Big fella - needs a big bike

Hi all, I'm new here. I'm a 6Ft + 100k fella who is used to biking but new to pedelecs. I'm looking for the right bike to fit me and my needs - which are:

Approx £900 budget max.

Pref 15ah battery

50/50 steepish long hills & flats.

Regular commute approx 15 miles each way x 5 per week

I'm strong so don't mind a heavy bike - need something solidly built & reliable.

Would like a throttle for those carefree miles.

Lights and a carrier would be ideal.

Would like to off-road sometimes also, so possible to de-restrict motor?

 

Not really interested in a conversion, like to keep my GT as is.

Ive taken a good look at the Woosh Sirocco CDL - maybe with an NCX seat post?

http://www.wooshbikes.co.uk/?sirocco-cd#!prettyPhoto

I would like/need to pedal faster than 15mph on the roads - that's possible with the above yes?

Whatever I get, I look forward to giving a full review of my experience.

 

Thanks in anticipation!

- Itsy

With your budget I think you won't find much better than the Woosh range.

Am I right in thinking that pedal assist disconnects if I'm peddling over 15mph - or does it continue to assist on a standard road legal bike such as the Woosh?

The motor on any road legal bike must phase out at 15.5mph (give or take 10%). If you are going faster then it will be under your own steam with no assist.

don't get the Sirocco CDL, get the Big Bear. The Sirocco CDL still has the original TCM motor, not as grunty as the BPM on the Big Bear, posssibly not grunty enough for your weight. Woosh have upgraded their TCM motor to a bigger one but only on the Krieger.

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?bigbear

I like the idea of a motor with more 'grunt' - would it perform as well/better through a front hub as the chain driven Sirocco?

the forum is split 50/50 on crank versus hub, which one is better? I prefer crank driven bikes. The Sirocco CDL motor gives about two third of the power of a 180mm BPM. The Woosh crank driven Krieger has as much grunt as the BPM but out of stock until June.

Edited April 8, 201511 yr by trex

Useful info..

Dear Woosh, please put a beefy 180mm BPM on the Sirocco CDL - I need the extra height and the extra 'grunt'!

Wonder if they could do that as a custom option - that would be nice!

I asked that very question last year, woosh can't fit the Krieger's motor to the Sirocco CDL. The new motor is too big to fit, the chainstays on the CDL need another centimetre.

I agree with what others have said, in your price range a Woosh bike would be a good choice. The Woosh Big Bear always gets good reviews and it has the powerful BPM hub motor.

 

Another good option would be an Ezee bike. The Sprint Primo with 15ah battery I think would be about £925. The Ezee motor has at least as much power / hill climbing ability as the BPM (probably more) and the Ezee bikes are good quality. http://www.cyclezee.com/ezee-sprint-primo.html

 

Arrange a test ride if you can as it's the only way of knowing for sure whether a bike will suit you or not.

What motor is fitted to the Woosh Big Bear, and if I wanted to go off roading for the weekend would I be able to temporarily de-restrict it in some way?

The Woosh Big Bear has the Bafung BPM motor. Derestriction depends very much on the controller and in some cases the LCD display (rather than the motor). I think I remember reading in a another thread that the Big Bear can be derestricted. Others on here with more knowledge than me may be able to tell you more.

 

I think the Ezee bikes can also be derestricted.

 

If you're planning on going off road, however, a front wheel drive bike would not be the best option. FWD is fine on hard surfaces but on loose or uneven terrain the wheel would be prone to slip/spin. Rear wheel drive hub motor or crank drive is your best bet for off road.

 

I should also say that even 'off road' the 15mph legal limit still applies in most places. You're no doubt already aware of that but I just thought I'd mention it.

Can anyone tell me the specifics of the motor & controller on the Woosh Big Bear?

8-Fun BPM code 13, 260 RPM, maximum torque about 55NM @4mph with the Lishui 947 20A. Battery is 36V 15AH Samsung cells capable of 28A continuous output.

