Looking for a road/gravel eBike up to £3,000

[Oly]

Hi,
I'm new to the ebike scene. I commute to work everyday on an old steel framed Peugeot race bike but i am moving home to be further away from work and there are going to be a couple of big hills on the way so thinking of getting an eBike.

Ideally i wanted to spend max of £2,000 but this doesn't seem to be possible so ideally around £3,000 max.

I was thinking of getting something with a Fazua motor and came across the Cairn Adventure 1.0 and also the Boardman ADV 8.9E and was wondering what people thought of these and whether one would be recommended over the other? Or can anyone recommend anything better in the same price bracket?

I'm open to a road/gravel bike that leans more towards the road side of things as 90% of my cycling will be done on tarmac.

Thanks

 

[sjpt]

You don't say how long the new commute will be, or how big the hills, or how much effort you expect to put in. You can probably find an ebike that will do what you need for under £1500 (eg from Woosh), but you may find the extra worth paying.

Beware of 'up to' figures, real world figures can easily be 1/3 or even less of 'up to' figures. The Fazua system usually comes with a pretty small battery. From what people say it is excellent for what it is designed for as a bit of extra boost on a light bike, which may be just what you want.

 

[Oly]

Hi,
The new commute will be just over 10km there and 10km back. I'm not so worried about it on the way there except for headwins as its mainly downhill. The main hill on the way back gains about 65m in altitude over the course of 1.4km with the steepest part gaining 30m in a 400m stretch.

Ideally the less effort the better but would rather not be lugging around a huge weighty bike and I like the idea of having a bike i can still ride if the battery dies which am i correct in thinking is not so much the case with the Bosch motors? (Apologies if im mistaken but im still learning). Plus i used to ride this same route years ago on the trusty peugeot so not afraid at putting the effort in, just prefer to make it a little easier!

As for the money i'd rather keep costs down but if it comes at a major loss of money i would just rather pay more now for a quality bit of kit that will last a long time.

Thanks

 

[Jonah]

Hi,
I'm new to the ebike scene. I commute to work everyday on an old steel framed Peugeot race bike but i am moving home to be further away from work and there are going to be a couple of big hills on the way so thinking of getting an eBike.

Ideally i wanted to spend max of £2,000 but this doesn't seem to be possible so ideally around £3,000 max.

I was thinking of getting something with a Fazua motor and came across the Cairn Adventure 1.0 and also the Boardman ADV 8.9E and was wondering what people thought of these and whether one would be recommended over the other? Or can anyone recommend anything better in the same price bracket?

I'm open to a road/gravel bike that leans more towards the road side of things as 90% of my cycling will be done on tarmac.

Thanks

The Boardman is the cheapest bike with the Fazua motor. Remember, you can get 10% off at Halfords if you are a member of Cycling UK. If you have the money, I really like the look of the Cairn and also Kinesis do a couple of models for a bit more again. Alternative light weight bikes usually feature the ebikemotion rear hub motor. Orbea have the Gain range of bikes using this motor at various price points, also Ribble amongst others.

 

[Woosh]

for that sort of distance, my Faro would fit your requirements.
It has a 36V 8AH (288WH, a little more than the Fazua which has 250WH) battery, lightweight, hydraulic brakes and a decent motor.

The Faro | Very Lightweight Electric Bikes from Woosh

The Faro: very lightweight road electric bike from Woosh with hydraulic brakes and in-frame 36V 8AH battery or 20AH external battery.

wooshbikes.co.uk

 

[sjpt]

Ideally the less effort the better but would rather not be lugging around a huge weighty bike and I like the idea of having a bike i can still ride if the battery dies which am i correct in thinking is not so much the case with the Bosch motors?

The Fazua system is definitely one of the lightest, and you can even remove the entire system including motor. That would help if you intended to go on an unassisted ride, but not if you ran out of battery on an assisted one.

The Bosch motors, and indeed most motors, don't give any drag if you are pedalling them without assist. The only thing with Bosch is the total weight of the bike, which will almost certainly be much more than something like the Boardman .

