Opinions Please.....?

[Deleted member 4366]

You're making it too complicated. They're all good bikes, which you'd be happy with. Put their names in a hat and pick out the winner.

 

[Alan103]

You're making it too complicated. They're all good bikes, which you'd be happy with. Put their names in a hat and pick out the winner.

Yeah, in all honesty, I know you're right and I probably would if I was only spending a couple of hundred on a bike. It would probably be a lot easier too if I could try a couple of bikes out but I'm having to do this without doing so. I'm just trying to get as much info before jumping straight in. I like to be thorough in my choices. Its ok to look at a bike and say that it looks good, its got good spec but I am relying on other people to give me their opinion of why they like a particular bike and how it is to ride, before I make a decision if that makes sense?

 

[trex]

...
Can't decide which style of motor,what's going to be the most reliable, cost effective, do I need lots of gears or just a few, which type of brakes are better, or is it all irrelevant in this price range?

style of motor: the forum is divided 50/50 on whether hub or crank drive. I go for crank drive every time because of better weight distribution and gear leverage, I can go faster and climb steeper hills with the same wattage. So it's cost effective. Reliability is about the same among Chinese motors, although they are not as well made as German made motors though.
do I need lots of gears : no. When you ride unassisted, 7-speed is practical and cheap. When you ride assisted, minimum 3.

which type of brakes: hydraulic disc brakes best, mechanical disc brakes with large pads and large rotor, V-brakes. The more power you have at your disposal, the more you'll be tempted to go fast and the more wear your brakes will suffer.

is it all irrelevant in this price range? No - never.

 

[trex]

...
I am relying on other people to give me their opinion of why they like a particular bike and how it is to ride, before I make a decision if that makes sense?

for bikes under £1000, I like the woosh Krieger and the zephyr-B best. The Krieger is fast and handles well, the Zephyr-B is comfortable and has hydraulic brakes and BPM motor.

 

[Alan103]

style of motor: the forum is divided 50/50 on whether hub or crank drive. I go for crank drive every time because of better weight distribution and gear leverage, I can go faster and climb steeper hills with the same wattage. So it's cost effective. Reliability is about the same among Chinese motors, although they are not as well made as German made motors though.
do I need lots of gears : no. When you ride unassisted, 7-speed is practical and cheap. When you ride assisted, minimum 3.

which type of brakes: hydraulic disc brakes best, mechanical disc brakes with large pads and large rotor, V-brakes. The more power you have at your disposal, the more you'll be tempted to go fast and the more wear your brakes will suffer.

is it all irrelevant in this price range? No - never.

Excellent..!!! I was beginning to think this wasn't a forum at all and was about to give up owning a bike and buy a car instead, ok not quite, but it is frustrating trying to continue a discussion when you're being told to pick a choice out of a hat, I could have done that at any point without debate and deciding to join a forum for help. So I appreciate and thank you for your input.
Correct me if I am wrong but I have read somewhere that crank driven motors can damage derailleur gears and hub driven motors can damage the spokes, is that the case and if so, which is the cheaper repair option?
Are hydraulic brake systems easy to maintain?

 

[trex]

yes, crank drive can damage the gears and REAR hub drive can break spokes but you can always take measure to stop both: blip the brakes slightly before changing gear on crank drive and learn to true the wheels. Cost to replace the chain: £10, derailleur: £10, spokes: a couple of quid, these things happen rarely, much less likely than punctures or having to replace brake pads. Hydraulic systems do not need much looking after, they adjust themselves, other than replacing pads about once every 3,000 miles and replace/purge the pipes may be once every 3 years.

