Cyclotricity Revolver review

Nealh · Mar 15, 2015

Sometimes you get what you pay for but not all of the time, as can be expected you will get low end components on these bikes. However saying that LEBC are offering the Vita Uno for £599 with some good components for the money. Despite your problems with this bike it does seem that you had good responses and back up with your problems so thumbs up for that, unfortunately you weren't able to be with out the bike so the faults would have been dealt with other wise. Most bikes at some time will have niggles so you will never be totally happy all the time.

Summing it up I would say that the bike was not great and you have had a bad experience with it , on the flip side if you had returned the bike most problems would have been rectified and customer service wise you can't fault the company for not trying as they did try to help by offering parts and repairs.

D C · Mar 15, 2015

Hello Ejmi,
The electric kit you have on the bike would have cost you £499, not £399.
This leaves you with a £150 bike which is never going to have expensive components.
As you say, good tyres cost £50 for a set but at least you have decent tyres on the bike now.
If you are going to use a bike regularly you really need to be able to mend a puncture and be able to do minor adjustment yourself. There's lots of folk on here who will advise you and talk you through things if you get stuck.
It's worth while learning how to fit a new tube whilst at home rather than by the roadside, (are there any cycle maintenance classes nearby which you could join) that way you can avoid quite a lot of running costs.
You basically have a good quality electric kit fitted to the bike which could be fitted to a better bike in the future.
Cyclotricity have a good reputation for customer service, If you are prepared to return the bike for repairs I'm sure You will end up satisfied.

Dave.

Nealh · Mar 15, 2015

Stick that kit on most mtbs costing about 450 and you will have a good bike, Plenty on Ebay etc for up to 200-300 used.

Also as been mentioned in the past if you are not to good at bike diy buy local for the back up.

RobF · Mar 15, 2015

As you've worked out, you have a cheap (and nasty) bike with a budget motor kit.

I doubt it will ever be reliable.

Your commute at 11 miles is doable, but is still relatively hard on any bicycle's components day in, day out.

So you need something decent which will do the job.

Do you have any spare money to sort the problem?

An ebike for £1,000 or a bit more would be much better quality.

RobF · Mar 15, 2015

I wont try to manage your finances, but is the Cycle to Work scheme an option?

Many employers offer it, although I had to make several inquiries at my place of work to find the details.

Even if you are restricted to Halfords, they have EBCO bikes.

There's a £1,099 one which I reckon would do your commute reasonably reliably.

I've tried the bike and found it excellent for the money.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/ebco-ucr30-electric-bike

RobF · Mar 15, 2015

Ejmi said:
RobF thanks for good idea!
Firstly I have to ask at my company about that. But I checked this Scheme and it says up to 1000 pounds tax free. So I'm not sure if this ebco will clasified to this.

There's a £900 one that's almost as good, and I expect Halfords could work the figures to get the £1,099 onto the scheme, even if you have to pay the £99 cash.

EBCO are also sold in bike shops, which is where I tried the bike.

I know the owner of the shop would juggle the figures to put the £1,099 bike on Cycle to Work.

Another point is the scheme is not limited to £1,000 if your employer has a credit licence.

I don't know your occupation, but it's worth inquiring if you think your employer might have a credit licence.

RobF · Mar 15, 2015

Another option would be to consider a push bike.

You have been cycling for a few months now, so will have built up a little bike fitness.

Your commute is only 5.5miles, so you would only have to face pedalling for about 30 minutes, or even a bit less.

I don't know how steep your hills are, but you might be pleasantly surprised how easy a lightweight hybrid bike is to pedal.

You can get one with a wide range of gears - look for three chainrings on the front.

First gear on a bike like that is very low, so you may be able to spin up the hills slowly, but without too much effort.

To use Halfords again, this Boardman is a good example.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes-and-classic-bikes/boardman-mx-sport-2014

RobF · Mar 15, 2015

Ejmi said:
Probably because of the money for now I will be riding this bike which I have and I will be observe if the engine it's ok.
I will ask in my company about this Scheme and after I will know they have it I will consider 3 options:
1. Buying new e-bike
2. Buying new bike and put e-kit to it
3. Buying hybrid one like this above.

Makes sense.

You do have a bike so there's no rush, and you want to be sure your next cycle purchase decision is the right one.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

D C · Mar 15, 2015

Ejmi said:
Hello D C
I don't know how is the price right now, but when I bought it it was 399 pounds

Simply in the interests of setting the record straight £399 was the price for the kit with frog battery and throttle only. On your bike you have the bottle battery and LED display with Pedal Assistance System (PAS) which has been priced at £499 since I bought my kit a couple of years back.
I don't think you need to spend a lot to get the kit on another bike, as Nealh says you will get a decent quality bike for £200 upwards which will take the kit you have. You may be able to sell the Cyclotricity bike without kit and get your money back for the tyres (maybe swop them to the new bike first) and you will have then spent around £850 and have a decent bike.
I've been using my kit for around two years and a couple of thousand miles, it's had some hard use, lots of steep hills and rough tracks and even with my brick sh-house build it's been very reliable and certainly not rubbish, it should be all you need for your relatively short commute.
Good that you've been learning a bit about bikes, that should save you a few quid at Halfords

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Dave.

Kuorider · Mar 15, 2015

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/cyclotricity-stealth.17053/

This is a similar thread to yours and may help you to decide a way to resolve the problems with your bike. I would suggest that you ask for the bike to be put right or return it for a refund. Cyclotricity have a good reputation to protect.

Kuorider · Mar 15, 2015

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/attachments/dscf2914-jpg.10788/

Take a look at this bike for sale on here. This is really what you should look for in a reliable everyday bike. I had a try on one of these and they are excellent.

2Lazy · Mar 20, 2015

I was considering buying the Cyclotricty Stealth 1000w. That was until I had a test ride on it. It was ridiculously fast and powerful, which was a real hoot, but it was also incredibly noisy (which was odd considering its a direct drive motor) and the components and overall feel of the bike felt cheap. Rather like a £150 Halfords type bike with a huge motor bolted on the back wheel, which is I suspect more or less what it is. The dealership also stocked the Revolver 500w but I didn't even bother test riding it. The slightly dodgy legality of the bikes was a concern but it was the cheap components and unrefined ride that really put me off.

I know it is of little consolation to you now that you've bought it but this is more evidence if any were needed that people really should test ride a bike before they buy it.

For what it's worth (if you do manage to get a refund) I've also had test rides on several other bikes. Of those the ones that have impressed most are the bikes from Ezee, Volt, Oxygen and the Fast4ward Peak. The Peak is currently on sale here for not much more than you paid your Cylotricity Revolver - http://smartebike.co.uk/products/fast4ward-peak. The Sprint Primo would also be worth considering (the Ezee motor has superb power and hill climbing ability and the bikes are good quality) http://www.cyclezee.com/ezee-sprint-primo.html

Cyclotricity Revolver review

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