Help with first purchase please

[CrumpetMonster]

Hello all,

I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions about e-bikes and help with hopefully my first purchase.

Firstly, my employer has introduced the cycle2work scheme and so I'm limited to £1000 and secondly, I'm not a natural cycler.

I'm 6'3 and weigh 17.5 stones. I wouldn't say I'm fit or un-fit; I go jogging most mornings, play football every week and do plenty of hard walking but still carrying "a little holiday weight" . My commute is a 55 round trip and I intend to cycle 3 days out of 5 per week. Because of the distance, I don't think I'm fit enough to cycle to work and back on a normal bike 3 days a week.

I've been looking for bikes for the past three weeks and had my mind settled on the Oxygen EMate City, which according to the website was £999. Going back on the website today, the price for the same bike is £1249 but the battery is different (13aH instead of 10aH) but the range has improved by 20 miles. Obviously, that bike is out the price range and I've also noticed a EMate for extended commutes, but again, the price is nearer £1500.

Could anyone advise me; is the 10aH EMate still available, if so, in your experiences of e-bikes would it meet my needs, and if not, are there alternatives that are good quality and under £1000 for my circumstances?

Many thanks, hope you all have a nice weekend

 

[kwackerman]

Hi,

In my opinion based on my own experience I don't think you will be able to commute that kind of distance on a regular basis with a relatively cheap ebike.

I have a 36v 10a Juicy sport and my commute is a 16 mile round trip. There is no way that I would fancy 55 miles on it and I really don't think the cheap build quality of sub £1000 bikes can handle those kind of demands. Also many of the cheaper bikes have quite small frames; I am 5ft 10 and 15 stone and the juicy sport is not really suitable for my size...I would not have bought it had I been able to test ride it first and nothing I read on here or the juicy website made me think that at my fairly average build it would be too small for me. Unfortunately being on a budget and needing to buy it on the cycle to work scheme limits the options somewhat.
There will be many on here with a different opinion but most of them are whisper riders ( a bike I tried at Preteigne and was not that impressed with given all the hype) and the vast majority do not have a 55 mile commute to contend with.
Sorry if I sound negative but if it was a 20 mile round trip I would say go for the cheapo bike and prepare to spend time tightening spokes up most weekends like me!

Good luck

Andy

 

[CheKmx]

Have you considered getting a decent folder and driving/using public transport part of the way instead? I don't know how long 55 miles will take but it is sure to be a good chunk of the day.

 

[Vikki]

At that distance you'd need to charge the battery both ends. Wisper do a sub £1000 bike with a smaller battery. Wisper Works 905 Eco Electric Bike - Boxed - eBikes Direct

This might suit you. I've done some easy 30 milers on my Wisper without any problems and (before I got my trike) did 14 miles a day 5 days a week without problems.

99% of my journey is cycleway and I average 15mph. It takes me 30 minutes to do 7 miles (that includes stops at crossings).

Hope this is of some help.

Vikki.

 

[CrumpetMonster]

Many thanks to everyone who replied.

I have come to the same conclusion as your good selves; the price and distance simply aren't compatible, which is a great shame.

Hopefully prices will come down rather than go up in the future as it really does seem a fantastic solution to so many problems. I shall continue to check out the bikes, the cycle2work scheme has no end date that I'm aware of.

Thanks again, and enjoy your sunshine filled weekend.

Regards,

Crumpet

 

[Mussels]

Hopefully prices will come down rather than go up in the future as it really does seem a fantastic solution to so many problems.

A large part of the cost is the battery needed for the longer range, I don't think that's going down anytime soon.
I have a 36 mile round trip through London at the moment with loads of junctions, 55 miles would be too much for me even though the bike (twice your budget) is easily capable of it. Maybe if the 55 miles was along good roads with fewer junctions then it would be OK but I recommend you try out that distance before buying.

 

[garrence]

I've barely been off my Oxygen e-mate since buying it 4 weeks ago and think its great. I've gone from doing very little cycling to doing 44 miles one day and regularly doing 15 mile trips for fun. I'm planning a 260 mile 4 day round trip in a couple of weeks. With some pedalling I've already got the range up to 55 miles on one charge.

The Schwalbe tyres on the higher models are well worth having for their puncture resistance.

I've already changed the saddle to a thinner one because they're better for distance rides than the plush one most models come with (plush ones are great around town without shorts).

I think the models on the website are samples and you could have get one made to your own spec. Andrew from Oxygen pops up on here often, in fact that's how I found his website.

