Infineum or Urban Mover ?

[Mike63]

Hi all...I'm still looking for something to replace my X bike and I am considering either an Infineum or an Urban Mover.
At £1100 they are both about affordable, I have a more or less local dealer, they both have front shock absorbers which is a must have for me and both come with a 2 year warranty.
Unfortunately, neither of these bikes appear to be very popular, and because of this get very little mention in the forum.

I am leaning towards the Infineum, at 20 kg. I think that even without power it could be easy to manage.
I am having a lot of trouble with my knees (Osteoarthritus) and neither my standard mountain bike nor my x bike is suitable, I want something in between and the Infineum appears to be it.
I realise that 30 mile range is optimistic but that doesn't bother me too much.
Unfortunately, having made one costly mistake I'm reluctant to make another but I really must find something that will encourage me to get out more, before I started having trouble with my knees I often went on a 30/40 mile ride now I'm reluctant to even set off.

I don't need loads of power or even lots of range, just easy to handle.
What are the cons on these two bikes, why aren't they popular ?

...any advice greatly appreciated.....thanks Mike

 

[Mussels]

It will help us to know what don't you like about the X bike?
If the ride is too hard have you considered balloon tyres?

 

[flecc]

The Infineum has had some problems, partly associated with the batteries, such as insecure mounting and the odd mention of other problems. That added to the false launch when it failed to appear after several promises tends to make people nervous. If you are determined to avoid another mistake, itr's best not to choose a newly launched bike, sticking instead to tried and trusted models.

Urban Mover went though some bad patches, chiefly due to appalling service when it was difficult to get faults attended too, and they didn't help themselves when their agents continued to sell models for which there were not to be any batteries available. They do seem to have improved a bit since then, but I doubt they've reached the high service standards we sometimes see from other companies. The much publicised and widely sold UM44 model that appeared on TV a few times was criticised by some members for it's pedelec arrangement, either too fierce acting without the optional torque sensor or a spongy feel to the pedals with it, but that's something you'd need to try for yourself.

Of these two makes, the Urban Movers are probably the safest option as long as you buy from a good dealer who is likely to support you.
.

 

[Bigbee]

I dont get the Infenium,its " uniqueness " is light,stackable batteries,but they arent very powerful so you need more of them?Defeats the object imho.Also its a front mounted hub motor,I guess it wouldnt ride too differently from the X-Bike?What do you not like about the X-Bike?

 

[Haku]

Urban Mover

I think I was told that torque sensors weren't optional anymore, that they were fitted as standard.
When I bought my UM36 in 2007 I went for the torque option because I didn't want 100% power whenever I was pedalling slowly, but nowadays with my derestricted throttle I find I'm using that a lot more because I can limit the power to the motor to extend the battery for longer than if I just let the torque sensor do it's thing, plus I can go much faster on the flat

The UM36 has featured on The Gadget Show a couple of times, I rode that actual bike when I first went along to UM's HQ to see the bikes in person, and TGS have been giving away UM36's in their competitions last year and the year before.


My UM36 has seen me well in the 2+ years I've been regularly riding it, I did have a whole bunch of parts replaced earlier this year including rims as I tend to ride hard and treat it almost like a regular mountain bike, they're the usual bike parts that wear out on any bike. The controller, battery & motor are still going strong. The frame has a 5 year warranty but I don't think I'll be needing to use that as it's certainly tough enough for my riding.

I had a go on a UM36X last time I was at the UM HQ and the 36v system gave much more acceleration torque than my 26v system ever could. Just a shame their UM36 bikes don't come with throttles anymore.

 

[Mike63]

Hi people...thanks for your response.

My x bike is just too heavy and certainly too heavy to ride as a normal bike.
every slight bump feels like i'm siting on a ton of bricks, it is so uncomfortable as to be unbelievable.
I don't know what balloon tyres are but i've tried it with high tyre pressures and lower tyre pressures to no avail.

Sure it goes like the wind on a flat even surface for short distances but this is not what I want.
Perhaps it would be different if I were 10 stone instead of 14 stone, but we are what we are.
The dealer I had in mind is "CycleSense" at Tadcaster, can anyone reccommend these people ?

thanks....Mike

 

[Mussels]

Ballon tyres are extra wide slicks that I find iron out the bumps a treat, more effective than the suspension is but they won't help with the weight of the bike. If you do try them then they need to be run lower than the max pressure to get the benefit, I use 50 psi instead of 60 and it really shows. Mine are Schwalbe 559/60 big apples but there are others available, worth a try if comfort is the big problem.

 

[Wooky]

Do these Big Apples fit on most rims to replace existing tyres? If so is that about the biggest tyre you can fit to standard rims?

Only problem is I'd have to change my new mudguards as well!

 

[UrbanPuma]

Hi Mike 63

Have you considered the Powacycle Salisbury? It has been around a long time and seems to be a reliable bike from what i've read on here. I own a Powacycle bike and i can honestly say the service from the company has been excellent. They restored my dead battery to almost new, which meant i didnt have to find the money for a new one thankfully.

As for knees, i suffer with problems also and the electric assistance helps greatly so i think it would be a good choice for you too. Best thing is to go for a test ride.

Good luck.

 

[Mussels]

Do these Big Apples fit on most rims to replace existing tyres? If so is that about the biggest tyre you can fit to standard rims?

Only problem is I'd have to change my new mudguards as well!

They fit fine on the Wisper rims but I don't know what width they are, clearance to to frame and mudguards is a bigger issue. My mudguards are 60mm wide and they only just fit, I reckon they add 2" to the tyre diameter.

 

[Wooky]

They fit fine on the Wisper rims but I don't know what width they are, clearance to to frame and mudguards is a bigger issue. My mudguards are 60mm wide and they only just fit, I reckon they add 2" to the tyre diameter.

Ah, I hadn't considered the extra diameter, only one way to find out, order a pair or 2.35s with tubes!