This is my first submission to the forum. I want to make this post to add to the information available to other potential buyers. I did as much research as possible about the bikes I considered buying but found the information to be limited. It is mostly repetition of the manufacturer’s blurb or promotional information from dealers. There is very little opinion and information from the end users themselves!
Firstly some background information. I am a doctor by trade but have an amateur interest in renewable energy and power conversion and storage. Following the recent end of a long term relationship, I decided to do more cycling and buy a new bike. I live in rural West Hampshire surrounded by dark lanes, byways and bridleways crossing the hills and valleys. A new friend introduced me to his 3 year old wisper 905se. The first e bike I had ever seen. I found it interesting but thought that the assistance made up for the increased weight of the bike but not much more. Power control is crude. The brakes are also not good enough! Then he showed me his brand new lifecycle mountainsport. It is too big for me but the available power was a revelation. It did not feel heavy and was actually fun to ride. I decided that a pedelec was the way for me to go.
I thought that the Storck Raddar may be the bike for me and made contact with my nearest Stockist, Emotion in Swindon. I have found the staff to be friendly, approachable and keen to find the best bike for me. I tried a KTM with crank drive and was impressed with the hill climbing and power control but the style was not what I wanted. My short list came down to the Storck Raddar multitask SE and BH Emotion Neo Xtrem. I will share my experience of these 2 bikes.
The Storck Raddar is sold heavily on build and component quality. I guess only time will tell if this justifies the £2.5K price tag. It looks and feels well made but all the wires are exposed on the frame. Large wheels and balloon tires make it look big even in the smallest 17in frame. The 250W rear hub motor is direct drive. No gears so it is genuinely silent. The power is very smooth and responsive with a torque sensor. There is one simple control for assistance on the handlebar which is continuously variable from low to high. This is linked to 3 rather crude LEDs to indicate battery power with a more conventional power meter on the 25V 10Ah battery pack. There is a rocker power switch on the handlebars but no other way to disable the electrics without removing the battery. Storck said that some users loosen the motor connector plug for this purpose! That does not sound like a good idea to me.
The Raddar system uses power regeneration for which there is no user control. When you stop pedalling, there is an immediate dragging sensation. It is not possible to keep up with other cyclists who are freewheeling without pedalling the Raddar. I found this frustrating and inconvenient. The ride and power is very smooth and refined but the big wheels make it difficult to manoeuvre through gateways and fence posts. On hill start and hill speed tests against the Neo and KTM, the Raddar lacks power and lags behind.
There is no speed indicator but it was very noticeable that the power suddenly cuts out when the other bikes said that we were at 15mph. The bike then slows to below 15mph and the power kicks in again. This is not pleasant. Hydraulic brakes are smooth and powerful.
The Neo Xtrem has a geared rear motor rated at 350W, limited to 250W for EU. It has more ‘real world’ torque than the Storck but this is at the expense of considerable noise which is noticeable at high power and speeds. A torque sensor controls the power but there is more of a ‘notchy’ feel compared to the Raddar system. The system is controlled from a very neat LCD panel on the handle bars which is back lit, and includes speedometer, battery condition, trip computer and regeneration indicator. The panel clips into place and when removed, disables the electrics and removes the temptation for people to fiddle! Assistance levels are None, Eco, Standard, Sport and Boost.
The battery is 36V, 9Ah and forms part of the frame shape. I think the overall design is sleek and attractive. This is a bike designed for off road use with smaller wheels, knobbly tires and just one 49cm frame size. Front suspension forks with lockout. The cables etc are hidden within the frame. It boasts regenerative braking which comes on with first pull on the brake leavers. A symbol appears on the LCD screen. I think this is a good system because it should slow the bike when the rider wants, and not otherwise. However, I do not think this system works! There is no sensation of slowing or braking and it does not sound as if the motor is being turned in order to generate any power! More info appreciated from anyone who knows more! The brakes are powerful hydraulic units.
The decision to buy the Neo Xtrem was easy for me. The bike feels light and manoeuvrable. It rides well over rough ground and pulls eagerly up steep, stony paths. At speed, motor power appears to fade gradually over 25km/h. You can hear it stop altogether when the speedo says 31km/h. My GPS said this was 20mph! This speed is easy to reach in sport mode with eco or standard mode enough for me at lower speeds. The first full battery charge lasted 27 miles which was mostly fast road work of at least 15mph in sport mode and some steep hill tracks and rutted paths. This is consistent with the published figures. I have purchased an inverter (300w modified sine wave £20 from Maplin) for in car charging and am planning several electric adventures already!
