Help! Newbie looking for my first hybrid ebike

Bethanwj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 30, 2021
15
3
Snowdonia
Hi everyone, I’m looking for my first hybrid ebike. I’m 5’4 (162cm), willing to consider anything reasonable up to about £1500, but I’d rather not have the battery on the pannier rack. Something light with a little pedal assist would be ideal, though I’m open to ideas. Is anyone selling something like that? Thanks for looking
Bethan
 

shed

Pedelecer
Mar 6, 2021
29
21
Have a look at the Ampere Tourer S (looks great in the Teal colour) or if you want a full stepthrough the Ampere Deluxe. We've just bought the Tourer and Tourer S from the EcoBikeCo and had great service from Jarred. Seem to be good spec bikes for the money. Weigh around 22kg incl battery so not too heavy for Hybrid with front fork suspension, full mudguards and rear rack. The standard model has a 10.6 amp hour battery and costs around £1250. We went for the bigger 16ah ones to give us longer (or be lazy and use more assist lol) plus the LCD controller upgrade (cost £1450). Haven't given them a full run out yet due to weather and illness but I'm happy with my Tourer so far based on a quick 4 mile trip (at an average of 12mph...far quicker than I'd have done it on my manual bike).
 
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vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
Where do you live, Bethan, or are you prepared to travel any distance, like 500 miles, to see one.
 

richtea99

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 8, 2020
434
283
> Something light with a little pedal assist would be ideal

- Woosh Faro. light, decent price, but no stock at the moment
- Boardman HYB8.9e Womens, but it's a bit more than £1500
- Orbea Vibe. Again a bit above your target price unfortunately
- (the Vibe predecessor was called the Gain F40 / F30)

The Boardman and Orbeas both look a bit racey in the pictures, but you can put the seat down and the bars up a bit if you want something 'normal'. Both are light for ebikes, and both give middling assistance.
The Faro is slightly heavier (but still lighter than the average ebike), at a better price.

Secondhand Boardmans and Orbeas occasionally appear at the £1200-1500 mark. If so, you ideally want a lightly used one that's, say, a year old, to minimise the chance of problems.
 
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Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
You can convert something like this (or have it converted) and save a considerable sum:




The advantage of this frame is its large triangle, it's big enough to mount the battery (36cm L x 10cm H) inside.
The bike costs £250 new, the kit costs about £600.
 
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Bethanwj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 30, 2021
15
3
Snowdonia
Have a look at the Ampere Tourer S (looks great in the Teal colour) or if you want a full stepthrough the Ampere Deluxe. We've just bought the Tourer and Tourer S from the EcoBikeCo and had great service from Jarred. Seem to be good spec bikes for the money. Weigh around 22kg incl battery so not too heavy for Hybrid with front fork suspension, full mudguards and rear rack. The standard model has a 10.6 amp hour battery and costs around £1250. We went for the bigger 16ah ones to give us longer (or be lazy and use more assist lol) plus the LCD controller upgrade (cost £1450). Haven't given them a full run out yet due to weather and illness but I'm happy with my Tourer so far based on a quick 4 mile trip (at an average of 12mph...far quicker than I'd have done it on my manual bike).
Thanks for that info, I hadn’t looked at the Eco Bike Com, their prices are certainly reasonable. Ampere deluxe is lighter and better equipped than I would have expected for the price, I’ll be interested to hear how you get on with yours. Thanks again.
 
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Bethanwj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 30, 2021
15
3
Snowdonia
> Something light with a little pedal assist would be ideal

- Woosh Faro. light, decent price, but no stock at the moment
- Boardman HYB8.9e Womens, but it's a bit more than £1500
- Orbea Vibe. Again a bit above your target price unfortunately
- (the Vibe predecessor was called the Gain F40 / F30)

The Boardman and Orbeas both look a bit racey in the pictures, but you can put the seat down and the bars up a bit if you want something 'normal'. Both are light for ebikes, and both give middling assistance.
The Faro is slightly heavier (but still lighter than the average ebike), at a better price.

