Updated 28 Sep 2017
Bottom line: The Merida eBig Tour 300 EQ is a very good bike with a good motor system. It's great value and very capable for all types of riding, including cycle trails.
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“It’s the RAV4 of e-bikes,” said one tester, meaning it did everything with no fuss, wasn’t as flash as some, and didn’t cost the earth. The Shimano STEPS motor felt a bit “rough and ready” compared to the more refined Bosch and Brose systems, but it was a strong performer up hills and had a near-faultless interface. The bike handled solidly uphill and down with no surprises and, despite having a somewhat inexpensive feel, the parts that mattered (gears, brakes, suspension) all worked faultlessly. We’d happily commute on this bike and it would be very capable of tackling cycle trails at the weekend.
Each e-bike was taken on a test route by two riders. The 5km route in and around Wellington’s CBD included city traffic, fast flat roads, hills, kerbs, wooden bridges and a busy waterfront path shared with pedestrians.
We also put the e-bikes through a gruelling 20km route around Wellington’s Wadestown and Northland suburbs. The main challenge was climbing a 2km-long hill five times at a steady 20km/h (a kilometre of vertical ascent) and descending the same twisty narrow road between climbs. It also included a short, steep section of rough path with a narrow barrier negotiated at walking pace, an undulating 5km of suburban streets, and a steep descent requiring brakes to keep the e-bike to the 50km/h speed limit.
Our riding tests, along with a static assessment of the features and functions of each e-bike, were used to score the performance of the motor system and the bike. Overall score includes:
Motor system (50% of overall score)
Bike (50% of overall score)
05 Nov 2018, PeterZ
Product use: 3 - 6 months
Pros:
I absolutely love it. I read Consumer NZ recommendations but also did my own very thorough research & testing at different bike shops. I kept coming back to this model. It's mid range priced & has lots of things that are extras on other bikes. eg, guards, carrier, front suspension, good lights & above all mid-mount motor. I got it at Bike Barn & in the deal they gave me an extra 500 lumens front light plus a motor mod to give assistance to 32kph. Superb brakes. Easy riding in all terrains. A good security feature is that the computer unit can be easily removed for storage if leaving it parked.
Cons:
The only really personal issue I found was the seat comfort. I wish I would have taken up the retailer's offer to try different seats to get one that really suited my butt.
I have now done over 300km and the only problem I have is that I can't think of any downsides to this bike!
Recommend it?
Yes, I recommend this product.
10 Oct 2017, Alice
Product use: 1 month or less
Pros:
Great quality bike, versatile (road or trail), well balanced.
Came with rack, fenders and integrated lights.
Control system is intuitive and easy-to-use.
Good range of gears.
Hydraulic disc brakes are powerful.
Motor can get up really steep hills.
Cons:
The motor will not assist over 25.9km/h.
Recommend it?
Yes, I recommend this product.