Commuter bike

benjamin Jones

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 5, 2017
6
0
34
London
I went for a Wisper SE bike in the end. David was very helpful and I had a local dealer.I will attempt to give a review of the bike when I get a few more miles under the belt!


Ben
 

edge.bike

Trade Member
Jul 13, 2017
15
5
55
London
That's right. It has cheaper gears, chainset and forks, no mudguards or rack, a much cheaper and less sophisticated control system (Oxygen has 18 levels) and, although the battery looks similar, who knows what cells are in it?

It looks reasonable for £1000, but don't try and compare it with the Oxygen just because it's the same shape. The oxygen is a completely different bike with a higher specification. Also, I'd be very surprised if the Edge could get anywhere near the Oxygen in a race, which is one reason why so many people buy Oxygens.
Hi D8veh
Firstly thanks for the feedback on the typos we have now corrected the website.

Secondly, can I just clarify a few points.

Our bike does come with mudguards, our gears are Shimano Tourney v Oxygen Acera, I'm not sure whether that's a significant difference ?

Our chain is KMC and so is Oxygen bikes. Our front fork is SR Suntour XCT Oxygen has the same. As for our control system I don't profess to be a technical expert in this area but I am told it is similar. But I am happy to be informed otherwise. Probably also worth pointing out that the battery cells on our model are LG.

To be fair to Oxygen they have hydraulic brakes and ours are mechanical, something we will probably change for the next shipment.

The simple reason our bike is cheaper, if we cut to the chase is that we choose to go direct to the customer and Oxygen choose to go through dealers. Both selling channels have their pro's and con. I would hate for anyone to think we had inferior quality product just because we are cheaper.

Please be clear I didn't come on here to say my bike is better than X..and having been active on car forums for many years I am acutely aware of forum etiquette.

Having read a lot of your previous posts, you are clearly and expert in this field. I would be delighted to send you a bike for you try out and feedback on.

Rgds
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
If your comparing with the Oxygen MTB, it has a cassette motor and cassette gears, which are chalk and cheese compared with Shimano Tourney freewheel gears. It has Suntour XCM forks which are a step up from XCT. Chainset means chainwheels and cranks. The Oxygen has tripple chainrings Shimano Acera.

In the post above, I was comparing the S-cross CB, which is closer to yours and does have XCT forks and a freewheel motor, but it has an Acera chainset and derailleurs.

Do you know if your controller uses current control or speed control for the PAS levels? Current control is sometimes called "torque simulation" by the Chinese. If it's from KT, it's probably current control. I think LiShui is always speed control, but I'm not sure. Others can be anything, though not often current control.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: Wisper Bikes

Wisper Bikes

Trade Member
Apr 11, 2007
6,211
2,174
68
Sevenoaks Kent
Oxygen also have many years' experience and will have excellent back up. They will be here for years to come offering real stability of supply of spare parts. Their biggest advantage is they sell through a dealer network, if an owner has a problem they can get their bike serviced locally.

We have recently seen 8 and 9 year old Ebikes being sold on this forum. These bikes have lasted so long because all the components have been properly thought through and they have been regularly serviced by experts locally. This does tend to make dealer sold bikes a little more expensive but local service is worth every penny.

Also worth remembering that companies selling through dealers normally make less margin than direct sellers. This can be done because the dealer is looking after the aftersales part of the business, thus earning their money.

All the best, David
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,392
16,381
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Also worth remembering that companies selling through dealers normally make less margin than direct sellers.
that's true but direct sellers have to provide comparatively a more comprehensive service. We supply on trade terms to a very small number of bike shops, I know the difference.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,392
16,381
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
oh yes, sorry, should have read more carefully!
 

Mal69

Pedelecer
May 22, 2017
177
123
Scottish Borders
www.darkrealmfox.com
That frame looks remarkably like the Oxygen....
It looks similiar to an Oxygen but the rear frame part is different, the bit which connects to the seat frame is lower on the Oxygen, now I remember they changed something a few years back on the Oxygen because something bust when a suspension seatpost was added, maybe that's why the rear frame connects lower down to that seat frame, I dunno, I think they made something stronger but again I don't know the specifics of what.
 

topographer

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 13, 2017
559
216
Mid Yorkshire
If your comparing with the Oxygen MTB, it has a cassette motor and cassette gears, which are chalk and cheese compared with Shimano Tourney freewheel gears. It has Suntour XCM forks which are a step up from XCT. Chainset means chainwheels and cranks. The Oxygen has tripple chainrings Shimano Acera.

In the post above, I was comparing the S-cross CB, which is closer to yours and does have XCT forks and a freewheel motor, but it has an Acera chainset and derailleurs.

