and is now joined by a lighter model. The new carbon Gain weighs 11.3 kg (24.9lbs).
BikeBiz rode the bike after it was unveiled to attendees of the Impact Media Summit in Idaho last week. Brand manager Jon Gantxegi talked about the Gain from Sun Valley on the latest Spokesmen podcast. Because it looks and rides like a standard bike he preferred to call the carbon Gain an "assisted" bicycle rather than an e-bike.
Thanks to the Gain’s rear-hub motor I was able to climb uphill – standing on the pedals, out of the saddle – faster and with less effort than usual. (However, the hill climb still hurt.)
The control button – which turns the assistance on and off, and can be toggled between modes – is on the top tube and features green and red LED lighting. The integrated battery is recharged from a port at the base of the seat tube. To most observers the Gain looks like a standard road bike – the only give-away is the larger-than-usual rear hub.
For longer rides, there’s a spare battery that fits in a bottle cage.
Power is moderated via an integrated dropout sensor sporting 20 magnets – this monitors pedalling input and adjusts power accordingly.
A smartphone and smartwatch compatible app enables ride tracking, activity and GPS route uploading and other Gain-specific functionality.
