Help eZee bikes: newbie questions (long)

[BluecollarZA]

Hi all, thanks for the informative resource... I've found out a great deal of info already through this site. Before I fire off my bunch of questions, here's a little background info:

I'm in Johannesburg, South Africa - not the most bicycle friendly city around. Additionally, I have never been a cyclist, although I've been informed that riding a bike's just like... erm, like riding a bike, so I'm hoping that it shouldn't be too big of a deal that the last bicycle I had was 15 years ago.

Secondly, eBikes have not really made an impact on the market here. We've had one South African company who makes their own bike kits that are basically a 400W brushless motor and a sealed lead acid battery attached to a regular bicycle frame. However, eZee bikes are now available here, and I'm strongly considering getting one. The bike that I immediately wanted was the Torq, but after reading some user reviews on this site I have some reservations, and am maybe considering a Sprint or a Forte:

1) The Torq's apparently not a great hill climber. My route to work is about 17km either way (10.5 miles) and there are two long (+- 1km) hills that are relatively steep (I don't know the actual gradient). Johannesburg's terrain can be described as "rolling hills", if that helps. As I said, I'm not a cyclist and the primary reason I want an e-bike is because I don't want to have to peddle the ** outta the thing to get anywhere. I gather that most, if not all of the reader reviews I read here were from UK cyclists, and that their Torqs are 250W models. I would be ordering the 350W model that's available here. Will this make a significant difference to its hill climbing ability?

2) Weatherproofing. A number of the reviews I read mentioned that the Torq's weatherproofing is poor. What does this mean? Will I break the bike if I ride it in the rain?

3) Deraileur. The Sprint and Forte's internal gears seem (in my ignorant opinion) to be much more user friendly for a novice e-bike user. How much more difficult is the Torq's system to master?

So, here's my dilemma - the stock 250W Sprint is R1000 (£71) cheaper than the Torq i want (which is the 350W model with front disc break and fork). Is it a much more user friendly bike for a novice? Also, does it offer the same range? I'm finding conflicting info on the range of the Sprint. The step through design of the Sprint seems much more user friendly, but also *cough* dorkier *cough*...

The Forte is R775 (£55) more than the Torq. It has no disc brake, but it has the internal gears. Are these worth the extra cash?

What should I do?!

 

[flecc]

Hi bluecollar, you don't have the problem you think you have I'm pleased to say!

Your Torq is obviously not our Torq. eZee use different names in different markets, and it's obvious to me that what you have as the Torq is what we call the Forza and which is the Fury in the USA.

How do I know that? Well, the Torq is only made as a 250 watt bike with the small diameter Quando motor and has no disc brake or suspension. The Forza, like the Forte, has the export 350 watt larger diameter Sprint motor. You can check those motor sizes from the pictures on the 50cycles website here in the UK. If your Torq has a motor of the diameter of the Sprint and Forte ones and not smaller like our Torq or Quando ones, it's the Forza renamed for your market.

And that'd very suitable for you, both it and the Forte being very good hill climbers.

The internal gears are a matter of preference, they cost more to produce so the Forte version is worth the extra since there's less maintenance for you to do.

The weatherproofing on the newer ones is much improved. Getting a controller wet doesn't break it but can stop the bike operating until dried out. Water in connections can corrode them and will lead to lost connections. They then have to be cleaned up and remade. However, as said, less likely on the newer models. There's advice on waterproofing etc on my site here.
.

 

[BluecollarZA]

Thanks for the reply flecc. We actually do get the Forza too. You can check out the product page for SA eZee bikes here:

eZee SA - Advanced Electric Bicycles

We have the option to upgrade our Torqs to 350 AND add a disc brake and forks for an extra 70 quid. With the upgrade it comes to about £50 less than the Forza and Forte, both of which are almost the same price here. That actually seems like very good value.

If the 350W is going to make hill climbing a lot easier, then my only concern is the ease of use and weatherproofing issues. I'm admittedly rather scared of my first ride on an electric bicycle, and the Torq is quite intimidating. How difficult is it to get the hang of riding an electric bicycle?

Also, is the Forte more weatherproof?

 

[flecc]

That makes sense, I knew it had to be Forza or a clone of it which is obviously what they are doing, swapping the whole front end.

E-bikes are very easy to ride, and at first if you use the pedelec which all three have, it only powers when you pedal so you'll always be in control.

That said, for you I'd definitely say choose the Forte.

That's because it has the low maintenance hub gear, needing virtually no attention, and it has the new eZee Assistance factor control. With that you can dial in the maximum power you want, so it will be a great help during the learning phase, since you'll be able to start by using minimal power and gradually add more as you gain confidence. It's a sort of preset that determines the maximum you get in numbered steps. Also, as the newer model I'd guess the Forte is likely to be better proofed against water.
.

 

[BluecollarZA]

Thanks again flecc... one more question and I promise I'll stop bugging you:

The front brake: the Forte only has a normal V brake. Will this be sufficient?

 

[flecc]

No problem bluecollar, happy to help.

All knowledgeable cycle people regard the V brake as the best there is, so no problems there. The only advantage of a disc brake is that there's no rim wear from brake pads.

The thing that most determines disc brake power is the disc diameter, but if you think about it, the rim is a disc, the V brake is a disc caliper, and the rim is the biggest disc of all. That's why racing cyclists use only V brakes.
.

 

[Ian]

Just looked at the South African Ezee site, a standard Torq is R12974, that converts to £923. Rip off Britain again.

 

[flecc]

Just looked at the South African Ezee site, a standard Torq is R12974, that converts to £923. Rip off Britain again.

As ever! I added 17.5% VAT, and it was still £110 short of our price.

Go west young man, Go west!

(or go anywhere probably, it will still be better)
.

 

[BluecollarZA]

Actually, that price includes our 14% VAT. =]

Still we pay a LOT for some things. My crappy 385kb/s ADSL line with a bandwidth limit of 5gigs per month costs me the equivalent of about 50 quid a month!

 

[flecc]

Still we pay a LOT for some things. My crappy 385kb/s ADSL line with a bandwidth limit of 5gigs per month costs me the equivalent of about 50 quid a month!

Ouch! And we moan about how badly off we are for broadband compared with places like parts of Asia.

Mind you, my ADSL costs a quarter of that, but it's effective speed isn't much better than dial-up much of the time, and there's many a weekday evening when I can't even get online between 7pm and nearly midnight due to very high contention.
.

 

[Ian]

Still we pay a LOT for some things. My crappy 385kb/s ADSL line with a bandwidth limit of 5gigs per month costs me the equivalent of about 50 quid a month!

Mmmnnn, that is a lot.