2013 BH E-motion Neos

[GORDONAL]

Hi Barry i too bought an AVE MH7 and am absolutely delighted with the bike quality and certainly after extensive testing of other drive systems am hugely impressed with the Bosch. My local dealer had an AVE XH3 in his showroom and it certainly caught my eye, far nicer than BH or KTM Cross . If my MH7 is anything to go by the XH3 would be good - what about the new Grace MX as a contender also?

Happy hunting

Alan

 

[firrrip]

Barry

The AVE XH-3 is currently (well yesterday anyway) at Onbike's showroom near Kidderminster:

Electric Bikes from OnBike - The Electric Bicycles Specialists

I understand it won't be there for too much longer and is going up to Scotland next week.

I rode it yesterday and really enjoyed it - a very comfy ride and seemed well-suited to my own riding "style".

The guys there are really helpful and knowledgeable too, so well worth a trip if you're in the area.

I thought the Neo Cross they also had in stock was slightly better up their local hill but the XH-3 seemed to get up to 25 kph a little quicker.

I am still undecided between the 2 but, as they said in the shop, both are good bikes.

 

[eddieo]

Barry, my DaaHub kit is on a high spec specalized bike.2012 £1400 today, 2011 £1100 which I have....I think once you have ridden a bike with quality kit you will find a stock Chinese e bike laughable in comparison

are you sure you want and MTB style bike, as 28inch wheeled bikes nicer for road use I think...

If I was going for a Bosch bike now I would go for the £1100 half price one I linked on here a few days ago and save a packet

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/12826-bosch-powered-bike-under-1100-a.html

Please at least try a Bosch system bike first as would hate for you to go ahead just on the strength of my posts..... any bike will do as they all share the same drive.(except S class)

welcome to try mine if near London.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Kudos is quitting the BH range

We currently have the Neo range and Xenion 650 and 700 on big discount. At the discounted price these bikes are fantastic value for money-please view the Kudos website.
The profile of these bikes do not fit with the Kudos model and we are quitting the range.
We only have 5 bikes in total so first come first served.
Dave
Kudoscycles

 

[Deleted member 4366]

...so it is hard to know whether the better quality kit will result in a better experience, or just a warmer feeling inside..
my cheap Tektro hydraulic brakes work very well on my present MTB, so would Magura feel any better...should do, but!
would better quality suspension forks 'feel' better on the usual broken UK road surfaces/towpaths/bridleways, but not uber-technical tree roots and broken rocks etc
my middle/low Shimano Deore front & rear changers be slicker with SLX (Haibike)

I think you know the answers to your questionns. You can marvel at and appreciate the fine engineering in expensive components that gives you a warm feeling, but it doesn't translate into a more enjoyable riding experience. I've been working on a bike today, and got a chance to try it afterwards and there's something about the overall package that makes this bike an absolute joy to ride. Everything works just as it should. It's comfortable, user-friendly, smooth and powerful. It cost £480 new two years ago and has had many changes since, including fitin an old set of Bomber forks that came free with a frame that I bought, a new battery (the old one was taken by another bike), seat and seatpost, bottom bracket and some electrical changes. It still uses the cheapest brakes and lever gearchanger. If I had a choice of this bike or a Neo or Haibike, I'd choose it because what it delivers is better. Hopefully, you'll hear a bit more about it tomorrow when the owner posts his changes here. Total cost no more than £700.

So there's my answer: You don't have to spend a lot to have an enjoyable electric cycling experience.

Having said all this, there's one does make a difference: suspension is noticeably more comfortable when you get expensive components.

 

[mountainsport]

I totally agree with you GaRRy,what suits me doesn't necessarily suit you.I have ridden two of the NEO bikes and to be quite frank the start up torque is very responsive,and also very smooth on hill climbing.
The only one draw back for me is i prefered having the option of the use of a throttle. Apart from all that i will still have a soft spot for this bike.

Mountainspot........ Remember time waits for no one so always be on time. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[GaRRy]

We currently have the Neo range and Xenion 650 and 700 on big discount. At the discounted price these bikes are fantastic value for money-please view the Kudos website.
The profile of these bikes do not fit with the Kudos model and we are quitting the range.
We only have 5 bikes in total so first come first served.
Dave
Kudoscycles

Just seen the price on your site and as you say real bargains at the price you are offering.

could be tempted by the xtrem but reckon the misses would kill me

 

[barrycoll]

d8ve always seems to hit the nail on the head, and always seems to say things that you don't really want to hear...sorry mate

basically a bike is a bike, and whether it is a set of holiday rental wheels, or one of my 2 Bromptons, or my Mercian 27X 1.1/4 tourer, or my Specialised Rockhopper, if you slept well, and feel good, and the sun is shining, then the ride will be a good one

on the other hand I am a fully fledged member of the consumer society, and manufacturers dont spend good money on advertising if it didnt unsettle punters like myself....

