Hi all

 

So my budget is £1k, but I'll stretch to £1300 if that gets me decent hydraulic discs and tyres that I won't immediately have to bin.

 

I haven't cycled for years and I want to get an e-bike to get myself back into it. It will be mainly used for commuting around South London, with the normal commute being 5 miles each way, but I expect to use it to get around London, on perhaps 30 mile round trips at the most.

 

What I'm looking for is reliability, reasonably decent quality parts, I'm not looking for anything cutting edge.

 

Where I've got to so far is;

 

Woosh Karoo

No suspension, but cheap and light, 13Ah (unknown voltage 36?) 19Kg

 

CycloTricity Stealth 500W Dual Power Electric Bike

I like the idea of having a 500W mode available, could be good fun, worry about its durability on daily commute. 324Wh/540Wh 23Kg

Oxygen S-CROSS CB Hybrid Electric Bike - 10.4Ah

Appears to be a nice package 375Wh/22Kg

 

Kudos Arriba Electric Bike

Looks competent, has a torque sensor which sounds like a good thing, and also hydraulic brakes, are Bafeng motors any good? 375Wh/22Kg

 

Wisper 929 Torque 29er Electric Bike

All quality components that I can expect to last? 375Wh/23Kg

 

Any more I should be considering!?

Sounds like you've got a good list going there, I'm sure there are plenty of others that could go on it too...but where do you stop?

 

Are you planning to go and try any of these bikes as that will really 'tell' you which one you really like?

My plan is to go try some out, but my worry is that I'm not really going to know how good quality the parts are from just pedalling around...

 

Lets add

 

Halfords Carrera Crossfire-E Mens Electric Bike

Weight no idea, battery no idea, but seems lots of people like it, and easy support from a local Halfords.

Yes that has hydraulic brakes, I believe it's an 11ah battery, but one of the reviews on here found out, so have a look, not sure about the weight though

Karoo is 36v and the hub is Bafang SWXO2.

Review link.

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/2016-woosh-karoo-hub-drive.23864/

 

Other bikes to look at Kudos Stealth/ Alamo.

 

Choice is a mixture of road style and mtb if you are not off roading then a road style/ hybrid may be best.

My choice of two would be the Wisper torque or Karoo.

 

I'm not a fan of Halfrauds, a work colleague took a mtb in to them for a work quotatation over a hundred quid to put it right. they quoted a new chain, front mech and cassette. In the end he left it with me and 30mins later all was ready to go the only thing needed was front and rear mech adjustments and brake block repositioning, a bit of chain lube and a test ride and it didn't miss a beat. 3 months on no issues.

Edited July 3, 20169 yr by Nealh

We don't have many of those bikes in our stores but we do have the Wisper se models at £999. Unless you do your own bike maintenance you'll need to have somewhere local to help. Any bike you buy will need to be maintained. If relying on it to get to and from work having quick and local diagnosis and access to parts will be important. So it's not just about finding a good bike it's also about finding a good bike store too.

 

 

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Hi all

 

So my budget is £1k, but I'll stretch to £1300 if that gets me decent hydraulic discs and tyres that I won't immediately have to bin.

 

I haven't cycled for years and I want to get an e-bike to get myself back into it. It will be mainly used for commuting around South London, with the normal commute being 5 miles each way, but I expect to use it to get around London, on perhaps 30 mile round trips at the most.

 

What I'm looking for is reliability, reasonably decent quality parts, I'm not looking for anything cutting edge.

 

Where I've got to so far is;

 

Woosh Karoo

No suspension, but cheap and light, 13Ah (unknown voltage 36?) 19Kg

 

CycloTricity Stealth 500W Dual Power Electric Bike

I like the idea of having a 500W mode available, could be good fun, worry about its durability on daily commute. 324Wh/540Wh 23Kg

Oxygen S-CROSS CB Hybrid Electric Bike - 10.4Ah

Appears to be a nice package 375Wh/22Kg

 

Kudos Arriba Electric Bike

Looks competent, has a torque sensor which sounds like a good thing, and also hydraulic brakes, are Bafeng motors any good? 375Wh/22Kg

 

Wisper 929 Torque 29er Electric Bike

All quality components that I can expect to last? 375Wh/23Kg

 

Any more I should be considering!?

A word on Bafang motors. I've never used their crank drives, but I think I've used nearly every one of their hub drives at one time or another (not the newer swx02).

 

SWX, BPM and CST. I have not broken one ever, and have abused them enormously. Pumping nearly 900w into 250w motors, over volting, making them pull two people up hill. Sometimes all at the same time.

 

I bought a batch of used SWX's a year or two ago, and built several bikes for me and mates. All still running.

 

You'll have no problems with a Bafang

 

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A word on Bafang motors. I've never used their crank drives, but I think I've used nearly every one of their hub drives at one time or another (not the newer swx02).

 

SWX, BPM and CST. I have not broken one ever, and have abused them enormously. Pumping nearly 900w into 250w motors, over volting, making them pull two people up hill. Sometimes all at the same time.

