Newbie info please.

[LindyLou]

Hi
I'm hoping to return to cycling after a back injury so thought I'd need the help of a motor. I'm not sure if it will work out so don't want to spend much.
I was looking at an 8FUN bike, but can't find much info on them, apart from here where I found out they used to be Sunluva, and on atob which only say 'yet another Chinese hub motor'.
I liked that 8FUN have a step-through frame and a rear rack battery. I liked the weight of the Woosh Scirocco but not the wait (sorry!) and I don't think the mtb frame will work for me.
Thanks for a great forum,
LindyLou

 

[indalo]

Welcome to the forum LindyLou.

Guessing that you may well be female if there's any clue in your name, I'd suggest you look for postings by other female forum users. Lots of people may offer advice and some of it, at least, will be very good and relevant to a female rider. I'm not being sexist with that remark; it's just that some ebikes are fairly heavy and rather unwieldy bits of kit. My partner can ride my bike but doesn't feel safe on it due to the sheer size and weight yet she rides a 15Kg regular cycle with ease.

Recently, there have been two female contributors, Morag and FunkyLyn, (not sure about the spelling!) who have written quite a bit in these pages so you may wish to look up their recent postings as a starting point.

The stock advice, regardless of budget, is try before you buy and I think it's a great maxim for would-be ebikers. There are plenty of members here far better qualified than me to offer advice about specific makes and models so I shan't attempt to point you in any particular direction. What I will say though is, cycling with assistance really does make for a pleasurable experience, especially if one hasn't ridden for a long time.

Enjoy the experience of tracking down the right bike for you. It is out there somewhere.

Regards,
Indalo

 

[trex]

Hello LindyLou, Wooshbikes.co.uk has the Elios that may do the job for you:
The Elios | Woosh Bikes | Tel 01702 435566 | electric bike sales and hire

 

[PennyFarthing]

Hi Lindy Lou,

I have a problem shoulder and neck and back and various other boring ailments.

The only advice I can personally give to you is:

.....to try as many as you can out. Initially I thought I wanted a large wheel bike (28") and was adamant that was all I wanted. However, the first one I tried, didn't suit me - I didn't feel in control on it. I tried a 26" and it was much better. So from then on I thought I could only cope with a 26" wheel. However, I then tried a lot of other ones and and I also tried another 28" bike and it turned out that it suited me really well. So its all down to personal choice (looks) and personal fit (they all 'feel different'). Then its the hill climbing ability and battery range and the make of motor etc vs. ability to climb hills and cost . SO hard to choose.

The best thing to do is try as many as possible.

 

[LindyLou]

Thanks for this advice

I'm going to try a couple of bikes this weekend; I live in South Wales and the local shops sell Wisper, Izip and Powabyke - but following your advice I'm going to try them all out (even if I don't want to pay too much at the moment) it will give me a good 'feel' for them. I must admit, I didn't realise there was so much to consider, so it's good to benefit by others experience.

Have a good weekend
LindyLou

 

[JuicyBike]

Lindy, you should take a trip to Atmosphere in Bristol, where you'll find a much broader range including those you mention. Alistair there is a very nice gentleman who will give you very good advice.

 

[PennyFarthing]

Bob from Juicy Bikes is giving great advice - I would have visited his 'showroom' as people rave about Juicy bikes - but sadly I'm at the other end of the country. If you know someone up that way you could combine visiting/staying with them and trying out a Juicy bike.

Also, if you are in South Wales you can't be 'that' far from visiting Tonaro in Devon. They have some amazing bikes (apparently) and a great women's stepthrough coming soon. Have a look on the Tonaro website and also do a search in the Electric Bikes part of this forum for Tonaro - see all the rave review.

If you can visit London in June - one weekend EBikes direct are having a demo day where you can try lots of different bikes out.