Show me a similar spec bike (and I mean similar or better components, same or better battery capacity, drive system, power, hydraulic brakes etc, and that looks like a regular hybrid bike) to the crossfire-e for what I paid for it (last Aug £660 after discounts) with a 2yr warranty from a local dealer, and I'd take mine back and get that instead

 

Currently the Kudos Safari with Nexus 8 and long life 36v lifepo4 battery, not one bike but a pair for £995.

Disadvantage of heavier battery otherwise a nice solid reliable brand with hub gears.

Currently the Kudos Safari with Nexus 8 and long life 36v lifepo4 battery, not one bike but a pair for £995.

Disadvantage of heavier battery otherwise a nice solid reliable brand with hub gears.

A great offer, and anyone after a couple of bikes of that type, it'll be hard to beat.

However, the differences between a Crossfire-e and a Kudos Safari are many, not really comparable, but I do take the point that either would satisfy a potential rider

I had the outage today on a ride. It happened after a steep climb. One of the points above mentioned pannier rack, I have the cheep one from Halfords that's designed for disk breaks.

 

[ATTACH=full]19552[/ATTACH]

 

Hi do you have the exact make and details of the pannier rack. I'll ask them to fit one during my 6 week check

 

Neil

Very much enjoying my new Crossfire. Early days but no cutting out problems yet ...

 

I fitted a Topeak tourist rack (not the specifically disk brake one) with a spring clip. Works fine.

 

Only issue is that when the chain is on one of the smaller two sprockets, it chatters against the wheel stay when freewheeling. The chain loses tension and then the sprocket takes it up. It does not do this when the wheel is lifted off the floor. It does it on the bigger sprockets too but the chain is tighter so it does not make contact with the stay when it slackens. A puzzle to me. Is the motor coming on momentarily and taking up the slack?

 

I notice discussion of having to fully discharge the battery before recharging. Mine is down to 6 per cent and is only dropping very slowly now despite use. I thought that lithium batteries did not like being fully discharged and reacted better to more frequent top-ups.

 

Has anyone successfully replaced the front chain ring with a double or triple? I guess it will not be straightforward as there is the torque sensor there to contend with.

 

The chain looks heavier duty than I have ever come across. Might anyone know the specification for replacement. I usually take a repair link out with me but would have no idea which to get to fit this chain.

 

Many thanks for your assistance.

Very much enjoying my new Crossfire. Early days but no cutting out problems yet ...

 

I fitted a Topeak tourist rack (not the specifically disk brake one) with a spring clip. Works fine.

 

Only issue is that when the chain is on one of the smaller two sprockets, it chatters against the wheel stay when freewheeling. The chain loses tension and then the sprocket takes it up. It does not do this when the wheel is lifted off the floor. It does it on the bigger sprockets too but the chain is tighter so it does not make contact with the stay when it slackens. A puzzle to me. Is the motor coming on momentarily and taking up the slack?

 

I notice discussion of having to fully discharge the battery before recharging. Mine is down to 6 per cent and is only dropping very slowly now despite use. I thought that lithium batteries did not like being fully discharged and reacted better to more frequent top-ups.

 

Has anyone successfully replaced the front chain ring with a double or triple? I guess it will not be straightforward as there is the torque sensor there to contend with.

 

The chain looks heavier duty than I have ever come across. Might anyone know the specification for replacement. I usually take a repair link out with me but would have no idea which to get to fit this chain.

 

Many thanks for your assistance.

 

Don't think the chain is anything unusual, it should be a standard derailleur 1/2" x 3/32". Specifying a heavier chain (eg 1/8" width as used on single speeds) wouldn't be logical as the motor drives the wheel directly so the chain experiences no more than normal cycling demands.

Regarding the chain-slap, all I can think is that the freewheel is sticking, so that if you move the pedals back slightly during a descent the chain slackens as it fails to reverse the block. Can you back-pedal easily or is the block reluctant to rotate backwards?

Do you get the same symptoms if you ride with the motor completely switched off?

Haven't heard of swapping to double-chainring, as you say it's probably complicated.

