Review of LeMond Prolog: Electric bike made of all carbon fiber

The best product it is usually the one that elicits an immediate, visceral, emotional response. No matter how good nothing works or how good it is – be it a key, a phone or a pair of headphones – if you are not motivated enough to open the box and use it.

You can create an emotional response in several ways, but for an e-cyclist, Greg Lemond’s Prologue hits all the right points. This is an incredibly beautiful (and incredibly expensive), lightweight carbon fiber electric bike. It has a hybrid, sloping frame with straight handlebars, a Mahle drive with a 250-watt rear hub and an 11-speed Shimano GRX gravel-specific transmission system. And in LeMond itself, it also has a compelling history.

It is beautiful, light and incredibly fun to ride, but it stands out from the field of electric bikes for a number of reasons, so many that it is very difficult for me to recommend to the average person who buys a motorcycle to buy this one. But if you are a cyclist who wants an ebike, this is the one you should probably buy.

Box cutters

Let’s go back here and talk about packaging. Most high-end bicycles do not come directly to the user. These are expensive, powerful machines that can hurt you very badly if something goes wrong, so many manufacturers want to protect their reputation by working with reputable, affiliated retailers and mechanics to hand over their bikes.

When I received bicycles directly to the user, he was hit or missed. Sometimes they come in great shape, but if the bike costs less than $ 1,000, it’s usually not. The forks arrive terribly bent or the mutilated gear hangs from a punctured wound on the side of cardboard.

The manufacturer then tells you, “We don’t have any left over, so you can either fix it yourself, or you can mummify the box with duct tape, plan your own FedEx pickup, and not receive a replacement for three months. “It’s annoying – not that I’m talking from personal experience or anything like that.

It’s a remarkable act of trust for both FedEx and the customer that LeMond designed its own packaging to deliver a $ 4,500 bike directly to the user without a mechanic doing things like checking the brakes. In terms of protection and ease of opening – just pull the pre-set bike out, and the steps and equipment are clearly marked – this is well ahead of the package. The only package I’ve seen that even comes close is that of VanMoof.

However, you need to know a little about motorcycles. I followed the instructions and collected them to move the small reflectors in the spokes. But when I proudly jumped up and up the street, the seat immediately went scream. I forgot to adjust and tighten the corner of the seat, which, in my defense, is not something you usually think of with ebike. When the engine does most of the work, you can usually get away with less than ideal ergonomic conditions.

Revenge

The engine has a 250-watt Mahle engine at the rear with a hub with a 36-V Panasonic battery. This is not the most powerful motor you will find in the United States, which sets the legal limit of 750 watts, but it is enough when the motor weighs only 26 kilograms. By comparison, the next lightest bike I’ve tried is the Specialized Turbo Vado SL, which weighs 33 pounds.