e-Bike of the Year 2011

[indalo]

It surprises me that no Cytronex machines have found their way into either list of nominations and I know we have a few owners amongst our members.

I'm surprised because they don't use bargain-basement bikes on which to fit their system; good quality frames from Cannondale or Trek seem to be the order of the day and the little motor with a fast-charge battery doesn't add much weight to those lightweight frames. The prices across the range seem to me to be very reasonable but to be fair, I suppose their style and the image it conjures up isn't perhaps that sought by the buss-pass generation. Drop handlebars and rigid forks, I suppose, are more suited to the hair-shirt folk who can wear lycra without looking like prats.

What makes their omission all the more surprising to me is, given my comments relating to age/image/rigid forks, we have a clear leader in the "money no object" poll which just happens to have sporty geometry and no concession whatsoever towards rider comfort! So......if I were pressed, nice bikes though both the Raddar and the twin-sus Haibike are, I'd have to go for the more comfortable ride of the Haibike.

Indalo

 

[Scottyf]

It's the same with sports cars though. You wouldn't go touring on one or have them as practical tools. But wow are they nice to look at and the engineering behind them is brilliant.

 

[indalo]

Mischievously, the Storck is definitely the e-bike of the year in some respects though, best hyped, most named-dropped e-bike publicity (Cosworth, Marcus Storck etc)

I thought I was the only one who had noticed the excessive hype surrounding these bikes Flecc. Because a motor is fabricated in Switzerland, it doesn't follow that it will be any better built than one from the far east and I question whether their batteries are any more reliable than those supplied by other big-name companies.

For what it's worth, I think their website is poor and uninformative, being less than intuitive to navigate. My immediate thought after leaving their webpage was, if people are buying these bikes in the light of what is already available and what is coming out over the next few months, then this is a classic case of hype triumphing over substance.

That old adage holds true today; "You can't believe everything you read on the internet." (Abraham Lincoln)

Indalo

 

[funkylyn]

I thought I was the only one who had noticed the excessive hype surrounding these bikes Flecc. Because a motor is fabricated in Switzerland, it doesn't follow that it will be any better built than one from the far east and I question whether their batteries are any more reliable than those supplied by other big-name companies.

For what it's worth, I think their website is poor and uninformative, being less than intuitive to navigate. My immediate thought after leaving their webpage was, if people are buying these bikes in the light of what is already available and what is coming out over the next few months, then this is a classic case of hype triumphing over substance.

That old adage holds true today; "You can't believe everything you read on the internet." (Abraham Lincoln)

Indalo

I think you are right there (!)

You are a great one for your sayings.....but 'internet'.....'abraham lincoln' ?? LOL

Theres an old spanish proverb you might have heard....

'' A pig bought on credit is forever grunting ''

Nothing to do with the current topic......but I just like it

Lynda

 

[flecc]

It surprises me that no Cytronex machines have found their way into either list of nominations and I know we have a few owners amongst our members.

The reason they and a few other brands aren't in is simply that the thread for nominations was only available for a very few days before the list was finalised. The great majority of our near 5000 menbers only pop in once in a while, sometimes their visits many months apart, so probably well under 100 members got a chance to vote.

I remember doing an exercise on this when we had around 3000 members, which showed at that time only about 50 members entered in any one week.

 

[Scottyf]

Should get that electric bike magazine to do a poll.

 

[eTim]

It's a bit of a no-brainer for me to vote for the Haibike xDuro having been riding one (two if you include my wife's bike (am I allowed to vote on her behalf )) since May. An excellent machine and well worthy of winning the accolade for 2011, in fact I think I will go for a celebratory ride this evening (oops the voting hasn't finished yet).

 

[eTim]

It surprises me that no Cytronex machines have found their way into either list of nominations and I know we have a few owners amongst our members.

I'm surprised because they don't use bargain-basement bikes on which to fit their system; good quality frames from Cannondale or Trek seem to be the order of the day and the little motor with a fast-charge battery doesn't add much weight to those lightweight frames. The prices across the range seem to me to be very reasonable but to be fair, I suppose their style and the image it conjures up isn't perhaps that sought by the buss-pass generation. Drop handlebars and rigid forks, I suppose, are more suited to the hair-shirt folk who can wear lycra without looking like prats.

What makes their omission all the more surprising to me is, given my comments relating to age/image/rigid forks, we have a clear leader in the "money no object" poll which just happens to have sporty geometry and no concession whatsoever towards rider comfort! So......if I were pressed, nice bikes though both the Raddar and the twin-sus Haibike are, I'd have to go for the more comfortable ride of the Haibike.

