What: Wisper 705 Torque with 375Wh battery
Bought from: Shannon's Cycle Centre, York
I've had my bike for a couple of weeks now and although I haven't managed to get out quite as much as I'd hoped I have done over 50 miles on it so I thought I'd do a quick review in case I can say anything that's helpful to anybody considering a Wisper.
Carol and colleague at Shannon's in York were really helpful and having tested both the 705 SE and the 705 Torque there, I decided on the Torque. To me it felt like a more natural delivery of assistance with a more "connected" feel to the ride. The power's there when you press on the pedal and even hill starts - low gear and high assistance - have presented no problem.
Northumberland's pretty hilly - I'm in Hadrian's Wall country and although the Romans were good at straight roads they didn't level anything out. The combination of gears, assistance levels and the little bit of extra "oomph" from the throttle on the odd occasion meant that even on the first outing I was able to get up a significant hill which is not bad after not having ridden a bike for over 20 years!
As things start to level out after a downhill stretch I like to have a gear that feels high enough to "bite" when I start to pedal as well as having good low gears for going uphill. I like the range (8 gears) on the 705 and the trigger style gear lever gives nice precise shifting without having to devote thought to it. I wondered if having hydraulic disc brakes might be overdoing things slightly but I was very grateful to have them on my first ride out - the assistance going uphill means you don't necessarily realise how steep it is until you're coming back down! Good brakes certainly increased my confidence and feeling of safety.
I've changed the stock pedals for a pair of MKS Lambdas (not everybody's choice, I'm sure, but they suit me well). If I had a niggle about the bike at all it would probably be that the stock pedals felt rather small, quite slippy and the bearings were extremely stiff.
I am finding that tyre pressure goes down fairly quickly so it's worth a quick check and a top-up before getting on the bike each time.
The bike overall feels very solidly built and adjustable components are pretty easy to set up to suit your height and reach. The battery slides easily on the "shelf" built in to the rack and clicks home with a nice positive feel. Having the rack around the battery as a sort of cage also feels like it's protecting it from knocks, as well.
The LCD display panel is quite large and being in the centre of the handlebars means you can glance at it without taking your attention off the road for long. Up and down buttons for the assist are positioned on the left handlebar, are easy to use and big enough not to feel overly fiddly. My friend's 7 year old was impressed with the bell!
The motor really is "wisper" quiet! A friend who is both a keen cyclist and has tried several e-bikes (he has a cycling buddy who sells them) tried mine out and declared it the quietest motor he's come across. You can hear it as you set off if you're listening out for it but it quickly fades to being barely there. The walk assist function is handy if you want to wheel the bike anywhere since it means you don't have to shift a "dead weight" to get it moving.
Overall, I'm really happy with my choice of bike and to be reminded that there's nothing quite like the rush of wind past your ears when you're out on a sunny day!
Bought from: Shannon's Cycle Centre, York
I've had my bike for a couple of weeks now and although I haven't managed to get out quite as much as I'd hoped I have done over 50 miles on it so I thought I'd do a quick review in case I can say anything that's helpful to anybody considering a Wisper.
Carol and colleague at Shannon's in York were really helpful and having tested both the 705 SE and the 705 Torque there, I decided on the Torque. To me it felt like a more natural delivery of assistance with a more "connected" feel to the ride. The power's there when you press on the pedal and even hill starts - low gear and high assistance - have presented no problem.
Northumberland's pretty hilly - I'm in Hadrian's Wall country and although the Romans were good at straight roads they didn't level anything out. The combination of gears, assistance levels and the little bit of extra "oomph" from the throttle on the odd occasion meant that even on the first outing I was able to get up a significant hill which is not bad after not having ridden a bike for over 20 years!
As things start to level out after a downhill stretch I like to have a gear that feels high enough to "bite" when I start to pedal as well as having good low gears for going uphill. I like the range (8 gears) on the 705 and the trigger style gear lever gives nice precise shifting without having to devote thought to it. I wondered if having hydraulic disc brakes might be overdoing things slightly but I was very grateful to have them on my first ride out - the assistance going uphill means you don't necessarily realise how steep it is until you're coming back down! Good brakes certainly increased my confidence and feeling of safety.
I've changed the stock pedals for a pair of MKS Lambdas (not everybody's choice, I'm sure, but they suit me well). If I had a niggle about the bike at all it would probably be that the stock pedals felt rather small, quite slippy and the bearings were extremely stiff.
I am finding that tyre pressure goes down fairly quickly so it's worth a quick check and a top-up before getting on the bike each time.
The bike overall feels very solidly built and adjustable components are pretty easy to set up to suit your height and reach. The battery slides easily on the "shelf" built in to the rack and clicks home with a nice positive feel. Having the rack around the battery as a sort of cage also feels like it's protecting it from knocks, as well.
The LCD display panel is quite large and being in the centre of the handlebars means you can glance at it without taking your attention off the road for long. Up and down buttons for the assist are positioned on the left handlebar, are easy to use and big enough not to feel overly fiddly. My friend's 7 year old was impressed with the bell!
The motor really is "wisper" quiet! A friend who is both a keen cyclist and has tried several e-bikes (he has a cycling buddy who sells them) tried mine out and declared it the quietest motor he's come across. You can hear it as you set off if you're listening out for it but it quickly fades to being barely there. The walk assist function is handy if you want to wheel the bike anywhere since it means you don't have to shift a "dead weight" to get it moving.
Overall, I'm really happy with my choice of bike and to be reminded that there's nothing quite like the rush of wind past your ears when you're out on a sunny day!
