Big fella - needs a big bike
- Thread starter itsy
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D
Deleted member 4366
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All bikes, whether electtic or not are pretty robust. Most things that need any attention are the service items, like brakes, tyres, chains, and at higher milages, spokes, bottom bracket beatrngs and steering head bearings.
Just about everything is cheap and easy to fix. I wouldn't say that you need any more maintenance on cheap bikes than expensive ones, neither is failure of components any more likely.
No electric bikes like being left out in the rain. Vulnerable items are throttles and displays on all bikes and sometimes batteries on cheaper ones.
If you're a dunderhead when it comes to maintenance, I'd recommend a bike with a hub-motor and hydraulic disc brakes. Avoid any bike with rim brakes.
Just about everything is cheap and easy to fix. I wouldn't say that you need any more maintenance on cheap bikes than expensive ones, neither is failure of components any more likely.
No electric bikes like being left out in the rain. Vulnerable items are throttles and displays on all bikes and sometimes batteries on cheaper ones.
If you're a dunderhead when it comes to maintenance, I'd recommend a bike with a hub-motor and hydraulic disc brakes. Avoid any bike with rim brakes.
I've done nearly 500 miles on the Big Bear I bought last month. I love it and have used it daily mainly for pure pleasure but once a week I do a 13 mile return commute as I prefer to leave the car at home and ride the bike. I pedal little on the way so I don't get sweaty and it glides up the hills coming home.
Longetivity is something I'm less certain about. On day one I lost a nut from the rack - you need to check that every nut and bolt on the bike is tight before you ride it. The bike then toppled over while on it's prop stand which broke the horn and added a few minor scratches. Earlier this week one of the pedal cranks had to be replaced which cost me £12 (the bike man said this is a common problem on all bikes and didn't blame the manufacturer). A small thorn punctured the front tyre on Tuesday which demonstrated to me that there is no Kevlar in the tyres despite what it said on the website. Since putting the front wheel back on yesterday there is an annoying squeak which seems to be coming from the motor but I'm not certain and it may be nothing. The bike is heavy and creaks a little more than I like when it goes over a bump which makes me wonder how it will continue to cope with normal wear and tear in the long term. Time will tell.
So, a few more teething problems than I would have liked but nothing too bad so far and I can't compare my first month's Big Bear experience to any other ebike.
Longetivity is something I'm less certain about. On day one I lost a nut from the rack - you need to check that every nut and bolt on the bike is tight before you ride it. The bike then toppled over while on it's prop stand which broke the horn and added a few minor scratches. Earlier this week one of the pedal cranks had to be replaced which cost me £12 (the bike man said this is a common problem on all bikes and didn't blame the manufacturer). A small thorn punctured the front tyre on Tuesday which demonstrated to me that there is no Kevlar in the tyres despite what it said on the website. Since putting the front wheel back on yesterday there is an annoying squeak which seems to be coming from the motor but I'm not certain and it may be nothing. The bike is heavy and creaks a little more than I like when it goes over a bump which makes me wonder how it will continue to cope with normal wear and tear in the long term. Time will tell.
So, a few more teething problems than I would have liked but nothing too bad so far and I can't compare my first month's Big Bear experience to any other ebike.
I should add that I will only be making my 'regular commute' for 10 weeks a year from June onwards, the rest of the time it will be far more casual use - perhaps just 40m per week.
I've been looking on another forum where there is in depth discussion and there are those who emphasise avoidance of Woosh. Incidentally. Some of the contributors are also contributors to this forum and refer to it on occasion. Would a BB (or similar Woosh product) be up to my (further clarified) needs? Any other users feedback is particularly welcome thanks.
I've been looking on another forum where there is in depth discussion and there are those who emphasise avoidance of Woosh. Incidentally. Some of the contributors are also contributors to this forum and refer to it on occasion. Would a BB (or similar Woosh product) be up to my (further clarified) needs? Any other users feedback is particularly welcome thanks.
