X-6 LS Powabyke

[overlander]

I knew it had to happen, now that i am about to buy my bike and talking of trips away with my daughter (8) the wifes ears have perked up. I noticed she was taking an unusual interest in my bike buying exploits. Now normaly she just has a blank stare on her face when i tell her my newest "hobby"

But yes she now wants a bike, now given her past history with bikes this could be a passing phase but i reckon this might not be and she might take to this. She will never commute and mostly will potter about our home town or round the loch. Anyway say a maximum of 10 miles, and that would be a miracle, she quite likes the powerbyke with lithium battery.

Are the new X-6 LS Powabyke's any good, have they addressed the very short range, but more importantly does it have a throttle? She is also tall, about 5ft 9 will the 18" frame be ok for her?

 

[Patrick]

I commute 10 miles each way on an X6 (not a LS but basically the same machine), I'm very happy with it for that job but I'd be wary of recommending it for leisure use because of its small battery.

If your wife isn't a keen cyclist and at the moment you think she might ride up to 10 miles then I would say look for a bike that can comfortably cover 20 miles with plenty of assistance. Having to push her bike uphill on the way home might be a bit off putting.

Patrick

 

[overlander]

Hi Patrick,

What is the difference between the X6 and the LS i thought it was the lithium battery was new(ignore i know the answer oopss). Now i have to be careful here as i know she is hanging about this forum

I reckon 10 metres is more like the distance but she could prove me wrong.

 

[aseb]

Hi Patrick,

What is the difference between the X6 and the LS i thought it was the lithium battery was new(ignore i know the answer oopss). Now i have to be careful here as i know she is hanging about this forum

I reckon 10 metres is more like the distance but she could prove me wrong.

I have a step through x-byke, one of the very first ones imported.

Mileage on a single battery varies depending on hills, the more hills you go up the less the battery life. It is also noticeably affected by ambient temperature. This is very probably because the battery has a very low capacity- I had to dismantle the battery to discover it is marked as 4.8Ah.
I've logged my distances on a spreadsheet for each trip but only recently had the sense to add ambient temperature.
Because of medical issues I don't pedal very much, when new I normally got 8-10 miles, sometimes up to 12. As the batteries age the capacity diminishes, 7 to 7.5 miles is usual, sometimes as low as 6.5, the most being about 8 miles now.
I bought a second battery but beware- they are expensive, hundreds of pounds. It would need replacing in time anyway (but can be done cheaper than the Powabyke price- I'm (still) in the process of investigating a couple of alternatives and have the parts).
When I first got the bike one battery only lasted 3-4 miles and was replaced under warranty.

Overall I am happy with the bike but dislike the small capacity of the battery and replacement cost.


If you have any specific questions I'll be happy to give any answers I can from my experiences, we can pm as some more detailed things may not be so relevant to the forum.