Earls Court Cycle Show

[Cyclezee]

I paid a visit to the show today and was quite surprised by the number of e-bikes and pedelecs on display. There was also the opportunity to ride various models on a fairly short test track, powered and non powered, so I tried several, an A2B Metro, Flyer, Ducati, Storck and Spencer Ivy.
I also wanted to try a Wisper with a Dapush motor, but a teeanger was hogging it so I did not get an opportunity to have a go.

Of those I rode, the Flyer impressed me the most, an excellent quality bike, but in my opinion, not worth the high cost when compared to a Kalkhoff, especially when you consider the the upgrades they are introducing for 2011. Least impressive was the A2B Metro, it really is an electric moped and not for me.

Spencer Ivy was a new one to me, it is yet another Panasonic powered crank drive bike.

What impressed me most at the show was the Wisper stand. I had a long interesting chat with the genial and affable David Miall. It is more than 2 years since I have ridden or seen a Wisper in the flesh and boy have come a long way in that time. Wisper now have a range of top quality bikes with the promise of more to come. It is no wonder they are so popular.

Whilst I was chating with David, Scott and Tim Snaith passed by and they exchanged a few friendly words, nice to see competitors getting on so well

J hn

 

[Big John]

Thank for that helpful report Alby, I am off to the show tomorrow and will check out those that you have mentioned. Simply must try the new Dapush Wisper bike and have a look at the Dapush motor kit if it is there.

Big John

 

[Cyclezee]

One tip, if you want to ride any of the available bikes take a helmet, if you have one. You must wear a helmet to get a ride and there are a limited number available to borrow, so it might save waiting for one to be available if have one with you.
If you speak to David Miall on the Wisper stand, say John sent you

J hn

 

[flecc]

Spencer Ivy was a new one to me, it is yet another Panasonic powered crank drive bike.

The Spencer Ivy brand appear to be the Derby Cycles Kalkhoff Agattu bikes in crossbar (Spencer model) and step-through (Ivy model), the "about us" details in their website appearing to confirm that they are buying in. Company registered in the old docklands area of London.

An Agattu for £300 more with only one size offered, really can't see the point of them even trying with around 20 companies now using the Panasonic unit and many model duplications within their ranges.
.

 

[jac]

i spoke to the owner of spencer ivy yesterday he said that he was hoping to sell through the internet but the bikes got such good reception from the trade day that he thought he might sell through bike shops as it was a very new company they only had 2 models at the show both in a nice black finish also both with alfine gears not sure of prices.the other bikes that impressed at the show were the storck bike which is quite pricey but was nicely made bike with really torquey motor 60 nm no gears so nice and quiet another bike i liked was the bernds folding electric bike which had a nice battery pack slung low on the bike. also peugeot bikes had 4 models using panasonic drive some using the cheaper 8ah battery also three speed gears so possibly comming in at more reasonable price

jim

 

[flecc]

i spoke to the owner of spencer ivy yesterday he said that he was hoping to sell through the internet but the bikes got such good reception from the trade day that he thought he might sell through bike shops as it was a very new company they only had 2 models at the show both in a nice black finish also both with alfine gears not sure of prices.the other bikes that impressed at the show were the storck bike which is quite pricey but was nicely made bike with really torquey motor 60 nm no gears so nice and quiet another bike i liked was the bernds folding electric bike which had a nice battery pack slung low on the bike. also peugeot bikes had 4 models using panasonic drive some using the cheaper 8ah battery also three speed gears so possibly comming in at more reasonable price

jim

The Spencer Ivy website just has the two Agattu clones Jim, using exactly the same powder coat finish and specification, clearly also from Derby Cycles gmbh. The price is as said, £300 up at £1895 compared with 50cycles £1595 for the Agattu models.

We haven't had the Peugeot previously but the equivalent spec Monark 3 speed model is £1300.
.

 

[Cyclezee]

I saw the Peugeot bikes too and they are nothing special, a bit like their cars. When it comes to Panasonic powered bikes there is nothing to beat Kalkhoff, OK Flyer possibly, but certainly not in terms of value for money.

