Bike for Mum, must be step through and have hub gears

[Klang180]

Hello

My mum would like to get an e-bike but isn't sure it'll stick so doesn't want to go down the super expensive route. I know there are loads of options available but my mum has narrowed it down as she wants hub gears (i.e. Nexus). I think she is very set on this idea and so cannot sway her even though this means the obvious compromise of front drive. She did try a front driven EMU bike whilst on holiday and enjoyed it and so would consider that but at £1200 for a 36v bike i think it seems a little expensive.

I am tempted to buy her a decent hub geared bike and fit an after market kit but as i don't live near her it would be a bit of a hassle and besides I haven't yet successfully fitted my own (haven't tried yet mind). What would you recommend as a decent hub geared step through bike for as little as possible (sub £1200)?

 

[Woosh]

Bikes with hub motors don't need shifting gear. Your mum could select just one gear that suits her best, 4, 5, 6 or 7th and stay on it for months. The motor will flatten the hills, if she needs extra power, just twist the throttle.

How tall and how heavy is your Mum?

I have an ex demo Woosh Sundowner in white with Nexus 7-speed hub gear you can have for about £700 with new 15AH battery. Full guarantee.
If she is over 16st, we can upgrade it to a Sunbear with BPM motor for £70 more.

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

This is the Sunbear with Bafang BPM motor, the Sundowner has smaller Bafang SWX motor:

 

[sjpt]

I got a Raleigh Motus Hub 2nd hand for just over £1000.
See e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raleigh-Motus-Low-Step-Hub-Gear-Bronze-Medium/113895698466?hash=item1a84b67022:g:N5oAAOSwlf9dhIks
or

Dutch electric bike Union Switch 19.5 inch frame Shimano nexus 8 gears Hybrid | eBay

Shimano Nexus 7 hub gears. All in working order. 28 in Wheels.

www.ebay.co.uk

For new look at https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/search/step_through_hub/. They have some for around £900. Mostly Benelli, no idea what they are like.

Woosh looks good as well if the size is right.

 

[Klang180]

Bikes with hub motors don't need shifting gear. Your mum could select just one gear that suits her best, 4, 5, 6 or 7th and stay on it for months. The motor will flatten the hills, if she needs extra power, just twist the throttle.

How tall and how heavy is your Mum?

I have an ex demo Woosh Sundowner in white with Nexus 7-speed hub gear you can have for about £700 with new 15AH battery. Full guarantee.
If she is over 16st, we can upgrade it to a Sunbear with BPM motor for £70 more.

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

This is the Sunbear with Bafang BPM motor, the Sundowner has smaller Bafang SWX motor:

Hello

Thanks for your reply. That bike does look interesting and would probably suit my mum as she is only about 50kgs I would say. I will get her to take a look and get back to you.

Thanks for your time. I do agree about the gears but there are some pretty gnarly hills around where she lives and so would probably need to use the gears at least for that.

 

[Klang180]

I got a Raleigh Motus Hub 2nd hand for just over £1000.
See e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raleigh-Motus-Low-Step-Hub-Gear-Bronze-Medium/113895698466?hash=item1a84b67022:g:N5oAAOSwlf9dhIks
or

Dutch electric bike Union Switch 19.5 inch frame Shimano nexus 8 gears Hybrid | eBay

Shimano Nexus 7 hub gears. All in working order. 28 in Wheels.

www.ebay.co.uk

For new look at https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/search/step_through_hub/. They have some for around £900. Mostly Benelli, no idea what they are like.

Woosh looks good as well if the size is right.

Thanks very much for these suggestions. I saw the cheaper of the two but i worry the battery has not been stored very well and thus how much life she'll get out of it.

The Raleigh on the other hand is amazing value as it stands but i wonder how much more it'll go for. If it goes for just over £1000 as you say that would be a very good deal.

Thanks for your input.

 

[sjpt]

Just noticed the Motus is an older model (see rim brakes); maybe 2016. Nothing wrong with that model in itself, but with 25 miles on the clock it may not have had the battery kept in trim either.

 

[Klang180]

Just noticed the Motus is an older model (see rim brakes); maybe 2016. Nothing wrong with that model in itself, but with 25 miles on the clock it may not have had the battery kept in trim either.

great tip, that is a very good point.

I think my Mum is leaning toward the Woosh but will have to wait and see.