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Alan,

I openly admit that as a trader I am biased in favour of the bikes that we sell

You will have noticed that some "non trade members" are heavily biased in favour of one particular brand to an extent that might make you wonder just how independent their advice is

I would suggest that you study all the advice carefully, but if possible ride some bikes before arriving at a decision

 

[trex]

I can only give details on the bikes that I actually have ridden.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I was just re-reading your posts to try and figure out what you wanted, and I see that you ruled out the Emate because there was no stock. I was up in Yorkshire yesterday, where I popped in to SYEBC. They had Emates everywhere with no room to store them. Who told you that there was no stock? They had a nice white Emate MTB ex-demo that a guy was trying. If you give them a call, you might get it at a good price. It only had a few miles on the clock and was like new.

In asking us to tell you which bike is best, it's the same as asking which is best out of chocolate cake or strawberry gateaux. I've ridden just about every type of electric bike. There's not one that I would be unhappy with if it was the only one I could have. Some people have specific preferences for specific reasons, but you haven't put any specific constraints on your choice presumably because you don't need to.

Key deciding points:

If you can't fix anything, you need a local supplier.
If you don't know how to fix electrical things, choose a supplier with a good returns service.
If you're a sporting cyclist, get a torque sensor bike
If you're very heavy (100kg +), you need a high torque motor.
If you want to go fast, get one where you can adjust the speed limit yourself.

Nobody can say what's a good quality bike. When you bought a £3000 bike online and your display needs a reset, you'll suddenly realise what bad quality means. It will be just the same when you bought a £600 bike directly from China that packs up on the first day and the supplier won't respond to your emails. Whatever you do, there's always elements of risk and chance. Thankfully, most ebikes are OK.

Back to the question: Which is best chocolate fudge cake or strawberry gateau? If it's the gateaux, should I get the expensive one with real cream or the cheaper one with synthetic cream?

 

[Alan103]

I was just re-reading your posts to try and figure out what you wanted, and I see that you ruled out the Emate because there was no stock. I was up in Yorkshire yesterday, where I popped in to SYEBC. They had Emates everywhere with no room to store them. Who told you that there was no stock? They had a nice white Emate MTB ex-demo that a guy was trying. If you give them a call, you might get it at a good price. It only had a few miles on the clock and was like new.

In asking us to tell you which bike is best, it's the same as asking which is best out of chocolate cake or strawberry gateaux. I've ridden just about every type of electric bike. There's not one that I would be unhappy with if it was the only one I could have. Some people have specific preferences for specific reasons, but you haven't put any specific constraints on your choice presumably because you don't need to.

Key deciding points:

If you can't fix anything, you need a local supplier.
If you don't know how to fix electrical things, choose a supplier with a good returns service.
If you're a sporting cyclist, get a torque sensor bike
If you're very heavy (100kg +), you need a high torque motor.
If you want to go fast, get one where you can adjust the speed limit yourself.

Nobody can say what's a good quality bike. When you bought a £3000 bike online and your display needs a reset, you'll suddenly realise what bad quality means. It will be just the same when you bought a £600 bike directly from China that packs up on the first day and the supplier won't respond to your emails. Whatever you do, there's always elements of risk and chance. Thankfully, most ebikes are OK.

Back to the question: Which is best chocolate fudge cake or strawberry gateau? If it's the gateaux, should I get the expensive one with real cream or the cheaper one with synthetic cream?

The E-Mate in question was the E-Mate MTB 11Ah and it was John the
Managing Director of Oxygen Electric Bikes Ltd that informed me of the stock of this bike.
If you have ridden just about every type of electric bike then which bikes mentioned in this thread have you ridden and tell me which you liked best and why, what you didn't like about them and why. State reasoning.
My preferences have been noted in earlier posts, I'm searching for a bike preferably under 20kg with or without battery, MTB style, under £1000, but if all bikes are pretty much the same, then I need someone to justify the more expensive option.
I'm open to all suggestions but meh...!!! Just doesn't cut it for me sorry. I thought by definition, the word forum meant a place for discussion.

In the cake debate, its no contest, The cheapest Bramley apple pie with Devonshire clotted cream from a quality baker will beat any expensive supermarket bought chocolate fudge cake or gateau anytime......why? because it has the best quality components made by someone who knows what they are talking about and is good value for money. That's my reasoning, although not perfect by any means, it is my opinion and open to dispute.

