1st E-Bike advice

[nickc1976]

Hi all

I'm doing some research for my first electric bike. I'll be using it for a 33 mile round trip to work, for which I expect to put in a decent amount of pedalling. I already cycle this route one day a week, nut want to do it more often and quicker.

So far I've done a test ride on 3 bikes:
Kudos Cobra - nice looking bike, and a nice ride, but I felt it was a little too easy to reach the top speed and the motor cut out
Batribike Granite - riding position wasn't as comfortable for me, battery pack on the back rattled noisily when going over bumps
Ave CH-Edition - a pleasure to ride, smooth and delivered power nicely and consistently, just not the right frame type for me.


I am looking at this:
http://www.roodog.co.uk/striker/
but I can't find much information on this company and wondered whether anyone had any experience of their bikes?

I'm also considering this:
CorCoach Bikes
and again am wondering if anyone has any experience of this company.

Or if anyone else has any other recommendations please let me know

Thanks

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Nick,

Welcome to the forum, the best place for advice and help to choose an electric bike.

It would be helpful if you provided a few more details of the type of bike you are looking for i.e. MTB, Hybrid etc., and your budget.

As you will already have realised the choice is huge and it gets even wider if you were to consider a conversion kit for a non powered bike.

Cyclezee can supply all of these, so please read all you can and take a minute or two to have look at what we have to offer. electric bikes and conversion kits - Home

 

[jackhandy]

Have a testride on a Kudos Tornado: If you liked the Cobra, you'll probably love the Tornado - If there are any left now.

Only thing of concern is the distance of your commute: Unless you can charge at work, it may be a tad too far for a bottle battery; depending on hills.

 

[banbury frank]

Hi Nick we can build the bike off your choice Give me a call

Frank

 

[Jonah]

Roo-dog are new, saw them for the first time at this year's cycle show so there won't be many people with experience of them yet. As you noticed with the AVE you will be able to tell the difference in quality between the cheaper Chinese made bikes and the more expensive European made bikes. If you are looking for a bike to use everyday, personally I would go for the best bike you can afford. There are an ever increasing number of premium brands around but in my opinion it's certainly worth a look at the Kalkhoff range of bikes.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Kudos Tornado sold out,new stock due December/January....if you want to try that type of bike we still have a number of Kudos Arriba for test rides.
The Arriba and Tornado are supplied to En15194 spec,which cuts out at the legal 15.5 mph,but the bike can be programmed to reach 19mph, without cutout, but obviously that makes the bike illegal as a bicycle. The cutout applies to all legal bikes so if you wish to ride a bike without the cutout you have the dilemma whether to ride an illegal bike,this forum is very divided on the issue and the subject has been thrashed to death,I think it becomes a personal decision.
KudosDave

 

[nickc1976]

Hi all, and thanks for the advice so far. I will definitely want to try before I buy anything, and I live in Manchester, so the supplier has to be somewhere I can easily travel to. I'm open to either mountain bike or hybrid type bikes.

This weekend I have ridden a few more bikes, so thought I would share my opinions on them.

First I tried a Cyclotricity Stealth. This was a nice bike, and the one I rode was de-restricted so I was able to get up a decent bit of speed. The downside was the gearing, it was too low, so at 16/17 mph, my feet were spinning too fast to go any faster.

After that I rode a Juice Joule, which looks like it has now been rebranded to Joule Prism. I loved this bike. After riding the Stealth, it felt like a considerable step up in quality. The gears were not like anything I've used on a bike before, but were brilliant. They somehow use spheres inside the rear hub, and twisting the handlebar grip lowers or raises the gearing. It is entirely gradual, so a tiny movement makes a tiny change, meaning you can be very precise. There is no clunking of a chain, and it can be changed while pushing on the pedals, and it felt perfect for an electric bike, much more appropriate than derailleur gears.
The other great thing about this bike was the speed. It was restricted to 15.5mph, but I could get up to 19/20 mph on the flat with very little effort, and even at this speed it felt like it was still giving me power. Maybe the way the gears work allow it to deliver power still so I only have to make a small effort to make up the extra few mph.
I suppose the downside was that it is heavy, but it didn't feel heavy to ride. Also it doesn't look like a normal bike, it looks like an expensive electric bike, and I have some concerns that riding it might attract the attention of the local scallies. However, it is a definite contender.

