KTM (Bosch) versus Orbea Gain (ebikemotion/Mahle)

[richtea99]

This is a bit of a random comparison, but I've owned the most basic Orbea Gain model for 4 years, and I've just come back from a week's holiday on a hired KTM Macina Fun P510.

They might both have 250W and be limited to 15.5 mph, but they're chalk and cheese.

The Orbea Gain is a tourer shaped 'racing' bike weighing around 15-16Kg.
The KTM is a sit-up-and-beg step-through design weighing 26Kg.

The Orbea Gain is like a touring bike with a little bit more weight than expected, and some useful power to help up the hills.
The KTM weighs a ton (well, more than you might expect), but goes like stink up any hill with minimum input.

You can lift an Orbea Gain into a car or onto a roof rack, with care.
You won't be lifting the KTM anywhere other than maybe over a small step or two. That 10Kg extra weight, in an awkward shape to lift, is much more of a pain than I expected. I had to lift mine up a flight of stairs into my hotel room to charge it because the hire company elected not to supply the battery-unlocking key - not funny.

They are completely different. I'm used to the subtle additional power of the Gain, but the Bosch-based KTM is something else. The KTM range was also significantly better than the Orbea Gain: 80-100 miles on the flat compared to around 40-50 miles on the Orbea. [newer Gains now have greater mileage, I believe.]

If you want a lazy bike the Bosch-based one is the right one for you. The torque sensing is quick to respond, and you can race cars at the lights.
If you just want some help getting up the hils on tour, then the ebikemotion/Mahle Orbea is a nice compromise between power and weight. The pedal motion sensor (not torque) is not as quick to react though.

Would I recommend a week-long tour on a KTM /Bosch? Definitely. Just make sure you don't have to lift it anywhere, and consider changing the saddle to something comfy.
Would I recommend the Orbea on tour? Again definitely, but possibly not in the steepest areas.

[PH]

Excellent review, I think you pinpoint the differences perfectly, not just between these two specific bikes, but between the different types of E-bike. It's something I've been banging on about for ages, in every "What new E-bike?" thread, it isn't a question about which is better, but which more suitable. I think understanding the difference between a bike you pedal and sometimes get assistance from and a powered bike that you also contribute some pedalling to, is more important than the make or model of the bikes. I quite often see people getting it wrong, usually wanting what a KTM type bike provides and buying an Orbea type because it looks more bike like. The other way round would be as bad, I just see it less often.

Enough of the bike stuff - Where did you tour and was the hire and charging straightforward? (Apart from the stairs)

[richtea99]

We went from Venice over the top of the Adriatic to Trieste and then down through Slovenia and into Croatia to Poreč.
The weather was great (it rained gently in Venice for half a day, but that was it), and the seafood along the coast was fabulous.

It was arranged by Rad and Reisen, an Austrian company who run excellent Danube tours which we went on several years ago. They actually used a local supplier called FunActive Tours this time. Our bags were transported for us, it being a lazy sort of holiday, but the distances were a little further than some of the family were expecting. I did supply all the info to them - but some folks don't read the manual! But they still had fun.

If you're into a bit of gravel then the Parenzana Trail is the fun trail in the area (Istria). We were on 'sit up and beg' bikes (the KTM above) but we still did some of the top part, but doing the whole lot on the KTM would be painful.

Cycling seems to be very popular in that Istria area - lots of cycle trails and slightly crazy events like Istria 300.