Gears and Tyres

[Andy88]

I see several bikes that tick most boxes for me, wisper, oxygen, woosh, however from memory I remember how hit and miss it was in the old days when changing gears on a bike with derailleur gears and sometimes the chain coming off and remember having to pedal back when changing.

Has the technology moved on? Can anyone enlighten me?

Also are the tyres on ebikes standard? Can new tires, tubes, wheels, punctures be dealt with by any cycle shop or does the bike need to go back for repair to the manufacturer or dealer?

Buying locally, service very important?

Thanks so much

 

[RobF]

I think a lot of us had cheap and badly adjusted kit as children, hence the memories of poor gear changing.

Basic Shimano gears - which most bikes on your shortlist have - shift fine but they do require occasional adjustment.

Original equipment tyres on these bikes are not the best, but can be changed for something decent for £30 to £50 a pair.

You will need to learn to fix punctures, an ebike is a heavy beast to push any distance.

The only difference with an ordinary bike is you will probably want to disconnect the motor wheel, which ought to be straightforward on a modern ebike.

You will also need to carry a spanner, because motor wheels are held on with nuts.

Stuff like this - if you are averse to it - is one reason for buying a more expensive bike.

A crank drive - motor in the bottom bracket - means the wheels can have quick release axles, and in any case the bike will already have decent tyres which are less likely to puncture.

Quality also applies to brakes.

Cable operated discs - as on the Big Bear/Oxygen bikes for example - are rubbish.

Many owners upgrade to hydraulics, which is fairly cheap and simple to do, but it's more bike fettling faff which you might not like.

A crank drive bike would already have decent hydraulic discs.

Downside is a crank drive bike will be around £1,750, possibly a bit less depending on spec or if you can find one on offer.

Having said that, the necessary upgrades on a Big Bear or Oxygen could cost £100 if you pay someone to do it.

I know what I'd do, but it's not my money.

 

[Andy88]

What do you think about the momentum range?

 

[RobF]

What do you think about the momentum range?

Decent for the money.

You are fortunate in that your proposed use is not hard on an ebike, so you don't need the most powerful motor or biggest battery - neither of which the Momentum has.

I've no experience of the Sram Automatix hub, but it should work for you as you are not tackling really steep climbs.

The V-brakes on the Momentum are superior to cheap discs, and will give plenty of stopping power.

The steel fork on the Momentum is superior in all respects to the cheapo suspension forks on the other bikes you are considering.

It's not clear which tyres are fitted, but they can be upgraded easily enough.

Hub gear and hub motor means dome nuts both ends, but if you have to carry a spanner anyway, that makes no difference.

The Momentum will take a carrier for your shopping, and having lights on board - albeit cheap ones - is worthwhile, particularly at this time of year.

If you get into night riding, decent quality lights are another relatively cheap upgrade.

 

[Andy88]

I really appreciate your input, thank you. Are you a rider or do you work in the industry?

I note the Careera Crossfire has dusk brakes but also the complicated gears.

I will be living max 5 miles from the shops with no steep hills.

 

[RobF]

Me? I'm a rider who has done thousands of miles on ebikes.

I don't work in the trade, but have a few chums that do.

But in the nicest possible way, I couldn't give a stuff about any brand - including the ones I own - which is why I'm trying to point you towards something that will suit you.

As mentioned by Juicy Bikes, it's important you like the bike, that decision will inevitably be personal and subjective to a degree, and it's something no one can advise you on.

I think you are worrying a bit too much about the gears, but if you really don't fancy derailers, that's an end to it.

It also rules out lots of bikes, particularly at your budget.

It also rules out the Crossfire which, in any case, has had too many niggly electrical faults for me to recommend it.

 

[Artstu]

One point Rob has missed in his very comprehensive replies is that gears are now indexed, so they just click into the right gear, no fine tuning of each required as would have been the case all those years ago.

 

[Andy88]

One point Rob has missed in his very comprehensive replies is that gears are now indexed, so they just click into the right gear, no fine tuning of each required as would have been the case all those years ago.

Thanks, yes it is a minefield, I suppose when I get back to the uk the best bet is to test ride some.

 

[Andy88]

Me? I'm a rider who has done thousands of miles on ebikes.

I don't work in the trade, but have a few chums that do.

But in the nicest possible way, I couldn't give a stuff about any brand - including the ones I own - which is why I'm trying to point you towards something that will suit you.

As mentioned by Juicy Bikes, it's important you like the bike, that decision will inevitably be personal and subjective to a degree, and it's something no one can advise you on.

I think you are worrying a bit too much about the gears, but if you really don't fancy derailers, that's an end to it.

It also rules out lots of bikes, particularly at your budget.

It also rules out the Crossfire which, in any case, has had too many niggly electrical faults for me to recommend it.

