Dipping my toe in the water

[knappettg]

Having not ridden for many a year, my grandson wants me to have some gentle rides on cycle paths with him. I am 72 with dodgy knees and am based near Andover.
I cannot afford to make a costly mistake was thinking of either a starter bike around £800 or a trial rental if that is even done. Are there any shops in North Hampshire who could help?
A folder would be easier to transport in the car I guess.
Any thoughts or suggestions gratefully received.

 

[Az.]

I suggest step through frame. Folder or full size. There are many rental companies. Good idea to try before you buy.

Bike ride with grandson... nice.

 

[sjpt]

The bike shop in Shawford are very helpful and do some rental, if that's not too far south for you.

Buy an e-bike online or in our store

Explore e-bike sales, rentals, and repairs. Browse electric mountain, hybrid, and foldable bikes online or test ride at our Winchester store or your doorstep.

www.thecyclecompany.co.uk

I think all their bikes will be above your budget to buy.

If you already have a bike it might be worth considering a conversion.

Unless you hit very lucky any e-bike for £800 is likely to be compromised in some way.

Also worth looking second-hand, but batteries are always a big unknown on 2nd hand bikes, and replacing them is a major part of the cost of a bike. One thing to be aware of is that a battery that is left unused and uncharged for any length of time can deteriorate very quickly; when people make a big thing of low mileage that often indicates the battery may not have been regularly cared for.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116134819521 looks a good buy, but any repair/replacement on such a bike will come expensive.

p.s. definitely a step-through as Az says.

 

[knappettg]

I suggest step through frame. Folder or full size. There are many rental companies. Good idea to try before you buy.

Bike ride with grandson... nice.

Thankyou. I now see County E bikes are fairly close to me so will contact them to rent a bike.

 

[knappettg]

The bike shop in Shawford are very helpful and do some rental, if that's not too far south for you.

Buy an e-bike online or in our store

Explore e-bike sales, rentals, and repairs. Browse electric mountain, hybrid, and foldable bikes online or test ride at our Winchester store or your doorstep.

www.thecyclecompany.co.uk

I think all their bikes will be above your budget to buy.

If you already have a bike it might be worth considering a conversion.

Unless you hit very lucky any e-bike for £800 is likely to be compromised in some way.

Also worth looking second-hand, but batteries are always a big unknown on 2nd hand bikes, and replacing them is a major part of the cost of a bike. One thing to be aware of is that a battery that is left unused and uncharged for any length of time can deteriorate very quickly; when people make a big thing of low mileage that often indicates the battery may not have been regularly cared for.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116134819521 looks a good buy, but any repair/replacement on such a bike will come expensive.

p.s. definitely a step-through as Az says.

Thankyou. Shawford is fine. I will have a look. I would be concerned about battery condition on an eBay bike so would prefer to use a shop.

 

[sjpt]

The Batribikes and others at County E bikes look sensible; a bit above your suggested budget but several on sale below £1000.

One thing to watch out for is how tied in you are with the Promovec system if anything goes wrong, or when you need a new battery.

There's a lot to be said for hub gears for that kind of use; you won't be caught out with a relatively heavy bike in the wrong hear at the bottom of a hill.

Another place to look is https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/ I've never bought there, but they have a very wide range of bikes at good prices and decent Trust Advisor rating. Often just browsing their website is informative about what's available (and at what price) even if you don't expect to buy there.

 

[knappettg]

Thankyou. E-bikes have a new Basis Osprey Folding Low Step 20" Electric Folding Bike for £800. County e-bikes have a used Dawes Arc 20 (I could only find a Dawes Arc ll in Google) for £600. Which would be the most sensible choice?
I appreciate your help.

 

[Az.]

Another option is conversion. You can do it yourself or pay somebody. This is the best way IMO to get exactly what you want.

Shame you don't live close to me. You could have one of my bikes at reasonable price. Need more space in my shed.

...for more bikes he he

 

[sjpt]

The 20 in the Dawes Arc 20 is the wheel size. I don't know the difference between the I and the II.

The Osprey looks as if it has very standard parts in case of any issues.
The Dawes is fairly standard, but a bit questionable on how special the frame integrated battery is.

The battery is also very low capacity on the Dawes; it should be enough for what I guess will mainly be pretty short rides. The range will be much less than the 'up to 35 miles' they quote, probably 20 miles, 15 if you use heavy assist, or 10 if it's hilly and you use lots of assist.

Disk brakes on the Dawes are theoretically better than the V brakes on the Osprey, but they are cable and not hydraulic. V brakes should be fine.

I'd see how good a test ride County E bikes will give you. If they seem helpful and you enjoy a test ride I'd be tempted by the Dawes. Your saving £200, and (in theory) you'll have local support.

Unfortunately a lot of local bike shops are really not very helpful at all.

If you look on ebay you'll find lots of used (or ex demo) ebikes from piper1967. I think he's in Sutton Scotney but not sure. I've never used him. Again, if he's helpful it might be a good chance to try a few different ebikes.

 

[knappettg]

The 20 in the Dawes Arc 20 is the wheel size. I don't know the difference between the I and the II.

The Osprey looks as if it has very standard parts in case of any issues.
The Dawes is fairly standard, but a bit questionable on how special the frame integrated battery is.

I'd see how good a test ride County E bikes will give you. If they seem helpful and you enjoy a test ride I'd be tempted by the Dawes. Your saving £200, and (in theory) you'll have local support.

Thankyou for this. Edward at County e bikes was really helpful and encouraged me to have a decent ride on the Dawes. It was very light and easy to use without power. With power it was a revelation. I was impressed. Use looks to have been light and there is a six month guarantee. So I am buying it!
Thanks for your help.

 

[sjpt]

I hope you continue to enjoy it for many years to come.