Elcycoltd

Hi, This post may be too late if you have sent your charger back. Of late we have had Trek bikes with the Bionx kit which have shown no sign of life and also not charging when connected up to the power supply. With their system you need to install the battery on the bike then connect up the battery to the charger. Switch on the mains power supply but don't switch on the control switch on the bike. Once you have done this you need to raise the back wheel so that it can turn freely and then spin the pedals for some time to get the back wheel turning. On the Trek system, if you spin the back wheel and motor this then kicks the battery into life and it starts to take a charge, at this point your fan should come on. With Trek, the battery would then charge as normal. Elcycoltd

Hi, When you connect the charger up to the battery and switch it on, are you getting the charger indicator light coming on ? As a Trek dealer we have come across this problem with new batteries on the Trek bikes which use the Bionx drive system. If you can let me know the situation with the charger indicator light I will try to advise you how to resolve the problem. Elcycoltd

Battery performance on any electric bike is dependent on the individual rider. As a Dealer selling Trek along with Giant, Gitane and Batribike, we always advise customers that the distance you get from a charge is down to how you "manage the battery". With three and four mode controls on the handlebars it is down to how you use the levels of power provided in each mode. Initially it is very easy to stick it into high mode and sail along with little effort but you will soon pay the price ! Trek quotes (in ideal conditions like everyone else) that your range in Level 4 is 48 miles whereas Level 4 will only get 12.8 miles. Restricting the use of the higher modes to uphill and the regen for the downhill sections and the other modes to the flatter sections will get you the best distance from your battery

We have exhibited at Presteigne on a couple of occasions, but unfortunately it is a long journey from Edinburgh for a one day Show. However if anyone is visiting Edinburgh or passing through on holiday they are more than welcome to visit and try out the demo-bikes we have available six days a week. We currently have Trek bikes, a Storck bike and the new Giant Hybrids with the 36 volt battery along with the Izip Skyline. Within the next few weeks we will also have the latest of the Batribike Folders also with 36 volt batteries and the first of the Gitane bikes we are bringing in from France. We look forward to letting people try the various bikes and get a comparison of the various manufacturers products. There is no pressure to buy but we would be happy to do business and get more electric bikes on the road for others to see.

Had a meeting with Ian Hughes today and he has supplied us with a Storck demo bike for our Stand at the SECC, Glasgow this weekend. We are pleased to have the bike for the Show and for a short time after to allow us to evaluate it and get customer feedback. If you can't make the Show come and try the bike at our Shop and compare it with the our range of Trek and Giant bikes we stock. This is an opportunity to let you see a premium brand e-bike with top of the range gear which looks and rides like a bike.

The Giant Twist Freedom CS Lite comes in Ladies and Gents models. Ladies models come in Small and Medium while Gents are Medium and Large. I would suggest if it is Gents you are looking to buy it would be a Medium.

Scottish Bike Show The Edinburgh Cycle Company has a Stand at the Show and part of our set-up,The Electric Cycle Company will be exhibiting our range of bikes. We will have Trek bikes and also the new 36V Giant Twist Esprit Power on the Stand along with a Dahon folder with a Bionx conversion kit. In addition we will have on display the Trek Valencia+ Bike complete with all the gear which is being used as one of a pair by the Paramedics in Edinburgh. We are also currently in negotiations with Storck and Cube to get there bikes on our Stand and when we have confirmation I will post again. Be glad to see anyone interested in electric bikes on our Stand.

The torque is measured via the deflection of the rear wheel spindle. This is why it is important that if the rear wheel is removed it is then torqued up to the correct setting when refitted or the sensor will not function.

Indications today are that the bikes will retail at £2200 and £2400. Hopefully we can get more information next week.

For those who are looking for something a bit different from your standard e-bike, take a look on CUBE BIKES . Mountain Bikes . Roadrace . Trekking Bikes and look in the Tour section. The EPO Model has just been introduced at Eurobike in Germany according to the BikeBiz website. Looks very like a concept bike which was shown to me a couple of months ago and I thought then it looked a bit special all in white ! Will try to find some more details regards cost and availability and post again soon.

We find that most of the cheap ones eventually suffer from horizontal movement of the saddle. Spend as much as you can afford would be my recommendation

Had an enquiry via our website yesterday for a key and charger for a Giant Twist Express RS2. This sort of request always rings alarm bells but I will follow it through requesting Frame No etc.

I have no experience of Alien bikes or conversions but have ridden a number of e-bikes from various manufacturers. Having ridden the Trek bikes which have the Bionx equipment fitted I can honestly say they are the quietest motors on any bike I know, you only hear tyre noise ! The Dahon Cadenza which we have on demonstration from Zyro ( the distributor) is the same. With most bike manufacturers due to bring out their 2011 models over the next couple of months there will be loads of opportunities to pick up a bargain and add a conversion at a reasonable end cost.

There are four kits available, all coming fitted into a rim with wheel sizes 24", 26" and 700mm. As detailed in the Spec, all are 250W motors but have four power modes and the same for regeneration.