Woosh, if we were to go with that how best to proceed, call you?

 

[sjpt]

The Woosh looks good; and a new 15aH battery and knowledge you are buying with guarantee from a supplier with excellent service record makes it look a bargain. (Sadly they don't seem to do hub gear bikes any more so this may be an older model, but no issue with that especially with large new battery.)

 

[Klang180]

Bikes with hub motors don't need shifting gear. Your mum could select just one gear that suits her best, 4, 5, 6 or 7th and stay on it for months. The motor will flatten the hills, if she needs extra power, just twist the throttle.

How tall and how heavy is your Mum?

I have an ex demo Woosh Sundowner in white with Nexus 7-speed hub gear you can have for about £700 with new 15AH battery. Full guarantee.
If she is over 16st, we can upgrade it to a Sunbear with BPM motor for £70 more.

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

This is the Sunbear with Bafang BPM motor, the Sundowner has smaller Bafang SWX motor:

Hello Woosh.

I have spoken to my parents about the bike and they are interested but we have a few questions that I hope you don't mind me asking?

I notice that the Sundowner specifically mentions that it is for riders 5ft10 or more on the website but as my Mum is only 5ft 4-5 am i right in thinking this would not be a good option? Having spoken with my parents my Dad is also interested in a bike and would like a step through (for ease of getting on and off) and so if this isn't going to fit my Mum he would be interested (he is 6ft2 and around 90ish kg). If it is too large for my Mum then would you think it would be suitable for my Dad as is or would you recommend the upgrade to the Bafang BPM? Can i also ask why the BPM is more powerful than the SWX when they are both rated at 250w?

From looking at different brands of bike my Dad (he is doing the research on behalf of my mum and evidently for himself too!) is impressed with the idea of a 15ah battery but can i check what cells it has inside i.e. if they are branded or generic please?

Lastly, I notice that the Sundowner is £749 on the website but you mention "around £700" for this ex-display model. Can you give a more definitive price and explain the relatively low base RRP for this bike?

Thanks again for your time. I promise my parents are not tyre kickers but they understandably would like to know as much as possible about the bike before purchasing and in truth I think my Dad is quite intrigued by the tech and all the (subtle) differences between the different motors and batteries, as am I.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Klang180]

The Woosh looks good; and a new 15aH battery and knowledge you are buying with guarantee from a supplier with excellent service record makes it look a bargain. (Sadly they don't seem to do hub gear bikes any more so this may be an older model, but no issue with that especially with large new battery.)

Agreed, my Dad (who is doing the research on this with my help) is impressed with the 15ah battery but has a few more questions (see above). Still, i do think it is a good deal. Thanks for your input.

 

[Woosh]

I notice that the Sundowner specifically mentions that it is for riders 5ft10 or more on the website but as my Mum is only 5ft 4-5 am i right in thinking this would not be a good option? Having spoken with my parents my Dad is also interested in a bike and would like a step through (for ease of getting on and off) and so if this isn't going to fit my Mum he would be interested (he is 6ft2 and around 90ish kg).

The Sundowner would suit your Dad, it's too big for your Mum.
For your Mum, I would recommend the Woosh Petite, which has 24" wheels or the larger Woosh Santana3 with 26" wheels which is big enough for both your Mum and Dad to share.
Your dad would just need a longer seat post to accommodate his 6ft2 height.
The motor on the Santana 3 is the Bafang SWX02, very torquey and flexible. Don't worry about climbing hills in the wrong gear with either of those two bikes. It can carry your Dad uphill on throttle alone.

If it is too large for my Mum then would you think it would be suitable for my Dad as is or would you recommend the upgrade to the Bafang BPM?

If you want to get the Sundowner for your Dad then yes, the BPM is much more suitable.

Can i also ask why the BPM is more powerful than the SWX when they are both rated at 250w?

The rating is the minimum guaranteed, that the motor won't overheat at the level.
If you respect the speed limit, you will only need about 200W to maintain 15.5mph on a flat road. When you are on a steep hill, you are allowed momentarily exceed the 250W while staying below the 15mph speed limit.

Lastly, I notice that the Sundowner is £749 on the website but you mention "around £700" for this ex-display model. Can you give a more definitive price and explain the relatively low base RRP for this bike?

The original battery was 36V 10AH, much less than the new 36V 15AH.

