Rupert1

Just decided to go down your recommended route but when I tried to order the Marin they only have 15" frame size, even for me to small. I am 5' 8" 29" inside leg. Any other recommendations keeping as lightweight as possible, or is there any sign of your lightweight bike yet?

OK many thanks for your answers. I had a job to find the weight of the bike but have come up with 11.4kg. Will contact you soon about kit.

Why do you recommend this bike for your kit.

So no weight advantage over your Karoo

What would be the weight of the Marin plus you kit, including battery?

My wife is also 5' 2 and weighs about 8st. She to looked at both of these bikes and went for the Petite which you can get with a large battery. Do not see the weight distribution thing, with bikes this heavy it makes little difference.

To busy where we live this weekend but off back to euroland next week. Moselle, Black Forest, Swiss alps.

Having said my wife weighs around 8st I weigh 11st 12lbs and the petite goes just fine with me on it.

My wife has a Woosh Petite, she to is 5'2" and weighs about 8st. It will cope with the distances you quote, she has the 15ah battery. It comes with a good leaflet on basis maintenance and repairs and Woosh themselves are very helpful.

I ride parts of this route on a regular basis from Kinmel Bay. I would tend to avoid now until end of August unless you go early morning or late evening. The problem is people with dogs wandering all over the place with those expanding dog leads and no control. It is a good easy and scenic cycle route mainly flat. The only steep climb is coming from Rhyl just after the limestone quarry jetty, on my standard bike my old knees stopped climbing this but my Bermuda sails up it.

Sure they do, but they are not old, unfit blokes, suggest you to read my report of this. How many watts, no idea.

My Woosh Bermuda climbed a major Pyrenees col in June, you can read my report on this in thread entitled 'France on a Woosh' so cannot see it would have much trouble on a climb as short as the one you describe.

Thule told me no, it is not advisable to carry any bike over the individual load rating of the rack, so 15kg a bike means just that. I have a Thule 916 rack that is rated at 30kg a bike, bought it from Decathalon for £260 including postage

Since starting this thread I have done a lot more miles on my bike and now understand things a little better, at least I think so. I am back to the alps in September and intend to find a 2000 mtr col to have a go at but a couple of things that came out of this thread worry me. A couple of people mentioned the danger of the motor overheating, although it showed no signs of doing so on the Aspin. If I stopped say at about 1500mtrs to give motor and myself time to cool down how long should I give it? Also the battery capacity, again a couple mentioned it would be better to use a lower gear and take more time, does anyone know if this is a fact or just a bit of guess work. I have tried to prove this to myself in the last month but cannot find a long enough climb near where I live to be conclusive.

I am an ebike novice but like a throttle, I find it usefull when making hill starts. As for the cops stopping you it will not happen. Ignore the cheap Chinese electrics jibe, some people just like living in the past.