Hello from usually sunny but cloudy with a chance of rain today Malta

[maltesephil]

Hello everyone and 1st of all a big thnk you to the site mods etc for allowing me onto this forum

So the next thing I guess I should do is talk about myself a bit. Well I'm 39 years old, married (happily mostly) and 1 child and he's 6. I've lived in Malta for the last 9 years.

Cycling wise I've been in the saddle off and on since childhood. Mainly road bikes but a couple of years ago bought my 1st mtb. I'm now looking into getting an electric bike since my fitness has tailed off big style over the last year and I want to cycle to work, however there are a couple of killer steep hills in between work and home and no pavment to walk up pushing the bike. My commute is 16km each way and though I used to car share, thats tailed off now and the buses are 99.9% useless. (Guess where Londons unwanted bendy buses went).

I rented an e bike earlier this month and it was fantastic so I'll be using the forum to help me make a choice.

 

[indalo]

Hi and welcome to the forum Phil.

I'm sure you'll receive plenty of advice from forum members but you might wish to help them a little with one or two clues about the basics such as budget, style and so on.

I was once asked the question, "Which side of the road do they drive on in Malta?" I had no idea and just as I was about to take a wild guess at left, the questioner said loudly, "Wrong!....they drive on the shady side!"

From what I understand, that's still pretty much the situation. Does that sound about right?

Indalo

 

[maltesephil]

good points indalo, budget around eur1000, style mtb/touring bike with cross bar. Now the rains are coming most people in malta drive on the side with less potholes

 

[geostorm]

Hi Phil,
Welcome aboard sounds like describing here in Kent..

 

[iwchris]

Hi Phil and Welcome.
I am quite new to the world of Pedelecs, had mine for 3months now and love it, I do use my Moutain Bike as well, but if any of my trips include steep climbs I take the the Elec and have managed to cut my car fuel bill right down, as the Pedelec is great for supermarket trips if not needing too much, I have some good Panier Bags, so I'm sure you will really love it, and I think we will see much greater use over the next few years of these bikes.
Good luck and enjoy
Chris

 

[indalo]

budget around eur1000, style mtb/touring bike with cross bar.

Hi again Phil

In the absence thus far of any firm recommendations based on your requirements, I'd say your best starting point would be to look closely at the models from Kudos and Juicybike, both easily found in the panel to the right of this page.

There are others fairly well regarded from the likes of Woosh bikes and Power Pedals but unfortunately the prices of the latter's range seem to have crept up a little and start around £1150 from what I have seen. Wisper bikes too remain very popular and seem keenly priced.

I have no idea in regard to shipping costs for any of these bikes to Malta but if it's an expensive business, perhaps you might wish to consider importing a simple kit. I'm sure there are some available which would be well within your budget and if you have, or can acquire, a donor bike, the actual work involved in fitting the kit is pretty straightforward and would only take you a couple of hours, far less if you are familiar with bikes and can operate a few hand tools.

Of the companies I have mentioned, I know that Juicybike supply kits so there's a start for you. My advice, given your location, is to pick something which you feel confident will be reliable and offers top-class support should the need arise. I say that as I imagine that Malta isn't exactly top-heavy with ebike dealers and repair facilities?

Indalo

 

[shemozzle999]

Hi Phil,

I just googled "Ebikes in Malta" and came up with this article.

I wondered if they have any end of season bikes for sale - there are contact telephone numbers at the bottom of the page.


Hertz electric bikes in Malta - timesofmalta.com

edit: also found this website: Electric Bicycle Tours Across Malta and Gozo - MaltAcross.com - Home

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Phil,

We have had an enquiry about shipping an eZee bike to Malta, but the shipping cost was very expensive.

A conversion kit may be the kit may be the most economical way to go as shipping a kit is considerably cheaper.

I also know of an electric bike company that will be starting up business in Malta early next year.

If you send me a PM or email I will give you contact details. You might be very surprised at the source.

Regards,

 

[indalo]

A conversion kit may be the kit may be the most economical way to go as shipping a kit is considerably cheaper.

Hi again Phil

Cyclezee seems to share my fear that shipping a bike from the UK to Malta might be prohibitively expensive and he's been kind enough to remind us that his company actually supply kits which would be a bit less in shipping charges.

I believe Ezee kits start at £750 but I stand to be corrected on that. Some kits cost vastly more than that but I note that Juicybike kits are £495 though whether they are any good or not, I have no idea. Perhaps some of our members have experience of these kits and might be able to pass comment. Their ready-built bikes enjoy a good reputation and I believe their warranty and aftercare are second to none.

Indalo

 

[maltesephil]

Thanks for all the replies guys and gals, I've been in gozo for a few days and the hills there beggar belief compared to malta, may be a good place to get some stamina training in