Alien a good choice?

[Ducat]

Greetings esteemed ones!

Right, a bit of history.

I have a blocked coronary artery, which means my heart only runs at about 80% efficiency, I'm 6'5" and weigh 138 kilos sopping wet out of the shower, and am fifty years young.

Having recently changed jobs I now have a commute of a couple of miles along a towpath to get to work, and I am seriously considering purchasing an Alien gents special II to improve my already improving fitness, get to work a bit faster, and enjoy a few jaunts into the countryside.

Is this a reasonable choice of bike? I've seen the website but will it actually be able to haul my not inconsiderable bulk along at a reasonable rate of knots without the bike or me collapsing into a big pile of scrap? Not scared of pedaling! I live in Maidstone and the terrain around here can be a bit lumpy.

I really like the look of the bike, and it seems to tick all the boxes, especially with regards to price, as I am on a limited budget, is there anything else comparable out there for a similar cost?

I've been hanging around the forum for weeks, but could definitely do with a little advice.

Over to you!


Steve.

 

[NRG]

Well, In my very humble opinion (and I happy to be shot down in flames) I don't think you will be able to do any better at the price...unless you are prepared to build something yourself.

I've converted an old Peugeot Touring bike with a cheap direct drive Chinese kit and whilst it is pretty good it still requires a fair bit of input from me when climbing hills...sooooooooo....I've been looking at commercial offerings for a while that have good climbing ability and whilst I'd really like an eZee Forza because it's probably the best in this respect I can't justify or afford it....so I've made the choice to go for the Alien.

The Alien comes with everything I think I need in a one off package, I still have some concern over the freewheel capability but it will be no worse than any other bike using the Bafang motor. I like the warranty and some of the details about the bike like the battery mounting and integrated rear light.

I feel it covers everything I'm looking for at a very competitive price. Only time will tell if the quality is up to the same level as the spec. but I'm sure parts of the bike will be able to be improved with off the shelf upgrades if they should be lacking in some way.

It arrives next week so I'll post a report after I've given it a good test.

 

[rustic]

Hi Steve,

I am quite sure that there are far better bikes on the market, many of those bikes are owned by members on here, but in my own personal opinion I would have to say that the Alien Gents Special II represents very good value for money. I purchased mine about a month ago, I was immediately impressed with the quality & overall look of the bike and I have to say that it carries my considerable bulk along at quite a decent speed. The chaps at Alien were first class in giving advice & helping out with minor snags & always responded to my emails pretty quickly.

I haven't had the bike long enough, or ridden it far enough to do a comprehensive review, but my initial impressions are that I have bought the right bike for me.

On the negative side, I would need to warn you that at 6' 5" (we are the same height) you are going to struggle with the set up of the bike. Whilst the frame at 21" is one of the larger ebikes around, the handlebars will not raise sufficiently high enough to get anywhere near the height of the saddle when the saddle is raised to the max. This can make riding the bike very uncomfortable and wasn't even a factor I had considered before making my purchase - I did however immediately rectify this by having a 'stem raiser' fitted and having the bike re-cabled for a total cost of around £45 - This has made the world of difference & the bike is so much more comfortable to ride (before & after pictures attached).

Other points to consider is that the bike does only have one pedelec mode which is quite fast & clearly will not be suitable for all, there is also no power off switch accessible whilst riding to enable the rider to switch between power assist & no power at their choice.

Despite these drawbacks, I am still really pleased with my purchase & don't think I could have done much better with that amount of money.

If you are local to here (Essex / Suffolk borders) you are more than welcome to come over & try out my bike before purchasing - please send a PM if you'd like to do this.

All the best, Rus.

 

[Ducat]

Well, pulled the trigger today on the Alien, sent the payment and was amazed at how quickly Jim responded.

Even managed to sort out some Alien panniers with him online, very impressed so far

Now comes the waiting.........

 

[NRG]

Congratulations! Good choice, you won't have to wait long they ship them very quickly!, have fun.