D
Deleted member 4366
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Even Kalkhoffs may not be tough enough for 9000 miles a year.
similar bikes to the Big Bear:
Ezee Sprint, Ezee Forza. They have the excellent Mk2 motor and readily equiped for all weather commuting.
http://www.cyclezee.com/ezee-sprint-primo.html
http://www.cyclezee.com/ezee-forza-mk2.html
similar bikes to the Big Bear:
Ezee Sprint, Ezee Forza. They have the excellent Mk2 motor and readily equiped for all weather commuting.
http://www.cyclezee.com/ezee-sprint-primo.html
http://www.cyclezee.com/ezee-forza-mk2.html
Sure:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18565675&page=6
Starts at comment 165 and continues.
Comment 176 itemizes a litany of gripes.,
Surely not typical!
Longevity is the unanswered question with the likes of woosh.
Whichever way you look at it, the bicycle parts of an £850 ebike are not going to be the highest quality.
I did suggest to Hatti at woosh a woosh+ spec with upgrades to brakes, wheels and tyres.
But as you may imagine, many customers are very reluctant to pay even an extra £50 for a bike, so in the end they get what they deserve.
Whichever way you look at it, the bicycle parts of an £850 ebike are not going to be the highest quality.
I did suggest to Hatti at woosh a woosh+ spec with upgrades to brakes, wheels and tyres.
But as you may imagine, many customers are very reluctant to pay even an extra £50 for a bike, so in the end they get what they deserve.
The current Big Bear has Tektro Novela disc brake and 160mm rotor to the front where most braking is done. The same brakes are fitted to a lot of normal bikes costing £300-£500 like the Specialized Hardrock Disc (£400), Scott Voltage YZ (£500) or the £499 Kona Dewey
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/archive/2014/hardrock/hardrock-disc-29
http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product.do
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kona-dewey-2015/
Woosh have fitted hydraulic brakes to their newest BPM bike, the zephyr-B. From july, the Big Bear will be fitted with Mira brakes and 180mm rotors front and rear (rear is Tektro V-brake at present), I expect braking power would be about doubled with the 180mm rotors.
The Mira MD-C400 brakes also have automatic pad angle adjustment.
TBH, few Chinese bikes have better brakes.
http://www.tektro.com/_english/01_products/01_prodetail.php?pid=224&sortname=Disc&sort=1&fid=1
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/archive/2014/hardrock/hardrock-disc-29
http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product.do
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kona-dewey-2015/
Woosh have fitted hydraulic brakes to their newest BPM bike, the zephyr-B. From july, the Big Bear will be fitted with Mira brakes and 180mm rotors front and rear (rear is Tektro V-brake at present), I expect braking power would be about doubled with the 180mm rotors.
The Mira MD-C400 brakes also have automatic pad angle adjustment.
TBH, few Chinese bikes have better brakes.
http://www.tektro.com/_english/01_products/01_prodetail.php?pid=224&sortname=Disc&sort=1&fid=1
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I don't know but I don't think the price is going up. Woosh have already fitted 180mm Tektro rotors to their Zephyr-B. The current Big Bear does not have mounting posts for rear hydraulic brakes, otherwise it would have been straightforward hydaulic upgrade.
Maybe the Woosh + spec suggestion as noted by RobF above has borne fruit! I for one would pay a little more for better spec, suspect I'm not alone either.
Does anyone have experience of battery capacity issues, or any other issues mentioned in the post on the other forum I referred to?
Does anyone have experience of battery capacity issues, or any other issues mentioned in the post on the other forum I referred to?
But woosh have competed on price and the competition has dropped there prices lately. So a boost to quality and keeps woosh competitive without cutting there own throat.
I like the bargin end happening it keeps the premium vendors on there toes.
I like the bargin end happening it keeps the premium vendors on there toes.
I've read energise's posts. his LCD got misty, that's probably due to him leaving the bike in the rain. E-bikes' cabling, throttle, brake sensors, pedal sensor, LCD and battery can be damaged if frequently parked outside unprotected. Commuter bikes like his are particularly at risk because you can't always find a nice place to park your bike and they therefore need proper looking after.
Crank drive bikes like the Krieger are better protected against rain, they don't have exposed motor axle that lets the water in and no exposed pedal assist magnet disc, caked in mud, losing magnets and disintegrates etc.
Crank drive bikes like the Krieger are better protected against rain, they don't have exposed motor axle that lets the water in and no exposed pedal assist magnet disc, caked in mud, losing magnets and disintegrates etc.
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