 

[Klang180]

Thanks woosh that's really appreciated. My dad is now monitoring this thread so he'll see your responses and go from there. My thought is that he'll go for the sun bear with the bfm motor but can I just check what price you'll do for that and if that'll come with the new battery too? I'm sure he'll be happy to call or you can PM me if you'd rather not broadcast.

Thanks again, I think my dad will certainly be interested.

 

[Woosh]

can I just check what price you'll do for that and if that'll come with the new battery too?

we always fit a new battery to our own second hand bikes because we give the normal full guarantee.
Price wise, you have to talk to Hatti. The Sunbear with new electrics at £770 is a bargain, you practically get the mechanical bike for free.

 

[vfr400]

That Sundowner is a very comfortable and powerful bike. You hardly need to pedal it, even up hills as long as they're not too steep. I'm sure that your dad will be happy with it. I agree that it's probably too big for your mum. at only 50kg, any of the Woosh bikes will easily be powerful enough for to to deal with moderately steep hills. I also think that the Woosh Petite will be perfect for her, and no, I don't work for Woosh, nor do I promote any products that I don't believe in.

 

[sjpt]

She wanted a hub gear.
https://www.juicybike.co.uk/electric-bikes/facelia-nexus3 (but more expensive than the Emu)

EZEGO Eze Step NX 2019 Womens Electric Bike

<p>The Eze Step NX is a comfortable, practical and efficient women's urban hybrid with plenty of ride enhancing features.</p> <p>Featuring a Shimano Nexus internally-geared 7-speed rear hub, paired with EZEGO's 250W 36V front hub motor with 5-mode functi

winstanleysbikes.co.uk

 

[Klang180]

we always fit a new battery to our own second hand bikes because we give the normal full guarantee.
Price wise, you have to talk to Hatti. The Sunbear with new electrics at £770 is a bargain, you practically get the mechanical bike for free.

Thanks, i think my Dad will be very interested and so may be in touch soon.

 

[Klang180]

That Sundowner is a very comfortable and powerful bike. You hardly need to pedal it, even up hills as long as they're not too steep. I'm sure that your dad will be happy with it. I agree that it's probably too big for your mum. at only 50kg, any of the Woosh bikes will easily be powerful enough for to to deal with moderately steep hills. I also think that the Woosh Petite will be perfect for her, and no, I don't work for Woosh, nor do I promote any products that I don't believe in.

Thanks vfr, I think my Dad is very keen on either this or the Sun Bear, both of which look like solid bikes especially with the 15ah Battery.

 

[Klang180]

She wanted a hub gear.
https://www.juicybike.co.uk/electric-bikes/facelia-nexus3 (but more expensive than the Emu)

EZEGO Eze Step NX 2019 Womens Electric Bike

<p>The Eze Step NX is a comfortable, practical and efficient women's urban hybrid with plenty of ride enhancing features.</p> <p>Featuring a Shimano Nexus internally-geared 7-speed rear hub, paired with EZEGO's 250W 36V front hub motor with 5-mode functi

winstanleysbikes.co.uk

Thanks sjpt that bike is actually on our radar as it looks very nice indeed.

 

[Danidl]

great tip, that is a very good point.

I think my Mum is leaning toward the Woosh but will have to wait and see.

Woosh, if we were to go with that how best to proceed, call you?

The hydraulic rim brakes on the Motus are exactly the correct thing for a casual cyclist... trouble free, extremely reliable. I would not worry about the battery either. Bosch product is good. I have the same vintage model .. except with dereillieur gears. The only concern you should have is its actual size. An 18 inch frame is for a big woman, or a medium man. . I fit nicely on mine..but I am 5 7 . My wife at 5 4 would find it excessive

 

[Doubleclanger]

Hi Woosh,
I've just registered as doubleclanger (I should have used a 'k' as 'Klang's dad!) to enter this forum as I'm interested in the Sunbear which you have offered..
I think I'm almost up to speed but have a couple of questions to avoid any misunderstanding please.
1. Frame size; I may be out of date but I seem yo remember this being measured from the centre of the crank to the base of the seat post. The Sunbear is quoted as a 19" frame but the illustration with dimensions shows 52cms which equates to nearly 20 1/2". Can you explain where I'm getting this wrong?
2. Battery; I understand you are willing to add the 15AH battery, which is great, but what make are they?
Many thanks