Any Recommendations for Commuter Bike?

[Stumpi]

Hi Stumpi, I'll be interested to hear any news on the new bike! Can I ask why you are getting the Wisper? After all the responses I'm seriously leaning towards the wisper too, but the cytronex bikes are so elegant, but it seems the wisper is the more practical solution for me.

Hamish

In the past I have only ever used my pedal cycles as a means of exercise. Mainly due to the hills and my disability. However Ebiking has totally changed how I view cycling and I want to start Ebiking as part of my everyday transport.

Now I could do that on my Cytronex and lots of people do but I enjoy riding the Cytronex for the pure joy of cycling. IMO its the Ebike for cyclists. The Ebike most like a "real" bike. Light, elegant subtle power delivery. If I could only have one Ebike it would be the Cytronex.

I view the Wisper as more of a workhorse, a practical means of transport that I can use for shopping, calling in on friends and maybe even a few mild dirt tracks.

It will be interesting to see over the next 6 months how my cycling changes. One of the bikes may emerge as my clear favorite and the other gets sold.

Its horses for courses. They are both great bikes and will both do your commute

Stumpi

 

[enceladus]

Well after more helpful comments, the Cytronex is back on the radar! It certainly won't be a big issue to charge the battery at work. And as has been suggested both bikes should be perfectly capable of doing the commute.

Am I right in that for the cytronex to work you have to be peddling at a certain rate, but for the wisper you can have power without peddling? There are a fair few junctions and roundabouts on the way in, would this be more of an irritation for the cytronex or the wisper?

 

[Stumpi]

Fit like Hamish

First of all I think theres a very good chance you would make both ways of your commute on one charge of the Cytronex battery.

I think you'll find its good practice on all ebikes not to pull away "on power" but to wait until you're doing approx 5 mph before switching the power in(other more informed members feel free to pitch in here)

If you can get down to Edinburgh you're welcome to come and take both my bikes out back to back. Or if your not in a real hurry I'm planning a wee holiday up to my parents in Dufftown soon. I'm taking both bikes and looking to explore. If you're around come and try them both and make an informed choice.

As an aside having had dealings with both Mark(Cytronex) and David(Wisper) they both provide great service and back up.

Stumpi

 

[GordonMasson]

Hi

I have had a Wisper 905SE Sport for about a year now and although i have to admit it is my only experience in electric bikes it is very impresive. Not cheap but impresive all the same.

Bike looks good and for hills it great... leaves the lycra boys in your dust

My biggest issue which is not a Wisper problem is that much of my journey is flat and offroad where i end up pushing the bike faster than the power will take it which means i am doing the work to carry the battery and motor about.... stupid laws!!!

My trip to work is about 7.5 miles each way but i do shower when i get there.

The bike will always do a round trip without issue and there is still power left in the battery (14Ah) but i charge it after each round trip anyway.

For your route where there is a lot of hill climbing, i am sure a Wisper would be great. Its on flat roads where they run out of puff, as i am sure most e-bikes do that i have my issues.

I see you are up in Aberdeen ... so am i ... get in touch and perhaps i can let you have a run on my bike.

Cheers

Gordon

 

[enceladus]

Fit like Hamish

First of all I think theres a very good chance you would make both ways of your commute on one charge of the Cytronex battery.

I think you'll find its good practice on all ebikes not to pull away "on power" but to wait until you're doing approx 5 mph before switching the power in(other more informed members feel free to pitch in here)

If you can get down to Edinburgh you're welcome to come and take both my bikes out back to back. Or if your not in a real hurry I'm planning a wee holiday up to my parents in Dufftown soon. I'm taking both bikes and looking to explore. If you're around come and try them both and make an informed choice.

As an aside having had dealings with both Mark(Cytronex) and David(Wisper) they both provide great service and back up.

Stumpi

Hi Stumpi, Cheers for the offer - if your up in dufftown any time soon it could be a plan! Although my impatience will probably get the better of me very soon!

 

[enceladus]

Hi

My trip to work is about 7.5 miles each way but i do shower when i get there.

The bike will always do a round trip without issue and there is still power left in the battery (14Ah) but i charge it after each round trip anyway.

For your route where there is a lot of hill climbing, i am sure a Wisper would be great. Its on flat roads where they run out of puff, as i am sure most e-bikes do that i have my issues.