Indalo

I think part of the reason is that despite how good the Cytronex are, they haven't really released any new models of note for 2011, they have had votes in previous years and come close to the top I think.

 

[indalo]

I already intimated some surprise at the omission of the Cytronex models from the nominations but it's just occurred to me that the Kalkhoff Bionx model also failed to get a mention. Of course, the time allotted for nominations was brief but we seem to have missed some interesting machinery which only became mainstream fairly recently.

I know the Bionx system has been around for a while but when Kalkhoff took it on board and priced it very competitively and given their prominent place in the market, I expected it to sell very well. Evidently, replacement batteries cost the earth but the few reviews I've read from owners and testers praise the bike highly. In its Kalkhoff guise, the Bionx seems better value than the Trek Valencia model sporting the same system.

Indalo

 

[eTim]

I couldn't go out on a premature celebration ride this evening as I've got a rear flat* and not enough time to sort it out before other evening activities take over. I guess punctures respect no bike, no matter how good.

* running Marathon Plus MTB tyres but can't see anything obvious so I think it's a pinch flat from some enthusiastic mountain biking.

 

[funkylyn]

I couldn't go out on a premature celebration ride this evening as I've got a rear flat* and not enough time to sort it out before other evening activities take over. I guess punctures respect no bike, no matter how good.

* running Marathon Plus MTB tyres but can't see anything obvious so I think it's a pinch flat from some enthusiastic mountain biking.

LOL.....( sorry )......but surely a sign that a celebratory ride was a bit premature

Lynda

 

[hoppy]

My vote: Tonaro esprit in both categories. Crank drive and throttle-brilliant.

 

[david1949]

Why is Oxygen Bikes not in the poll .

 

[flecc]

Nobody nominated them in the earlier thread asking for nominations David.

Nominations are necessary of course, since if everything was included the list would be impossibly long.

 

[indalo]

Just looked at the voting in this poll to date and I'm wondering what the guy in charge at Storck up in the north-east must think of the ebikers who populate this forum. If he were to think that a Tonaro girly bike cannot possibly be a better ebike than the Raddar, I think I might just be inclined to agree with him.

Indalo

 

[mike killay]

Just looked at the voting in this poll to date and I'm wondering what the guy in charge at Storck up in the north-east must think of the ebikers who populate this forum. If he were to think that a Tonaro girly bike cannot possibly be a better ebike than the Raddar, I think I might just be inclined to agree with him.

Indalo

I think he might be a tad worried. The potential market for the Raddar is small and likely confined to sports cyclists prepared to admit that they might like a little assistance.
If volume sales take off, then probably the roadster type will sell better. I have no knowledge of the current sales figures for all e-bikes, but from what I see around me, folders are very popular not semi racers.

 

[indalo]

I think he might be a tad worried. The potential market for the Raddar is small and likely confined to sports cyclists prepared to admit that they might like a little assistance.
If volume sales take off, then probably the roadster type will sell better. I have no knowledge of the current sales figures for all e-bikes, but from what I see around me, folders are very popular not semi racers.

With the greatest of respect Mike, the title of the thread concerns a poll and I paraphrase here:

"Which of the following bikes, based on your own opinions, is the best one of 2011"

Were there a poll entitled, "Which ebike did you buy in 2011?" then I could buy the voting pattern. That wasn't the question though; the best bike........not the one you...(or any member) bought!

If the old technology reprised in the Tonaro range can somehow be regarded as breakthrough technology in the face of Bosch-powered ebikes winning awards and plaudits from reviewers across Europe, then I am baffled. Tonaro bikes are decent value for money but there it ends. The likes of Storck and Haibike amongst others are the people pushing the envelope and should be applauded not ignored by end users.

This poll seems to have been interpreted as a "How clever am I!" list by those whose fiscal means perhaps inhibit them from owning the very best ebikes available so they attempt to persuade others that they are more discerning, more knowledgeable than the rest of us by talking up their particular purchase. We all understand, (I think) that quality inevitably comes at a premium but nobody would ever nominate a Reliant Robin as car of the year, even though it could perform most, if not all, of the functions of the best cars of its time. Those who have voted for mediocre ebikes in the light of what is available this year need to get real!

Indalo

 

[funkylyn]

With the greatest of respect Mike, the title of the thread concerns a poll and I paraphrase here:

"Which of the following bikes, based on your own opinions, is the best one of 2011"

Were there a poll entitled, "Which ebike did you buy in 2011?" then I could buy the voting pattern. That wasn't the question though; the best bike........not the one you...(or any member) bought!

