Advice on bike for hillsome commute

[dan1]

My partner who's an averagely sized, pretty fit woman wants to get an e-bike to commute to new job. It's about 5 miles with a mahoosive hill in the middle! She's left the boring research to me.
I need something reliable, that can cope with the hill (coming home too), though she'll be up for pedaling a bit.
I'm a recent convert to disc brakes on my normal bike and think these would b a very good idea given the weight + downhill involved.
Also need some luggage capacity, mudguards (and built in lights would be a bonus).
Needs to be solid + reliable for daily use
Mebbe around the £1000 mark if poss?
A bit overwhelmed by the choice and info around. There are cheapish e-bikes atound on ebay, amazon etc, but obv this might be a false economy
Any advice gratefully received
Dan

 

[trex]

Where do you live?
5 mile commute: nearly any bike can do this - you don't have to spend as much as £1,000 for this.
But if you have a massive hill in the middle, then you may need a strong motor. The Woosh Petite (£675) is a surprisingly strong hill climber because it has 24" wheels instead of the commonly seen 26. It'll suit average sized riders very well.

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

 

[dan1]

Hi! The climb's from Chew Valley in somerset, over Dundry hill towards Bristol, prob about 200m in elevation I think.
Thanks for the link. They look pretty solid. The smaller wheels would also be strong I suppose, a boon with the potholed lanes round here.
The Woosh Santana has a front disc brake too I see.
I hadn't realized there was a chain drive option also which it says is better for hills; any idea why?

 

[trex]

The big hill outside Chew Magna only 8.5% gradient at its steepest, it's not very challenging. You don't need chain drives until you hit 13%-15% gradient.
The Petite is a bit faster and stronger hill climber than the Santana. You also have the option of 10AH battery or 15AH battery.

 

[dan1]

I found it pretty challenging trying to cycle up it unassisted, but I take your point!
Presumably the larger battery means longer between charges rather than faster bike or easier climbing (which would come from the strength of the motor)?
I see they also do the cycle to work scheme, which'll be a bonus

 

[D8ve]

There isn't a lot of difference between legal ebikes. They have similar power outputs. And anyone would manage your hill. The batteries give extra range. Or longer between charges.
There are two bike shops in bristol where you can try a bike.
You need to do this to get an idea of what you like.
Or her indoors anyway.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I used to go over that hill every day for two years. I worked at Radfords in Chew Stoke and stayed on my boat in Bristol marina. Thanks for reminding me. It's brought back the memories.

 

[RobF]

I found it pretty challenging trying to cycle up it unassisted, but I take your point!
Presumably the larger battery means longer between charges rather than faster bike or easier climbing (which would come from the strength of the motor)?
I see they also do the cycle to work scheme, which'll be a bonus

Batteries give the most power when they are fully charged.

Any ebike you buy will feel perky with a fully charged battery, then progressively less so as the battery drains.

A bigger battery gives you that fully charged feeling for longer.

Having said that, a 10ah battery will be sufficient for the commute you have outlined.

You will need to charge each day, but that's better for the battery anyway.

They last longer if used nearer the higher end of capacity.

 

[dan1]

So I have had email communication with a guy in the bristol shop that sell Kalkhoff bikes mainly; he was evangelical about their motors and a bit sniffy about "chinese" components on cheaper bikes (eg "woosh" bikes).
Is this a real concern, just snobbery or is he just trying to flog his product?

 

[Croxden]

So I have had email communication with a guy in the bristol shop that sell Kalkhoff bikes mainly; he was evangelical about their motors and a bit sniffy about "chinese" components on cheaper bikes (eg "woosh" bikes).
Is this a real concern, just snobbery or is he just trying to flog his product?

Yes.

 

[dan1]

Which question are you saying yes to, real concern or flogging bike?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Is this a real concern, just snobbery or is he just trying to flog his product?

Yes, yes and yes.

 

[trex]

I'd say all of the above.
It's not difficult to point out where a Kalkhoff is better built, better welded and better equipped.

 

[dan1]

OK, I probably wasn;t specific enough. Regarding their impulse motors which he felt were far superior...?

