Haibike Trekking 4 e-bike review

By Rebecca Bland

8 Jan 2023

Move Electric rating: three-and-a-half stars out of five

What does it cost?
£2599

What is it?
The Haibike Trekking 4 is a trekking e-bike suited to both countryside and city roaming. It’s equipped with the Yamaha PW-TE motor, the first of its kind on test for Move Electric, and a 500Wh battery for plenty of range. Designed to be suited to longer distance riding just as much as shorter, urban journeys, the Trekking 4 is a versatile and enjoyable to ride e-bike with an attractive price.

What is it like?
Firstly, this is the first Yamaha motor I’ve tested, and I was reasonably impressed. It lacks the punchiness of top-of-the-line Bosch motors, but it’s not meant to be a direct competitor for that. With up to 60 Nm of torque, it’s plenty for the city and beyond, and coped well with the steep hills of Bradford and Calderdale.

I was lucky enough to test this bike during the recent cold snap (although at the time this goes live we may be well into another one), and I was extremely thankful to have the Trekking 4 available.

The wide tyres, reliably smooth mid-drive motor and balanced geometry made riding in cold conditions like ice and slush much less daredevilish than heading out on my road bike. It even managed to replace some car journeys for some Christmas shopping, as I couldn’t be bothered to defrost the car or continue to help its demise into a pile of rust on the road, so I layered up and took the bike – it might not have been quicker, but it was certainly more fun.

Knowing how the motor is going to respond in certain situations can help you to adapt your riding to the conditions. Yes, there were one or two ‘squeaky bum moments’ descending on a back road that had been missed off the gritter’s list, but for the most part, it’s predictable – even when the rear rack is carrying fully loaded pannier bags.

In terms of battery life, I was quite impressed with the range. I didn’t get as many miles in as I normally would – given the weather – but it lasted well over 30 miles with a couple of thousand feet of ascent thrown in and plenty of cold and wet, just to put the battery under maximum strain.

The frame I tested was the ‘mid’. There are other frame designs if this isn’t to suit, including ‘low’, which is a step-through frame and ‘high’.

Up front you’ve got SR Suntour NEX E25 forks, with 63mm of travel for a bit of plushness if you take it off-road or uncared for country lanes. I actually rode along a bit of rough bridleway (not at all by accident) and didn’t feel particularly comfortable on there, so if I had the choice, I’d stick to tarmac or very compact towpaths etc. rather than off-road.

One thing bearing in mind is the sheer size of the bike. It’s quite bulky, and I could only get it through my doorways by popping it on the back wheel and manoeuvring it like a mountain bike. This is, naturally, part of the compromise for having everything you need for a decent ‘trekking’ e-bike – rear rack, mudguards, mid-drive motor, and internal battery, it all adds up to weight and size. Of course, for many, this is a compromise worth making, as it does result in a very simple to use e-bike.

The rest of the specification is reasonable but at expected quality for the price. Haibike has called this their entry level option, so you won’t be getting 12-speed Shimano groupsets, instead, you’ve got Alhonga hydraulic disc brakes, and a mix of lower level Shimano drivetrain components. They all worked well for their purpose, and if you plan on getting a workhorse e-bike then there’s nothing wrong with spending a little less on the groupset so that when it comes to replacing parts, you’re not left with a scary bill from the mechanic.

Overall, I think the Trekking 4 fits its purpose well. It has style above its station, with a clean design and a decent motor and battery that will perform at whatever gradient you point it at, and it costs just over £2.5k.