Cube or Moustache?

[Callum]

Hi,
I m finally on the cusp of purchasing a decent touring/ hybrid electric bike. I m halfway between the very impressive if slightly dull looking Cube exc 500 tourer and the beautifully styled Moustache samedi 28.3 model.
Any considered opinions or perhaps another decent contender that you 'd like to throw into the mix?
Probably purchasing via Evans due to their old bike discount scheme.
Many thanks. Callum

 

[Fordulike]

I actually like the look of the Cube better, but whatever you choose, I'm sure it will be a great bike

 

[Callum]

I actually like the look of the Cube better, but whatever you choose, I'm sure it will be a great bike

Cheers Ford. Too much choice is the problem.
Some great choices about and ebikes now have great range, none to minimal resistance on the motors .. Oh and they actually looking like bikes I d like to own

 

[Eagle]

Callum,

Welcome to Pedelecs.

Of the two I would go for the Cube, but then again, don’t ignore another very good quality German bike, the Haibike:
https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/Haibike-Electric-Bikes/Haibike-sDuro-TREKKING-Bikes/Haibike-sDuro-Trekking-6.0-2019
This Sduro Trekking has a Yamaha PW-SE motor rated at 70Nm.

I bought a full suspension version Sduro recently and I am very pleased with it:
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/haibike-sduro-fullseven-3-0-initial-reaction-and-recommendations.34087/#post-490036

I can fully understand you wanting to use Evans for the discount, but they generally don't have a stellar reputation for customer service.
Search the archives on here.

I strongly recommend test riding all machines on your short list. Bike sizing and comfort are important as well as motor performance etc.
Good luck with your final selection.

 

[vfr400]

There's more to choosing a bike than the way it looks, what features it has or how fantastic the motor is. Sooner or later you will need to get it fixed. You need to think about who will do that and how. A Yamaha battery is very expensive. Most faults with them can only be diagnosed or fixed by a Yamaha dealer that has the special equipment. It's the same for the motor and HID.

We have Bosch, Shimano, Brose, Yamaha, Giant (Yamaha derivative), Kalkhoff Impulse and others. You can't take a Bosch bike to a Brose dealer and expect them to fix it, neither can you fix it yourself without the special equipment. So, if you're going to buy a bike with any of those systems, do your homework first to find out who can fix it.

Whatever you get, there's a fair chance that you will get many happy miles out of it, but, unfortunately, every one will eventually need fixing, some sooner than later.

 

[Callum]

Callum,

Welcome to Pedelecs.

Of the two I would go for the Cube, but then again, don’t ignore another very good quality German bike, the Haibike:
https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/Haibike-Electric-Bikes/Haibike-sDuro-TREKKING-Bikes/Haibike-sDuro-Trekking-6.0-2019
This Sduro Trekking has a Yamaha PW-SE motor rated at 70Nm.

I bought a full suspension version Sduro recently and I am very pleased with it:
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/haibike-sduro-fullseven-3-0-initial-reaction-and-recommendations.34087/#post-490036

I can fully understand you wanting to use Evans for the discount, but they generally don't have a stellar reputation for customer service.
Search the archives on here.

I strongly recommend test riding all machines on your short list. Bike sizing and comfort are important as well as motor performance etc.
Good luck with your final selection.

Cheers Eagle much appreciated.
Both will suit my needs very nicely I think..tho one will do

 

[Eagle]

There's more to choosing a bike than the way it looks, what features it has or how fantastic the motor is. Sooner or later you will need to get it fixed. You need to think about who will do that and how. A Yamaha battery is very expensive. Most faults with them can only be diagnosed or fixed by a Yamaha dealer that has the special equipment. It's the same for the motor and HID.

We have Bosch, Shimano, Brose, Yamaha, Giant (Yamaha derivative), Kalkhoff Impulse and others. You can't take a Bosch bike to a Brose dealer and expect them to fix it, neither can you fix it yourself without the special equipment. So, if you're going to buy a bike with any of those systems, do your homework first to find out who can fix it.

Whatever you get, there's a fair chance that you will get many happy miles out of it, but, unfortunately, every one will eventually need fixing, some sooner than later.

vfr400,
I take your point about the cost of getting ebikes repaired and serviced after purchase using specialised equipment. Even a local bike shop will charge a healthy hourly labour rate.

All proprietary ebike batteries are expensive whether from Bosch, Yamaha, Shimano, Brose or whoever. That is a fact of life.
Jimmy at Insat International could provide a less expensive route for a replacement battery when it is needed.

With regard to replacement of motor bearings, there is Peter Collard at Performance Line Bearings:
https://www.performancelinebearings.com/

https://www.performancelinebearings.com/repair-overhaul-service/

For less initial outlay new ebikers could go to Woosh, for example, for both crank drive and hub drive machines at reasonable prices. Oxygen (hub) and Carrera Crossfuse (crank) are other less expensive machines to name but two. These ebikes still need maintenance and repair.

I suspect that most new ebikers are reluctant to fit an ebike kit to a used bike, or to buy a second-hand ebike.

There's more to choosing a bike than the way it looks, what features it has or how fantastic the motor is.
Whatever you get, there's a fair chance that you will get many happy miles out of it, but, unfortunately, every one will eventually need fixing, some sooner than later.

So what ebikes that are relatively easy to fix would you recommend to Callum and other purchasers?

 

[vfr400]

I like to fix things myself, so I'd always choose one on thart basis, but not everybody can do that. My point is that if you buy many brands, not only can you not fix them yourself, but you can only deal with the repair through the original supplier, which is going to be a right pain if you bought the bike mail order.

For the more expensive bikes, Bosch has been going the longest and probably has the biggest network of dealers regardless of brand so that would be my logical choice.

Bikes in the cheaper range, with a few exceptions, tend to have standard catalogue Chinese components, so you can fix them yourself or use any capable independent ebike repairer, though there are still not many of them around.

Basically, my advice is to buy any expensive electric bike only from a nearby dealer if you can.

 

[Crossroads]

Bosch dealers with 'service centre' accreditation can now fix bearings - this information from my Bosch service centre in December 2018

 

[soundwave]

Bosch dealers with 'service centre' accreditation can now fix bearings - this information from my Bosch service centre in December 2018

they can replace the right bearing with the kit that is now available but it is still expensive if all you need is just the bearing replaced.

not had 1 problem with my motor since 2014 and run a dongle so as long as you take care of it and grease the outer bearings you wont have a problem.

 

[Eagle]

I like to fix things myself, so I'd always choose one on thart basis, but not everybody can do that. My point is that if you buy many brands, not only can you not fix them yourself, but you can only deal with the repair through the original supplier, which is going to be a right pain if you bought the bike mail order.

For the more expensive bikes, Bosch has been going the longest and probably has the biggest network of dealers regardless of brand so that would be my logical choice.

Bikes in the cheaper range, with a few exceptions, tend to have standard catalogue Chinese components, so you can fix them yourself or use any capable independent ebike repairer, though there are still not many of them around.

Basically, my advice is to buy any expensive electric bike only from a nearby dealer if you can.

vfr400,
Thanks for the clarification.
I agree that is always best to buy from a nearby dealer, which I have done in the case of my Haibike.
However, in many cases, this is not always possible.

 

[Steve Bowles]

German-made, or French-made? When was the last time the Germans went on strike, and when was the last time the French weren't on strike? Who do you really want making your investment?