sparta ion and giant twist 1.0

[nigel]

HI everyone
have you all had time to read reviews in AtoB magazine on the 2 new electric bikes roadtested SPARTA ION and the GIANT TWIST 1.0.
What do you think were you impressed or not nigel.

 

[Quicken]

HI everyone
have you all had time to read reviews in AtoB magazine on the 2 new electric bikes roadtested SPARTA ION and the GIANT TWIST 1.0.
What do you think were you impressed or not nigel.

Grrr, I haven't received this month's copy of AtoB yet. *puts fingers in ears*

Cheers,
Q

 

[Flying Kiwi]

Grrr, I haven't received this month's copy of AtoB yet. *puts fingers in ears*

Ditto here Q
How did you get yours before other people Nigel? I cant help but wonder how both of these hub motor powered bikes compare to something similar to the original discontinued Twist (with the motor power going through the gears) such as the Gazelle Easy Glider.

 

[flecc]

I've got mine this morning and read it right through. I'll let the magazine disappoint you on one of those bikes, it confirms all my suspicions.

I believe the magazine gets sent out in more than one batch so a 24 hour gap can occur.

Think of the poor devils overseas, though for them it can be better now there's an online edition as well. It cost only £2 extra to subscribe to that as well.
.

 

[nigel]

nigel

Hi chaps
dont know why i got AtoB so quick perhaps the postal service is better anyway the report on the new twist was not that good i bet none of you are very surprised by that with a front hub motor and batterys that dont want to come out of those nice looking panniers and get a few cuts in the process all in all i say bring back the old twist quick nigel

 

[Flying Kiwi]

all in all i say bring back the old twist quick nigel

As long as they think they can make more profit, quicker with the simpler new one, they won't bring back the old. Maybe a hub motor powered bike boycott is whats needed to get the message across (for those who want a full sized bike with the best flexibility for varied terrain)

 

[Baboonking]

I got mine this morning and coincidendly had a ride on the Sparta Ion this afternoon

 

[nigel]

Nigel

Hi nick
hope those bikes you picked up are keeping you busy and good luck on extending the range on those powabyke batterys that would be cool dude PS what was you impression of the sparta bike AtoB were ok about it but its another slow speed machine what did you think nigel.

 

[flecc]

My opinion regarding the Sparta and the new Twist is, if these are what the Dutch like, in the spirit of international co-operation and friendship we should let them keep all of them.
.

 

[Flying Kiwi]

My opinion regarding the Sparta and the new Twist is, if these are what the Dutch like, in the spirit of international co-operation and friendship we should let them keep all of them.
.

I agree. I'm trying to find out more about the Gazelle Easy Glider Gazelle - Collectie - Collectie 2007 - Stad Comfort - Easy Glider also a Dutch bike. It looks to be (on paper) a much closer match to the original Giant Twist and it even uses a Panasonic crank drive power unit. Only problem at this stage is that just like Gazelle's web page, the manual is not available in English (even though the company has a couple of UK distributors and a link to a UK section on their homepage). Just like the original Twist, it looks to be a case of a great product being sold with insufficient attention to marketing.

 

[Baboonking]

Actually I couldn't help but be impressed by the Sparta. Not my idea of what an electric bike should be at all, I like high voltage, lots of gears and lots of scope for modification. I've not yet tried a pedelec drive system that hasn't had me reaching for the pedal sensors and replacing them with a throttle asap (bear in mind I've not tried the lafree).

The Sparta didn't look electric , and also didn't sound electric, I couldn't hear the motor at all, the quieter than the crystalyte 5 or 4 series brushless hub motors. Strangley it didn't feel electric either, the pedelec system was so intuitive it just felt like I was a really strong cyclist. Looked gorgeous aswell. I've no idea on the performance as a I only went for quick ride.


Nigel,

I think I'm going to have fun with your old bikes. I quite like the powabyke. has a kinda soviet motorbike feel but pretty powerful bike despite its heavyness. The easy twister was as bad as you said it was. Really terrible design for example the battery pack connection lead 3 pin kettle connector on it. I wonder if anyone who put one has plugged it directly into the mains yet, I think it will quite a challenge to turn it into something useful.

 

[flecc]

Actually I couldn't help but be impressed by the Sparta. Not my idea of what an electric bike should be at all, I like high voltage, lots of gears and lots of scope for modification. I've not yet tried a pedelec drive system that hasn't had me reaching for the pedal sensors and replacing them with a throttle asap (bear in mind I've not tried the lafree).

