Got my Powabyke X6!!

[Rad]

Cheers eddieo. I've seen that one before (even commented on it) it's not much of a review though. More of a press release than anything.

 

[eddieo]

Cheers eddieo. I've seen that one before (even commented on it) it's not much of a review though. More of a press release than anything.

but it shows a good picture of a decent style bottle battery........

 

[Rad]

It does indeed, though the reviewer in reply to my comment did say that on the review machine it was a cyclinder. (As it was on Something for the Weekend as well).

 

[Mattyduk]

I think because of the promised water bottle shape, I was prepared to go with the smaller range of the x-byke - 15ish miles, - the same with the cytronex.

I just wanted to avoid the big lumbering battery that I had with my old Synergie extreme.

 

[WaiWonChing]

Chief eZee Operator

interested in the step through for my wife....Is the battery going to change into the water bottle style as advertised in all the sales stuff?

then again the more I look.....its on a cheaply equipped basic bike isn't it?

probably better off with a kit on a better quality bike

It has all low end components, and look at the handle bar assembly photo, the levers on the speed shifter would hit the throttle so they move the shifter about 2 cm away from it. One would need very long thumb and fingers to reach it. Horrible looking bike I must say. Hope the price justify it.

W W Ching

 

[Rad]

Isn't it a bit poor form to slate a competitors product like that?

 

[musicbooks]

Isn't it a bit poor form to slate a competitors product like that?

It's not the first time Mr Ching has overstepped the mark in my view. Totally against the spirit of the forum

musicbooks

 

[bode]

I had a test-ride on an X-byke back in July in Bath, and it was powered by a makeshift rectangular battery wound round with insulating tape. I was shown a (presumably empty) water-bottle-style shell which was the form that they told me would be used when the bike went on sale.
I queried the rather small size, and was told by Powabyke's MD that most people never utilised the full capacity of bigger batteries, and would be grateful instead for the reduced weight. I wonder if they based this research on users of this forum; I would imagine not!

To be fair to Mr. Ching (although I do think his comments are somewhat unethical), I did find the gear-shift a little awkward, especially in combination with the thumb-and-forefinger half-width throttle. Maybe as an ex-motorcyclist, I always find preferable a throttle control that takes up the whole width of the hand-grip.

But the bike did tackle those Bath hills with little problem...

 

[poppy]

It's not the first time Mr Ching has overstepped the mark in my view. Totally against the spirit of the forum

musicbooks

You are being too kind. Mr Ching is showing absurd bad manners. Is his product above criticism? I think not.

 

[maca44]

It has all low end components, and look at the handle bar assembly photo, the levers on the speed shifter would hit the throttle so they move the shifter about 2 cm away from it. One would need very long thumb and fingers to reach it. Horrible looking bike I must say. Hope the price justify it.

W W Ching

I'm new here so I don't know the history of Mr Ching but I totally agree with his comments about that bike, it looks awful & has really poor components fitted, for the price I would expect better components. Having said that as I am about to build my own electric MTB the Ezee kit is also being sold in the UK for a ridiculously overinflated price for a kit compared to other kits on the market.

Some will like it some will hate it but there is nothing wrong with saying so.

 

[musicbooks]

I'm new here so I don't know the history of Mr Ching but I totally agree with his comments about that bike, it looks awful & has really poor components fitted, for the price I would expect better components. Having said that as I am about to build my own electric MTB the Ezee kit is also being sold in the UK for a ridiculously overinflated price for a kit compared to other kits on the market.

Some will like it some will hate it but there is nothing wrong with saying so.

It is one thing for a customer with no agenda to criticise a product. It is quite another for the boss of another major e-bike company to publicly attack a rival's new product using highly emotive and negative language. Has he tried the bike.? What qualifies him to attcak the bike and Powabyke in this way? Frank and the team at Powabyke are exremely courteous, hard working and geneorous people, and Powabyke, I feel, are a credit to the e-bike business. Such a negative response is undignified and potentially very harmful to the industry.

BW
musicbooks

 

[drgcb]

It is one thing for a customer with no agenda to criticise a product. It is quite another for the boss of another major e-bike company to publicly attack a rival's new product using highly emotive and negative language. Has he tried the bike.? What qualifies him to attcak the bike and Powabyke in this way? Frank and the team at Powabyke are exremely courteous, hard working and geneorous people, and Powabyke, I feel, are a credit to the e-bike business. Such a negative response is undignified and potentially very harmful to the industry.

BW
musicbooks

Absolutely agree. Although not a Powabyke owner, I've always been highly impressed with the way Frank Curran conducts himself on this forum and the helpful over-and-above-the-call-of-duty responses he gives to queries. If representative of the company as a whole (which he certainly seems to be) then they're an impressive outfit who deserve to do well. Likewise the Wisper chaps are a credit to their company, and have probably sold quite a few bikes on the strength of their customer support on this forum.

If I worked for Cyclepoint I'd be telling Mr Ching to kindly keep his opinions on rivals' bikes to himself for fear of losing business as a result.

(Anyway, if the shifter proves to be a problem for some people, I would have thought that it would be relatively easy to put a twist grip shifter on the left bar instead. Hardly a major issue.)

 

[fcurran]

Thank you all for your kind comments.

