Trek Powerfly+ 5

We recently received a range of Trek, Bosch equipped electric bikes. We are no stranger to electric bikes in the shop but we have never really stocked electric assist mountain bikes.

Yesterday I took out the Powerfly+ 5 which retails for £2000. This is Treks entry level hardtail mountain bike, it still has the 400Wh battery as do all the Treks but it has the lower torque Active Cruise motor rather than the Performance Cruise on the higher models, but I still had a blast on the bike!

The Trek marketing strapline is:

‘Powerfly+ lets you expand your boundaries. It combines the dynamics of 29ers with the reliable propulsion of RIDE+ electric bike technology, turning every mountain into a hill and every ride into pure enjoyment. End of the trail? Not for you! Especially if you’re searching for a bike with extra power to let you go even further. With its universal range of application, the Powerfly+ takes you everywhere – and a little beyond.’

A spec overview of the bike

• Frame. Alpha Gold aluminium 29er frame w/semi-integrated head tube, shaped and formed tubing, independent seatstays and balanced geometry
• Front Suspension. RST Aerial 29 RL w/air spring, w/remote lockout, TnL cartridge, custom G2 geometry w/51mm offset, 100mm travel.
• Deore shifter, SLX shadow rear mech.

But the really interesting part of the bike is the electrical components

• Battery. Bosch Power Pack 400Wh, down tube battery
• Controller. Bosch Intuvia Active w/remote
• Motor. Bosch Active Cruise

After fully charging the battery the head unit reads 89 mile range in the Eco mode, Eco is the most efficient setting offering a little assistance followed by Tour, Sport and Turbo. As each level is selected the range is adjusted to reflect in the increase in power usage but obviously it can then differ according to the amount of power you put into the pedals and then of course once you throw in some hills!

I wanted to test this bike out as a mountain bike and not be precious about the electronics.

I also wanted to test the range on the bike using a mix of the different assistance levels after 30 miles I took some pictures of the head unit and selected the different assistance levels to give me a rough range figure.

The assistance levels are on the right of the screen with the estimated range levels on the lower half of the screen.

I must admit to using to turbo mode to blast up hills and to get up a technical ascend that normal catches me out, I was pleased with the amount of power still left in the battery. The motor unit measures your pedalling up to 1000 times a second, measuring cadence, speed and the power you are putting into the pedals and decides how best to support your pedalling. Its not like the electric bikes of old that as soon as you start pedalling it pushes the bike forward. I found it easy to forget I was riding an electric bike, at times I switched off the assistance to make sure it was still working.

Its an amazing bike. I was genuinely blown away buy how intelligent the assistance was. There was a section on the trail where you have to go through a gate and I found myself scooting along with one foot clipped in and the other on the ground. You would think that the Bosch drive would be trying to urge you on but it just doesn’t. I assume its because of the sensors not picking sufficient speed or cadence.

The Powerfly+ is a versatile bike, I think it will help riders who aren’t fit to get out and have fun. Trail centre riders to do another lap, riders who want the confidence and comfort to ride on the road with a mountainbike but don’t want a knobbly tyre robbing them of speed. It really does make you think differently, it opens up the possibilities. Want to get to work on your bike but you feel its just a little too far? Mornings can be a rush at the best of times so when you are rushing to work use Turbo and on your way home put it in Eco.

I live 12 miles from the train station and this will be my new ride to get me to the train on time. I can carry loads of kit with me, laptop, change of clothes, lunch and not worry about all the weight because the Bosch assistance will be gently helping me along.

The speed is limited to 25 KPH which is roughly 15.5 MPH.

When I have a few more miles done I will update this blog, but the first ride has left me wanting to get back out there and tackle some of my favourite trails on it.

This is a link to the Powerfly+ 7 as Trek don’t have an image yet of the 5 that I tested. We are the first shop in the UK to get hold of these bikes.

http://cyclecentreuk.co.uk/m7b0s221p15574/TREK-Powerfly%2B-7-2015

Tony.

