First Purchase!

All opinions welcome!

Decided to take the plunge and buy an ebike. Initially I was looking at converting my giant hybrid bike into an ebike and quoted prices for bafang etc were nearing the 1k mark. I'm pretty handless so I wouldn't tackle it myself. Then I thought I'd be as well buying a new ebike itself.

Spent a bit of time on here and it's a bit of a minefield so I'm looking for a wee bit of advice. My use would be leisure based, days off and weekends, maybe doing 20 - 30 miles, building towards longer. It would be primarily on roads and cycle paths. I'm 47, 6ft 2 and 16 1/2 stone so it would be a large frame and I assume Mid Drive is the way to go. I'd probably be looking around the £2k range.

The bike that caught my eye was a cube ebike, but it seems there is no stock anywhere.

https://www.theelectricbikeshop.co.uk/shop/bikes/sub/electric-unisex-hybrid/2023-cube-touring-hybrid-one-500-electric-bike-in-greywhite-11346/option/

The second one I seen was a Giant ebike

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/dailytour-eplus-3-dash-gts-2022

Any thoughts?

Converting a bike is more around £400 rather than £1000.

Your Giant is using proprietary technology. Expensive to buy and expensive to service/repair.

Do you have pictures of your hybrid?

If you must have ready made bike I suggest you start with what Woosh has to offer:

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?gran-camino

Not as good looing like your Giant, but cheaper and will last longer.

If I were you I would consider front wheel conversion - easiest to install.

Edited June 28, 20241 yr by Az.

Thanks for your response.

Those prices quoted involved sending it away as i try to avoid tinkering with things. The tongshen was cheaper right enough.

It's a few years old so I could probably be doing with upgrading anyway. Apologies for the weeds.

That's woosh thing sounds pretty good. I'm just finding that the more I read the more confusing it gets.

What is your cycling experience to date? I ask this as different ebike motor systems offer different methods of delivering their power and if say you were previously a cycling 'enthusiast' then a hub motor with a 'cadence assist' system may not suit your riding style as much as a 'torque sensing' system.

You can't of course beat test rides before buying but that's is a luxury difficult to find.

As an aside, if you happen to live in Hampshire or West sussex, the Queen Elizabeth Country Park is hosting a Cyclefest on Sat 6th July (LINK) where there will be vendors with all sorts of ebikes to try out.

Hi. Thanks for replying.

Practically zero experience with an ebike apart from a quick spin this morning on my good lady's Pendleton thingy that never comes out the shed.

I moved a couple of years ago and while it's generally the same area, there is enough of a hill that puts me off getting my bike out. I'm able enough but I'd rather have the assistance there when required, a wee comfort blanket. So if I buy the ebike the outlay will be enough to encourage me to get out more. Weird logic, I know.

I'm slightly more than halfway up Scotland so West Sussex might be a tad too far.

Cheers.

Your bike doesn't look bad at all. Is it a carbon fork?

No, it's the same as the frame. Aluminium or alloy I assume.

No, it's the same as the frame. Aluminium or alloy I assume.

Then maybe you would consider front wheel conversion after all? Basically you would need to replace front wheel, install battery and connect cables.

Then maybe you would consider front wheel conversion after all? Basically you would need to replace front wheel, install battery and connect cables.

Would swytch be a preferred option?

Would swytch be a preferred option?

Yes. Least.

Massively overpriced with record of poor customer care and long waiting lists.

Then maybe you would consider front wheel conversion after all? Basically you would need to replace front wheel, install battery and connect cables.

At 16 1/2 st, a front wheel conversion would be unsuitable. He needs high torque, which means a 48v rear hub motor (best option) or any crank-drive.

 

I'm slightly more than halfway up Scotland so West Sussex might be a tad too far.

 

Cheers.

I got my bike from a guy called Billy Milburn who does conversions from his place near Durham. That is probably too far for you as well, though it isn't far from the A1. When I got mine, I talked to him a few times on the phone first and arranged with him to come and see what converted bikes he had. There were stacks of them, but I know he was reducing his stock of converted bikes last time I spoke with him about a year or so ago.

He insisted that I try the bike out before we did the deal. He is a sound guy, but often very busy, so make sure to book a time if he isn't too far away from you. PM me if you want a phone number.