50 Cycles SALE!

[jam05]

Just in case anyone hadn't noticed, 50 Cycles are having an end of year clearout sale before the 2010 bikes come in at higher prices.

Unfortunately, the Pro Connect S isn't in the sale but all other models are.

 

[Tim]

Yes, sale runs until the end of the month or until stock runs out.
http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bike-sale.php

Tim
http://www.50cycles.com/

 

[WALKERMAN]

Just in case anyone hadn't noticed, 50 Cycles are having an end of year clearout sale before the 2010 bikes come in at higher prices.

Unfortunately, the Pro Connect S isn't in the sale but all other models are.

Higher prices?
That's me out of the running for any more ebikes. I will have to use my Pro Connect until it falls to bits, and rely on my 3 year old Lafree Twist as back-up.

 

[tillson]

Higher prices?
That's me out of the running for any more ebikes. I will have to use my Pro Connect until it falls to bits, and rely on my 3 year old Lafree Twist as back-up.

I think you are right here. When you start nudging towards £1700+ for a bike, you have to wonder if it is worth it. I think I will have paid about £1200 for my bike via cycle scheme and it was worth it. I don't know if I would pay in the region of £1700+ if I was buying one now. It's just getting that bit too expensive.

I suppose we have the economy to blame and all that, but it won't do the popularity of ebiking any favours.

 

[flecc]

It could be worse though. Here's some of the recent prices for the Panasonic motored BikeTech Flyers:

K Series; 21 kg, Carbon Fibre frame, 28”wheel size
Low step, S(45cm) M(50) L(55)
3 x power settings, 250 Watt 10Ah Li-I Mn 26V,
Busch & Muller Lumatec IQ Lighting
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

K-Street; SRAM dual drive 3x8 gear derailleur, Magura Louise Brakes, 25-45km/h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £4,131

K-Urban Option of Walk Pace 6km/h, Shimano 8 gear Alfine sport, Shimano Alfine Brakes, 25km/h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £4,131

K-Rohloff, As above but 14 gear Rohloff speedhub . . . . . .£4,695

Makes our bikes look like bargain basement stuff!
.

 

[WALKERMAN]

It could be worse though. Here's some of the recent prices for the Panasonic motored BikeTech Flyers:

K Series; 21 kg, Carbon Fibre frame, 28”wheel size
Low step, S(45cm) M(50) L(55)
3 x power settings, 250 Watt 10Ah Li-I Mn 26V,
Busch & Muller Lumatec IQ Lighting
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

K-Street; SRAM dual drive 3x8 gear derailleur, Magura Louise Brakes, 25-45km/h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £4,131

K-Urban Option of Walk Pace 6km/h, Shimano 8 gear Alfine sport, Shimano Alfine Brakes, 25km/h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £4,131

K-Rohloff, As above but 14 gear Rohloff speedhub . . . . . .£4,695

Makes our bikes look like bargain basement stuff!
.

Come on then Flecc, what's so special about them?

 

[Tim]

Wow, I haven't been keeping track of Flyer prices, thanks Flecc.

It could be worse though. Here's some of the recent prices for the Panasonic motored BikeTech Flyers:

K Series; 21 kg, Carbon Fibre frame, 28”wheel size
Low step, S(45cm) M(50) L(55)
3 x power settings, 250 Watt 10Ah Li-I Mn 26V,
Busch & Muller Lumatec IQ Lighting
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

K-Street; SRAM dual drive 3x8 gear derailleur, Magura Louise Brakes, 25-45km/h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £4,131

K-Urban Option of Walk Pace 6km/h, Shimano 8 gear Alfine sport, Shimano Alfine Brakes, 25km/h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £4,131

K-Rohloff, As above but 14 gear Rohloff speedhub . . . . . .£4,695

Makes our bikes look like bargain basement stuff!
.

 

[Alex728]

Anyone following whats happening to the price of high end (unpowered) bikes of the kind popular with the lycra brigade? Are these (some of which are way more expensive than popular ebikes) going up in price as well?

I know of people who pay £1500-£3000 for a normal push bike without a motor and TBH not all of them are actually lycras!

My transition towns network pointed me towards the real cost of ownership of a single male like me running a modest motor car and even not taking into account the extra cost for myself in getting a valid license, the cost of ownership of an e-bike pales into insignificance...

 

[flecc]

Come on then Flecc, what's so special about them?

Made in Switzerland to their usual meticulous standards in keeping with their watchmaking tradition. The money buys pride of ownership of the finest there is, the Rolls Royce of electric assist bicycles. The Swiss don't know how to make cheap! I haven't got the latest Panasonic battery price from them, but when the one from Kalkhoff cost £295, their was about £400. Of course the Swiss have incomes commensurate with their high living standards and indeed very high standards in almost all things, all costing money.

There are lower priced BikeTech Flyers as well, starting at £2760, and their e-folder is £2100, but I was illustrating just how high the prices can go on normal e-bikes.
.

