Hi - new and need advice on a potential new purchase....

[GSol]

Hi everyone... been reading this very helpful forum for a while, but new to posting...

I have had an Alien Pulsar (folding electric) for a while, and would now like to get a full size ebike.

I have been offered this one and wondering if it is worth it for £650?

It has a 36V 13A lithium ion battery.
also a boost button for offroad use.

Some other info is: 20" Aluminium Alloy Frame with 26" Wheels (Gross weight with battery 23.5 kilos)

6 Speed Shimano Gears with SIS push button Tourney assisted changer, Front Disk Brakes with V Rear Brakes

Only thing is, it has no brand name and although it is new, it comes with no warranty.
These are the photos of the bike...

Can anyone recognise it?... Is it worth it?

Any advice would be appreciated...

G

 

[Artstu]

It looks very similar to this bike Cyclamatic Power Plus Electric Bike -The Sports HQ

 

[funkylyn]

Hmmm.......why no warranty ??

Lynda

 

[GSol]

The bike in the link seems a bit of a lower spec (24v vs 36v, and no off-road option), and the frame appears a bit different as well. Seems a good deal if thats the spec someone is after, but I am going to use the bike on private land as well, so would like the unrestricted option...

 

[GSol]

Hmmm.......why no warranty ??

Lynda

I have the same apprehension, its stock from a bankrupt shop that has closed down. The bike is fully tested and seems ok though. Just wondering what make it was before it was "debranded". So that I can still buy spares if needed in future.

 

[eddieo]

For a little bit more money you could get a genuine wisper 905SE secondhand...It could even have the remainder of a 2 year warranty. The battery has the old fashioned kettle style plug which is OK I guess, but welding looks a little poor hard to see without close ups though.

if motor an SB and battery correct and conditioned it just might be OK depends how old it is........ If you are handy then may be alright. But with cheaper bikes things like the wheels/spokes worry me and that is when a warranty comes in handy

 

[funkylyn]

'' seems '' being the operative word !!

I am sure you could find something else if you have a good look around....depends on your maximum budget..

Lynda

 

[Deleted member 4366]

These bikes appear on Ebay from time to time. The main parts must be made in the same factory, but there appear to be several derivatives with different spec parts fitted with various levels of support. They all seem to share the same motor. They used to be cheaper, but the price is gradually creeping up. You can buy a good bike from Woosh, Kudos or 8Fun for a similar price and get full support.
Electric Bikes from Woosh | Tel 01702 435566 | electric bike sales | bike hire
E26M03S | 26" Electric Aluminium Mountain Bike | 36V Lithium Bottle Battery with Panasonic Cells,21 SP SHIMANO, DISC Brake
.: Kudos Cycles - e-bikes with style :.

 

[Blew it]

Can anyone recognise it?... Is it worth it?

Any advice would be appreciated...

G

These machines are often referred to as clones of the Wisper 905. More accurately, it is a modern copy of the circa 2005 'Knight-rider', the fore-runner of the Wisper 905.

When the Wisper brand came into being, the top tube was changed to a single hydroformed tube which eliminated the welded gusset headstock.

Another derivative of the 'Knight-rider', is the 'City Thunder' marketed by Powered Bicycles in Nottingham.

Regarding the machine shown in your posting. The good points, are the original 52T chainwheel has been retained which means it has a fairly high top gear. The threadless headset is also an improvement on the original.

The only concern I have with this machine is the battery. This is clearly the Lishen 13ah which was used by Wisper up to around late 2007. If my memory serves me right, Wisper stopped using this battery in favour of the Advance 14ah Lithium Manganese at that time. The early Wisper 905's were fitted with a whopping great 18 amp controller, and Lishen were not confident enough in their battery to support the two year guarantee required by Wisper. To the best of my knowledge, these 13ah batteries by Lishen are no longer available. Beware, the battery on this machine could easily be four years old!!.

