375 0r 575w, can you explain these please Dave.

 

Multiply the Voltage (V) of the battery by the Amp Hours (Ah) of the battery to give you Wh

 

36V x 16Ah = 576Wh

 

24V x 8Ah = 192Wh

 

It's an easy reference a single number giving you the "capacity" of a battery. Most of the big manufacturers use Wh when discussing battery capacity, it makes sense. We simply followed suit.

 

All the best, David

thanks, sorry to go on and on, just trying to get things straight in my head.....and for the german engineering as apposed to chineeeese?

any comments, though I appreciate its a volatile topic.

The wisper 806e is German, am I correct?

Dave the wisper 806e has 2 battery options, 1 is375 the other is 575, can you explain these as rated as w, and I'm only used to say13v.8ah or 13ah?

Why would it be better to go for bugger one. Also the wisper is a german frame? correct? could I say better engineered? thanks.

 

Both batteries are 36V one is 10.4 Ah and the other is 16Ah.

 

The Wisper frame has never been made in Germany. However it is made by one of the biggest and best Asian frame makers in the world, a frame maker where many top German frames are made, hence our ability to offer a 10 year warranty on our frames.

 

I explained the reasons that I would alswys go for the bigger battery in a few posts above this one.

 

"I would always ago for the bigger battery if you can afford it, especially in the hills. It will give you far more range but more importantly for you the peak hill climbing power will be available for longer. The other important point to remember when choosing battery size is that most batteries come with a 2 year warranty, they will be guaranteed only to lose up to 20% or 30% of their capacity over the two year period. A 36V 16Ah battery has a capacity of 576Wh less 20% is 460Wh, a 36V 13Ah battery has a capacity of 468Wh so after 2 years if your 16Ah battery has lost 20% of it's capacity it will be practically the same as a brand new 13Ah battery and will therefore keep it's performance for far longer and will last longer too. Buying smaller batteries is often a false economy."

 

All the best, David

Well explained and useful, thanks.

 

One more question. Are you considering introducing any new wisper models in 2017 with sram or shimano hub gears ?

 

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Hi Andy, we have just taken the Nexus 7 speed hub off our folder and moved the front drive to the rear. The motor we use has a very high torque rating, we were having a problem with the front wheel spinning in gravel so we have moved it to the back.

We have discovered time and again over the last 12 years that the hub motor is certainly better placed in the rear under the rider and battery giving more powerful motor wheels more traction, especially in slippery conditions.

 

All the best, David

Hi Andy, we have just taken the Nexus 7 speed hub off our folder and moved the front drive to the rear. The motor we use has a very high torque rating, we were having a problem with the front wheel spinning in gravel so we have moved it to the back.

We have discovered time and again over the last 12 years that the hub motor is certainly better placed in the rear under the rider and battery giving more powerful motor wheels more traction, especially in slippery conditions.

 

All the best, David

Aha, will you be having a larger bike with hub gears like the 705?

 

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thanks, sorry to go on and on, just trying to get things straight in my head.....and for the german engineering as apposed to chineeeese?

any comments, though I appreciate its a volatile topic.

The wisper 806e is German, am I correct?

 

We made all Wisper bikes at MIFA in Germany two years ago. MIFA made the Smart Bike and Grace E bikes so we were quite confident they would be a good manufacturer. We could not have been more wrong! Hastily we moved back to Kunshan in China, which is gradually becoming the world ebike manufacturing centre of excellence. These guys are more innovative and really care about the business. Recently it has become cheaper to make e-bikes in Eastern Europe due to Chinese wages overtaking those nearer to home. We strongly believe that China is the best country to make our bikes.

 

All the best, David

think I am getting there, phew......looking like the wisper 806e with bigger battery is in the lead. Any comments Andy?

Aha, will you be having a larger bike with hub gears like the 705?

 

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David, the 806 on your site has derailier gears not hub gears?

 

Im referring to the gears not the motor :-)

 

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Aha, will you be having a larger bike with hub gears like the 705?

 

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No sorry Andy, we are staying put with a few (67) minor upgrades next year. This year we have been continuously out of stock and this we believe is the biggest problem we have in growing our business. The bikes are really good and work well. In 2017 we have one 40' high top container arriving in January then two more every month until May when we increase to three a month for the height of the season.

 

Our bikes are good, we now want to become one of the only Ebike suppliers not to run out of stock during the year!

