Can anyone recommend a cheap option to be used for an easy commute to work? About a 15 min ride, combination of country lanes and roads, some uphill. I’m 58 kg female and really like the look of the Dutch bike styles. I was looking at a second hand Pendleton Somerby, could anyone advise if this or something similar would be ok?
Help! Cheap commute option
- Thread starter Phena
- Start date
How many miles each way, how steep the hill, maximum budget?
Quick look at the Pendleton online shows £1099 new, so how much money, how old in both years and mileage is the secondhand one, do you know its history?
Two issues with it anyway: rim brakes not good. Too much maintenance required for a bike in daily use, and just no match for disc brakes. No warranty secondhand.
Quick look at the Pendleton online shows £1099 new, so how much money, how old in both years and mileage is the secondhand one, do you know its history?
Two issues with it anyway: rim brakes not good. Too much maintenance required for a bike in daily use, and just no match for disc brakes. No warranty secondhand.
My partner has a second hand Pendeleton Somerby. We bought it for a song about three years ago. It had a flat battery but we managed to get it running again and it has never looked back ever since. If you like the Dutch style bikes it might suit.
On the negative side - the brakes are a bit fiddly to keep in tune, but probably no more than any V brakes on other bikes. When I rode it, I thought the gearing was a bit low. By the time it gets to 15 miles an hour, my legs are spinning in top gear, but if you just wanted to go to work on a fifteen minute ride - two or three miles, it would probably be OK. They don't cost a lot of money and you could ride along happily enough. Her bike has been ridden 25 miles on a charge and does that even now when the battery is at least four years old. That said - it hasn't done a lot of miles and we looked after the battery when it wasn't being used. Often they get left all winter, and won't take a charge in the spring when the sun comes out again. That does them no good at all.
Like any second hand e-bike, you really have to hope the battery has been looked after. If you get one with a dead battery, it ought to be cheap, because you will be looking at about £300 for a new one. We bought my partners bike for £350, assuming it would need one, but it just woke up and worked.
There are lots of new, moderately priced e-bikes for sale. I am sure that those which are cheap, will have various compromises in the eyes of e-biking enthusiasts, but your requirement is a cheap, reliable, short range transporter. Any hub motored bike would likely fulfil the requirements.
I am sure there will be lots of responses offering other ideas in a few hours.
It is almost exactly a year since I bought a REALLY cheap folding e-bike from Argos. It is certainly not the best e-bike in the world, but I have done over a thousand miles on it and it works like new. I really like it for its convenience for knocking about or going to the shops when I run out of something. Just jump on it and whizz off. For all its faults (in the eyes of the enthusiasts) it just delivers, time and time again.
On the negative side - the brakes are a bit fiddly to keep in tune, but probably no more than any V brakes on other bikes. When I rode it, I thought the gearing was a bit low. By the time it gets to 15 miles an hour, my legs are spinning in top gear, but if you just wanted to go to work on a fifteen minute ride - two or three miles, it would probably be OK. They don't cost a lot of money and you could ride along happily enough. Her bike has been ridden 25 miles on a charge and does that even now when the battery is at least four years old. That said - it hasn't done a lot of miles and we looked after the battery when it wasn't being used. Often they get left all winter, and won't take a charge in the spring when the sun comes out again. That does them no good at all.
Like any second hand e-bike, you really have to hope the battery has been looked after. If you get one with a dead battery, it ought to be cheap, because you will be looking at about £300 for a new one. We bought my partners bike for £350, assuming it would need one, but it just woke up and worked.
There are lots of new, moderately priced e-bikes for sale. I am sure that those which are cheap, will have various compromises in the eyes of e-biking enthusiasts, but your requirement is a cheap, reliable, short range transporter. Any hub motored bike would likely fulfil the requirements.
I am sure there will be lots of responses offering other ideas in a few hours.
It is almost exactly a year since I bought a REALLY cheap folding e-bike from Argos. It is certainly not the best e-bike in the world, but I have done over a thousand miles on it and it works like new. I really like it for its convenience for knocking about or going to the shops when I run out of something. Just jump on it and whizz off. For all its faults (in the eyes of the enthusiasts) it just delivers, time and time again.
Where are you based ? The only problem with second hand electric bikes is knowing the battery condition. If it has been left uncharged for a period of time then the battery could be on its ways out (happened to me !). You need to just have the budget to replace the battery, so if it uses a standard generic battery type, these are pretty reasonable to replace.
