Help advice needed for newbee

[Duffryn]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum so sorry to be asking for help straight off ! I could really do with some help on choosing an ebike. I've got a 20 mile commute which I'm now looking to do by bike though not as fit as I used to be hence looking at an ebike.

I'm looking for a 20" frame and ideally a bike that looks as close as possible to a normal mountain bike. I really don't want to spend more than £1K unless I absolutely have to.

I've been looking at the Gtech bike www.gtech.co.uk/ebike £999 , the Aerobike www.aero-bike.co.uk £799 and the Oxygen S Cross form Ebikes ( a bit over my budget at £1,200). Any advice on my short list or any other bikes you think I should look at ?

Many Thanks

Duffryn

 

[anotherkiwi]

Oxygen S Cross hands down for the disk brakes alone.

 

[Tabs]

The carrera crossfire from Halfords is about 1k and gets pretty good reviews

 

[Duffryn]

Thanks . I'll check the crossfire out

 

[Tabs]

Or if you have a bike already you could fit a kit to it for about £400.

 

[trex]

I agree. A conversion is usually the most satisfying solution for cyclists, beside saving you a fair amount.
For ready built bikes, your weight is a factor. If you are over 15st, I'd suggest something like the £999 Woosh Big Bear. 15AH battery, 20A controller, mudguards and rack fitted for all weather riding.

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?bigbear

 

[Duffryn]

Thanks loads for the input. I'm 11 stone so hopefully weight won't be an issue. Unfortunately I don't have an existing bike to fit a kit onto. I prefer the look of the Gtech / Aerobike / Carrera cross fire to the Big Bear. I don't really want to stretch to £1,100 for the Carrera. Is there anything wrong with the Gtech or the Aerobike ? Both seem to be able to handle the distance I need to travel with some margin left.

 

[Tabs]

Only negative thing I've read about the gtech is the lack of gears, that won't matter if your trip to work is mainly flat but could be a problem if you've got some hills to contend with.

 

[trex]

for your weight, there is the £929 Woosh Karoo. It has 8-speed and 13AH battery, more than twice the battery capacity of the Gtech.

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?karoo

 

[Tabs]

for your weight, there is the £929 Woosh Karoo. It has 8-speed and 13AH battery, more than twice the battery capacity of the Gtech.

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?karoo

That's a nice looking bike!

 

[trex]

it's even nicer looking if you ask Woosh to replace the grips with a £25 pair of Ergon grips.

 

[D8ve]

The areo bike (5.8 ah) and gtec both have very small batteries. The gtec has no gears, the aero has two.
Both factors limit the range and usefulness of the bikes.
Disk brakes really are a no brainier on a new bike.
You can get good bikes on eBay or similar. Then convert. £200 gets a very nice one then £600 for conversion and you will have a very nice set up.
If you can do the job obviously, but it's nothing more than you could have done in school engineering as a boy.

 

[Tabs]

it's even nicer looking if you ask Woosh to replace the grips with a £25 pair of Ergon grips.

 

[Tabs]

View attachment 15987

Like these

 

[Duffryn]

Thanks for all the help and advice. I'm only doing a 20 mile round journey commute on the bike and so I'm not sure the size of the battery will be an issue . The Aero bike having two gears is an advantage over the Gtech and so I think its a choice between the Aero or the Karroo.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

One factor you might want to consider. We get quite a few people asking about what bike to buy, and then they finally settle on one. A couple of weeks later, they're back asking how to make their bike go faster than 15 mph. Some of the bikes mentioned above can't be easily changed. Out of all of them, the only one I know with certainty is the Oxygen, which can be made to go way over 20 mph. I only mention this in case it's important to you. It's not legal.

Whatever bike you get, one with a hub-motor will be perfectly suited to your type of daily commuting.

 

[Duffryn]

Thnak

One factor you might want to consider. We get quite a few people asking about what bike to buy, and then they finally settle on one. A couple of weeks later, they're back asking how to make their bike go faster than 15 mph. Some of the bikes mentioned above can't be easily changed. Out of all of them, the only one I know with certainty is the Oxygen, which can be made to go way over 20 mph. I only mention this in case it's important to you. It's not legal.

Whatever bike you get, one with a hub-motor will be perfectly suited to your type of daily commuting.

Thanks, that's a good point !

 

[Breezy]

I'm now undecided, I've been looking at the Whoosh Big Bear, but worried over seeing one and test riding as I think the shop is in Southend?

 

[Duffryn]

I'm now undecided, I've been looking at the Whoosh Big Bear, but worried over seeing one and test riding as I think the shop is in Southend?

After lots of thought I ended up going for the Aero bike, its a lot cheaper and there is a 14 day trial offer so I don't think I can really lose. It arrives Friday and I cannot wait to give it a go. I will let you know how I get on

 

[Breezy]

Careful with the 14 day trials, one I looked at said, we only accept returns within 14 days f it's unused! For a bike!!