Are Ebike Suppliers immune to Sales Fever ?

[tillson]

Just checked rail travel costs to London and (including local travel either end and visits to several dealers)would equate to 15/20% of your estimated £1000 e bike cost. So on top of the higher dealer price you suggest another 15 to 20%. Really is time for another chuckle. So online IS the only sensible/competitive option for prospective purchasers in large areas of the UK.

Cheap train tickets, get UK train times & fares | thetrainline

50 Cycles are a short walk from Loughborough station.

 

[flatbat]

Hi There,

As it happens I have just taken the plunge and ordered the C8 at sale price (less another 10%).

Never ridden one, never seen one (exept photo) just relied on excellent reviews.

Any tips or info that I might find useful will be gratefully recieved (PM me if you like).

Steve (Flatbat)

 

[johnc461165]

Not read all the threads on this post, but my general feeling is that at the present time e-bike sellers find it hard to make good profits. I think this is a niche market and will continue to be so for some time to come, but if and when it does the discounts will flow.

 

[103Alex1]

Hi There,

As it happens I have just taken the plunge and ordered the C8 at sale price (less another 10%).

Never ridden one, never seen one (exept photo) just relied on excellent reviews.

Any tips or info that I might find useful will be gratefully recieved (PM me if you like).

Steve (Flatbat)

Congratulations !

1st off - you're going to love the bike. If you haven't ridden with the Impulse system or hub gears before then give yourself some time to get acclimatised. Once you're used to the gears and get your timing right for changes to optimize assistance from the motor, they are simply incredible. You'll never want to go back to derailleurs again and it's as smooth as driving a car. It took me a few weeks to really crack the gear changing. A few hundred miles on, I can get the bike to ride like a racing bike with silky smooth changes or tease out maximum motor power on tough climbs as required.

Make sure there's enough chain tension all the time and that the gears are tuned and brakes checked after the first 100 miles or so. A loss of chain tension can cause the gears to slip (took me ages to work this out) so if you keep your wheel correctly adjusted the bike will ride like a dream. You take up the tension in the chain by having the wheel correctly located in the dropouts (turn the bike upside down and pull the wheel towards you in the dropouts - hard if necessary - before tightening, and make sure the brakes stay in alignment when you tighten up the nuts to set the wheel).

Getting your cadence right really helps optimize output from the motor. There is much focusing on the initial delay with this Impulse system. It's actually barely noticeable and provided you don't pedal too hard (actually counter-productive - you can wind up with pedal spin if the gear is too low), the motor assist it lively. Also don't try to start in too low a gear on flat or moderate inclines. You can probably be in about 4th gear up (6th on mine) in most situations for best results.

I've eventually learned that it's best to let the motor assist really "deliver" before changing up. When you do change, ease off the pedals (you don't have to pedal to change gear with hub gears and can change at will whether stationary or whilst riding), change gear and then re-commence pedalling at about the same cadence as before or slightly harder. This approach seems to smooth out all the "ups and downs". It feels a bit like driving a car - easing off pedal rotation being like depressing the clutch before changing gear and then accelerating. I tried to imagine I was driving a limo with a VIP in the back seat and wanted the ride to be as comfortable as possible. This led to smooth gear changes and ultimately I got so much more from the motor too.

Be quite gentle on the pedals on short hills and drop your gearing. The motor will really fly you up there.

Hope you love your bike as much as I love mine. It gets asked about on a regular basis when I park it up in town.

One last Agattu quirk - the tyres come with inner tubes that have the old "Dunlop" valves on them. They usually send you a basic hand pump which fits but a lot of the better pumps and foot pumps these days are not compatible. First time you do anything with the tyres that needs a foot-pump I'd change them and fit ones with Schrader valves instead.

The stock tyres are OK for a few rides but I'd invest in some nice ones (especially if you saved money on the bike).

I'm running Continental Top Contact Winter IIs on mine at the moment (which despite being Winters have been the best ride of all). I've taken corners hard in minus 5 degrees with them at 15-17mph with a significant lean and they gave good grip. Tend to lean less in the wet for safety's sake but they are pretty happy on mild days too. Touch wood no punctures yet either.

