How to find a trustworthy bike shop if…

[Sylvs]

One is a complete novice when it comes to e-bikes?
I am looking at buying an electric folder on cyclescheme. I have not been obsessively researching “inexpensive” bikes. I scoured this forum, googled/binged/yahooed the internet and am more confused then ever. So and internet retailer is out .
I have now started emailing every local shop I can find to get advice but a lot of them have told me that I will not find a decent bike under 1.5k and are telling me I need to look at 2.5k+. My understanding of pedelecs is fairly basic so I guess I’d like to know what are the red flags to look out for when dealing with bike dealers so I don’t get sold something that’s overpriced and under delivers
I’ve the past month I have scoured this forum and feel like this is the place to come for such advice.

 

[sjpt]

You haven't said what you want the bike for. Look at Woosh (https://wooshbikes.co.uk/).
You might count them as an 'internet' retailer, but they will give better advice and service than almost all local bike shops. You won't get the best bike ever, but you will get a decent quality one at a reasonable price.

The Rambletta | Powerful Foldable Electric Bikes with 10.4AH semi-hidden battery from Woosh

The Woosh Rambletta is the most recent 20kg folding bike from Woosh, with a large 36V * 10.4AH semi-hidden battery, very easy to stowaway, perfect for camping / caravanning.

wooshbikes.co.uk

 

[Sylvs]

A few days ago I woke up with a resolution of getting a rambletta but they don’t do cycle scheme. That’s what broke my heart and forced me to look at every bike shop in Scotland within a 50mike radius of Glasgow.

 

[Nealh]

The ebike retailers talk nonsense about spending 2.5k on a folder , reason being is their profit margins are greater on dearer bikes and most know little about hub bikes let alone the mid drive ones they sell.
If you need is just for pottering around town /shopping then a sensible sub 1k hub motor bike will be more then adequate. You can opt for the dearer mid drive type bikes but they won't be more reliable .
Wisper bikes have various dealers around the country and will provide agood service , one may need to spend well over 1k for one of their bikes.
One can buy £500 e-folders that are a bit basic but again adequate for pottering about, personally I would look no further then the regarded vendors who have a presence on here, Woosh, Wisper and even of old Volt bikes.

 

[soundwave]

Home

Wisper is the UK's most experienced manufacturer of Electric Bikes, and has been making ebikes since 2005. Shop the Wisper Range Today!

wisperbikes.com

 

[guerney]

I've never heard of Pogo Cycles, but they appear to offer CTW, and sell Fiidos:

Buy Fiido Electric bikes with Bike To Work Scheme | Pogo Cycles

Shop Fiido electric bikes, Fiido electric bicycle that come with mudguards and light that are high-quality and have best pricing. Visit us online today!

pogocycles.com

...and other folding bikes:

Folding Electric Bikes | Compact & Versatile E-Bikes

Buy folding electric bikes at Pogo Cycles! Compact, portable, and powerful e-bikes for urban commuting and travel. Shop now! Bike to Work Scheme avaliable.

pogocycles.com

@cyclebuddy has a Fiido, and has written a sort of review:

Fiido D11 Folding e-bike - A sort of review

I recently bought one of these Fiido D11 folders (my 3rd e-bike). It cost £800, including shipping and an 8% UK surcharge and currency fees, ordered direct from Fiido, delivered from within the UK. Rather than just trundle out a personal and likely highly biased review, I thought it'd be better...

www.pedelecs.co.uk

pogocycles.com is rated "Great" with 3.8 / 5 on Trustpilot

Do you agree with pogocycles.com's TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 1,011 customers have already said.

uk.trustpilot.com

 

[Nealh]

I thought Woosh did the cycle scheme, pick up the phone and have a word with Hatti , she is the boss and the other half of Tony who posts as Woosh bikes on here.

 

[guerney]

C H White also offer CTW... Wispers are out of stock it seems. I've bought oodles of gear noodles from CH White, they're a good bunch.

Electric Folding Bikes

Large range of around a dozen different types of Electric Folding Bikes from basic £1099.99 to the best you can buy at £3000.00 - £4000.00.

foldingbike.biz

 

[soundwave]

Save £££ with Cycle to Work scheme and electric bikes

The best electric scooters and electric bikes for sale - tried and tested by our team. Unlike most electric ebike and escooter shops, we test every product we sell - and publish those reviews on our Electroheads YouTube channel. We pride ourselves on selling great products, and giving the best...

electroheads.com

 

[guerney]

They should offer a Cycle From Work Scheme too - the batteries on a lot of cheap bikes are so tiny, you might never return. Coverting a decent second hand bike, is money better spent... but I haven't seen any CTW offerings for kits.

EDIT found a couple: Revos? Expensive, and people have reported problems on the forum:

Cycle to Work

You can save from 32-47% (depending on your tax rate).

revolutionworks.com

Revos - eBike conversion kit. Designed and built by hand in the UK.

