Greetings to you all and many many thanks for loading so much information on ebikes onto the pedelec forum. I need help.
My employer has signed up to the bike to work scheme and I see this now as an opportunity to upgrade to a bike which will take me into retirement (in maybe 10 years). My (manual) Dawes Ultra roadbike is about 10 years old and I cycle about 800 miles per year. I live south of Belfast in among the famous Drumlins of County Down in Northern Ireland and whilst these are great for aerobic training, as I get older, I am having difficulty managing this type of terrain. I have cycled all my life and would like to continue.
My daily commute is an option of :-
In (least preferred) 1. Totally easy level or downhill mainroad, 4 miles out.
In (best preferred) 2 Up and over a few drumlins on country roads then BIG downhill 5.3 miles out
Back (least preferred) 1. main road drag up busy cycle track on footway 4 miles return
Back (best preferred) 2. Country road over the drumlins beginning with a 10 minute climb up the BIG hill 5.3 miles return.
On nice summer evenings (when I was fit) I would take a detour route home over country roads 21 miles (1.5 hours) and really enjoyed being out in the country. Now I can't manage that and I miss those times....
Anyway all this is why I need an electric bike. This 10 minute hill climb on my way home raises my heartrate to about 180 - 185 and my speed is reduced to 5 - 6 mph. I have no real desire to go faster, just to make it easier.
So I reckon I need a ebike which is good at hills. Now then..
The bike to work scheme will only fund a bike with a TICKET price of less than £1000. The roose of "separate battery" purchased separately my me (if I could arrange this) would suit me fine but there is great opposition to this at present. Also there is a price limit on the bike. £1400 is way too much. I'm sure its worth it but I can't afford that. I hope you have the patience to read on.
Which brings me to a choice of just a few bikes. I need one with a "gutsy" amount of power so I rule of anything which involves a battery which looks like a bottle. I intend to recharge this at most every other day (or even longer) so that I can get as long a time with the battery as I can before having to buy a new one. My thinking is a big battery will take more rides to drain than a small one, therefore big batteries will last ME longer.
Unfortunately I have to declare that I feel as if I live on the moon. Northern Ireland may as well be Afganistan when it comes to trying out electric bikes. We are so far behind you good people in England that it makes me feel I live in a poor country. So I am having real difficulty trying ANY type of ebike which is not a monster. Methinks SPARTAs are monsters. Anything which uses a "sit up and beg" style is the enemy because I can't deliver any power into them. I want a bike that I have a fighting chance of actually delivering an amount of power into EFFICIENTLY. This cunning plan will increase my range, presuming the bike will "carry its own (extra) weight". So what have we got? (forgetting about how the bike will actuually be purchased). I'm 11 stone 7lbs and 5' 7inches.
Bikes to consider:-
1. The Urban mover UM44S Urban Sprite, full mudguards, recently won some hillclimbing race (sounds like a gutsy motor) but really bad customer care reports on pedelec around 2 years ago. Even though I don't know much about ebikes, 250 watts sounds better than 200 watts at my stage of life. 21.5kg, 37v lithium ion 9ah battery 333 watt hours; 1000 cycles. I would intend to get this off Halfords in Belfast £1149 ticket price. Good that it has rear carrying frame for my single pannier (crucial). Has front suspension which I think would be useful and comfortable.
2. Powacycle Salisbury LPX Hybrid MTB style. Only £599 but described to me as an entry level quality. Only a 200watt motor. Only 273 watt hours. Does anyone in Northern Ireland actually stock this bike so I could try it?
3. Wisper works 905 eco MTB style only has half mudguards and no rack. £1200
4. Wisper 905 se city 37v 14ah lithium polymer - lovelly bike but too dear at £1399
5. infineum extreme MTB style Li polymer 36v; 6.5ah (don't know what this means but sounds low) 234 watt hours; only 180w motor £1170.
So all the above points to my first option the UM44S Urban sprite.
There are very few reviews of this bike on the pedelec forum and I really appreciate everyones generousity in giving opinions (flecc is the man) and I promise the forum what whatever bike I choose I'll test it to its limits and review freely on our forum about how it performs.
