nickc1976

[ATTACH]7375.vB[/ATTACH] First impressions - it looks good in the kitchen

Hi all I thought I would post an update on my search for a bike. Last week I was in London, and called in to a bike shop called Velorution which was not far from where I was staying in Euston. I tried a Momentum Upstart. This was a really nice bike, but not for me. It felt more like a road bike, built for speed in a high gear. I found the automatic gears a bit difficult to get used to, I like the option to change down a few gears in advance of something that I know is going to slow me down so I can easily accelerate off again. It kept changing up into the top gear earlier than I really wanted, and I just found it a bit difficult to ride on the city streets. Once I hit some open road though it was great. When I got home I decided I'd done enough test rides and went ahead and ordered a Roodog Striker. Out of all the bikes I've ridden, I found it the most fun, and the most similar to bikes I normally ride, and it looks good too. I also found the company easy to deal with, they answered my emails straight away and were really helpful. The bike has arrived now, but I haven't had chance to get out on it yet so will do a review once I've put it through its paces on my commute.

JuicyBike - New Mills is about 20 mins drive from where I live, but I won't be free until next weekend. What is your Sport Click bike like - do you have any pictures or spec info? The Arriba and Eiger sound interesting, but I am not aware of anywhere local to do a test ride.

Hi all, and thanks for the advice so far. I will definitely want to try before I buy anything, and I live in Manchester, so the supplier has to be somewhere I can easily travel to. I'm open to either mountain bike or hybrid type bikes. This weekend I have ridden a few more bikes, so thought I would share my opinions on them. First I tried a Cyclotricity Stealth. This was a nice bike, and the one I rode was de-restricted so I was able to get up a decent bit of speed. The downside was the gearing, it was too low, so at 16/17 mph, my feet were spinning too fast to go any faster. After that I rode a Juice Joule, which looks like it has now been rebranded to Joule Prism. I loved this bike. After riding the Stealth, it felt like a considerable step up in quality. The gears were not like anything I've used on a bike before, but were brilliant. They somehow use spheres inside the rear hub, and twisting the handlebar grip lowers or raises the gearing. It is entirely gradual, so a tiny movement makes a tiny change, meaning you can be very precise. There is no clunking of a chain, and it can be changed while pushing on the pedals, and it felt perfect for an electric bike, much more appropriate than derailleur gears. The other great thing about this bike was the speed. It was restricted to 15.5mph, but I could get up to 19/20 mph on the flat with very little effort, and even at this speed it felt like it was still giving me power. Maybe the way the gears work allow it to deliver power still so I only have to make a small effort to make up the extra few mph. I suppose the downside was that it is heavy, but it didn't feel heavy to ride. Also it doesn't look like a normal bike, it looks like an expensive electric bike, and I have some concerns that riding it might attract the attention of the local scallies. However, it is a definite contender. I thought I was set on the Joule, then I rode a couple of the Roodog bikes, the Striker and the Avatar. I went on a really great test ride with Scott, the director of the company, which took in some off road stuff. Both bikes were essentially the same and felt very similar to ride. I really liked them, they were light, and felt light to ride. The gearing was good too, with a big front cog, meaning I could get up some decent speed. There was no speedo, but they felt really fast, particularly in the highest pedal assist mode. They felt much faster than the Cobra and the power delivery was smoother, I wasn't aware of it cutting out at higher speeds. I think overall, it would be a more fun bike than the Joule. So I think I'm stuck somewhere between the Joule and the Roodog. I don't know whether the Joule being built in the UK and the Roodog being built in China makes any difference? I'd be interested to hear of anyone else's experience of these bikes - there doesn't seem to be many reviews around because they are new.

Hi all I'm doing some research for my first electric bike. I'll be using it for a 33 mile round trip to work, for which I expect to put in a decent amount of pedalling. I already cycle this route one day a week, nut want to do it more often and quicker. So far I've done a test ride on 3 bikes: Kudos Cobra - nice looking bike, and a nice ride, but I felt it was a little too easy to reach the top speed and the motor cut out Batribike Granite - riding position wasn't as comfortable for me, battery pack on the back rattled noisily when going over bumps Ave CH-Edition - a pleasure to ride, smooth and delivered power nicely and consistently, just not the right frame type for me. I am looking at this: http://www.roodog.co.uk/striker/ but I can't find much information on this company and wondered whether anyone had any experience of their bikes? I'm also considering this: CorCoach Bikes and again am wondering if anyone has any experience of this company. Or if anyone else has any other recommendations please let me know Thanks