On battery management, this seems to be wide-open for discussion, lots of opinions - even the instructions which come with the bike aren't clear; page 4 of the Ebike manual says simply "charge the battery before riding" (do they mean top-up whenever you return home?), page 8 says "always discharge the battery completely and then fully charge it". Always? The separate manual for the Phylion battery states on page 6 that the battery "features no memory effect", which in theory means there's nothing to worry about however we use it! I try to follow the advice which I've seen from various sources, I top-up fairly regularly and do a full discharge/ recharge around every 6 weeks. Doing a full discharge needs planning, you need to be near home when below 5% and preferably not at the bottom of a long hill! (there's a very noticeable power drop on my bike during the last few percent run-down).

Regarding cutting-out, I've had about 3 instances in 6 months ownership, instantly resolved by pressing the button on the battery. Cutting out seems to be caused by the "wrong kind of bump" in the road.

Many thanks for your helpful reply. The chain chatter occurs when the motor is off too and when back pedalling too, so it looks like a sticky sprocket. I'll give it a squirt and see if it improves. I think I will just charge up as and when as I have done with other bikes. The batteries seem to have lasted well on those.

 

Keen to compare my Crossfire with friends' expensive Treks. From memory they did not seem much better and certainly not 3 times as good!

I tried a very short ride on a friend's Kalkhoff. It has a bottom bracket motor so it drives through the gears, whereas the Crossfire's hub motor is effectively a single speed and not so good at steep hills. The Kalkhoff seemed slightly noisier and less refined, but is better-equipped with lights/rack/mudguards, and longer-range battery. On the whole quite satisfied with the Crossfire, although I wish they hadn't bothered with that nasty, clunky suspension fork and used the money saved to specify a nice chromoly steel rigid fork instead.

So, my new Halfords Special, a Carrera Crossfire electrocycle. I have had a non-electric Crossfire 3 for a few years and very much like it as a comfortable hybrid bike; ideal for London commuting and bumping up and down kerbs as well as a bit on off-road paths. It rolls very well and is surprisingly nippy. The electrocycle is similar in specification except it has hydraulic disc brakes. So, I was interested to acquire the electric version when I discovered it.

 

 

I have had a Cyclamatic electric MTB for 6 years now and enjoyed it immensely. Although heavy and just a 24v motor it has made trudges through muddy paths enjoyable and caused me to bike on such unattractive ways when otherwise I would have driven the car. The Cyclomatic is also a cheap bike, or mine was; a factory returned machine on eBay. It democratised the eBike and made their advantages available to all. A logical development of the bicycle itself which has given freedom to so many billions of people. The old Cyclomatic had some needed some mods - principally better gearing and a triple chainring and it helped me up some steep hills.

 

 

My main reservation about the e-Crossfire was its gearing. In the modern style - it has a single chainring and a mere 8 gears on the sprocket. The largest is large but I was concerned about hill climbing and wondered if it would need modification to be useful.

 

 

The steepest hill I know well is in the Lake District - Bank End, just up from Duddon Bridge on the way to Ulpha. On my ordinary road bike I have a triple chainring and a big granny gear. I sweat and pant and that hill is an effort. The sweating is added to by the constant risk of wheelies as the hill is so steep. Proficient lycra'd-up cyclists overtake me standing out of the saddle to do so but they are not going that much faster. Despite its weight, the Cyclamatic with added gears can manage it better but it is still an effort. I wondered whether the Crossfire, although lighter and 36v rather than 24v would make it at all with its denuded gearing.

 

 

Happy to report that the ascent was fairly easy, neither sweating nor panting and all done on only the "Tour" setting, the next to lowest out of 4 assistance settings. Out of interest I went back down again and used the maximum assistance "Sport" setting. Then, I found that there was no need to select the lowest gear and the ride was again fairly easy. Trying Bank End for fun or information is not something I would do on a non- e-bike …

 

 

So, the gearing is fine for any route I am likely to take. The bike is nicely balanced for steep hills and the brakes were reassuringly effective on such a steep descent. It has shown me how eBikes have developed in the last 6 years.

 

 

So far, I have done only 100 miles or so. I thought I had escaped the battery cutting out issue, but no. Left out overnight in heavy rain, I went ut for a run the following day. After a couple of miles, a cut out. Fortunately I had the battery release key. There was a lot of water puddling near the battery connectors. These were dried and off again fine. No issue since, yet.

