The 2017 Riese & Müller electric bikes are ready to find a loving home! The only question that remains is are you ready for such perfection? How does Riese & Müller offer perfection, you ask? Because they custom make each and every electric bike that is ordered. That’s right, no more wondering if your electric bike has been sitting in a warehouse for months, no more pining for your pre-order to arrive. With Riese & Müller, you are in control. Read on for our 2017 Riese & Müller Delite review.
2017 R&M Delite Touring in Urban Grey Metallic
If you haven’t heard of Riese & Müller, you can learn more on their website or from our post about their Nevo line. To give you a brief overview, Riese & Müller provide premium, custom-made electric bikes to riders with a diverse set of needs. Their specialty is definitely touring, road, and commuter bikes, but this year they have some awesome mountain bike and off-road options as well! All of their bikes come with top-of-the-line Bosch Performance motors and an overall high quality set of components. Let’s talk about what the Delite line of electric bikes has to offer!
As you might have noticed from the pictures, one of the big things these Delite bikes have to offer is their potential for a dual battery. Riese & Müller specifically designed the Delite line to seamlessly integrate both batteries. You can see how the batteries fit perfectly into the frame. There are not many manufacturers offering dual batteries at this point. It’s probably obvious that having two batteries will increase the mileage you can travel, but it also extends the life of the bike itself. Batteries do have a limited number of cycles. By investing in an extra battery (at a pretty reasonable price I’d add) from the beginning, you’re essentially doubling the amount of years you can use your bike.
The Riese & Müller Delite Touring is the “base model” upon which the other bikes in the series build. From there, you’ve got the Delite Nuvinci and the Delite GX Rohloff. “Now hang on,” you might be saying, “you said there were loads of options!” Don’t you worry, dear ebike lover. Within each of these options you can choose to upgrade to a high speed motor, fat tires and dual battery (as mentioned above). Choose any, all, or none of these upgrades. See the full lineup here.
Let’s break down the difference between all of these options.
The Delite Touring electric bikes are going to come standard with a Shimano SLX 11-speed drivetrain. This is a great option for those who prefer a traditional drivetrain with derailleur, cassette, and good ol’ fashioned greasy chain. The benefits are that you can probably troubleshoot any minor issues in the drivetrain by yourself. Only downside is that you have to maintain them much more diligently than the Nuvinci or the Rohloff. The Delite Touring HS gives you the ability to go 28mph instead of 20mph. Either of these models can come with upgraded Schwalbe Moto-X fat tires (see Delite GT Touring and Delite GT Touring HS).
2017 Delite GT Touring
The Delite Nuvinci changes things up and provides a Nuvinci 380SE hub. This electronic shifting system allows you to choose between 9-speeds. It also allows riders to shift without moving. This means that if you are stopped at a stop light or at the bottom of a hill, there is no gear crunching when you start moving. This combines with a totally grease free and silent Gates belt drive. There is also very little maintenance with these hub gear systems, which makes them great for riders who just want to ride worry free. Of course, Riese & Müller provide the Delite GT Nuvinci, Delite GT Nuvinci HS, and Delite Nuvinci HS keeping with the theme of plenty of upgrades and options.
2017 R&M Delite Nuvinci
Finally, for those of you with very steep climbs, Riese & Müller gives you the Delite GX Rohloff. This upgrades you to a 14-speed hub motor for optimal shifting while riding or from a standstill. This bike already comes with some pretty thick tires, so you only upgrade here is the Delite GX Rohloff HS.
2017 Delite GX Rohloff
So, the big question, how do these ride? We’ve had a few different Delites through our shop in the last few weeks. I have to say they were simply deliteful (sorry, couldn’t help myself). I’m a huge fan of both the Rohloff and Nuvinci grip shifters and the hub gears themselves. It really is nice to have the ability to shift whenever necessary and not be afraid to crunch gears. The Suntour suspension fork is perfect for all models. It’ll get you over bumpy roads effortlessly; I’d even be comfortable taking it on some dirt paths and gravel roads. Of course, the Bosch Performance motors are excellent as always. I have to say, you really don’t even feel the weight of the extra battery or notice it is there. I also really appreciated the thicker tires to provide some extra cushion on rough roads.
Keep an eye out for more Riese & Müller reviews! Happy riding!