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Cycle to Work with Cyclescheme

The Cycle to Work scheme is a government initiative that allows you to get a brand new bike and safety equipment for your commute to work – all tax free! yippee! 🙂

One of the Cycle to Work partners that we use at Cycle Centre is Cyclescheme, if your employer isn’t signed up to a Cycle to Work provider here’s a link with more information for your employer.

http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/employers

Getting a bike through a Cycle to Work scheme makes sense. Not only can you save money (between 25% – 39%, depending on how much tax you pay) you get to spread the cost over a year and there’s no credit check either! You’ve got up to £1,000 to spend, so make sure you make the most of the potential savings by getting a bike package that includes everything you need to cycle to work – this includes the essentials like lights, locks, helmets and clothing which can all be bought through the scheme.

You can choose the right bike for your commute – whether that’s a road bike, mountain bike so that you can take in a trail on your commute or a do it all hybrid bike.

This youtube clip is all about Bob and how he wants to get started riding a bike to work. I want to do something with Bobs hair, but apart from that its a really helpful short film.

Need another helping of Bob? You got it! (do you see what I mean about his hair?)

This film explains what happens at the end of the 12 month hire period and what your options are for either keeping the bike or giving the bike back.

 

Hopefully your mind is nearly made up to ride to work, but if not what about the fact that cycling can burn up to 500 calories an hour. Its a low impact form of exercise. Riding gets you out of the traffic and once you have ridden a few times to work and got over the initial wheezing stage, you arrive at work feeling energized and ready for whatever happens during your working day.

We just want to get more people riding bikes, and we understand fitting a bike ride into your busy life can be really difficult, so if you can turn your commute to work into a blast on the bike it will be a guilt free exercise session.

If you would like help or advice please contact us with whichever method you prefer. Its always good to see you in person but we understand you may be stuck in traffic 😉

We’ve been busy…

Every week we make some changes to the shop. Some big, some small. This week we made a big change. We haven’t been able to offer a good selection of clothing due to the lack of an organised space. We also haven’t had a great area for customers to try on clothes.

So we fixed it. We now have a clothing section and a changing room.

I wanted to share with you some of the pictures I took of the work in progress.

This area was used for parts and accessories storage and had a bike display table in front. This was all removed.

The walls were then covered in rough cut timber and the structure of the changing room built. This took most of the day to get to this stage. The grid wall was then trimmed to the correct size and installed.

After this was the big clean up. The clothing was then merchandised in colours, size order and gender.

We hope you enjoy the changes we have made to the shop and we look forward to helping you select the right jacket, jersey, base layer, whatever it is you need.

The Cycle Centre

http://www.cyclecentreuk.co.uk/m2b130s0p0/CYCLING-ACCESSORIES/BONTRAGER

Saturday Social Ride

During October we will be running a Saturday morning steady ride with our friends at the Cycle Hub. Its the ideal ride if you are new to cycling, coming back to riding after a break or if you have just recently bought a bike from us and would like a steady ride whilst you get used to it but would like fellow riders on hand to be able to answer any questions you may have.

The route for tomorrow – Saturday 11th October is the Parks and Trails route – This route takes in Newcastle green spaces. A mix of quiet roads and cycle paths. The total route is approximately 12 miles and takes in some gentle climbs. We meet at the Cycle Hub and the ride leaves at 10am.

The ride is absolutely free, its all about getting out there and riding but we have to limit the amount of places. If you would like to secure a place please contact the Cycle Hub directly on 0191 276 7250 or The Cycle Centre on 0191 265 1472

Why should you buy a bike from Cycle Centre?

How about ten reasons why you should buy a bike from Cycle Centre!

1. A free tune up after 8 weeks, normally £30
2. A 10% discount card for use on accessories, valid for 12 months
3. 48 hour priority workshop turnaround on menu services with Cycle Centre bikes, if we let you down we will give you a £10 voucher for your next visit.
4. Priority invites to Cycle Centre events and promotions
5. Access to our Saturday morning social rides
6. All Cycle Centre technicians are qualified and Brompton certified
7. A 10% discount card for refreshments from our friends at the Cycle Hub
8. We will get you set up on your new bike and make sure you are ready to ride
9. We will fit any accessories bought with your bike free of charge
10. We all ride bikes at Cycle Centre, BMX, mountain and road and we commute most days so we can advise you on what new bits and pieces we are using.

