Hello, I am very new to the world of electric bikes. I am looking for a new bike to replace my old Bobbin Brownie. I really like vintage looking bikes with Dutch handlebars and step through frames. As the name suggests, I use my current bike for short journeys (2-5 miles), mainly on the flat but I think I would venture further with an electric bike. I've seen a Volt Kensington which fits the bill in terms of looks but an Estarli E28 has also been recommended (which has the advantage of being light). I have test-ridden both. Does anyone know how Volt and Estarli compare in terms of quality/longevity of bike. Any comments/advice gratefully received as I'm going round in circles trying to decide between them!! And when it comes to belt vs chain on the Estarli, I'm completely lost!!! Help!!

I can only give general advice:

Electric bikes give problems from time to time, which need to be fixed. The first answer you need is who's going to fix yours when you get a problem. If you need to rely on a dealer, they need to be nearby.

 

We've seen all sorts of electric bikes come and go. Some were very innovative. People, who bought the innovative ones generally found out that they couldn't get the innovative spare parts when they needed them.

 

It's the same thing with batteries. Batteries wear out, and the smaller the number of watt-hours (Wh) in the battery, the quicker they wear out. The Chinese have had some batteries that have stayed the same for a decade, Likewise Bosch, Shimano and Yamaha have been quite good at keeping their batteries to a standard so you can get replacements for years. It's best to avoid any bike that has some battery that's unique in any way.

 

Apart from bikes with aBosch, Yamaha and Shimano, avoid any bike that requires a phone app for the bike to function.

 

If you don't care about keeping your bike for many years and just want one that does what you want until it doesn’t, you can get anything you want. My advice is just to avoid the disappointment that so many people have expressed when they came here looking for solutions for their broken ebike only to find that there was very little that could be done.

 

Volt are not bad. They've been around for a long time and have fairly good support for their Chinese electric stuff. The battery is not a very common one, and a replacement from Volt is quite expensive. You can still get them from Aliexpress for about half the price, but they're becoming harder to find. Estari are newer, they also use Chinese electrics. My only reservation is how long before they run out of replacement batteries.

 

In summary, if you don't know about ebike electrics, you're pretty well limited to what your local ebike shop can get for you. If you want to go mail order, get a bike with a very standard electric sysrem that's been around for a long time and avoid any bikes with fancy new ideas or gizmos. Either buy a fairly standard Chinese bike with a standard battery and hub-motor, or something from a premium brand with a Bosch, Yamaha or Shimano electrical system. Both the bikes you suggested nearly meet those criteria, but if you have a local dealer, they should be OK.

Not quite the look you want, and may be a bit big, but how about https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?santana3

Woosh have excellent customer support, and the parts are all pretty much decent quality standard generic Chinese.

 

Also https://wisperbikes.com/shop/e-bikes/step-through-ebikes/wisper-705-26/

https://wisperbikes.com/shop/e-bikes/step-through-ebikes/wisper-705-24-step-through-electric-bike/ (smaller wheels but not very small)

What about the woosh Camino on offer today. Looks to be a good buy from a reliable seller

Good bike, but I don't think the Camino would fit OP's request for traditional Dutch-like look.

Fwiw i converted my bike similar to yours? see my icon.. with a all in one kit from yose power. As long as your comfortable exchanging a rear tyre/wheel It should be no more than an afternoons task with most of the time devoted to cable management, yose are overly generous with cable lengths.. i did need way more cable ties than the kit supplied, and a couple of rivnuts to mount the battery as my bike had no sports drink holder.

 

Rim brakes on a conversion are somewhat lacking, and you will wear out brake blocks and perhaps your front rim too a lil quicker needing more regular brake tweaks, but in my case at least where a comfy ride top speed is closer to 10-12mph unpowered and power assisted, im ok with them.. - bumps and lumps in the rd may also become more noticable under assistance with your backside more firmly in the saddle.. but its an option..

 

If a new bike is what you want i would echo the above in suggesting woosh and wisper as trusted sellers.. Both have staff(owners?) contributing in here helping keep older machines on the rd where other less scrupulous sellers will take a problem with an ebike as an opportunity to sell you a new one..

I can vouch for Volt - just completed 2000 miles on a second hand Burlington without any issues whatsoever.