Reviewer: Shohid
Purchased From: Kudos
Purchase Price:
Time Owned: One month
Local Terrain: Flat (London)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengths:
Very comfortable ride
Relatively quiet
Comfortable riding position
Good acceleration
Foldable
Good build quality
Fun!!!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Weaknesses:
Difficult ride unassisted
Poor gearing ratio
Poor weight distribution
Poor range
Nothing to stick bike together when folded
Would be nice to a throttle
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary:
I have had this bike for about month and I have really enjoyed using it. Its three key strengths for me are its ride quality, riding position and initial acceleration. As the bike has full suspension, thick tires and a very comfortable seat, riding in Londons potholed, dug up and refilled roads, is a joy compared to my specialized sirrus where every little bump vibrated up to the seat and handle bars. However its great strength is its weakness, riding it unassisted it nothing short of miserable, its like riding against quicksand! I guess its caused by the inefficiencies of the full suspension, thick tires and weight.
The riding position is upright and very comfortable, added to this the electrics and it has totally removed the neck and shoulder pain I was getting with my previous bike, and for this alone the bike is worth every penny.
The third key strength I feel is the initial acceleration which really gives you a "push" and i guessing the motor being in the rear tire amplifies the feeling of acceleration. As its a pedelec, no throttle is present and so its imperative that when coming to a stop you go down the gears, but I found this becomes quite difficult as you need to brake as well, I have kind of go the hang of it but it would have nice to a the convenience of a throttle. Also about two turns of the peddle is needed to kick the motor into gear, whereas a far better solution would have been just to have the power come on when the peddle is moved but at a more gentle pace.
The main problem I found with the Cheetah was the gearing ratio - you cant go much over the 15mph as the gearing does not allow it. Its a real shame as you are permanently stuck at a top speed of around 17mph.
The other key issue is its weight distribution, with the majority of the weight at the rear (Motor, battery, gearing etc) means its a unwieldy bike to ride especially from standstill. Dragging the weight from the back makes the front wheel difficult to control when starting and can be quite dangerous on London's busy roads.
However overall call me an addict! I love the riding my e-bike, and going back to a “normal” bike would feel like asking someone who drives a car to drive a Freddi Flintstone car!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating (out of 10) : 7
Purchased From: Kudos
Purchase Price:
Time Owned: One month
Local Terrain: Flat (London)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengths:
Very comfortable ride
Relatively quiet
Comfortable riding position
Good acceleration
Foldable
Good build quality
Fun!!!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Weaknesses:
Difficult ride unassisted
Poor gearing ratio
Poor weight distribution
Poor range
Nothing to stick bike together when folded
Would be nice to a throttle
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary:
I have had this bike for about month and I have really enjoyed using it. Its three key strengths for me are its ride quality, riding position and initial acceleration. As the bike has full suspension, thick tires and a very comfortable seat, riding in Londons potholed, dug up and refilled roads, is a joy compared to my specialized sirrus where every little bump vibrated up to the seat and handle bars. However its great strength is its weakness, riding it unassisted it nothing short of miserable, its like riding against quicksand! I guess its caused by the inefficiencies of the full suspension, thick tires and weight.
The riding position is upright and very comfortable, added to this the electrics and it has totally removed the neck and shoulder pain I was getting with my previous bike, and for this alone the bike is worth every penny.
The third key strength I feel is the initial acceleration which really gives you a "push" and i guessing the motor being in the rear tire amplifies the feeling of acceleration. As its a pedelec, no throttle is present and so its imperative that when coming to a stop you go down the gears, but I found this becomes quite difficult as you need to brake as well, I have kind of go the hang of it but it would have nice to a the convenience of a throttle. Also about two turns of the peddle is needed to kick the motor into gear, whereas a far better solution would have been just to have the power come on when the peddle is moved but at a more gentle pace.
The main problem I found with the Cheetah was the gearing ratio - you cant go much over the 15mph as the gearing does not allow it. Its a real shame as you are permanently stuck at a top speed of around 17mph.
The other key issue is its weight distribution, with the majority of the weight at the rear (Motor, battery, gearing etc) means its a unwieldy bike to ride especially from standstill. Dragging the weight from the back makes the front wheel difficult to control when starting and can be quite dangerous on London's busy roads.
However overall call me an addict! I love the riding my e-bike, and going back to a “normal” bike would feel like asking someone who drives a car to drive a Freddi Flintstone car!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating (out of 10) : 7
