ajh2001

Have fun getting to know your new bikes! My Woosh Santana CD came today - easy to set up, better not be raining tomorrow - can't wait to give it a proper run! Exciting isn't it!!!

How close are you to AndyH? Could you persuade him to let you have a test ride? (Being v cheeky I know, but as my old gran used to say, if you don't ask, you don't get!!)

I tried the Cyclotricity Sahara and the Woosh bikes recently. The Cyclotricity was lighter and fairly powerful but I personally didn't like the thumb throttle - probably because I hired a twist throttle bike for a few days and have got used to that and I also found it to be quite noisy. The Woosh CD was quiet, v powerful and has a twist throttle so I was much happier!! I am only 5'6" so have gone for the CD. I tried the Big Bear and the 20" frame felt a bit too big for me. If you are taller I would imagine the CDL would be fine. The riding position felt slightly more comfortable on the Santana too, but we did spend a bit more time altering the seat etc than we did on the Sahara. I also preferred the 5 levels of assistance on the Woosh and as we are planning some longer trips preferred the higher battery power on it too. I am sure we spent less time deciding on our last family car than I have on this ebike purchase! Good luck with finding your ideal bike!

Lancslass I share your pain!!! (Pos quite literally sometimes as I have a dodgy back too!!!) Recently I was in a similar situation, once I'd decided against building my own which was an initial preference. We are not far from ebikes direct so took a trip down there, to discover that the bike I'd narrowed it down to was too noisy, though fairly powerful and the others I tried didn't suit either. Luckily we're not too far from Southend either so we offloaded the kids and took a trip there after reading many positive comments and recommendations on here! Trying the different bikes definitely helped the decision making process. I tried the Big bear ls and the Santana CD and was very impressed with both - way more powerful (on the flat) than any I'd tried before. It has been a difficult decision as both would definitely work for me. In the end the only things that swung it towards the Santana CD were that without the battery the bike felt more balanced back to front, for use with our bike rack, and the frame size. The Santana CD is an 18" whereas the Big Bear is 20" and felt oversized for me. I am 5'6", my usual bike is a 19" frame so I didn't expect to notice too much difference with these two bikes but I was definitely more comfortable on the slightly smaller frame of the Santana CD. So roll on the 20th November, as the Santana CD isn't expected to be in stock until then and I'm champing at the bit to get riding again! I hope you manage to decide soon too!

Many thanks for all the advice and comments to my previous threads! My birthday/christmas present is sorted! After looking thoroughly at kits versus completed bike, at first erring towards converting my current bike we've now decided on a Woosh CD. I tried a few ebikes but the Woosh CD came out top after trying them all. Got to wait a few weeks as it's not in stock at the moment. I can't wait!

Nope, definitely can't argue with that! Hope it all fits well.

Came across this company recently, they speciailise in special needs trikes of all descriptions so would imagine they must have come across problems with transporting them at some point, maybe they would have some ideas. http://www.missioncycles.co.uk/index.php

Would a three or four bike rack work? Might need to 'tweak' it if the distances between the carrying rails aren't the right distance. We've used roofbox.co.uk for racks - useful website, very helpful, quick delivery and reasonable prices.

Trying to work out when we can get to Whoosh for a test ride!

Lol! If our house is quiet I get very suspicious - usually means trouble!

I know it might be tricky but if you can find somewhere to try a couple of bikes it really would be a good idea. I hired a Freego hawk recently and am hooked, so we are now looking into a decent electric bike. We thought we'd narrowed it down to a couple of bikes but I didn't particularly like any of the ones I tried!

First read that as 'kids are about as noisy...'!!! Thanks for all your input!

We are new to all this electric bike stuff and whilst trying to decide on bike or kit (probably kit!) my other half came across this which looks interesting, but I wondered what you experienced ebikers made of it! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/add-e-simply-add-electricity-to-your-bicycle#/ Whilst looking into the above I also came across flykly and Rubbee in the States too!

Thanks for your replies trex. Seems the bikes I like don't have throttle or torque sensor! So looking into kit for my bike. My other half came across this! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/add-e-simply-add-electricity-to-your-bicycle#/ Not sure what to make of it!

