Hi From Netherton

[flecc]

Excellent John, if you look back at my previous posts i did a review on the Mosso, with pics

.
Here's the link to your Mosso post, rippedupno1
.

 

[Kudoscycles]

John....obviously any of us would like to sell you 2 bikes...the Kudos Secret is a surprisingly good hill climber,the small diameter wheels seem to offer a good torque.
I think the Kudos BPM motored bikes....that is now a choice of 4 mountain style....Tornado,Arriba,Typhoon and Escape, plus 2 commuter style bikes...the new Sonata and Rapide are amongst the best hill climbers currently on the market.
Ironically.although I spend a lot of time riding the Secret bike up some very steep hills it is on the flat that I would desire a bigger wheeled bike.
However,riding these bikes is so personal,you need to try a couple to focus on your choice.
Kudosdave

 

[Boss]

.
Here's the link to your Mosso post, rippedupno1
.

Hi Gaz. Your 'Mosso' looks fantastic. The high spec and realistic price appears to provide a good value top of the range mountain ebike. You must be really pleased with your purchase.

Thanks for the links.

Having never ever seen anyone riding an electric bike and didnt realise there were so many different brands, styles, or choices.

Can't wait to purchase an ebike now, and look forward to joining you on a Sunday morning ride out in due course - not sure about the speeds mentioned in your Mosso review, 15mph will be plenty fast enough for me LOL

Cheers

John H

 

[Boss]

This webpage on the A to B site gives all the detailed information on travelling with a bike on the various rail company routes in the UK.
.

Good Evening Flecc. Thanks for the a2b link. The train operator information regarding transporting bikes makes for interesting reading.

Having quickly scanned the details, it appears there are little or no restrictions on carrying a folding bike on any train or tube. Assume their definition of a folding bike refers to the smaller 20" bikes which fold down into a small size.

Will be contacting Woosh tomorrow to discuss the suitability of their Zephyr B, and now thanks to your link to see it it meets with the train operators 'folder' requirements.

Once again, thanks for the link - very helpful and very much appreciated

Best regards

John H

 

[Boss]

John....obviously any of us would like to sell you 2 bikes...the Kudos Secret is a surprisingly good hill climber,the small diameter wheels seem to offer a good torque.
I think the Kudos BPM motored bikes....that is now a choice of 4 mountain style....Tornado,Arriba,Typhoon and Escape, plus 2 commuter style bikes...the new Sonata and Rapide are amongst the best hill climbers currently on the market.
Ironically.although I spend a lot of time riding the Secret bike up some very steep hills it is on the flat that I would desire a bigger wheeled bike.
However,riding these bikes is so personal,you need to try a couple to focus on your choice.
Kudosdave

Good Evening Kudos Dave. Once again, thank you for your informative post and advice.

The nearest ebike dealer is Sandwell Cycles. They stock Volt Bikes.

Will visit Sandwell Cycles tomorrow as you suggest and take a look at their Metro folding ebike to get a hands-on feel for the size and weight of this style of bike.

Thank you so much for you patience with this ebike newbie.

Feel very confident your information, advice, and guidance, will ensure the correct / best ebike(s) for my needs will be purchased.

Best regards

John H

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I don't think that you'll be able to find a bike that meets all your requirements.The Zephyr B will be OK for storage in a large car boot, but will be pretty inconvenient on a train or bus.. It can be done, but I think you'll find it a bit too heavy. There's smaller lighter folding bikes that have smaller wheels. Only the smallest lightest ones are suitable for regularly bringing on a bus or train, but then they'll struggle a bit on rougher looser surfaces that you get on some canal paths. I'm not saying that they can't handle it, You can do anything, but not necessarily well. I've taken small-wheeled bikes on very rough tracks, but a 29" MTB with fat tyres handles them so much better. Ultimately, you have to choose where to compromise. I think that you'll struggle to find any electric bike that's convenient to take on the bus other than very small-wheeled ultra compact ones that aren't really bicycles, like this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cool-Electric-Folding-E-Bike-Very-Light-only-9-5KG-ideal-for-the-commuter-/151014905452?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item232930966c

 