 

 

The bikes have come on. An eBike within the reach of all now has the capacity to be a serious mode of transport for the many. An equivalent to the Honda 50 of the 1960's plus environmental and health benefits. It will be interesting to see if the very recent if unfortunately named Carrera Crossfuse takes up that mantle …

 

 

I have modded my Crossfire. A Topeak Tourist rack and front mudguard move it a bit towards practical commuting. Likewise, a back mudguard made from chopped up bits of an old mudguard cable-tied to the rear rack, But I have also put on puncture resistant Slime inner tubes and 2.25 inch mtb type Schwalbe Smart Sam Plus tyres for off road tracks. These are cleverly designed tyres. They are wide and have an aggressive tread with lots of knobbles. However, they have a double row of diamond shaped knobbles around the centre which, when deformed by a man of my stature, form a narrow slick which contacts the tarmac. There is very little road noise and the bike rolls forward very well. In mud and especially in snow, all of the knobbles cog in to the ground and there is mtb style traction and security.

 

Again, to move it back to a more off-road bike I have fitted a Suntour cantilevered suspension seat post and this makes a better tide in the rough. Incidentally, I have had no grumbles with the Suntour front suspension forks which in my opinion add to the bike. A quick release seat post clamp is handy when there is a change of terrain. These are after all hybrid bikes. In view of its now many eBay led improvements, I may name mine the Carrera Bastardo ...

I've managed to fix/reduce the number of powercuts to the bike:

https://the-bionic-cyclist.co.uk/2017/10/15/the-dreaded-power-cut-fixed/

 

All it takes is a single cable-tie in the right place.

500 miles and only 2 cutouts.

Pics are welcome.

Remove the neoprene cover from the connecting barrel, add a ziptie like so

The zip tie pushed the barrels together.

Remove the neoprene cover from the connecting barrel, add a ziptie like so

The zip tie pushed the barrels together.

I think you've solved a different problem with that one. That wouldn't normally affect the battery. You can disconnect it completely and the display still won't go off. Try it.

 

If the display goes off, the battery has either shut down or disconnected. The disconnection only needs to be momentary to switch the display off.

Remove the neoprene cover from the connecting barrel, add a ziptie like so

The zip tie pushed the barrels together.

I think you've solved a different problem with that one. That wouldn't normally affect the battery. You can disconnect it completely and the display still won't go off. Try it.

 

If the display goes off, the battery has either shut down or disconnected. The disconnection only needs to be momentary to switch the display off.

 

Have to agree, the barrel connector on mine is cabled tied securely like yours (always has been), it aint going anywhere, but I still get the occasional cutout. There's no logic to it, I have had it cutout stationary at the lights (bike not moving an inch), on the flat, on smooth tarmac, on bumps, going fast, going slow, there's no pattern to it. It can go for a couple of months without cutting out, and then I get it 3 times in a week. I don't worry about it, as the rest of the bike is great

So, my new Halfords Special, a Carrera Crossfire electrocycle. I have had a non-electric Crossfire 3 for a few years and very much like it as a comfortable hybrid bike; ideal for London commuting and bumping up and down kerbs as well as a bit on off-road paths. It rolls very well and is surprisingly nippy. The electrocycle is similar in specification except it has hydraulic disc brakes. So, I was interested to acquire the electric version when I discovered it.

 

 

I have had a Cyclamatic electric MTB for 6 years now and enjoyed it immensely. Although heavy and just a 24v motor it has made trudges through muddy paths enjoyable and caused me to bike on such unattractive ways when otherwise I would have driven the car. The Cyclomatic is also a cheap bike, or mine was; a factory returned machine on eBay. It democratised the eBike and made their advantages available to all. A logical development of the bicycle itself which has given freedom to so many billions of people. The old Cyclomatic had some needed some mods - principally better gearing and a triple chainring and it helped me up some steep hills.

 

 

My main reservation about the e-Crossfire was its gearing. In the modern style - it has a single chainring and a mere 8 gears on the sprocket. The largest is large but I was concerned about hill climbing and wondered if it would need modification to be useful.

 

 

The steepest hill I know well is in the Lake District - Bank End, just up from Duddon Bridge on the way to Ulpha. On my ordinary road bike I have a triple chainring and a big granny gear. I sweat and pant and that hill is an effort. The sweating is added to by the constant risk of wheelies as the hill is so steep. Proficient lycra'd-up cyclists overtake me standing out of the saddle to do so but they are not going that much faster. Despite its weight, the Cyclamatic with added gears can manage it better but it is still an effort. I wondered whether the Crossfire, although lighter and 36v rather than 24v would make it at all with its denuded gearing.

