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Hi I hit a grassed-over kerb when rejoining a cycle path and my front wheel now looks like one that people used to put on their walls in the 80s. And my elbow looks worse! My bike is a 2012 Neo Cross with hydraulic brakes. The disc has been knocked out of true too. The wheel itself is an Alex Rims DM18 ETRTO 622x18 6061H-T6 It's beyond repair, so can anyone give me some advice on what to replace it with please? Should I get a like-for-like or is their a better option? Sorry to be a bit pathetic but I haven't bought a new wheel for 30 years and the choice is overwhelming. Thanks! Phil

Philip As Martin has said, he was having you on. Do you think he might have been talking about the BH Nitro? I can't find proper specs on this bike but earlier in the thread someone mentioned it was for off-road use only, in terms of its overall legality. Reading this thread has been fascinating in terms of arguing over relative performance of the different bikes. I am now a happy owner of a Neo Cross and, as I bought it to help me up moderately steep London hills, it is very much fit for purpose. I liked both of the Kalkhoffs I took round Bushey Park but found both a bit dull. I got a kick out of both the AVE XH-3 and the Neo Cross when test driving 25 to 30 different models and went for the one I thought would suit my needs best. Out of all the bikes, they were the only 2 which I found exhilirating to ride. Phil

Hi Maloflora Having recently purchased a BH Emotion Neo Cross, I would definitely recommend it. Although I am based in West London, the closest dealer I could find was in Battersea and I found them VERY helpful - knowledgeable and generous with advice and information: Electric Bike | Electric Bikes | Electric Bicycle - eBikes Direct 020 7720 7973 Two months ago they had at least 2 different BH Emotion bikes in stock but these were not shown on their website for some reason. I rode them both - a cross-bar and step-through. They also stock Wispers, Kudos bikes and many others. I understand this dealer in Coulsdon also stocks them: The UK 020 8660 8823 My research indicated that, on maximum power, the Bosch motor adds 2.5x effort to your pedalling and the Neo Cross 3x effort. I do not know if that makes a great deal of difference to a ride of the length you may be faced with. In practice, I find that getting to 15mph on the flat is effortless and pushing on to 25mph exercises my thighs, as all assistance fades out after 15mph. Going up hills is fantastic though. I don't know the gradient of my local hills but they are pretty steep and I get up them at 12mph, which really speeds up my journey time. One thing I haven't yet full mastered is controlling the bike when pulling off from a standing start. The power kicks in and if not totally ready for it, it can feel like I'm surging almost out of control. I really liked the Agattu from 50cycles - much preferring the 11-speed version as I wasn't convinced the 8-speed kept up with me, even on the flat. Good luck! Phil

Barry The AVE XH-3 is currently (well yesterday anyway) at Onbike's showroom near Kidderminster: Electric Bikes from OnBike - The Electric Bicycles Specialists I understand it won't be there for too much longer and is going up to Scotland next week. I rode it yesterday and really enjoyed it - a very comfy ride and seemed well-suited to my own riding "style". The guys there are really helpful and knowledgeable too, so well worth a trip if you're in the area. I thought the Neo Cross they also had in stock was slightly better up their local hill but the XH-3 seemed to get up to 25 kph a little quicker. I am still undecided between the 2 but, as they said in the shop, both are good bikes.

Thanks for all those replies - really helpful. Has anyone on here actually driven the XH3 - or is it likely to be pretty similar to anything else with the Bosch drive? GaRRy - what were the problems with the Neo, if you don't mind me asking? Is it a pretty quick bike? Phil

Hi - I am new to electric bikes and have been looking at buying either the Neo Cross for £1900 or the Ave XH-3 for £1800. The Neo looks great and, I'm told, has 3x pedal assist whereas the Ave has max 2.5 pedal assist but seemed a really quick bike when I rode it round the short course at the NEC. I see that the Neo has had some mixed reviews on this site - has anyone got an opinion on either of these? As for most newbies, I am pretty confused! I have lower back issues so I'm looking for somethng to get me up my local hills as easily as possible. Thanks Phil