 

[SteveRuss]

OK, I probably wasn;t specific enough. Regarding their impulse motors which he felt were far superior...?

All I can say is, the motor seems very powerful to me (reportedly 70Nm). I ride around Bristol a lot at the moment. Park street is done sitting down on mine whilst zooming past other cyclists. It's not a free ride though... you have to put in a decent amount of effort in on the steeper hills.

The bike is very strong and reassuring. 50Cycles will let you ride one if you take something serious like a drivers licence with you so take advantage of that.

Atmosphere bikes is a much smaller shop but they have a number of different options there (other than Kalkhoffs as 50cycles are the only Uk place you can buy those).

I did have a look at a KTM Macina (the around £1750 model) but the guy said I could only ride it if I was serious about buying it. I said I was serious about buying an e-bike but I wasn't sure which one to go with and that was in my top three at that stage, so he didn't offer me a go on it. I kind of understand his angle here but I did end up going for the bike I got a go on.

Try them out. That's the key..

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Worth trying out new Yamaha crank drive which is also 70nm and is found on some of the Haibikes (sDuro range). Not as smooth as the Bosch but more torque and the assistance kicks in sooner.

Good luck!

Dave

 

[trex]

OK, I probably wasn;t specific enough. Regarding their impulse motors which he felt were far superior...?

70NM is the same rating on the 8-Fun BBS01 and TCM on the Woosh CDs. The 8-Fun BBS02 and the woosh Krieger have more torque.

 

[JohnCade]

OK, I probably wasn;t specific enough. Regarding their impulse motors which he felt were far superior...?

The impulse has a torque sensor controlled motor as does the Yamaha. The ones that trex mentions are speed sensor. You will have to put more effort in to get the power out with the Kalkhoff and Yamaha, so they are for people who want to ride a bike that rides like a normal bicycle but with added assist.

The Kalkhoff has got a very good and reliable motor, and it has a clever sensor which cuts the power when you change gear. So eliminating the gear changing problems with cheaper crank drive bikes. You pays your money and takes your choice.

 

[SteveRuss]

The impulse has a torque sensor controlled motor as does the Yamaha. The ones that trex mentions are speed sensor. You will have to put more effort in to get the power out with the Kalkhoff and Yamaha, so they are for people who want to ride a bike that rides like a normal bicycle but with added assist.

Yep. I do want to ride, get fitter and enjoy the longer journeys that I loved when I was a keen pedal cyclist in my 20's. Your last sentence pretty much summarises why I own what I own... Well done..

 

[Kudoscycles]

Dan...welcome to the forum. In answer to some of your questions.
Chinese v German bikes...it obviously suits some European bike sellers to criticise the quality of Chinese bikes,I find it somewhat dishonest that many European badged bikes are actually Chinese built,don't judge a book by its cover!
There are good and bad Chinese built bikes,it's really about price,if the builder selects the cheapest bits,the end result is usually an unreliable bike.
Over the last few years the Chinese have upped their quality levels using much better parts from Shimano,Tektro,BPM,Kenda....if you look on the better German bikes you often see the same components utilised.
With the use of better quality parts the better Chinese bikes now don't cost ridiculously cheap money. In contrast the German product does seem to be falling in price due to the weakness of the Euro.
Historically the German/Austrian builders have screwed their bikes together better than the Chinese but some Chinese builders now have better quality control so the differences are less.
To get a good German bike with mudguards/lights etc you really do need to spend about £2k(KTM e-style fun), you can get a nice Chinese bike with similar specification for about £1400(Kudos Sonata) but you can buy a cheaper Chinese bike for £600,it's all about the quality of the parts,most are assembled together pretty well now,but there is the odd cheapie rogue still trading.
I strongly recommend that if you have a lot of hills to cope with you look for bikes which have the BPM motor and hydraulic brakes.
There is a dealer at Weston super Mare who has a Kudos Tornado and Arriba for demos,it's not a step thru like the Sonata but will give you a good idea of the hill climbing ability,both bikes have the BPM motor....that dealer is DS Automotive.
I sell both German and Chinese bikes so have no allegiance to either build country,hope that helps.
KudosDave