 

 

Happy to report that the ascent was fairly easy, neither sweating nor panting and all done on only the "Tour" setting, the next to lowest out of 4 assistance settings. Out of interest I went back down again and used the maximum assistance "Sport" setting. Then, I found that there was no need to select the lowest gear and the ride was again fairly easy. Trying Bank End for fun or information is not something I would do on a non- e-bike …

 

 

So, the gearing is fine for any route I am likely to take. The bike is nicely balanced for steep hills and the brakes were reassuringly effective on such a steep descent. It has shown me how eBikes have developed in the last 6 years.

 

 

So far, I have done only 100 miles or so. I thought I had escaped the battery cutting out issue, but no. Left out overnight in heavy rain, I went ut for a run the following day. After a couple of miles, a cut out. Fortunately I had the battery release key. There was a lot of water puddling near the battery connectors. These were dried and off again fine. No issue since, yet.

 

 

The bikes have come on. An eBike within the reach of all now has the capacity to be a serious mode of transport for the many. An equivalent to the Honda 50 of the 1960's plus environmental and health benefits. It will be interesting to see if the very recent if unfortunately named Carrera Crossfuse takes up that mantle …

 

 

I have modded my Crossfire. A Topeak Tourist rack and front mudguard move it a bit towards practical commuting. Likewise, a back mudguard made from chopped up bits of an old mudguard cable-tied to the rear rack, But I have also put on puncture resistant Slime inner tubes and 2.25 inch mtb type Schwalbe Smart Sam Plus tyres for off road tracks. These are cleverly designed tyres. They are wide and have an aggressive tread with lots of knobbles. However, they have a double row of diamond shaped knobbles around the centre which, when deformed by a man of my stature, form a narrow slick which contacts the tarmac. There is very little road noise and the bike rolls forward very well. In mud and especially in snow, all of the knobbles cog in to the ground and there is mtb style traction and security.

 

Again, to move it back to a more off-road bike I have fitted a Suntour cantilevered suspension seat post and this makes a better tide in the rough. Incidentally, I have had no grumbles with the Suntour front suspension forks which in my opinion add to the bike. A quick release seat post clamp is handy when there is a change of terrain. These are after all hybrid bikes. In view of its now many eBay led improvements, I may name mine the Carrera Bastardo ...

Nice to hear about your bike, the mods, and your experience. I've ridden mine in 4 hours continuous rain, it performed brilliantly, however I did get a little moisture in the control buttons, and had to take it apart and dry out with a hair dryer. If you are leaving yours outside, I'd recommend getting a cover

Have to agree, the barrel connector on mine is cabled tied securely like yours (always has been), it aint going anywhere, but I still get the occasional cutout. There's no logic to it, I have had it cutout stationary at the lights (bike not moving an inch), on the flat, on smooth tarmac, on bumps, going fast, going slow, there's no pattern to it. It can go for a couple of months without cutting out, and then I get it 3 times in a week. I don't worry about it, as the rest of the bike is great

If my ebike cut out at lights, worry is exactly what I would do.

If my ebike cut out at lights, worry is exactly what I would do.

It happened once at the lights, guess what, I just rode off like riding a normal bike and pulled over a little further on and reset it. If I worried about little inconveniences like this, I'd be worried lol

Does anyone know the exact size of the rear spokes for this bike?

 

I had a small 1 inch diameter piece of branch fling up into my rear wheel and break 2 of them a couple of weeks ago, now 2 more have gone (literally) and the wobble is getting bad.

 

I don't want to ride it again till i can get it sorted for safety and not making it worse, however, the travel time will increase fir me and the cost is going to be painful till it's fixed.

 

 

 

 

On the subject of cut outs on this bike, i have done over 1200 miles commuting to work in just over 4 months, i had random cut outs once or twice sometimes 3 on one leg of my journey (once or twice a week) in the first 500 miles.

It seemed to stop entirely until i reached around 1125 miles and started cutting out again this last week, 6 times in one way to work and 3 on way back just a couple of days ago.

 

Like has been mentioned it seems to happen in similar circumstances but never repeatable.

I have had it cut out over very bumpy tarmac, cutting across smooth grassed fields, also starting up a steep hill after going downhill at 30+mph as the motor kicks in when the speed drops back into the 16.9mph limit.