If you are doing lots of miles I would advise disc brakes
There are loads of very reasonable new electric bikes with a crossbar that would work on ebay/amazon
The only problem with the step through ones is the battery is often specific so can be a bit expensive to replace
e.g. https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/electric-bikes/dd-city-step-through-electric-bike-460wh-700c-wheel-black-baby-blue
I think these use a fairly standard battery
uk.dyucycle.com
There is another option which is to buy a second hand step through bike and then add a kit - there will be someone in your area that can do that
E.g
www.facebook.com
www.yosepower.co.uk
I did one for my niece
www.pedelecs.co.uk
If you are doing lots of miles I would advise disc brakes
There are loads of very reasonable new electric bikes with a crossbar that would work on ebay/amazon
The only problem with the step through ones is the battery is often specific so can be a bit expensive to replace
e.g. https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/electric-bikes/dd-city-step-through-electric-bike-460wh-700c-wheel-black-baby-blue
I think these use a fairly standard battery
26 Inch City Electric Bike | Ride in Style & Comfort
Ride effortlessly with a 250W motor and 60KM range. Enjoy comfort and safety with suspension, disc brakes, and ample storage.
uk.dyucycle.com
There is another option which is to buy a second hand step through bike and then add a kit - there will be someone in your area that can do that
E.g
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36V250W 28"(700C) 44NM Front Motor Kit R1 with 36V 13Ah Rear Battery with Rack fit for Bike with Disc/V-brake
1.Additional Information*The warranty of motor and battery is 18 months. Other parts in kit have warranty of 12 months.*The shipping takes 2-4 working days in Germany. In other countries the shipping takes 4-8 working days.*The max speed of motor is 25km/h. The limit can't be canceled.*The max...
www.yosepower.co.uk
I did one for my niece
Woosh - Revisiting my first conversion
So my very first conversion was 2 years ago. I fitted a Woosh XF08c kit to a Claud Butler step through bike (with rim brakes !) It has a 36v 20Ah rack battery with I believe a Lishui 18 amp controller built into the battery housing I was very pleased with it and my niece "borrowed" it to...
www.pedelecs.co.uk
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Thanks so much, this is just the sort of info I was looking for, I really like the look of the Pendleton somerby. Thanks for such a detailed response, it’s really helped me
That is all SO useful to know, thanks so much. I’m based in Broadstairs, Kent, so a bit out of the way of anywhere else!Where are you based ? The only problem with second hand electric bikes is knowing the battery condition. If it has been left uncharged for a period of time then the battery could be on its ways out (happened to me !). You need to just have the budget to replace the battery, so if it uses a standard generic battery type, these are pretty reasonable to replace.
If you are doing lots of miles I would advise disc brakes
There are loads of very reasonable new electric bikes with a crossbar that would work on ebay/amazon
The only problem with the step through ones is the battery is often specific so can be a bit expensive to replace
e.g. https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/electric-bikes/dd-city-step-through-electric-bike-460wh-700c-wheel-black-baby-blue
I think these use a fairly standard battery
26 Inch City Electric Bike | Ride in Style & Comfort
Ride effortlessly with a 250W motor and 60KM range. Enjoy comfort and safety with suspension, disc brakes, and ample storage.
There is another option which is to buy a second hand step through bike and then add a kit - there will be someone in your area that can do that
E.g
Log in to Facebook
Log in to Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family and people you know.
36V250W 28"(700C) 44NM Front Motor Kit R1 with 36V 13Ah Rear Battery with Rack fit for Bike with Disc/V-brake
1.Additional Information*The warranty of motor and battery is 18 months. Other parts in kit have warranty of 12 months.*The shipping takes 2-4 working days in Germany. In other countries the shipping takes 4-8 working days.*The max speed of motor is 25km/h. The limit can't be canceled.*The max...
I did one for my niece
Woosh - Revisiting my first conversion
So my very first conversion was 2 years ago. I fitted a Woosh XF08c kit to a Claud Butler step through bike (with rim brakes !) It has a 36v 20Ah rack battery with I believe a Lishui 18 amp controller built into the battery housing I was very pleased with it and my niece "borrowed" it to...
It’s about 2 miles each way, the hill is not steep it’s a gradual incline (quite exhausting on a push bike though!). The second hand one I was looking at was £300, but I don’t know the answers to the other questions, and those are good points, I should find those out first. And good to know the other points you raise with it - thanks for replying.
Pendleton bikes are just very cheap bikes sold from Halfords with a bumped up price. The main problem is the batteries, which have a habit of shutting down when you don't use them for a while, and there were problems with the rear gears if you didn't oil them properly on the early ones. For that sort of bike, I think you'd be better off with one from Amazon, but if you're not capable of bike maintenance, you're pretty well stuck with whatever your local bike shops have.
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