Andys

Missing the point A lot of the responses seem to miss the point; the original post was about costs "if you need to keep the car". Frankly, if you are not replacing a car then an E-bike does not make financial sense. That does not stop it being a sensible purchase; just that you need different criteria to "justify" your purchase.

I ride a Moskino Eagle; nothing special about it but on several occasions I have followed a struggling "manual" rider up a steep hill, at walking pace, with no effort; all I had to do was turn the cranks. No effort, no fuss. Sometimes I have ended up in bottom gear to be slow enough but never any problem getting the motor to do the work. Just a little boring but didn't want to overtake on a narrow pavement. Andy

Putting lives at risk; maybe a slight overreaction Blocking a fire exit staircase; stupid at the very least. Andy

I didn't intend to do my next update till October but life changes; I am retiring and moving back to Scotland. So, commuting ends and I say goodbye to Bristol's hills! To business; the quote from my last report still stands. I have done 1700 miles, purely commuting, and nothing has changed. Only thing of note; the other day I overtook three "proper" cyclists and two Kenyan Olympians on my way up past the Univ of West of England. Don't think I will beat that record anytime soon!

Excellent! A new variation on an old joke. Andy

Eighteen month update: The thumb shifter for the gears broke in February - it is cheapest Shimano - I bought and fitted a replacement quite easily. That surprised me as I am no mechanic!. I also broke a spoke on the rear wheel by jamming my bike lock in the wheel and then pulling; told you I was no mechanic. The nice people, at the "Specialized" shop in Downend, Bristol, fixed that without any hassle. Apart from that I have nothing to report; I use the bike to go to work and it still works fine. Andy

I never understand why testing of Ebykes is always done by the least suitable cyclist; usually young, certainly fit and unlikely to enjoy any of the benefits of an Ebyke. Get them tested by people like me; my bike got me back into cycling to work and up a hill I couldn't make on my "manual" machine. The downside is that, though I am doing more "real" cycling at the weekends; for commuting, it would take a crowbar to get me off the electric. Andy

My first "annual" report: now done a 1000, commuting, miles and almost everything still works. The exception is the, fitted, rear light that has given up the ghost. As I use multiple flashers I am not going to bother sorting it. Appart from that I remain happy with my bike. Andy

Hi Barry I read your review and It struck me how often our thoughts were similar! I really cannot be bothered cleaning a wet bike when I come home from work so I tend to spray a lot of "cycle maintenance spray" over everything; that keeps the rust at bay. I used silicone sealant to seal all the joints that wires went in an out of - that is as much involvement as I want with the electrics. I do have the 10amp battery - needed a magnifying glass to read the printing. I have no idea where, in China, it was built as it is the most anonymous looking bike you could imagine. Used my proper bike, for exercise, this morning - even managed to pass a "proper" cyclist - but I miss my electric motor! Andy

Having had my bike since October 2010 I thought it was about time I did a report on it. In that time I have done about 650, purely commuter, miles. My round trip to work, in Bristol, is only 7 miles but manages to include 3 "hills" (they seem like hills to me!). My riding style is to, generally, use the highest power setting and just peddle faster as the going gets easier. I bought the bike because I wanted to cycle to work but could'nt face the embarrasment of walking up the first hill - which I was having to do on my standard bike. As this was a gamble I wanted a "cheap" bike, in case I gave up an went back to the car. That part off the deal has worked well as I have sold my car and my wife won't let me use hers! The second part is coming on; I can ride my ordinary bike up the hill with stopping but I would rather be on the electric machine! Having never owned an elctric bike before I can only report my own experience. The bike looks pretty good but is a pretty basic machine - exactly what you would expect in that price range. However, after 10 months of daily use in all weathers I am happy to say that nothing has broken and I don't seem to have to adjust anything more often than I have done on any other bike. The road I use has some pretty rough concrete sections and a tyre killing cycle lane (edge of woodland plus rubbish) but I have had no punctures. My mate, cycling the same route on his nice hybrid, has had seven! As I have got a bit fitter I find that I would like higher gearing as I never use bottom and would like an "8th" at the top. The brakes are a bit soft but have no problem bring the bike's 26Kg and my 90Kg to halt in an emergency. In truth, the bike is fine and I enjoy riding it. My car is sitting in front of my neighbour's house and I don't miss it. On my route the bike does -exactly- 20 miles before expiring. I say exactly because I tested this twice and the bike expired at just about the same point each time. I don't think this is unreasonable, on my hilly route and using full power all the time but it is clearly a limit. Basically, I charge the battery, on the bike, every second night. It seems to take a couple of hours and I try to remember to unplug the charger but it does switch off automatically. So what is bad? 1) The mudguards; I fitted "extensions" made from pond liner and that works well for me but they do not have sufficient reach. 2) The front shock; it does move but I suspect it is more decorative than functional. That's about it; I like my bike and if I could magically double its range I would love it. What next? Well.......the plan was to ween myself back on to my ordinary bike; maybe buy a road bike to replace my mountain bike and that is working - a bit. I do go out for rides, at the weekend, but I ave no inclination to ride anything but an electric bike to work. I regard the battery as having a, useful, life of, maybe, two years. So I need to decide - nice, expensive bike or nice expensive electric bike (with a longer range)? I will tell you the answer in 12 months or so. Bought the bike from "Take Charge", in Bath who were and are very helpful. Andy Bristol