All this and I didn’t mention the top brands we stock!

We look forward to seeing you instore soon.

The Cycle Centre Team.

Become a better cyclist – The Cycle Centre & The Cycle Hub present ‘An evening with Chris Garrison’

We are putting on a cycling event at The Cycle Hub on Wednesday 17th September at 7pm.

I worked alongside Chris Garrison at Trek UK and we often attended events to talk to riders about position on the bike. Chris has also held talks at various Cycle shows and has built up a bit of a following but she has never presented one in the North East. I felt this was a great opportunity to get Chris to Newcastle and make an evening of it.

The focus of the event is to answer those questions that you have either been afraid to ask or you didn’t realise needed answering. If you suffer from aches and pains after a ride it maybe that you are suffering from a poor bike setup, the pain from your saddle may not be just a result of riding a bike, it could be that you have an ill fitting saddle. That neck and shoulder ache might not be just be because you have been trying extra hard on the bike, it could be upper body positioning.

If you are an experienced rider I feel certain that there will be nuggets of information that will benefit you on your next ride. If you are new to the world of riding a bike there will be lots of useful hints and tips for you too.

The event is being held with our friends at The Cycle Hub on the Quayside – NE6 1BU, there will be drinks and snacks and a fully licensed bar.

If you would like to reserve a place at this free event please contact the hub directly at enquiries@thecyclehub.org or call 0191 276 7250

It will be a really entertaining evening and I hope to see you there!

Tony Butler

Team Honk Bloggers’ Relay for Sport Relief

We are very proud to be sponsoring part of the #TeamHonk blogger relay today with some cycling goodies from our shop.

Over 200 bloggers are aiming to raise £20k for Sport Relief by travelling 3000 miles across the UK carrying the Team Honk baton. There is still a month to go and remarkably it looks like they’re going to smash through the £20k barrier in the next day or so. Such a fantastic effort.

Team Honk kicked off their challenge on Sunday 12^th January at Lands End, and the relay will see 38 teams pass the baton in a variety of fun and creative ways, finishing in John O Groats on Sunday 23^rd March. By the end of the race over 200 participants are expected to have taken part and signed special ribbons on the Olympic themed baton.

Today, Tuesday 24th February, its travelling from Grantham to Nottingham by bike with Penny (one of the Team Honk organisers) and her team who are cycling 50k. Some are experienced cyclists, others might class themselves as novices but they all have one thing in common – they want to raise as much for Sport Relief as they can. We know it’s going to be a tough day for them. They will need to really dig deep as they take on this challenge. We sent a very comfy saddle, some padded shorts and of course, lots of energy bars amongst plenty of other bits. We are really pleased to be able to do our bit.

Oh and did we mention they’re all dressing up as Robin Hood, Maid Marion and the band of Merry (Wo)Men?

If you want to support them, and help them smash through their target you can click along to the Just Giving page and donate whatever you can afford. Even £1 will feed a child for a day. So go on, support Team Honk and donate today.

http://my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/nottinghamteamhonk

And you can see where the money raised goes too. One of our Cycle Centre bloggers, Jen went to visit a foodbank in Nottingham, supported by Comic Relief. It was a humbling experience with the realisation that poverty and homelessness could happen to any of us, at any time.

Want to join in too?

The first ever Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games take place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd March 2014. The public can join the fun and games by running, swimming or cycling their way to raising cash at over a thousand venues around the country, including the landmark events at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Merry Christmas from Cycle Centre

Merry Christmas from everyone at Cycle Centre!

We would like to thank you for your support and loyalty this year and wish you and all your family a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Our shop will be closed on Christmas and Boxing Day and then reopen (with some cracking deals!) until December 30th. We are then closed on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Of course the online store is always open and we have some great deals on all kinds of bikes if you are looking to treat yourself.

Don’t forget that you can also get £50 off a bike when you spend £400 and £30 off a bike when you spend £250.