[trex]

the compromise is usually a 20" e-folder for mixed use.
Most 20" wheel e-folders I have seen have:
1. small frame size
2. weedy motor
3.small capacity battery
the woosh zephyr is not too bad on 1), the zephyr-CDN on 1) and 2), the zephyr-B is good on all these 3 points but I totally agree with d8veh, even 20" wheel e-folders are inconvenient to take it in/out of the trains and buses on a daily basis.
To be convenient to take into trains and buses, the bike needs to be small and weigh less than 11-12kgs so that you can carry it if you have to. The folded bike must be easy to roll on its wheels, it therefore requires a fold system that either uses dedicated rack wheels to roll the bike (like the Brompton) or keeps the wheels parallel and the freewheel dis-engaged (like the GoCycle). I have not come across anything in 20" e-folders that can do all these things. That explains the success of the Brompton.
Perhaps you should buy two bikes, the Gallego for the trains/buses - it half-folds in/out in one second and can be wheeled around dead easily and small enough (half-folded) not to attract stares from other passengers, and a fun e-bike for other times.

 

[Boss]

I don't think that you'll be able to find a bike that meets all your requirements.The Zephyr B will be OK for storage in a large car boot, but will be pretty inconvenient on a train or bus.. It can be done, but I think you'll find it a bit too heavy. There's smaller lighter folding bikes that have smaller wheels. Only the smallest lightest ones are suitable for regularly bringing on a bus or train, but then they'll struggle a bit on rougher looser surfaces that you get on some canal paths. I'm not saying that they can't handle it, You can do anything, but not necessarily well. I've taken small-wheeled bikes on very rough tracks, but a 29" MTB with fat tyres handles them so much better. Ultimately, you have to choose where to compromise. I think that you'll struggle to find any electric bike that's convenient to take on the bus other than very small-wheeled ultra compact ones that aren't really bicycles, like this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cool-Electric-Folding-E-Bike-Very-Light-only-9-5KG-ideal-for-the-commuter-/151014905452?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item232930966c

Good Morning d8veh. Thanks for your latest comments and ebay link. Beginning to realise you guys are right - it's not going to be possible to find one ebike which can do everything.

No problem - a super compact ebike folder for the commute and a Zephyr B for the towpaths.

Thanks for all your support and advice, and thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Best regards

John H

 

[Boss]

the compromise is usually a 20" e-folder for mixed use.
Most 20" wheel e-folders I have seen have:
1. small frame size
2. weedy motor
3.small capacity battery
the woosh zephyr is not too bad on 1), the zephyr-CDN on 1) and 2), the zephyr-B is good on all these 3 points but I totally agree with d8veh, even 20" wheel e-folders are inconvenient to take it in/out of the trains and buses on a daily basis.
To be convenient to take into trains and buses, the bike needs to be small and weigh less than 11-12kgs so that you can carry it if you have to. The folded bike must be easy to roll on its wheels, it therefore requires a fold system that either uses dedicated rack wheels to roll the bike (like the Brompton) or keeps the wheels parallel and the freewheel dis-engaged (like the GoCycle). I have not come across anything in 20" e-folders that can do all these things. That explains the success of the Brompton.
Perhaps you should buy two bikes, the Gallego for the trains/buses - it half-folds in/out in one second and can be wheeled around dead easily and small enough (half-folded) not to attract stares from other passengers, and a fun e-bike for other times.

Good Morning Trex. Thanks for your comments. Think you guys are right, not going to find one ebike which can do everything.

No problem - super compact folding ebike for the commute and a Zephyr B for the towpaths.

Thank you so much for all your help and guidance - very much appreciated.

Best regards

John H

 

[Boss]

John....obviously any of us would like to sell you 2 bikes...the Kudos Secret is a surprisingly good hill climber,the small diameter wheels seem to offer a good torque.
I think the Kudos BPM motored bikes....that is now a choice of 4 mountain style....Tornado,Arriba,Typhoon and Escape, plus 2 commuter style bikes...the new Sonata and Rapide are amongst the best hill climbers currently on the market.
Ironically.although I spend a lot of time riding the Secret bike up some very steep hills it is on the flat that I would desire a bigger wheeled bike.
However,riding these bikes is so personal,you need to try a couple to focus on your choice.
Kudosdave

Good Evening Kudos Dave. Visited a Volt Dealer today to look at their ebikes and now fully appreciate all the forum comments and advice on portability, size, and weight.

