Durable Mountain/City Bike around £2000-3000.

[BogomilPetrov]

Hey guys,

I really need some help in choosing my first E-Bike!

I need something with the following requirements:
1. Suitable for long travel and commutes, as I travel between cities (60-80 km is best).
2. Powerful pushing motor to go up steep hills, as I live in a very hilly area with long steep hills and want to go up them with ease.
3. Rugged and durable frame like a mountain bike, as I tend to like adventuring and going down bumpy and very uneven terrain quite sporty which would rattle any bike.
4. Something comfortable for the bumpy adventure rides and long commutes. Mudguards and Back/Front Rack preferred.
Budget: £2000-3000

The current ones I have stopped on after weeks of searching are:

Wayfarer H9 Hub-Drive Crossbar | Wisper Electric Bicycles (wisperbikes.com)
with Adventure Tires, Front Rack and 700W motor.

Neomouv MOUNTAIN 2 28'' T47 630WH KAKI (neomouv.com)
with 630W motor.

ENDURO | Hikobike
with 670W motor.

Haibike | SDURO Trekking 3.0 | Trekking eBikes

The current one which I really like and want is the Wisper Wayfarer H9.
The only problem with it is that, if possible, I would like to remove the speed restriction on any bike/model I buy while taking full responsibility about that.

The first 2 models in my list including the Wayfarer H9 are discouraging me as they have custom motors and I can not find any information about a way to derestrict them.
The latter 2 in my list seem to have options about how to do this but I am not sure which one to choose.

Would anyone be able to give me some guidance and advice on which one to get or possibly suggest any other models or bikes in my price range which fit my criteria?
Having said that I fully understand the reproductions of me wanting to derestrict the speed on the bikes and I am willing to take the risks on my own head.

Any bike suggestions would be very helpful even if they can not be derestricted. I just want a good choice in this price range!

-Bogo

 

[AndyBike]

I hear what you're saying, but im on a number of Emtb forums, and those type of problems, especially affecting the motor is just not something i hear anything about. On here, the main problems people report seems to be with the hub motors, the wiring, the controller(as you say) battery etc. I dont know if its down to the costs, obviously the bosch/Yamaha/etc systems do suffer problems at times, but tbh those probs seem related to water ingress from the nature of their use, going through streams etc.

Because of this i would suspect that the mid drive systems are certainly robust, especially given the abuse they go through, which cannot really be compared to the plodding steady commuter types the hub motors seem to favour.

Its because of this that i would lean towards there being less of a problem. A pre wired system i have read today in EMTB forums, where the customer watched them fit an expensive(£400) Lupine lamp to a 2020 Scott Emtb, that they just twisted the wires from the lamp onto the wires from the pre wired system, so i would think from that that the procedure of connecting these lights is less fraught with potential problems, and more akin to a 'plug and play' type of set up.

I think the only problem i would have to watch out for is the one you mentioned earlier about the ampage for the light 1, 1.5 or 2a. But with the light being 1000 lumen, its going to be a case of setting it at its lowest (1a) and seeing how that goes. I admit to having issues there in that I cant find exactly what he ampage of the light i have is, only its lumen rating. I think i'll probably have to email Exposure to find out. Apparently like Hope, they are amongst the best mtb component companies for customer service.
I think also an email to Scott, possibly in way of chastisement as to their lack of fitting instructions for fitting lamps to their bikes. They make a big play about it being 'pre wired' but the info seems to stop there and theres no instructional vids that would help.
Perhaps they are reckoning that the owner would be employing a shop to do it, but perhaps they havent taken into account what is involved* .

* Far as i can see to open the cover, you need to remove a lower motor guard(damn these mtb's needing protection) to access the screws that hold the motor cover on. And im going with a generousness thoughts on the matter. It might actually need the motor to drop down just to access the cover screws- A job ive been avoiding.
If thats the case then that is really dumb and it would obviously cost the customer more.

The bike shop i got it from i think is really ripping folk off asking 50/hour. Theres another mechanic i use, possibly one of the most qualified in the country, has the full range of cytech certifications, and was the Olympic mechanic for Shimano a couple of years ago. He's charging about £25/hour. So having the ebike shop asking 50, is just taking the proverbial. Which makes me lean more heavily towards doing the work myself(plus the super qualified chap lends me his tools occasionally, which is certainly handy.

So I'll take on what you've all said and try to be careful, but also research a lot more as to what exactly the voltages/amps etc etc actually are before making a goo of it. I've very practical in these things been building bikes for 25 years, i service sus forks, rear shocks, hydraulic systems as well as everything else, so i reckon a light shouldnt present too much of a challenge, especially with the info you guys have supplied.