 

All the best, David

d8veh i would love to see what you think would best suit the original poster,you seem to have been dragged away from the original post,leave the fighting to the people trying to sell their wares.

 

At only 75kg, Poptop has a very wide choice. That's the problem.

 

I weighed 100kg when I started ebiking, and we have a lot of steep hills around here. I started with a regular Bafang front hub-motor 36v battery and 15A controller. It changed my life and probably saved it too. All ebikes work, and it's not expensive or difficult to change bits to make them suit you better (bars, seat, gears, etc. I was happy with that original bike and bits of it (motor, controller, throttle, PAS) are still going after 6 years, though it did need a few minor fixes.

 

Here's the features I like to see in an ebike for normal riding on the road, like touring, shopping, visiting, etc:

1. Sinewave controller for smoothness and quietness

2. At least three levels of assist

3. Gearing suitable for pedalling to at least 20 mph. That means free-hub gears or a chainwheel at least 44 teeth (at least 50T with 20" wheels).

4. Disc brakes, preferably hydraulic. I would immediately upgrade cable disk brakes if I had no choice (£50).

5. Up-to-date cells. A 36v 12Ah battery should now weigh less than 3kg.

 

Now we get to the choice of crank vs hub-motor. For very long hills, say greater than a mile, a crank motor is probably better (OEM legal 250w 26" wheel bike). For everything else including bikes with smaller wheels, rear hub-motor, provided that the motor has a sensible winding speed. The problem is that different hub-motors have different winding speeds and the OEMs probably haven't a clue what theirs is, even though it's a significant characteristic.

 

Now we come to decision time. To answer the question in OP: Yes, a Bafang BBS01 will be suitable. They're easy to fit and you can choose whatever battery you want. Make sure you get a gear-change sensor. They're quite expensive, but they're worth it. Problem solved!

 

Originally, he wanted a folding bike. That's a bit more tricky because there's so many similar. I think that gearing is probably the most important if you want to ride any distance. After that, battery weight vs capacity. I don't like to recommend particular bikes except when people have special requirements that make a bike particularly suitable. I always go for the cheapest that meets my requirements, but I can fix and change things if I find something that bothers me.

 

Which bike should I get? That's the same as saying, "which car should I buy?" There's no answer. The more research you do, the harder is the choice. You just have to dive in, then learn from your experience.

David, the 806 on your site has derailier gears not hub gears?

 

Im referring to the gears not the motor

 

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Yes, all our bikes have cassette or freewheel gears as explained above.

 

All the best, David

Yes, all our bikes have cassette or freewheel gears as explained above.

 

All the best, David

Last cycle I had was sturmey Archer three speed it was a hub

 

Bit daunted by derailier are they easy to use does the chain fall off easily?

 

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Here's the features I like to see in an ebike for normal riding on the road, like touring, shopping, visiting, etc:

1. Sinewave controller for smoothness and quietness

2. At least three levels of assist

3. Gearing suitable for pedalling to at least 20 mph. That means free-hub gears or a chainwheel at least 44 teeth (at least 50T with 20" wheels).

4. Disc brakes, preferably hydraulic. I would immediately upgrade cable disk brakes if I had no choice (£50).

5. Up-to-date cells. A 36v 12Ah battery should now weigh less than 3kg.

 

 

Something like the £749 Gale will do:

 

1. Sinewave controller for smoothness and quietness: checked

2. At least three levels of assist: checked

3. Gearing suitable for pedalling to at least 20 mph. That means free-hub gears or a chainwheel at least 44 teeth (at least 50T with 20" wheels): checked, the Gale has 50T chainring

4. Disc brakes, preferably hydraulic. I would immediately upgrade cable disk brakes if I had no choice (£50): the Gale has V-brakes.

5. Up-to-date cells. A 36v 12Ah battery should now weigh less than 3kg: checked. The Gale has 36V 13Ah.

 

you don't need to pay a lot for a 20" folding bike that fulfil these criteria. The two most expensive parts in an e-bike are the motor and the battery. Let's just concentrate on those two.

Something like the £749 Gale will do:

 

1. Sinewave controller for smoothness and quietness: checked

2. At least three levels of assist: checked

3. Gearing suitable for pedalling to at least 20 mph. That means free-hub gears or a chainwheel at least 44 teeth (at least 50T with 20" wheels): checked, the Gale has 50T chainring

4. Disc brakes, preferably hydraulic. I would immediately upgrade cable disk brakes if I had no choice (£50): the Gale has V-brakes.

