Bike identification

[lectureral]

My local supplier in Switzerland offers these bikes - ScooBike - Online Shop - Vélos électriques en ligne - I suspect that they are bikes whose names I should recognise but don't - maybe someone who knows his bikes can identify them if they are sold in the UK under another name?

 

[Nick]

They look like the Ezee range - eZeeBike - a number of people here ride them so should be able to answer any specific questions, and there are a few reviews here as well I think.

Cheers
Nick

 

[lectureral]

Thanks - I thought that was probably the case - looks like the "Torida 620" is the Torq - the conversion from CHF makes it a whisker under 1,000 GBP - which seems reasonable (?)

 

[flecc]

Yes, the Forza (Fury in the USA), Sprite and Torq.

Many more names and eZee will get confused!

That's a good price for the Torq.
.

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

Scoobikes

Yes, the Forza (Fury in the USA), Sprite and Torq.

Many more names and eZee will get confused!

That's a good price for the Torq.
.

That's very interesting,
The price in Swiss Francs is a little bit cheaper (at present rates of exchange) than the price in Euros.
From CHF the price of a Forza (Forman) is £1262
The price of a Sprint (Spring) is £1180
The price of a Torq is ££994
The Spring/Sprint seems a bit dear.
Garantie d'usine

La garantie d'usine s'applique (pièces et la main-d'oeuvre) pendant 12 mois sur tous cyclomoteurs et vélos VAE ScooBike.
Garantie sur la batterie

Toutes les batteries livrées avec les produits ScooBike sont garanties 12 mois. Certains ScooBike® sont équipés de batteries NiMH fabriquées à Yverdon par la société suisse Leclanché, d'autres sont équipés de batteries (LiMnO).

Translation: The factory guarantee is for parts and labour 12 months on all cyclemotors and cycles Scoobike.
All batteries sold with Scoobike products are guaranteed 12 months Interesting that!)Certain Scoobikes are equipped with NiMH batteries made at Yverdon (a town close to Lausanne by the Swiss company LECLANCHE. the others are equiped with Lithium Manganese (batteries).

I wonder if one has found an alternative supplier? Probably not: they would be liable to Import Duty and VAT (on the wholesale price) if imported into the UK. Of course one could always go to Switzerland for a very nice holiday and ride one back pretending one had taken it with one. You'd need 3 batteries to make decent progress. That would be the best part of the deal: a ride thru France via a lot of nice restaurants.
Anyone care to make up a party?
Peter

 

[Cyclezee]

Peter,
have a way round pedalling all the way from Lausanne carrying 3 batteries.
We drive to Lausanne in my LPG fuelled van, buy a couple of bikes.
Stop a mile before the French border, get the bikes out pedal across the border, park up the bikes, I walk back for the van, drive the van into France load the bikes again and head for Calais, unload the bikes and put them on the ferry, (3rd person required for this stage 2 to handle the bikes, 1 to drive the van), go through customs at Dover, load bikes back in van and drive 10 miles from home, take bikes out of van, cycle home and impress the neighbours with the fact that you have just ridden all the way from Switzerland. They will then all want bikes, back to Switzerland and do it all over again.
Or is that called smuggling?

Up for it Peter

John

P.S. (if Customs & Excise happen to read, it was all Peters idea and John is not my real name!)

 

[coops]

It should be said for any not familiar with the Ezee range that only the first four bikes are ezee - up to the "qualif 007" aka quando.

I'm a bit puzzled by the renaming, especially as the bikes clearly bear their original name on them e.g. forman 600 says forza on its side... in fact each bike appears to deliberately retain at least the initial letters of the original name: For- Sprin- Tor- & Qua-.

I'm a natural sceptic, and I can't help wondering - before you all arrange some lovely extended European trips (very appealing though!) - about its legitimacy? After all, don't ezee usually sell through official distributors?

Stuart.

 

[Cyclezee]

Coops, ScooBike - Le vélo électrique is the official dealer for eZee bikes in Switzerland.
In Holland eZee bikes are even more expensive than the UK, £1303 for a Torq.
Shopping around can save money, but don't forget the overheads, both time and money. I would also question whether Ezee's warranty is valid on imported bikes?

John

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

Repairs under Guarantee

Coops, ScooBike - Le vélo électrique is the official dealer for eZee bikes in Switzerland.
In Holland eZee bikes are even more expensive than the UK, £1303 for a Torq.
Shopping around can save money, but don't forget the overheads, both time and money. I would also question whether Ezee's warranty is valid on imported bikes?

John

That could be a problem - getting action on one's guarantee if things go wrong. It might/would mean another very delightful trip to Switzerland.

In answer to Aldby (not John):
Sounds a good compromise: quicker and probably cheaper. But personally I prefer the extended 'suffering' of pedalling all the way and infusing the quality of continental travel.

Just ridden 58 miles (on three batteries) on my Sprint: beautiful weather, lousy roads (the latest hazzard for cyclists is trees and shrubs that grow over the kerb line on City roads forcing the cyclist out into the traffic). I think mail will have to be sent.
Peter

 

[lectureral]

Thanks guys - that is helpful. Aldby - there are 5 border crossings on this side of Geneva and only 1 of those is permanently manned so you could save yourself the bother of riding across the border if you chose your time carefully. I do like the idea of crossing France on an electric bike though.

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

Official Distributors?

It should be said for any not familiar with the Ezee range that only the first four bikes are ezee - up to the "qualif 007" aka quando.

I'm a bit puzzled by the renaming, especially as the bikes clearly bear their original name on them e.g. forman 600 says forza on its side... in fact each bike appears to deliberately retain at least the initial letters of the original name: For- Sprin- Tor- & Qua-.

I'm a natural sceptic, and I can't help wondering - before you all arrange some lovely extended European trips (very appealing though!) - about its legitimacy? After all, don't ezee usually sell through official distributors?

Stuart.

Perhaps a grey market is developing.
Peter

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

Import Duty and VAT

Coops, ScooBike - Le vélo électrique is the official dealer for eZee bikes in Switzerland.
In Holland eZee bikes are even more expensive than the UK, £1303 for a Torq.
Shopping around can save money, but don't forget the overheads, both time and money. I would also question whether Ezee's warranty is valid on imported bikes?

John

Yes, if you import from the EU no duty or VAT is payable.
Peter

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

Border Crossing and the guy with the machine gun

Thanks guys - that is helpful. Aldby - there are 5 border crossings on this side of Geneva and only 1 of those is permanently manned so you could save yourself the bother of riding across the border if you chose your time carefully. I do like the idea of crossing France on an electric bike though.

This is the one.
Take great care at the border crossing at La Cure (in the Jura just above Nyon on Lac Leman). Coming from the north thru France the border is at a fork in the road. French Customs is above the fork and Swiss Customs on the left fork. Whilst you are looking at the road signs to find which way to go for your destination you pass thru French Customs: if you take the left fork immediately, your focus has not yet returned to the Swiss Customs Officer standing in the middle of the road waving frantically.
You have to go back and it takes just long enough to ponder what continental gaols are like.
Your car will receive the most searching examination: when the officer opens the rear door 50 coat hangers will tumble into the road at his feet (well they did for me). How much worse can it get you're thinking.
Peter