Hi everyone, i'm new to electric bikes, hoping to purchase one in the next 1-2 weeks!

[Grebacwhite]

Hello all!

I've been bitten by the electric bike bug!

Had a break from cycling the last 5 years, but looking to get motivated and back into it again for fitness and enjoyment.

Still yet to buy my first electric bike to do the 4 mile commute to work(each way that is), and a couple of recreational evening rides.

It's very interesting reading all the reviews about bikes, i've been warned to 'reel it in' , as i tend to get carried away lol so mentioning spending over £2,000 on an e bike got me into a bit of trouble!

So....we are loosely fixed to a budget of around £1,500 which i've found the 2020 Wisper 705SE, Wisper 905SE and Raleigh Motus Crossbar to be affordable.

 

[TedG]

That price would put you in the Volt Pluse bracket.
Superbly engineered bike. IMO.

 

[ChuckingFeet]

It all depends ....
Personally I have a Motus Grand Tour , and I love it , commute on it , shop on it , do long leisure rides on it . I went for the Centre Drive because a lot of my cycling is in hilly areas .If you do not weigh too much and cycle in relatively flat areas , a hub drive is probably quite OK , will be cheaper on drive line parts . Whisper, Whoosh , Juicy bikes are all rated highly for customer service on this forum and others .Should you break it in the future , parts will be cheaper than going to Mr Bosch....

 

[Nealh]

A good HT hub will also cope with hilly terrain.

 

[Grebacwhite]

It all depends ....
Personally I have a Motus Grand Tour , and I love it , commute on it , shop on it , do long leisure rides on it . I went for the Centre Drive because a lot of my cycling is in hilly areas .If you do not weigh too much and cycle in relatively flat areas , a hub drive is probably quite OK , will be cheaper on drive line parts . Whisper, Whoosh , Juicy bikes are all rated highly for customer service on this forum and others .Should you break it in the future , parts will be cheaper than going to Mr Bosch....

I was initially looking at the Raleigh Array, then the Motus Tour and Grand Tour but the other half wasn't too happy the price going up and up!
I see Woosh do some great offerings, but i am 100+ miles from them, meaning if there is a problem i would have to deal with them by phone/email etc, whereas the local e bike shops cater for both Raleigh and Wisper, and being my first e bike it's nice to have local dealers who i can go to, in case i have problems with electrics etc. Peace of mind basically.

 

[Briggs]

Wisper also have the Wayfarer on the near horizon.

 

[Grebacwhite]

Wisper also have the Wayfarer on the near horizon.

Just been looking at them, not sure they'll offer as much vfm the 2020 705SE or 905SE does? Both these are £150 cheaper with a bigger 575wh battery fitted, compared to the 450wh offering on the wayfarer.
Great to see a brand new model coming out tho, the 705 and 905 have been out for something like 10 years from what I've read on here, but still seem hugely popular.

 

[Old Fart At Play]

whereas the local e bike shops cater for both Raleigh and Wisper, and being my first e bike it's nice to have local dealers who i can go to, in case i have problems with electrics etc. Peace of mind basically.

I really like to buy bikes from my local bike shop. It paid dividends when I bought my first ebike and had a problem with it - local LBS guy dealt with Bosch and got it all sorted. Some bike shops dont like servicing bikes bought elsewhere too. There is usually another benefit of LBS, which is being able to test ride - but that may not apply at the moment!

 

[Nealh]

The new Wayfarer use 40v batteries instead of 36v so will give a bit more torque.
The design is moving forward and is a new modern design utilising better battery position and Cof G. The older versions 905 I expect in time will simply be replaced ( when stock is expended) by the Wayfarer's.

 

[Fat Rat]

Hi welcome and happy hunting