If the old technology reprised in the Tonaro range can somehow be regarded as breakthrough technology in the face of Bosch-powered ebikes winning awards and plaudits from reviewers across Europe, then I am baffled. Tonaro bikes are decent value for money but there it ends. The likes of Storck and Haibike amongst others are the people pushing the envelope and should be applauded not ignored by end users.

This poll seems to have been interpreted as a "How clever am I!" list by those whose fiscal means perhaps inhibit them from owning the very best ebikes available so they attempt to persuade others that they are more discerning, more knowledgeable than the rest of us by talking up their particular purchase. We all understand, (I think) that quality inevitably comes at a premium but nobody would ever nominate a Reliant Robin as car of the year, even though it could perform most, if not all, of the functions of the best cars of its time. Those who have voted for mediocre ebikes in the light of what is available this year need to get real!

Indalo

Oh Dear.....here we go again......

People can surely only vote for bikes that they know and have tried.....SURELY that is obvious ?
Surely the other poll is for the latest 'up to date super duper boys toys innovative, money no object bike 2011' ?

How can you possibly expect members of this forum to vote in this poll, on a make of bike they maybe know nothing about, are we supposed to just take your word for the virtues and vote like a herd of cattle following the head bull ?

In my personal opinion, I dont feel the need to 'talk up' my bike, its just the bike, that after a lot of research, proved to be the Best one for ME At the Moment...for a myriad of reasons.......end of.......next year I might prefer something different....who knows.......so for me personally it gets my vote as bike of the year 2011.......

I , for one, dont consider myself 'more discerning or knowledgable' than anyone on this forum.....but I do consider myself to be polite, well brought up, and able to accept the right of other people to express their opinions on a public forum and vote, as they see fit, in a public poll without constantly being verbally abused for it........please try to just accept other peoples preferences gracefully.......

This is a vote......people have different opinions......live with it .....' get real '

And as for the 'girly bikes' comment.....perleeese......if this poll is winding you up so much maybe you should just stop watching the results..... as Tonaro bikes, older technology or not, prove their popularity with several members of this forum

In any case......this is just a bit of FESTIVE FUN !! ......remember ?

Lynda

 

[flecc]

How to vote is a difficult one to call, as the much more experienced car world shows. For example, in the long established "European Car of the Year" award, the modest often win over the luxuriious or advanced, for example in 1967 the little Fiat 124, which was later to become the Russian Lada, beat the BMW 1600 into 2nd place and the advanced Jensen FF into 3rd place.

By contrast, this year it's the advanced technology of the Nissan Leaf e-car which has won. I think this shows that the judgment is based on the relative value of each aspect to the consumer at a given time.

The full results from 1964 on can be seen on this link

 

[eddieo]

With the greatest of respect Mike, the title of the thread concerns a poll and I paraphrase here:

"Which of the following bikes, based on your own opinions, is the best one of 2011"

Were there a poll entitled, "Which ebike did you buy in 2011?" then I could buy the voting pattern. That wasn't the question though; the best bike........not the one you...(or any member) bought!

If the old technology reprised in the Tonaro range can somehow be regarded as breakthrough technology in the face of Bosch-powered ebikes winning awards and plaudits from reviewers across Europe, then I am baffled. Tonaro bikes are decent value for money but there it ends. The likes of Storck and Haibike amongst others are the people pushing the envelope and should be applauded not ignored by end users.

This poll seems to have been interpreted as a "How clever am I!" list by those whose fiscal means perhaps inhibit them from owning the very best ebikes available so they attempt to persuade others that they are more discerning, more knowledgeable than the rest of us by talking up their particular purchase. We all understand, (I think) that quality inevitably comes at a premium but nobody would ever nominate a Reliant Robin as car of the year, even though it could perform most, if not all, of the functions of the best cars of its time. Those who have voted for mediocre ebikes in the light of what is available this year need to get real!

Indalo

Very well put and I totally agree. What seems to happen on here is increasingly more insidious and a distortion. On one hand all is described as "a bit of fun", in its self pointless if it does not represent anything meaningful. Surely these sort of debates must stand for something if the forum is to be taken seriously...

Every time a poll or something like it appears out come the totally over the top and emotional gang of supporters of that bike (of name I can not speak) which ends up distorting a decent poll and turning things into a bit of a circus......

I drive a Ford, I know a BMW is better, but I dont go screaming down the street waving arms in the air shouting that my Ford is the better car!