The electric bike market is still in its infancy, and as far as Im concerned the more electric bikes on the market the better. I feel there is nearly an electric bike to suit everyones pockets and mobility needs. Not everyone can afford to buy a £1400 electric bike which WILL have top of the range components, they will have ranges of 40 miles plus, they will have derestricted top end speeds to travel at 18-20mph and they will weigh in at sub 20kg in weight. Similarly not everyone is a strong rider so having a throttle option will suit others. Everyones needs are different, I for one have a small disability on my left hand so having a right hand throttle and shifter suits my needs.

Powabyke's new range of Xbykes are based on a hybrid style of bike. With feedback we have had from many of the 35000+ Powabyke owners in the UK we have found that only a small percentage of people used the full 30-45 mile range on the lead acid versions we produce with most only doing a maximum of 4-8 miles in a typical journey hence why we now have a battery that has a range of up to 10 miles in pure power* and 15-20 miles in PAS*. With all due respect, members on this forum are not your average ebiker and I feel this is not realised by a few.

I get on very well with "the competition" and often pass on referrals to them if I feel a Powabyke would not suit the needs of a person. I also know that "the competition" pass customers Powabyke's way if they feel a Powabyke would be more suitable. I think its important that people get the right bike for them as they will use their bikes and spread the word on how good ebikes are. It would be detrimental to the whole market if someone bought a bike that wasn't right, they would pass negative comments on to other potential ebikers and as a result would never buy an ebike for themselves ever again. If the bike is right, then they will be ebikers for life.

With Powabyke's setup of dealers nationwide we feel we have the right bikes and backup to provide a product to a mass market for a fair price.

These are my personal views from my 7 years at Powabyke and I hope by airing them not to have offended anyone in my comments.

Kind Regards

FrankC
Powabyke Ltd

 

[musicbooks]

Hear Hear Frank.

BW
musicbooks

 

[flecc]

With all due respect, members on this forum are not your average ebiker and I feel this is not realised by a few.

A point I've frequently made myself Frank, the great majority of e-bike sales being to people who use their bikes for shopping and local social trips. Most are unlikely to consider themselves enthusiasts or consider visiting a forum like this, so we are certainly not the mainstream. In fact this forum UK and foreign membership is less than 2% of the UK e-bike owning public

There's a parallel to this in computing, with over 30 million people using computers in the UK, but with not much more than half a million as members of computer forums.
.

 

[poppy]

A point I've frequently made myself Frank, the great majority of e-bike sales being to people who use their bikes for shopping and local social trips. Most are unlikely to consider themselves enthusiasts or consider visiting a forum like this, so we are certainly not the mainstream. In fact this forum UK and foreign membership is less than 2% of the UK e-bike owning public

There's a parallel to this in computing, with over 30 million people using computers in the UK, but with not much more than half a million as members of computer forums.
.

Tony, you sure you´ve got your numbers right? What´s the total membership of this forum? I recall reading that there were more than 1000 of us. That would mean that there are more than 50000 ebikers...? Sound a lot of ebikers to me.

 

[frank9755]

Probably right, Poppy. Many of them never get used, of course!

 

[flecc]

Tony, you sure you´ve got your numbers right? What´s the total membership of this forum? I recall reading that there were more than 1000 of us. That would mean that there are more than 50000 ebikers...? Sound a lot of ebikers to me.

Probably nearer 100,000 e-bikers in the UK Poppy, believe it or not.

The market was roughly 20,000 a year for some years and is widely believed to have grown from that. Even if the bikes only last five years there will be at least 100,000 e-bikes here.

Have a look at the link below. You've probably never heard of this company or seen their bikes, but over several years they alone were bringing in and selling over 7000 e-bikes a year from just five shops.

Thompson Electric Bikes

That's still a drop in the ocean though, UK normal bike sales are 2 million a year so e-bikes are only 1%.

The forum currently has 1733 members of whom 1425 are considered active.
.

 

[frank9755]

I've always been highly impressed with the way Frank Curran conducts himself on this forum and the helpful over-and-above-the-call-of-duty responses he gives to queries.

I certainly agree with this too!

Adressing Mr Ching's point directly, there's no doubt that Ezee bikes do have higher end components. I'm not convinced that they all add to the quality of the bike, however. I believe that, for most electric bike riders, the more basic bits would do just as well.

I've long thought that the strength of the Powabyke proposition - designing something to a price point where it will sell in volumes and getting the distribution and service right - mark it out as a more mature and professional business than most of its competitors. Powabyke clearly is not trying to make the best imaginable bike with the highest quality components for the sake of it; it's making something that does the job at a price a lot of people are willing to pay!

 

[fishingpaul]

It has all low end components, and look at the handle bar assembly photo, the levers on the speed shifter would hit the throttle so they move the shifter about 2 cm away from it. One would need very long thumb and fingers to reach it. Horrible looking bike I must say. Hope the price justify it.

W W Ching

Are you a little jealous that this bike is lighter and sells for less than your own bikes,although i ride an ezee torq 2 myself and am very happy with it,your current offerings with restricted speeds offers nothing above your rivals,a premium price is attractive when the bike is one the fastest available,when restricted it looks poor value,imagine a bmw or mercedes being limited to the uk legal 70mph,who would buy one then.