After much procrastination (mainly regarding spending twice what I had thought I would), I purchased the Gazelle Orange C8 from Take-charge-bikes (powarider ltd) in Woking Surrey. I wouldn't be able to recommend the owner, Steve, enough. Very helpful, nothing was too much trouble.
The deed was done at the end of November last year, so I have had six months or so to form an impression of the bike as a whole.
The finish is without fault, every detail has been thought out, you won't find anything badly made here! It comes with a fixed lock on the rear wheel. The removable key also fits the lock for the battery, which is located within the rear carry-rack. This bike comes with a full set of old-fashioned mudguards, which I prefer personally, The front light is mounted within the mudguard, and has a switch so that both the front and rear light may be turned off when not needed. The lights are powered by a front wheel dynamo hub. The rear light has a device which is charged by the dynamo, so that when the cycle is stationary, the light stays on for a while ( a very nice safety feature, over the usual dynamo lights I have been used to!)
Suspension front forks, and a sprung seat post take out the worst of the craters in the roads in my area of Surrey, while the Schwalbe Tyres have, so far, proven to be puncture resistant. The eight speed rear hub has proven to be more than adequate to the daily commute to work, sometimes, but not often, I have wondered if another top gear or two wouldn't go amiss, but it has been just a passing thought rather than a major irritation.
So, What's it like to ride? well I have to say that all the heart ache over parting with twice the money has resulted in getting three times the bike I think I would have got if I'd spent less. I opted for the step-through frame as per my good-lady-Wife's suggestion (this poor old boy finds swinging his leg over such a tall cycle damn near impossible these days due to back problems...) The riding position is excellent for me, and presumably for others with dodgy backs, real old-fashioned sit up and beg, no hint of a forward lean, and the saddle, as supplied has proven to be pretty comfortable over longer journeys.
As for the crank mounted motor, it has performed superbly! It is controlled by a switch on the left-hand side of the handlebar which allows you to change between three levels of powered assistance, Eco, sport and power. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't tried them all out and ended up with a huge grin on my face in full power mode, but 99% of the time I keep it in eco mode.
At present, the "Gold" battery lasts for a week of toddling to and from work in Eco mode, so that's around 35 miles of urban commute (one very unpleasant hill and one not-so-bad to climb each morning) carting my 15 stone of prime manhood about (if you believe the bit about prime, then you're just plain bonkers)
Would I recommend this bike? Hell yes, if you want a superbly built daily road-bike so you can leave the car at home, then do have a look at this make. they really are worth the money!
The deed was done at the end of November last year, so I have had six months or so to form an impression of the bike as a whole.
The finish is without fault, every detail has been thought out, you won't find anything badly made here! It comes with a fixed lock on the rear wheel. The removable key also fits the lock for the battery, which is located within the rear carry-rack. This bike comes with a full set of old-fashioned mudguards, which I prefer personally, The front light is mounted within the mudguard, and has a switch so that both the front and rear light may be turned off when not needed. The lights are powered by a front wheel dynamo hub. The rear light has a device which is charged by the dynamo, so that when the cycle is stationary, the light stays on for a while ( a very nice safety feature, over the usual dynamo lights I have been used to!)
Suspension front forks, and a sprung seat post take out the worst of the craters in the roads in my area of Surrey, while the Schwalbe Tyres have, so far, proven to be puncture resistant. The eight speed rear hub has proven to be more than adequate to the daily commute to work, sometimes, but not often, I have wondered if another top gear or two wouldn't go amiss, but it has been just a passing thought rather than a major irritation.
So, What's it like to ride? well I have to say that all the heart ache over parting with twice the money has resulted in getting three times the bike I think I would have got if I'd spent less. I opted for the step-through frame as per my good-lady-Wife's suggestion (this poor old boy finds swinging his leg over such a tall cycle damn near impossible these days due to back problems...) The riding position is excellent for me, and presumably for others with dodgy backs, real old-fashioned sit up and beg, no hint of a forward lean, and the saddle, as supplied has proven to be pretty comfortable over longer journeys.
As for the crank mounted motor, it has performed superbly! It is controlled by a switch on the left-hand side of the handlebar which allows you to change between three levels of powered assistance, Eco, sport and power. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't tried them all out and ended up with a huge grin on my face in full power mode, but 99% of the time I keep it in eco mode.
At present, the "Gold" battery lasts for a week of toddling to and from work in Eco mode, so that's around 35 miles of urban commute (one very unpleasant hill and one not-so-bad to climb each morning) carting my 15 stone of prime manhood about (if you believe the bit about prime, then you're just plain bonkers)
Would I recommend this bike? Hell yes, if you want a superbly built daily road-bike so you can leave the car at home, then do have a look at this make. they really are worth the money!
