Royal Dutch Gazelle Reviews 30

Great bike. No problems after 1800 miles. Range estimates accurate. My large Medeo T10+ may be a little big for me since seat has to be set low for my 32" inseam.

I purchased my Gazelle Arroyo C8 HMB in July 2018. It was my second e-bike. My first was Public Mixte framed bike, with a BionX motor in the rear wheel. When BionX went out of business in North America, I no longer felt comfortable holding on to that bike, as it was no longer supported, in terms of updates or battery replacement. In addition, as I was getting older, I wanted a true step-through frame, which the Arroyo had.

There is a lot to love about this bike; It is smooth to get on and off of. One can dismount by simply stepping across the wide entry point. This bike has an Intuvia display, which sits right in the center of the handlebar, and is easy to read. If you don’t want to reach to the center, there is also a basic controller near the left hand. Also, at the left hand, is a built in bicycle bell, which is not startlingly loud, but definitely noticeable from some distance back. The right hand shifts the eight gears, which are internal, and smooth. It is best to pause pedaling for a moment while shifting. Unlike a derailleur, it is easy to change gears at a complete stop, which is nice when stopped at a stop sign or light.

The chain case is completely enclosed. so it’s easy to keep dirt and mud off of the chain, while also keeping pants or skirts quite clean, no matter what the weather. The Intuvia controller allows the rider to turn the headlamp and tail lamp on and off. I haven’t done a lot of night riding, so for my purposes it’s adequate. If I regularly commuted after dusk, I would probably want a brighter headlamp. The stock tires that come on this bike have a wide reflective stripe, so I have not worried about being visible on dark days. When time comes to replace the tires, I will definitely be looking for that again!

The fenders are sized to allow tires that are wide enough to be comfortable on city streets (even with some potholes), and the fenders extend far enough to be protective to the rider. One would expect this of Dutch design. They get a lot of rain!

One of my favorite features of this bike is the shape of the handlebar (slightly swept back), and the fact that it is adjustable with no tools. This means on a longer ride, it’s possible to adjust at a moment’s notice, from fully upright, to a bit more streamlined.

I’ve started my review with all that I like, now I’ll finish with some criticisms: Very quickly after getting this bike, the Intuvia display started flopping over. Eventually the mechanic put in shims, which have fixed that problem, but now it’s nearly impossible to adjust the angle (which is necessary when adjusting the handlebar position.)

One thing missing from this bike is a dedicated spot for a water bottle. I’ve tried different adapters, but so far have not found anything that felt comfortable and secure. It’s not a big deal, but it would be nice to have. In my commuting days, I rode ten miles each way, and a water bottle was an important part of my equipment. Nowadays, I slip a water bottle into my trunk bag, or pannier, but that is space that I’d rather give to a jacket or snack!

Shortly after I reached 1,000 miles on the bike, the rack which holds the battery broke. It looks like a very sturdy rack, but in fact the battery was supported by one flat piece of metal, which broke in three places due to fatigue, leaving the battery dangling within the rack. This has since been fixed with a much more solid rack.

The worst thing about this bike is that my particular bicycle will not stay powered on. It will randomly turn itself off, sometimes after hitting a small bump, and sometimes on a perfectly smooth stretch of road. I have had this bike into the shop before and after my shop’s warranty period, and every time it seems the problem is fixed, but then it quickly returns. My bike has currently been in the shop for a full month, and is still not fixed.

A number of fixes have been tried: running software updates, which help temporarily, until they don’t. I’ve gotten a new Intuvia display. That didn’t help. Now, I’m told that there were a small number of 2018 Arroyo models that were badly put together, with a cable getting crimped, and mine is one of them. Apparently that cable is next-to-impossible to obtain, because a month on, I’m still waiting.

I’ve reached out to Gazelle and to Bosch, and no one has ever gotten back to me, to address my issues. Since both the rack issue, and the unexpected shutting off are known problems, why was I, or at least my bike shop not notified, so that appropriate and timely fixes could have been made. I am now faced with owning a bike that I no longer can trust, and could not in good conscience sell as a used bike.

4 stars for bike; 2 stars for customer service = 3 stars.

I’ve had my Ultimate T-10 since Oct 2020. So far I have 12400 Km on the Gazelle with NO issues. I’ve only replaced the front brake pad, the rear tire and the chain, amazing. A Gazelle is more expensive than an ebike made in Asia, but no comparison to the quality of the Gazelle. I love the riding position, no sore back like I get from my non-Gazelle ebike. The Gazelle line up is rated within the top 4 for bikes in the world. It is worth getting a high quality bike, a lot of less frustration with things going wrong on a cheap bike. Finally, customer service, my dealer has been amazing. He spent 45-60 minutes walking me through the features and making adjustments to the bike to fit me. The Ultimate T-10 has been worth every penny, I can’ say enough.