Advice on first E-Bike purchace

[Badjaman]

Hi all, so I am trying to decide on my first E-Bike but am honestly completely clueless so was hoping to get a little advice.

In the next 8-12 weeks I'll be moving to a more rural area, with a longer commute to work (I can walk there in about 10 minutes at the moment). I figure getting an E-Bike is not only cheaper than getting a car, but will hopefully encourage me to be more active outside of work too.

I have a budget of around £1200 and have been looking at Woosh bikes online purely from recommendations to others on this site and elsewhere (I am open to all suggestions) but am not really sure what bike(s) will suit my needs.I have a 15 mile round trip, with hills both ways in the 7-10% range. Also, since I am moving further into the countryside, during the winter snow on the roads may be more of an issue (I am particularly anxious about this year considering the blazing summer we have had!).

So I guess really I have 2 main questions, do I need to get a strong hill climbing type bike (big bear etc.) for that level of hill? Or if I want to ride through the winter do I need to look for a fatbike (rio fb etc.)?

 

[Woosh]

there are a lot of bikes to choose from.
could you let us know your weight and height?
step through or crossbar?
it'll help narrow down the choices.

 

[Badjaman]

85kg and 6ft. I don't mind what frame the bike has

 

[Nealh]

For rural hilly area's that often suffer more from ice and snow etc, select a rear hub or mid drive bike also go for 17ah battery if you can stretch to it.
Tyres can be changed in winter for spiked ones for a bit more safety.

 

[Woosh]

85kg and 6ft. I don't mind what frame the bike has

that's right in the middle of our customers spread. Most of our bikes would fit the bill: Big Bear, Rio MTB, Rio LS fat bike, Krieger in crossbar frames, Big Bear LS, Santana 3, Santana CD in step through frames.
The most stable bikes in all weather conditions are the Santana 3 and Santana CD. The Santana 3 is excellent, quiet, strong climber, fast acceleration, relatively lightweight, its the electrics is tried and tested for many years, stealthy, low maintenance, particularly well protected against rain and mud.
The Santana CD has hydraulic brakes, so a little better equipped and no faffing about the brakes, easy to fix punctures.

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?santana3
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?santana-2018

 

[RobF]

Studded tyres are essential if you are serious about winter commuting.

Snow is generally rare, but what is all too common is ice.

Studs will keep you upright even on black ice which it would be hard to stand on without slipping.

No need for fat bikes or ludicrously wide tyres, which in any event will still slip on ice.

Ordinary width tyres will serve you well for eight or nine months of the year, then you whack on the studded tyres for the coldest months.

If you really want to do the job right, get a spare pair of wheels with the studded tyres mounted permanently, enabling simpler swaps.

 

[Woosh]

If you really want to do the job right, get a spare pair of wheels with the studded tyres mounted permanently, enabling simpler swaps.

you still have to remove the old wheels and install the new wheels.
how long does it take you additionally to swap a tyre? 2 minutes?

 

[Artstu]

you still have to remove the old wheels and install the new wheels.
how long does it take you additionally to swap a tyre? 2 minutes?

Took me a whole week to glue two cyclocross tubs on, never again.

 

[Woosh]

Took me a whole week to glue two cyclocross tubs on, never again.

not as long as if this guy takes to explain the process:

 

[Artstu]

not as long as if this guy takes to explain the process:

I wish I'd seen that guide, and he makes actually mounting the tyre look very easy, I went with the glue on wait 24 hrs, glue on wait etc etc which at the time seemed to me to be pointless, but all I saw at the time was saying that was the best way.

Well off topic sorry.

 

[Badjaman]

Thank you all for the quick replies! Forgive me for not using quotes etc. as I'm not really a big forum user.

I will definitely be looking into studded tyres now rather than fatbikes. Fatbikes weren't even around the last time I rode a bike so I was curious if they would solve the weather issue, but of course ice is a much bigger concern than snow.

In regards to the Santana CD, is there a huge difference between that and the Bali CD in terms of hill climbing/weather performance? I ask as the Bali has a larger battery option and I prefer the look of the battery placement.

 

[Woosh]

In regards to the Santana CD, is there a huge difference between that and the Bali CD in terms of hill climbing/weather performance? I ask as the Bali has a larger battery option and I prefer the look of the battery placement.

we have discontinued the Bali.

 

[Badjaman]

Ah fair enough then, would the Krieger be a reasonable stand in for the Bali? I seem to be a touch above the recommended height.

 

[Woosh]

Height-wise, the Big Bear is best, it has a long wheel base and a quill stem. It lets you adjust your arm reach better than other bikes. The Krieger is a bit small for 6 footers.
We tend to recommend geared hub motors for commuting because they are placed higher than CD motors, less exposed to surface water. Also, legality aside, I know by experience that a few commuters will derestrict their bikes to save time. Crank drive bikes are good for hills but not designed be ridden derestricted at full power on flat roads and high gear which forces them to work at 100% power all the time, you would quadruple wear and tear. The rotor will spin at 3,000+ RPM, it can overheat. On the other hand, geared hub motors let less current through when you go faster than its designed speed where you get maximum torque, for many of our bikes, it's 15mph where you get maximum torque. The motor will draw less and less power if you ride faster, zero power when you go over 22mph, so it does not hurt the motor if derestricted. That's another reason why we recommend geared hub motors for commuting.

 

[Trevormonty]

Studded tyres are essential if you are serious about winter commuting.

Snow is generally rare, but what is all too common is ice.

Studs will keep you upright even on black ice which it would be hard to stand on without slipping.

No need for fat bikes or ludicrously wide tyres, which in any event will still slip on ice.

Ordinary width tyres will serve you well for eight or nine months of the year, then you whack on the studded tyres for the coldest months.

If you really want to do the job right, get a spare pair of wheels with the studded tyres mounted permanently, enabling simpler swaps.

Only works for mid drive, no good for hub drive.

Wheels aren't to expensive online, still need to add cassette and disc rotors.

 

[Nealh]

I just swap tyres doesn't really take long.

 

[Woosh]

Only works for mid drive, no good for hub drive.

studded tyres are still good on hub drives in winter, but I agree, there is no need to buy a second motor wheel for that.

 

[RobF]

Only works for mid drive, no good for hub drive.

Wheels aren't to expensive online, still need to add cassette and disc rotors.

Ease of tyre changing is one of the reasons to use a decent quality crank drive.

Cost of motor replacement is a reason not to.