I see you are up in Aberdeen ... so am i ... get in touch and perhaps i can let you have a run on my bike.

Cheers

Gordon

Gordon, My run is from Kingswells to Bridge of Don so its hills all the way, I work in portlethen at the mo so cycling from kwells not really an option for me, but from Monday we're in bridge of don.

Do you find the weight of the wisper an issue? The cytronex is tempting because its so much lighter.

 

[GordonMasson]

I dont have a weight comparison but no i dont find it an issue.
I do Aberdeen close to ARI Hospital (Home) to Westhill (Work).
Its very open on the cycle path so you get quite a lot of wind , especialy kingswells to westhill.

A Wisper would eat the hill from Haudegen to BOD no problem.
It wouldnt be too fast but compared to a normal bike you wouldnt break sweat. Its ideal for that type of run.

 

[enceladus]

You've got a great commute there. I was hoping for a move to westhill with work but no such luck, i wouldn't even need a motor for that. when you say slow on the hill, how slow are we talking? I'm hoping for a 45 minute commute max each way!

 

[Gepida uk]

I've just input my route into the google profile tool to show how hilly it is, basically I won't be on the flat at all! This is the journey to work so you can see my homeward journey is mostly uphill, but I'm allowed to sweat a little on my way home!

Maybe the wisper will be better for this amount off hill work?

Hi Enceladus,
Wisper are a very good reliable bikes and have an impressive range to, Have you thought about a crank drive system on the bike instead of a hub motor?
There are many different variations of electric bikes available to buy, such as different watt hub motors and 2 fairly similar crank drive systems the Yamaha and the Panasonic & different battery options.
Some people prefer hub to crank and vice versa. The crank drive systems are very good for their hill climbing ability; I have personally ridden one of our Gepida bikes up a 200m stretch of road going up a hill of 33% I am not a poetically fit person and had tried to ride a normal bike up only managing 10 meters or so before I thought this was a waste of time and decided to push the bike up the hill. Riding the Gepida was the first time I knew I could reach the top.
I would recommend trying as many different bikes you can to see which one will fit the bill best.

 

[enceladus]

Thanks Aiden,

Are there any Gepida stockists in or near Aberdeen? I'm struggling to find anyone stocking the big brands! There was a cycle shop in Ellon with Wisper apparently, but the number is 'not recognised' when I call it which sounds bad.

Edinburgh bicycle cooperative has a shop in Aberdeen but the only electric bike they stock is the gocycle and this is not at all what I am after!

 

[Gepida uk]

We to are currently looking for a retailer in Scotland to resell our bikes! I am sure there are some out there but just trying to find the right ones.
It may be worth spending a weekend at the tour de Presteigne in Wales were you will be able to test ride lots of different bikes. The show / event is on the 8th & 9th May

 

[z0mb13e]

Just done a profile for my current commute (on a Wisper 905SE Sport)

(The bit around 2 to 5 miles should be flat as its on the beach)

The Wisper copes very well with these hills which while shorter, look of a similar gradient to yours. I usually plough up the hills at between 9 and 11 mph, no throttle (pedelec sensor only), in first or 2nd putting in about as much effort as I would on the flat...

 

[Old Timer]

When I go my first E bike is was for help on the hills and then I realised just how nice it is on the flat to be able to get along at a good rate. What I`m trying to say is you will probably find that you use some amount of assistance everywhere so maybe keep that in mind when making your choice.

 

[themutiny]

When I go my first E bike is was for help on the hills and then I realised just how nice it is on the flat to be able to get along at a good rate. What I`m trying to say is you will probably find that you use some amount of assistance everywhere so maybe keep that in mind when making your choice.

That's definitely true for most e-bikes, but if you are reasonably fit it is not so applicable to the Cytronex. The Synapse is a fantastic bike in it's own right. Get a standard wheel at the same time and you can swap it out ina matter of seconds, remove the battery, and you have a 10kg Cannondale flatbar roadbike which is the puppy's parts. I also love my Ezee I hasten to add, but they are worlds apart.
The 250 cycles quoted for the battery is very conservative IMHO
mine are still going strong after several 000 miles
ps get the faster wheel though

 

[enceladus]

so a cytronex with the 195rpm wheel would come highly recommended then? I'm not too unfit, I'm 34 and do a wee bit o jogging. I would really like to get a cytronex as the fact it really looks like a normal bike appeals. Budget-wise maybe should go with the urban 500 - whats the downside of this compared to the synapse?

