Does bicycle weight really matter?

[Kudoscycles]

James...you are going to hate me for this but that Coboc is the most overpriced bike I have ever viewed. I looked over the bike at Eurobike and it looked like components straight out of the Chinese parts bin,the motor looked a standard Bafang SWX motor.
I fell about laughing when they told me it was priced at 4200 euros.
To be honest the Woosh Karoo at £750.00 looks a similar spec bike but with a battery twice as big.
I costed out a similar bike for Kudos,it would have weighed about 15 kg with an 8 Ah battery,priced about £950 with dealer margin. The Freego Raptor is also similar and down to about £700 now.
We didn't proceed because our research suggested that these sports style e-bikes have a very limited market most customers want lights,mudguards and fatter tyres to use as a ride to work bike and accept a bit more weight.
They virtually threw me off the stand after I stopped laughing.
KudosDave

 

[SRS]

Maybe I am missing something out but if I weight say 75kg with my clothes on (I don't intend to cycle naked) then worrying about a bike being 19kg or 25kg seems not to make any sense?
Maybe a 6% difference giving you an extra couple of miles range?

If that is right then I don't need to take weight into consideration

I'll take the empty shopping trolley.
You take the full one and you will have your answer.

 

[Artstu]

but that Coboc is the most overpriced bike I have ever viewed.

Crazy price, I can't see that much of it on my little netbook though, that top bit of the page takes half my screen up in my current resolution. I therefore quickly leave websites that are poorly set-up like that.

 

[james@justebikes.co.uk]

Hi Dave, I don't hate anyone - with the possible exception of our odious prime minister )

I can't comment on your machine because I've not tried one, but as far as I can tell the only similarity is that they're both black. I have tried the COBOC and whilst this style of machine is not to everyone's taste, in my opinion it's one of the finest electric road bikes on the planet.

13.5Kg including battery, wots not to like?

Best wishes, james

 

[james@justebikes.co.uk]

Crazy price, I can't see that much of it on my little netbook though, that top bit of the page takes half my screen up in my current resolution. I therefore quickly leave websites that are poorly set-up like that.

Thanks Artstu. Yep, on android devices the banner is too big - we're working on a solution!

 

[Artstu]

Thanks Artstu. Yep, on android devices the banner is too big - we're working on a solution!

Good. I'm on a windows PC, but only a 10. something screen. The Giant website is similar so you're not alone.

 

[Kudoscycles]

James,in hindsight I should apologise and the Coboc is not in the price point that I normally sell at. I suppose that what caused my hilarity at Eurobike was the guys on the stand were dressed out of a Blues Bros set.
Maybe it will appeal to a market amongst the square mile suits.
The experience of the well marketed G-tech bike,starting at £1795.00,then £995.00 ,now £700.00 but maybe that is also a different bike.
Value is in the eyes of the beholder.
KudosDave

 

[james@justebikes.co.uk]

James,in hindsight I should apologise and the Coboc is not in the price point that I normally sell at. I suppose that what caused my hilarity at Eurobike was the guys on the stand were dressed out of a Blues Bros set.
Maybe it will appeal to a market amongst the square mile suits.
The experience of the well marketed G-tech bike,starting at £1795.00,then £995.00 ,now £700.00 but maybe that is also a different bike.
Value is in the eyes of the beholder.
KudosDave

No apology necessary Dave.

This post is about weight.... One thing that has surprised me is the number of young women the COBOC attracts... sure it looks cool, and they like that, but the main draw is that they can pick it up one handed with ease, pop it on a shoulder and run up the stairs with it. It's odd; to the fairer sex those last few kilos seem to have a disproportionate affect on the bikes appeal ...they make the whole thing more manageable.

 

[RobF]

Good to see Coboc trying something a bit different, and good to see a UK dealer putting his money where his mouth is by stocking a few.

Most ebikes are 20kg+, so I can imagine the Coboc would ride significantly better.

Single speed puts me off.

Ten or so gears is plenty, and I would buy an ebike with three gears if the rest of the spec appealed.

 

[james@justebikes.co.uk]

Good to see Coboc trying something a bit different, and good to see a UK dealer putting his money where his mouth is by stocking a few.

Most ebikes are 20kg+, so I can imagine the Coboc would ride significantly better.

