Total Weight:
42.5 lbs (19.27 kg)
Battery Weight:
4 lbs (1.81 kg)
Motor Weight:
6.5 lbs (2.94 kg)
Frame Material:
Chromoly Steel
Frame Sizes:
19.3 in (49.02 cm)20.5 in (52.07 cm)Geometry Measurements:
Small (844 mm Seat Tube, 566 mm Top Tube - Effective, 400 mm Reach, 150 mm Head Tube, 598 mm Standover Height, 1077 mm Wheelbase), Small (5224 mm Seat Tube, 580 mm Top Tube - Effective, 401 mm Reach, 190 mm Head Tube, 615 mm Standover Height, 1092 mm Wheelbase)
Frame Types:
Step-Thru
(Traditional Dutch Twin Top Tube)Frame Colors:
Classic White, Stingray Blue
Frame Fork Details:
Chromoly Steel, Rigid
Attachment Points:
Fender Bosses, Rear Rack Bosses
Gearing Details:
8
Speed 1x8, Gates CDX CenterTrack Sprocket, 22TShifter Details:
Shimano Alfine 8 RapidFire on Right Bar
Cranks:
Faraday Forged Aluminum with Chainguard, Gates CDX CenterTrack Sprocket, 50T
Pedals:
MKS Japan, Sylvan Touring, Aluminum
Headset:
Prestine Sealed Bearing, 1 1/8", Threadless
Stem:
Faraday Forged 6061 Aluminum, Ahead-Style
Handlebar:
Faraday 6061 Aluminum, 25.4" Long
Brake Details:
Tektro Vela Hydraulic Disc with 160 mm Rotors, Tektro Vela Hydraulic Levers
Grips:
Faraday Leather Lock-On
Saddle:
Faraday Comfort
Seat Post:
Faraday Forged Aluminum
Seat Post Diameter:
25.4 mm
Rims:
36H Hubs, Faraday Double-Wall Disc-Only Rims
Spokes:
36 Total, 13 Gauge Spokes in Front and 14 Gauge Spokes in Rear
Tire Brand:
Continental Contact, 26" x 1.75"
Wheel Sizes:
26 in (66.04cm)Tire Details:
SafetySystem Breaker Puncture Protection (Kevlar Reinforced Nylon)
Tube Details:
Schrader Valve
Accessories:
Integrated Faraday 4 Watt LED Headlight and LED Tail Light, Massload Twin Scissoring Kickstand, Front and Rear Bamboo Fenders, Optional Stem Extender Handlebar Raiser $44, Optional Porteur Rack $225 (20 kg Max Load), Optional Rear Rack $125 (20 kg Max Load), Optional Leather Pouch $69, Optional Spurcycle Bell $39, Additional Charger $49, Additional Pouch Mounted Battery $499
Other:
Thun Germany X-Cell RT Torque Sensor in Bottom Bracket, Gates CDX CenterTrack Carbon Drive Belt, Smart Phone App Due in September 2016, Wireless Firmware Updates, Automatic Bike Shut Off After 10 Minutes, Max Weight 275 lbs (Rider + Gear)
Jack
9 years agoA really thorough video review, Court, and with the text portion as nicely written as the Cortland is to look at. Good job! You didn’t comment – video or written – on the Cortland characteristic that stands out to me as most unique: that hub motor’s location on the front wheel. You’ll remember your discussion with Justin Lemire-Elmore last year wherein he claimed there was likely no difference in ride-ability between a front hub motor and one in the rear, all other things being equal. (You sounded a bit dubious about that claim, and that’s certainly how I reacted when hearing it). So what did you think? Altho’ the Cortland’s motor isn’t especially powerful or heavy, did you notice any distinct riding sensations attributable to that front hub motor? Presumably, the motor is up front because of that Alfine IGH in the back. No downsides?
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoExcellent observation and question Jack! I thought about going into this but with such a small, light weight motor felt it was unnecessary. Yes, in my opinion it still changes the steering (everything matters, everything) but to such a small degree… the bike rides great and the hub motor enables them to use an internally geared hub in the rear for pedaling and they do balance (weight wise and visually). If the motor was 350 watt with the added weight I might point it out a little more and definitely at 500+ but this little gearless design does not make a huge difference in my opinion when it comes to steering response and given the solid fork vs. suspension there are no concerns about strength or performance that way :)
ReplyTom
9 years agoThank you so much for your thorough reviews. You help a lot of people. I think I will buy me a Faraday Cortland tomorrow ?.
