Help! Want to buy an ebike? Which one.

[AnnieP]

Hi I have been thinking about this purchase for ages and now need help in what to buy. So here are my requirements I live in chrustchurch dorset and my aim is to cycle to sandbanks 13 each way mostly flat, I am also close to the new forest so I would like to get out and about there which is not that hilly but not all flat. I am 56 not mega fit, I need an upright bike as I find them much more comfortable. Is a budget of a £1000 feasible?

 

[sjpt]

Quite a few sold out at the moment. A couple very different ones to look at:

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?faro Light as ebikes go. The smaller battery would just do what you need, but need plenty of help from you. Easy with the big battery. Mail order only unless you are in Southend (which you aren't) but Woosh give much better service than most local bike shops.

http://www.kudoscycles.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=275 Heavy even by ebike standards, a bit dated but seriously good value for money if they've got any left. You might appreciate the step-through and hub gears if you haven't cycled for some time.

The Santana Woosh suggests below would be good too, but there will be quite a wait for one (he will say how long).

Be careful with the Halfords bikes with Suntour electrics (Crossfire and others). They have been giving lots of people troubles, and it doesn't look as if the most recent are any better than the earlier ones.

I have never used them but people have said good things about https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/ for lower end bikes.

If you are thinking of second hand be careful with battery. It is very bad for batteries to be left undercharged; lots of 2nd hand bikes look in excellent condition because not used much at all, but the batteries are shot despite (because of) not being used. A replacement battery is a significant cost.

 

[Woosh]

not quite fit your target budget but not far off: Woosh Santana3 with 15AH, £1,099.
Upright, very comfortable Dutch style. Suitable for forestry tracks.

Range: about 50 miles from a full charge.

The Santana 3 | Electric Bikes from Woosh

The Santana3, a new lightweight and powerful step through electric bike with 36V 15AH/17AH battery from Woosh.

wooshbikes.co.uk

 

[vfr400]

Hi I have been thinking about this purchase for ages and now need help in what to buy. So here are my requirements I live in chrustchurch dorset and my aim is to cycle to sandbanks 13 each way mostly flat, I am also close to the new forest so I would like to get out and about there which is not that hilly but not all flat. I am 56 not mega fit, I need an upright bike as I find them much more comfortable. Is a budget of a £1000 feasible?

Just about any ebike with a 36v battery of 10AH capacity or more will do the job. All ebikes work and are fun to ride. I bought my first ebike 10 years ago. It was very cheap and rudimentary by today's standards, but if it were the only ebike in the world, I'd still be happy to ride it today. Luckily, things have moved on, and today you can get some reasonably good cheap bikes. The 10AH is how far you can go, which equates to 30 miles, so 15AH goes 45 miles, etc. Disregard any claims in listings or from salesmen.

if you want to consider the economics of buying and running an ebike, the cheapest ones will always come out on top, but there are some provisos.

All ebikes will need attention some time in the future. It's very important that when that time comes, you have a way of sorting it out, otherwise your lovely ebike becomes an expensive garden trellis. This is where things become complicated because different bikes have different systems. Some are common and long-standing, others are rare and disappear as quickly as they came. Obviously, the chance of getting the latter sorted isn't going to be high.

Luckily, the bikes within your budged tend to have standard, long-running systems and spare parts are plentiful and allow substitutes when you can't get the exact part you need, but you still need somebody to sort it out.

With that in mind and assuming that you can't do it yourself, that leaves two possibilities: One is to buy mail order from a supplier that is known to have a system for dealing with repairs at least in the warranty period. The other is to buy from a local trusted and established dealer. Obviously, you'll be limited to whatever bikes they have.

When you buy by mail order, there will be some assembling you need to do yourself, like putting on the pedals, turning the handlebars straight and maybe another few simple tasks. There are three companies that I can think of that I would trust for a mail order ebike: Wisper, Woosh and E-bikes direct.

Halfords have quite a good range of ebikes, but their after-sales service is variable. They fit some non-standard parts in their own brands, which can stall repairs while they figure out where to get them from. If you buy from Halfords, you often can get massive discounts on bank holiday weekends, and if you join the British Cycling club for £25, you get another 10%, and another 3% if you use a cashback scheme, like Quidco. Their Pendleton Somerby isn't bad and is within your budget.

So, have a look in your local dealers, including Halfords, then at E-bikes direct, Wisper and Woosh websites, and choose whichever takes your fancy. You'll most likely be happy with any of them.

One final piece of advice: Don't listen to any scare tactics a local dealer uses or any justification of why their bikes are best or why other bikes are bad. It's just sales talk. Obviously if they tell you to buy from them because, they're long-established and have a good workshop and experienced bike mechanics, that's something to take notice of.

 

[Poolepete]

I live in Poole and have often ridden to Christchurch and also to New Milton on occasion. I have a Raleigh Motus and my wife has a Cube Elly Ride (which we were fortunate to get for £1,495 in April). Both are step through bikes, which is great for utility and if you have problems getting your leg over ( I had a hip replacement 8 years ago at the tender age of 43).

After this needlessly long intro, I would certainly talk to Whoosh and Whisper. They have a great reputation on here and, from what I have seen, have a genuine interest in keeping their customers happy. It is worth paying a bit more if you can, for that kind of service and support.

I got my bike from the local Raleigh dealer in Parkstone. They were great, but have now closed down. I bought the Cube from Wiggle, I have to say their service was first class and the bike arrived very well set up. I have issues with the local Cube dealer and would not deal with them on principle.

Apologies for the long reply, I think what I am trying to say is, if you need to wait a bit for the right bike then it's worth waiting. If you need to spend a little more for decent service and support, it's worth spending.

You will get lots if brilliant advice here from people far more knowledgeable than me. I can tell you that your ebike will become an important mode of transport in your life, you will get stronger and have fun using it.

If you see a family of four on the prom, cycling carefully with two younger children and all wearing hi viz, that could very well be us!

 

[AnnieP]

I live in Poole and have often ridden to Christchurch and also to New Milton on occasion. I have a Raleigh Motus and my wife has a Cube Elly Ride (which we were fortunate to get for £1,495 in April). Both are step through bikes, which is great for utility and if you have problems getting your leg over ( I had a hip replacement 8 years ago at the tender age of 43).

After this needlessly long intro, I would certainly talk to Whoosh and Whisper. They have a great reputation on here and, from what I have seen, have a genuine interest in keeping their customers happy. It is worth paying a bit more if you can, for that kind of service and support.

I got my bike from the local Raleigh dealer in Parkstone. They were great, but have now closed down. I bought the Cube from Wiggle, I have to say their service was first class and the bike arrived very well set up. I have issues with the local Cube dealer and would not deal with them on principle.

Apologies for the long reply, I think what I am trying to say is, if you need to wait a bit for the right bike then it's worth waiting. If you need to spend a little more for decent service and support, it's worth spending.

You will get lots if brilliant advice here from people far more knowledgeable than me. I can tell you that your ebike will become an important mode of transport in your life, you will get stronger and have fun using it.

If you see a family of four on the prom, cycling carefully with two younger children and all wearing hi viz, that could very well be us!

Thanks for taking the time to reply much appreciated. Happy cycling