Batribike
Wooky I can give you an opinion on the Batribike Quartz . I bought one for my wife`s 70th birthday in September . At the time the Quartz model was only available as the SE , which comes with the 26V 8Ah battery . The price as a result was £649 instead of £749 . I am very pleased with it and have covered 150 miles .It rides comfortably on it`s telescopic forks and suspension saddle .The brakes are progressive and powerful and pull up without judder . I have two other bicycles and several motorcycles and Scooters , but these days take the Batribike on trips of 15 miles . I bought the Folder because it was compact and would be easy to lift down 5 steps . The folding pedals and the handy tubular frame over the hinge mechanism make it easy . Lift here and the balance is perfect .The build and finish are good enough to put on the mantlepiece and people admire it wherever I go .
I ride it mainly on the low assist on the flat or down hills , on slopes or into wind I use medium assist and for steep hills maximum assist , obviously with sensible use of the 7 gears . It will give at least 40 miles on this type of riding .Since buying it I have ridden up all the hills and Barry has some big ones and I`m 72 years old .If you buy one of these you can double your normal ride distance for pleasure .
My only criticism is it is a bit low geared and this has been addressed by the Batribike Dealer in Malmsbury who has altered the gearing . On the standard gears about 10 miles in the hour is the limit, as your legs won`t go around fast enough .Show it a bit of down hill and you are soon up to 27 mph and will have travelled a fair way before you can start pedalling again ! I find the handlebars a bit high , but don`t want to shorten them until my wife has actually ridden it !On occasions such as junctions or roundabouts or to show off , I select twistgrip throttle mode and then it shifts .
The 2011 Model has the motor in the rear wheel and the battery on the carrier .I think the balance would be poorer and who wants to remove the rear wheel with a motor attached , the front motor position is easier as it is separate from chains and sprockets . Think of rear wheel puncture repair !
To conclude, it is a nice machine and every thing works easily and it is simple to understand , just as well as the instruction book isn`t up to much . If any potential buyers have any more queries , I will be pleased to answer them .