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoYay! Thanks for the positive feedback, I do my best and love to help people find a great fit… The Cortland is beautiful and I hope you enjoy it ;)
ReplySteven Miyano
9 years agoHello Court, I am very interested in purchasing an ebike. I love your reviews and have learned so much from them. I am 65 with a little heart condition and live on a pretty steep hill. I would like to get back into biking for exercise but I know I can’t ride my Cannondale back up home. I am interested in the Courtland and Trek FX500. In your opinion, which would be better for climbing steep hills? Do you have any other recommendations? I presently am not a serious rider but live here in Sonoma county and there is a lot of nice country to ride/cruise around. Keep up the good work.
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoHi Steven, I’m not really familiar with a model by Trek called the FX500 but have seen the XM700+ is this what you were referring to? I love the Cortland by Faraday because it’s quiet, light weight and comfortable to ride but the power is more limited given a front mounted geared hub motor vs. mid-drive or larger rear mounted hub. Depending on your weight and ability to pedal and contribute it might work well or be limiting. Some poeple in your shoes go the other way and get a heavy but powerful Pedego ebike and just use the throttle. I like pedaling and prefer a platform that’s easy to lift and maneuver so my choice is usually more along the lines of the Cortland. Hope this helps! The company is actually local to SF so you’d be close to service and support as well which is nice :)
ReplySteve
9 years agoThanks Court for your response. It was very helpful. You were correct, I was thinking about the Trek XM700+….senior moment! Might you know a bike shop in the Bay Area that might have an XM700+ available to see any ride? None of the Trek dealers in the north bay have one. I hate to order one sight-unseen and it not make it up our street.
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoHi Steve! Sounds like you’ve checked around… I don’t know of many Trek dealers in your area off the top of my head. I searched the model out down in Irvine California and I think they only had a few. Seems like the company is just dipping their toe into the space. Maybe reach out directly to Trek for feedback? I don’t see why they wouldn’t or couldn’t do an inter-store transfer or something? You could always take a weekend getaway to one of the stores in SoCal area :)
ReplyDon
8 years agoI just bought a Faraday last December and have used it every day since. I notice that the Alfine 8 can have trouble shifting when the weather drops below 28 degrees (has trouble taking up cable slack). Studded tires eat into the range somewhat and the cold temperatures (expect 12-15 miles at 18-19 mph in 20 degree weather). I really like it though, so far there has been no maintenance (my old bike needed a check over every 200 miles). I originally didn’t like the front tire pulling design, but have found that on ice and in snow the front pulling action actually helps stability tremendously especially if you shift to lower gears and put it on max power. The weight is excellent and my wife can easily lift it and load it etc. We are considering getting another. The front rack is really stable and large. Pretty easy to throw a regular size pizza box in it with just sticking out the front rack. It recharges very fast making the charger worth bringing. It’ll easily recharge about half the battery in under 20 minutes, it slows down and takes longer to top off.
ReplyCourt Rye
8 years agoGreat summary Don, I’m glad the bike is pleasing you and your wife… and that she can lift it! That seems to be a major hurdle for some and an area I personally dislike dealing with. The range on these ebikes is more limited but with the quick charging and fairly compact charger it sounds like you’re doing great. Neat to hear how it performs for you in snow… hadn’t even thought of studded tires! Where’d you get them? Any tips on brand or size etc.? Also, great feedback about the internally geared Alfine 8 hub. I have noticed some differences in how that behaves vs. a traditional derailleur, interesting that temperature has made a difference for you.
ReplyDon
8 years agoHi Court, I spoke with Faraday and they seemed to think the issue with the hub is with the tension and that if they are not totally tuned right they can become cold sensitive, so perhaps it is fixable. I think a realistic range of the bike is about 16 miles. I have about 3 miles of slight incline and 3 miles of decline followed by about 10 almost perfectly flat miles then the battery e-ink indicates empty. I am excited about the external battery they are going to release this summer-ish as I am thinking that would double the miles to a very realistic 36 miles. It is extremely well made and I’ll write another update when I put 2k+ miles on it.
Keep up the awesome work on the website :)
Sharron
7 years agoI have a Cortland and I get about 2 miles when it is cold. Unfortunately I am in NYC and must leave the bike locked up on the street overnight and the battery just does not hold the charge after a cold night and we are not even into dead winter yet. External Battery would be great but so far they have not moved on development. So I am pretty disappointed. At this point the big CON would be no removable or external battery. I agree great website and good reviews.
ReplyCourt Rye
7 years agoThanks Sharron! I’m so sorry to hear that your Cortland isn’t performing well with the cold batteries and that you’re unable to remove the battery for warm-safe keeping or bring the bike inside. This is a major downside to the beauty and balance of the bike. I’m glad my site has helped a bit in your research process and am grateful that you shared your experience here with us so that others can know the downside :/
ReplySharron
7 years agoThank You Court – I actually arrived at your website to read the Raleigh review (removable battery) and saw my Cortland in the side-bar. I do prefer the front wheel drive. I’m currently trying to figure some battery tube wrap maybe with hand warmers but nothing lasts all night. Considering it only got down to 36 F – not really cold – I figure in the teens and twenties this bicycle could be DOA (at least until I get to the office.) Shame, because I was looking forward to see how she handled the snow and slush.
