Decisions Decisions Decisions

[Alan103]

Hi There, My Name Is Alan,
I Live Near Glasgow And I Have Been Looking For The Perfect Bike For The Past Month Or So And My Head Is About To Explode. I Have Found A Few Bikes I Like The Look Of And Searched The Internet, Bike Retailers, EBay, Amazon, Forums, YouTube For As Much Info As I Can On Said Bikes And Still Cant Decide What To Buy, I Think I Need Help......?
I Have Always Looked To Forums For The Best Info On Any Subject But This Is The First Time I Have Ever Posted Anything.
Not Looking For Anything Too Expensive, Top Of The Range Way Out Of My Budget
Its Got To Look Good, Cant Be Too Heavy, I Live Up 3 Flights Of Stairs
I Want Something That's Good Value For Money, Obviously
I Want To Buy From Somewhere With A Good Reputation And Good Customer/After Sales Service
Most Suggestions Are Welcome

 

[trex]

...
So And My Head Is About To Explode.
...
Most Suggestions Are Welcome

stop capitalizing the first letter of each word, my eyes are about to explode too.

 

[Emo Rider]

Hi There, My Name Is Alan,
I Live Near Glasgow And I Have Been Looking For The Perfect Bike For The Past Month Or So And My Head Is About To Explode. I Have Found A Few Bikes I Like The Look Of And Searched The Internet, Bike Retailers, EBay, Amazon, Forums, YouTube For As Much Info As I Can On Said Bikes And Still Cant Decide What To Buy, I Think I Need Help......?
I Have Always Looked To Forums For The Best Info On Any Subject But This Is The First Time I Have Ever Posted Anything.
Not Looking For Anything Too Expensive, Top Of The Range Way Out Of My Budget
Its Got To Look Good, Cant Be Too Heavy, I Live Up 3 Flights Of Stairs
I Want Something That's Good Value For Money, Obviously
I Want To Buy From Somewhere With A Good Reputation And Good Customer/After Sales Service
Most Suggestions Are Welcome

The Freego Raptor weighs in at 14kg and is probably the lightest 700c ebike you are going to find. Fitted with and extra battery with a range of 24 miles will set you back £999.00. As for most anything else you will be looking at 19 to 25kg. No fun on 3 flights of stairs.

 

[Alan103]

stop capitalizing the first letter of each word, my eyes are about to explode too.

Apologies for the script

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You have to tell us what you want to do with it before we can advise you. We also need to know how much you weigh and your level of fitness.

 

[Alan103]

The Freego Raptor weighs in at 14kg and is probably the lightest 700c ebike you are going to find. Fitted with and extra battery with a range of 24 miles will set you back £999.00. As for most anything else you will be looking at 19 to 25kg. No fun on 3 flights of stairs.

I have looked at this and it was the weight factor and the minimalist design that drew me to it, just not sure its the bike for me.

 

[Alan103]

You have to tell us what you want to do with it before we can advise you. We also need to know how much you weigh and your level of fitness.

Looking for a bit of an all rounder. For possible commute Mon-Fri and Play at wkends. I'm 12 stone and fitness level is almost non existent, hoping to rectify this.

 

[oldtom]

I Have Been Looking For The Perfect Bike For The Past Month Or So

The answer, unfortunately, is that you won't find the perfect bike. Even if you should, what constitutes 'perfect' for you might not suit anybody else and therefore forum members recommending their idea of the best bike to suit your needs are unlikely to agree on your perfect bike.

Because there is no single, perfect bike so designed and built to cover all needs, many cyclists have a stable of machines, each serving a different purpose. I don't know whether you want purely a leisure bike or perhaps something for a regular, all-weather commute. If you intend to do deliveries by bike, then there are specific machines able to help with that. I guess the latter is not in your mind as you expressly stated you need to carry your bike up stairs.

As lightness is obviously a major requirement, that probably rules out the vast majority of EAPCs as most weigh north of 20kgs and although I can shift my 25 Kg bike up and down stairs, if I had to do that regularly, I'd be looking to lose at least 5-6kgs from that load. I have another bike of 17kgs which feels feather-light next to the other one.

I have no idea of your local ebike dealers but I know there's the Edinburgh bicycle co-op which has several brands, from memory.

For a selection of lightweight EAPCs offering a mix of road bikes and hybrids, you might wish to look at the 'No Hills' website. They answer the question about weight and none of their machines are exactly budget models before they add their kit to them. A little pricey though!

Alternatively, you might want to consider simply buying a kit for somewhere between £400-£800 and fitting it yourself to an ultra-light alloy-framed bike of your choice, either new or used. Many have gone down that route. If you don't feel equipped to tackle that, any decent bike shop would do it for your for not a lot of money.

Now, if you could lock your bike securely at ground level somewhere, then you'd be in a completely different ball game!

Tom

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Yes, the three flights of stairs eliminates just about every ebike. Even a normal bike is going to be awkward. A non-electric bike would probably better, especially as you don't mention hills. Other than that, an ultra light 20" wheeled bike with a Q100 or Q85 motor and a 30 cell battery might just be manageable. The shorter length of the 20" wheels makes stairs easier, regardless of weight.

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Alan,

I wouldn't want to carry any electric bike up 3 flights of stairs, the energy you would use would probably power a non powered bike for quite a distance.

Is there no alternative to the stairs like leaving it somewhere secure at ground floor level?

As you seem to be looking for bike under £1000 you might want to check what we have to offer, all our Ansmann front motor bikes are in the that category as well as the eZee Sprint Primo http://www.cyclezee.com/

 

[flecc]

Here you are, thinking outside the box. Mount the item below on your wall high up, any car battery can power it. The on getting home, place a bike cover over the bike, hook it on, nip upstairs and raise your bike up outside the lazy way. With this you can get a really suitable e-bike.

You can leave the bike hanging outside, it will never get stolen!

12 volt electric winch.
,

 

[KirstinS]

If you went for a 20 inch wheel and are happy to do two trips on the stairs then it's doable

Bike on oneb trip and battery and anything else on second

You could try borrowing a bike or two and seeing how hard it really is to man handle up and down

 

[D C]

How about carrying a light rucksack to put the battery in when you arrive home giving you both hands free to manhandle the bike up the stairs.

Dave.

 

[Alan103]

How about carrying a light rucksack to put the battery in when you arrive home giving you both hands free to manhandle the bike up the stairs.

Dave.

I think this was my plan, would reduce the carrying weight by approx. 2-3kg and there are two landing levels on the way up so its not as if its a straight 3 flights to climb

 

[Alan103]

Here you are, thinking outside the box. Mount the item below on your wall high up, any car battery can power it. The on getting home, place a bike cover over the bike, hook it on, nip upstairs and raise your bike up outside the lazy way. With this you can get a really suitable e-bike.

You can leave the bike hanging outside, it will never get stolen!

12 volt electric winch.
,

Not exactly what I imagined but I like your thinking

 

[RobF]

I think you will struggle with any ebike, but fitting folding pedals will make for fewer shin scrapes.