Dan....definitely go somewhere to ride a number of different types of e-bikes and maybe the following may help.
1. Decide on an approximate budget
2. Decide on the type of bike for your usage-Step through or X-bar,Mountain bike style or Tourer,Leisure or commuting,hub drive or crank drive...a good dealer should help
3. Decide on the range you are intending....no point carrying an expensive/heavy 20 Ah battery if your range will be 30 miles max but shame if you run out of power on a 50 mile ride,consider using 2 batteries only when needed.
4. Ask how much is the cost of replacement batteries...in the excitement of buying a new bike a £500 plus replacement battery may seem irelevant but 2 years later this could be a shock....this cost is the biggest single factor in the running cost of an e-bike....many contributors to this forum are still using batteries past their prime and some bikes are left in the shed because the owner cannot face the new battery cost.
5. EN15194 standard is a guarantee that your bike has been designed and built to a good standard.
6. Servicing-does the bike have a strong dealer support and does the manufacturer keep supporting spares stock....try to ask other owners as to how good was after sales service.
7. Look at the specification in detail...these e-bikes have so much power (your legs,200 watts + motor 250 watts) that you don't need 27 speed gears....a good Deore 9 speed or Nexus 8 speed may prove better than a cheap 27 speed deraillieur....the Nexus 8 speed internal hubs require no cleaning after use.
Look at the quality of all the fittings,try to buy established branded parts which will be easier to service.
8. Take one step back and ask yourself honestly do you like the look of the bike....it may have the best spec at the best price but you have to live with the style.
9. Try the bike on the type of terrain you intend to ride....will you be climbing hills all the time or on the flat?..will you go off-road?
10. Where will you store the bike,these bikes mostly weigh 20 kgs plus....do you have a store which has easy access. Do you need to transport the bike in a car or boat....maybe a small wheel folder would be a better choice.
11. Security....all our urban bikes have an inbuilt rear wheel lock but the bike can still be picked up and thrown in a van....our new ECO bike has the latest type lock which locks the rear wheel and has an extendable cable to attach to lamppost etc...if a success we will offer this as an option on all bikes....see the photos of ECO bike on our website showing this lock type.
The recent cycle show at the NEC was a brilliant venue for trying many different types of e-bike,most of the major importers were represented....it's a shame that the e-bike industry has not got it's act together and have a dedicated e-bike show preferably in the spring time-the Tour de Presteigne is very good and great fun but it's a difficult access location.
In writing this thread I can understand what a complex decision process must be involved in selecting a suitable e-bike....but never buy an e-bike without riding it-I have customers who order off the website and arrange collection-we ask them don't they want to ride the bike-nope I know exactly what I want-they invariably go home with a completely different bike to their first decision!!!!!!!!!
Dave
KudosCycles
I am almost convinced an ebike/pedlecs should be quite doable over that distance!
