What would be the Ford Fiesta of Ebikes?

[Cyclezee]

Hmm, my wife owned Citroen Dyane (hatchback version of the 2CV) once upon a time, it was hoot to drive and with it's soft suspension could be driven over a ploughed field. In contrast I drove a well worn Daewoo Matiz halfway across Cuba once where the normal roads are worse than a ploughed field and felt every bump.
But if I had to choose a city car, the Matiz would be right up there, cheap reliable 4 doors, does it all.

On the other hand, in a city, how about one of these for a couple of hundred pounds more than a Cyclamatic

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[funkylyn]

On the other hand, in a city, how about one of these for a couple of hundred pounds more than a Cyclamatic


Very nice looking new bikes .....

Lynda

 

[Kudoscycles]

Kudos seems to mentioned a lot in this thread....I would have prefered if our bikes had been compared with the VW Golf but I must say that I recently hired a basic Ford Fiesta,the latest model is certainly a very nice car.
The Kudos bike is priced as a balance between a fair retail price,a profit for Kudos and a profit for the local dealer....both Kudos and it's dealers are working on tight margins with the aim of making the e-bike concept affordable and thus expanding the market,the Kudos dealers should be supported for embracing this business model,note that not all dealers are prepared to work on these margins.
Kudos could sell at much lower prices if we direct sell but most customers seem to value the local support of a dealer,especially a long established one who is knowlegeable and gives good advice. These e-bikes are not yet mature enough to guarantee problem free usage and the pre delivery checks and after sales support is very important. I think the e-bay trading model or one-shop distributor with it's low prices appeals to the type of buyer who is good at sorting problems,clearly there are many on this forum who could rebuild the entire bike if required but the average diy person would rightfully get frustrated with the lack of support.
Dave
KudosCycles

 

[flecc]

In contrast I drove a well worn Daewoo Matiz halfway across Cuba once where the normal roads are worse than a ploughed field and felt every bump.
But if I had to choose a city car, the Matiz would be right up there, cheap reliable 4 doors, does it all.

On the other hand, in a city, how about one of these for a couple of hundred pounds more than a Cyclamatic

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The Daewoo original was a bit harsh, and when it was just rebadged as a Chevvy, but after the complete GM redesign and with the larger engine it was greatly improved.

Those bikes look like a pre-Happy New Year announcement.

 

[bode]

On the other hand, in a city, how about one of these for a couple of hundred pounds more than a Cyclamatic

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Gets my vote; excellent in the country too.

 

[Caph]

Sorry for starting the thread and disappearing. It's been a manic week.

I did indeed mean Ford Fiesta in the ilk of Mini Metro and Vauxhall Nova. I've not seen one for years so I wasn't aware of their change in status.

I now mainly commute on my £650 Alien GS1 because I don't like to get my custom full suspension bike dirty, or at least not if I'm not going to be able to clean it straight away. Sad I know. But time seems to be teaching me that solid reliability on a cheap no frills bike with large panniers and full length mudguards really is hard to beat. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't ride for pleasure on the GS1, to me it's not that sort of bike, but it is just so darned practical and so cheap that I really don't mind it getting mucked up over winter.

The Cyclamatic seems be in that ball park but could probably do with full length mudguards to complete the utility makeup. I wonder if we'll ever get to the point where ebikes become so utility that we'll have an (old-style!) Ford Fiesta of ebikes? Maybe, maybe not.

 

[morphix]

I reckon the Cyclamatic range of bikes would fit the bill:

Ha I was going to say Cyclamatic as the first bike which came to mind, but Fordulike beat me to it!

If ever there was a cheap bike for the masses which according to reviews here is good value for money and backed up with by a large established retailer, that surely is it.