strowger

Another puncture, at speed, of the (brand new) rear tyre. This time I picked up a piece of metal in it large enough to wreck the mudguard and the cable for the rear light which runs through it. I know it would be a minor fix to an enthusiast, and I know I've been very unlucky with punctures - but I continue to be very unlucky, and feel that every minute I've saved by cycling instead of walking, has been taken up with bicycle maintenance.

I've had enough of mine and I'm going to sell. What's a good way to sell this sort of bike - ebay, gumtree, etc?

I haven't had another puncture since switching to Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres (as suggested above), although circumstances mean it's too early to be really sure the problem is fixed. I'm still really p'd off about the time and effort wasted on punctures - it has spoiled the experience. It's now 5 months since the Motus was delivered and I've used it to get to work most days over that time. Other stuff I've noticed: The kickstand isn't very useful. The bike is very heavy and unless I arrange it carefully when putting the kickstand down, it tends to fall over. The kickstand pivot is corroding, as are the pedals where they screw on to the crank arms. The power adjustment buttons won't stay put on the handlebars - they spin round fairly freely despite the screw being done up as tightly as I can manage. The cable routing for the rear light isn't great. It passes through the rear mudguard at the front and along under the mudguard. The clip which passes through the mudguard at the front, containing the cable, came loose and fouled the wheel, necessitating (yet another) tedious and messy removal of the rear wheel to remove it. I've binned the clip and stuck the cable back down with bathroom silicone rather than mess with it any further; it will presumably fail (eventually) when it wears through at the point it passes through the mudguard. To be really picky, there's also: The front light tends to adjust itself upwards over time, ending up shining too high. The rear light *can't be switched off* immediately - it goes off a couple of minutes after the front is switched off - which draws unnecessary and unwanted attention the parked bike, and "you left your lights on mate" etc. It's frustrating that the lights have niggles as they are separate from the Bosch system (which has the option to provide lights) and add the complication of the Shimano dynamo hub etc. It's not that the Motus is a bad machine, but I'm very conscious that it's 2x the price of the equivalent spec Woosh and for that it ought to be really good. For the avoidance of doubt, for anyone else reading this - I've got a 2015 Motus - I see there's now a 2016 model, although the spec seems very similar to the 2015.

I'm still using my Motus but have to say at this point that the factory fit tyres (which are Schwalbe Energizer) really ruin the experience. They seem very delicate; I haven't managed to go 100 miles between punctures yet, and they compound the misery with stupid presta valves. If anyone's upgraded them and had a good experience, I'd very much like to hear from them at this point.

I'm just outside Halifax and had my Motus delivered yesterday. Happy so far. I'm at home quite a bit if the OP is nearby and wants to see it.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. After a LOT of annoying fannying-around, I have gone for a Raleigh Motus, which was considerably over the original budget. The factors which swayed it for me were: After wasting hours on ringing up dealers and going to see dealers, finding one which both stocks a wide-but-still-limited range of e-bikes, has a clue, and will allow Halfords vouchers to be topped-up with cash. Lots of local-ish dealers which take the Halfords scheme vouchers claim to do e-bikes, but in practice either have little interest/enthusiasm/knowledge, or won't take the vouchers when push comes to shove. Wanting crank drive for the big hill (controversial I know - but I am very happy with it now I have it). Wanting "brand name" components for everything (see first post re mechanical ineptitude). I'm very pleased with it.

Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions. I fancy the Woosh Krieger but am not sure whether it's going to be possible on the Halfords scheme - since Woosh's own website says that it isn't, and they appear to only sell direct Failing that, the Ebco UCR30 is an option. Not perfect, but available from Halfords direct at a reasonable price. I quite fancy the D-Cycle Discovery bikes, but I see they are available at non-cycle-scheme retailers at a massive discount, so paying £800 via the scheme when they can be had for £550 cash is not attractive. Got to decide this week as the deadline for our scheme is Friday...

Hi, Thanks all for the replies. The Halfords C2W voucher is accepted by a fair number of independent bike shops, and although Halfords are as arsey as possible about helping with this, it's the route I'm likely to take. I'm not averse to topping up the voucher a bit, but am surprised that it's an option. It's against the scheme rules and my local independent (which does accept the vouchers) didn't mention it as an option. Yes, I want to buy an ebike and use it, I'm not interested in buying kits of parts or upgrading things. I also don't already own a good bike - I own about £50 worth of second hand sad old mountain bike. Cheers

Hi all, I want to get an ebike on a cycle-to-work scheme, which means an absolute can-not-exceed maximum spend of £1000. It's a Halfords scheme so I think I can get pretty much anything with some minor faffing about. Already got a push bike so got locks, lid, lights, etc. It's for a short commute (so don't need a massive battery life) but with a long and steep hill. I'm not expecting miracles; I do expect to pedal, just want help on the hilly bits. Don't care whether it looks the part or not, but I'm utterly mechanically inept so build quality and ease of maintenance are a factor. I'm male, 6ft and 100+kg by the time I'm carrying all my work stuff. Any suggestions please? Cheers