Hi - New member looking for advice and wisdom on first ebike purchase.

[PhilYerBoots]

Hi All.

Thanks to Google I found these excellent forums but after a week of reading various posts I'm as confused as when I started as to the best ebike for our needs..!
So I though it would be best to join to be able to pick members clearly knowledgable brains and hopefully narrow down our ebike search.
Basically I'm looking for a step-through style ebike for my wife (age mid 40's but she'll kill me if I'm more specific..!) as she struggles with normal cycling now due to joint pain in knees and ankles. For this reason I think a choice of throttle only option for quicker getaways as well as pedal assist is probably the way forward but please correct me if I'm wrong.
She will be mostly using it for only a 2-3 mile commute each way on fairly rough roads and the journey home is virtually all uphill with a very steep gradient for the last 1/2 mile or so. We will also be going out weekends on longer rides using light off-road trails so I reckon a medium to high assisted range of around 20-30 miles should suffice.
I am currently undecided whether to go for a full ebike or conversion kit as she has a hardly used 2 year old Giant Cypress sitting in the shed, which is the same step-through style she likes to ride and I'm fairly competent with a tool kit.
So far we have visited The Bike Factory in Chester and both went out for a short ride on their Trek (Bionx) demo bikes and were both amazed at how good they were, although £1800 is maybe a bit pricy for a first ebike purchase and I gather replacement batteries for the Bionx system are also a bit on the steep side.
She then tried a half-day demo with a cheaper Giant Twist Express while I followed on my normal bike. However, she was underwhelmed by the assistance that provided, especially climbing hills and to be honest she was glad to be giving it back earlier than planned. I'd be interested to learn if that is representative of other front hub motor systems.
I am amazed at how much choice there is now compared to only a couple of years ago so any advice or guidance as to specific types of ebikes or kits that may suit our requirements would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers !
Phil Bailey.

 

[overlander]

One thing for certain is the Trek will not do 30 miles on medium assist, i would class medium as a mixture of assist 2-3. So i would rule that out. Your requirment for 30 miles is going to be the sticking point especially if you need to use throttle for a good part of the journey.

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Thanks overlander, thats useful to know about the range on the Treks.
I guess I was using the top end of 30 miles as an optimistic figure for a longer weekend run (providing I can keep up on my Scott mtb..!). As her main use will be commuting 5-6 miles round trip I'm sure she could live with a shorter range bike providing it has excellent hill climbing ability. How is your Trek on steeper hills btw...and generally how do you rate your bike...any bad points..?

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Phil and welcome to the forum,

If your wife likes her Giant Cypress, a conversion deserves serious consideration and an eZee kit would certainly fulfil her needs.

If I can be of any assistance with this please contact me.

 

[timidtom]

Hello and welcome;
Joyce and I are 'elderly' and ebikes have enabled our return to cycling. I may have mentioned, casually, previously that we ride a pair of Juicy bikes from Bob Wales in Buxton and are delighted with them. They are certainly cabable of a round trip of thirty miles BUT a lot depends on the terrain, the rider's physical condition on the day and having a fresh battery with a good charge! We live in Cheshire, have a few moderate hills in the vicinity and only once had a problem completing a ride (sorted by Bob detecting a faulty battery & replacing it without quibble!) Buxton is well worth a visit & Bob's shop is a cavern of delights. A test ride round Buxton will answer your queries about hill-climbing. Remember the old saying* 'Ride ten and buy one!'
Best wishes,
Tom

*I'm old and I'm saying it!

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Thanks John.

It does make sense to convert a good-as-new decent quality bike as I doubt she'll ever want to go back to a standard bike after using an ebike.
I'll have a look at your site when I get a chance later and come back to you if need any help.

Cheers.
Phil.

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Hi Tom.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate there are a lot of factors that determine range and I'm hoping that, like yourselves and it seems most people that return to cycling using ebikes, my wife Ann will be able to extend her range on any given bike once she regains her fitness and riding confidence. Hills are what she really struggles with so we should be giving that ability top priority with any bike or kit we look at.
I agree that the more demos you try the better so time to get the sat nav out and make a few phone calls..