In the event you’re trying at bikes on-line—or something, actually, whether or not it’s headphones or screens—you must contemplate worth versus payoff. Gazelle has billed its latest ebike, the Eclipse, as a long-range consolation cruiser. It’s principally the costly Dutch model of the direct-to-consumer (DTC) Rad Energy Bikes’ Radster Highway (8/10, WIRED Recommends).
I brooded over that worth distinction whereas I used to be using, till I noticed that I actually was way more comfy, and for a very dumb purpose. The handlebars on the Eclipse are a lot narrower than the Radster’s, in addition to the opposite DTC bikes that I’ve examined. Most bikes have smaller components for smaller frames, however in case you’re a smaller or newer bike firm, you would possibly standardize your handlebar sizes as a result of restricted provide or economies of scale. That is simply not one thing you’ll do in case you’re Royal Dutch Gazelle, which has existed for greater than 130 years and holds the royal warrant within the Netherlands as a distinction of top quality.
You’ll be able to swap out handlebars fairly simply on acoustic bikes, however doing so on an electric bike is a extra sophisticated matter. Discovering a narrower handlebar was such an surprising consolation. It is simply … a very nice bike. Even the paint job is nicer than different bikes I’ve, with 4 hand-applied coats and dimensional shading to make it look slimmer. In the event you’re not making an attempt to pinch pennies, there are quite a lot of very nice issues in regards to the Eclipse.
So A lot Data
There are two completely different fashions of the Eclipse. Each have an aluminum body, however the T11+ HMB has a Shimano Deore XT derailleur gear, whereas the model I examined is the C380+ model, which has the Enviolo CVT gear hub and a low-maintenance Gates belt drive. Might I by no means have a series drop out whereas crossing a busy avenue once more!
Each are available a step-over and step-through model with three completely different body sizes, with the smallest being a 46 centimeters. I’m 5’2″ and was positively thrilled to discover a Dutch bike that is available in a dimension this small because the Dutch are tall folks and that is uncommon. After all, the bikes all have UL certification, which signifies that the bike has been licensed to adjust to Underwriters Laboratories security requirements and will not inadvertently set your storage on hearth.
{Photograph}: Adrienne So
In all probability the very first thing you’ll discover is the brand new Bosch system. It has a Bosch Efficiency Line motor with 85 nm of torque and a 750-Wh ginormous battery built-in into the downtube. After about 45 miles of biking up hills and hauling gear, I solely bought the battery all the way down to 45 p.c. It’s a class 3 ebike with a most velocity of 28 miles per hour.
