Juicybike Sport or Alien GS2/3?

[benjy_a]

OK so I’m torn….I’m going to buy another electric bike but on the Cycle Scheme.

I have narrowed my choices to the following two bikes.

1)Juicybike Sport
2)Alien Gents (whatever the new model is)

Plus points for Juicybike:
1) Bob (Juicybike) came and demo’d the bike and it’s very nice and well built. Bob seems like a great guy and I’m sure customer service will be wonderful.
2) 3kg lighter than Alien
3) Driven from the rear wheel so better balance and more security as harder to steal back wheel (slightly)
4) Available right now.
5) Looks nice.

Negative points for Juicybike:
1) The motor is allegedly made by Juicy so parts and spares will only be available through Juicybike.
2) Only 6 gears so not sure how fast the cadence will be for a good top speed.


Plus points for Alien:
1) £160 cheaper than Juicybike (although there are no prices yet for the new Alien which is likely to be more expensive than the GS2).
2) Triple chainring with full 21 gears which are easy to upgrade if I wish to do so.
3) More traditional male mountain bike styling so harder for my wife to steal!
4) Uses Bafang motor with readily available spares.

Negative points for Alien
1) Not available now, there are no details of the specifications of the upcoming bike.
2) Not able to try before buying.
3) No price known for the new Alien bike.
4) Heavier than the Juicybike
5) I prefer the styling of the Juicybike.


I would appreciate anybody’s advice or observations in relation to my dilemma. At the moment I am leaning towards the Juicybike due to the number of unknowns regarding the Alien...

B.

 

[Bigbee]

Why dont you ask Alien for the specs and price?

 

[NRG]

Well its down to you go with what you feel is the right choice. I've no experience with the Juicybike only the Alien so can't advise...from a personel view point, Juicy dosen't get much mention here so there's not much background info on reliabilty or responsivness to customer issues...maybe there are none! I don't like the look of the twin tube frame but the rest of it looks a good spec. it also has disk brakes where as the sold out Alien didn't...Its only £695 BTW I 've never used the inner ring on the Alien yet but do utilise the middle and outer a lot of the time, I like to ride as much as possible without assistance so the limited gear range on the Juicy would be a bit of concern for me but your situation may be different....either way you go I think you'll be happy!

PS don't be concerned about the weight, in practice it makes little difference once you load up with tools and sit yourself on it so don't see it as a negative...

 

[benjy_a]

Why dont you ask Alien for the specs and price?

I did and was told there were none yet! Apparently it is likely to be a slight wiring and motor upgrade and this will be reflected in the price.

So...the motor may not even be the Bafang on the new bike.

Availability is also unknown although the earliest possible delivery is sometime in May (to be confirmed).

Cheers,

B.

 

[benjy_a]

Well its down to you go with what you feel is the right choice. I've no experience with the Juicybike only the Alien so can't advise...from a personel view point, Juicy dosen't get much mention here so there's not much background info on reliabilty or responsivness to customer issues...maybe there are none! I don't like the look of the twin tube frame but the rest of it looks a good spec. it also has disk brakes where as the sold out Alien didn't...Its only £695 BTW I 've never used the inner ring on the Alien yet but do utilise the middle and outer a lot of the time, I like to ride as much as possible without assistance so the limited gear range on the Juicy would be a bit of concern for me but your situation may be different....either way you go I think you'll be happy!

PS don't be concerned about the weight, in practice it makes little difference once you load up with tools and sit yourself on it so don't see it as a negative...

Thanks for your reply and helpful info RE the Alien....the price difference was calculated using full delivered price on the cycle scheme (which is £750 for the Juicybike).

 

[flecc]

I don't like the look of the twin tube frame but the rest of it looks a good spec.

I'm not keen on this type of cruiser frame either, but it is a well tried and tested frame, used also on the eZee Cadence for a long time.
.

 

[benjy_a]

I'm not keen on this type of cruiser frame either, but it is a well tried and tested frame, used also on the eZee Cadence for a long time.
.

To be honest I wasn't sure until I saw it in the flesh. The bike looks much better in reality and rides really well; I like it due to the fact it's a bit different (and I won't be doing any cross country on it!).

Feels very light as well....ahhhhhhhh so torn

What are the chances of being able to source spares for this motor from other places even if it is manufatured by Juicy?

 

[flecc]

What are the chances of being able to source spares for this motor from other places even if it is manufatured by Juicy?

I doubt if Juicy are the manufacturer, unless they are primarily a motor manufacturer. If you click your way through the photos of the bikes they sell, it's obvious there are differing motor types used, so I think they are just sourcing their motors, and probably their bikes as well, from some of the many cheaper alternative manufacturers.

The chances of getting spares depends mainly on whether Juicy stay in our market long term. There's always a risk with the newer companies and cheaper bikes, but motors are generally quite reliable. If they don't fail fairly quickly well within the warranty period, they tend to run for years trouble free. Very high mileages can shorten the life period of course.
.

 

[Bigbee]

I did and was told there were none yet! Apparently it is likely to be a slight wiring and motor upgrade and this will be reflected in the price.

So...the motor may not even be the Bafang on the new bike.

Availability is also unknown although the earliest possible delivery is sometime in May (to be confirmed).

Cheers,

B.

We're just about in May now.It takes around 4 weeks to sail from China.Plus they would of needed production time on top of that.Of course they know the specs if the bikes are on their way!

 

[benjy_a]

We're just about in May now.It takes around 4 weeks to sail from China.Plus they would of needed production time on top of that.Of course they know the specs if the bikes are on their way!

Yes I absolutely agree which is why I was put off Alien a little to be honest. Why the secrecy with a potential customer? I also have 2 other workmates trying to make the same decision so Alien could lose 3 sales due to being cagey about the specs.

 

[Blew it]

The motor fitted to the Juicy Sport is a 255 rpm Suzhou bafang giving around 17-18 mph on a fresh battery.

The Juicy battery contains the same lightweight lithium array used in the QPB battery currently available on Ebay.

 

[benjy_a]

The motor fitted to the Juicy Sport is a 255 rpm Suzhou bafang giving around 17-18 mph on a fresh battery.

The Juicy battery contains the same lightweight lithium array used in the QPB battery currently available on Ebay.

That is fantastic infomation thank you very much - a great help!