Can anyone recommend a good bike for hill climbing and distance

[Jon Timmis]

I live in Halifax in Yorkshire and have to climb some really steep hills.

I am looking to swap my car for an ebike but I need something that will get me the 24miles each way to work over the hills (battery can be charged again at work so only really 24miles each trip).

I am hoping for something with a retro style but am open to suggestions.

I like the look of the A2B Metro (though more modern than retro I know but it is good looking) and it has some great reviews but it is really more an Elecrtric moped it seems than an electric bike.

The other thing about the A2B is it is very heavy so unsure about the distance thing not because of the battery range as such but if I had any problems it is too heavy to get up those hills without motor assistance.

I also like the look of the Ave MH-E but have not been able to find any reviews of this and they don't seem to be making it in 2014 so would be unsure about parts etc.

Been looking at the Roodog Avatar but this appears to be a Chinese bike so I am unsure of the quality, and again no real reviews to speak of on that one.

Any advice please?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

24 miles one way is a long commute. On a 15 mph bike, it will tale about 2 hours, on which the saddle will become quite uncomfortable after an hour so that every bump hurts unless you're light-weight or a hardened cyclist. A faster bike will cut down the journey times and proper full suspension or a Thudbuster or Suntour NCX type suspension seat-post will make it more comfortable.

There are faster bikes that you can buy, or you can fit a fast electric kit to any bike; however, the legal limit is 26.5km/h.

 

[Emo Rider]

The BH Emotion Neo Cross is a great bike when equipped with the 12ah battery and should do a round trip. I have only driven one twice and was impressed. Not cheap at £2,200.

A cheaper way to go could be a Freego Hawk or Eagle equipped with a 16ah battery. The range is stated as 50 miles. I rode a 10ah Eagle before buying my Bh City 700 and it easily gave me 30 miles and I weigh 15st 10.

 

[EddiePJ]

proper full suspension or a Thudbuster or Suntour NCX type suspension seat-post will make it more comfortable.

You now have me thinking.
After a quick Google and given the price difference between the two products. Is the Thudbuster worth the extra money over the Suntour product?

 

[Jon Timmis]

Had a look at the BH Emotion Cross...I like it...Does anyone on here have one themselves?

 

[Jon Timmis]

Had not heard of the Thudbuster... Looks good

 

[EddiePJ]

Had a look at the BH Emotion Cross...I like it...Does anyone on here have one themselves?

Speaking from personal experience, I'd stay away from BH.

Nice bikes until you need warranty work carried out, then you might as well be on your own.
I'm not alone when it comes to banging your head against the wall when it comes to BH products.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You now have me thinking.
After a quick Google and given the price difference between the two products. Is the Thudbuster worth the extra money over the Suntour product?

I doubt it. There's two versions of the NCX. One is a bit cheaper. I don't know which one I tried, but it was very good.

The Woosh Big Bear is a good climber and has the NCX already fitted. It's pretty comfortable and could be a candidate. The one that I tried had very soft forks which bottomed out a bit too easily. Of course they're really comfy forks until you hit a big bump. I don't know if it's possible to add some pre-load. It has a 15aH battery, but I don't think it would do the return journey without a charge at work because of the extra power.

If you can spend a bit more, the Ezee Torq is a very comfy mile-eater with the NCX added.

 

[Jon Timmis]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

I like the Woosh Big Bear..Might have to give that one a try

 

[Gringo]

I've got a £40 NCX post (from a German website) I can't fault it, the best bike related £40 I've ever spent. I believe the newer version is slightly lighter & can be had for around £74. I don't know about the thudbuster but when I was researching my post people seamed to prefer the NCX, I think the buster Is the lightest of all but your wallet will be as well @ £160.

 

[Cyclezee]

Sure Halifax has some serious hills, but Dunedin has one very serious hill.

