Absolute newbie to e-bikes!!

[Kudoscycles]

Yes it is heavily subsidised by the council as they want to get people cycling- there is a long waiting list hence looking at a fold up bike potentially also.

We have a number of Kudos Secret bikes,that are available from ex demo usage,some of these are virtually brand new and priced at £595.00 including delivery and vat.
The Secret is one of the best selling small e-bikes in the UK,I ride one a lot,I am 6ft and 100kgs,we have sold over 1000 bikes.
We have a choice of white or black colour.
These bikes were imported prior to January 2016,so are legal to use with the twist and go throttle fitted.
If you look on my website you can see some photos.
From your description it would seem an ideal bike.
Good luck.
KudosDave

 

[bearfacedclaire]

We have a number of Kudos Secret bikes,that are available from ex demo usage,some of these are virtually brand new and priced at £595.00 including delivery and vat.
The Secret is one of the best selling small e-bikes in the UK,I ride one a lot,I am 6ft and 100kgs,we have sold over 1000 bikes.
We have a choice of white or black colour.
These bikes were imported prior to January 2016,so are legal to use with the twist and go throttle fitted.
If you look on my website you can see some photos.
From your description it would seem an ideal bike.
Good luck.
KudosDave

Thanks will look at some reviews.

Where are you based? Are you able to maintain these bikes with spares etc through other shops if not able to get to your premises?

 

[Angelnorth]

Any examples of throttle type I can have a look at- price range no more than £1500

As your initial shortlist is made up of bikes you can see locally, you could go in to the shop and ask about the throttle operation on each - how it's set up and whether it can be changed through a setting on the controller if the default is for it to only work up to 6kph. If they have other Wisper bikes, the SE ones have cadence sensors rather than torque and you can get the throttle to work the motor to the 15.4mph cut off as long as you keep the pedals turning (so you don't have to put any force through the pedals, as long as you have the energy to keep your legs moving round). The 705 SE is in your price bracket (just under a grand - due to go up by £100 at the start of September).

 

[Kudoscycles]

Thanks will look at some reviews.

Where are you based? Are you able to maintain these bikes with spares etc through other shops if not able to get to your premises?

These bikes are still bicycles with electrics added,the electrics are becoming more reliable and servicing of the mechanicals is easy at any local bike shop.
Kudos holds one of the largest range of spares of any e-bike importer,over £30,000 to date. In the rare event of a major electrical problem these bikes tend to be shipped back to the importer for repair,the cost is only £10 carriage.
I know of no e-bike selling agent that keeps spares,this is always the responsibility of the importer....ask your dealer if he has spares for any of the bikes you have listed?
We are based in Whitstable,Kent.....we have over 30 test bikes ready for test rides on our private test area or its a nice ride along the seafront. If you want to go away from a folder,the Kudos Verona or Milano are pretty bikes or the very practical Kudos Sprint.
KudosDave

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Thanks will look at some reviews.

Where are you based? Are you able to maintain these bikes with spares etc through other shops if not able to get to your premises?

They use standard Chinese stuff that you can get from a number of other sources even if an asteroid crashes into Kudos and wipes them off the planet.

I think one of those Kudos bikes would be perfect for what you want.

 

[Angelnorth]

I guess from what I am seeing a throttle and a Torque would be the ideal.. does this even exist?!!

Yes it does but I think D8veh is right that a torque sensor may not be the way to go for you.

That said - I have a Wisper 705 Torque which is an example of something with a torque sensor and a throttle. It actually also has a cadence sensor so you can "bypass" the torque sensor and go to cadence if you prefer. In either sensor mode, the throttle works to get the motor doing the work up to 15.4mph as long as you keep the pedals turning (it will work to 4mph without turning the pedals - something that's really designed as a walk-assist function rather than a riding function, I think).

In your shoes I think I might try to plan a couple of trips to the shop. Ask questions and try out whatever you can then go away and think about it and see if any new questions present themselves as a result of your test rides. Go back with those questions and have another try on anything that still seems attractive.

 

[Artstu]

I am not that fit and have chronic fatigue.

At the risk of spiiting hairs chronic fatigue could of course mean lots of different things to different people. Saying you suffer from CFS/ME is a different matter and conveys a clearer picture, well to me at least. I personally would never say I have chronic fatigue, more likely I'd say I have a fatiguing illness, someone who is unfit and say overweight could suffer from chronic fatigue and not actually have an illness and I have personally known people who have said this, which can and is detrimental to genuine sufferers of CFS/ME as it is currently called, or SEID if you're up to date on the IOM report.

She suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, so most torque sensor systems would leave her stranded.

