Is this the start of ebikes for the masses?

[greyfox69]

I was talking to the staff at my local evans cycles a couple of weeks ago,and the discussion turned to ebikes, they told me that they were fully supportive of this form of cycling and would be launching one soon, to appeal to the "masses". today this mewsletter email popped into my inbox.
hope it is of some use as a forum topic. ( I have no loyalty or tie up with this high street company)
https://www.evanscycles.com/coffeestop/news/the-lithium-ion-from-pinnacle/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_term=&utm_content=160715-content-issue32-eng&utm_campaign=Campaign-UK&utm_medium=Email&S2REF=18172152

 

[Kudoscycles]

Grey fox.....read through Evans publicity blurb.
At £1800.00 it's hardly priced for the masses?
I didn't see the full specification,what is the battery capacity? They are stating 90 miles of hilly range?
How much is a replacement battery.
We have noticed a change in attitude from bike shops,5 years ago they wouldn't have an e-bike in the shop but normal bike sales have gone past the boom period and they are having to consider e-bikes to maintain their revenue.
Kudos still think that the majority of UK e-bike purchasers don't want to spend more than £1000.00.
When you said that Evans were selling an e-bike for the masses I thought you meant a massive Chinese buy deal,selling at £595.00.
KudosDave

 

[Wicky]

Specs are here:

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-lithium-ion-2017-electric-bike-EV267144

Motor: Shimano Steps E6000
Battery :Shimano E600 downtube battery 400wh
Charge Time: Approx. Full in 4h, 80% in 2
Display: Shimano SC-E6000
Controller: 3 Mode. High/ Normal & Eco
Range: 80 - 100Km or 60 Miles in Eco Mode
Maximum Road Speed: Assistance up to 25 km/h or 15mph

 

[Kudoscycles]

Specs are here:

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-lithium-ion-2017-electric-bike-EV267144

Motor: Shimano Steps E6000
Battery :Shimano E600 downtube battery 400wh
Charge Time: Approx. Full in 4h, 80% in 2
Display: Shimano SC-E6000
Controller: 3 Mode. High/ Normal & Eco
Range: 80 - 100Km or 60 Miles in Eco Mode
Maximum Road Speed: Assistance up to 25 km/h or 15mph

Never ridden a Shimano Steps bike,it costs similar money to the Bosch or Yamaha product,which are both well proven,couldn't see the point in risking a new mid drive motor.
Anyone ridden one?
KudosDave

 

[greyfox69]

sorry kudosdave by "masses" i meant footfall, many folks looking to pay good money for a quality bike may be tempted by this ebike , rather than the cheap chineses "Tatt" some offer. The problem I found when I bought my bike is you have to travel, sometimes long distances to test ride one, every town seems to have a branded bike shop, so I would have thought it would indeed increase sales. no disrespect just saying

 

[flecc]

Certainly having e-bikes in plenty of bike shops will increase sales somewhat , but where e-biking expansion is concerned, local availability is not the major problem.

Our problem is simply that Britain is not a cycling nation and e-bikers are usually recruited from those who've cycled, rarely from car drivers. The spectacular success of pedelecs in mainland Europe has been largely confined to the cycling nations, such as The Netherlands and Germany.

There e-bike sales are up to 15% of the bicycle market, while in the UK they are 1%. An example to illustrate why that is, 70% of the Dutch have regularly cycled for years, it's just 3% of the British.
.

 

[greyfox69]

A very good point flecc, I have owned a bike (s) for around 50 Years it is only in the last 4 or 5 Years when I have been unable to ride regularly free from pain that I joined the world of ebikes.
Maybe if the local high street shops got potential customers interested enough to try one, sales could grow exponentially, I personally would like to see thousands of folk on them, and consequently out of the cars.

 

[KeithMac]

I'd be buying the Raleigh with STEPS and integrated DI2 gear shifting over that personally.

Still nice to see ebikes getting more exposure in the bike shops!.

To be fair most of the roads I ride on are in poor condition, enough to put off a novice cyclist.

Can't see many if any car drivers being swayed to cross over to cycling, most people who cycle have been doing it all their lives from what I've seen.

 

[LEBC Tom]

I'd be buying the Raleigh with STEPS and integrated DI2 gear shifting over that personally.

Still nice to see ebikes getting more exposure in the bike shops!.

To be fair most of the roads I ride on are in poor condition, enough to put off a novice cyclist.

Can't see many if any car drivers being swayed to cross over to cycling, most people who cycle have been doing it all their lives from what I've seen.

Try the Bosch and Yahama systems as well. The Shimano system is responsive but I found it to be quite noisey compared to the other two and its seems to jump all over the place with its range calculations. The Di2 on the Raleigh Strada impressed me, it may annoy others though as it beeps constantly at you everytime it changes gear.