Previously was running regular Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tours and felt slightly more rolling resistance than with the Winter Contis, but they are amazing tyres and very puncture resistant. I'll put them back on in March/April. Fitting them is tough but that's far better than having tyres on and off for puncture management on a regular basis. I recommend these inner tubes too. They add a bit of weight but you won't want to mend a puncture at the roadside if the worst happened - and they will most likely get you home :

Michelin Protek Max Inner Tube 700x32/42C - Inner Tubes - ACYCLES

Hope that's of some help / interest.

 

[flatbat]

Thank you very much indeed Alex.

I really appreciate you spending the time to give me the benefit of your experience, albeit I notice with the 11 speed hub gears rather than the 8 speed bike I am awaiting.

The puncture resistance of the Continental eco contact tyres did concern me before I placed the order but I was informed they were puncture resistant. Don't know about "Dunlop" valves as I have only come across Schrader and Presta previously!

A posting elsewhere indicated the rear wheel was very difficult to align after fitting new tyres and that the gears went out of adjustment. So I may well persevere with the original tyres as long as I can!

Are the dyno lights bright enough for unlit roads without additional lights?

Regards,

Steve.

 

[RobF]

The Dunlop valve is also known as a Woods valve.

You can get adapters to convert to Schrader - Google the obvious.

Might be an idea, because your track pump - if you have one - and any other pump you might want to use while out and about is unlikely to work on the Dunlop/Woods valve.

 

[103Alex1]

Steve

You will likely need to tune the gears and possibly the chain / brakes a bit after the first couple of rides if the bike is posted to you (same as with any bike - it all "settles in"). It was so beautiful when I got it out of the box I was terrified to touch anything and had it down the bike shop inside 2 weeks to do inital checks and 1st adjustments. However, after their £50 bill I fast realized that wasn't going to be sustainable and I'd better get my sleeves rolled up to get to grips with my bike !!!

Both the 8-speed and 11-speed hub gear systems are based on the same basic structure. The 11-speed one is a bit more sophisticated and sensitive to tuning than the 8-speed, and obviously allows more precise changing, but the basic ride is likely to be pretty comparable in standard conditions. I think I posted that entry about getting the wheel back in place - no-one I spoke to initially had dealt with the dropouts on those frames combined with the hub gear mechanism so I had to work most of it out by trial and error but I've got the hang of it now so no longer afraid to take the wheel off. Just take the plunge - you're likely going to end up doing it sooner or later ! 50cycles have demo videos showing you how to disconnect the gears and brakes to change a tyre. They are set up for the 8-speed version you have.

I'd recommend cleaning the chain weekly and lubricating if you're using it regularly. It makes a HUGE difference to how it runs and also reduces wear etc. The bike's a big old beast and you'll realize this when doing any basic work on it. I got a workshop stand in the end having no reliable 2nd pair of hands in the daytime to call on. If you want to clean the chain, you have to raise the rear of the bike off the ground and spin the back wheel backwards or spin the pedals forwards. You can't just spin the pedals backwards with the bike on the ground like you can with a derailleur.

One final thing - read the setup instructions and follow them especially for the battery. Charge it fully and run it to flat twice (don't 'top up' before you've charged fully for the 3rd time). This will have a serious impact on the long-term battery life so it's well worth it. Just try not to run to flat with a bike to get home up a steep hill fully loaded with bottles, oranges and other heavy groceries like I did on my 2nd conditioning charge .. learned my lesson well that day !

If you have any questions about the mechanics or specs etc. just ring Matt at 50Cycles. He's extremely helpful and knows the bikes inside out. He'll help your LBS if they need it too, if you can't get your bike back to them for routine mechanical work.

The Dunlop valve is also known as a Woods valve.

You can get adapters to convert to Schrader - Google the obvious.

Might be an idea, because your track pump - if you have one - and any other pump you might want to use while out and about is unlikely to work on the Dunlop/Woods valve.

