Bike on Ebay advice please

[denwyn]

Looking at a 12 month old Raleigh Dover e bike with upgrade 18v lithium battery,on Ebay with a starting price of £775...Looks a nice bike to me, looks well put together, the style suits me, i'm 65 now and not into mountain type bikes, only thing i'm unsure on it the three speed gears, most of the bikes i have been looking at have at least six. Cheapest new one of these i have seen again on Ebay was £1400 for an ex demo bike and i don't think it had the battery upgrade. What are the forums views on this bike please

 

[Ettica]

I wondered why he had listed it as 18volts, looking at the second photo I think he's made a mistake and that he meant 18ah

Looks okay to me though.
I doubt it will stay under 1k though in the auction.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If that's the 26v Panasonic motor, which I think it is, it'll be gutless compared to the 36v alternatives.

 

[RobF]

If that's the 26v Panasonic motor, which I think it is, it'll be gutless compared to the 36v alternatives.

Den,

Gruntus lackus is an unpleasant ebiking condition which you definitely don't want.

Your original spec was for journeys of about 10 miles, which means you also don't want that big battery.

I'm not keen on the behind seatpost mount because it makes for a long and unwieldy bicycle.

Raleigh offer an entry level ebike for £1,000, simple front hub drive, 36v, and 9ah battery which should be more than enough for your needs.

This is a step-through, but they do a crossbar as well.

Raleigh Velo XC Low Step 26" Electric eBike Cycle Tour Comute Bicycle Trail Bike | eBay

 

[trex]

Looking at a 12 month old Raleigh Dover e bike with upgrade 18v lithium battery,on Ebay with a starting price of £775...Looks a nice bike to me, looks well put together, the style suits me, i'm 65 now and not into mountain type bikes, only thing i'm unsure on it the three speed gears, most of the bikes i have been looking at have at least six. Cheapest new one of these i have seen again on Ebay was £1400 for an ex demo bike and i don't think it had the battery upgrade. What are the forums views on this bike please

I like this bike a lot.
go for it Den. I hope you'll win.

 

[denwyn]

raleigh dover

I like this bike a lot.
go for it Den. I hope you'll win.

Yes i like the look of it as well,looks well built, and should do me for a few years, have noticed a Batribike Granite XL just put on for £600, build may not be as good though, although it looks in perfect condition and £600 buy it now is tempting, cant find many reviews on it though or the Raleigh, the price is good,just wonder on the build. If i could get the raleigh dover for say £800 i would be pleased, but i think it may go nearer the £1000. Got to make a decision now, don't want to miss out again. Only new bike i would consider is Woosh Sirocco 2, but not entirely convinced on them.

 

[Malfunction]

Nothing wrong with woosh, great value for money plus you get a years warranty.
But if you like the Raleigh I would email the seller and offer £800 buy it now before it gets a bid on it, you might get lucky or he may come back with a counter offer.

 

[Malfunction]

Just seen this this on gumtree, don't know if it's any good for you but maybe worth a look.

Giant Escape 2 Hybrid Electric Bike 2012 (RRP £1400) | Dorset | Gumtree

 

[denwyn]

giant escape

Just seen this this on gumtree, don't know if it's any good for you but maybe worth a look.

Giant Escape 2 Hybrid Electric Bike 2012 (RRP £1400) | Dorset | Gumtree

That's been on eBay a couple of times,it sold the other day on a best offer for £600. Didn't like it myself.

 

[denwyn]

Nothing wrong with woosh, great value for money plus you get a years warranty.
But if you like the Raleigh I would email the seller and offer £800 buy it now before it gets a bid on it, you might get lucky or he may come back with a counter offer.

Decided against the Batribike Granite after fining a few more reviews, think I will risk it with a new Woosh Sirocco, as you say I get a years warranty. Will order as soon as I'm back home next Monday. Either a Sirocco 2 or the CD version,not sure on which one yet. Her indoors much prefers me to buy new as well.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The Woosh CD is better if you're more than 90 kg. The hub-motor one is better if you're less than 80 Kg. between those weights, either wood do, but it's a sliding scale. Hills more than 20% also swings it in favour of the CD, and hills less than 10%, the hub-motor. You have to look at both these situations together. their cumulative, not either or.

 

[Malfunction]

I think that's the best way to go. I considered buying a used bike and had a go on a couple around the £350 mark, to be fair they were ok but for another £200 I got a new woosh sirocco (the hub drive as it's not hilly around here) I love it and iv'e got the peace of mind of knowing the battery is new and iv'e got the warranty.
I did have a go on the batterybike granite (the "factory" is quite close to me) It seems to be well put together and rode very well but it's over £300 more expensive than the woosh I got.
Whichever one you choose i'm sure you will have a lot of fun on it.

 

[TETS]

I'll start by pointing out my biased position as PR & Events Manager for the Electric Transport Shop. We're the makers of the bike I'm about to extole the virtues of below! However we have been in business for many years and this is our best seller by far:

If you're looking for something good on the hills and with a real world range of 20-40 miles the Smarta bikes start from £1100 and have a 4 year battery warranty. They're also the Elecric Bike World Champions 2013.

Buying second hand at the £700/£800 mark always leaves you open to needing a new battery fairly quickly if the original has been around the block a few times or not kept charged up. By the time you've bought a replacement battery you're already north of the £1k mark, so you're better off spending your hard earned on something with a proper warranty from a professional shop.

It is interesting to read above (as is repeated so often in the press) that crank drive bikes are better on the hills than hub motors. You only have to look at the final 10 bikes in the World Championships this year to see this isn't true: There were no crank drives left. A hub driven bike came 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Not to mention 4th - 10th too!

 

[ghouluk]

the batribike granite i tested was really really good (probably my 3rd favourite over the about 20 i tested) but i'd always go new over s/h - my bike has already had spokes, cable and a motor under warranty which would have been the s/h saving and then some

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Good point, well presented.

I have a question, though. If all the riders were 50 years old, typically unfit and about 100kg weight, and the bikes not adjusted to give power over 15 mph (alright 16.5 mph), which bike do you think would have won out of all the "legal" bikes? That is the question Sir if you could kindly give your opinion.!