Best Value Electric MTB

  • Thread starter Deleted member 4366
  • Start date
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
That's OK then. Torque should be enough. I've not ridden the Smartmotion, but I have a bit of eperience on the Oxygen. It's a very well sorted bike and poblems these days are very rare. It's a very comfortable bike to ride. Somehow, it just feels right when you ride it. It has a very strong Dapu cassette motor that can deliver a lot more power than what the Oxygen controller limits it to.

Going by the specification, the Smartmotion is a very similar bike, but there's a couple of things that stand out. With the battery on a rack and a rear motor, the handling won't be fantastic. The Oxygen has very neutral steering and excellent handling. You'll see what I mean if you test ride one. SYEBC are the distributors of the Oxygen. Their after sales service is exemplary. Finally, there's the price. They're both approximately the same RRP, but the Oxygen was recently reduced to £1200. If you haggle, you might still be able to get a good discount. I don't know if anything can be done on the Smartmotion price.
 

Drdrdan

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 15, 2015
11
0
49
Thanks so much for the advice. However on syebc it still says 1499 for the oxygen emate city. How did you find 1200. Thanks
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
All their bikes were discounted for June. There were some real bargains then, like the Emate MTB for £1200. Where do you live or who would be the dealer that you'd get it from?
 

stevenatleven

Pedelecer
Apr 18, 2011
212
140
Fife
+1 for the e mate city, it has plenty of power for the hills esp if you use level 5 with your weight and 15 mile commute you will have plenty in reserve on the battery.
I am 100kg and get hilly 50 mile runs in.
If you go into the Oxygen website and find the list of dealers,ring around and maybe you might still get a deal.
I wrote a 500 mile review of mine in the review section if interested
 

Drdrdan

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 15, 2015
11
0
49
I live in Winchester. Nearest oxygen dealer is Bristol, quite far sadly.
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
You can get one from E-bikesdirect. They send them mail order. It comes pre-assembled and checked in a big box. If anything goes wrong (unlikely), you put it back in the box and they collect it. The main man is Matt. Try and get hold of him and start haggling. I met him at the London Cycle Show. He's a very unassuming type of guy, very pleasant and not your typical salesman. Their HQ is about the same distance a Bristol from you if you wnted to try a few bikes. They have a big range, but I bet after trying a few, you go for the Oxygen.
 

Drdrdan

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 15, 2015
11
0
49
Thanks for the advice. Will test both of the bikes and see what I think.
 

Drdrdan

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 15, 2015
11
0
49
Hi. I have test ridden both the smartmotion eurban and the oxygen emate city at atmosphere bikes in Bristol. The frame of the oxygen looks more rugged and mountain bikey, I don't particularly like the look of the frame of the eUrban. However I prefer the position of the battery on the eUrban being a bit more hidden on the pannier rack. I rode them both around bristol, particularly tested them going up Park Street, quite a steep hill, as that is my main concern with my dodgy knee. In tried going up it with just throttle, and with a little bit of assistance, a few times for each bike. I found the smartmotion eurban was just a little more able to get me up the hill. It dropped down to 6.5 mph with throttle only whereas the oxygen dropped to 5.5mph.The difference felt noticeable. Hence I am buying the Smartmotion. The only other difference I noticed was that the saddle was a bit more comfortable on the smartmotion. I am looking forward to getting it next week! Thanks for all the advice.
 

JohnCade

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 16, 2014
1,486
736
An Oxygen won the race up Park street last year didn’t it? How much is the rider and how much the bike though? Throttles may possibly be on the way out and not all bikes have them, but a race just using throttle might be interesting.
 

trex

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 15, 2011
7,703
2,671
may be the bigger battery has won it. The Smartmotion has 15AH battery against the Oxygen 13AH.
Still, there are many other factors like weight, paintwork, brakes, suspension, crankset, tyres.
At the end, it could well be that the least likely factor (how full the battery was) got the prize.
 

Croxden

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2013
2,134
1,384
North Staffs
Still, there are many other factors like weight, paintwork, brakes, suspension, crankset, tyres.
[/QUOTE]

That could be my downfall on the gradients then, the wrong colour?

I do find my silver bike is a little easier than the black ones.

What colour is best for hills?;)
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
may be the bigger battery has won it. The Smartmotion has 15AH battery against the Oxygen 13AH.
Still, there are many other factors like weight, paintwork, brakes, suspension, crankset, tyres.
At the end, it could well be that the least likely factor (how full the battery was) got the prize.
The Oxygen Emate City has a 15.5 Ah battery, but your point about the state of charge is valid. If the battery was only half-charged, that would make the difference. I think both bikes have the same motor, so there shouldn't be that much difference. I know that the Oxygen has a 15 amp controller, but I'm not sure about the Smartmotion, though it's probably the same. Doesn't Atmosphere have some sort of interest in the Smartmotion brand?
 

Wisper Bikes

Trade Member
Apr 11, 2007
6,286
2,252
69
Sevenoaks Kent
Murky indeed indeed John ;0) Although knowing the guys at Atmosphere quite well they would be completely upfront if they were involved. There are many with an interest in a particular brand that covertly promote on this Forum. It would be good if everyone was more honest and up front!

There seems to be a big question hanging over the motor Wattage issue, when we say 15A, is that continuous or maximum? If a controller delivers a continuous 15A to a 36V motor from a 36V supply and the motor can handle the current without overheating, surely that motor is actually a 540W motor and therefore completely illegal to use as an EPAC? Please forgive me if I have this wrong.

I believe both Smart Motion and Oxygen use the Dapu Motor? They both started to use it after Wisper used it a few years ago. If they both use 15A controllers and use the same motor then there shouldn't be any difference, maybe it is the paintwork as Croxden points out!!

Re the battery behind the rear seat post tube, this is now a little old fashioned and not really necessary as now, due to higher energy density cells being available, we all can easily fit 16Ah in the rack or on the down tube, take a look at all the Bosch bikes. This has the advantage of shortening the wheel base and making the bike more nimble and easier to manoeuvre, store and transport. Having been an advocator of behind the seat batteries for years, I have now switched to rack and down tube, it was an expensive change in terms of new frames but well worth the investment as far as the ride is concerned.

All the best, (blatantly promoting Wisper)

David
 

Drdrdan

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 15, 2015
11
0
49
Don't know if Atmosphere have a vested interest in Smartmotion, but they certainly didn't try to push me towards one or the other bike, even after I told them I would buy the Oxygen from them, but the Smartmotion from a dealer who sells them closer to me.
 

Wisper Bikes

Trade Member
Apr 11, 2007
6,286
2,252
69
Sevenoaks Kent
Atmosphere are and have always been very honourable, they would only want you to have the best bike for your specific needs, even if it meant losing the sale!
 

trex

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 15, 2011
7,703
2,671
...
There seems to be a big question hanging over the motor Wattage issue, when we say 15A, is that continuous or maximum? If a controller delivers a continuous 15A to a 36V motor from a 36V supply and the motor can handle the current without overheating, surely that motor is actually a 540W motor and therefore completely illegal to use as an EPAC? Please forgive me if I have this wrong.
...
David
d8veh has pointed this out for years, the wattage on the motor is what the manufacturer puts on the label.

For members who don't know much about e-bikes, how good the bike will climb up Park Street, Bristol depends on two factors: the power that the controller lets through and what type of motor it has. In this case, 15A and geared motors. Raise the maximum continuous output of the controller to 20A, the same bike will pull better. Change the type of motor to crank drive, the bike will also climb better.
 

Drdrdan

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 15, 2015
11
0
49
Atmosphere were certainly honorable and didn't try to push me in either direction.