Bionx Conversion Kits are now available to allow you to upgrade your own bike and can be fitted in a couple of hours. Admittedly they are not the cheapest in the market but you would be getting a top quality system as already proven on the Trek e-bikes. Check out our website for Specs and prices Electric Cycles and Electric Bikes from the Electric Cycle Company in Edinburgh, Scotland

This weekend (14th-15th August ) we have arranged to have our fleet of demonstrator bikes available for anyone to come along and try. Along with our normal stock of Trek, Giant, .Izip and Batribike we also have available a Dahon Boost folder and a Dahon Cadenza folder with a Bionx conversion kit fitted (PL250 Light). This is an opportunity to try out a bike with a conversion kit you can fit to your own bike in a couple of hours. We have a number of ex demo bikes available along with 2009 models of the Trek FX+which are on offer so come along and get yourself a bargain. The Electric Cycle Company is now based in our new shop premises at 133-135 Granton Road, Edinburgh EH5 3NJ

The Bionx system is the same on all three Trek models. Regenerative braking operates when you apply the front brake. You can override this on the control console where you can switch to regenerative mode and you have a choice of four settings. In addition you can see on the console the amount of power being returned to the battery. It is an excellent system, particularly if you live and ride in hilly areas. The fact that you also have four levels of power gives you a high level of assistance on the climbs. Word from Trek is that the Valencia+ will be available at the end of April, and at £1600 will be a very good buy. The other two models are currently available.

We are based in Edinburgh and have demo bikes from Trek,Giant and Wisper available with the new Raleigh bike coming out in May. Our shop is open seven days a week and you are welcome to try and compare the various bikes at your leisure. The prices range from £1200 to £1800. Electric Cycle Company Ltd Electric Cycles and Electric Bikes from the Electric Cycle Company in Edinburgh, Scotland 0131 552 0999

Elcycoltd Having checked the specification on the Valencia+ I can confirm that the battery is 40.7 V 6.4Ah Lithium-ion.The power assist has four power levels giving up to 45 miles on setting 1 (25%assistance). The motor also has a regenerative mode with four settings to extend the distance per charge.

Elcycoltd We are possibly a bit far from you but we stock both Trek and Wisper. The Valencia+ is not available till later this month but we have a demo of the FX+ (2009) and the T80 which is the 2010 model. We also have a Wisper 905se Sport as a demo bike. I don't think the the information you have been given on the battery is correct but will check when I go into the Shop tomorrow and will post the details then.

Elcycoltd We are a company in Scotland selling Giant, Trek, and Wiper bikes and about to add Raleigh to our Brands. You might like to try Raleigh as they have been distributing Powabyke through their Retailers but are about to introduce their own crank driven model which has been sold previously by Raleigh Germany. It looks like a Kalkhoff with a Raleigh badge but will know better when they introduce at their Show in a couple of weeks. Take a look at the Raleigh website then click on Raleigh Germany to see the models sold there.

Hi to all Forum Members and I would like to take this opportunityto wish you a Happy New Year. Difficult to answer all your questions in the one go, but I will try. Our website is Electric Cycles and Electric Bikes from the Electric Cycle Company in Edinburgh, Scotland The Trek Bikes are built on standard proven frames which are used on their general bike range with the battery built into the rack. This is popular on a number of European bikes where a set af panniers hides the fact they are electric bikes. The Bionx motor runs silent and with four levels of power from the handlebar mounted controler (and also four levels of regenerative braking which can be set to operate without actually applying the brakes) the distance per charge is down to the individual rider. In addition the controls can be pre-set by the retailer to suit the riders requirements whether you want distance in the flat counties or more climbing power on hills. No manufacturer will quote "real miles per charge" but only for bikes ridden on the flat with riders of a certain weight. We feel that this is fairly useless information and suggest the Trek will get somewhwere in the region of 25-30 miles subject to terrain. The battery is a bit different from the majority of other manufacturers and is made by Sony having a capacity in the region of 40V6.5Ah (I will confirm exact size in due course) On the subject of Giant & Trek, there is no connection other than Giant makes frames for other companies including Trek. Giant was founded in Tiawan whereas Trek is American. The new Raleigh will be manufactured in Germany and has been sold by Raleigh Germany previously and looks very similar to Kalkhoff. There will be initially two models sold in UK with a price in the region of £1700 I will try to provide any other information on request. Cheers, Elcycoltd

I have a shop in Edinburgh which specialises in electric bikes and prior to Christmas have been taken on as a retailer of Trek Electric bikes. We also sell Giant and Wisper Bikes and looking to take on the new Raleigh Bikes early next year. The Trek Bikes are well worth a look at with varying levels of both power and regenerative braking and although in the upper price range (£1600 - 1800), I think will prove popular. They also come in varying frame sizes. TrekBikes.com Country/Language Selection I would be interested in your feedback. Cheers Elcycoltd