I am happy to answer questions and sorry for the long first post!
Mark, Hampshire UK
Firstly some background information. I am a doctor by trade but have an amateur interest in renewable energy and power conversion and storage. Following the recent end of a long term relationship, I decided to do more cycling and buy a new bike. I live in rural West Hampshire surrounded by dark lanes, byways and bridleways crossing the hills and valleys. A new friend introduced me to his 3 year old wisper 905se. The first e bike I had ever seen. I found it interesting but thought that the assistance made up for the increased weight of the bike but not much more. Power control is crude. The brakes are also not good enough! Then he showed me his brand new lifecycle mountainsport. It is too big for me but the available power was a revelation. It did not feel heavy and was actually fun to ride. I decided that a pedelec was the way for me to go.
I thought that the Storck Raddar may be the bike for me and made contact with my nearest Stockist, Emotion in Swindon. I have found the staff to be friendly, approachable and keen to find the best bike for me. I tried a KTM with crank drive and was impressed with the hill climbing and power control but the style was not what I wanted. My short list came down to the Storck Raddar multitask SE and BH Emotion Neo Xtrem. I will share my experience of these 2 bikes.
The Storck Raddar is sold heavily on build and component quality. I guess only time will tell if this justifies the £2.5K price tag. It looks and feels well made but all the wires are exposed on the frame. Large wheels and balloon tires make it look big even in the smallest 17in frame. The 250W rear hub motor is direct drive. No gears so it is genuinely silent. The power is very smooth and responsive with a torque sensor. There is one simple control for assistance on the handlebar which is continuously variable from low to high. This is linked to 3 rather crude LEDs to indicate battery power with a more conventional power meter on the 25V 10Ah battery pack. There is a rocker power switch on the handlebars but no other way to disable the electrics without removing the battery. Storck said that some users loosen the motor connector plug for this purpose! That does not sound like a good idea to me.
The Raddar system uses power regeneration for which there is no user control. When you stop pedalling, there is an immediate dragging sensation. It is not possible to keep up with other cyclists who are freewheeling without pedalling the Raddar. I found this frustrating and inconvenient. The ride and power is very smooth and refined but the big wheels make it difficult to manoeuvre through gateways and fence posts. On hill start and hill speed tests against the Neo and KTM, the Raddar lacks power and lags behind.
There is no speed indicator but it was very noticeable that the power suddenly cuts out when the other bikes said that we were at 15mph. The bike then slows to below 15mph and the power kicks in again. This is not pleasant. Hydraulic brakes are smooth and powerful.
The Neo Xtrem has a geared rear motor rated at 350W, limited to 250W for EU. It has more ‘real world’ torque than the Storck but this is at the expense of considerable noise which is noticeable at high power and speeds. A torque sensor controls the power but there is more of a ‘notchy’ feel compared to the Raddar system. The system is controlled from a very neat LCD panel on the handle bars which is back lit, and includes speedometer, battery condition, trip computer and regeneration indicator. The panel clips into place and when removed, disables the electrics and removes the temptation for people to fiddle! Assistance levels are None, Eco, Standard, Sport and Boost.
The battery is 36V, 9Ah and forms part of the frame shape. I think the overall design is sleek and attractive. This is a bike designed for off road use with smaller wheels, knobbly tires and just one 49cm frame size. Front suspension forks with lockout. The cables etc are hidden within the frame. It boasts regenerative braking which comes on with first pull on the brake leavers. A symbol appears on the LCD screen. I think this is a good system because it should slow the bike when the rider wants, and not otherwise. However, I do not think this system works! There is no sensation of slowing or braking and it does not sound as if the motor is being turned in order to generate any power! More info appreciated from anyone who knows more! The brakes are powerful hydraulic units.
The decision to buy the Neo Xtrem was easy for me. The bike feels light and manoeuvrable. It rides well over rough ground and pulls eagerly up steep, stony paths. At speed, motor power appears to fade gradually over 25km/h. You can hear it stop altogether when the speedo says 31km/h. My GPS said this was 20mph! This speed is easy to reach in sport mode with eco or standard mode enough for me at lower speeds. The first full battery charge lasted 27 miles which was mostly fast road work of at least 15mph in sport mode and some steep hill tracks and rutted paths. This is consistent with the published figures. I have purchased an inverter (300w modified sine wave £20 from Maplin) for in car charging and am planning several electric adventures already!
I am happy to answer questions and sorry for the long first post!
Mark, Hampshire UK
