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[redalpha3]

Hi John
I have just bought a Sprint and it is an excellent bike (so far). I was advised against the Cadence by a number of people, mainly on the extra weight factor. Also, I find it a bit bulky and chunky looking, far less aesthetically pleasing. You can take the latter statement with a pinch of salt but the weight might be a problem in the Pennines and Peaks. I think that I might have difficulty travelling far with the Sprint under my own steam. The extra few kg would make it damn near impossible for me. Hopefully, you are a bit fitter.

[JohnInStockie]

Yes I saw the Schwinn. The only difference I could see were the mudguards, the power (250w and as you said the 'off-road' 400w capacity of the Diavelo) and the Battery (the Schwinn promises 24V whereas the Diavelo said 36V 15Ah)

I dont know if the battery makes any difference, but when I spoke to Powerscoots and asked about extra batteries and mudguards they seemed a little aprehensive.

Must admit, on paper, both the Schwinn and the Diavelo would be fantastic bikes, but would they be better than the Sprint, Cadence or Torq especially up hills?

[JohnInStockie]

Pete,
Thats really interesting. Do you mean that you DONT think the Sprint would do a hill 13mile commute (Im not fit by any measure, but would prefer to be fit for work when I arrived)

Originally Posted by redalpha3

Hi John
I have just bought a Sprint and it is an excellent bike (so far). I was advised against the Cadence by a number of people, mainly on the extra weight factor. Also, I find it a bit bulky and chunky looking, far less aesthetically pleasing. You can take the latter statement with a pinch of salt but the weight might be a problem in the Pennines and Peaks. I think that I might have difficulty travelling far with the Sprint under my own steam. The extra few kg would make it damn near impossible for me. Hopefully, you are a bit fitter.

[flecc]

The Cadence is indeed heavy and is built for comfort. That won't affect it's level road speed as it uses the same motor as the Sprint, but will affect it's hill climbing a little, so my vote is still with a Sprint out of all the eZee models. The Torq is very poor on steep hills, the handbook acknowledges that with a reference of "up to 1 in 10". It's a fast climber on lesser hills of up to 1 in 15, but useless on long 1 in 8 or more due to it's it's very high gearing of both motor and derailleur, very much like a car stuck in top gear all the time.

The Currie motor of the IZIP that Russ refers to above is an excellent hill climber, long established and reliable, but it's important to note you get what you pay for. At £395, when the motor kit alone is £345, the bike is using the lowest grade of Chinese bike components, all steel and heavy, and could wear out very fast on that long regular commute, so I couldn't recommend it for your journey, though great as a casual use bike.

A to B report the Powacycle progress as "stately", the motor having given it's all at 13 mph, and the same is true of Giant's current offering, the Suede. So both are slower that the eZee bikes, but are reasonably good hill climbers. We're in a bit of a flat spot for choice of good bikes currently, loads of cheap stuff on the market but not much from the quality manufacturers.

I'm very suspicious of the Diavelo and Schwinn marketing and will only believe their claims when they prove them with actual results. The history of the electric bike has been littered with extravagant claims which have never materialised and these two look suspiciously like a repeat of these. Nothing would persuade me to order one with a cash deposit at present.

This gets us back to the Cadence which performs quite well and should have the range for your journey there and back. But please contact eZee for a trial so they refer you to a user within reach, since the style of the Cadence is such that you will either love it or hate it. Personally I wouldn't ride one unless under the cover of darkness in an unlit street on a night without a moon, the cowhorn handlebars and wide curved twin top tubes being remniscent of the American cruiser bikes of yesteryear. The photos give no real idea of these features, they have to be seen in the flesh for the love or revulsion to set in. Although it's heavier than the Sprint, it's only by about 4 kilos, so that would have little effect on hills. Rider's weight varies by many times that, and most of us carry more than that in shopping or spare battery at times and scarcely notice the difference.

[rsscott]

If you are looking at the eZee models, I would suggest hooking up with an owner of a Cadence, Sprint and a Torq so you can get feel for all three.

It is possible to swap the front chainwheel on the Torq for a smaller one which will make the gearing slightly better for the hills and this has been done before.

If you really like the Sprint, you may have to sit tight but it's far better to wait for the bike you really want than settle for something that's not quite right.

As for the cheaper Chinese imports, I did manage to commute for a year and 5,000 on miles on one, with the only maintenance being a new set of tyres to replace the useless ones it was supplied with. The downside is the supplier has now gone out of business so I would be stuck if I needed spares. However, for a total of £300 you could argue that's pretty cheap for a year's "motoring"! (The bike is still going strong by the way, albeit with a different owner)

[redalpha3]

Originally Posted by JohnInStockie

Do you mean that you DONT think the Sprint would do a hill 13mile commute

Not at all John. I think the Sprint WILL do a 13 mile commute, very easily. I am not sure about the Cadence. I was merging two thoughts, really. While I find the Sprint very good under power, I was thinking that I wouldn't like to pedal it far without power. I have the 7 speed which has a better gear range than the 3. I really like it. As to reliability, I have no experience yet. I recommend it. From what other people have been saying in other posts about the Torq I get the impression that the Torq is faster but not as good on the hills and it has a shorter range than the Sprint.

I got the impression from 50cycles that the next order of the Sprint was at the end of November.

[flecc]

I agree with Russ that some cheap Chinese bikes can last quite well, I've had both experiences in the past. One that went two years of daily use before the first troubles set in, but another where a succession of poor quality bearings etc were failing from an early stage, front wheel, pedals, head bracket, then finally bottom bracket before I slung it. It's worth the gamble for casual riding, but I'm cautious now about unknown quality when reliance on a bike for commuting is necessary.

[JohnInStockie]

Well what can I say. Thanks evryone for the feedback. I now have a much better idea of my options based on good advice.

I doubt now that I will go for the Cadence, its now firstly a Sprint, then the Torq (there is a number of hills around me).

Thanks guys.

[JohnInStockie]

FYI - 50cycles are no longer stocking the Sprint . guess I am going to see what the new year brings.

Its now a choice between going for the Torq right now (just cos I dont want to wait - which would be bad), or wait and see if the Sprint, Schwinn Continental or Diavelo materialises...

Decisions, decisions.

1 things for certain, I am not going for that cheap Currie Izip. Although good value for money, if I am giving up my car for a bike, I want one that definately capable of the journey in all weathers, and that will last.

John

[flecc]

I think you'll find the Sprint is off the site purely while it's not available, John, since 50cycles wouldn't want to getting enquiries on it if they can't supply. I feel sure it was too popular to scrap, so think it will be back.