Looks like it will be the two bike option

Would like to try a Kudos Secret and will contact your dealers in Leicester and Telford to see if they can accommodate a quick 'test ride'.

Just before making the journey, it would be really helpful if you could let me know the maximum height of the Kudos Secret saddle measured from the floor.

Many thanks

John H

 

[Kudoscycles]

John,would love to supply the saddle height but am on my way to a show at the NEC Birmingham(not cycle related). If you make contact with Kudos Cycles they can measure the max height of the double seat post fully extended-be sure to ask that you want it fully extended.
On a previous posting you spoke of having 2 20" wheeled bikes,whether you choose Kudos,Woosh or another it would seem a waste not to have a 29er as your second bike. I love riding the Kudos Typhoon or Escape,both 29er,you feel like the 'king of the road' on these big wheeled bikes...Jimod,on this forum,has some good reviews and rides on his Typhoon,these BPM motored bikes are strong hill climbers.
I have ridden bikes with smaller than 20" wheels at the Shanghai Cycle show,they are ok for 45 kg Asian girls but big guys like me and they feel like a toy underneath you.
KudosDave

 

[trex]

...
I have ridden bikes with smaller than 20" wheels at the Shanghai Cycle show,they are ok for 45 kg Asian girls but big guys like me and they feel like a toy underneath you.
KudosDave

That may be generally true but I have ridden both the Brompton the Gallego, not kerb hopping, but they don't feel like toys. Both have chunky frames. The Gallego is a more comfortable bike to ride.

 

[RobF]

That may be generally true but I have ridden both the Brompton the Gallego, not kerb hopping, but they don't feel like toys. Both have chunky frames. The Gallego is a more comfortable bike to ride.

People tour the world on Bromptons, they are anything but a toy.

I still have mixed feelings about mine, sometimes it seems to give me a nice ride, and other times the front end is as hard as nails.

The steel frame and rear triangle choc suspension give good compliance that end, so if Brompton could somehow take the harshness out of the front, it would be an all-round comfy bike.

 

[Croxden]

My Birdy is a more comfortable ride than the Delite, if only it had a motor!

 

[RobF]

My Birdy is a more comfortable ride than the Delite, if only it had a motor!

That surprises me, although I've never ridden one.

I have, of course, ridden your Delite which is the comfiest bike I've ever been on, so the Birdy must be very good.

 

[Boss]

John,would love to supply the saddle height but am on my way to a show at the NEC Birmingham(not cycle related). If you make contact with Kudos Cycles they can measure the max height of the double seat post fully extended-be sure to ask that you want it fully extended.
On a previous posting you spoke of having 2 20" wheeled bikes,whether you choose Kudos,Woosh or another it would seem a waste not to have a 29er as your second bike. I love riding the Kudos Typhoon or Escape,both 29er,you feel like the 'king of the road' on these big wheeled bikes...Jimod,on this forum,has some good reviews and rides on his Typhoon,these BPM motored bikes are strong hill climbers.
I have ridden bikes with smaller than 20" wheels at the Shanghai Cycle show,they are ok for 45 kg Asian girls but big guys like me and they feel like a toy underneath you.
KudosDave

Good Afternoon Dave. Thanks for the post. Hope you enjoyed your day at the NEC. Will phone Kudos Cycles as you suggest to obtain the seat height information.

Having read all the advice and guidance again in this forum 'thread', the 2 bike option makes more sense.... a folding ebike for commuting, and a 29" mountain bike for the towpaths and the occasional blue run on forestry commission mountain bike trail centres.

Apologies if you thought 2 x 20" bikes were now on the agenda - this was never the intention

Will start with the folding ebike purchase, then sell the existing Giant mountain bikes on eBay to offset the cost of a 29" mountain ebike.

Thank you once again for your patience, and thank you for your gentle pursuasion towards the correct solution.

Best regards

John H

 

[Nealh]

Time running out but at under £500 a nice Oxydrive kit for the giant ?