M
7 years agoDear Court:
I’ve been thinking about purchasing the Faraday Cortland for a couple of seasons, and I think now is a good time as I’m looking for a nice step-thru frame with pedal-assist that doesn’t scream “E-Bike!” I test rode a Cortland recently but didn’t think it seemed very powerful. In reading your review, you mention the app that allows speeds of up to 28 mph. I’ve looked on-line as well as the App Store for iOS phones but couldn’t locate the app. I also reviewed Faraday’s website for information on the App with no success. Could you please direct me to where I can download the App?
Additionally, I understand that Derby Bikes has acquired Faraday Bicycles. Do you have any thought about what effect that aquisition will have on Faraday bikes like the Cortland? And, for example, might this mean that Faraday bikes will be using higher components in the future? Personally, I found their shifters and on-off mechanism to be quite cheap for such a nice-looking bike.
Thanks so much for helpful information!
Replycourt
7 years agoHowdy, M. I also really like the integrated look that Faraday has created with their Cortland and Porteur models. The shifter and on/off mechanism were originally rapid-prototyped by Adam Volmer (founder of the company) and I agree that they felt a bit plasticky. Indeed, the company has been acquired or merged with the Pon Group, and perhaps this has delayed the launch of their app? I reached out to Adam via text and received the following response to your question about the app:
“The mobile app is not yet out. It’s not at all canceled, but our engineers are at full capacity working on other projects (auxiliary battery in particular, which starts shipping later this summer 2018), and we made the decision to put the app on the back burner for now due to bandwidth. Hope that Helps! Please keep the questions coming, always interested to hear what people are asking about and I’m always happy to help!”
Sorry it took me a bit of time to reply to your comment, M. Adam’s response has me pretty excited! It will be neat to see what sorts of changes come now that they are part of Pon and I’m definitely excited to check out the app too :D
ReplyEd
7 years agoDo the Faraday bikes have regenerative braking so the battery is charging while you coast going downhill?
Replycourt
7 years agoNope, I have only seen this feature on ebikes with gearless direct drive motors like the Stromers, OHM (BionX powered), and early Specialized Turbo. Those bikes tend to be very quiet, the motor is durable but not as torquey at low speed and also heavier. Regen doesn’t capture that much energy without a lot of weight, so it works pretty well for electric cars, but isn’t a big trend in ebikes. It may reduce some brake pad wear :)
Replyzoe laven
7 years agoHi, thank you for the great review. I am currently in the market for an electric assist bike and love the Faraday – the only problem being I live in Canada and would have to deal with customs etc to get a bike over here – plus the currency difference which will make this bike even more expensive for me – but it looks and sounds wonderful. I was wondering what your thoughts were about the Electra Commute Go – I’m also thinking of that as a bike for me. Do you have a preference?
Cheers, Zoe
Replycourt
7 years agoHi Zoe! I am also living in Canada :D it’s true that there seems to be a limit on which ebikes make it to shops up here, and the exchange rate is tough… Faraday has created a beautiful platform that’s lightweight and simple, but I am not aware of shops that carry it (at least in BC) for the time being. The Electra Townie Commute Go! (and really, all of their ebike models) are winners in my book, because they use high-quality motor systems. Yes, the battery isn’t as hidden and the frames are not as lightweight, but they are reliable, comfortable, and easy to service. Have you been able to test ride the Electra? I think it’s worth visiting a shop to test ride (and explore other products) and maybe even drive to the US and make a day trip to consider the Faraday if you are having trouble finalizing your decision. Which part of the country do you live in? Maybe I know of a shop that is close to the border that you could visit in the US :)
ReplyAileen
6 years agoHi Court, I am very much interested in purchasing an ebike. Your reviews on the ebikes are very informative. I’m almost 60 and would like to get an ebike for a weekend of fun biking along the beach and hilly vineyards in southern California. I need a bike that could jump start at a standstill to a pretty steep hill with minor effort. I was considering a TREK Verve + until I saw Faraday Cortland. Now I’m not sure what to purchase. Any thoughts or any other recommendations?
Replycourt
6 years agoHi Aileen! Both of these ebikes are excellent, the Trek + Bosch combination is probably the most reliable but Faraday has improved a lot over the past couple of years. If you climb a lot and really need assistance, the Trek may be a winner because of its mid-drive motor. If you want quiet, hidden, lightweight features then Farady may be the winner. I hope this helps, it’s a tossup but the fenders and lights are available with both, Faraday offers more customization options and is working on a battery pack expansion to be released soonish from what I’ve seen :D
Reply