Rose

Thanks for all your replies - lots to think about there. My husband says he finds that what makes it hard work is not that the pumps don’t pump well, but that the connection to the valve doesn’t work well. Or if one does work well (like the Aldi ones) it soon breaks.

I must be ridiculously weak or inept or something, but I can't succeed in pumping up my tyres, even with a foot pump. I have to get my husband to do it but he finds it hard work and says it's worse than cycling up steep hills (on an ordinary bike). Does a pump exist that will do the job easily?

True Knowledge Yes, Wolfram Alpha is amazing. Have you also seen True Knowledge True Knowledge (still in Beta testing)?

Jessie's still around I just received a PM with the "Hi, I'm new here, how's it going?" message from Jessie. I can't remember if the quotation at the end was identical with what others on this thread mentioned, as I deleted the PM straight away. Then I thought of searching for "Jessie" and found this thread. Anyway, if she was locked out, she's managed to get in again.

Reviewer: Rose Purchased From: Atmosphere Kites, Bristol Purchase Price: £1,050 Time Owned: 5 months but hardly rode it for first 3 months Local Terrain: Moderate hills - very up and down, more hills than flat Gmaps Pedometer Strengths: The furthest round trip I've done is 20 miles, and the capacity indicator lights showed half full when I was half way. When I reached home only the red light showed. I don't know how much further I could have gone, but I'm unlikely to want to do more than that. I use the motor with pedalling, but switch off the motor for downhills or on the few flat bits. Each 10 miles took approximately 50 minutes, 15 minutes faster than on my ordinary bike. Previously after my round trip I would arrive home hot, tired and aching, not having enjoyed the final quarter of the trip; on my Wisper I arrived home feeling comfortable yet exhilerated. I find the kick stand very useful - I've never had one before. Although at first I thought the bike looked too big for me (I'm 5ft 2), and it is certainly heavier and more cumbersome than my previous ordinary bike (Trek 7.2 FX Women's Specific Design), now that I'm used to it it's OK, and the more upright riding position feels better than the position on my previous bike. The staff at Wisper are very helpful, and on Pedelecs forums there's lots of information and advice about Wispers from other members. It is a step-through, although most electric bikes with a long range are not. Weaknesses: It arrived without a manual. I had to print one off Wisper's (previous) website although it was for a different model. (This and other weaknesses might have improved since with the 2009 version.) The green on-off button does not work - but I probably wouldn't use it anyway. Bottom gear doesn't work properly - but I'm not bothered about the gears and use the motor where I would otherwise use lower gear. The back brake is poor, in spite of it having been adjusted as well as it can be. It's useful having a bell, but I have very small hands and find it quite hard to make it 'ding'. I have the hinged seat type, and it's sometimes uncomfortable on the sort of bumpy lanes I use. (But there is a choice of a suspension one.) My husband who weighs 14 stone sometimes rides my Wisper. He doesn't feel the motor does much to help him along, and it doesn't take him all the way up some hills. (I'm always aware of the power from the motor, and it takes me up any local hill with no problem, so I presume the difference is due to him being 4 stone heavier than me.) I believe my bike is meant to be for both sexes, but only one size is made. When my husband rides it, although he extends the seat post to its maximum, he finds the saddle too low and says it needs to extend another 4 inches to be the same height as on his own bike; he is 6ft 1. My (step-through) model doesn't look as good as other models of Wisper. Summary: The reason I bought it was mainly for recreational rides of about 20 miles in the countryside in the fresh air, to enjoy the pleasure and exercise of cycling without the discomforts, and also for specific journeys to be quicker than on my ordinary bike. My Wisper certainly does what I wanted it for and I like it very much, but I haven't given it 10 out of 10 because of the back brake and the bottom gear. Overall Rating (out of 10) : 8

Thanks, Rod. I think electric bikes tend to be quite a lot heavier, even without their batteries, than ordinary bikes.

I'm looking for a cycle carrier for our Ford Focus hatchback. My bike is a Wisper 705se, and my husband has yet to decide which electric bike he is going to have. Not all 2-bike carriers can take the weight of electric bikes but I've been looking on the MAXXRAXX website, and emailed them to ask if their Premier 10MA21 would be adequate for my bike plus another of similar weight. Neil Boxall replied that it would be. Has anyone tried one of these carriers? Any advice welcome. Thanks.

Strange - I just tried clicking the link again, before trying the Privacy tab, and it worked straight away. Very pleased to see a place doing such a selection of electric bikes, that can be tried out, so close to where I live (Bromsgrove). So if I have any problems I guess I can get them sorted out there.

I tried the link last night and again now. Each time I get 'Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage'. No problem getting other links to work to other webpages, though.

I saw this article in our local paper: "A DROITWICH supermarket has launched a 'blast from the past' delivery method and is urging eco-friendly shoppers to take part. Supermarket giant Waitrose used bicycles for delivery in the early 20th century, and now the Saltway store will be the first in Worcestershire to once again deliver groceries ordered online using pedal power in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion. The store's eco-bicycle, which holds 18 bags of groceries and is able to keep products frozen and chilled for up to two hours, can be used to deliver to those who live within 15 miles of the branch and ensures the food arrives in the same condition as when it left the store. Cycle trailers will also be available to encourage customers to 'saddle up' and cycle home with their shopping instead of driving. The trailers come equipped with large canvas shopping bags for ease of use, are loaned out free of charge for up to three days, and the branch has designated cycle spaces outside the store." I'm surprised it doesn't mention that the bikes are electric. But on looking at the photo of one, I think it might be a Gazelle Easy Glider.

Rider's weight I hadn't thought about rider's weight making a difference, but my husband who is much heavier than me said he didn't understand what I was talking about, relating to the motor cutting in and making me feel out of control. I weigh 67 kilos including cycling clothes.

I'm in communication with Norman at Wisper about a hi low button. He's going to see what options he can suggest.

Thanks, flecc.

I'm still trying to condition my lithium battery by giving it two complete discharges at the beginning of its life, not having ridden my bike much since I got it. My husband has been riding my bike and the battery had its first full discharge; now we're trying to run it to empty for the second time. The indicator light was down to red yesterday so he thought it would soon empty when he went out today, but in spite of riding about 8 miles it still didn't! So when he arrived home he thought he'd finish it off by suspending the back end of the bike, and clamping the throttle on. But after leaving the motor running like that for a minute or so he stopped it because we wondered if there's any reason why we shouldn't do that. Please can anyone tell me if it's OK to do this?

Thanks again, Vikki.