what electric bike?

[alex_h]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and i'm new to electric bikes. I'm looking for the electric bike but as all newbe have no idea what is good,what is less good. Could anyone give any advise as to what brands are better over the others.

I want a bike up to £1200 max that will take me to and from work on one charge, in total 25 miles. I would prefer something with 26 or 700c wheels.

All your comments will be highly appreciated

Thank you

Alex

 

[NRG]

My advise would be to take the time and visit a good retailer like OnBike or 50Cycles and try the various models on offer....

 

[Bigbee]

If you trawl through this site you'll see plenty of other posts like yours.The answers will come back with various models but at the end of the day go and try the bikes first as every one has different tastes.I believe that at least one large company will launch their first range of ebikes this Spring.The RRP will be way under £1200 so I would maybe wait a while

 

[alex_h]

yes, thank you but I would rather prefer to hear the thoughts of the independent users rather than retailer. I used to work in the department store and I know that the sellers do not always give the best independent advice and their opinion is often based on the individual benefits from selling one brand over the other so I hope you understand I would prefer to hear from you first.

Thanks

 

[alex_h]

If you trawl through this site you'll see plenty of other posts like yours.The answers will come back with various models but at the end of the day go and try the bikes first as every one has different tastes.I believe that at least one large company will launch their first range of ebikes this Spring.The RRP will be way under £1200 so I would maybe wait a while

do you know the name of that company?

 

[eddieo]

do you know the name of that company?

Bigbee conglomerates international ltd

 

[NRG]

yes, thank you but I would rather prefer to hear the thoughts of the independent users rather than retailer. I used to work in the department store and I know that the sellers do not always give the best independent advice and their opinion is often based on the individual benefits from selling one brand over the other so I hope you understand I would prefer to hear from you first.

Thanks

No offense but it never ceases to amaze me that people would rather trust the opinion of a bunch of people they've never met on an open Internet forum rather than try out the products for themselves at well known and respected retail outlets. I mean, you are going to get 20 different answers recommending 20 different bikes, just look at the 'E-Bike of the Year' thread.

In fact there's your answer all the votes are in and the Wisper 905 is your best choice. Job done.

Sorry to sound a bit off I really don't want to but buying an E-Bike, like buying a car is a personal choice....you wouldn't buy one blind, so why not go and try the bikes out listen to the sales advise, reflect on it... and by all means come back here and cross check with others experience... and then make your decision.

 

[Pedalo]

Hi Alex,

Welcome to the forum. I'm sure lots of people will be happy to give opinions but it might help if you can give a bit more information about your particular circumstance and what you want to get out of it.

For example, how hilly is your route? Are you happy to do any/most of the pedalling and just want the motor to help out on hills, or are you wanting the bike to do most of the work? Are you already quite fit? Answers to these questions will usually lead to the category of ebike (e.g. crank vs hub motor) that might best suit you.
Then it's definitely best to go and try some out to see how you get on before you buy if at all possible.

Good Luck,

 

[alex_h]

Hi Alex,

Welcome to the forum. I'm sure lots of people will be happy to give opinions but it might help if you can give a bit more information about your particular circumstance and what you want to get out of it.

For example, how hilly is your route? Are you happy to do any/most of the pedalling and just want the motor to help out on hills, or are you wanting the bike to do most of the work? Are you already quite fit? Answers to these questions will usually lead to the category of ebike (e.g. crank vs hub motor) that might best suit you.
Then it's definitely best to go and try some out to see how you get on before you buy if at all possible.

Good Luck,

hi,

my route is rather flat but there is always few hills, I'm in south east london and everyday I would need to go through Crystal Palace hill if that is familiar to any of you (really long and sharp hill).

Overall I'm quite fit but I will need that assistance overall

 

[alex_h]

Bigbee conglomerates international ltd

thank you Eddieo for taking a **** of me!!! I just came here to get some advice, once I know which bikes are quite good I will try them all with a dealer and I will be hopefully done and off by electric bike

 

[Phil [OnBike]]

Hi Alex,

Phil from OnBike here - Your question does get asked a lot and it really is a personal choice at the end of the day. As the other Pedelec folk say, you should try out the various technologies and styles to see which suit you best; particularly a throttle assist bike compared to a pedal assist bike.

You're welcome to come and try our range of bikes; no obligation - we've currently got 18 models on demonstration including the E-motion range on demo (that uses the popular Panasonic pedal assist system) along with the Wisper range and eZee range (throttle assist). We also have Powabykes and Monarks and more to try. You can try them all in one place, one after the other and we have some hills and country lanes near by.
I'm not sure where you live, but we get people from all over the UK visit us to try out all the various technologies one after the other.

Anyhow, no pressure, but if you fancy coming in just to try some bikes or have any questions, then feel free to drop me an e-mail phil@onbike.co.uk

Cheers

 

[eddieo]

thank you Eddieo for taking a **** of me!!! I just came here to get some advice, once I know which bikes are quite good I will try them all with a dealer and I will be hopefully done and off by electric bike

WHAT? are you his Chinese partner?

Listen...You need to read and read there is a lot of info on here no one can do your homework for you......

But there are two distinct camps:

pedelec throttle assist bikes: from the likes of Ezee/wiper/ alien etc....(my personal favourite is wisper)

crank drive bikes: most using Panasonic system (probably better hill climbers) from Kalkhoff/Emotion/gepida etc...

all above are good BUT you need to test ride to see which you prefer and which suits your needs

 

[alex_h]

Hi Alex,

Phil from OnBike here - Your question does get asked a lot and it really is a personal choice at the end of the day. As the other Pedelec folk say, you should try out the various technologies and styles to see which suit you best; particularly a throttle assist bike compared to a pedal assist bike.