5. Up-to-date cells. A 36v 12Ah battery should now weigh less than 3kg: checked. The Gale has 36V 13Ah.

 

you don't need to pay a lot for a 20" folding bike that fulfil these criteria. The two most expensive parts in an e-bike are the motor and the battery. Let's just concentrate on those two.

Nice Post.

 

If the hub is at the front then surely if its knackered you can just pull the wheel with motor out and throw a new one in? Cost for wheel and motor £100?

 

If hub motor at the back is it just as easy to replace?

 

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For a crank drive/mid motor 28"/700C wheel bike on hilly terrain a 42 tooth chainwheel is proving to be the best choice. I have a natural cadence of between 60 and 80 and am quite strong (for my age) and yet managed to find a slope where the original 46 tooth chainwheel was too big and stalled the motor.

 

For those looking for a bike with a mid drive for commuting or trekking I would suggest a Yamaha powered bike with a twin chainring setup. I am considering mounting a 48-36 double chainring and two speed derailleur on my GSM so would be changing the chainring for up hill and down hill and probably staying in the middle three gears on the back most of the time.

 

The people I see riding bosch powered bikes around here all seem to have a ridiculously slow cadence.

replacing a motor wheel is dead easy, pull off the motor connector (behind the chainstay), loosen the two M10 wheel nuts. The old wheel comes off very much like a normal wheel.

Here is the motor wheel on the Gale:

 

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/2016/gale/gale-drive-train.jpg

 

You should zoom in to the all metal folding pedals on the picture.

Check the pedals on other folding bikes. They'll tell you how much the manufacturers care for little things that get the most abuses.

If hub motor at the back is it just as easy to replace?

 

You just have the chain to move out of the way as well as undoing the torque arms.

Is there nationwide service centres in the UK for these crank motors? How much to replace one?

 

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AK runs his GSM with a torque simulation controller. The motor costs £215 new but they are easily serviceable by good DIYers. The only special tool you may need is the BB nut remover. It's the same tool used to service the BBS01 and BBS02. You can make it yourself for about £5 or get one from woosh. You don't need any special tool for jobs like greasing or replacing the motor core. Woosh also sell the GSM with internal controller with LCD and accessories, comparable to the Bafang BBS01 kit, for £275.

 

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

AK runs his GSM with a torque simulation controller. The motor costs £215 new but they are easily serviceable by good DIYers. The only special tool you may need is the BB nut remover. It's the same tool used to service the BBS01 and BBS02. You can make it yourself for about £5 or get one from woosh. You don't need any special tool for jobs like greasing or replacing the motor core. Woosh also sell the GSM with internal controller with LCD and accessories, comparable to the Bafang BBS01 kit, for £275.

 

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

Would I be better of with the crank motor than the Big Bear?

 

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mind in a tiz, but to get maximum battery/bike for best bucks in a folder I seem to be heading for the Gale with 13ah battery. This seems my best bet. As instructed dive in and give it a try was some advice. With good feedback on Woosh, seems a no brainer, unless someone throws something else into the pot [ maybe technical stuff, the novice is not aware of].

but only 12 months guarantee....

mind in a tiz, but to get maximum battery/bike for best bucks in a folder I seem to be heading for the Gale with 13ah battery. This seems my best bet. As instructed dive in and give it a try was some advice. With good feedback on Woosh, seems a no brainer, unless someone throws something else into the pot [ maybe technical stuff, the novice is not aware of].

but only 12 months guarantee....

For what its worth im also steering towards a woosh, I'm around your age albeit a different body size so wont be the same model.

 

When you weigh everything up the woosh bikes seem less padded with marketing gimmicks and middleman costs resulting in good value for money.

 

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interesting comment Andy, it was that or wisper 806 but that is over £400.00 more, and I don't really know what Im getting for that extra money.

you going for big bear by any chance?

interesting comment Andy, it was that or wisper 806 but that is over £400.00 more, and I don't really know what Im getting for that extra money.

you going for big bear by any chance?

Im looking at the big bear LT, or a Crank Drive as I weigh 120km

 

Trex made a good point on battery and motor so i would look at those replacement costs, any other component could be cheaply replaced,. £400 is a substantial amount of money, I am as the same thought as you, what am I getting for the extra?

 

 

 

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downside is they only give 12 months warranty?