We look forward to sharing our news and cycling expertise with you all again in 2014.

Cycle Centre Christmas Offers

The pre-Christmas sales have kicked in and if you’re still looking for a last minute gift, or if you are hoping to treat yourself in the sales, look no further for some fabulous deals on family bikes. We have bikes for all types, enthusiasts, newbies, Mums, Dads and the children so carry on reading to see a sample of what we have to offer. You can see the full range over on our website www.cyclecentreuk.co.uk or drop in and see us if you are local.

Trek Domane 4.5 Compact 56cm 2013

This fab bike in White/Black Titanite currently has 20% off in our sale and is only £1680; a saving of £420. You can see the full technical specification on the site but just to whet your appetite, it comes with a 400 Series OCLV Carbon frame, Shimano Ultegra rear and front derailleurs and Bontrager Race Blade VR-C, 31.8mm handlebars.

Cube Stereo Super HPC 140 Race Blackline 2013

With a whopping £900 off this bike you’ll want to take a good look! Originally £2899 and now just £2000 this is one for the serious and experience Mountain bikers. With Super HPC Monocoque Advanced Twin Mold Technology, Agile Ride Geometry, Efficient Trail Control FSP 4-Link, Adaptable X12 Hanger. Rear Shock: Fox Float CTD BoostValve, 200x57mm, Trail and Climb mode option, Rebound, and LV air canister.

For full technical info check the website. At the time of writing we have the 18″ available.

Claud Butler Solano Women’s Bike

The Claud Butler Solano 2013 Womens mountain bike features a steel suspension fork for a more comfortable ride and the 18 speed Shimano gears provides the rider with increased power. We currently have this one on offer at £179. Please drop us a line at sales@cyclecentreuk.co.uk if you are interested in finding out more.

Giant Lil Puddn White / Purple

We have a great deal on this cute little girl’s bike with the fab name. The Giant Lil Puddn is now only £99.99. A great bike for a great price!

Trek 8.4 DS in Matte Crystal White / Trek Black

Finally this 17.5, 2013 Model is on sale with us at just £540, a saving of £135. Again you can contact us directly by email or check out the website and buy online.

We have lots more offers and deals in the shop and online so do let us know if you need any assistance or more information.

Top 10 Cycling Blogs for your Inspiration

Image: docentjoyce

Do you love reading cycling blogs? Have you been on the lookout for more blogs (maybe a bit like this one) to read on a regular basis? If so, check out our Top 10 Cycling blogs to add to your reader today. This isn’t a definitive list. There are hundreds of cycling focused blogs and website out there so this is just a small, quite varied selection that you may or may not have come across already. If you want to suggest others in the comments that we’ve missed, please do.

Top 10 Cycling Blogs as chosen by Cycle Centre:

London Cyclist: A great resource for anyone who loves cycling. Andreas’ aim is to encourage more of us out on our bikes, in London or anywhere.

London Cycle Chic: Encouraging women to take to their bikes, this blog has a fashion and lifestyle slant offering tips, advice and style inspiration.

Cycling Europe Blog: Andrew cycled around Europe on a bike called Reggie. Then wrote a book about it. You can read more about this and his cycling expertise on the blog.

Travels with my Mule: The cycling adventures of Phil, a funny Yorkshireman and his bikes or Mules are documented in this personal, amusing blog.

Bicycle Design: A great resource for the design enthusiast or anyone interested in how bikes look and work.

Fat Cyclist: A very popular blog written by Elden, a self-confessed overweight cycle enthusiast, with a poignant family angle.

Road Cycling UK: A resource for expert road bike reviews, with the latest road bike features, news and advice.

Bike Ride : If you want to know what cycling events are taking place near you, this is the blog to follow.

Kents Bike Blog: Kent has lived car-free in America for over 2 decades. The blog follows his cycling adventures and DIY mechanics. A great green read.

Urban Velo: A bi-monthly magazine this site promotes cycling culture in current day cities with lots of reviews, news and video.

What do you think of our Top 10 Cycling blogs list? What cycling blogs do you like to read?