Reviewer: Alan (15 1/2 stone 6'3")
Purchased From:Wisperbikes Southampton
Purchase Price:£1200
Time Owned:1 week (120 miles on the clock)
Local Terrain: Flat a couple of long but not steep hills
Model: Whisper 905SE Sport
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Strengths:
Speed! I love leaving everyone behind, in de-restricted I can do a constant 18-20 mph with peddle assist and throttle
Battery life (22 miles assisted daily and still power left, that's de-restricted full throttle)
Build quality on the frame.
Comfy seat, wireless computer, lights and rack included.
Design, there are not many ebike that look good, this is the first one I've seen that looks right. Most ebike are like early DAB radios they all follow a rule about style and just dont look right, but the Whisper 905SE Sport has got it right. It is a mountain bike which has an electric motor!
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Weaknesses:
Brakes, just not good enough, spongy and don't stop you quick enough, I've tried adjusting them but it does not help.
Crank mi-shaping when I peddle hard and the left side fell off on the way home.
(good job its electric!)
Battery case poor, one screw on the case was not tight and very stiff to lift out, so stiff that I broke the handle lifting it out, I'm waiting for a replacement from Stuart at Wisperbikes Southampton (Update 19 Sept 2008, Stuart did a grand job and got me another handle within a week) , also there was some damage to the casing near the lock as if it had been pulled at while in the locked position or not moulded properly.
Headset, there is a lot of side-way movement from the headset and I'm not happy with that and I will be changing it.
Handle bar grip on the left comes off (the glue did not hold it) and the grips are not long enough for my hands.
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Summary:
I've been biking all my life, currenlty have a montain bike and a cruser.
This is my first electric bike and quite an investment at £1200, I'm very happy with the bike and I'm sure it will serve its purpose as a commuter doing 22 mile a day. I do feel whisper have some issues with the quality of some of the components, brakes, brake cables, headset, battery casing, grips and crank all need looking at by whisper and improvements need to be made to make this a truly world class piece of equipment. I think a lot of money has gone into the technology on this bike, the motor, controller and battery really do seem to be up to the job and in my opinion this is the first ebike to have the potential to be a replacement for the car. Well done whisper!
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Overall Rating (out of 10) : 8
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