Tesco Folding Hopper 20" e-Bike

[jc74]

Following on from a different thread...

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/11345-hawkcycles.html


Tesco now have a Hopper Folding e-Bike on their website and it is in stock.

Buy Hopper 20" folding E bike from our Electric Bikes range - Tesco.com

I was wondering if anyone has any experience of this bike, seen it or bought it? - It seems very interesting as an e-Bike which can be taken on the train (and thus allow cycling at each end of the commute).

Any feedback would be most welcome.

Thanks

 

[KirstinS]

trying to help

There is almost zero information on the Tesco website about this bike. Having said that it looks exactly the same as the Viking E GO, same gears as well. I'm guessing they are both from same factory somewhere in China

Viking EGo Folding 2012 EBike : Bikes | Mountain Bikes | Road Bikes| Winstanleys

Assuming they are same (which IMHO in fairly likly) then it has following advantages

1) It cheap

Balanced against

2) will be a bit gutless at 24v rather than 36v. Small wheels may help cover this up
3) Battery is 9ah - not very big but depends on your requirements
4) At 23kg its pretty darn heavy
5) unknown aftersales service....but I'm gussing it wont be great. Who knows Tesco may just send a new one if it has problems. Or you may find yourself in outsoruced repair shop hell


You could try riding a test riding a viking first and see if it meets your needs ?

 

[jerrysimon]

That Tesco link did not work for me ?

This one does

That is not bad value!

Depends what you I get I guess, looks like its 24v (see Kirstins comments). I would like to test the ride for comfort and position for sure as this varies greatly (and can be terrible) on some small wheeled folders. Being Tescos you could always return it if it was rubbish


Regards

Jerry

 

[smudger1956]

Is it part of the 'Tesco Value' range....? every little helps...........

 

[jc74]

Thanks jerrysimon and kerstins for your comments,

and very helping pointing to the Viking - which I agree with you looks identical!

My daily commute which will involve the bike will be a combined 3 miles each way, so a total of 6 miles each day, of which 3 miles would be uphill. I'm assuming that this bike should easily manage this distance? Though I can charge at work and it's down hill from home to work, so in effect I probably could manage with a 3 mile range at a bare minimum - so range isn't too much of an issue! In fact the lighter the battery the better!!

My concern would be getting the 23kg of bike onto a train(!) shouldn't be too bad going down the steps to the platform, but coming up the stairs on the way back may be an issue if the lift isn't working/is busy(!) Should be able to manage it but it could prove to be a faff in the longer term..

Does the 36V/24V make a huge difference? - I was (possibly mistakenly) under the impression that power was determined by the 250W motor??

 

[Scatty]

At the top it says alloy folding frame at the bottom steel frame Thats tesco's for you should stick to selling bread

 

[KirstinS]

Well, there are others here who can explain far better than me (or if you do a few searches you should find some lenghty threads on the matter!)

However, in a nutshell - a 36v 250w will be more powerful than a 24v 25w. Specifically this is felt through increased torque. In terms of ride you notice on the hills. a 36v will cope with steeper hills than a 24v (all other things being equal)

 

[flecc]

Although not necessarily so, in almost all cases 24 volt bikes are less powerful. However, smaller wheel bikes like this have a mechanical climb advantage and are invariable geared rather too low, both of which ensure hill climbing isn't a problem unless tackling cliff face type of hills.

The downside of the low pedal gearing is that it can be difficult to pedal fast enough to keep up with the motor drive speed on the flat.

 

[jazper53]

Is it part of the 'Tesco Value' range....? every little helps...........

Pity its not two for the price of one.

 

[flecc]

Pity its not two for the price of one.

It may be BOGOF, Buy One, Get One Free (the second the replacement when the first fails).

 

[jerrysimon]

My concern would be getting the 23kg of bike onto a train(!) shouldn't be too bad going down the steps to the platform, but coming up the stairs on the way back may be an issue if the lift isn't working/is busy(!) Should be able to manage it but it could prove to be a faff in the longer term..

The folded size as well as the weight will be a problem lugging on and off trains. The ideal solution would be a Brompton conversion, but of course its expensive.

Regards

Jerry

 

[jc74]

It may be BOGOF, Buy One, Get One Free (the second the replacement when the first fails).

LOL, maybe not quite half price or get one free, but at the moment, looking on quidco, it seems if you buy within next few days, you get £10 off plus 5% cashback, so works out just under £370....

 

[jc74]

The folded size as well as the weight will be a problem lugging on and off trains. The ideal solution would be a Brompton conversion, but of course its expensive.

Regards

Jerry

I see your point. I do have a (non-electric) Dahon Speed 7, which I've hardly ever used and in good condition. I'd possibly could get that converted if I could find someone/somewhere to do it at a reasonable price! - Unfortunately I have a feeling the conversion would cost a lot more than the entire Tesco Hopper bike (which will have a full years warranty!)

 

[jc74]

NOTE I haven't bought one yet and am still undecided(!)

Finally a couple of reviews both 4/5 rated... (Not my reviews!)