Given Claire has the energy to work full time ending up stranded to me seems unlikely, but then only Claire will know if that is a likely occurrence, some (me) would have no trouble soft pedalling, others may, there is no size fits all to the illness.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Artstu...I agree but she doesnt have to take the risk....a speed sensor leaves the rider in control,she can select the amount of power dependent upon terrain and her fitness,if she wants a workout turn the power down,if she is tired turn the power up,you cannot do that with a torque sensor.
I have just sold a Kudos Verona to a lady who has a similar illness to you,she came down from London,had a day out and took her ideal bike back.
KudosDave

 

[Artstu]

Artstu...I agree but she doesnt have to take the risk....a speed sensor leaves the rider in control,she can select the amount of power dependent upon terrain and her fitness,if she wants a workout turn the power down,if she is tired turn the power up,you cannot do that with a torque sensor.
I have just sold a Kudos Verona to a lady who has a similar illness to you,she came down from London,had a day out and took her ideal bike back.
KudosDave

I agree Dave, a bike with a throttle and speed sensor is the safest and best option, my first bike had those. I'm lucky to have been a good cyclist prior to illness and I've managed to keep hold of my big leg muscles.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

One other consideration for the Kudos Secret. The battery is not so easily removable as some other bikes, which means that you'd probably have to take the whole bike to your flat to charge. That's OK if you live on the ground floor.

 

[bearfacedclaire]

I have a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (before changes to terminology). I am quite sad that you feel I would causing disrespect to others with similar conditions. I have said that I am lucky I can still work full time- yet this doesn't mean that I don't have difficulties. I am unfit because I cannot do prolonged routines of exercise as my conditions gets better and worsens. Everyone with this illness is affected differently. I wasn't that fit prior to diagnosis due to other fatigue, illnesses and injuries

These bikes are still bicycles with electrics added,the electrics are becoming more reliable and servicing of the mechanicals is easy at any local bike shop.
Kudos holds one of the largest range of spares of any e-bike importer,over £30,000 to date. In the rare event of a major electrical problem these bikes tend to be shipped back to the importer for repair,the cost is only £10 carriage.
I know of no e-bike selling agent that keeps spares,this is always the responsibility of the importer....ask your dealer if he has spares for any of the bikes you have listed?
We are based in Whitstable,Kent.....we have over 30 test bikes ready for test rides on our private test area or its a nice ride along the seafront. If you want to go away from a folder,the Kudos Verona or Milano are pretty bikes or the very practical Kudos Sprint.
KudosDave

Thanks! are you open on Saturday?

 

[Kudoscycles]

I have a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (before changes to terminology). I am quite sad that you feel I would causing disrespect to others with similar conditions. I have said that I am lucky I can still work full time- yet this doesn't mean that I don't have difficulties. I am unfit because I cannot do prolonged routines of exercise as my conditions gets better and worsens. Everyone with this illness is affected differently. I wasn't that fit prior to diagnosis due to other fatigue, illnesses and injuries


Thanks! are you open on Saturday?

Sorry Claire,only open Monday to Friday,give yourself a treat and come down the seaside one day,its actually a nice part of the world,you will have the opportunity to try all sorts of bikes,no pressure selling.
If you choose to buy elsewhere at least you will have a benchmark to compare.
KudosDave

 

[bearfacedclaire]

Would love to but work is tricky at the moment!

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Hi Clair, Dave is right you do need to compare bikes to make on informed choice.

We have nearly 80 professional test centres all over the country. They will not be bias and will have more than just Wisper bikes to show you.

The big advantage to working with someone local is not only will they be able to obtain the part next working day but have the knowledge to diagnose any niggles and fit the part which sometimes can be tricky. They will do this normally while you wait so you would not lose the use of your bike.

All the best, David

 

[Electric Transport Shop]

Hi Claire, Now that youve had lots of good advise about what to look out for why don't you visit our North London store to try some out?

 

[Suseka]

Hi Claire,

You've had a lot of good advice so far.

I just wanted to pop in and comment about the Wisper 705se - I really must write a review, although I have commented about my experiences and choice in various other threads. Whilst I do not suffer with chronic fatigue, my stamina is not great -partly (well probably mostly) because I'm overweight and unfit, but also because I suffer with chronic asthma which limits my lung capacity somewhat and I get out of breath easily.

When I was looking into purchasing an e-bike I test rode the Wisper Torque and the SE versions and I was, at first, quite torn about which would suit my needs better. Setting price aside I opted for the SE version mostly because I found the SE suited how I intended to ride and the type of terrain I ride on (flat as well as hilly -but not moutainous). Angelnorth has the Torque and it seems to really suit her and she's written a very informative review on her experience -but for me I found the SE gave me assistance (at whatever level I chose) when I needed it without over exerting, but when I'm feeling particularly energetic, I dial down the 'assist' and use the gears to adjust how easy (or not) the ride is. I've not had any problems moving off from a stop start because the 'assist' kicks in quickly -now it's fair to say I'm not having to deal with London traffic but I'm confident enough that it'll move off swiftly if I need it too.

Above all nothing beats a test ride and you should go try a few different brands/models out if you can