Hi, new prospective rider

smackymander

Just Joined
Nov 5, 2020
2
0
Hi all,

I'm a new prospective rider, looking into ebikes as both a prospective way to help my commute to work, as well as a side hobby, though to be perfectly honest, I'm having difficulties looking into it.

For what it's worth my commute is about 9 miles, mostly uphill, though not at an amazingly steep gradient (noticeable after a while though !) , but I do like generally exploring my local area by foot, though I'm hoping to expand the distance I can comfortably cover by going via (e)bike.

I currently have a mountain bike, which is fine for my commute, and been alright for the few times I've gone off road, but generally I don't end up finding that I need all the gears offered by the bike, since my commute and local area isn't super hilly ( though the bigger tires than a road bike are certainly welcome for when going off the beaten path)

Currently, I'm thinking about getting an ebike to help me out with exploring more of my local area and go further out into the country, there's some lovely bits of the peak district not too far (~15 miles), but it does feel a bit much to go that distance + back when I don't drive so can't hitch a bike, I am relatively fit, but with covid (and xmas), that has, truthfully slipped. Notably, my work takes part in the cycle 2 work scheme, which would be great to get a bike on, since I'm an apprentice, so I don't have masses on masses of disposable income, but would like an ebike as a means of helping to get to work, especially when raining since it does tend to be quite rainy where I am in the UK.

I'm looking at a few options, and truth be told I don't know masses, but really the super73 is what got me back into cycling more, and got me interested in ebikes in the first place. I like the way it looks, and with the new models having suspension, it does seem like a nicer ride, however, I've heard that the build quality isn't always amazing, and that if something does go wrong, it can be a bit of a pain to get fixed (as well as it's models tending to be rather expensive for what you get). Overall, it seems good on paper, but aftercare doesn't seem great.

The cowboy or vanmouth bikes seem like alright options, but I'm 5"6, so I'm a tad worried about the whole one size-ness, and not being in London, it doesn't seem like it'd be possible to test ride them, especially not with covid as it is. They both seem like good options, but only as commuters, which I wouldn't mind as a way to help get me to work less sweaty, though I've heard some mixed things especially re: hills, and I kind of dont' like how they seem to be less repairable by yourself, and they seem to advocate for sending it to them/getting one of their repairmen out especially to fix up the bike.

The other major options I've seen are the rad power bikes, especially the rhino which would seem to tick most of the boxes I'm after, but having left the customs union, it does seem like a bit of a nightmare to get and not get taxed to high hell on it, and I wouldn't be able to get it on C2W (which would be nice to get it on because of that sweet sweet tax discount :p). The rad power option does seem to be likely the right one, and the company and bikes have been around for awhile and seem quite reliable, but the tax does make me hesitant (though to be honest, I wouldn't mind a trip over to mainland Europe to get one, once travels opened up, and then Eurostar/national rail back). Notably, no test ride, which does make me hesitant since if I don't like it, it would mean a shipping back to mainland Europe, which I have a feeling would be rather expensive for a bike.

To be honest, the super73 does seem really good, but it does seem too expensive (i.e. that at that sort of price, I'd be better off finishing up learning to drive and buying a car), the rhino seems like a happy middle ground but the prospect of EU tax and having even less try before you buy puts me off. The vanmouth and cowboy seem good at soley commuter options, but they are pricey, and do have their own drawbacks.

I'd be super appreciative of some advice, and look forward to getting into the hobby :D.

Apologies for a super long post :^)
 

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
The question is who's going to fix it when it goes wrong? If you want to fix it yourself, get an ordinary Chinese electric bike. If you can't understand what a wire is, get one from a local dealer, whatever they have as long as it has a popular and well-known electrical system in it. Forget about your Vanmooth or Cowboy. It'll probably be a garden trellis in three years time. Avoid any mail order bikes with big publicity campaigns that you read about in magazines or papers or see on Facebook.

