Looking for commuter bike for myself and wife

[Blythe]

Hi everyone, new to e bikes and would greatly appreciate any advice.
We will be commuting 12 mile round trip not too hilly main roads and cycle lanes, my wife not a keen cyclist 5'8" likes look of freego regency.
I, although keen cyclist 50 plus miles per week in decent weather (it is Scotland tho) like the look and idea of grace easy pedelec as to my understanding you would still get decent workout although max assist should mean turning up at work not too sweaty.
My apologies for lack of knowledge, all advice, opinions greatly appreciated

Cheers Blythe

 

[martin@onbike]

The Grace Easy would indeed give you a decent workout whilst allowing you to choose to arrive unflustered, as long as you dial your effort back a bit and rely on the bike to do the hard work.

It's easy to push as hard as you normally would on an unassisted, which would mean you would arrive at work just as sweaty, but in a fraction of the time...

The Grace easy utilises the tried and tested Bionx system, so is very smooth and quiet-especially coupled with the Gates carbon belt drive.
The trouble is that it's so quiet, you really focus on the 3 speed Sram ratchet sound in 2nd and 3rd gears.

You can ride in permanent regeneration mode (which in regen 4 is like riding through thick treacle, and leaves your thighs burning!) through to Regen 3, 2, 1 and then into conventional mode...and then on to 4 levels of assist.

It's a nice tarmac bike with rigid forks and is a lightweight (19kgs with battery) enough set up to ride unassisted easily, though the 3 gears won't be ideal for every situation without power.

Magura Hydraulic discs and sleek styling make this a very desirable bike (though a tad pricey) with low maintenance needs.

Before splashing out on any E-bike I would strongly recommend trying as many different variants of brand and drive system as you can, to get a feel for the differences between them all - and there are many differences.....

Just remember that just because it is expensive, doesn't mean it will be the right bike for you and your needs, though pricier brand name systems tend to be more long term reliable in my personal experience.

 

[RobF]

, though pricier brand name systems tend to be more long term reliable in my personal experience.

Agreed.

If you are in this for the long term, buy the best bike you can afford.

The Grace ticks the 'quality bike' box, so if you like it, buy it.

There are lots of other quality bikes for less money, and you may end up drowning in a sea of choices.

Mudguards and a rack are needed for commuting - looks like they are an optional extra on the Grace.

As a keen cyclist, you could do worse than consider a Bosch powered bike.

The system drives through the crank and is more like 'proper cycling' than many others.

KTM seem to be pushing in the UK at the moment, and their prices are keen.

You could get a nicely specced bike for £2K or just over.

This Macina has all you need for commuting.

It also has podgier tyres which will give a better ride - I reckon that Grace might be a bit harsh.

http://e-motionevc.co.uk/store/product-info.php?pid254.html

 

[jackhandy]

"Just remember that just because it is expensive, doesn't mean it will be the right bike for you and your needs, though pricier brand name systems tend to be more long term reliable in my personal experience."

Zackly - and that's why I reckon you can't go wrong by buying the bike that meets ALL of your requirements, then fitting an electrical kit that provides the right ammount of power for your needs.

Unless you Really want one of the crank-drive systems that don't come as bespoke kits.

 

[Blythe]

"Just remember that just because it is expensive, doesn't mean it will be the right bike for you and your needs, though pricier brand name systems tend to be more long term reliable in my personal experience."

Zackly - and that's why I reckon you can't go wrong by buying the bike that meets ALL of your requirements, then fitting an electrical kit that provides the right ammount of power for your needs.

Unless you Really want one of the crank-drive systems that don't come as bespoke kits.

I see, told you I'm a newbie, can you advise then am I better to buy say a genisis croix de fer and fit a bionx system to that?
Thanks mate this could change hunt drastically

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

I personally like the rider of the bike but the Grace is Easy does not have a great range considering it is circa £3k. There are plenty of Bosch bikes around which would give you more range as well as other hub powered bikes. The FreeGo Regency is a nice bike we sell this range but it would be good to know how steep the area you are is i.e. are there lots of 15% + gradients?

Crank drives are normally best in very hills areas (such as the Bosch) although there are some good hub powered bikes including Panasonic hub drive on the KTM which won a German test of different e bikes.

It would be a good idea if she and you could test: a crank drive, a hub drive with torque sensor and a hub drive without a torque sensor. Crank drives and bikes with torque sensors tend to feel more natural whereas bikes without these feel like the bike is pulling you along. However a bike with a torque sensor does require more effort from the cyclist. We have sold all three types so it is a case of personal preference.

Good luck with the search
David

 

[jackhandy]

I see, told you I'm a newbie, can you advise then am I better to buy say a genisis croix de fer and fit a bionx system to that?
Thanks mate this could change hunt drastically

The choice of a base bike is totally down to you: Only you & a good bike dealer, who can offer a fitting & some sensible advice, will be in a position to identify the right machine.

I don't know the Bionx system at all - My "experience" is with 8fun & Ezee hub kits & a Gng chain drive.

The advantage of going the kit route is that you have the option of changing the bike or the kit if circumstances change, but one or t'other still meets your needs.