I have one but will hopefully not have to use it again - was only bought to tide me through till my first tyre change. Had 2 goes at getting it. The first one I received was the wrong way round but SJS cycles sent out another free of charge having tested it whilst I was on the phone. Not a problem on cost - was just having to wait and the hasstle of 2 attempts to get the right thing. They are not that easy to come by.

 

[flatbat]

My new Agattu C8 Impulse arrived a few days ago and i have been out a couple of times before the snow landed. Headed straight for the steepest (guess max 20%) hills locally which were easily handled at 7/8mph in 3rd gear (bottom gear and 3mph on my unassisted lightweight Kona mtb) so i am quite impressed. Tyres were pumped up rock hard out of the box and i have not touched them given the issues regarding the Woods valves and the pump that came with it being of the press onto valve variety. I will get a screw on flexible attachment along with a Woods/Scrader adaptor to use my car foot pump. Will be interested to see what pressure is actually in the tyres.

Steve

 

[103Alex1]

along with a Woods/Scrader adaptor to use my car foot pump. Will be interested to see what pressure is actually in the tyres.

This is the one I got, which worked with my foot-pump :

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/weldtite-woods-to-schrader-type-adaptor-prod19405/

It'll tide you over till you pluck up the courage to change the tubes . Went through exactly the same thought process about the tyre pressures and these not being able to be checked with the hand-pump supplied with the bike. When I got it and checked, they needed quite a lot of pumping up even though they felt firm. Ride felt better immediately.

 

[Cyclezee]

Cyclezee Has Got The Fever

Our winter 10% off bike sale is now on, you can check out our deals here electric bikes and conversion kits - Home

 

[electriccyclecentre]

A step through is the last thing I am after!
No, I am looking for something of a relaxed mountain bike (hybrid style).
Cost is a consideration but not paramount so looking from a Sirroco sport at the lower end to the Ave XH3 at the top. The sale price of the Kalkhoff Agattu C8 HS also brings that just within range. However, none of these are available to test anywhere near me (West Yorks) that I am aware of.

FB

Hi FB, We have a Kalkoff C8 but in step through along with a good range of other bikes. We are in Penrith and have plenty of test bikes in the shop.
Cheers,
Pete.

 

[electriccyclecentre]

Hi FB, We have a Kalkoff C8 but in step through along with a good range of other bikes. We are in Penrith and have plenty of test bikes in the shop.
Cheers,
Pete.

Just read the rest of the thread and see your sorted. The Kalkhoff is a great bike! Hope you enjoy your new ebike.

Pete.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Electrifying Cycles Sale now on until end of February unless stated otherwise:

New Orders
5% off all AVE orders
10% off any FreeGo bikes ordered before end of January!

Ex-Demonstrators (full gurantee but with a few miles on the clock)
FreeGo Eagle was £1499 now £1350 (1 left, 16ah battery)
3E Sport was £1299 now £1039 (10ah battery, 1 left)
3E City Light was £999 now £799 (1 left)
Ebco Eagle was £1599 now £1449 (1 left)
Ebco UCL-30 was £999 now £799 (24v battery, 1 left)
Ebco UCL-30 was £999 now £899 (36v battery, 1 left)
Solex Solexity was £1799 now £1350 (1 left)
VeloSolex was £999 now £899 (1 left)


More to follow! Visit our website for more details about specification

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

All offers run until the end of February unless stated otherwise.

New Orders
5% off all AVE orders
10% off any FreeGo bikes ordered before end of January!

Ex-Demonstrators (full guarantee but with a few miles on the clock)
FreeGo Eagle was £1499 now £1350 (1 left, 16ah battery)
3E Sport was £1299 now £1039 (10ah battery, 1 left)
3E City Light was £999 now £799 (1 left)
Ebco Eagle was £1599 now £1449 (1 left)
Ebco UCL-30 was £999 now £799 (24v battery, 1 left)
Ebco UCL-30 was £999 now £899 (36v battery, 1 left)
Solex Solexity was £1799 now £1350 (1 left)
VeloSolex was £999 now £899 (1 left)
Wisper 905se was £1599 now £1399 (1 left)

Visit our website for more details about specification

Electric bike folding bike