 

[themutiny]

I haven't ridden the Claud Butler, and I have nothing against it, but the Synapse is an awesome bike. When I first got mine, I bought a Ridgeback for the Wife. All was fine until I let her have a go on mine. I would not have heard the end of it if I hadn't go e back to Mark and done p/ex deal ( he was very good about it).
From what you have said about your age and fitness levels, I would urge you to try one. They really are in a class of their own for the right rider. The Tiagra groupset is superb. I'm not knocking the alternatives, it's just that you sound the sort of rider that would appreciate one of these fully.

 

[Old Timer]

I haven't ridden the Claud Butler, and I have nothing against it, but the Synapse is an awesome bike. When I first got mine, I bought a Ridgeback for the Wife. All was fine until I let her have a go on mine. I would not have heard the end of it if I hadn't go e back to Mark and done p/ex deal ( he was very good about it).
From what you have said about your age and fitness levels, I would urge you to try one. They really are in a class of their own for the right rider. The Tiagra groupset is superb. I'm not knocking the alternatives, it's just that you sound the sort of rider that would appreciate one of these fully.

How about on a commute against the wind and in the sort of conditions that you get up in the north of Scotland?
OK, I know I`m probably getting near the end of my unpowered cycling life but I do also have a superb evans MTB that I`ve fitted with a Alien conversion and when the weather is not in my favour I turn on the power and the smile comes back on my face and remember something like the alien battery has at least 30 miles of superb power in it as I punch it along over 20mph easily. When the weather and wind is in my favour i just turn off the power and there is negligable drag.
Not trying to sway you but there is a big difference in cost but the main thing is that you get a powerful motor and battery that is as good as anything when you need it and almost as good as a decent MTB when you don`t.

 

[themutiny]

The original post was

"My situation is that I'm looking to use my commute to my company's new (and closer to my home) office to improve my fitness. The journey is roughly 8.5 miles each way but does involve some long hill climbs. Also I have to arrive at work not in need of a shower, hence, I'm looking at the electric option so that I get a cycle but I'm not absolutely shattered when I get to the office.

Ideally I would like a bike that in appearance and experience rides like a road bike and is not completely ugly! I intend to be peddling most of the way in combination with the motor."

I still think that the Cytronex system is the closest alignment to the stated requirements. I also think that age is an important factor here. I accept that the Cytronex system is not a panacea, but it is a good solution for 30/40 somethings looking to get an e-bike. I take issue with the implication that the system somehow can't 'cut-it' with other systems. If you match the system to the intended user, quite simply, it can.

I can get up a 25% hill on a 175rpm Cytronex, even with it's 'measly' 180w. I have a dual batteried, derestricted 350w Bafang-equipped Ezee that I can't. The weight of the bike together with the lack of sufficient gearing doesn't so much defeat me, it makes it easier to walk it.

You have to factor in the willingness/ability of the rider and the overall weight of the bike. Strong headwinds are equally easily overcome. As for flat -out speed, see e-tim's 50+mph club.

I appreciate that this forum is intended to cater for a wide range of ages/views, but with requirements expressed so clearly, dogma-induced advice is surely impolitic?

Last I checked, Evans were a retailer, not manufacturer of bikes, so a comment like 'I do also have a superb evans MTB' is a bit short on substance?

Out of interest what is the total weight of an Alien conversion kit?

 

[enceladus]

Trek!

The other thread on the Trek Valencia has brought that bike to my attention - I had no idea trek did e-bikes. Anyway, as luck would have it there is a trek dealer in Aberdeen so this could be my opportunity to try out a bike. Does anyone know the range of these trek bikes, the website says on level 3 power assist, a 20 mile range is realsitic but I'm really not sure how this would relate to my commute. I noted flecc was unsure of the battery pack trek are using as opposed to the bionx one.

 

[Barnowl]

You've got a great commute there. I was hoping for a move to westhill with work but no such luck, i wouldn't even need a motor for that. when you say slow on the hill, how slow are we talking? I'm hoping for a 45 minute commute max each way!

Similar trip 8.3 miles each way - hills most the way - one charge - 33 - 45 mins journey- no problem. Long steep hill on return journey about 10mph sitting down. Never had to take the bike back to Winchester. Cracking support from Cytronex.