mogwai

cripes, suddenly I'm very glad they ran out of stock last year making me go for the cyclotricity instead.

I've got one of the cyclotricity bikes and looking at the kit I'd guess they're using mostly the same components so it should be rock solid. The LCD display really is a must have though, i can't imagine how anyone could put up with the basic one, the little dashboard is superb.

I seem to recall one of the ebikes I looked at before going for the cyclotricity stealth had a NuVinci CVT hub on it. Labelled as a "Seagull 26" I think... 26" Seagull Ebike 8Fun 250 Watt + NuVinci N360 CVP Hub decided against it as the distributor i was talking to couldn't guarantee spares, had no support network, couldn't answer the most basic of questions about it and saw fit to stick an extra £300 on top of what all the other people importing the same model were charging for it. I've never tried a CVT geared bike myself but can't imagine it solves any of the problems you already get with standard gearing setups. At least with normal derailleurs you get the option of swapping chainrings/freewheels when the mood takes you. imagine these are impossible to modify

I bought a "Stealth" through another one of their dealers very recently and found the same problem trying to get in touch with Cyclotricity by phone. They were very quick to respond by email though. I'm about to find out just how good their after sales service is though I as there have been a few issues with the bike. I will no doubt be writing a review here once their customer service has been put to the test too.

This is a rather early review as I only received it yesterday, I will of course post a more in-depth one after I've had some more time to get to know the bike. I was planning on trying out the Burisch bike but as they have no stock until November (seriously!) I had to take a different route. I went in to e-bikes direct to pick up the bike having asked online if they had one in stock, sadly they didn't but shortly afterwards told me they could get one in for Friday. When I arrived to get it they had done all of the assembly, adjusted the brakes and gears, inflated the tyres and even charged the battery for me, all without being asked. I was slightly irked by the cable routing for the motor which had been very poorly cable tied to the frame but it shouldn't be hard to resolve myself given a large bag of ties and 5 minutes. The shopkeeper showed me the basics, talked me though the functions, how to charge it, remove the battery and gave me some tips on securing the bike properly. All irrelevant to the review of course but the service really stood out so I thought it was worth a mention. The bike itself has a very nice profile, the frame looks stylish in creame and black with a couple of cyclotricity logos around, but they aren't overpowering or garish. It ships with all the necessary parts to take it out on the roads. Mudguards, reflectors, a bell and even a kickstand. These add-ons all seem a touch on the cheap and nasty side though so I expect I'll be replacing them almost immediately. There is an LCD dashboard showing speed, assist level, odometer and battery functions which was much larger and clearer than I was expecting it to be and a surprisingly comforatable high-biting throttle lever. The initial impression really is that the bike has some very good quality foundation components but all the bolt on parts are very low buget. A slight let down but on a bike in this price rand I did factor in having to change a few things in the price. Riding the bike is pretty easy really, the assist level is set on the dashboard 0-5 or you can just use the throttle. On motor only it powered very easily to 17mph before the limiter kicked in with 0-pedal assist there's no resistance from the motor at all and the various pedal assist modes work nicely, riding around London yesterday I found that the motor was excellent for adding speed whilst already moving but not really suitable for throttle only starts from a standstill. The weight is very impressive, it feels light and agile without being flimsy but I really need to spend a little more time with it before i can review it authoritatively. The downsides have been few but I can see them being time consuming to sort out. The supplied mudguards are of very poor quality and do not suit the style of the bike at all. The pedals are a similar story and I found I was getting foot cramp during extended unassisted stints, the supplied front and rear reflectors are also similarly awful and given the limited space on the handlebars thanks to the huge LCD, really should have been mounted elsewhere. The handlebar grips too are very poor and will need immediately replacing whilst the other components are just annoyances the handgrips are essential, the supplied ones are very hard and very sharp to the point that any ride over 10 miles is physically painful when not wearing gloves. Unlike other e-bikes in this bracket there isn't a battery driven front light either but this isn't really a worry for me as I always prefer removeable lights, others may not though so worth pointing out. I hope to post an update and some pictures after I've had a bit more time to spend with it.

Does anyone have any experience of using GPS bike trackers? Since I'm about to dive into e-bike ownership I did think it may be worth investing a little more in protecting it than I have previously and have been looking into them. I've not had much luck in finding any subtle versions that you could leave on a bike unnoticed but did spot a GPS/GSM mobile phone based tracker which fits invisibly into the steering tube and texts you its gps location whenever it detects movement or vibrations. Seems like a good way of reclaiming bikes if stolen and leading police straight to a thief. Assuming you rant enough to get them interested. The retailer looks a little new and unpolished but hopefully someone else has heard of them or can recommend them before i jump in? Motorcycle and Bicycle GPS Trackers - Spybike

I signed up to this site having read the reviews and opinions of this bike, was just about to buy one when the stock ran out. I've found that the guy behind Burisch is very responsive to questions via email and has confirmed that I can get spare chargers and a battery if needed so am impressed with their support. They did tell me that the new stock would be in for November and would have a couple of updated components but weren't very clear on whether that includes updated gearing and proper connectors for the controller... eager to hear what's coming. Sadly I can't wait that long as I'm currently without any bike at all so will get myself a cyclotricity stealth to play with for a while. Pending further reviews from your fine selves may swap it for a Burisch when they are back in stock!