It's simple to fit and installs in minutes. No need to replace the wheel. Let your bike be your eBike, too!

revolutionworks.com

Also:

Electric Bike Conversions | Convert Any Bike Into an eBike

At Electric Bike Conversions we go the extra mile! We are passionate about providing top quality electric bike kits, backed by exceptional service. We love helping all types of cyclists find their ideal kits while taking care of all the technical details for you.

electric-bike-conversions.co.uk

Cycle to Work Scheme

The Cycle to Work Scheme is a Government-backed initiative to encourage people to cycle to their place of work, and consequently reduce environmental pollution. It's also a way for you to save money on the cost of your cycle and spread the cost over a number of months, through your pay packet...

electric-bike-conversions.co.uk

 

[soundwave]

because a diy kit is not road legal so not a option for ctw but my m8 wanted to start a bike shop and just fit kits and hub motors and said forget it as then could be liable if anything goes wrong like someone gets killed cos some twat bought a bike.

when i got my bike 10 years ago and broke the xd driver not 1 shop wanted to work on it as said it was a motor bike

i had to take the rear wheel off and got a shop to help me get it off as not had a clue as sold race bikes.

they now sell giant electric bikes and not many race bikes these days and the work shop is booked up for months, prob to change all those frames with giant cracks in them lmfao

 

[Sylvs]

First of all I LITERALLY love all of you for the flurry of responses!

Nealh: I am needing a commuting bike, currently using public transport and the traffic in town is driving me mad so want to be in charge of how long it takes me to get to work. I know I will need to compromise on some things but probably a decathlon tilt wouldn’t cut it. Tony from Woosh already told me they don’t do Cycle Scheme (btw the decision on a Rambletta was purely from what I have seen on this forum)
Guerney: Wispers were in the running for a long time, the placement of the battery did put me off , but I might need to compromise on that one. They do have a couple of dealers near enough to where I live, and have decent batteries. I’m sure I also read on here that wispers would be classified as a decent enough budget option. As for Fiido, the L3 was the first bike I came across online and wanted to buy (day 2 of research..) but since then I probably would want one of the D models. Are they easy enough to get fixed if needed? Just thinking that they are not very prominent in the UK.
Soundwave: I looked at the eatarli on electroheads, the battery placement is definitely not for me, plus, I emailed them a few times and had zero response so would not be confident at using them as a complete newbie.
Now for Conversion Kits…so..I actually seriously considered it, I just don’t know how easy it actually is to carry it out. I had to change a tyre in my regular bike for the first time last year and it took me longer than I wish to admit so I don’t know if converting an “analogue” bike into an electric one is in my wheelhouse.

 

[Sylvs]

C H white looking mega promising. Diving in!

 

[soundwave]

they have there own youtube channel so could be swamped with emails but if you went for a kit you would have to pay for it and a donor bike.

you could get more bike for the money but if you can get some one to help you fit it all as its not that hard and can also help with anything you cant do as i doubt any lbs will touch it with a barge poll unless you removed the kit.

just dont get a bafang hd or it will snap in half or put the batt on the handle bars lol

 

[guerney]

C H white looking mega promising. Diving in!

Bear in mind ease of warranty repair - they're a long way from Scotland. Also research how much replacement batteries, motors etc. cost & ease of user repair. Deffo post a link to any you're serious about buying for one of the experts to look at.

 

[Sylvs]

I fear that being given a poetic license to create my own bike..I’d make it hard to ride..one of the things i started to look at was getting a mid drive, and I guess there’s a reason no folder is sold with it as a standard.

 

[soundwave]

Tern Vektron S10 Folding Bosch eBike – e-bikeshop.co.uk

The Tern Vektron S10 2023 folding electric bike. The worlds first Bosch powered folding eBike using lightweight components and simple folding mechanism.

www.e-bikeshop.co.uk

 

[guerney]

As for Fiido, the L3 was the first bike I came across online and wanted to buy (day 2 of research..) but since then I probably would want one of the D models. Are they easy enough to get fixed if needed? Just thinking that they are not very prominent in the UK.

I might have bought a Fiido a couple of years ago, but they didn't have a UK warehouse then, so I converted using a Bafang BBS01B instead... which was easy apart from the removal of the bottom bracket from my (old - manufactured in 2006) bike... and I don't think anyone in the UK offer them on CTW. I just followed this video guide:

I believe there are active Facebook Fiido groups where they swap tips, repair etc. And there are lots of hub drive conversion experts on this forum.

 

[Sylvs]

Tern Vektron S10 Folding Bosch eBike – e-bikeshop.co.uk

The Tern Vektron S10 2023 folding electric bike. The worlds first Bosch powered folding eBike using lightweight components and simple folding mechanism.

www.e-bikeshop.co.uk

I meant as a standard, but I’d also seen the Takashi Take 3 on C H White’s website.

 

[guerney]

I fear that being given a poetic license to create my own bike..I’d make it hard to ride..one of the things i started to look at was getting a mid drive, and I guess there’s a reason no folder is sold with it as a standard.

My Dahon Helios P8 is very happy and so am I with a Bafang BBS01B.

Cyclemotion - Mobility Solutions for an Integrated World

Folding bikes by Cyclemotion UK. We offer the world's largest selection of portable folding bicycle and bicycle accessories. We have folding bicycles for every riding requirement - from commuting, to traveling, to mountain biking.

www.world-wheels.co.uk

I'd avoid Tern.