When you find something, ask again so we can help you avoid any pitfalls. When you mention C2W, I think you're likely to end up disappointed with the bikes you mentioned. If people with spare cash want to try one, good luck to them, but poorer people need to choose carefully. You have to think about support and spare parts long into the future.

Have a look at E-bikesdirect. They have some good ones, and they have a good returns service to, and I think they do C2W.
 
Last edited:

D C

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 25, 2013
1,140
575
You sound like a perfect candidate for a self build, you'll learn a lot and have a kit you could transfer to another bike as time goes by.
It's best to work out which kit you think you want then post details on here and you'll get plenty of advice, information and support.
 

smackymander

Just Joined
Nov 5, 2020
2
0
Cheers for the responses :D

I would plan on fixing it myself, I have a decent background with electronics (making + repairing), so it's not the biggest concern, re: repair or installing a kit, though yeah in truth, like most people, I can be lazy. Buying locally would be preferable anyways, (more likely to support c2w, better to support local business etc.), I think I've got a decent few options with a good few chain shops (Pure electric, cycle republic, evans cycle etc.), and a few local stores.

To be honest, I was a touch scared by the different makes and models, since I'm not super familiar, though I think a tad more research on my end would definitely help there. A couple of the Haibikes I've seen have piqued my interest (Seemingly using high quality parts, at a relatively affordable price once c2w is accounted for), though yeah, honestly hesitant to get a bike in response to reviews in papers/magazines, since a lot of the time it does seem like the bikes aren't used for very long (if at all).

The radpower bikes do seem pretty good with regards to build quality/support from manufacturer and generally seems to have a decent community online, though a lot of that does seem to be centred around the US, though again no local distributors could

The idea of a kit conversion does sound good but I was planning on giving my current bike to a younger relative as a birthday + Christmas present (willing to change on that though, since I haven't been able to see them anyway to exchange presents), and the bike I currently have is relatively hefty, so I would be concerned about the additional weight.

Will look more into kits anyway, since it does seem like a good route, though slightly concerned about manufacturers of the kits giving support, as well as more mainstream/local dealers


Cheers :)
 
Last edited:

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
3,642
2,652
Winchester
Buying locally would be preferable anyways, (more likely to support c2w, better to support local business
I think that is excellent. Just one downside. Traditionally local bike shops (LBSs) have given excellent service and support. Sadly, many now are just businesses that have seen the opportunity for selling high margin goods, but don't take seriously the responsibilities that the high markup sale should imply. Lots are still excellent, but if at all possible check customer satisfaction before trusting an LBS you don't know.

In addition, the LBS is often very limited in what the manufacturer will allow them to do. For example, if you have an electric problem with a Bosch system bike the LBS is more or less limited to plugging in the diagnostic equipment. Any problem diagnosed may well mean the part has to go back to Germany before repair/replacement is allowed. (That was bad enough pre Brexit, I dread to think what it will be like now). Of course, on that kind of bike you would be even more limited what you can do yourself.
 

Andy1865

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 4, 2017
289
15
Hi all,

I'm a new prospective rider, looking into ebikes as both a prospective way to help my commute to work, as well as a side hobby, though to be perfectly honest, I'm having difficulties looking into it.

For what it's worth my commute is about 9 miles, mostly uphill, though not at an amazingly steep gradient (noticeable after a while though !) , but I do like generally exploring my local area by foot, though I'm hoping to expand the distance I can comfortably cover by going via (e)bike.

I currently have a mountain bike, which is fine for my commute, and been alright for the few times I've gone off road, but generally I don't end up finding that I need all the gears offered by the bike, since my commute and local area isn't super hilly ( though the bigger tires than a road bike are certainly welcome for when going off the beaten path)

Currently, I'm thinking about getting an ebike to help me out with exploring more of my local area and go further out into the country, there's some lovely bits of the peak district not too far (~15 miles), but it does feel a bit much to go that distance + back when I don't drive so can't hitch a bike, I am relatively fit, but with covid (and xmas), that has, truthfully slipped. Notably, my work takes part in the cycle 2 work scheme, which would be great to get a bike on, since I'm an apprentice, so I don't have masses on masses of disposable income, but would like an ebike as a means of helping to get to work, especially when raining since it does tend to be quite rainy where I am in the UK.