The Sparta didn't look electric , and also didn't sound electric, I couldn't hear the motor at all, the quieter than the crystalyte 5 or 4 series brushless hub motors. Strangley it didn't feel electric either, the pedelec system was so intuitive it just felt like I was a really strong cyclist. Looked gorgeous aswell. I've no idea on the performance as a I only went for quick ride.

This seems to fit in exactly with A to B magazine's impressions. Also not my kind of bike, but if the Sparta had the same dealer network as Giant, it seems it could really damage the sales of that.

That said, it's a utility bike, and I don't see that kind of customer in the UK paying £1429 for one. Most of them wince long before £1000 is reached.
.

 

[nigel]

Nigel

yes the easy glider does seem on the same lines as the twist lite and might be a good bet but we would need more imformation is there any way to get the specs in english?NIGEL.

 

[Flying Kiwi]

yes the easy glider does seem on the same lines as the twist lite and might be a good bet but we would need more imformation is there any way to get the specs in english?

It's closer to the top of the range Twist Comfort ST actually (more gears in the form of an 8 Speed Shimano rear hub, hub dynamo, full chaincase, suspension forks and seatpost etc) except there's also the choice of a gents frame version with a crossbar as well as ladies step-thru design. I dont understand Dutch but alot of the information about it is decipherable from the Dutch pdf downloadable from the link at the bottom of the webpage I linked to earlier in the thread.

I emailed the Gazelle HQ Customer Services dept in Holland and asked for English literature. According to a UK Dealer of these bikes they only come with Dutch manuals as well so they definitely need some 'encouragement' in terms of language expansion and market opportunities. The more people show an interest, the more likely they are to do something about it. I'm corresponding with them at the moment and I'm sure further enquiries would get the ball rolling faster/sooner.

 

[flecc]

Panasonic in Japan have been marketing a bike with a lot in common with the Twist, still with the same integrated unit but now with Li-ion battery. We've had Panasonic's previous models imported here before, so this could also be, especially as there's these others in the £1400 region, price being the main obstacle to the Panasonic models before.

Here's a site showing it.
.

 

[Flying Kiwi]

Panasonic in Japan have been marketing a bike with a lot in common with the Twist, still with the same integrated unit but now with Li-ion battery.

I don't have any faith we'll be seeing that sort of bike here though, especially not at 109,800 Yen or £462 (RRP in Japan back around the end of 2003). It's not a fair comparison in that even though the battery is very light weight, it's also very low in capacity (It does make me question how a manufacturer can seriously claim a product is discontinued due to high cost of manufacture however (and then go and introduce a bike of simpler design and charge even more for it).

As the Easy Glider is already a current bike which can be bought here from a UK distributor of that brand, I think hopes are best placed with it. They also include a higher capacity Li Ion battery than those bikes sold in Japan. The Easy Gliders range is quoted as being between 40 - 60 km. The babelfish translation mentions it can do "staircase ratification" for this distance I guess the suspension forks and seat post would come in very handy under those circumstances

 

[flecc]

I don't have any faith we'll be seeing that sort of bike here though, especially not at 109,800 Yen or £462 (RRP in Japan back around the end of 2003). It's not a fair comparison in that even though the battery is very light weight, it's also very low in capacity.

I agree, I was just highlighting the numbers of the bikes using this unit still around, and like you, also highlighting the strangeness of Giant policy.

The babelfish translation mentions it can do "staircase ratification" for this distance I guess the suspension forks and seat post would come in very handy under those circumstances

Wonderful!
.

 

[nigel]

Nigel

yes the easy glider does seem to tick most boxes so far but my one grumble as always is it weighs 28 kilos what will that be like to ride with power off all we want is good power under 20 kilos and long distance i wonder if this will ever happen nigel

 

[Flying Kiwi]

Weighty issues

my one grumble as always is it weighs 28 kilos what will that be like to ride with power off all we want is good power under 20 kilos and long distance i wonder if this will ever happen

27.6 kg is getting up there for weight but it's far from unreasonably heavy at around 4 kg heavier than my Twist Comfort (or about 3 kg more than the Comfort ST - which also received good reviews). Giant clearly put alot of design effort into coming up with a low weight bike on the original Twist. Unlike some new hub motor bikes that are slightly lighter, there will be no drag from the motor when riding unpowered because the Panasonic power unit is very effective in this regard.

I can imagine your wish coming true in the future, the question I think is how will I take my zimmer frame with me on the bike then....

 

[flecc]

I can imagine your wish coming true in the future, the question I think is how will I take my zimmer frame with me on the bike then....

By then the zimmer frame may be hydrogen fuel cell powered.
.