 

[Straylight]

Indeed, but with prices still increasing for the green alternatives, isn't it about time that retailers, or maybe even the government, seriously looked at some kind of leasing scheme? I'm so glad I bought my Wisper when I did...I just hope the greed triggered financial mess has settled by the time I need a new battery.

 

[tillson]

I will have to use my Pro Connect until it falls to bits.

Hopefully that will be quite some time in the future then. They really are very well made.

 

[Alex728]

My local Transition towns group sent me a link which contained a list of the cost of running a modest car (not a gary boys motor) - I also checked the AA/RAC sites.

even if I don't count the (not insignificant!) cost of me getting a full driving license these costs (particularly fuel, servicing, taxes and depreciation) make the total cost of ownership of an ebike pale into insignificance, and I don't think petrol is going to get any cheaper in the long run... I am a single man with no kids who only works 7 miles away and has flexible hours and full remote working capabilities so I don't need a car anyway... I have tried driving but don't really enjoy it at all compared to cycling, at least not on busy urban roads and in rush hour..

Indeed, but with prices still increasing for the green alternatives, isn't it about time that retailers, or maybe even the government, seriously looked at some kind of leasing scheme?

the problem here is you have a commodity which goes from being a valuable device to a large lump of toxic hazardous chemicals within just two years. I think it would need some sort of production/recycling capability of batteries to be brought back into the UK and we are going in the other direction sadly (such as how recently Britains last lead-acid battery manufacturing plant closed).

 

[tonio]

Those prices quoted earlier look like the ebike is in danger of becoming no better than a rich man toy. Thankfully there are still affordable bikes out there. Ive finally got my Torq 1 reliable and am using lead acid batteries.2x 6v 7.2 ah are slim enough to fit into the old dud battery casing connected to a 12v 12ah battery in an old zipped lunch bag on the angled part of the pannier where it meets the battery{fits snug with a hidden luggage rack elastic.}
This keeps the weight of about 8kg central and handles o.k.
I get 16miles variable terrain power assist from this set up and ive an extra 3x6v 7a.h combination that i can put in the pannier in paralell via schottky diode if i want to go farther which gives me a further 10+ miles. Alot of weight i know but the 16mile set up at 8kg isnt bad for just over £50 on ebay.
The pannier battery has 2 'Online' 6v batteries and an older 2kg yuasa battery which has been in my shed for 4yrs which cant be that good so if i was to replace it with another 'online' i might get farther and lose 1kg as the 'online ones only weigh about half the yuasa. If i get enough charges from these batteries it will be worth the extra weight for the money saved,the heavier set up is still around 35kg. Not the sort of weight youd want to pedal without assist for long but so far so good.
Am really enjoying the Torq at last! another thing,bought a folding double pletcher stand {long version} to cope with the extra weight and would also come in handy for punctures/maintenance as it is very stable and raises the bike somewhat.

 

[Barnowl]

You're right there Alex. I much prefer electric cycling to driving (longer distances excepted!). Battery cost is the big issue. Bike wise costs aren't so bad. There's a fair bit of expensive choice as far as expensive lightweight frames and competitive components etc etc are concerned but they're overkill for most of us anyway.
It would be good if people with mobility issues (there are a few on this forum) and no access to the bike schemes could claim the VAT back. I don't see in principle why they shouldn't.

 

[Alex728]

You're right there Alex. I much prefer electric cycling to driving (longer distances excepted!).

For a long distance I'd much prefer the train if it weren't so bloody expensive and unreliable...

We are also looking here at very high end e-bikes also assembled mostly in Europe with Japanese electronics, which look are always going to command a price premium over and above the British designed bikes assembled in China. I think the base cycle itself (without the motor) would cost a fair bit if you bought it from Germany or wherever they are made.

 

[flecc]

Exchange rates are a big leveller now though. If one looks at the better Chinese made e-bikes like Wisper and eZee, their prices are little different to the Kalkhoffs made in Germany with Japanese motor units, due to the unfavourable exchange rates with China at present.
.

 

[Straylight]

Are there no battery manufacturers in Europe? As surely this would mitigate a large chunk of the import cost. Or is labour so cheap in China, that this would cancel out any benefit?

 

[flecc]

Yes, there is one manufacturer of large lithium batteries in Germany and they are the supplier of the BionX battery. However, that's the most expensive battery of all, European costs more than cancelling any exchange rate advantage. Worse still, their factory burnt down completely a few months ago.
.

 

[Straylight]

So what's the way around this? Barter? Do they like peas in China? How many Bramley's to the Battery?

 

[flecc]

. Nice idea, but unfortunately commodity markets operate in direct relationship to exchange rates, so there's no benefit in trading commodities.

We need to get our financial house in order which will take several years, and also make progress in reducing the production cost of these batteries. I think the second will happen before we sort out our mess, so there's hope of improvements in the medium term, i.e. two years onwards. I see no prospect of lower prices next year, indeed there are further increases planned.
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