 

The worst is when you stop and it cuts out and you are in a poor starting gear, i've had my bike even cut out literally just after switching on when about to start my ride, having not moved yet.

Edited December 5, 20178 yr by Ziyi

You will need to remove a good spoke and measure it.

Re the cut out issue it is surely a battery or controller one ( over sensitive bms/software ) or bad battery/controller contacts.

Ignore the rear hub connector that has been said to resolve the problem as all it does is connect and power the hub via the ECU/controller unit, the connector supplies power to the hub via the controller and sends back sensor signals but no power supply.

Edited December 5, 20178 yr by Nealh

Sapim Leader spokes 13g black

Item Number SL13B , Quantity @ 95p/ nipple choice: 6 spokes (4mm nipples) , Measurement/s (mm): 252

 

https://www.alexwarwick.co.uk/spoke-supplies/j-bend-spokes-13g-14g/

I’ve had a couple of rear spokes break.

My local Halfords (Evesham) have dealt with the problem so far.

So, my new Halfords Special, a Carrera Crossfire electrocycle. I have had a non-electric Crossfire 3 for a few years and very much like it as a comfortable hybrid bike; ideal for London commuting and bumping up and down kerbs as well as a bit on off-road paths. It rolls very well and is surprisingly nippy. The electrocycle is similar in specification except it has hydraulic disc brakes. So, I was interested to acquire the electric version when I discovered it.

 

 

I have had a Cyclamatic electric MTB for 6 years now and enjoyed it immensely. Although heavy and just a 24v motor it has made trudges through muddy paths enjoyable and caused me to bike on such unattractive ways when otherwise I would have driven the car. The Cyclomatic is also a cheap bike, or mine was; a factory returned machine on eBay. It democratised the eBike and made their advantages available to all. A logical development of the bicycle itself which has given freedom to so many billions of people. The old Cyclomatic had some needed some mods - principally better gearing and a triple chainring and it helped me up some steep hills.

 

 

My main reservation about the e-Crossfire was its gearing. In the modern style - it has a single chainring and a mere 8 gears on the sprocket. The largest is large but I was concerned about hill climbing and wondered if it would need modification to be useful.

 

 

The steepest hill I know well is in the Lake District - Bank End, just up from Duddon Bridge on the way to Ulpha. On my ordinary road bike I have a triple chainring and a big granny gear. I sweat and pant and that hill is an effort. The sweating is added to by the constant risk of wheelies as the hill is so steep. Proficient lycra'd-up cyclists overtake me standing out of the saddle to do so but they are not going that much faster. Despite its weight, the Cyclamatic with added gears can manage it better but it is still an effort. I wondered whether the Crossfire, although lighter and 36v rather than 24v would make it at all with its denuded gearing.

 

 

Happy to report that the ascent was fairly easy, neither sweating nor panting and all done on only the "Tour" setting, the next to lowest out of 4 assistance settings. Out of interest I went back down again and used the maximum assistance "Sport" setting. Then, I found that there was no need to select the lowest gear and the ride was again fairly easy. Trying Bank End for fun or information is not something I would do on a non- e-bike …

 

 

So, the gearing is fine for any route I am likely to take. The bike is nicely balanced for steep hills and the brakes were reassuringly effective on such a steep descent. It has shown me how eBikes have developed in the last 6 years.

 

 

So far, I have done only 100 miles or so. I thought I had escaped the battery cutting out issue, but no. Left out overnight in heavy rain, I went ut for a run the following day. After a couple of miles, a cut out. Fortunately I had the battery release key. There was a lot of water puddling near the battery connectors. These were dried and off again fine. No issue since, yet.

 

 

The bikes have come on. An eBike within the reach of all now has the capacity to be a serious mode of transport for the many. An equivalent to the Honda 50 of the 1960's plus environmental and health benefits. It will be interesting to see if the very recent if unfortunately named Carrera Crossfuse takes up that mantle …

 

 

I have modded my Crossfire. A Topeak Tourist rack and front mudguard move it a bit towards practical commuting. Likewise, a back mudguard made from chopped up bits of an old mudguard cable-tied to the rear rack, But I have also put on puncture resistant Slime inner tubes and 2.25 inch mtb type Schwalbe Smart Sam Plus tyres for off road tracks. These are cleverly designed tyres. They are wide and have an aggressive tread with lots of knobbles. However, they have a double row of diamond shaped knobbles around the centre which, when deformed by a man of my stature, form a narrow slick which contacts the tarmac. There is very little road noise and the bike rolls forward very well. In mud and especially in snow, all of the knobbles cog in to the ground and there is mtb style traction and security.

