Hi all, I have still not bought a folding electric bike , 2 yrs on. Mainly because I get so confused as to the 1 to go for????

Max of 1k and lots of hills where I live.[North Wales, Snowdon just around corner].

Still looking at secret, wisper, and others but would like bigger battery,[ more amps, if I'm correct]

So considering keeping my Halford Carrera Bike, and putting a kit on it. the 8-Fun BBS01/BBS02 kit looks good, not sure of price?

What are your thoughts? how easy to fit? and any other suggestions for a good kit, without spending a fortune.

The bike presently wont be used daily, neither for commuting, but for fun, be nice to use this for shopping and just instead of using my camper van to get up and down the mountain I live on.my house is [1000ft high]

cheers, Pete, now a frustrated electric bike wannabe, simply because I cannot make my mind up. Retired so pennies have to stretch a long way with no real income.

thanks,

folding bike for under £1000: the £749 woosh Gale is suitable to climb 1000ft everyday. 13AH battery, Bafang motor.

 

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?gale

 

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/2016/gale/gale-2000.jpg

 

Kit: BBS01 will be good. If you weigh over 100kgs, go for the BBS02. Easy to fit, if you can remove the bottom bracket, you can fit it.

 

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?cdkit

Either of the Wispers would be good, the Torque version would give you huge climbing power. Both offer disc brakes for safe stopping down those steep hills!

 

All the best, David

 

thanks, I weigh approx. 75kilo

Unfortunately I weigh in again at nearly 130kg and they work well for me! The frame carries a 10 year warranty.

thanks, here I go again, as a novice one costs approx. 750.00 the other twice as much?/? I ask why? what more do I get? and more importantly is it worth the extra.

Hi, if you are referring to the Torque bike, there is quite a lot of difference in all the parts used. The Woosh bike his great value but all the parts are less expensive then on the Wisper. Its always tricky but to give you some idea, the black SE bike is £500 less than the grey Torque bike but they look identical and our margins on the Torque is lower than on the SE!!

 

The Torque bike has a torque sensor built into the BB, a very high end, hi torque motor which is all but silent and packs such a punch we have had to put a soft start on power levels 3 and 4 as the bike was inclined to lift the front wheel on take off. Sine wave controller, a cassette instead of a freewheel, a cassette uses a free wheel within the motor which makes the link between motor and gears much stronger, this allows us to use a motor with 5Nm more than the version with a freewheel. The 8 speed gear change is as smooth as silk. The stem, locks, brakes, frame are all very good quality. We give a 10 year warranty on the frame and stem. We also have EN15194 certification for these specific bikes. Both bikes can be purchased and serviced locally. I could go on and on all morning, the best thing to do is try them both. I think you will see what I mean.

 

All the best, David

hang on a minute, a you saying that the Bafang motor on the woosh costs less than your akamai motor or the 13AH battery on the woosh costs less than your battery?

I don't think so.

hang on a minute, a you saying that the Bafang motor on the woosh costs less than your akamai motor or the 13AH battery on the woosh costs less than your battery?

I don't think so.

 

Yes absolutely. The motor we use costs more than any 8Fun motor*, we looked at 8Fun and could not find one to out perform the top end AKM motors.

 

We have used 8Fun in the past and would not go back.

 

Not sure about the 375Wh battery, if you let me know what you pay by PM I will let you know. The Samsung 575Wh battery we use would certainly be a lot more expensive.

 

* Hub motor.

Edited November 14, 20169 yr by Wisper Bikes

Yes absolutely. The motor we use costs more than any 8Fun motor*, we looked at 8Fun and could not find one to out perform the top end AKM motors.

 

We have used 8Fun in the past and would not go back.

 

Not sure about the 375Wh battery, if you let me know what you pay by PM I will let you know. The Samsung 575Wh battery we use would certainly be a lot more expensive.

 

* Hub motor.

 

I have talked to Akamai for months in 2015, thinking of using their 100SX motors, I know the prices. Your Akamai motor costs less than the Bafang motor on the Woosh Gale. Do you want to know why I did not proceed with them in 2016?

wow guys, if you read above posts from an outsiders eyes you can see why I and maybe many others are in total confusion over my original posting.

I value your responses and views but this is where I go into another period of what the f..., I`m lost. someone is making a good profit [and why not if they can?] Someone isn't being given true figures/facts from manufacturer/supplier? BUT I am left as a novice still wondering which is best. I appreciate every decision is a personal one , but all I am asking is from you experienced guys and gals, which bike for the money is better value for my needs as stated? I could pay £1500 or £750.00 but will I regret if I buy wrong one?

I could advise which engine in a T4 camper, purely from experience, best mpg, best reliability, etc from years of trying them all.

I just need similar advice on a folding electric bike. Without spending 2k or so.

Thanks.

Pete.

sorry poptop. I usually do not make disparaging comments.