If you have read down to here I salute you! Sorry for going on so much but this is a big financial decision and I need as much help as I can get. Post a reply so everyone can see the thought processes. Thanks Kevin
My employer has signed up to the bike to work scheme and I see this now as an opportunity to upgrade to a bike which will take me into retirement (in maybe 10 years). My (manual) Dawes Ultra roadbike is about 10 years old and I cycle about 800 miles per year. I live south of Belfast in among the famous Drumlins of County Down in Northern Ireland and whilst these are great for aerobic training, as I get older, I am having difficulty managing this type of terrain. I have cycled all my life and would like to continue.
My daily commute is an option of :-
In (least preferred) 1. Totally easy level or downhill mainroad, 4 miles out.
In (best preferred) 2 Up and over a few drumlins on country roads then BIG downhill 5.3 miles out
Back (least preferred) 1. main road drag up busy cycle track on footway 4 miles return
Back (best preferred) 2. Country road over the drumlins beginning with a 10 minute climb up the BIG hill 5.3 miles return.
On nice summer evenings (when I was fit) I would take a detour route home over country roads 21 miles (1.5 hours) and really enjoyed being out in the country. Now I can't manage that and I miss those times....
Anyway all this is why I need an electric bike. This 10 minute hill climb on my way home raises my heartrate to about 180 - 185 and my speed is reduced to 5 - 6 mph. I have no real desire to go faster, just to make it easier.
So I reckon I need a ebike which is good at hills. Now then..
The bike to work scheme will only fund a bike with a TICKET price of less than £1000. The roose of "separate battery" purchased separately my me (if I could arrange this) would suit me fine but there is great opposition to this at present. Also there is a price limit on the bike. £1400 is way too much. I'm sure its worth it but I can't afford that. I hope you have the patience to read on.
Which brings me to a choice of just a few bikes. I need one with a "gutsy" amount of power so I rule of anything which involves a battery which looks like a bottle. I intend to recharge this at most every other day (or even longer) so that I can get as long a time with the battery as I can before having to buy a new one. My thinking is a big battery will take more rides to drain than a small one, therefore big batteries will last ME longer.
Unfortunately I have to declare that I feel as if I live on the moon. Northern Ireland may as well be Afganistan when it comes to trying out electric bikes. We are so far behind you good people in England that it makes me feel I live in a poor country. So I am having real difficulty trying ANY type of ebike which is not a monster. Methinks SPARTAs are monsters. Anything which uses a "sit up and beg" style is the enemy because I can't deliver any power into them. I want a bike that I have a fighting chance of actually delivering an amount of power into EFFICIENTLY. This cunning plan will increase my range, presuming the bike will "carry its own (extra) weight". So what have we got? (forgetting about how the bike will actuually be purchased). I'm 11 stone 7lbs and 5' 7inches.
Bikes to consider:-
1. The Urban mover UM44S Urban Sprite, full mudguards, recently won some hillclimbing race (sounds like a gutsy motor) but really bad customer care reports on pedelec around 2 years ago. Even though I don't know much about ebikes, 250 watts sounds better than 200 watts at my stage of life. 21.5kg, 37v lithium ion 9ah battery 333 watt hours; 1000 cycles. I would intend to get this off Halfords in Belfast £1149 ticket price. Good that it has rear carrying frame for my single pannier (crucial). Has front suspension which I think would be useful and comfortable.
2. Powacycle Salisbury LPX Hybrid MTB style. Only £599 but described to me as an entry level quality. Only a 200watt motor. Only 273 watt hours. Does anyone in Northern Ireland actually stock this bike so I could try it?
3. Wisper works 905 eco MTB style only has half mudguards and no rack. £1200
4. Wisper 905 se city 37v 14ah lithium polymer - lovelly bike but too dear at £1399
5. infineum extreme MTB style Li polymer 36v; 6.5ah (don't know what this means but sounds low) 234 watt hours; only 180w motor £1170.
So all the above points to my first option the UM44S Urban sprite.
There are very few reviews of this bike on the pedelec forum and I really appreciate everyones generousity in giving opinions (flecc is the man) and I promise the forum what whatever bike I choose I'll test it to its limits and review freely on our forum about how it performs.
If you have read down to here I salute you! Sorry for going on so much but this is a big financial decision and I need as much help as I can get. Post a reply so everyone can see the thought processes. Thanks Kevin
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