bikes inevitably will always suffer from the law of diminishing returns, but todays experience is more like one of pressing the nose to the toy shop window, where d8ve's common sense approach quietly evaporates

....todays 'problem' becomes more one of "you will appreciate the quality, long after you have forgotten the cost"............discuss!!!

and now Kudos are offering AVE XH3 equivalents at a decent price, although maybe, as old stock, the batteries have been sitting around for a while....
but as dv8e also said, a quality suspension would be well appreciated, so that the story back to the Haibike with quality forks

anyway, these musings sort of clear the mind, and prevent pressing the BUY button for yet another day

cheers barrycoll

 

[eddieo]

heavens above.....so a bike with quality rims/frame/brakes/gearset/shocks etc... makes no sense, and you cant tell the difference, well I can.......Maybe wasted on an overpowered moped, favoured by some on here, but they ain't E bikes

try the XH3 and BH then. But there are others.... KTM at around 2K also a nice bike with 29 inch wheels....

 

[GaRRy]

but as dv8e also said, a quality suspension would be well appreciated, so that the story back to the Haibike with quality forks

Cant argue with that but you do need to look at the complete package. If some components are expensive then compromises have almost certainly been made elsewhere (assuming two bikes are same retail price).

Which is better a £9000 car with another £5000 spent on better wheels and tires and suspension or a £14000 car straight out of the show room ?. It all depends on what you are trying to achieve/need.

Ultimately this all comes down to personal taste, whats available, and how much you can afford.

The only real advise worth listening to is to try as many as you can (even ones you are pretty certain you dont like/want) and then choose what you feel is best for you.

And what ever you choose you can guarantee someone will think your wrong (iPhone/android, windows/OSX/Linux, xbox/playstation etc etc etc)

 

[Eagle]

If Dave (d8veh) can source a suitable complete conversion kit and battery for around £500/600, then my preference would be to get a good quality full suspension bike as a donor.
The Giant Anthems (and earlier NRSs) have very sophisticated and comfortable suspension systems. Also, they generally use quality components. In addition, their (preferably Shimano as opposed to Avid) hydraulic disc brakes are far superior to the cable type.
Yes, I know that there can be problems fitting a pedal sensor to a Hollowtech bike but I am confident that Dave will come up with a cheap and practical solution in due course!

Fitting a Hollowtech crank:
Fit A Hollowtech Crankset - MadeGood | Free bike repair resource


Giant NRS:
Giant NRS Mountain Bike MTB Full Suspension | eBay

Giant Anthem X (0 down to 5):
GIANT ANTHEM O ULTIMATE SPECIALIZED TREK MOUNTAIN BIKE 17" MEDIUM 24LBS | eBay

Still quite a saving on an AVE XH-7 or Haibike at £2800.

AVE XH-7 Electric Bike

Haibike


Compare these 2 photos:
Haibike:
http://wurstkoffer.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/haibike.jpg

2011 Giant Anthem X5:
Anthem X5 (2011) - Bikes | Giant Bicycles | UK / Ireland (go to link then double click for full size photo).

Look familiar?

 

[eddieo]

my kit has pedal sensor fitted to hollow tech and has not played up at all in over 18 months

while I probably prefer my kit bike if I had to choose, my AVE bike has hardly any wires on display. Wires are frankly annoying, and I have just manged to pull one of my brake cut outs of at the leaver loading it on camper....

with a bosch powered bike there really is less to go wrong

 

[Eagle]

eddio,

How did you fit the sensor to the Hollowtech crank/BB?

Photos would be useful, please.

Thanks.

 

[eddieo]

Wisper fitted kit for me....here is a pic. hope this is what you want as not that tech savvy

sorry about quality as from phone

 

[martin@onbike]

Interesting, they appear to have dropped all crank drive versions in favour of hub drive across the range for 2013 according to the chap in the video!

I rode the off road 650 with Panasonic power and the Xenion 650 with Bosch power. Really nice quality bikes, but I didn't like the Panasonic at all, the Bosch was much better, but my preference is for hub drive. I'd like a ride on that MTB version, very tasty!!

Just to inform,Emotion haven't dropped their crank drive bikes...they have actually added to the range of Bosch,Panasonic and Hub driven bikes.

 

[martin@onbike]

Thanks for all those replies - really helpful.

Has anyone on here actually driven the XH3 - or is it likely to be pretty similar to anything else with the Bosch drive?

GaRRy - what were the problems with the Neo, if you don't mind me asking? Is it a pretty quick bike?

Phil

I have ridden both of these bikes recently out and about the Worcestershire countryside,and they both feel very competent bikes.
I'd say the Neo has the edge in power,but is slightly less refined than the XH-3(as Direct drive always is in comparison to Crank drive in my opinion)
The extra gearing on the Neo is nice to have for unassisted cycling-though unessential for assisted.
I have only compared Bosch systems on different wheel sized bikes(20",26",28")and they obviously feel/handle differently...but i haven't had chance to compare two 26"Bosch systems against each other yet.