I have ridden both the Salisbury and the Cambridge for long periods of time and the Salisbury feels much less powerful than the Cambridge at low levs, acceleraion and generally starting and getting quick out of junctions. Although both bikes are rated at a nominal 200W the Salisbury needs to be rolling at full speed before the power takes full effect, so overall it feels a bit geriatrtic compared to the Cambridge.
As a plus point -the Salisbury has a better quality feel than the Cambridge, does not rattle as much, the tyres are smooter, the suspension works better and it is lighter by 1kg.
However it does not have an integral light (strange on a bike where you carry a big heavy battery) and the battery indicator is awkwardly positioned under the seat - not much use when you are riding - also it tends to stay on 'Empty' during use regardless of the state of charge. In contrast the Cambridge has a nice 6W 24V light that does an excellent job lighting your path with a voltage indicator that is quite informative as you tend to remember its state under different conditions and judge the state of your battery.
I guess until the industry matures choosing a bike will involve a lot of guesswork. There needs to be a unified preformance test quoted for electric bikes, something like:
0-15.5 mph in so much seconds with fixed weight
top speed on the flat without pedalling
range in miles without pedalling
These are important characteristics that no manufacturer quotes at the moment - so you do not know what you are really getting. Specs like 'range - 15-20miles with gentle pedalling' mean next to nothing when chosing a bike.
As a plus point -the Salisbury has a better quality feel than the Cambridge, does not rattle as much, the tyres are smooter, the suspension works better and it is lighter by 1kg.
However it does not have an integral light (strange on a bike where you carry a big heavy battery) and the battery indicator is awkwardly positioned under the seat - not much use when you are riding - also it tends to stay on 'Empty' during use regardless of the state of charge. In contrast the Cambridge has a nice 6W 24V light that does an excellent job lighting your path with a voltage indicator that is quite informative as you tend to remember its state under different conditions and judge the state of your battery.
I guess until the industry matures choosing a bike will involve a lot of guesswork. There needs to be a unified preformance test quoted for electric bikes, something like:
0-15.5 mph in so much seconds with fixed weight
top speed on the flat without pedalling
range in miles without pedalling
These are important characteristics that no manufacturer quotes at the moment - so you do not know what you are really getting. Specs like 'range - 15-20miles with gentle pedalling' mean next to nothing when chosing a bike.