Alien Aurora vs Kudos

[Alimages]

After originally considering the possibility of a folding bike for sharing with my other half I have now decided to get a proper commuter bike purely for my own use. The bikes that I have narrowed it down to are the Alien Aurora (my current favourite option as I am 6ft 2 and it seems to suit the taller rider) and any one of the "King" "Tourer" or "City" by Kudos cycles.

I like the idea of the extra power available on the Aurora but I really like the style of the Kudos bikes. I also get the impression that apart from the motor the Kudos bikes are higher spec. Also I'm not sure if the battery technology on the Alien is as good as the Kudos bikes which seem to use the higher spec LiFeP04 units. Also, the Kudos bikes seem better value and have an extra £100 off at the moment. But then I get drawn back to the POWER of the Aurora..........

I'm definitely going to buy one of these options and I won't be getting a chance to test ride one so I really haven't a clue what to choose. Please, all opinions appreciated.

My commute is 11 miles each way with 2 moderate hills. I currently manage it at an average of 14mph on my Ridgeback momentum.

 

[NRG]

You could convert the Ridgeback, it would be cheaper and be of a better spec than either the Alien or Kudos...

 

[Alimages]

How much do you reckon it would cost to convert my bike then. The way I see it I can get the whole bike for £999 and get about 45% off this through tax savings on "cycle to work" scheme. This tax saving isn't available on kits. So the cost of the conversion would need to be less than £600 to make it worthwhile.

 

[Jonah]

I agree with NRG. If you enjoy cycling and like your current bike you will almost certainly find a kit fitted to that will give you a better ride and a better bike than most heavier e-bikes.

 

[Jonah]

Reply crossed with your post. I would say it's not just about cost but the ride and quality of the bike you end up with. Elsewhere I have compared my kit fitted bike with the well regarded Wisper 706 Alpino - very different riding experiences. For information the kit I have is priced at £665 and the 6Ah battery covers a hilly 22 miles for me.

Nano electric conversion - Conversion kits - Products

Others will be able to recommend alternative kits with bigger batteries.

 

[Alimages]

I did see this option and was tempted. Just felt wrong spending out that much on a conversion when I can keep my current bike as it is and have a separate bike just for the commute. I have a child seat fitted to the Ridgeback and would still take it with us on camping trips with my girlfriends GT mountain bike for family rides. I don't fancy fitting a child seat with all the battery and controller bits in the way and also I would feel like I was seriously cheating while my other half sees me breezing along with pedal assist! She would only want one for herself and then things get very expensive!

 

[Kudoscycles]

Alimages....trying to help your decision without biasing you away from the Alien...over the next few weeks we have a number of Kudos bikes going out with possibly many placing posts on this forum so you will have some unbiased opinions. I am 6ft tall,16stone and average fitness for a 58year old. I have ridden every Kudos bike and the City is my prefered bike,I like the Dutch style handlebars,very comfortable riding stance and I could ride for miles without tiring-I like the Nexus 8 speed hub,which is easy change even when stationary.My second favourite bike is the Tourer again with the Nexus hub,but so many of the younger Kudos employees prefer it with the Shimano Deore gearing,I think you prefer what you are used to.
The City is a heavy bike(28kgs),The Tourer is a lighter bike(21kgs) but I can go just as fast on either bike,the extra weight is only noticeable when riding non assisted. If you have been a sports bike rider all your life you will like the Tourer,if you are new to biking and want a stressfree ride then the City is the better choice. Mountain style e-bikes with 26" wheels are better steep hill climbers but the City and Tourer will be quicker on the flat and gentle inclines. Where these e-bikes are particularly good is long boring gentle inclines where the non assisted bike will be in low gear and high cadence,spinning quickly but proceeding slowly,the e-bike in contrast will be in a much higher gear,low cadence and pushing 12-14 mph up the incline.
Hope that assists your decision but please ask Aliens advice they are helpful guys as well'
Dave Elderfield
Kudos Cycles,

 

[NRG]

.......and also I would feel like I was seriously cheating while my other half sees me breezing along with pedal assist! She would only want one for herself and then things get very expensive!

She's going to think the same no matter what E-Bike you get!

There's been a number of threads about the CTW scheme, I think the consensus was that it didn't save you anywhere near that much.