I learned one interesting fact when I spoke to the Dutch guy from Amazing Wheels. Flyer offer a 5 year warranty, but then they can afford to. They are trying get more dealers for Flyer in the UK.

J hn

 

[Bigbee]

I saw the Peugeot bikes too and they are nothing special, a bit like their cars. When it comes to Panasonic powered bikes there is nothing to beat Kalkhoff, OK Flyer possibly, but certainly not in terms of value for money.

I learned one interesting fact when I spoke to the Dutch guy from Amazing Wheels. Flyer offer a 5 year warranty, but then they can afford to. They are trying get more dealers for Flyer in the UK.

J hn

They've been trying to get new dealers here for ages.Good bikes but not that good and very over priced I think

 

[jac]

flyer is overpriced in uk but in germany the prices are are much closer to kalkhoff
the guy from spencer ivy did say his bikes were from derby factory but i would say the bikes he had on display were more like pro connect than the aggatu and also pretty light weight

jim

 

[eddieo]

flyer is overpriced in uk but in germany the prices are are much closer to kalkhoff
jim

and 10% less again (8% VAT) I think if you pick one up in Switzerland.....Not that much more then the Kalkhoff 2011 bikes that I like the look of, plus you get the spec exactly you desire

But Kalkhof have the advantage now with battery technology

Will have to be a special bike indeed th be any better then a Flyer X series......Still smitten

 

[Pedalo]

What impressed me most at the show was the Wisper stand. I had a long interesting chat with the genial and affable David Miall.

I popped in to the cycle show today and met David and had a good chat about life, the universe and ebikes. He is indeed a jolly nice chap! It's clear he's committed to making wisper customer sevice second to none - and looks to be achieving it.

 

[jaycat]

I'd like to say a very big thank you to David and Steve at Wisper today. Great guys, so very helpful and willing to assist.

With a few tweaks here and there, different mudguards, handlebars, etc I'm about to purchase my first bike Will try different cranks too, adjust seat etc. Popping back to see Steve in a couple of weeks to order!

Can I also take this opportunity to thank everyone for all their help, thanks to Juicybike, unfortunately the crossbar was just too high even to try To Allen, for letting me try his swing crank(!); hopefully I'll be able to add my advice to the future newbies that come along. To everyone that contributed to my questions along the way.......many, many thanks

J.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

The Spencer Ivy brand appear to be the Derby Cycles Kalkhoff Agattu bikes in crossbar (Spencer model) and step-through (Ivy model), the "about us" details in their website appearing to confirm that they are buying in. Company registered in the old docklands area of London.

An Agattu for £300 more with only one size offered, really can't see the point of them even trying with around 20 companies now using the Panasonic unit and many model duplications within their ranges.
.

I had a long chat with the Spencer Ivy guys who want to join us at BEBA, lovely people and a really nice looking bike. These guys will do very well, we need more like them in the industry. In a straw pole carried out by the guys on the test track Spencer Ivy were in the top three bikes tried, along with Stork and thankfully the Wisper". The stork pipped us to the post, but it is a lovely bike.

It was a great show, we met so many people from Pedelecs including Tim and Scott from 50 Cycles. Hopefully they will show in 2012 when the exhibition moves to the NEC.

Thanks for your kind words John, Pedalo and Jackie it was great to meet you all face to face at last!

All the best

David

 

[Wisper Bikes]

The Spencer Ivy website just has the two Agattu clones Jim, using exactly the same powder coat finish and specification, clearly also from Derby Cycles gmbh. The price is as said, £300 up at £1895 compared with 50cycles £1595 for the Agattu models.

We haven't had the Peugeot previously but the equivalent spec Monark 3 speed model is £1300.
.

Yes they were from DC Flecc, I think the higher price was for extras such as the Brookes leather sadel and handle bar grips, to my untrained eye the did look different to the Agattu models in the flesh so to speak.