 

Again, to move it back to a more off-road bike I have fitted a Suntour cantilevered suspension seat post and this makes a better tide in the rough. Incidentally, I have had no grumbles with the Suntour front suspension forks which in my opinion add to the bike. A quick release seat post clamp is handy when there is a change of terrain. These are after all hybrid bikes. In view of its now many eBay led improvements, I may name mine the Carrera Bastardo ...

 

I had a pleasant visit to Halfords in Barrow in Furness. First I cycled my Crossfire around town and then over the slag bank which ascends steeply along the side of Walney Channel . This, by the way is a delightful maritime mtb ride with views up to the high Lakeland fells. 'The Slaggy' has been much landscaped and now forms something of a common . Parts are very steep and rugged .

 

At Halfords I had pre-booked a test ride on a Crossfuse and I took it on the same ride that I had just done on my modded-up Crossfire.

 

The Crossfuse is more appealing in the flesh than it appears to me on Halfords photos and is a nice looking bike . It had the standard tyres, of course, as issued rather than my mtb tyres but performed well off-road as well as on tarmac. I returned it inevitably a little muddy and they were very nice about it .

 

My impression was that the Crossfuse had more pull in the motor than mine and a shade better up hill but not by much. The gearing is similar but I did not count the teeth on the cogs . It is definitely a nicer bike but I will not be rushing to change.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/carrera-crossfuse-mens-hybrid-electric-bike-17-19-21-frames

Power is difficult to assess. What you feel as power is actually the torque. Crank-drives always feel more powerful because the torque increases in the low gears, which is where you get your first impressions. Each time you change up a gear, the torque goes down. The hub-motor's power characteristics depend mainly on speed. In the mid-range and up to the 15 mph cut-off, where you use the bike most, it'll most likely have superior torque.

Thank you. That is very informative.

 

I tend to pootle about on tarmac mostly but also have a run on grass and mud of about 3 miles each way which I do a few times a week and also in The Lakes, encounter some of the most severe hills. So torque is important to me. So, when needing most torque and so assistance I guess that I should try to keep in a fairly high gear on my hub based bike?

 

I took both Carrera bikes over the Barrow slag heap which is practically vertical in parts to test just that. The 'fuse has 9 gears to the 'fire's 8 but I am not sure if the ratios are in fact much different in bottom gear. On the steeper parts the 'fuse seemed to be a fraction easier to keep moving.

 

I have been a bit underwhelmed by the 'fire's battery capacity and though it has not run out, I would have expected more life. In Halfords they told me that the 'fuse had a longer battery life. It is certainly different and looks much smaller. When they were on offer, I was toying with the idea of buying a second 'fire just to get another battery for longer excursions taking in multiple Lakeland passes but now the price has gone back up, that fancy has gone...

 

On a run, I just switch the power on when really needed but still the battery drops alarmingly. On one hill which is really steep and about a mile long the battery dropped by some 8% on that incline alone and I was pedalling hard in the highest gear I could manage.

 

One point I should report is on the smoothness of the motor cutting in which was said to be an advantage for the 'fuse. I cannot say that I noticed any particular difference between the two bikes. The 'fire feels very pleasant and I would not have clocked that as an issue had it not been raised in other reviews.

 

My richer friends are slowly coming out of hibernation now and I will be interested to compare my economical 'fire with Haibikes, Scotts and the Treks when I visit the nicer villages and will report my impressions ... if they are willing to swap ...

My richer friends are slowly coming out of hibernation now and I will be interested to compare my economical 'fire with Haibikes, Scotts and the Treks when I visit the nicer villages and will report my impressions ... if they are willing to swap ...

 

Yesterday I caught up and passed a chap on a Bosch powered bike (brand written really small, couldn't read it - great marketing!). He was very unimpressed so stood up and gave it all he had to re-pass me. I had the assistance turned up to 35 km/h (I know! Naughty me... ), was seated, in jeans, a big woolly sweater and parka with a couple of panniers on the back. He was in lycra and wearing a helmet, guess who won