I'm looking at a few options, and truth be told I don't know masses, but really the super73 is what got me back into cycling more, and got me interested in ebikes in the first place. I like the way it looks, and with the new models having suspension, it does seem like a nicer ride, however, I've heard that the build quality isn't always amazing, and that if something does go wrong, it can be a bit of a pain to get fixed (as well as it's models tending to be rather expensive for what you get). Overall, it seems good on paper, but aftercare doesn't seem great.

The cowboy or vanmouth bikes seem like alright options, but I'm 5"6, so I'm a tad worried about the whole one size-ness, and not being in London, it doesn't seem like it'd be possible to test ride them, especially not with covid as it is. They both seem like good options, but only as commuters, which I wouldn't mind as a way to help get me to work less sweaty, though I've heard some mixed things especially re: hills, and I kind of dont' like how they seem to be less repairable by yourself, and they seem to advocate for sending it to them/getting one of their repairmen out especially to fix up the bike.

The other major options I've seen are the rad power bikes, especially the rhino which would seem to tick most of the boxes I'm after, but having left the customs union, it does seem like a bit of a nightmare to get and not get taxed to high hell on it, and I wouldn't be able to get it on C2W (which would be nice to get it on because of that sweet sweet tax discount :p). The rad power option does seem to be likely the right one, and the company and bikes have been around for awhile and seem quite reliable, but the tax does make me hesitant (though to be honest, I wouldn't mind a trip over to mainland Europe to get one, once travels opened up, and then Eurostar/national rail back). Notably, no test ride, which does make me hesitant since if I don't like it, it would mean a shipping back to mainland Europe, which I have a feeling would be rather expensive for a bike.

To be honest, the super73 does seem really good, but it does seem too expensive (i.e. that at that sort of price, I'd be better off finishing up learning to drive and buying a car), the rhino seems like a happy middle ground but the prospect of EU tax and having even less try before you buy puts me off. The vanmouth and cowboy seem good at soley commuter options, but they are pricey, and do have their own drawbacks.

I'd be super appreciative of some advice, and look forward to getting into the hobby :D.

Apologies for a super long post :^)
A very good alternative to a Rad Rhino
 

Attachments

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
Cheers for the responses :D

I would plan on fixing it myself, I have a decent background with electronics (making + repairing), so it's not the biggest concern, re: repair or installing a kit, though yeah in truth, like most people, I can be lazy. Buying locally would be preferable anyways, (more likely to support c2w, better to support local business etc.), being based in Greater Manchester, I think I've got a decent few options with a good few chain shops (Pure electric, cycle republic, evans cycle etc.), and a few local stores.

To be honest, I was a touch scared by the different makes and models, since I'm not super familiar, though I think a tad more research on my end would definitely help there. A couple of the Haibikes I've seen have piqued my interest (Seemingly using high quality parts, at a relatively affordable price once c2w is accounted for), though yeah, honestly hesitant to get a bike in response to reviews in papers/magazines, since a lot of the time it does seem like the bikes aren't used for very long (if at all).

The radpower bikes do seem pretty good with regards to build quality/support from manufacturer and generally seems to have a decent community online, though a lot of that does seem to be centred around the US, though again no local distributors could

The idea of a kit conversion does sound good but I was planning on giving my current bike to a younger relative as a birthday + Christmas present (willing to change on that though, since I haven't been able to see them anyway to exchange presents), and the bike I currently have is relatively hefty, so I would be concerned about the additional weight.

Will look more into kits anyway, since it does seem like a good route, though slightly concerned about manufacturers of the kits giving support, as well as more mainstream/local dealers


Cheers :)
Woosh do some good kits and offer good support on this forum.