Upgrading from a non-electric mountain bike, picked 2 possible ones

[bartekxx12]

Hi,

I've decided to buy an electric bike to help me with commuting (upgrading from a non-electric Giant XTC 3). I live in a fairly hilly & windy area and am mostly looking for something that can help me with going uphill & against the wind. The hills aren't particularly steep, just very long and that often kills me after a while when it's windy.

My budget is around £1900.

I've found 2 that seem excellent so far but don't really know which one is the better choice:

Haibike sDuro HardSeven SL 2015 Yamaha
or
Giant Roam XR E+ 2015

The Haibike is around £250 more expensive... is it worth it?

I am willing to consider other ones or information as to which one of the two is the better choice and why.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If you have basic DIY skills, you could put an Oxydrive kit on your present bike, then you'd have something that was maybe better than both of them.

 

[bartekxx12]

If you have basic DIY skills, you could put an Oxydrive kit on your present bike, then you'd have something that was maybe better than both of them.

Well I should mention that I'm not really upgrading by choice, the XTC 3 was stolen from by back garden recently. Anyway, it was an old model (2008 or something) that I bought for £350 used. Would really prefer a new bike now. Would the kit you recommend still be a better option in this case? Say if I buy a £1000 bike and the kit.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I saw a nice bike in Halfords, which would be a good candidate for conversion. It was £329 reduced from £659.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/carrera-sulcata-limited-edition-29er-mountain-bike-2015-black

With the 29" wheels, you'd get 25 mph out of the 13Ah CST Oxydrive kit, though the torque would be a bit less, but it should still be plenty for what you need. Search out any references to the Oxygen MTB, which has the same kit fitted and has 27.5" wheels. The guy that sells them reduced them to £479 after Xmas, but they're back to £799 now, so it might be worth giving him a call and haggling a bit.

 

[morsmana]

Andrew at Oxydrive has them on offer right now.
I've converted two Ridgeback hybrid bikes so far this year using the Oxydrive kits, both are great. I live in Cumbria v hilly, house at 1400 ft and I regularly ride 20+ miles climbing well over 2000 ft typically, using half of the battery. I'm 110kg as well. Love them and Andrew at Oxydrive gives good support as well

 

[RobF]

With apologies for attempting to answer the OP.

Nothing wrong with either bike.

They will ride a bit differently as hub and crank bikes always do.

I prefer crank drives, but it's no more than a preference, some riders prefer hubs, and others are not bothered so long as it pulls a bit.

A test on both would tell you, but that's often difficult to arrange with an ebike.

There's a lot to be said for local support, particularly if you are commuting daily, so you could decide on that basis.