lendmeyourear

Hi 2Lazy. I've owned/own 4 electric bikes, one front hub, one crank drive and two rear hub drives. If you want a good straightforward hub drive, I think the Oxygen Emate City takes some beating. The twistgrip deraileur gearchange is excellent and so is the left handside throttle. Especially as you can easily set it above 15.5mph .And the cable disc brakes are very good. I bought a secondhand Kalkhoff Aggatu, a quality German crankdrive, and hated it. Compared to the motion sensor hub drives it felt really hard work, I kept thinking it was on the middle power setting instead of the highest. Into a headwind and up a gentle slope I found it tiring. It was better on steep slopes but only when you're down to almost walking pace. With the motion sensor hub drives you can put in a lot of effort if you want or virtually none if you are tired. I prefer the rear drive because the front drive can be a bit hard to control if you're in traffic and traction can also be a bit iffy up steep slopes or loose surfaces. Can be fun but also a bit of a handful. I tried a Freego Eagle but it had no LED display and felt a bit dull. I liked the Wooosh Big Bear but I thought the gearing was a bit low and the motor was slightly noisy and vibrated a bit.

Yes, good thinking. I don't know if I can amend the advert but I'm looking for about £900. It's the crossbar/diamond frame version. I didn't know you can put photos on as well.

I am selling my 2012 Kalkhoff Agattu C8 Impulse. The previous owner had bought it new from 50 Cycles at Hampton Wick (near Kingston upon Thames). He had only done about 300 miles on it and I've only done about 50. I am selling it because my previous ebike was a hub drive and I find the crankdrive very different and it doesn't suit me. I don't know if the battery range is as it was new but I get about 30 miles on the maximum pedal assist level. That does include some hills though. I reckon on the middle assist level that would increase to about 40 but I've not tested that. The bike is virtually as new, the previous owner had it garaged and so do I. I live in north Hampshire near Aldershot. Feel free to ask me any questions if your interested.

Hi, I'd appreciate anyone's views on some prospective crossbar bikes. I ilke rear hub drive, saddle bar mounted 16aH minimum battery and hydraulic disc brakes. No Wisper crossbars currently available and the Ezee Forza mk 2 seems unavailable without any indication of when it will be. Only choices seem to be Volt Pulse X, (bit pricey) Juicy Merlin Click or the Freego Eagle with cable disc brakes (which I have heard can be tricky to maintain compared to hydraulic and less good). Anyone have any experience of any of these bikes?

Hi Chris74. I've owned 2 folders, still use a Wisper 806 for a short commute daily. My first was a second hand 16" wheel - cheaper make, bought for £325. The advertised 20 mile range was actually 7, I wasn't impressed! I would strongly advise caution if you buy used, it is very difficult to ascertain just what the realistic battery range is from what people claim. There's no way of knowing how well the battery has been treated. (The worst thing is to leave a battery flat, that kills them off very quickly). And a folder I suspect is often put away for long periods with little thought given to it. And things like weight, terrain etc makes a huge difference. My Wisper has done 1400 miles, I look after the battery very carefully, (9aH). At half power on the flat pedaling it will do the 30 mile quoted range. (I weigh 80 kilos). At full power pedaling with a couple of small hills thrown in, that drops to 12. The other issue is wheel size and suspension. My 20" wheel Wisper has no front suspension, the ride is rock hard. The 16" with front suspension was a nicer ride. I'd also countenance rear wheel drive. With front drive you will get wheelspin on wet/muddy/loose surfaces. There's also a bit of torque steer effect, when pulling away, the front does tend to try and pull a bit to one side. So I would focus on battery size, front suspension, rear wheel drive.