 

[grldtnr]

Specs are here:

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-lithium-ion-2017-electric-bike-EV267144

Motor: Shimano Steps E6000
Battery :Shimano E600 downtube battery 400wh
Charge Time: Approx. Full in 4h, 80% in 2
Display: Shimano SC-E6000
Controller: 3 Mode. High/ Normal & Eco
Range: 80 - 100Km or 60 Miles in Eco Mode
Maximum Road Speed: Assistance up to 25 km/h or 15mph

Hmmm,needs pannier racks and Lights then it might sell,

Specs are here:

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-lithium-ion-2017-electric-bike-EV267144

Motor: Shimano Steps E6000
Battery :Shimano E600 downtube battery 400wh
Charge Time: Approx. Full in 4h, 80% in 2
Display: Shimano SC-E6000
Controller: 3 Mode. High/ Normal & Eco
Range: 80 - 100Km or 60 Miles in Eco Mode
Maximum Road Speed: Assistance up to 25 km/h or 15mph

Needs a rack and Lights ,then it might sell.
The looks? Seems to have style that hasn't been used yet!

Or put another way,only a mother could love it.

 

[Tomtomato]

I think a mainstream bike retailer like Evans Cycles starting selling electric bikes is a positive move. Even though the bike is still way too expensive for the average buyer at £1,800, it will raise awareness and interest.

Also, I believe it's possible to try any bikes with Evans Cycles, so hopefully this will be the same for their electric bike.

 

[LeighPing]

Even though the bike is still way too expensive for the average buyer at £1,800, it will raise awareness and interest.

Let's not forget that the G-Tech ebike started off priced at almost £1700. Then it was dropped to £995, accompanied by a big marketing campaign that generated lots of positive interest in ebikes. I was stopped in the park, more than once, by inquisitive people of various ages. They all mentioned the G-tech bike.

No doubt Evans had more than one enquiry about them too. It's just common sense, and good business, that they get on board with 2 wheeled progress innit!

 

[anotherkiwi]

@Kudoscycles - I am a car driver who fell upon hard times and who discovered that running an e-bike cost even less than bus and train tickets. I think that £1800 paid on the never-never is an economical solution to being without a car if you live in an area with bad public transport. I would not pay £1800 for a bike with bright blue mudguards however . I would say that my pain threshold is about 75€ a month - £2250 - that is about how much diesel I was putting in my car when I had one.

...
Our problem is simply that Britain is not a cycling nation and e-bikers are usually recruited from those who've cycled, rarely from car drivers. The spectacular success of pedelecs in mainland Europe has been largely confined to the cycling nations, such as The Netherlands and Germany.

There e-bike sales are up to 15% of the bicycle market, while in the UK they are 1%. An example to illustrate why that is, 70% of the Dutch have regularly cycled for years, it's just 3% of the British.
.

My GF just got back from a 10 day holiday in the Netherlands and she, contrary to me, has always been a cyclist (of the utilitarian variety not only a leisure cyclist). "Its flat, we did 35+ km rides with ease", "the infrastructure is fabulous!" were her comments. She saw wall to wall e-bikes. All bikes have frame locks. Oh, and it is flat... She is a huge Dutch sit up and beg style bike fan and has no problems with black mudguards either

Design note for Evans boffins:

Park this bike in a train or other tight space, see where the mudguard is going to be a problem? Top tip, make it shorter it will even look better! Oh and have you ever seen mat black mudguards?



And it isn't "road legal" in Europe: no reflectors and no bell on any of the photos.

 

[Yamdude]

More ebike sellers and more ebikes on the market, means more competition..... and thats always good for the buyer.
But its still a niche market and they're mostly still too expensive..... got a long way to go yet before ebikes appeal to the masses in this country.

 

[RobF]

And it isn't "road legal" in Europe: no reflectors and no bell on any of the photos.

The reflective sidewall band on the tyres makes the bike legal from that point of view.

I suspect Evans will supply each bike with a seat post rear reflector, a handlebar mounted front one and a next-to-useless ping bell.

That's what was fitted to my Evans Lithium push bike, which is similar in style to their new ebike.

 

[greyfox69]

Good points made, I still believe that if bike shops let people ride them, the sales will follow, the price is high, but no higher than many bikes in the shop
and to put it into perspective, I can't believe any sane person would pay £600 for a mobile phone, but millions of people do??
As for the colour scheme ,beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as is styling, personally I wouldn't be seen dead on a dutch style step-through but they probably outsell many times over the bike I own.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Side reflectors have to be orange in France I think the reflective tyres are legal in Holland where reflectors have to be round, don't know about Germany color wise but the in wheel ones are orange but aren't round.

See all that EU dictatorship you are leaving behind, three countries, three standards for side reflectors. And you were being bullied by all those regulations you poor wee things...

 

[LeighPing]

I belong to 'other bike' forums (MTB, Racing bikes) and the last thing they talk about (well it would be the last thing, if it were ever mentioned) is legality.

They just talk about how fast they can belt along as a group or individually. Or, flying downhill on trails..

Bikes should be legal if they're being sold to us. They should be 'good to go'. Pedals and all.

 

[trex]

this is the no nonsense £799 bike for the masses:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/carrera-crossfire-e-mens-electric-bike

there is also a low step version:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/carrera-crossfire-e-womens-electric-bike

 

[anotherkiwi]

And 12 months to pay at 0% interest rate!