I appreciate all comments, its just the fact it makes any decisions so much harder with such mind boggling information. I can get the gist of it though, lol...

It's a complicated market with so many models of battery cells, motors and indeed all parts available. I would be happy talk to Trex privately on the matter, as you say, it should not be discussed here, it simply confuses the matter. Suffice to say I had a meeting with the owner of AKM and his son last week, we are in the process of tweaking our customised motors still further.

 

All the best, David

Edited November 14, 20169 yr by Wisper Bikes

could someone neutral like d8veh please come here and discuss the merits of a Bafang motor versus an Aikema motor on a 20" wheel?

could someone neutral like d8veh please come here and discuss the merits of a Bafang motor versus an Aikema motor on a 20" wheel?

 

Great idea, D8veh has recently tested our motor. Bafang motors are a great staple but if you want to do anything different they are not so accommodating. I've used four manufacturers including Bafang and Dapu in my 12 years in the business and in my opinion AKM are the best we have dealt with. If I thought Bafang were better, I would use them! We specify every last point on our bikes and always use the best component at the price point.

 

Most importantly, as always, the OP should test ride the bikes to see which suits them best. As much as I would like them to, Wisper bikes don't always suit the rider as well as others.

 

All the best, David

Hi Poptop, No trade connection here, just an e-biker from west Wales.

I have a Carrera crossfire with an Ezee conversion kit on it. My wife has a Woosh Big Bear LS. Both take welsh hills in their stride with plenty of range, so long as you are prepared to put the effort in.

Neither machine is a folder, however, and I have no experience of them.

The Ezee kit has a large bpm type motor(front hub) and, whilst not being the cheapest kit, has proved to be robust and powerful. Backup service from Cyclezee (Milton Keynes) has always been helpful and prompt.

I managed to keep 14 of 21 gears after the conversion and this gets me up whatever Ceredigion can throw at me.

I'm not far from Cardigan if you wanted to try out either or both bikes, your welcome. PM me and we could see what we can arrange.

Cheers

Ben

I prefer the Aikema motor. It's always been smoother, quieter and more powerful than the euivalent Bafang, because it runs faster internally and has a bigger redution ratio, which is what gives the torque.

 

In the Wisper with the sinewave controller, the Aikema is more or less silent.

 

The Wisper also has a better control system, so you have more choice of how the motor helps you.

 

The difference between the two bikes is like the difference between a Kia and an Audi. They give the same speed and MPG, but there's plenty of differences that confirm why the Audi costs a lot more.

thanks d8veh.

I am always on the look out for new motors and am not surprised when someone praises one of them. The Aikema motors aren't new. They have been making them for years. The same design is produced under other brands, essentially having a two-stage reduction gearing and smaller lighter core compared to Bafang having single stage reduction and larger core. It's clear that Bafang can charge a premium for their motor because of their perceived excellent quality control and reputation. It's not by coincidence that Bafang is the largest motor manufacturer for e-bike motors.

If you google up which motor is most reliable, the answer is usually direct drive motors (no reduction gearbox) or geared hub motor with single single stage reduction like the Ezee and the Bafang BPM. Two things that can kill a motor: overheating and worn ball bearings.

The two stage reduction has its proponents and detractors and I am one of its detractors. Why? small cores overheat more easily, two stage reduction forces the motor spinning twice, thrice as much, accelerating wear and tear.

There is also one specific problem that stopped me using the Aikema 100SX, which is the way the motor lid is screwed onto the motor shell. Spokes on the motor wheel tend to pull hard on the flange of the shell. Overtime, the shell tends to deform and loosen the lid. If this happens, there is no cure.

Edited November 14, 20169 yr by trex

Benjahmin, thanks, so was the crossfire a standard bike initially? and did you fit conversion? What was total cost and how easy to fit?

Thanks Dave.

 

Hi Trex, I think we should agree to differ.

 

In a spirit of fairness, FYI we have never had one of these superb motors overheat and have never had one wear out. We have had a few issues (under 1%) with hall timing (due to our input asking for something a little different to their standard range) but these issues have all been satisfactorily resolved. This is a truly amazing motor at the sharp edge of ebike motor engineering. I suppose that explains the high price.

 

Kind regards, David

Bafang has excellent track record. Aikema Electric (Suzhou) have been making motors with two-stage reduction gearboxes since 2003 I believe. They have not been well known and certainly not beaten Bafang on sales. I think you are wrong to go with them. Time will tell.

Interesting, I had more problems with Bafang motors than any other brand. As you say time will tell.

 

All the best, David

These Aikema motors, are they available to vitae a kit, if not ,writing about them is pointless,the OP was asking about kits ,further confusing him!

 

By the way OP ,do you need a folder to zip up and down your hill that you call a mountain,a full size bike will likely be lighter,plus you can fit a centre drive motor and he the gears,which provides better climbing