I have just purchased and had fitted a Cyclotricity conversion kit for my trusty bike.
I had wanted to electrify my bike for a while and the Cyclotricity price point was excellent making it too tempting not to do (most other companies have pitched their price point too high in my opinion). My local bike shop - after a little bit of wariness - fitted it for me and I collected it a couple of days later.
I cannot stress enough the smug satisfying feeling I had when zipping past the traffic and other bikes on my way home. It really feels like having a secret pair of wings.
The cyclotricity kit fits really discreetly on the bike - with a beautifully simple hub motor on the front wheel, a detachable battery behind the seat, and a simple sprung acceleration lever on the front handlebars for instant acceleration. In fact there are three battery options - waterbottle, underseat or backrack styles. On reflection I think the backrack is probably the optimum option because you could make it most secure using the right type of lock and it is probably least conspicuous, making it the easiest to leave on the bike if you park it in town (so you don't have to carry it around). I went for just the acceleration lever option, but you can also get a pedal assist (low/medium/high) option which senses when you are pedalling and provides a constant boost.
The Cyclotricity website is excellent and very user-friendly, and I called them up to drill down on various points to help me choose the right option and they gave me all the detailed info I needed and were very helpful.
Most traditional bike shops in my experience are stupidly snobbish about electric bikes. When I consider how much it broadens the potential use of the bike (long distances no problems, no need to shower at end of journey, quick safe acceleration at lights, etc, etc, etc) it seems obvious this is a big part of the future for urban transport and eventually the penny will drop and people will wake up to it; when this happens it will be great for the urban environment generally, until then I can enjoy this somewhat smug feeling ...
I had wanted to electrify my bike for a while and the Cyclotricity price point was excellent making it too tempting not to do (most other companies have pitched their price point too high in my opinion). My local bike shop - after a little bit of wariness - fitted it for me and I collected it a couple of days later.
I cannot stress enough the smug satisfying feeling I had when zipping past the traffic and other bikes on my way home. It really feels like having a secret pair of wings.
The cyclotricity kit fits really discreetly on the bike - with a beautifully simple hub motor on the front wheel, a detachable battery behind the seat, and a simple sprung acceleration lever on the front handlebars for instant acceleration. In fact there are three battery options - waterbottle, underseat or backrack styles. On reflection I think the backrack is probably the optimum option because you could make it most secure using the right type of lock and it is probably least conspicuous, making it the easiest to leave on the bike if you park it in town (so you don't have to carry it around). I went for just the acceleration lever option, but you can also get a pedal assist (low/medium/high) option which senses when you are pedalling and provides a constant boost.
The Cyclotricity website is excellent and very user-friendly, and I called them up to drill down on various points to help me choose the right option and they gave me all the detailed info I needed and were very helpful.
Most traditional bike shops in my experience are stupidly snobbish about electric bikes. When I consider how much it broadens the potential use of the bike (long distances no problems, no need to shower at end of journey, quick safe acceleration at lights, etc, etc, etc) it seems obvious this is a big part of the future for urban transport and eventually the penny will drop and people will wake up to it; when this happens it will be great for the urban environment generally, until then I can enjoy this somewhat smug feeling ...
I'm actually getting more exercise on it because mentally I know I can have a push any time I want so I only turn the electric on when I really want to and being a heavier bike than my other two it gives me a better workout. My only major change has been to put Schwalbe Silento kevlar tyres on and a much better chain.