Thanks again, I agree about crossfire, just realize its a halfords own brand don't fancy that.

I looked 0n A2B found interesting comments there that franks some of the things you are saying.

When I was a boy I just used a single cog push bike geared quite high for cycle Speedway and tracking. I hated the sturmey Archer things but as another poster mentioned maybe things have improved.

 

[Emo Rider]

I was very suprised when Momentum dropped the price to £999. I thought the bike was good for £1350. The Upstart has 700x25c tyres that will take 90psi. Upgrading to a pair of Schwalbe Marathon plus tyres and slime tube would make it a very dependable ride.

 

[Alan Quay]

Thanks again, I agree about crossfire, just realize its a halfords own brand don't fancy that.

I looked 0n A2B found interesting comments there that franks some of the things you are saying.

When I was a boy I just used a single cog push bike geared quite high for cycle Speedway and tracking. I hated the sturmey Archer things but as another poster mentioned maybe things have improved.

Correctly adjusted derailleurs are nothing to be worried about, they just work, and should continue to do so for a few thousand miles. After that, you will probably need a new chain and a bit of a service, any bike shop can do that for you for around £50.

You deffinately don't want to be pedalling backwards though, that's exactly the sort of thing that'll throw off a chain.

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[Andy88]

I was very suprised when Momentum dropped the price to £999. I thought the bike was good for £1350. The Upstart has 700x25c tyres that will take 90psi. Upgrading to a pair of Schwalbe Marathon plus tyres and slime tube would make it a very dependable ride.

Yes, I think you are right, another poster recommended momentum, its a newish company but they are young and active. Thanks for the tip on the tyres and tube.

 

[Trevormonty]

Best thing you can do is try lots of different bikes. Hub drive, crank drive, derailuer gears (hard to avoid), hub gears.

Most importantly different frame styles eg step though city, MTB, hybrid. At end of day frame is most important, drive system is secondary.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

[QUOTE="RobF, post: 338564, member: 8935"

Cable operated discs - as on the Big Bear/Oxygen bikes for example - are rubbish.
[/QUOTE]

The Oxygen S-cross MTB has hydraulic disc brakes. The S-cross C has cable brakes.

 

[Andy88]

Ive looked in more detail, there becomes a price point around the 1500 to 1800 quid mark where you can buy a cube or haibike with Bosh or Yamaha crank motor, high end tyres and components.

To be honest and no disrespect to the better Chinese put together bikes at 800 to 1200 there is an argument but once you reach 1500 plus its hard to justify a cheaper brand.

Im not sure whether you agree with this or not?

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[chris_n]

Ive looked in more detail, there becomes a price point around the 1500 to 1800 quid mark where you can buy a cube or haibike with Bosh or Yamaha crank motor, high end tyres and components.

To be honest and no disrespect to the better Chinese put together bikes at 800 to 1200 there is an argument but once you reach 1500 plus its hard to justify a cheaper brand.

Im not sure whether you agree with this or not?

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They aren't high end tyres, they are cheap OEM hard compound wire bead tyres with the same name name and tread pattern as the expensive soft / multi compound tyres with Kevlar beads, puncture resistance etc. Bear that in mind when buying, if you want decent tyres then you will need to replace what the bike comes with.

 

[Andy88]

The winora radius is around 1500 quid with Schwalbe Big Ben, 55-406 Reflex tyres



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[Rohloffboy]

It really does amaze me that Bikes still come fitted with antiquated derailleur gears, they are so last century if not before.

I am on the cusp of adding a Bafang 8fun crank drive kit to my Rohloff IGH OEM pedal bike.

Will probably go for the BBS02 500w de-tuned to 250watt badged as 250watt motor with 14amp hour battery, kit cost inc battery will be around £900 from em3ev.

I did think of using a Nuvinci 360 IGH, they are relatively cheap, and probably better suited to an ebike than the Rohloff IGH.

Having said that, I have been running my Rohloff since 2004, and it just makes riding the bike heaven, and the gear range is just awesome, going electric can only make it sweeter especialy on the hills.

 

[Andy88]

I agree, things are moving on, I think the use of derailleurs help keep the cost down in certain situations and also depends on usage.

You hit some very good points and I think you are making a wise choice.

Ive started to look at established mid end traditional pedal cycles especially ones manufactured in the eu then I look at their electric bike offerings.

Again in not knocking the cheaper bikes but you don't always get what you pay for.

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[RobF]

The winora radius is around 1500 quid with Schwalbe Big Ben, 55-406 Reflex tyres



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Quite.

Chris has missed the point - the Chinese bikes have original equipment specials, often Kendas, which are not too clever.

Pay £1,500+ and you will tend to get decent tyres, usually Schwalbe.

Having said that, the upgrade is only about £50.