Buy Hopper 20" folding E bike from our Electric Bikes range - Tesco.com


---------------

Just received this bike today arrived with box broken but all seems ok,
first impression is it works very well supplied with a smaller battery than I would of liked this being 5ah 24 volt lithium Ion Battery, I am yet to use it on a long run but it seems very lively and works very well to try right out of the box but only to test it a little, better to give it a good charge first I think.
This bike seems to have only two modes of power pedal as normal or pedal assist but you can adjust the power level on the controller options which include low medium or high, you will not be able to use the moter power only as far as I can see so, light pedalling is required to keep the moter going .
It comes with three keys which you must use one of them to turn it on which took me a while to work out as the manual say's very little about the operation of the bike I was looking for a switch.
Although the bike is heavy compared to a normal folding bike at 20kg
this is quite light for an electric bike as most are above 20kg.
The bike rides very well and feels well made it is easy to fold but would recommend getting some velcro to hold it together when you lift it to put in car maybe.
It also comes with front and rear lights which was a nice surprise.
May write another review when I have tried it on a long run.
For the price I am more than happy with the bike up to now. I bought it using Tesco Exchange Vouchers which saved me a lot of money.
Delivery was only £3 on line at time of purchase.
Stephent7

----------

My first e-bike, so I was really pleased about the price.
Pros:
-One of the cheapest e-bikes on the market. Seriously, I couldn't find one cheaper. Make sure you google Tesco codes before you buy as I got £10 off for spending over £75
-Easy to get on and off
-All the pros of an e-bike. It's fun to ride and makes hills bearable!
-Comes with lights, mudguards, etc.
-It folds
-I like the colour
Cons:
-It's extremely heavy. The battery and the bike. But I chalk this up to getting a cheaper bike. I'm sure if I was willing to pay £3,000 for an e-bike it would be light as a feather. This was less that £400.
-Directions are clearly written by a non-native English speaker and that makes them a bit difficult to follow. But the bike comes virtually pre-assembled. You just have to put the seat on, which the directions don't tell you how to do, but it's not rocket science.
-Shipped via Citilink. They're kind of crummy. They made a delivery attempt when we weren't home and left a card in the door, but the card was completely blank. Not one bit of pen on it. So we thought it was just rubbish or maybe our neighbours and the man accidentally put two in and the first had the writing on it? So we ignored it for a few days before realising that it was actually the bike. Again, non-native English speakers on the phone lines of Citilink, so you have that conversational hurdle when trying to find out what's going on.
Overall, I am incredibly pleased. If you're looking for your first e-bike and you don't want to spend the equivalent of a car on it, I'd say go for the Hopper!

 

[jazper53]

Congratulaions on your first e-bike. I would be interested what the range is between charges, as 5ah does not seem very generous ?

 

[jc74]

I didn't buy it, I was just posting reviews posted on the website. Though I'm tempted since I only need a range of under 5 miles from the Bike...

 

[jazper53]

Ok i missed the bit at the top, need to get a better pair of reading glasses other than the ones from the £1 shop.

 

[indalo]

For the price I am more than happy with the bike up to now. I bought it using Tesco Exchange Vouchers which saved me a lot of money.
Delivery was only £3 on line at time of purchase.

My first e-bike, so I was really pleased about the price.

Overall, I am incredibly pleased. If you're looking for your first e-bike and you don't want to spend the equivalent of a car on it, I'd say go for the Hopper!

Yes JC, you were involved in that brief discussion about the Hopper back on the 7th April so you have elected to give it a try and I don't blame you. At the money, it's fantastic value, that value enhanced further using Tesco's exchange facility.

It makes for a really inexpensive foray into the world of ebiking and, weight aside, offers all that most people might require from a folder. Any criticism would be churlish so I applaud you for your choice and I sincerely hope you get lots of use and pleasure from the little bike. Anyone buying one as their first ebike will get the benefit of assistance and the knowledge gained of the principle involved may sway them towards another bike, possibly a full-sized model for longer, leisure rides, touring or commuting.

Do let us know your thoughts in due course once you have had some longer-term use from the bike. I'm sure, if you continue to rate it highly, there may be other readers here for whom the Hopper might just be the folder they need.

Regards,
Indalo

 

[jc74]

Yes JC, you were involved in that brief discussion about the Hopper back on the 7th April so you have elected to give it a try and I don't blame you. At the money, it's fantastic value, that value enhanced further using Tesco's exchange facility.

It makes for a really inexpensive foray into the world of ebiking and, weight aside, offers all that most people might require from a folder. Any criticism would be churlish so I applaud you for your choice and I sincerely hope you get lots of use and pleasure from the little bike. Anyone buying one as their first ebike will get the benefit of assistance and the knowledge gained of the principle involved may sway them towards another bike, possibly a full-sized model for longer, leisure rides, touring or commuting.

Do let us know your thoughts in due course once you have had some longer-term use from the bike. I'm sure, if you continue to rate it highly, there may be other readers here for whom the Hopper might just be the folder they need.

Regards,
Indalo

Hi, to clarify, I haven't bought it yet, and am still actually running a Decathlon e-Bike which is still going strong after a year.
I'm looking at the Tesco one, since it means I can take it on the train (in theory) and then cycle at both ends of my journey rather than just at the one end currently. This would save me £500 a year on the tube ticket and in theory pay for itself(!)...
I'm just put off by the weight of the bike and the thoughts of carrying any bike at all during rush hour on a train since it must be very annoying for other passengers!

 

[indalo]

Hi, to clarify, I haven't bought it yet

Ok JC, understood. I just looked at the latest Brompton prices and remain of the view that the Hopper represents fantastic value for money. One can have two Hoppers for the price of a non-electric Brompton, give or take.

That comment, of course, takes no account of the practicalities involved in folding, carrying etc with the extra weight over a Brompton. Only you will know JC, whether it's right for you but 5 miles of commuting isn't particularly onerous with motor power as I'm sure you know. It's the on-off transport and actually lugging the weight around which is the downside.

For anyone just wanting a little two-wheeler to stow in the boot of the car, the Hopper would be fine, I suppose.

Indalo