 

I bought a batch of used SWX's a year or two ago, and built several bikes for me and mates. All still running.

 

You'll have no problems with a Bafang

 

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Of the swx, bpm and cst which do you like best... Especially for hill climbing.

 

 

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Hi Ed, I've been watching your thread with interest.

 

Do try out the Wisper 929Torque, it's £400 below its retail price. It is an old model and we have a couple left.

 

You get Tectro hydraulics, and Shimano Alivio 9 speed. It's a lot of bike for the money.

 

Our Torque bikes are excellent value for money generally, excellent equipment for a very reasonable price. The 929 is definitely worth trying.

 

We can arrange for a test ride practically anywhere in the UK.

 

Here's Nelson Piquet Jr with his!

 

 

All the best, David

Edited July 4, 20169 yr by Wisper Bikes

I have a Wisper albeit almost 3 years old now, can't fault it. Looks a wee bit old fashioned but never lets me down. Battery is ace. Also they hold lots of parts even when newer models are on sale they look after you.

 

Would I buy another? If they looked more modern with integrated batteries wouldn't hesitate.

Of the swx, bpm and cst which do you like best... Especially for hill climbing.

 

 

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My personal use means that I like the SWX best. I don't need/want much torque, and I run at 4A most of the time.

 

If I were commuting up steep hills I think I'd want to use the BPM/CST

if you transit from push bikes to electrics then a crank drive or a light assist geared hub is a good choice. Your maximum budget of £1,300 excludes all the quality European made crank drives, only the Woosh Bali (http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?bali) would fall within £1,000 budget. Light assist best buy the moment: the GTech Sport and the Woosh Karoo.

repeat of my post in other thread

"

I entered e biking with a cyclotricity revolver ..now in in its 4th year and approx. 2500 miles and still going strong.. taken a bit og maintenance.. 2 years later I built a Saracen tufftrax and ebc kit..rear hub drive..is slightly better components .. loving it .. if didn't have these and were in the market for a new bike for road and light track I would probably consider the batribike storm . test drove one and was very comfy with its basic rear suspension.. if I were onroad all the time the woosh karoo would be the one for me... just my thoughts"

regards

Thanks everyone for your very helpful responses.

 

I'm intrigued to find out more about the Oxygen S-CROSS MTB http://www.oxygenbicycles.com/e-bikes/s-cross-mtb

 

Can't find any reviews, and doesn't seem to be a dealer near me (South London). Anyone got any comments, I like how the battery is integrated into the frame.

 

I'm currently torn between getting a purely commuting bike and something that I can use at the weekends off the roads...

This is similar, but not the same. Obviously an older model of what you're looking at. Nice though.

 

I'm currently torn between getting a purely commuting bike and something that I can use at the weekends off the roads...

I thought I'd just get a bike for commuting, now I'm glad I got something that can at least ride cycle tracks and other mild off road places

I thought I'd just get a bike for commuting, now I'm glad I got something that can at least ride cycle tracks and other mild off road places

 

What did you get?

300 more and you could get this.

http://justebikes.co.uk/products/bulls-twenty9-e-1-5/

What did you get?

I got an Eco Expedition, basically a Chinese made bike with fairly common components from the budget end of things

Thanks everyone for your very helpful responses.

 

I'm intrigued to find out more about the Oxygen S-CROSS MTB http://www.oxygenbicycles.com/e-bikes/s-cross-mtb

 

Can't find any reviews, and doesn't seem to be a dealer near me (South London). Anyone got any comments, I like how the battery is integrated into the frame.

 

I'm currently torn between getting a purely commuting bike and something that I can use at the weekends off the roads...

 

that looks a nice bike and I think it would fit your dual reqirements perfectly..

I got an Eco Expedition, basically a Chinese made bike with fairly common components from the budget end of things [ATTACH=full]14536[/ATTACH]

That looks like a good value alternative, any issues at all?

I have a Wisper albeit almost 3 years old now, can't fault it. Looks a wee bit old fashioned but never lets me down. Battery is ace. Also they hold lots of parts even when newer models are on sale they look after you.

 

Would I buy another? If they looked more modern with integrated batteries wouldn't hesitate.

 

Thanks Crockers! We have something new and quite exciting for the new season with an integrated battery. It may suit you.

 

All the best, David

Thanks Crockers! We have something new and quite exciting for the new season with an integrated battery. It may suit you.

 

All the best, David

Look forward to hearing more.......will it be hub or mid crank.

That looks like a good value alternative, any issues at all?

Apart from the usual maintenance (just adjusted the front derailleur because of some minor chain drag). The only thing I don't like is when the forks top out (when I pull up on the bars) it's a bit metallic sounding, you don't notice it on normal riding over the bumps. I thought about changing them, but it's pretty minor to be fair, for a budget bike I'm overall happy with it.

Look forward to hearing more.......will it be hub or mid crank.

 

Not certain yet Crockers, we are testing a new light weight crank drive at the moment, but it's difficult to find anything that outperforms our Wisper Torque system.

 

All the best, David