I'm so happy with my standard Term R14. Specifically in this case, the belt drive. Winter commuting with a chain is so tedious. I found i needed to wash my chain weekly in the wet months or risk tust and the unhappy squeek of a dry chain. The belt is - dare i say, an elegant solution. Being both durable and quiet.
I echo your comments about studs on the tires. Here in the mountain west at elevation, we live with snow on the grounds a good 4 months a year. We find that studs are mandatory for riding on compact snow and ice - for example, a plowed road. Otherwise, karma will slap you on the side of the head. It's a nice feature that Tern offers stud compatible tires or tires with studs. There are stud insertion tools, such as sold by 45Nrth, that allow you to insert the studs (we use alcohol as a quick drying lubricant to aid insertion). In Spring, we do quickly swap to non-studded tires once the snow and ice are gone, as the studded tires are very noisy on dry pavement.
Was at a shop that had one of these the other day. Quite the beast, beautiful bike. Guy working at the store called it a doctor bike. As in a doctor with sufficient disposable income decides they want to try bike camping, walks into the store and starts right at the top of the equipment line.
Really compelling bike! I like the wide tires for off-road use, I'm not much concerned with the increased rolling resistance on an e-bike. And with the extra weight and often smaller wheel size of cargo e-bikes, wider tires can make a lot of sense to sink less in soft surfaces (and sometimes to provide greater traction on hard surfaces). I used to fantasize about doing off-road trips on a Hanebrink e-bike with go-kart tires, recharging by solar panel! This Tern is definitely an easier way to go. Looks excellent for soft ground, ice, and snow. I might want a more upright seating position for use as a winter city bike, but I don't believe that's the role most customers buy this bike for. Although it would be great for that! What cold temperatures can a good e-bike battery handle? I imagine range decreases the colder it is, especially leaving the battery exposed and starting the bike from cold. There are probably some tricks that could help, perhaps keeping the batteries warm by detaching them from the bike and keeping them with you, inside your sleeping bag if need be. Maybe even insulating the batteries on the bike? Even so, I expect there's a minimum temperature below which it's just not practical to use an e-bike, or where it would be harmful or abusive to the battery. What's the recommended temperature range for an e-bike like this? Maybe you should make a video on using e-bikes in freezing temperatures and all the considerations there are about the batteries in the cold. Also winter-specific maintenance: snow, road salt, sudden large temperature shifts for the e-bike outdoors to indoors.
A more upright riding position? Would that be possible? Looking at the people riding in this video, the riding position looks cramped…as if the geometry has been shunted forwards to accommodate the rear loading requirements. I’m a fan of flat bars and proper practical bikes but that’s how this one struck me. Personally I’ve not needed to carry this much “stuff” but I guess you might need to if you’re the sort who takes a tent peg hammer cycle camping!
My only concern with this bike as an adventure bike is size and weight. You will struggle to get it on a train or bus and I doubt it will go on a standard bike rack on a car. So it's a bit limited unless your adventure starts at your front door. Nice bike though, sort of an SUV bike.
I recently got the Surly Skid Loader. It seems like a very similar design. The Surly is just over 50 lbs and handles like a regular bike. The Surly doesn't have the same rear rack capacity though.
Hi Chris! The OROX Bosch engine is currently only gen 4 while Riese & Muller have models with gen 5 in its current bikes and there are several benefits to Gen 5. Have they told you if or when they plan on using Gen 5? Gen 5 is pretty much the same specs, but a lot less noisy and also less rattling, plus better "feel" due to more sensors and tuned refresh for the sensors. All that said, I am really looking forward to seeing your test of the bike!
Nice review. I will check out Tern's website to see if it's available in Canada and where it may be. I can also check the price of the bike and accessories. I love the fat bike style of bikes and I'm curious about the step over height as I already have difficulty stepping over my RW4.
Imagine going camping with a load of cargo into the snow and then running out of battery. Electric doesn't really make sense to me on a long distance bike like this.
I tour on an Ebike with less range than this and I haven't ever run out of charge. If im doing serious stuff I take a spare battery and I charge in cafes, and train stations when I can.
I'm so happy with my standard Term R14. Specifically in this case, the belt drive. Winter commuting with a chain is so tedious. I found i needed to wash my chain weekly in the wet months or risk tust and the unhappy squeek of a dry chain. The belt is - dare i say, an elegant solution. Being both durable and quiet.
I'm glad you're reviewing this bike! Cool bike, cool channel...great review! Nice work Propel!
