Reviewer: Gary Winter
Purchased From: 2nd Hand
Purchase Price: Not provided
Time Owned: 1 Month
Local Terrain: Moderate Hills
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Strengths:
Light weight
Looks like a normal Bike
36volt motor and very light battery
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Weaknesses:
Tyres fitted
Front Disc Brake and pads
Company support to aftermarket and second hand user.
Lights supplied
Cable management
Instruction manual lacking
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Summary:
I brought this bike second hand from the pedelec Classifieds forum as I had tried Wisper direct and got no initial response or information from the web site. I then called and was told about their new model and its price increase and would I like to pre-order, not what I wanted.
I was looking for something to commute to work on NOW and had checked out other reviews and decided on either the Wisper or the Commuter 24. I do not like buying without trying or checking out loads of reviews first. Then a 905e was advertised for sale here!
The Bike was in almost new condition with only a few minor blemishes and a soft front brake that I thought would need only some adjustment (wrong).
I have been commuting for a month or more now and am please with the bike overall but I have had some troubles and made some modifications for the following reasons:-
Replaced the front disk and calliper for a new Shimano DX Disc and calliper (pads £4.99 eBay) as I discovered the Zoom disc pads where de-laminating the brake material was cracking and dropping off of the metal backing. I also discovered that no one can supply replacement pads (even EBay!) and Doug from Wisper Bike seemed more interested in who I bought the bike from than helping me out, I am still waiting for Phil to get back to me when spares have arrive from China. I think this is a bit short sighted of Wisper as the second hand value will affect customer's decision to buy new and no second hand support kind of kills the second hand value a bit.
I also replaced the rear brakes for Shimano XT ones and this has improved the braking considerably from the original fitted front and rear setup for an outlay of just under £40:00 and a bit of sweat and swearing to remove the originals.
Removed the saddle post and replaced with a normal one as the original had some sideways movement through the spring joint making it feel a bit unsteady on corners and also at the lowest adjustment it would go to it was still just too high for me, some thing to look at if you are a bit on the short side like me, always test ride one before buying.
The standard tyres were really bad in the wet and bulged from the rim in places so having read the forums I brought a set of Marathon Plus tyres and they are great, sorted out the skidding and fitted into the rim properly £16.99 ea (eBay again).
The electrics have been a bit ropey as well, the throttle was sticking and this was due to the flimsy plastic sticker over the led lights letting water past onto the little circuit board and into the throttle assembly itself. I have made a replacement cover and glued it in place, serviced the throttle and cleaned out the water and rust/dirt and hopefully this has done no permanent damage and will keep the water out in future. The whole assemble is a bit cheep and nasty, though the half handle throttle set up is much better than that fitted to the Ezee bikes and others. One of the electric cable cores to the brake switches also broke where it passed the front stem, this was traced and fixed but the problem is the length, it is shorter than the rest of the cables that have been cable wrapped together and was being stretched when the bike turned left. I have repaired it and intend to replace it with a suitably longer one when I work out how the brake switch is connected. The controller is also in a section at the base of the seat below the battery and this is sealed with black gunk a hole at the bottom lets the cables out and they hang down untidily below the bike. I have resealed and tidied the cables up. I will fabricate a plate or cover and try to protect/tidy up these cables.
I binned the standard LED lights supplied as the back one fitted to the seat post and on a bike fitted with a carrier intended for panniers is a bit short sighted and usless, the front light was just pathetic, it did not always lock into the bracket and kept falling off and was not very bright.
As to the bike it s self - I am impressed with the idea though feel some of the parts used are a bit below the RRP of £884 plus postage. It is light enough to peddle as a normal heavy bike . The battery is light and as I take this off after every trip and charge it up, appreciate how easily it is to remove and how it locks in place when fitted to the bike. The front suspension takes some of the bumps and is not too soft. The paintwork looks good; though I think the finish is a bit soft and marks easily. The motor is powerful if a bit noisier than the Commuter 24 and it is fun to ride. The 6 gears are ok and work and it powers up all the hills I have easily.
If I was asked, I would probably recommend a Wisper but highlight that I do think it is a bit overpriced but can be improved on easily and cheaply if you are happy to get some tools out and do it yourself. It is much better that the normal Made in China bikes but also twice the price. The Wisper company communications are lacking and the aftermarket spares and support seem slow or non existent if you are not on their database and they have to wait for everyday spare parts to come in from China.
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Overall Rating (out of 10) : 7
