Help! Looking for advice on E-bike purchase

[sweetfreak]

I'm looking to purchase my first e-bike, have a ongoing back and hip issue and think a step through electric bike will help get me out on a bike more and would like to build up to being a fair weather commuter to work (10miles) and have been considering the Volt Burlington, or maybe the Pulse LS. My landlady has the Kensington and really likes it but its a little bit pastel for me.

I'm finding the options out there a bit overwhelming tbh and worried about spending a chunk of money on something that doesn't end up performing very well. Any thoughts on the Burlington or any alternative recommendations in a similar price bracket?

Thanks

 

[vfr400]

There are two main things to consider: Firstly, who's going to fix it when it goes wrong? Secondly, how much do you want to pay? The cheaper bikes can generally be fixed by yourself if you have or get the knowhow. Others can only be fixed by dealers with special diagnostic equipment.

I've ridden every type of electric bike. They all have different characteristics. I can't think of any that I wouldn't be happy with if it was the only electric bike in the world. Some of my favourites were very cheap. You don't get a lot extra when you spend a lot of money on one, except if you want to do serious off-road riding, or you want to play with the club cyclists on their road bikes. you don't seem to fit into either of those categories.

E-bikesdirect and Woosh are two good companies to buy from mail order because they have sytems for sorting out any problems. There are probably others, but I don't know who they are. Anything else needs to be bought locally from an ebike dealer. Generally, the more you pay for the bike, the more you have to pay to get it fixed once the warranty has expired, and the higher are the running costs.

Volt bikes are pretty good if you have a local dealer, but IMHO a little bit expensive for what they are - worth it if you can afford it, but if you're strapped for cash, there are cheaper options.

 

[sjpt]

You don't mention your height and how hilly the 10 miles are (and if that's one way or 5 miles each way).

I second the comment that Woosh would be a good bet.
Short on stock at the moment: they claim to have https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?santana-cd in stock that might suit. (The website sometimes gets a bit behind, so may not be available)

A tad heavier than the Burlington; but note the 20.5kg Burlington is quoted without battery, the realistic weight is 23.8. Even the lower battery on the Santana is 540wH, a lot better than the Burlington's 400wH (which might explain the extra kg)

The cheaper hub drive Santana3 would probably suit as well, but not showing as available.

Give Woosh a call and see what they suggest.

 

[Electric Ruth]

Woosh bikes look great but they have very little in stock til the end of May.
I've just bought one of these as recommended by someone on this forum.

NCM Milano Trekking E-Bike, City-Bike, 250W, 48V 13Ah 624Wh Battery

NCM Milano Trekking E-Bike, City-Bike, 250W, 48V 13Ah 624Wh Battery an NCM battery kit for the NCM London Ebike. Buy yours now!

www.leoncycle.co.uk

Only had it 3 days but loving it so far. They only have the 28" in stock at the moment but will have more next month. I'm 175cm tall and find the 28" very comfortable to ride but the step through height is quite high with my dodgy knee.
I've never ridden an ebike before so I don't have anything to compare it to, I can only say it's doing exactly what I needed it to (make hills manageable) at roughly half the cost of all the local bike shops.

 

[sweetfreak]

You don't mention your height and how hilly the 10 miles are (and if that's one way or 5 miles each way).

I second the comment that Woosh would be a good bet.
Short on stock at the moment: they claim to have https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?santana-cd in stock that might suit. (The website sometimes gets a bit behind, so may not be available)

A tad heavier than the Burlington; but note the 20.5kg Burlington is quoted without battery, the realistic weight is 23.8. Even the lower battery on the Santana is 540wH, a lot better than the Burlington's 400wH (which might explain the extra kg)

The cheaper hub drive Santana3 would probably suit as well, but not showing as available.

Give Woosh a call and see what they suggest.

Budget up to £2000, it's a little bit hilly but not massively hilly (it's Suffolk), the distance is 10miles each way, but want to be able to do further than that at weekends, and to use it for a spot of grocery shopping with panniers. I'm about 166cm tall.