 

[Woosh]

installation is usually not a problem. The light is off, the cables are factory made, you only have to push in a connector. The risk comes later. As you said, you don't know how many amps the lamp is going to draw, and what would happen if or when the lamp fails.
The issue for many users is how to quantify the risk/benefit ratio whereas if you use a rechargeable lamp, admittedly you will have to reach further for the lamp's on/off button but it would give you peace of mind that you won't have to worry about an £800 motor.

 

[soundwave]

with bosch when the light outputs are turned on it will cut the power to the motor when the batt gets down to 10% so you can still see where you are going.

one guy with a brose motor had a light on his bike and had a firmware update refitted the light and it must have been drawing more amps than it was allowed to with the new firmware and bricked his motor.

with can bus you cant really bugger about with it with 3rd party stuff and it gets more locked down every year.

my kiox now tracks my ride data after a software update but no gps as dont take my phone most of the time but it did not do that b4 the update.

as soon as my phone is in range it is sent to the app.


with gps as well tracked as soon as it is powerd on thats how they will stop all dongles with new smart motors.

and have to pay a subscription fee to use the lights at night.

 

[guerney]

the controller is the circuit that controls the motor. On Bosch motors, it's the large green board that you see when you open the motor casing. The problem with using prewired lighting system is the accidental shortcircuits that you may inflict on the electronics if your lights fail or their wiring get mangled during a fall. If that happens on a Chinese bike, it may kill the LCD because the on/off circuitry is in the LCD, on a Bosch bike, it's on the controller so the potential repair cost is much higher. If you need powerful front light, I recommend using a separate USB rechargeable light. No wiring is needed.

I haven't got around to removing the light I soldered onto the bbs01b wire for lights, but will solder the one connected there to the battery through an inline fuse instead, as I have the others - who needs controller/display burnout hassle when it's easily avoided? But a bbs01b controller costs less than £90, display costs less than that, therefore not a gigantic pain in the Bosch.

Does the Bosch controller automatically switch the light on when it's dark or indoors? My C18 display does - easy to be caught out there (if the battery hasn't been removed and time allowed for any residual current to dissipate), when connecting a light to the Bafang controller lighting cable wires.

 

[georgehenry]

On my Haibike I have found re-chargeable lights work very well with little hassle. I have a Yamaha system where lights can be enabled but have never bothered. You need to check but somewhere I remember seeing that the power of light you can use if you fit fixed lights is more a be seen light rather than a search light. Definitely something to be sure about. Some of the Riese and Muller models have a built in Supernova M99 Mini Pro, but apart from saying it is powerful do not state figures.

 

[AndyBike]

The issue for many users is how to quantify the risk/benefit ratio whereas if you use a rechargeable lamp, admittedly you will have to reach further for the lamp's on/off button but it would give you peace of mind that you won't have to worry about an £800 motor.

Yeah, I think its to fraught with possible dangers, and as you say its an 800 quid motor, and thats the last little expense i need. The light is Exposure, one of my favourite manufacturers, and I've already got their Toto at 2000 lumen(3200lmn in reflex mode), which is pretty damn bright, so it would probably be a good idea just to leave it there.
This is what happens when you get a £120 light new for 41 quid, makes you anxious to fit it, which would be good as a constantly on day light, without having to worry about forgetting to remove the big one and that being nicked.

From the set up vid you set the amps either 1a, 1.5a or 2a, so once that is set up it shouldnt be an issue, but froom all thats been said, it is slightly offputting. But all that in mind other people riding ebikes have fitted light and they've been running without problems, so is it just a case of needless worry, or worrying about what might happen, even though it probably wont.

 

[Alimarsh45]

the most i got from a 500w batt is 48 miles at normal bike speeds and climbing hills ect.

also the batts for these bikes are expensive a new bosch 500w batt is £633

A good point is the price. I have a Chinese Yose battery ( 36 v 15.6 ah) which I think is 561 wh and I get approx 30 miles with hills and mainly eco riding for £200.00 ish.
But this is my first ebike ( kit) and would like to go further on a charge.

 

[Nealh]

A good point is the price. I have a Chinese Yose battery ( 36 v 15.6 ah) which I think is 561 wh and I get approx 30 miles with hills and mainly eco riding for £200.00 ish.
But this is my first ebike ( kit) and would like to go further on a charge.

Of those approx. 30 miles, can you give and idea of total ascent ?

 

[Alimarsh45]

Of those approx. 30 miles, can you give and idea of total ascent ?

I'm sorry , Iv'e never taken a record of that. But where I live nothing is flat.

 

[esuark]

plenty of discusion but just curious if the op ever bought an ebike?