First Purchase!

[gingerprince]

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

DailyTour E+ 3 Dash GTS (2022) | Trekking bike | Giant Bicycles UK

www.giant-bicycles.com

Any thoughts?

 

[Az.]

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:

Gran Camino MTB electric bicycle from Woosh

The Woosh Gran Camino, a 27.5 electric mountain bike with hydraulic brakes 36V 15AH/17AH battery from Woosh. Price range: £1379-£1459. Great bike for trails.

wooshbikes.co.uk

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.

 

[gingerprince]

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.

 

[Bikes4two]

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.

 

[Az.]

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

 

[gingerprince]

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.

 

[gingerprince]

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.

 

[Az.]

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.

 

[gingerprince]

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?

 

[Az.]

Would swytch be a preferred option?

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

 

[saneagle]

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.

 

[Ghost1951]

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.