Happy commuter looking for electric assistance

[Maximo]

Hi everyone,

Having no experience whatsoever with electric bikes, I would greatly appreciate if anyone would be able to advise me on a possible purchase.

This is the scenario:

I commute on my bike to work, hobbies and friends. This comes down to about 30 miles a day.
My dog comes along with me, enjoying the rollercoaster of scents.

What I would look for in an electric bike, is pedal assistance on these journeys. On fine days all is good and well, but with a bulky dog, Scottish hills, bad road surfaces and a heavy head wind it can become a near death experience.

A look around online brought me to something like this:
http://www.wooshbikes.co.uk/?sant-ana

The bike would be loaded with a 65 kg person, and 15 kg dog; Climb plenty of hills, steep or gentle ones; Ride through rain and snow; Be trustworthy enough to ride to work.

If at all possible, I would be looking into selling it on after a year or two, when an international move is planned vaguely. Is this a viable plan for a bike around the 400-600 pound mark?

Hope someone can share their thoughts. Thank you a lot in advance!

 

[RobF]

Max,

A Woosh bike is as good as you will get for your budget.

They are excellent value, but bear in mind a top quality ebike is £2K or more.

The total load - even with Rover - is not great, so the Woosh should bowl along quite well.

One problem you will have is range.

The Sant Ana has a 10ah battery and Woosh very fairly quote the range as '30 to 36 miles on flat roads'.

Hills - and headwinds - really suck the battery, so you will either need a spare or a bike with the next size up battery which is 15ah.

Batteries - spares or bigger ones - cost money, so that may blow your budget.

 

[stevieb]

hi Maximo.
i also commute to work and carry my dog in a front basket in my leisure time.
i,m new to the electric bike scene but can say that i,m more than happy with the kit i fitted to my existing trusty commuter.
i also experience the scottish issues you mention and the kit has been a revelation in respect to these.
if you already have a bike and want to spend 400to 600 pounds then this may be an option.
also if you are planning to sell in the near future you have the option of selling the lot or just the kit.
regards
stevie

 

[D8ve]

The whoosh cd kit and battery might be the answer. You keep your current bike and get a range boost?

 

[pea]

Off topic, but what size basket is that? I might get one to take my dog with me from time to time, mind you he was at the vets the other week and she called him " chunk"

Pea

 

[stevieb]

i don,t know what size basket maximo is using but you can now buy ready made ones for small to medium dogs with mesh tops to stop them jumping out if they are new to this method of transport.
i have 2 dogs , one young and one older.
the younger one can run along side and the older one takes a break sometimes in the basket.
if your dog is in need of losing some weight its a good idea to start off gradually with most time in the basket and gradually increase runing time
a good way of getting your dog back in shape , but as i,ve said do it gradualy
i can now also use my bike trailer for both dogs if venturing further afield as before i fitted my kit the weight was too much for me.
its a converted child carrying trailer and i get some strange looks when folk are expecting to see a small cute child and are faced with my 2 dogs !
sorry to also go off topic but i think it highlights the benefits and improved versatilaty of a bike when its electrified.

 

[Maximo]

thanks for your replies!

Will spend a bit of time to decide whether I should go for the kit or the bike.. Not a lot of extra cost for the bike and it might be easier to sell on later.

The basket is a dutch shopping basket, modified with a big pillow for loung-ability. I use a basket on my town bike and a 'buddy rider' on my road bike.

Stevieb, are you using the woosh kit?

 

[stevieb]

i am using an alien kit
it is 250watt 36volt and has the larger rear rack mounted battery.
sadlt alien ceased trading not longer after i bought it,
looking at some of the kits advertised on here i think they all look good
i opted to fit the throttle only to use as and when required.
handy on a track when the dogs are mouching about and you dont need electric and also for a quick burst if you come round a corner and find an unexpected hill or headwind and you are ladden up with dog etc on board.
one word of warning is to make sure that you have good brakes because the increase in weight make stopping harder. it also means you freewheel for longer on the flat and downhill my bike goes faster freewheeling than my non assisted bikes.