Secondhand Boardmans and Orbeas occasionally appear at the £1200-1500 mark. If so, you ideally want a lightly used one that's, say, a year old, to minimise the chance of problems.
Thanks Richtea99, I have had a look at the Orbea and the HYB and was considering pushing my budget. I had a sit on a HYB (there was one available in my local Halfords last week, though it’s probably gone by now!), and found the riding position racey as you say, but I hadn’t considered putting the handlebars up. I guess they could even be swapped for something. Wouldn’t life be easier if they could all be lined up side by side for a test ride!
 

Bethanwj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 30, 2021
15
3
Snowdonia
You can convert something like this (or have it converted) and save a considerable sum:




The advantage of this frame is its large triangle, it's big enough to mount the battery (36cm L x 10cm H) inside.
The bike costs £250 new, the kit costs about £600.
I haven’t looked into conversions, it’s not something I would feel confident about doing myself, is there anyone you would recommend who does them? I’ve been commuting on my Kona Fire Mountain for the last five years but the massive hills are getting the better of me. Maybe it’s an option to have it converted?
 

Bethanwj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 30, 2021
15
3
Snowdonia
Thanks for that info, I hadn’t looked at the Eco Bike Com, their prices are certainly reasonable. Ampere deluxe is lighter and better equipped than I would have expected for the price, I’ll be interested to hear how you get on with yours. Thanks again.
Sorry, I meant the ampere tourer S
 

Benjahmin

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2014
2,460
1,675
69
West Wales
Hi Bethan,
If you fancy a day out there's a place near Aberearon that stocks a fair number of bikes.
They are Cyclemart.co.uk, theyre at Cilcennin SA48 8RS.
There's a guy there who is far more knowledable than the twonks you're likely to come across at Halfrauds. That said they are not cheap. But hey! A day out, a chance to sit on a few bikes (I think they have some testers) and excellent fish and chips at Aberearon harbour - what's not to like?
 
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Bethanwj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 30, 2021
15
3
Snowdonia
Hi Benjahmin , thanks for the tip, I hadn’t heard of that place. I’ll look them up and perhaps have a trip next weekend.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
I haven’t looked into conversions, it’s not something I would feel confident about doing myself, is there anyone you would recommend who does them? I’ve been commuting on my Kona Fire Mountain for the last five years but the massive hills are getting the better of me. Maybe it’s an option to have it converted?
Benjahmin?
The simplest solution is to convert your Kona Fire with something like the Aikema 85SX kit and Marathon Plus tyres.
 

Benjahmin

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2014
2,460
1,675
69
West Wales
Not me mate, it's Bethan with the Kona.:oops:
But yes, I agree. Hub motor conversion is easy for anyone who has basic bike skills. And there's always plenty of help to be had here.
 
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Bethanwj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 30, 2021
15
3
Snowdonia
So, I'm going to test a few bikes at the weekend and I've narrowed things down to a lightweight such as Vado SL / Orbea Vibe OR a light-ish weight with a little more offroad capacity such as the Marin Sausalito e2 / Kona Ecoco. Currently I'm favouring the Sausalito e2 because of its suspension - and its retro looks Looking forward to finding out on Saturday!
 

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
3,642
2,652
Winchester
So, I'm going to test a few bikes at the weekend
Enjoy the tests. Congratulations on finding places that will actually allow tests, especially if they let you go beyond the car park. Halfords is the only shop around here that allowed real tests a few years ago.

If they turn out well you might post the details of the shops ... researching that is more difficult than researching the different bikes.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Obvs my budget has gone up a bit from the original £1500 I mentioned
if you don't mind waiting until the end of the month, Woosh Santana3 is worth a look and it won't break your budget.

 

Ocsid

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 2, 2017
441
265
81
Hampshire
The Santana though, has the pannier rack battery that was expressly stated was not preferred.

On that point, is there a solid reason the batteries can't actually beneficially be mounted as panniers, side mounted lowering the CoG that I believe is why technically the rack top mounting is not liked?
They could just be a cell thick, so not be too intrusive and double as side fenders.