In my case, I can't see me needing more than the Ezee kit provides, but there's probably going to come a time when I can't get my leg over & may need a Grandad's bike

Mind you, I daresay that won't stop me impulse buying something totally undignified in the future.

 

[Blythe]

I really like the spec and look of ezee bikes I am however 6'5" so smaller frames not so good.
Have started leaning toward riese&muller hybrid cruiser nuvinci and ktm macina for me

 

[jackhandy]

I can certainly recommend the Ezee mk2 kit:
Loads of grunt for the hills & not silly-fast in standard form.

I put mine in a 29er with nice forks & a sprung seat-post:
Ideal bike, for Me, on Cornish lanes & trails.

 

[Cyclezee]

I really like the spec and look of ezee bikes I am however 6'5" so smaller frames not so good.
Have started leaning toward riese&muller hybrid cruiser nuvinci and ktm macina for me

Hi again Blythe,

You are quite a big guy and clearly eZee bikes with 50cm frames would be on the small side for you.

However, if you take the retrofit conversion kit route, then the world is your oyster as far choice of a base bike is concerned.
As well as eZee bikes we also supply eZee conversion kits in a range of configurations as well as kits from brands such as Ansmann, Falco and Heinzmann.
BionX are good kits, I used to own one, but we don't deal with them mainly because of the cost of the batteries.

 

[Blythe]

Now looking at blue label cruiser city hybrid, I like the idea of buying complete bike better. However can someone help, nuvinci versus nexus?? Not sure of difference

 

[Croxden]

I had a Grace with the NuVinci but had a spot of trouble with that and the Gates carbon belt system not then behaving. I like the NuVinci, infinite variations of ratios and therefore always changing. The Nexus has fixed gears, usually 8.

I now have a Rohloff with 14 and find it preferable now. The NuVinci also can also have an 'auto' change, the harmony. You set the cadence you want and it changes its self. Brilliant. and so are R & M.

 

[Spencer Ivy]

I have some blue label hybrid cruisers with nuvinci and belt drives just arrived. Simply awesome looking bikes very well built and with the 400 batteries I am looking forward to tearing up the Dorset hills ! Come test ride one if you like

 

[aardvark5]

I'm not as expert as some on here but I recently had a Cyclotricity Stealth after still owning a Forme Longcliffe v3.0 and Carrera Subway. I have bad arthritis in my spine, hips & knees and started to need assistance in several places because I'm a daily commuter all year round. This bike has given me the freedom to train as hard as I want when I want but to use a bit of help when I need it. For instance over this last 2 weeks I've had some terrible commutes with the wind virtually stopping me in my tracks but I was then able to put the assistance on making it seem like a normal ride. I arrive home every night saying 'I love this bike' and even in this adverse weather I'm loving my rides. The Stealth and it's baby brother the Revolver are worth looking at and they don't look like electric bikes either which is why I chose one. I don't know if I'm allowed to say this but the Stealth can easily be derestricted if you want to. You go into normal settings to turn the speed down to make the battery last longer but you can also turn it up. I went back to normal because I want to work the bike when I'm going over 15 mph.

 

[Blythe]

I have some blue label hybrid cruisers with nuvinci and belt drives just arrived. Simply awesome looking bikes very well built and with the 400 batteries I am looking forward to tearing up the Dorset hills ! Come test ride one if you like

Would love to mate but a bit far from Fife to Dorset cheers

 

[Blythe]

I'm not as expert as some on here but I recently had a Cyclotricity Stealth after still owning a Forme Longcliffe v3.0 and Carrera Subway. I have bad arthritis in my spine, hips & knees and started to need assistance in several places because I'm a daily commuter all year round. This bike has given me the freedom to train as hard as I want when I want but to use a bit of help when I need it. For instance over this last 2 weeks I've had some terrible commutes with the wind virtually stopping me in my tracks but I was then able to put the assistance on making it seem like a normal ride. I arrive home every night saying 'I love this bike' and even in this adverse weather I'm loving my rides. The Stealth and it's baby brother the Revolver are worth looking at and they don't look like electric bikes either which is why I chose one. I don't know if I'm allowed to say this but the Stealth can easily be derestricted if you want to. You go into normal settings to turn the speed down to make the battery last longer but you can also turn it up. I went back to normal because I want to work the bike when I'm going over 15 mph.

Thanks mate another for the list lol

 

[Blythe]

I have some blue label hybrid cruisers with nuvinci and belt drives just arrived. Simply awesome looking bikes very well built and with the 400 batteries I am looking forward to tearing up the Dorset hills ! Come test ride one if you like

Let me know models and how you get on testing please

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

The Blue Label bikes will tear up the Dorset hills. We have already sold some of them and have more in stock. Very impressed with them

 

[Blythe]

The Blue Label bikes will tear up the Dorset hills. We have already sold some of them and have more in stock. Very impressed with them

Have you had feedback re NuVinci drive and gates belt drive, charger is an awesome looking bike with fantastic spec but still leaning toward cruiser

 

[Blythe]

While looking at Eurobike site also saw coboc, what a dream machine. Only need to sell both cars and cancel family holiday now, but wow.