 

[Cyclezee]

My biased suggestions
Opinion, you won't get better value for money than these bikes
Ansmann FT-15 from £995 http://www.cyclezee.com/ansmann-ft-15.html

eZee Sprint Primo from £795 http://www.cyclezee.com/ezee-sprint-primo.html

 

[Alan103]

My biased suggestions
Ansmann FT-15 from £995 http://www.cyclezee.com/ansmann-ft-15.html
View attachment 11098
eZee Sprint Primo from £795 http://www.cyclezee.com/ezee-sprint-primo.html
View attachment 11099

Thanks for your suggestions, but they do not fit into my preferential criteria although do come under my maximum budget. The ansmann does have a certain amount of style and good quality components, tyres etc. it's far too heavy for my liking and I'm not keen on the placement of the battery tbh.
The eZee Sprint Primo is just not my style sorry. Thanks anyway.

 

[Cyclezee]

Thanks for your suggestions, but they do not fit into my preferential criteria although do come under my maximum budget. The ansmann does have a certain amount of style and good quality components, tyres etc. it's far too heavy for my liking and I'm not keen on the placement of the battery tbh.
The eZee Sprint Primo is just not my style sorry. Thanks anyway.

That's fair comment, how about looking here to see if you can find a bike that you like the look of and meets your criteria, http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/buy/find-an-electric-bike-for-sale/ then ask about a that specific model so we can stop going round in endless circles

 

[JohnCade]

The E-Mate in question was the E-Mate MTB 11Ah and it was John the
Managing Director of Oxygen Electric Bikes Ltd that informed me of the stock of this bike.
If you have ridden just about every type of electric bike then which bikes mentioned in this thread have you ridden and tell me which you liked best and why, what you didn't like about them and why. State reasoning.
My preferences have been noted in earlier posts, I'm searching for a bike preferably under 20kg with or without battery, MTB style, under £1000, but if all bikes are pretty much the same, then I need someone to justify the more expensive option.
I'm open to all suggestions but meh...!!! Just doesn't cut it for me sorry. I thought by definition, the word forum meant a place for discussion.

In the cake debate, its no contest, The cheapest Bramley apple pie with Devonshire clotted cream from a quality baker will beat any expensive supermarket bought chocolate fudge cake or gateau anytime......why? because it has the best quality components made by someone who knows what they are talking about and is good value for money. That's my reasoning, although not perfect by any means, it is my opinion and open to dispute.

I may be wrong but I think you said that you haven’t ridden any e bikes at all? Doing a paper exercise like this not a good way to buy anything. Certainly not a car or a motorbike or an electric bike. Not even a non powered bike if it comes to that. The way the components are chosen and put together and finished is what the bike is in the end. I had an old Claud Butler Dalesman from the eighties once - not the Japanese one which is just called a Claud Butler - which rode beautifully and everything just matched. The individual components were not really top of the range, good yes but at a price point. But it was designed and built by someone who knew what he was doing and how a touring bike should ride.

You have to realise that at under £1000 the bikes will not have the best components. That is the price at which pushbikes start to get to be good bikes, and the electrics and batteries part at the price range is over half of that. They should be better than the really cheap bikes which have the electrics put on a cheapish Halfords type bike. But the extra money above that is to pay for better design and components, and quality of build and finish.

You really must go somewhere and ride a couple. Most people who don’t do that end up unhappy with their first bike, and so it costs them more in the end. When you do you will know what sort of bike will suit you and whether you think paying more for better quality is worth it to you. No one else’s opinion really matters because they aren’t you.

 

[Alan103]

I may be wrong but I think you said that you haven’t ridden any e bikes at all? Doing a paper exercise like this not a good way to buy anything. Certainly not a car or a motorbike or an electric bike. Not even a non powered bike if it comes to that. The way the components are chosen and put together and finished is what the bike is in the end. I had an old Claud Butler Dalesman from the eighties once - not the Japanese one which is just called a Claud Butler - which rode beautifully and everything just matched. The individual components were not really top of the range, good yes but at a price point. But it was designed and built by someone who knew what he was doing and how a touring bike should ride.