What about a 2013 Giant Escape 1? Have I read somewhere that the Suede can have a throttle added too?

I'm not sure, was thinking aloud really!!! Pos a Benelli Letizia. A friend also mentioned an AVE one they don't use much, TE7? D cycle discovery 7

If you buy a ready made bike that doesn't have a throttle, is there any way to convert it so it does have a throttle as well as pedal assist?

Haven't cycled in a long time due to health until I hired a freego hawk recently. In three days I cycled 90km - not evenly split either and was absolutely fine. They did swap the seatpost for one with suspension, and put on a gel saddle, but the thing that made the biggest difference was the padded shorts. I have since ridden a couple of different bikes with and without power and the difference the shorts make is considerable. They weren't expensive, I got a cheap pair from amazon that had good reviews. I fully understand your dilemma as I am in the same boat atm. One day I've decided on a full bike, the next a kit, the next something else again. The only thing I do know for sure is I want a grip twist throttle! Hope your search has a happy ending!

Still haven't ruled out a woosh bike - pos santana, just need to work out when we can get there!

Many thanks for the replies - more to research! On a first glance though I can't see that throttles are in the kits/on the bikes. Have I missed them or are they not available with these ones? I do need/want a throttle!

Is there such a thing as a relatively quiet kit? I tried a few different ebikes today, having previously only experienced the Freego hawk and a Giant suede and was unpleasantly surprised by how noisy they were. It got me wondering about kits, which is the more likely route I will take I think. Does anyone have any comments or recommendations on kits, not just re the noise! I am thinking of converting a step through hybrid, so 700c wheels, probably with a rack battery. Until today I had assumed front motor, as simpler, as the suede, old though it may be hadn't made enough noise to make me notice it. But now I'm not so sure. I didn't like the crank drive ones. My health isn't great at times so a throttle is necessary as well as PAS. Originally I was thinking the cheaper the better, but now that's not such a high priority as getting a reliable, relatively quiet if possible motor.

Thought I ought to try some more bikes before deciding whether to buy or convert. Are they all so noisy? Until now I've ridden a Giant suede and Freego Hawk, yes, very different but both quiet, so I wasn't expecting the noise made by the ones I tried today. The cycloricity sahara being the noisiest (also the cheapest - is that why?!), an Oxygen diva and a RooDog Polka. At least I've decided one thing - I want twist throttle not thumb trigger type. Noise aside if we go for a ready built bike I think I need to up the budget or look for a decent secondhand one. Are any kits noisier/quieter than others?

I must admit I do find the suspension in the seatpost combined with a comfortable seat does make a big difference, but haven't found front suspension makes that much difference, not that I wouldrefuse it, what does help is a more upright riding position. The pain side of my fibromyalgia is usually controlled by medication - on bad days I wouldn't even consider riding a bicycle, it's the lack of stamina and fatigue that I find hard (I used to swim a mile twice a week in a pretty quick time, did high impact aerobics three times a week and walked for miles, now I am shattered after two lengths and the idea of an aerobics class wears me out, which frustrates me making me feel even worse) So the freedom that an electric bicycle will give back to me is difficult to explain! As for bike/diy experience I have always been a daddy's girl (with a particularly practical dad!) and as such have always been making things/taking things apart/repairing things, I like to know how things work! So I would be more than happy/able to use a kit - it's the decision making bit - kit or bike that I am struggling with!!! Especially as I want to get out on a bike NOW!!!

If only it were that simple! I do have a saddle with springs on a seatpost with suspension though!! Thanks for your help Trex, hopefully I'll make a decision soon.

Yes, but no front suspension. Prefer the low step frames, but that could be because I've been riding low step frames more recently. So was thinking of getting something like this: http://www.viking-bikes.com/products/Trekking/6516-Keswick.html But if I ride my hybrid a bit more for a while maybe that would help me to get back into the habit of riding that style, as it's really only getting on and off that's different. Problem is I'm itching to get going, and I overdid it cycling on Sunday and then again this morning - what used to take me a day or so to recover from, can now take a week or more!