Edited April 12, 201511 yr by trex

Thanks for that prompt reply.

Does that spec mean it can be tweaked/derestricted easily?

And what would that tweaking produce?

yes, it's easy to derestrict. 260 RPM means maximum speed on 26inch wheels is about 20mph. Its main strength is its climbing ability. If speed is what you are after, the Krieger is faster.

Those specs sound pretty good - a combination of decent flat terrain speed and climbing strength. Is that 'out of the box' as supplied or tweaked in any way?

that's maximum performance of individual components. The practical maximum performance depends on your weight and the terrain.

The Big Bear is restricted to 15mph, you can get to that speed easily, even against headwinds and without pedalling. If you tweak it, woosh say on their web site that they will decline the warranty

From all accounts its a solid motor, I'm looking forward to finding its abilities with my weight & regular commutes. The main thing for me is to arrive at my workplaces looking reasonably fresh. With all the good advice I've received on here, coupled with my bits of research, I think the Big Bear & NCX seat post will be the way to go on my budget. Saving hard right now,

Thanks for all the good info & stimulating ideas folks.

Whats the Woosh Big Bear mtb like for reliability of mechanical parts? Ive heard so much about many ebikes being a rather cheapo 'base' with the electrics bolted on and a hefty price tag. .Given my size and weight etc (generally fit, used to biking, 6ft+ &100k) can anyone tell me what reliability I can reasonably expect for my regular commute of approx 15 miles each way x 5 per week.

Kalkhoffs and Ezees have best reputation for long life.

30 miles a day, 5 days a week, 300 days a year = 9,000 miles a year.

That's a lot for any bike.

All bikes, whether electtic or not are pretty robust. Most things that need any attention are the service items, like brakes, tyres, chains, and at higher milages, spokes, bottom bracket beatrngs and steering head bearings.

 

Just about everything is cheap and easy to fix. I wouldn't say that you need any more maintenance on cheap bikes than expensive ones, neither is failure of components any more likely.

 

No electric bikes like being left out in the rain. Vulnerable items are throttles and displays on all bikes and sometimes batteries on cheaper ones.

 

If you're a dunderhead when it comes to maintenance, I'd recommend a bike with a hub-motor and hydraulic disc brakes. Avoid any bike with rim brakes.

I've done nearly 500 miles on the Big Bear I bought last month. I love it and have used it daily mainly for pure pleasure but once a week I do a 13 mile return commute as I prefer to leave the car at home and ride the bike. I pedal little on the way so I don't get sweaty and it glides up the hills coming home.

 

Longetivity is something I'm less certain about. On day one I lost a nut from the rack - you need to check that every nut and bolt on the bike is tight before you ride it. The bike then toppled over while on it's prop stand which broke the horn and added a few minor scratches. Earlier this week one of the pedal cranks had to be replaced which cost me £12 (the bike man said this is a common problem on all bikes and didn't blame the manufacturer). A small thorn punctured the front tyre on Tuesday which demonstrated to me that there is no Kevlar in the tyres despite what it said on the website. Since putting the front wheel back on yesterday there is an annoying squeak which seems to be coming from the motor but I'm not certain and it may be nothing. The bike is heavy and creaks a little more than I like when it goes over a bump which makes me wonder how it will continue to cope with normal wear and tear in the long term. Time will tell.

 

So, a few more teething problems than I would have liked but nothing too bad so far and I can't compare my first month's Big Bear experience to any other ebike.

I should add that I will only be making my 'regular commute' for 10 weeks a year from June onwards, the rest of the time it will be far more casual use - perhaps just 40m per week.

I've been looking on another forum where there is in depth discussion and there are those who emphasise avoidance of Woosh. Incidentally. Some of the contributors are also contributors to this forum and refer to it on occasion. Would a BB (or similar Woosh product) be up to my (further clarified) needs? Any other users feedback is particularly welcome thanks.

Can you give us some links to those posts?