Check these out the YouTube videos for the eZee Street and Forza on our website here: http://cyclezee.com/youtube-videos.html

 

[Jon Timmis]

Sure Halifax has some serious hills, but Dunedin has one very serious hill.

Check these out the YouTube videos for the eZee Street and Forza on our website here: http://cyclezee.com/youtube-videos.html

Hi

Can I ask how much the Forza MK2 is with the upgraded battery?

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Jon,

We have one Forza left in our winter sale with red frame priced at £1195 with the standard 14Ah battery. To upgrade to the larger capacity 20Ah battery would costs an additional £265 making a total of £1460 including delivery.
The Torq is the same price and we have a wider choice of colours.

 

[banbury frank]

Hi Jon

Our silent wing will do the job Give me a call

http://www.xipi.co.uk/Silent_Wing_Kube.html


Frank

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

Hi Jon.

You're based not far from us, we're in Delph, and I've been commuting on the hills around here on a eBike to try them out.

We can lend you one of our demo bikes to have a play with if you fancy trying it.

Give us a ring on 01457 873 923 or drop us a message on here.

We'd recommend the eCross P.

Its a hybrid style bike, perfect for the not so perfect road conditions.

This review is in German, but you'll see from the numbers and results that nothing comes close to the new Panasonic hub system in the hills.

400% assist, will mean you motor up the hills and the lightweight bike means you'll have no problem spinning along on the flat and downs above the legal assist limit.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.730098453682963.1073741853.200160223343458&type=1

If you have any questions or want to try one, give us a ring.

We have a KTM dealer in Halifax who can sort this out for you.

Cheers
KTM UK.

 

[Tim]

If it's range and hill-climbing you need, nothing beats the German-made Kalkhoff Agattu i8 HS

http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bikes/agattu-all-rounder/agattu_i8_hs

Or either of the Kalkhoff Pro Connect Xions
http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bikes/proconnect-commuter

Or for speed to take on that distance, the Endeavour BS10 for an extra turn of speed (exceeds the legal limits though)
http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bikes/endeavour-sport-fast/endeavour_bs10_400wh

There are customer reviews for each of them that tell you what they're capable of.

These are bikes from the market-leading brand in Germany, we've been selling them in the UK since 2007 and electric bikes since 2003.

 

[Cyclezee]

anyone else from the trade guess Jon is fairly soon going to be wishing he hadn't asked.

 

[Jon Timmis]

If it's range and hill-climbing you need, nothing beats the German-made Kalkhoff Agattu i8 HS

http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bikes/agattu-all-rounder/agattu_i8_hs

Or either of the Kalkhoff Pro Connect Xions
http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bikes/proconnect-commuter

Or for speed to take on that distance, the Endeavour BS10 for an extra turn of speed (exceeds the legal limits though)
http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bikes/endeavour-sport-fast/endeavour_bs10_400wh

There are customer reviews for each of them that tell you what they're capable of.

These are bikes from the market-leading brand in Germany, we've been selling them in the UK since 2007 and electric bikes since 2003.

I like the Pro Connect X24 Tim...Is there anywhere I can test one round me at all?

 

[EddiePJ]

anyone else from the trade guess Jon is fairly soon going to be wishing he hadn't asked.

Certainly goes to prove that it's a buyers market out there.

I can almost smell the desperation.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Have to love Tim's tunnel vision. The Kalkhoff was recently outperformed in the mountains by a KTM with a panasonic hub drive. The review was posted above by KTM Bike Indistries. Having ridden all the bikes in question this system is hard to beat. Why not test a Bosch powered bike, Panaosnic hub drive, new Neo drive (A2B) and Impulse and decide for yourself.

A2B have some great new bikes coming out soon e.g. the one below. I was very impressed when I test rode one, my collegue even pulled an accidental wheely.
http://www.wearea2b.com/uk/collection/orsted

The best advice is to try as many as you can. I am happy to admit all are good bikes even if we do not sell them all. It is about finding the right bike for you.

Good Luck
David