Lightweight ebike

[Froggy]

Hi there, I am after a bit (ok a lot) of help being new to ebikes.

Would like an ebike for commuting and finding it difficult to work out which type of ebike to go for.

Commute is short (12 miles) but a bit hilly (into Bristol). Can do it on non assisted bike at 24kph average with some effort (slow on hills and faster than 25kph on flat). To cycle daily I feel I need an ebike (these hills and don't want to be shattered at work). To keep to my speed I think I need a light ebike ( so can go faster than 25kph without negating the 'effort saving' getting to 25kph) and don't need a mega range (probably saving on weight again as smaller battery (?)).

Gtech seems to fit the bill but not sure of gearing. Kudos Stealth or Woosh Karoo potentials and looking similar in type but no dealers around (I like to see what I buy, I know, old fashioned...).

Alternatives would be juicy roller or pinnacle lithium. More expensive but looking more serious stuff (perception?), heavier, longer range, good availability through several retailers.

So which type to go for?

Hope this makes sense and looking forward to feedback!

Cheers

 

[JuicyBike]

The only bike from your list that I feel wouldn't cope with your local hills is the GTech, which is a bike best suited for short commutes along flat routes.

The best way to realistically find your perfect bike is to test ride. I personally love our Roller, but I would never recommend it to any rider without a test ride first. It is worth the effort though, to hunt down a stockist - the combination of a sensitive torque sensor and the Aikema motor, which is light, silent and powerful gives a brilliant system.

I am happy to get one to our Swindon store and we're waiting on a new stockist on the outskirts of Bristol to receive their initial stock, which will include a Roller.

If you do purchase on-line our SH-OFFER coupon is still valid following a very successful NEC Cycle Show this year.

(I say successful, though we did loose one member of staff during the show, which did take the edge off the event for us. Sarah I'm pleased to say is now recovering well, back at home after 3 weeks in hospital. That's competitive cycle marketing for you!)

 

[TheGnarlyCenturion]

Hi there Froggy,

Would you be open to a custom build? If you would your lightest option would be a Bafang BBS02, and then you can choose the appropriate battery. Can get the whole thing from Ecplise bikes, or ebikebatteries (in the UK) for less than £500 and put it on a nice commuter/road bike. Voila, lighter, customisable, and cheaper than pre-built bikes.

Just a thought!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The Gtech is OK, except when you get to hills. The motor is quite strong, but the problem is that when you slow down, the lack of gearing means that you can't make enough power to assist it, so you both stall-out together. If it has gears, it would be fine. They also make an MTB version that does have gears, which was ridiculously expensive , but is now down to a much more reasonable price.

You have to recalibrate your brain a bit when thinking about an electric bike because much of what makes a non-electric bike good, isn't necessary when you have a motor. Light weight is always good, but it's not necessary.

Personally, I wouldn't use a crank-drive bike for commuting. A hub-motor will almost certainly be more reliable and in the depths of winter, more user-friendly too.

 

[Froggy]

Thank you all for your feedback.

The Gtech is probably not the one for me then, when custom built seems a bit DIY for me.

So looks like it is between the juicy roller and the kudos stealth.

Any differences to be aware of?

I can have a good look at the juicy roller locally to me. Any idea how I could try the Kudos somewhere in the vicinity of Bristol?

Cheers

 

[Woosh]

the Woosh Rio MTB is fairly lightweight and much better equipped to climb hills.
When you ride at high speed, a good fork is very useful.

 

[redcup1999]

It might also help us if you let us know how heavy you are and which Bristol hills you need to get up.

I found that a hub drive struggled to get me up St. Michael's Hill - but I am 16 stone+ - Crank drive had no problems.

Most other hills in Bristol I've tried (Park Street, Whiteladies Road) are fine with my Kudos Tornado (Bafang SWX08 Hub drive).

 

[Froggy]

Well I'd come from Bath along the A4 through Keynsham so no big hills like mentioned above. As for weight, I am 12 stone...

 

[Deleted member 4366]

At only 12st, most hub-motors will be OK.

 

[Froggy]

Thanks for the useful comments. Doing a bit more research the following picture is emerging:

Juicy roller - suitable and available locally - reviewed by magazines - not sure about looks but feel I could buy with confidence

Woosh Karoo - maybe better suited and prefer looks - positive reviews on forums (only a few but positive) - can't see it before I buy unless I travel to the other end of the country.

Kudos stealth - no obvious difference in performance to the Woosh (?) - best looks - no reviews that I could easily find - can't see it before I buy unless I travel to the other end of the country.

So a bit of frustration here that Kudos/ Woosh don't have at least regional stockists. At least Gtech has a 14 days free trial policy...

As I am a newbie if any of the above is wrong please correct me!

 

[Woosh]

Kudos stealth - no obvious difference in performance to the Woosh (?)

there are a lot of similarities, they are made in the same factory.
On components, the Stealth has 11.6AH battery, the Karoo is fitted with a larger capacity battery. The Stealth bottom bracket is square taper, the Karoo has a GXP bottom bracket with external ball bearings. If you google up GXP bottom brackets, you'll see the advantages of GXP over square taper. The Stealth has front and rear V-brakes, the Karoo has front and rear Avid disc brakes.
As I said before, Bristol is hilly, you'd be better off with the Rio MTB which has a more powerful SWX02 motor, better brakes and better fork.

 

[RobF]

Dave, who owns Kudos and posts on here, has been known to send a bike out on approval.

Worth giving him a ring to see if an arrangement can be made.

 

[redcup1999]

Well I'd come from Bath along the A4 through Keynsham so no big hills like mentioned above. As for weight, I am 12 stone...

At 12stone and no significant hills (where significant is > 12%) any of the bikes mentioned will do the job easily.

 

[JuicyBike]

At least Gtech has a 14 days free trial policy...

"Any company that sells goods over the internet has to allow 14 days for a customer to change their mind", is the gist of the distance selling regulations.

We offer this too (of course).

It is though a real faff to have to disassemble, repackage and return something as substantial as a bike...

So it is best managed by a network of regional retailers. In our case, if you weren't happy for any reason we'd ask you to return the bike to one of our retailers. By doing that you'd save the cost of return to us in Derbyshire.