Is your employer the accommodating type? If so they could perhaps split the cost into parts:

• Bicycle without battery - buy under C2W scheme and it will be sub £1000
• Battery - these could be considered consumable items so I think the employer can just buy them for you. I'd estimate £300 to £400 for 13Ah
• Tyre upgrade, rack, lighting - these are safety items so I think the employer can just buy them for you.

 

[garrence]

I've been looking for bikes for the past three weeks and had my mind settled on the Oxygen EMate City, which according to the website was £999. Going back on the website today, the price for the same bike is £1249 but the battery is different (13aH instead of 10aH)

By the way, I'm pretty sure there wasn't a 10Ah model at £999 on the oxygen bicycles website 4 weeks ago when I got mine?

 

[Bikerbob]

At that distance you'd need to charge the battery both ends. Wisper do a sub £1000 bike with a smaller battery. Wisper Works 905 Eco Electric Bike - Boxed - eBikes Direct


Following Vikki's link I see that they describe the £899.99 Wisper 905 Eco Electric Bike as "Wispers flag ship bike". I assume that 'flag ship' means best so the dearer ones must be a waste of money

 

[MAB]

Following Vikki's link I see that they describe the £899.99 Wisper 905 Eco Electric Bike as "Wispers flag ship bike". I assume that 'flag ship' means best so the dearer ones must be a waste of money

I don't think so!

Regards,

Mike.

 

[Old Timer]

Hello all,

I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions about e-bikes and help with hopefully my first purchase.

Firstly, my employer has introduced the cycle2work scheme and so I'm limited to £1000 and secondly, I'm not a natural cycler.

I'm 6'3 and weigh 17.5 stones. I wouldn't say I'm fit or un-fit; I go jogging most mornings, play football every week and do plenty of hard walking but still carrying "a little holiday weight" . My commute is a 55 round trip and I intend to cycle 3 days out of 5 per week. Because of the distance, I don't think I'm fit enough to cycle to work and back on a normal bike 3 days a week.

I've been looking for bikes for the past three weeks and had my mind settled on the Oxygen EMate City, which according to the website was £999. Going back on the website today, the price for the same bike is £1249 but the battery is different (13aH instead of 10aH) but the range has improved by 20 miles. Obviously, that bike is out the price range and I've also noticed a EMate for extended commutes, but again, the price is nearer £1500.

Could anyone advise me; is the 10aH EMate still available, if so, in your experiences of e-bikes would it meet my needs, and if not, are there alternatives that are good quality and under £1000 for my circumstances?

Many thanks, hope you all have a nice weekend

55 mile round trip 3 days a week possible on an early calm sunny day but when winter starts to strike then 27 miles home against driving rain or snow is going to be uncomfortable to say the least.

Oh Yeh! and if you do start to do it then forget Crumpet

 

[Vikki]

Following Vikki's link I see that they describe the £899.99 Wisper 905 Eco Electric Bike as "Wispers flag ship bike". I assume that 'flag ship' means best so the dearer ones must be a waste of money

It says the 905 is Wisper's flagship, not just the eco

Says pretty much the same for the others in the 905 range, take a peek

"The 905 is Wisper's flag-ship electric bike specifically designed not only for looks and performance by Wisper but also as a bike that can be enjoyed with the motor turned off, however it is undoubtedly one of the finest looking e-bikes available, with superb performance specifications."

Bet the Alpino is the flagship now

Vikki.

 

[MAB]

I don't want to sound like some form of advert for Wisper but, there are many happy/very happy owners on this forum!

Regards,

Mike.

 

[Vikki]

I don't want to sound like some form of advert for Wisper but,

Gerroff! That's my job you don't want, erm, err, oh... me a mobile Wisper advert Come to think of it, with Wisper panniers front and back, SB is plastered in the name Wisper and has more Wisper URLs than I can shake a stick at

 

[MAB]

Gerroff! That's my job you don't want, erm, err, oh... me a mobile Wisper advert Come to think of it, with Wisper panniers front and back, SB is plastered in the name Wisper and has more Wisper URLs than I can shake a stick at

LOL! Ok, I surrender, its your job!

But, we are both on the right cycle-path!

Regards,

Mike.

 

[simonbarnett]

It says the 905 is Wisper's flag-ship, not just the eco



The 905 must be better than the Alpino or XCTourer then Damn, I've been sold a pup :eek

 

[Vikki]

Yep, these puppies are voluminous

Vikki.

 

[Vikki]

Simon: ROFLMAO!

 

[simonbarnett]

Simon: ROFLMAO!

I thought i knew most of these (what with 5 kids) but had to google it

 

[MAB]

Brilliant!!

Regards,

Mike.