Buy local (lancashire) or mail order?

[frank9755]

I have a Wisper SE and it's a great bike, but it's not as fast as a Torq 1. I understand from JimmyEngland's posts (he has owned both) that the SE gives the same performance in unrestricted mode as the E - it's not faster (indeed, John, compared to your performance it sounds like it may be a little slower). It is driven by the gearing of the motor. The Wisper guys designed it to be pretty fast and have better hill-climbing and range than a Torq, and I think they have achieved those three objectives. Mine does 17-19 mph on the flat, rather than 20-22 mph as torq users report, but the range is c35 miles and it struggled up a 1 in 8 hill the other week. It's also a pedelec, as you point out, John, while the Torq is throttle only, which I believe makes the Wisper a lot more pleasant to ride.

As a fairly fit cyclist, can ride my non-electric bike faster than I can ride the Wisper, other than up moderately steep hills where it is in its element. Nowadays I do my 12-mile each way commute on a non-electric and tend to do it quicker than when I used the Wisper. For speed, non-electric is better for me. If I was less fit, or felt like sitting back and having a rest, the Wisper would be a better option!

 

[Kal]

Yes I can see that even with the restrictions they are a very valuable form of transport for a large minority of people. My initial impressions of legal bikes as a young reasonably fit rider haven't been good its true but I've only done a few hundred meters on the bikes outside the cycle shops. Obviously I wasn't tired at the time and could easily have whipped up to 30 on a normal bike. I might have really felt the benefit after a few miles of cycling, its just so hard to tell.

I don't know the reasons for the 15 mph speed limit, maybe there are good ones. To me it would make more sense to allow motor assistance up to normal cycling speeds for young fit riders, say 25-30mph. That way the bikes really would go mass market and make a difference in tackling congestion and pollution etc. There would obviously be more accidents but the benefits massively outweigh the inevitable problems.

Unless there are steep hills to climb on your commute, then I agree, as a fit young man, a fast road bike would probably be the best choice for you. At least having tried electric bikes for yourself you know what to expect if you went ahead and bought one. Some people don't do their research, as you have, and end up disappointed.

Your ideal electric bike you describe would suit all of us never mind reserving them for only.. "young fit riders" lol

You could buy a cheap used regular lightweight road bike and see how it suits you on your commute. If you found the going too hard you could easily sell the bike for around what you paid for it and then get an electric bike.
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[The Maestro]

I think I'll try on my regular bike for a while and see how I get on. In the past I've done the commute for a few weeks and I've felt a bit run down and then gone back to the car. Since thats not an option hopefully I'll get fit enough. I could buy a lighter bike because mine is only a middle of the road aluminium road bike.


The Wisper and the Torq are very interesting but the Wisper is very expensive to risk buying without a test drive and I've searched a fair bit and not found any Mk 1 Torqs for sale. Cyclepoint sell the Torq but its more expensive than the Wisper and I'm guessing its not the Mk 1.

I'm also interested in one of the pre-built bikes from Cyclone in Taiwan. They do a 500 Watt mountainbike with a 25-30mph top speed and a 1000 watt folding bike with a ridiculous top speed for about $1000 + $250 deliver (about £700). I'd probably buy one but they seem to make a very loud screaming sound in all the videos I've seen and I think the Police would probably stop you if they happened to be passing!