All the best

David

 

[flecc]

Yes, I noticed they had the rigid forks David, but it seemed a mix of Agattu and Pro Connect features in the spec so I plumped for the lower price one for comparison. It's probably more accurate to compare them with one of the Raleigh Dover variants which have the higher price and similar spec, but they come with a dealer support network like your bikes. If Spencer Ivy set up a dealer network it will become a better comparison with the more expensive ranges.

With around 20 makes now selling Panasonic unit bikes in various models which are all too often effectively the same things that their competitors are selling, I wonder what the point is. It's a bit like the Austin and Morris Mini days but with many more names for the same thing.
.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Ivy

I agree Flecc, there are often too many of the same model bike on the market that have simply been rebadged. The Chinese too are masters at this as can be seen in many of the newer electric bike companies coming in to the market.

There are now an amazing number of companies jumping onto the electric band wagon. Entering the market is very easy if one simply buys a bike that is already being manufactured and paint and badge it according to taste! At Eurobike there were 115 electric bike "manufacturers" displaying their wares and at the Canadian show over 30% of the stands were selling an electric bike.

Unfortunately companies who have simply rebranded existing bikes must sell cheap and/or make exaggerated claims about product and service to claim market share. Unfortunately as we all know if a business does not make enough margin they cannot offer decent service and will eventually go out of business leaving a lot of unhappy customers clutching useless warranties.

Some of the exaggerated claims recently have been amazing, six year battery warranties (now withdrawn) and one company actually saying they own their supply company in China! My personal favourite however is the ad headline "The best electric bike in the World" claimed by a particular "re-brander" selling bikes for £799.00!

Excuse my rant, as you know I welcome competition, I believe it makes us all sharper, there is already a lot of very good competition out there. My worry is that many of these companies will not be around for very long and a spate of e-bike companies going bust and leaving customers high and dry will certainly damage our blossoming industry.

All that said, Spencer Ivy are being very honest about their bikes and where they come from. They do not make exaggerated claims and are certainly not cutting margins to sell bikes. I believe their intention was to retail and service their own bikes. However they had interest from the trade, due not a little to the likes of Raleigh and Kalkhoff choosing not to support the event.

All the best

David

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Ivy

I agree Flecc, there are often too many of the same model bike on the market that have simply been rebadged. The Chinese too are masters at this as can be seen in many of the newer electric bike companies coming in to the market.

There are now an amazing number of companies jumping onto the electric band wagon. Entering the market is very easy if one simply buys a bike that is already being manufactured and paint and badge it according to taste! At Eurobike there were 115 electric bike "manufacturers" displaying their wares and at the Canadian show over 30% of the stands were selling an electric bike.

IMO the huge interest has been caused by the massive hype around e bikes coupled with the down turn in push bike sales that is being experienced in most of the world.

Unfortunately companies who have simply rebranded existing bikes must sell cheap and/or make exaggerated claims about product and/service to claim market share. Unfortunately as we all know if a business sells too cheaply they cannot offer decent service and will eventually go out of business leaving a lot of unhappy customers clutching useless warranties.

Some of the exaggerated claims have been amazing, six year battery warranties (now withdrawn) and one company actually saying they own their supply company in China! My personal favourites however is the ad headline "The best electric bike in the World" claimed by a particular "re-brander" selling bikes for £799.00!

Excuse my rant, as you know I welcome competition, I believe it makes us all sharper, there is already a lot of very good competition out there. My worry is that many of these companies will not be around for very long and a spate of e-bike companies going bust and leaving customers high and dry will certainly damage our blossoming industry.

All that said, Spencer Ivy are being very honest about their bikes and where they come from. They do not make exaggerated claims and are certainly not cutting margins to sell bikes. I believe their intention was to retail and service their own bikes. However they had interest from the trade, due not a little to the likes of Raleigh and Kalkhoff choosing not to support the event.

All the best

David

 

[Pedalo]

"The best electric bike in the World"

Probably

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Probably

Ah yes Heineken!

A bit early for me thanks!

All the best

David

 

[Cyclezee]

Ah yes Heineken!

A bit early for me thanks!

All the best

David

Think you meant Carlsberg David

Mine's a Stella next time we meet

J hn