You're welcome to come and try our range of bikes; no obligation - we've currently got 18 models on demonstration including the E-motion range on demo (that uses the popular Panasonic pedal assist system) along with the Wisper range and eZee range (throttle assist). We also have Powabykes and Monarks and more to try. You can try them all in one place, one after the other and we have some hills and country lanes near by.
I'm not sure where you live, but we get people from all over the UK visit us to try out all the various technologies one after the other.

Anyhow, no pressure, but if you fancy coming in just to try some bikes or have any questions, then feel free to drop me an e-mail phil@onbike.co.uk

Cheers

thanks Phill 4 the advice but I'm from London so I will rather try to go somewhere locally, hope you understand, ta

 

[alex_h]

WHAT? are you his Chinese partner?

thanks Eddio, i think heavy drinking is not good for you

 

[Straylight]

As others have said, your choice is between a crank drive and a hub drive, and that's really a matter of personal taste. If it were me, then I'd go for hub driven as they're mechanically simpler, and perfect for a mainly flat commute, though my wisper is no slouch on the hills either . Another consideration is battery size, for a 25 mile commute, without recharge, then my advice would be to get a big battery, as even though a smaller one might do it, you'd be putting it under significant stress, and so shortening it's life.

My commute, though rural, sounds similar in terms of range and gradient, I charge my battery at work, even though it would easily do the round trip, mainly because I find it has a bit more kick to it when fresh, and incase I hit any serious headwinds, and also to give it the best chance of a long working life.

I've ridden my Wisper 905se through everything nature has to throw at it and it's proven itself 100% reliable, in terms of the electrical system, so I'd say it was well worth a look .

EDIT: I should also add that the Wisper has the 'Low' pedelec option and a throttle which are of great benefit when navigating heavy traffic, as they eliminate the surge effect, sometimes complained about here.

I know I'm biased, but I hope this helps .

 

[alex_h]

As others have said, your choice is between a crank drive and a hub drive, and that's really a matter of personal taste. If it were me, then I'd go for hub driven as they're mechanically simpler, and perfect for a mainly flat commute, though my wisper is no slouch on the hills either . Another consideration is battery size, for a 25 mile commute, without recharge, then my advice would be to get a big battery, as even though a smaller one might do it, you'd be putting it under significant stress, and so shortening it's life.

My commute, though rural, sounds similar in terms of range and gradient, I charge my battery at work, even though it would easily do the round trip, mainly because I find it has a bit more kick to it when fresh, and incase I hit any serious headwinds, and also to give it the best chance of a long working life.

I've ridden my Wisper 905se through everything nature has to throw at it and it's proven itself 100% reliable, in terms of the electrical system, so I'd say it was well worth a look .

EDIT: I should also add that the Wisper has the 'Low' pedelec option and a throttle which are of great benefit when navigating heavy traffic, as they eliminate the surge effect, sometimes complained about here.

I know I'm biased, but I hope this helps .

Thanks Straylight, you've been very helpful here. i think for my budget of max £1200 i will rather consider a hub motor, the crank drives are a lot more expensive and so far i can not see any benefit as to why they would have been better than the hub powered ones.

I will certainly look at Wisper but there couple of things i don't like about 905 such as price, slightly too high and the cheesy looking stem and old fashioned headsets. On the other hand many people say its a good bike so certainly worth trying.

thanks to all for the advice anyway

 

[flecc]

the crank drives are a lot more expensive and so far i can not see any benefit as to why they would have been better than the hub powered ones.

Quality crank drive units advantages

1 Drive through the bicycle's gears so they have the ability to climb any hill. Hub motors are effectively top gear only so not good on the steepest hills.

2) Integrated fully sealed one piece unit suffers no weather and almost no cable connection problems. The scattered electrical components of hub motor bikes can mean occasional connection, water and corrosion problems.

3) Puncture repairs and tube/tyre changes easier with no motor cable connections and anti-torque fittings to deal with.

4) Having the unit with battery centrally insulates it from direct road shocks so better on rough surfaces.

5) Integrated design is easier to clean.

6) All brake options available, rim, disc, roller or drum types. Hub motors are very restricted in this respect.

7) Hub dynamo always possible.
.

 

[alex_h]

thank you Flecc,

i wouldn't think of these. you seem to be very knowledgeable here and you indeed wrote over 13,000 posts, this is oooopss a lot, thank you

 

[jasono]

Hi Alex

A few months ago I was in the same situation as your-good-self and the range of e-bikes available is initially over whelming. As has been said by lots of others your best bet is to try as many different bikes as you can

Also have a think about what you want to use the bike for - ie commuting, short trips or longer jaunts, as this may narrow down your options somewhat. In my case I wanted a bike that I could use to commute and for longer trips where previously I would have used the car. After trying a few bikes, I settled on a Wisper, but it is horses for courses

Hope this helps and hope you enjoy exploring the world of e-Bikes!

Jason

 

[GORDONAL]

Welcome

As a newcomer myself ....welcome loads of good advice is available I cannot add much to the comments except i tried many and settled happily for the E-Motion about 6 months ago and am constantly surprised at its ability and build quality .........for my circumstances its perfect Happy Hunting and good luck Al