And another which one..sorry :)

[Bjorgi]

Hi all, im in the market for a bike but its very difficult for me to actually try any in person so I would be buying blind, initially I was just going to go to Halfords and buy a Carrera Hellfire then buy a kit but the more I look around the more I find myself going round in circles, kit, new bike, second hand bike, kit, crank drive, rear hub, front hub etc etc, I just don't know anymore and would appreciate some input from you guys who have been there-done that.
Im 6 foot tall, around 13 stone, I don't cycle on roads, only ever on cycle tracks/forest roads.
Terrain is usually more hilly than flat and im not scared to pedal.
Preferably bike should freewheel nicely and also pedal nicely with no motor (just incase!)
Top speed isn't important but would be nice to get over 17MPH at times, full speed throttle is a bonus but not a requirement, decent mileage is needed though.
Budget around 1K.
MTB or trekker preferred, no small wheels, folders or step-throughs, hopefully coming with mudguards, stand, rack and lights.. or am I asking too much at this budget?

Ok, I like the Woosh Krieger but feel the frame will be too small for me?
I like the Kudos Eiger but feel the battery capacity is too small?
Love the Cube touring hybrid 400 but its out my budget and not sure its ok for forest tracks?
Would appreciate any pointers

 

[Nealh]

For your requirements I would fit a crank drive BBS or the new GSM kit to a nice mtb a high torque rear bpm or cst hub will be good but I find battery range better with CD drive and the bike is less of a beast to handle but not lacking in power. Most ebikes freewheel quite well but with no power it is harder as you are trying to pedal at least another 6-7kg in weight ok d/h and on the flat but a struggle up hill, before you make your mind up you do really need to test ride a bike or three. Battery wise look for 13ah/468wh or more to try and get 30/35+ miles.

 

[acm2000]

I'm 5'7 and with the NCX seat post on my Krieger at its lowest possible it is only just about right to touch the ground on my toes, so if you got the NCX and raised the handle bars (they're adjustable remember) I don't think 6ft will be an issue.

I let my brother in law ride it and he is 6ft 4, he was one of the people who scoffed at the idea of an electric bike but he came back with a huge grin on his face and loved it

 

[STEVEMANFA]

Hi
If you are ok on the spanners I'd buy a new bike and fit a kit,
I put a oxydrive kit on my bike and I'm well happy with it, but I see they are out of stock at the mo.

 

[Alan Quay]

As Steve says, if your handy, build. Or you want to save a bit of money look for a half decent second hand donor bike on eBay. Trek, Specialized, Carerra, Kona(etc) all come along regularly , and can be had at bargain prices if they have minor fault (puncture, loose pedal, etc.)

You also start with greater choice of bike that way, and if you, or your needs change you can swap to another bike.

 

[Bjorgi]

Thanks everyone, I might go back to my original plan then, I really like the Carrera Hellcat in Halfords,

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/carrera-hellcat-limited-edition-29er-mountain-bike

Anyone think this is a good candidate for a kit? and if so, is crank drive ok?
Issues are, if I mess with it does it invalidate the warranty? also if I fit an oxydrive kit myself will it also invalidate warranty on that too, as im no mechanic with bikes but Oxydrive seem to insist its fitted by a pro, im no stranger to fixing engines and cars etc but im not a pro.
also I emailed them ages ago about when they are getting more in stock and received no reply...but surely there are more kits than Oxydrive? I saw Bionix, pricey but good?
Im pretty sure I can cycle the Krieger no problem but what would I look like on it? I know.. but I just don't want to look like a big guy on a small bike, or is it small? I have never seen one in real so cant tell, however I do love the look of it.
And what if I buy a Carrera and discover the kits aren't compatible with it?
So, Carrera with crank drive kit? or rear hub..front hub? here we go again..lol

 

[Nealh]

Warranty will be invalid if you add a kit to a new bike, Halfords will say it not suitable and will cause stress to all components. In one way or another all bikes will except a kit, with a crank drive the bottom bracket shell needs to not more then 73mm most are 68mm with some being 73mm like my Cube AMS with BBS which works very well. There are other kits but here the popular and some of the best recommendations are the ones that are well proven with mostly good CS and also price range comes into play. Most hub kits will come built in to a rim/wheel but will not match your existing so you may want to rebuild your wheel.
ATTACH=full]12574[/ATTACH]

 

[trex]

woosh will have in December a larger framed Krieger with 650B wheels, HL battery, front and rear Avid BB5 disc brakes. In the meantime, take a look at the Sirocco CDL with 700C wheels.
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?sirocco-cdl

 

[Yamdude]

Thanks everyone, I might go back to my original plan then, I really like the Carrera Hellcat in Halfords,

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/carrera-hellcat-limited-edition-29er-mountain-bike

Anyone think this is a good candidate for a kit? and if so, is crank drive ok?
Issues are, if I mess with it does it invalidate the warranty? also if I fit an oxydrive kit myself will it also invalidate warranty on that too, as im no mechanic with bikes but Oxydrive seem to insist its fitted by a pro, im no stranger to fixing engines and cars etc but im not a pro.
also I emailed them ages ago about when they are getting more in stock and received no reply...but surely there are more kits than Oxydrive? I saw Bionix, pricey but good?
Im pretty sure I can cycle the Krieger no problem but what would I look like on it? I know.. but I just don't want to look like a big guy on a small bike, or is it small? I have never seen one in real so cant tell, however I do love the look of it.
And what if I buy a Carrera and discover the kits aren't compatible with it?
So, Carrera with crank drive kit? or rear hub..front hub? here we go again..lol

I fitted an 8fun kit to a Carrera Crossfire about 2 years ago.... and I'm still using it. Although it was a front hub motor and I didn't have brake discs to deal with. The bike and the kit have been totally reliable to date.