Single speed puts me off.

Ten or so gears is plenty, and I would buy an ebike with three gears if the rest of the spec appealed.

My thoughts exactly ...until it tried it. The single speed works Rob and gearing is well matched to the machine. Motor is 32Nm so bags of torque to pull you away from the lights with ease. ...I cant remember the last time I used anything other than top gear on a Sparta.

 

[Gubbins]

Al this talk about weight and we miss an important fact.. going down a steep hill at speed. .. then the weight let's itself be known as you try to stop it...

 

[james@justebikes.co.uk]

Al this talk about weight and we miss an important fact.. going down a steep hill at speed. .. then the weight let's itself be known as you try to stop it...

The COBOC brakes do the job Phill, it's fitted with very tidy Cane Creek 200TT levers cold forged from aluminium (keeps grain aligned with load paths). These are often used on competition time trial and triathlon bikes, the internal wedge mount clamps securely to the end of the COBOC bullhorn-style bars, putting the lever in a natural, easily accessible position. The calipers are Cane Creek SCR-3.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I am on the Coboc site and the Seven Vesterbro... Be still my heart! 52 - 17 + 250 W, now you are talking my language!

And 15. 4 kilos...

 

[Roger R]

I agree. At least I did up until last week when I tried a 13.5kg COBOC. Mind boggling. We have demo models for those who like to see for themselves what a difference 10kg makes.

Yep. Just keep spamming up these posts trying to flog your bikes

 

[RobF]

Yep. Just keep spamming up these posts trying to flog your bikes

Interesting input from a trade member.

The thread is about bike weight, the Coboc must be one of the lightest ebikes, and I doubt many of us had heard of it.

As regards James trying to sell a few, what do you expect him to do?

Try to sell a woosh or a Kudos?

I've never understood why some people on here - and in the country generally - seem to think a businessman trying to promote his business is somehow improper or ungentlemanly.

 

[trex]

The Coboc is built with Chinese parts. Lightweight motor, small battery to save on weight. Nothing special.
I think it boils down to whether you believe in the dark art of the artisan bike builder. James claims that contrary to prejudice, single speed works. I just can't see the logic of that..

 

[RobF]

The Coboc is built with Chinese parts. Lightweight motor, small battery to save on weight. Nothing special.
I think it boils down to whether you believe in the dark art of the artisan bike builder. James claims that contrary to prejudice, single speed works. I just can't see the logic of that..

Certainly a lot of coin for what it is.

It does have a torque sensor bottom bracket - can you replicate that with a hub kit?

James likes the bike, well he would say that, but it might have something to do with his base being in the flatlands - shops in London, Suffolk and the East Midlands.

I need all the power from my Bosch ebikes and low gear to tackle some of the hills near my static caravan in North Yorkshire.

You don't see many singles speeds - ebike or otherwise - in those sort of areas.

 

[trex]

the Momentum has a nice, compact torque sensor. The cost of replacing a throttle with a torque sensor is about $30.
https://bmsbattery.com/ebike-kit/689-b-b-torque-sensor-system-ebike-kit.html

 

[RobF]

the Momentum has a nice, compact torque sensor. The cost of replacing a throttle with a torque sensor is about $30.
https://bmsbattery.com/ebike-kit/689-b-b-torque-sensor-system-ebike-kit.html

Your remark about the artisan bike builder led me to speculate about the cost of self building a similar bike to the Coboc.

Looks like £1K or so would do it easily, which makes the Coboc's price of £3K+ appear even dearer than I thought.

 

[anotherkiwi]

the Momentum has a nice, compact torque sensor. The cost of replacing a throttle with a torque sensor is about $30.
https://bmsbattery.com/ebike-kit/689-b-b-torque-sensor-system-ebike-kit.html

100€ for me on that link trex.

Your remark about the artisan bike builder led me to speculate about the cost of self building a similar bike to the Coboc.

Looks like £1K or so would do it easily, which makes the Coboc's price of £3K+ appear even dearer than I thought.

Supernova lights 300€, integrated rack and mudguards lets say we choose wingees 130 € a Keyde lightweight kit $790 on a decent road bike like the one I saw in Irun 970€

Lightweight isn't cheap. Closer to 2000€ than 1000€ I think