Karen from our UK office recently came out for a visit with her husband (and a pretty good cyclist) Dave. The four of us decided to have a day out on the bikes. As Karen is a sociable and fair-weather cyclist, who doesn’t do turbos, and hasn’t had much time out on the bike recently due to UK winter etc. we felt an E bike for our mountain range here in Spain, would be beneficial. This left me with a real predicament… two strong male cyclists, an E bike and me! So, I left the ego and my trusty steed at home and took to the roads with power!  

What have I been missing! We had such a great day, and here is my review of the Wilier E-Race bike with discs. The Wilier is powered by a rear wheel motor, with 250Wh power (expandable up to 500Wh) in the battery you can easily make a supported ride of 80 to 100 km. This is one of the lightest E-Racing bikes on the market due to its full carbon frame, but the light frame wasn’t what impressed me the most.

I started the ride without power to see how the bike felt without it. The additional weight wasn’t obvious until we started to climb, then I could feel the weight in the rear wheel motor, it gave the feeling of a rear tyre needing air, but only on steeper inclines, but then the magic happened… I pressed the button!

I can only describe it as a gentle assist to help you turn the pedal, it was just like me cycling, but me on a really good day! Riding the bike in eco mode gave a gentle nudge and the power only kicks in when you drop below 15mph. The bike also comes with two other modes, one with a bit more power and then the final mode for a real extra push. I was quite happy in the eco mode but felt it my job to try all three power modes, especially when passing Mark on Vall De Ebo. I actually really enjoyed riding out with my husband and being able to match him for pace and distance. 

Interestingly the quicker pace and keeping in eco mode also meant my average heart rate was as normal for that ride. Our ride was 55k and 1k meter of climbing, in which I used less than 50% of the battery and that was with playing around with the different modes, even when not needed. The battery life is great, and you can even check what is left via an app if you want a more accurate reading. The motor is very quiet, and as it is in the rear hub you’re, not left with a large down tube hiding the battery.

In conclusion if like me you’ve had your doubts about E-bikes then I would think again, I’d definitely like to add one to my collection, for guiding when my legs aren’t feeling it, or giving that husband of mine a run for his money, they certainly have a place in my life! But don’t be fooled into thinking you don’t do anything… you still have to push the pedals and how much effort is up to you, just remember you need to be disciplined enough to honest with yourself about how much assist you need and don’t forget the extra work you’ll be putting in due to the extra weight.

It’s a BIG FAT YES from me on E-bikes and I am letting Santa know this year! 😊