E-Bike advice

[Chrislofoto]

Hello everyone, I hope someone on this fantastic forum can give me some advice!
This is my first foray into e-bikes, I currently commute the few miles to work on a Trek Navigator 3.0 pedal only bike, which is both comfortable and reliable.
I am contemplating retiring soon (60+ male), and I want to cycle further afield with a bit of assistance, especially on the Chiltern Hills.
I am leaning towards the Wisper 905SE as it looks to have similar styling as my trusty Trek, the bike needs to handle a few tracks and towpaths, nothing very dramatic!
My main concerns regarding the Wisper is that the nearest dealer is around 30 miles away, and servicing and warranty issues are a bit of a worry; I have no trouble doing routine maintenance, tyres, brakes etc but anything more than this I use my local trek dealer.
My next question is does anyone have much knowledge regarding the latest Trek e-bikes? A local Trek retailer has one in stock, The 7.3FX I believe, I cant seem to find much information on it. It has a rear Hub motor.
I realise that this model does not have suspension but with the retailer being close by for backup I might be tempted.
Any advice for newbie will be very welcome!
Chris

 

[Mike63]

Hi Chris...can't help much but I've just bought a Wisper 905 after useing an X6 for some 12 months and the fatter wheels on the Wisper are much better for the kind of cycling you are contemplating.

...suggest you keep off anything with narrow wheels / tyres.

good luck....Mike

 

[Chrislofoto]

Newbie E-Biker

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the input and the advice regarding the wheels, I must admit that was a concern with the Trek Model I saw, I was hoping that they would bring out an E version simlar to mine.
I think I will travel out this weekend and try the Wisper, any feedback on your experience will be welcome!
Many thanks
Chris

 

[flecc]

My next question is does anyone have much knowledge regarding the latest Trek e-bikes? A local Trek retailer has one in stock, The 7.3FX I believe, I cant seem to find much information on it. It has a rear Hub motor.
I realise that this model does not have suspension but with the retailer being close by for backup I might be tempted.
Any advice for newbie will be very welcome!
Chris

This e-bike is a new venture for Trek, their first one, and it is quite expensive. It uses the Canadian BionX motor in a 250 watts version for the Uk and EU market. It's a sophisticated and reliable motor with four way switching control of power levels and one position for regenerating charge for the battery when going down hills, though that's not an important decision factor.

The downside with the BionX system is that even in a world where e-bike replacement batteries are expensive, the BionX one is especially expensive. It's a good quality one though, but even good lithium batteries don't last for ever, two to three years typically depending on usage, so replacement costs are an important consideration.
.

 

[frank9755]

My local bike shop has two of them on display for the last couple of months. They look very smart. I asked the chap in the shop how many they had sold and he said 'one'.

One thing that intrigued me was that they seem to have an 8-speed cassette combined with a rear motor. Is that possible with the Bionx?

 

[flecc]

One thing that intrigued me was that they seem to have an 8-speed cassette combined with a rear motor. Is that possible with the Bionx?

No, it is a freewheel Frank. Our member Nick has an 8 speed freewheel on his BionX as this post of his from February 2007 shows.
.

 

[frank9755]

In which case I would not advise buying one of those bikes if you plan to use it much as getting a replacement 8-speed freewheel in the ratios you want will be holy grail stuff!