Kenny

The only time I've snapped a chain was on my unassisted bike. It was caused by a clumsy gear shift at slow speed, at the start of climbing a hill on a cycle path. I've always carried a chain tool since, but fortunately not had to use it on my rides.

The Rio is now on the Woosh website and states that the controller is neatly integrated in the frame. I've always disliked controllers hanging in a separate bag or box. Looks so much neater when it's out of sight.

The more I look at the Rio mtb the more I like it. I've been tempted to get a hub driven bike for years and this looks very nicely spec'd for the price. I'd prefer a bigger capacity battery, but I do like the secure battery integration and I could easily purchase an additional one, for longer trips, if the price is as inexpensive as your other batteries. I'd probably swap out the forks for a rigid carbon one as the large tyres give all the comfort I need for my mainly road riding. It would give a nice weight saving too. Could you please tell me if the lights are powered from the main battery?

I changed my standard heavy Shimano dynamo on my Kalkhoff for a lightweight Shutter Precision weighing less than 400g. The output is quite low at about 3 watts but as Flecc mentioned, that's enough for a good LED light. It spins smoother than the Shimano, with very little drag, but off course, you still don't get something for nothing.

Very nice. Hope you enjoy it! I was tempted myself when Davy posted it a few days ago at a very good price. I've been planing to get a hub drive for years but I think I'd prefer a rear wheel motor.

I like the look of the Fatboy and great to see the option of the large battery. Could you please tell me the wheel size and does the throttle work all the way to the cut off or is it only for walking speed. I realise it's not going to be lightweight with those comfy fat tyres and the long range 17AH battery, but do you know it's weight?

Hi Sambal, My reason for the high bars was to allow a different riding position when cycling long distance. Unfortunately I've not been riding many long runs to get the benefit of having two riding positions. The main drawback for me is that when the seat is positioned for the main handlebar, it doesn't feel quite right when sitting upright using the high bars. I'll maybe experiment with it some more when the weather gets warmer in the spring.

It will fit fine. Just loosen the 2 Ahead Bracket screws. Slide off the bracket with handlebar attached and fit the extender. I have one fitted on one of my bikes. Works a treat but make sure it's well tightened.

Hi Beach, The world would be a better place if more people adopted your philosophy. Glad you returned to the Forum. I enjoyed your posts from 3 years ago and your stylish writing is a nice antidote to the Brexit thread Have a nice Christmas.

Hi Stuart. Your Ergon handlebar grips are facing forward instead of backwards. Makes the bike look odd and not good for a test ride.

I use 18ah batteries on my crossbar and step through Kalkhoff bikes. They are 130mm wide so are 23mm narrower than the 20.8ah battery. I just checked the clearance on both bikes and the crank arm has just over 20mm clearance, each side, on both bikes so the 20.8ah battery should be fine. I'd buy one myself if I needed one. looks a very good bargain!

Loved the crazy travelling adventure video Wicky. Must take some bottle. I still hope to do Lejog on my electric bike some day which is about as close as I'll get.

The Honda Solo has the incredibly successful and bullet proof 50cc Cub engine so about 35mph top speed. It came in a huge range of pick and mix colour schemes to appeal to young riders. Good for 130mpg and half the price of the MeIjs. I know what I'd rather own.

It's not unlike the 50cc Honda Solo that stopped being made about 10 years ago. It was produced for the Japan home market but I recon it could have sold well here. I love it . http://zoomerboys.freeflux.net/files/images/blog/honda_solo.jpg

The big drawback for me is none of these motors have a UK supplier so the shipping costs nearly as much as the motor and any aftercare would be difficult. It would be great If a quality UK outfit, like Oxydrive, would offer their kit with the Q100 motor as an option. Although not as robust or powerful as the Bafang CST, with a weight saving of 2 kg, I'm sure it would be very popular with lighter/fitter riders.

My basic Marin mountain bike lay in my cellar for a few years after I stopped mountain biking. I decided to lighten it to get some use out of it as I was it was very heavy compared to my hybrid bike I fitted cheap Mosso rigid forks which looked good but weren't suspension corrected. I found the lower front end made the bike very twitchy and it was too easy for the pedals to touch down. Swapped them for a pair of rather expensive Kinesis Suspension corrected forks and changed a few parts to carbon and made a few other lightening mods. The bike now weighs a respectable 12kg with rack mudguards and side stand fitted. I really like it now and use it regularly. It handles rough paths fine though I did come off once but that was because I've road tyres fitted, which aren't very grippy on hard mud tracks. I Don't miss the suspension at all. http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc374/kenbogle/Lightweight%20Marin%20001.jpg

Sorry to hear Phil, hope you get it returned or replaced ok. I had a motorbike stolen once and I'll never forget that horrible feeling when walking to where I had parked it and realizing that some low life had made off with it.

Well spotted Dave. Part of one of my favorite rides, The Five Ferries cycle route: Never sailed there but did a bit of sailing many years ago, in my teens, with my late father who was a boat builder from Dunoon.

I know you were all looking for a bargain but if your after a good rack bag I can recomend the Vaude Silkroad. They have a range of capacities up to the 15 litre as shown in the picture. This is their largest one that also has mini drop down panniers which are very handy if your carrying an extra battery in the main compartment. The're all very light and are secured at each corner with velcro straps so stay central on the rack and are easy to switch from bike to bike ( I have a few ). The bungee on the top is also useful at times. http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc374/kenbogle/Five%20ferries%20May%202016%20028.jpg

Nice Kit but very expensive and I personally like a battery twice that size. It's a pity no one in the UK sells a kit using the well rated and lightweight Q100 motor. I'm sure it would be very popular.

I wouldn't discount the Karoo too quickly. Plenty of smaller folk have had a go my bike and the standover height is higher than the Karoo at 81cm at the top tube center. Although they may be on the balls of their feet at a standstill, riding hasn't been a problem. Putting the seat fully down makes the distance to the handlbars less of a stretch.

Hi David, Welcome to the forum. I'm just down the road from you in Greenock. I'm the same height as you and my main electric bike is a 50cm hybrid framed Kalkhoff Pro Connect. It's always felt comfortable to me and my daughter whose 5ft 3ins has ridden it around the isle of Bute (26 miles) and she managed fine with the seat fully lowered.

Hi Tom, Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be any UK based suppliers of lightweight motors like the the Tongxin, Q100, and Keyde. UK kit sellers opt for beefier motors like the Bafang CST which are very capable, but around 3 to 4kg. Suppliers probably have less issues with these motors as the very light motors are more prone to failure if over stressed.

Great post Tony. Really enjoying the debate on here. As someone who has little knowledge of politics, it's given me a lot of insight. The argument for remaining seems by far the stronger to me.

I quite like the colour of the Alamo. As someone who does a lot of miles, not very often, I'd like to have the option of a bigger battery. The battery integration looks very neat though and Woosh replacement batteries are normally excellent value. The tyres in the picture look more like the rather narrow 28mm Karoo tyres. Are they really 35mm as mentioned in the spec?