You have to realise that at under £1000 the bikes will not have the best components. That is the price at which pushbikes start to get to be good bikes, and the electrics and batteries part at the price range is over half of that. They should be better than the really cheap bikes which have the electrics put on a cheapish Halfords type bike. But the extra money above that is to pay for better design and components, and quality of build and finish.

You really must go somewhere and ride a couple. Most people who don’t do that end up unhappy with their first bike, and so it costs them more in the end. When you do you will know what sort of bike will suit you and whether you think paying more for better quality is worth it to you. No one else’s opinion really matters because they aren’t you.

Can I just say, that all I am doing at the moment is homework before I decide to buy. I am collating information to help me make an informed decision and unlikely to buy anything without the necessary knowledge about a product. Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of a dealer on my doorstep and will have to travel to try a few bikes, but when I do, I would like to be able to discuss with the seller the type of bike that interests me.
Forgive me for asking questions. I'm only looking for answers, questions are pointless without them. That's why I'm here, I thought that people with a greater knowledge about the subject could share their wisdom with me before I jump out and purchase the first bike available in the shop because I know nothing about them.

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Alan,
It might make it easier for people to advise if rather than trying to trawl through a whole thread you made a list of bullet points.

e.g.

• Frame style
• Frame size
• Wheel size
• Range required
• Your weight
• Terrain where the bike will be used
• etc., etc.

 

[LEBC Tom]

I can only give details on the bikes that I actually have ridden.

How do you know John was talking about you Trex? Could have been.......oh wait...yes he was.

 

[LEBC Tom]

Can I just say, that all I am doing at the moment is homework before I decide to buy. I am collating information to help me make an informed decision and unlikely to buy anything without the necessary knowledge about a product. Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of a dealer on my doorstep and will have to travel to try a few bikes, but when I do, I would like to be able to discuss with the seller the type of bike that interests me.
Forgive me for asking questions. I'm only looking for answers, questions are pointless without them. That's why I'm here, I thought that people with a greater knowledge about the subject could share their wisdom with me before I jump out and purchase the first bike available in the shop because I know nothing about them.

You dont need to say sorry for asking questions but you need to get on a plane, train or even bike and get to a place that sells these things. I can talk to I'm blue in the face about how great ebikes are but you have to try one, there must be somewhere nearish for you to demo one?

 

[Jimod]

Can I just say, that all I am doing at the moment is homework before I decide to buy. I am collating information to help me make an informed decision and unlikely to buy anything without the necessary knowledge about a product. Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of a dealer on my doorstep and will have to travel to try a few bikes, but when I do, I would like to be able to discuss with the seller the type of bike that interests me.
Forgive me for asking questions. I'm only looking for answers, questions are pointless without them. That's why I'm here, I thought that people with a greater knowledge about the subject could share their wisdom with me before I jump out and purchase the first bike available in the shop because I know nothing about them.

Which side of Glasgow do you live? If the East side then it wouldn't take long to travel to Linlithgow where there's an ebike shop which hires ebikes. You'd then get an idea if you like an ebike and an idea of how heavy an ebike is. I'm sure (but not certain) that he'll refund the hire cost if you buy a bike after a hire.

 

[Alan103]

Which side of Glasgow do you live? If the East side then it wouldn't take long to travel to Linlithgow where there's an ebike shop which hires ebikes. You'd then get an idea if you like an ebike and an idea of how heavy an ebike is. I'm sure (but not certain) that he'll refund the hire cost if you buy a bike after a hire.

I'm not that far from yourself actually, I stay in Cumbernauld and someone mentioned this place to me the other day, do you know if it's open on a Sunday?
I also see that you own a couple of kudos bikes, how do you find them to ride? Did you buy them directly? If so, how was the service? Thanks for the info, much appreciated.