I have a fully refurbished example of a 2007 Wisper 905se in my collection. The original Lishen 13 ah battery fitted was at the end of it's life, but was replaced with an Advance 14 ah supplied by Wisper ( £525 ). The Advance battery had the non-standard kettle socket which I had to replace with a standard IEC chassis socket from Maplins.

To summarise, the machine you have shown is reasonably priced and will be quite pleasant to ride, but future battery replacement ( perhaps sooner than expected ) would mean modifying a 2008 Wisper 905 replacement battery at the price mentioned above. I should also mention, modifying a fresh 14 ah battery from wisper would almost certainly invalidate the guarantee on it.

My personal opinion is, given the possible age of the battery fitted to that machine, you may decide it's not quite the bargain it appears to be.

Hope this is of help in making your choice.
Regards
Bob

 

[NRG]

Don't bother with it, too much of a risk: brand new Juicy Bike Sport £750 or Kudos Sport £700

 

[banbury frank]

Hi you have a alien bike why not get another see link

Electric Bicycles - Vortex £699

Frank

 

[GSol]

These machines are often referred to as clones of the Wisper 905. More accurately, it is a modern copy of the circa 2005 'Knight-rider', the fore-runner of the Wisper 905.

When the Wisper brand came into being, the top tube was changed to a single hydroformed tube which eliminated the welded gusset headstock.

Another derivative of the 'Knight-rider', is the 'City Thunder' marketed by Powered Bicycles in Nottingham.

Regarding the machine shown in your posting. The good points, are the original 52T chainwheel has been retained which means it has a fairly high top gear. The threadless headset is also an improvement on the original.

The only concern I have with this machine is the battery. This is clearly the Lishen 13ah which was used by Wisper up to around late 2007. If my memory serves me right, Wisper stopped using this battery in favour of the Advance 14ah Lithium Manganese at that time. The early Wisper 905's were fitted with a whopping great 18 amp controller, and Lishen were not confident enough in their battery to support the two year guarantee required by Wisper. To the best of my knowledge, these 13ah batteries by Lishen are no longer available. Beware, the battery on this machine could easily be four years old!!.

I have a fully refurbished example of a 2007 Wisper 905se in my collection. The original Lishen 13 ah battery fitted was at the end of it's life, but was replaced with an Advance 14 ah supplied by Wisper ( £525 ). The Advance battery had the non-standard kettle socket which I had to replace with a standard IEC chassis socket from Maplins.

To summarise, the machine you have shown is reasonably priced and will be quite pleasant to ride, but future battery replacement ( perhaps sooner than expected ) would mean modifying a 2008 Wisper 905 replacement battery at the price mentioned above. I should also mention, modifying a fresh 14 ah battery from wisper would almost certainly invalidate the guarantee on it.

My personal opinion is, given the possible age of the battery fitted to that machine, you may decide it's not quite the bargain it appears to be.

Hope this is of help in making your choice.
Regards
Bob

Thanks, that is a very helpful bit of history there!
I think the general feeling is that its not worth the risk. I have to say after reading that, I tend to agree...

I like my Alien Pulsar, and would really like to stay with Alien and buy the Aurora, but I'm stuck financially at around £700 so guess I'll keep the hunt going.

The Kudos Sport and Juicy both look like good options... 2 things concern me:
1) How does a front wheel motor compare to rear wheel (I've only had rear wheel drive)?
2) Can either of them be de-restricted to use offroad on private land?

G

 

[cwah]

If you want a derestricted bike for a fair price, you better look at chinese dealers.

I've a complete bike imported from China (Conhismotor) with this spec:
Max distance: 18 miles total distance on throttle only (mainly flat road but a bit windy)
Max speed: 23mph (but once I had a very strong slope in a tunnel and I managed to go to 29mph!!! Yeeeey!)
Average: 14 mph. (but most of the time I'm between 15 and 23 mph)
Battery: 36V10A Li(NiCoMn)O2
2 years warranties on the bike + 1 year on battery

Total cost: £800 with shipping cost (£200), taxes, accessories (helmet, light, racks) and changing the crankset to make it efficient at more than 30km/h.