I thought I was set on the Joule, then I rode a couple of the Roodog bikes, the Striker and the Avatar. I went on a really great test ride with Scott, the director of the company, which took in some off road stuff. Both bikes were essentially the same and felt very similar to ride. I really liked them, they were light, and felt light to ride. The gearing was good too, with a big front cog, meaning I could get up some decent speed. There was no speedo, but they felt really fast, particularly in the highest pedal assist mode. They felt much faster than the Cobra and the power delivery was smoother, I wasn't aware of it cutting out at higher speeds. I think overall, it would be a more fun bike than the Joule.

So I think I'm stuck somewhere between the Joule and the Roodog. I don't know whether the Joule being built in the UK and the Roodog being built in China makes any difference?

I'd be interested to hear of anyone else's experience of these bikes - there doesn't seem to be many reviews around because they are new.

 

[trex]

it looks like you have found the right bike (Joule).
I don't know what you think about dealers derestricting their demo bikes, but be warned on one thing though, there isn't anyone assembling e-bikes in the UK at the moment. The anti-dumping duty on the mechanical bikes is so high that it favours importing the whole bike from China rather than bike + electronics for local assembly.

 

[jackhandy]

Before parting with your hard-earned, I'd be inclined to ask what spares stock-levels are held in the uk for either of these bikes.
Reason being, they both appear to be smallish concerns, with a fairly limited range of models.

 

[Cyclezee]

Our Winter Sale of selected eZee models has just started, there has never been a better time to buy an eZee bike

You can check them out here eZee Electric Bikes - electric bikes and conversion kits

 

[JuicyBike]

Hi Nick
If you have time to visit New Mills then we can let you borrow any of our range for a decent test ride.
I'd like to hear what you think of our new Sport Click (not yet on our website).

 

[RobF]

Fair play to Nick for considering a couple of unusual bikes.

I wonder how stiff the single girder design of the Joule is, avoiding flex around the bottom bracket must be difficult.

A chain run of that length to a hub gear would worry me, it might need lots of adjustment.

Prism -  Bikes - Joule Bikes

 

[trex]

the BB tube may be stiffened by the battery cage.
The NuVinci is certainly a first on a Chinese hub bike, a tad expensive though.
manufacturer's link:
http://www.powfu-vehicle.com/products.asp?Action=Detail&ID=87
http://czhlclbj.en.alibaba.com/productgrouplist-213776876/EN15194_Electric_bike.html

 

[Kudoscycles]

Trex....we have the Nuvinci on our Arriba bike which uses the TCM crank motor plus the Nuvinci hub....called the Eiger it is the smoothest e-bike I have ridden,the combination seems to work very well. It will be on our website next week. Bit more expensive than the norm for Kudos at £1495.00....worth spending if you ride a lot in a hilly area,but if not the Tornado and Arriba are equally quick.
KudosDave

 

[trex]

yes, it's a shame that the OP has not tried your Ariba and Eiger, they are certainly not your average 250W Chinese bikes, much better equiped than the Prism and cheaper too.
I am aware of the Eiger, crank drive with the NuVinci, not the first Chinese hub drive with NuVinci I mentioned in my post, also Tonaro seems to be first to fit NuVinci to their crank drive last year.
The Seagull/Eclipse/Prism has a front hub drive, the combination seems to offer good weight distribution. The battery case is nice and easy to get out too. The Prism dares to look different, sure to attract attention.

 

[nickc1976]

JuicyBike - New Mills is about 20 mins drive from where I live, but I won't be free until next weekend. What is your Sport Click bike like - do you have any pictures or spec info?

The Arriba and Eiger sound interesting, but I am not aware of anywhere local to do a test ride.

 

[JuicyBike]

JuicyBike - New Mills is about 20 mins drive from where I live, but I won't be free until next weekend. What is your Sport Click bike like - do you have any pictures or spec ...

Hi Nick
You can get a sneak preview at our new website here.

 

[CoachMark]

Trex....we have the Nuvinci on our Arriba bike which uses the TCM crank motor plus the Nuvinci hub....called the Eiger it is the smoothest e-bike I have ridden,the combination seems to work very well. It will be on our website next week. Bit more expensive than the norm for Kudos at £1495.00....worth spending if you ride a lot in a hilly area,but if not the Tornado and Arriba are equally quick.
KudosDave

Just looked on your website for the Eiger but couldn't see it?

 

[Kudoscycles]

Just looked on your website for the Eiger but couldn't see it?

Sorry....just waiting for some sun to go out and take some photos.....it is identical in appearance to the Ibex bike but with the Nuvinci hub replacing the derailleur.
KudosDave

 

[LEBC Tom]

Just looked on your website for the Eiger but couldn't see it?

Here you go Mark, I have one here at the The London Electric Bike Co in Hampton Wick if you'd like to try it.