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[IzzyB]

Hi,

I've just joined the group after browsing through it a few times. I'm recovering from ME and think an electric bike would be ideal - I hate having to jump into the car all the time for short trips and I used to do a lot of cycling before I was ill. Looking forward to being a bit greener and feeling fresh air (well maybe not in London!) on my face. I live in Camberwell in SE London and it's surprising hilly. A friend has bought a Giant Suede which I'm going to give a try.

I'm not technically minded enough to go for a kit, so am looking for a ready-built, ready to use model, and the £600 for the GS seems a reaonable amount. Any other suggestions?

Also have you tried taking an elec bike on a train? I'm thinking initially of fairly local use but might eventually want to spread my wings further.

And what about security for bike & battery? Are they any more or less desirable to be nicked than regular bikes?

Thanks for any suggestions,
Isobel

[flecc]

Welcome to the forum Isobel.

You've started off the right way by arranging to try one out, there's no substitute for doing that. Where you go from there will depend very much on how you find the Suede on the hills you want to climb. It's a good low priced bike and if it's satisfactory you won't need to look further.

If you find it can't cope with the hills you want to climb, there are some more powerful bikes at rather higher prices like the eZee models, and a good even lower price hill climber in the Currie Izip from the same agents, 50cycles.

Because electrics are quite heavy, they're not the easiest of options for train travel where you might need to manhandle them a bit, but again your trial of the Suede will give you a better picture.

Many owners spend fortunes on locks on the basis that these bikes must be very attractive to thieves, but in four years of owning various E bikes I've had no problem with using just a medium price heavy duty lock. Currently it's a motor cycle type cable lock supplied by the agents on those eZee bikes, and the integral wheel lock and cable that's on the other bike. Having said that, I only park for relatively short terms. If I was leaving a bike in the same place regularly for whole days, I'd take many more precautions. The battery has an integral lock which operates as you turn off the power so should be safe anyway.

[Gaynor]

Hi Isobel
I got my first electric bike a couple of years ago, there was one for sale at a fair, from a local bike shop, I had a try and bought it straight away, but later found out when i needed parts I couldnt get them, so bought another 3wks ago.
I lived just down the road from you, Old kent road! Would of loved to of had an electric bike while still in london!I live in a very hilly area now, Hastings.
I bought a Quando 2 (from Ezee cycles) which is a folder, and good with hills, and better for transport, trains in my case.
I bought a Krypton lock from Halfords...but never leave the bike for very long outside
Its good that you can try your friends Suede first and see if it will cope with the hilly areas

[MazB]

Hi Isobel,

I've got a Currie Kit attached to my bike and honestly you don't need to be technically minded they really are just a bolt on job.
I think the advantages are that you can lob it on a bike your comfortable with and if you change bike you just swap the motor over

Disadvantages are that you can buy a complete leccy bike for not much more than the cost of a kit, so you get more choice to suit what you need.

As I said above I aint too technically minded but I know if I have any problems there are plenty of peeps on the threads only too willing to help.
Because of these lovely peeps I know a lot more than when I first got my kit.

Enjoy whichever bike you get and hope you have lots of fun riding it


Maz

[IzzyB]

Thanks everyone for your tips. I'd be interested to hear more about the Currie Izip, as it is quite a lot cheaper (£395 from 50 cycles). I believe it's a new model, so I don't know if anyone has tried one yet. Basically as long as the bike can help me with hills, is comfortable, reliable, not too heavy and not going to fall apart, then I don't need anything flashy.

Does anyone know of any shops in London (South ideally) that stock electric bikes where you can try them out? Particularly with the Izip in mind.

best wishes,
Isobel

[nigel]

Hi everyone got my twist lite today wow what a bike it looks excellent i wont be using it yet dont want to get it dirty? i hope it will be a good ride it has to be better then my last electric which was a 5 speed powabyke bit of a heavy beast but still ok. Also thanks to russ and flecc for their good imformation on all electric bikes this will help with any jobs needed to do at a later date.nigel in hampshire southampton.

[flecc]

Isobel

Tim at 50cycles can give you demonstration rides in London, and may have the Izip there. I don't have the phone number offhand, but if you ring 50cycles on 01509 2666 56 they'll give you his London number. P.S. I've found the link now from which you'll access the Demos page.

Nigel

Glad you have your bike, I'm sure you'll enjoy it once you're familiar with the large differences from the Powabyke in riding style to get the best out of it. In particular, once it's run in and freed up, you'll enjoy the ability to cycle without power on the flat when it's just like any ordinary bike. That's something you wouldn't wish to do for long on the Powabyke!

[Citrus]

Hello Folks,

Joined yesterday, and been browsing a couple of days prior to that. I don't have an electric bike (I have a 10 year old Trek MTB), a Citroen C1 car, and a noisy Suzuki 600cc Bandit. My commute is a 38 mile return journey to work, which I have cycled a couple of times in about 3 hours ( 1 1/2 hours going in and 1 1/2 hours going back). It is fine getting there, but when I finished work it was really tiring going back. In good weather I usually take the motorbike - but I would like to cycle (a lot more) but in less time. I am a fit 38 year old who has done a lot of cycling in the past and play sports a couple of times a week. The Torq looks ideal to me as there are no gradients of more than 1:10 on my way to and from work. I figure I could get to work in about an hour on the Torq - charge the battery up there and then come back. Any thoughts? I can get a test ride on a Cadence in the next few weeks.

Best regards

E

[flecc]

Welcome to the forum Citrus. We have some things in common, I'm also a small car owner, gave up my CB500R a little while before getting a Torq, and had another electric before that which I still have, and always cycled unassisted before that with MTBs and other crossover bikes.

Nineteen miles each way is quite a journey, but from your description of the circumstances it should be viable. The Torq would be the best bike in those circumstances since you wouldn't want the journey to go much beyond an hour, and that would definitely happen with other electric models since even the best are quite a bit slower.

The only question mark is range. A to B magazine testers have got between 22 and 30 miles in their various tests on the Torq in fairly flat country (The Somerset levels), but you've mentioned some hills on your route. Most Torq owners get between 15 and 20 miles on mixed territory when the bike is derestricted, but if as a fit cyclist you contribute quite a lot, you might get nearer the A to B figures. Restriction increases the range, but wouldn't be on for you as it would extend your journey time quite a lot. The other thing to bear in mind is that battery capacity reduces with time so that has to be allowed for.

My assessment is that you may need to have a second battery with you, possibly at first, but very likely a bit later. That's not a problem, I often take a second battery in one pannier when going on longer journeys and it doesn't unbalance the torq which is very stable. Alternatively you could carry one in a box or padded bag on the carrier. I've even carried two spares, a Li-ion and a NiMh in the two panniers to give a very long range, and the weight is no different to that from a shopping trip load.

P.S. The Cadence is powerful, but don't judge the Torq on the basis of that ride, the torq is very much more like the bikes that you're used to and you'll feel at home on it.

[Citrus]

I pretty much knew you would answer quite quickly! - thanks!. I see you are night-owl (or insomniac) like me. Thanks for all your advice. I live in central Scotland which isn't that hilly (at least not to my mind). I am quite happy to contribute a reasonable amount of effort when cycling the Torq (or whatever I may get). On my MTB I can usually average 13 or so miles an hour - so I thought 19 miles an hour average on the Torq would be a reasonable figure to expect. Just need to scrape together £1100 now.....