Newbie - what e-bike to buy?

[flyingjohn]

[SUB][/SUB]Hi All

I'm a 63 year old newbie. I'm 6'3" tall, overweight (230 pounds or 16+ stone) and not terribly fit. When I was younger and fitter I cycled a lot. I really want to break out of my sedentary lifestyle and would love to take up cycling again. I live in a very hilly area and forays on my (normal) bike in recent years have been a pathetic failure.

I have only just discovered the existence of e-bikes and it seems, a 'hub motor' with proper rear gears would suit me best. It also seems that the Kalkhoff Agattu Impulse looks perfect.

Is this a good choice for me? Are there any other suggestions I should be looking at? Finally, will I be able to see/try one at the NEC Cycle show in September?

Thanks.

 

[Alan Quay]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

The first question is how hilly. Perhaps give us few examples of the gradients and distances.

Next question is how much range do you want/need.

What style of bike are you after, Mountain bikes are one of the most common.

What sort of budget?

At 6ft3 I guess you are at the upper end of height scale for most off the shelf bikes. It might be worth considering a conversion if you are a little bit handy with the tools, and especially if you already have a bike you are happy with.

You will find loads of helpful opinions on here that will enable you to make an informed decision.

 

[johnc461165]

Hi I am the same height as you but a stone heavier I bought the Aurora from here http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=alien ocean&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CC4QFjAA&url=http://www.alienbikes.co.uk/&ei=hLkYUoiFFYbN0QXrj4Eg&usg=AFQjCNFM13GLtSw6Rhyx9zBzja3vOAtZIA

served me well for 2 years now, must say though it's not legal but plenty people have them however that choice is up to you, plus it's a good sized bike for the taller rider.

 

[RobF]

[SUB][/SUB]It also seems that the Kalkhoff Agattu Impulse looks perfect.

Is this a good choice for me? Finally, will I be able to see/try one at the NEC Cycle show in September?

Short answers are 'yes' and 'yes'.

The Agattu is a good quality ebike and I'm fairly sure the supplier - 50 Cycles - is at the show, but best to ask them.

You could look at dozens of others, but bear in mind the amount of poke from all road legal ebikes is roughly the same so it comes down to the bike type you prefer.

Riding characteristics differ a bit, but all ultimately do the same job - make pedalling easier.

To feel the different characteristics you need a longer test ride than most retailers can offer, and certainly a longer and more varied ride than the test track at the show.

50 Cycles are better than most for test rides, and I believe they have been known to send bikes out on approval to some prospective customers, so it's worth having a word with them.

 

[Streethawk]

The Agattu runs quite large, so i'm sure you'll be fine with that, i'm 6'1" and about the same weight and i was fine on the 55cm, so either that or the 60cm should be ok for your height. 50cycles were great for my test rides, i took out three bikes back to back.

 

[flyingjohn]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. It seems the 60cm frame is for me. I'd prefer a legal e-bike too. Looks like I should talk to 50cycles at the show.

In answer to a question, I only want a range of 50 miles or so and the hills around me are not 'mountains' in Buckinghamshire (the Chilterns), but 1/2 mile long. I don't know the gradients

 

[RobF]

In answer to a question, I only want a range of 50 miles or so and the hills around me are not 'mountains' in Buckinghamshire (the Chilterns), but 1/2 mile long. I don't know the gradients

Range is heavily dependent on conditions and rider input, but 50 miles is at the higher end of what's achievable for most ebikes.

More good news - the Agattu you are considering has a large 17ah battery, so if any ebike can do 50 miles, that one can.

 

[flyingjohn]

many thanks Rob!