Do you know if your controller uses current control or speed control for the PAS levels? Current control is sometimes called "torque simulation" by the Chinese. If it's from KT, it's probably current control. I think LiShui is always speed control, but I'm not sure. Others can be anything, though not often current control.
Any off-the-shelf bikes use current control P.A.S.?
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
The Oxygen has three current levels as well as 6 speed levels, so 18 combinations. I'm pretty sure Cyclotricity uses KT controllers, and anything you get from Panda probably has too. I've got a feeling that the Wisper Torque does. it's certainly nice. Most crank-drives should have it, though it's not guaranteed with any cheap odd-ball ones.
There's probably loads of other brands using it, and I bet they couldn't even tell you if they were. Most of them wouldn't be able to tell you anything at all about the controller. The only way to find out is to set it to a low PAS level and see how much power you get when you start. Interestingly, the speed control ones often also have that annoying delay in starting and stopping with the pedal sensor.
 
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Reactions: Wisper Bikes

topographer

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 13, 2017
559
216
Mid Yorkshire
The Oxygen has three current levels as well as 6 speed levels, so 18 combinations. I'm pretty sure Cyclotricity uses KT controllers, and anything you get from Panda probably has too. I've got a feeling that the Wisper Torque does. it's certainly nice. Most crank-drives should have it, though it's not guaranteed with any cheap odd-ball ones.
There's probably loads of other brands using it, and I bet they couldn't even tell you if they were. Most of them wouldn't be able to tell you anything at all about the controller. The only way to find out is to set it to a low PAS level and see how much power you get when you start. Interestingly, the speed control ones often also have that annoying delay in starting and stopping with the pedal sensor.
Is it more economic on the battery than just limiting speed?
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
Probably not, but there's a lot of factors involved that can influence the consumption.

The current control gives you a fixed level of current all the time you pedal, regardless of speed.

Speed control will give a higher initial current, but if you're set to level 1, current might stop at 10 mph, so if you're pedalling at 12 mph, you don't use any battery.

Both systems have advantages and disadvantages. The speed control gives you automatic power control. It'll increase the power as you slow down up a hill, but can be a bit fierce at start-up. I hope you don't think that i'm ageist or sexist, but I've seen many middle-aged women trying an e-bike for the first time. They get scared of that initial start-up with speed control controllers, so don't want to ride the bike again, even though you soon get used to it. The current control gives a much more comfortable start and predictable consumption.
 

topographer

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 13, 2017
559
216
Mid Yorkshire
Probably not, but there's a lot of factors involved that can influence the consumption.

The current control gives you a fixed level of current all the time you pedal, regardless of speed.

Speed control will give a higher initial current, but if you're set to level 1, current might stop at 10 mph, so if you're pedalling at 12 mph, you don't use any battery.

Both systems have advantages and disadvantages. The speed control gives you automatic power control. It'll increase the power as you slow down up a hill, but can be a bit fierce at start-up. I hope you don't think that i'm ageist or sexist, but I've seen many middle-aged women trying an e-bike for the first time. They get scared of that initial start-up with speed control controllers, so don't want to ride the bike again, even though you soon get used to it. The current control gives a much more comfortable start and predictable consumption.
Sounds like speed control is better for pulling away at junctions and also for technical off-road terrain. Yes you can up the current via the LCD with a current control system but that would involve fiddling, eh?
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
I prefer current control. I have a throttle for when I need instant power on demand. I was happy when I had speed control, but current control seems to suit me better. I don't think there's an answer to what's best, but I'd bet that after trying both systems, most people would prefer the current control. It just feels nicer.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,392
16,381
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
I ride with assist level 1 or 2 (Southend is pretty flat) and use the thumb throttle to climb. Never found the need to fiddle with assist levels.
 

Swytch Bike

Trade Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
68
34
The Oxygen has three current levels as well as 6 speed levels, so 18 combinations. I'm pretty sure Cyclotricity uses KT controllers, and anything you get from Panda probably has too. I've got a feeling that the Wisper Torque does. it's certainly nice. Most crank-drives should have it, though it's not guaranteed with any cheap odd-ball ones.
There's probably loads of other brands using it, and I bet they couldn't even tell you if they were. Most of them wouldn't be able to tell you anything at all about the controller. The only way to find out is to set it to a low PAS level and see how much power you get when you start. Interestingly, the speed control ones often also have that annoying delay in starting and stopping with the pedal sensor.
Hi D8VEH - we use the dual-mode hall/no-hall silent power Lishui controllers now. They are much much better than Kunteng - and with the LCD screen you can have full control over the PAS power levels.

For our ECO customers that have just the LED screen we pre-program with our standard power-based assist model, but can adjust this before delivery based on customer requirements.
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
Hi D8VEH - we use the dual-mode hall/no-hall silent power Lishui controllers now. They are much much better than Kunteng - and with the LCD screen you can have full control over the PAS power levels.
Do they use speed control or current control for the PAS, or both?