Beast or not...this bike is pretty incredible and well thought out. Impressive. 👍🏾
♥
I echo your comments about studs on the tires. Here in the mountain west at elevation, we live with snow on the grounds a good 4 months a year. We find that studs are mandatory for riding on compact snow and ice - for example, a plowed road. Otherwise, karma will slap you on the side of the head. It's a nice feature that Tern offers stud compatible tires or tires with studs. There are stud insertion tools, such as sold by 45Nrth, that allow you to insert the studs (we use alcohol as a quick drying lubricant to aid insertion). In Spring, we do quickly swap to non-studded tires once the snow and ice are gone, as the studded tires are very noisy on dry pavement.
This thing is a beast, saw it up close in my local U.K. shop
If you're in the UK and want one, we have a version with belt drive and Rolhoff 14 speed hub in my shop.
Was at a shop that had one of these the other day. Quite the beast, beautiful bike. Guy working at the store called it a doctor bike. As in a doctor with sufficient disposable income decides they want to try bike camping, walks into the store and starts right at the top of the equipment line.
😎
Really compelling bike! I like the wide tires for off-road use, I'm not much concerned with the increased rolling resistance on an e-bike. And with the extra weight and often smaller wheel size of cargo e-bikes, wider tires can make a lot of sense to sink less in soft surfaces (and sometimes to provide greater traction on hard surfaces). I used to fantasize about doing off-road trips on a Hanebrink e-bike with go-kart tires, recharging by solar panel! This Tern is definitely an easier way to go. Looks excellent for soft ground, ice, and snow. I might want a more upright seating position for use as a winter city bike, but I don't believe that's the role most customers buy this bike for. Although it would be great for that!
What cold temperatures can a good e-bike battery handle? I imagine range decreases the colder it is, especially leaving the battery exposed and starting the bike from cold. There are probably some tricks that could help, perhaps keeping the batteries warm by detaching them from the bike and keeping them with you, inside your sleeping bag if need be. Maybe even insulating the batteries on the bike? Even so, I expect there's a minimum temperature below which it's just not practical to use an e-bike, or where it would be harmful or abusive to the battery. What's the recommended temperature range for an e-bike like this?
Maybe you should make a video on using e-bikes in freezing temperatures and all the considerations there are about the batteries in the cold. Also winter-specific maintenance: snow, road salt, sudden large temperature shifts for the e-bike outdoors to indoors.
A more upright riding position? Would that be possible? Looking at the people riding in this video, the riding position looks cramped…as if the geometry has been shunted forwards to accommodate the rear loading requirements. I’m a fan of flat bars and proper practical bikes but that’s how this one struck me. Personally I’ve not needed to carry this much “stuff” but I guess you might need to if you’re the sort who takes a tent peg hammer cycle camping!
My only concern with this bike as an adventure bike is size and weight. You will struggle to get it on a train or bus and I doubt it will go on a standard bike rack on a car. So it's a bit limited unless your adventure starts at your front door. Nice bike though, sort of an SUV bike.
Can You Tell me please if the Frambag can be removed by the Owner himself?
I recently got the Surly Skid Loader. It seems like a very similar design. The Surly is just over 50 lbs and handles like a regular bike. The Surly doesn't have the same rear rack capacity though.
I like the skid loader!
Wow, nice bike! Tern is starting to get into "full frame size" bikes I guess, I just reviewed their site. Interesting!
Hi Chris! The OROX Bosch engine is currently only gen 4 while Riese & Muller have models with gen 5 in its current bikes and there are several benefits to Gen 5. Have they told you if or when they plan on using Gen 5? Gen 5 is pretty much the same specs, but a lot less noisy and also less rattling, plus better "feel" due to more sensors and tuned refresh for the sensors. All that said, I am really looking forward to seeing your test of the bike!
Nice review. I will check out Tern's website to see if it's available in Canada and where it may be. I can also check the price of the bike and accessories. I love the fat bike style of bikes and I'm curious about the step over height as I already have difficulty stepping over my RW4.
Cool concept but @4:27 that cable management has got to improve!
Excellent bicycle! Except possibly one thing. How tall do you have to be to place your toddler in the seat and then get on the bicycle yourself?
I live in hilly SE Ohio. Looks like a great replacement for my Gazelle NL after I win the lottery🤑
👍💛💛💛👍
no freakin' way at their Price?!!!! crazy high, folks!!! grrrrr....
Imagine going camping with a load of cargo into the snow and then running out of battery. Electric doesn't really make sense to me on a long distance bike like this.
I tour on an Ebike with less range than this and I haven't ever run out of charge. If im doing serious stuff I take a spare battery and I charge in cafes, and train stations when I can.
So where talking 8/9000 bucks without any accessories or bags right? Not in reach for a Trump enthusiast I'm afraid.😅