For comparison the Faro is £900 16.5kg (with slightly bigger battery and I think with mudguards and rack) and the Boardman around £2000 (*) 16kg (without mudguards and rack). You can buy an extra battery about double the size on the Faro if you decide you want it for long rides as well.

(*) £2700, but don't forget special offers, Cycling UK discount etc

 

[seagaf]

I've got the Cairn and my wife has the Boardman 8.9e Hybrid, both with the Fazua drive unit. We both are very happy with them.
I've not used other ebikes so cant compare, the appeal of the Fazua was the natural feel and ability to ride with low resistance without the e-assist e.g. to conserve battery on longer rides or if you run out of juice.

I seem to get about 70km out of a full charge.

The other thing I liked about fazua is that if you have a problem with the battery or motor you won't have to ship the whole bike back just the motor/battery unit and carry on using the bike as an analogue bike

 

[Atlav4]

If you want a premium branded lightweight stealth bike then as mentioned these cost substantial collateral. As alternative look at the Faro, mine without rear rack, light and kickstand weighs under 16 kg just approximately same as the other mentioned brands. Replace seat, seat post, front forks for carbon equivalent and replace straight bar with some quality drops. I seriously think it’s a contender for that sleek free wheeling commuting ebike your after.
Modification of parts mentioned may cost less than the premium brands by some margin.

 

[terrylamb]

I’m thinking of buying a gravel bike with a fazua motor has anyone got one and do you recommend them. Also can a get a test ride anywhere on one.

 

[richtea99]

We have a Boardman HYB 8.9e, Terry - it works well, and is enjoyable to use. It's urban, not gravel, but with exactly the same battery system.

Only had it a year, but no problems so far. Gets my wife up the hills quicker than me with no assistance. Grr. So got an eBike myself.

You might want to consider 'ebikemotion' system bikes (Orbea Gain , Ribble, Lapierre) if you don't mind a non-removable battery. You'll probably save a few £100 too over a Fazua, but I'd say Fazua is slightly better - in design terms, and similar power and range.

 

[terrylamb]

We have a Boardman HYB 8.9e, Terry - it works well, and is enjoyable to use. It's urban, not gravel, but with exactly the same battery system.

Only had it a year, but no problems so far. Gets my wife up the hills quicker than me with no assistance. Grr. So got an eBike myself.

You might want to consider 'ebikemotion' system bikes (Orbea Gain , Ribble, Lapierre) if you don't mind a non-removable battery. You'll probably save a few £100 too over a Fazua, but I'd say Fazua is slightly better - in design terms, and similar power and range.

Thanks for reply I like the look of the virus e gravel bike but would like to see and trybefore I buy. The fazua system sounds best .The cairn e gravel looks good if I lived nearer to their showrooms I go to demo the bike.

 

[terrylamb]

Thanks for reply I like the look of the virus e gravel bike but would like to see and trybefore I buy. The fazua system sounds best .The cairn e gravel looks good if I lived nearer to their showrooms I go to demo the bike.

 

[terrylamb]

Anybody got a fazua system bike I can look at and have test ride will pay for any expenses can’t find any in shops only online shops.

 

[Atlav4]

The woosh Faro with accessories removed and 35c tyres carbon seat post, riser handlebars and pedals approximately 15.5 kg

 

[richtea99]

Anybody got a fazua system bike I can look at and have test ride will pay for any expenses can’t find any in shops only online shops.

Where are you based, Terry?

 

[richtea99]

The woosh Faro with accessories removed and 35c tyres carbon seat post, riser handlebars and pedals approximately 15.5 kg

Looks good, good value for the money, and Woosh seem to care - that's something you can't buy.
Trouble is (like everywhere) I think they're out of stock, but defo worth asking the estimated delivery date.

 

[Woosh]

Trouble is (like everywhere) I think they're out of stock,

The Faro is in stock at the moment.

 

[richtea99]

My mistake - apols Woosh.
I read the website and saw the 'I'd like to reserve this bike' button, and assumed no stock.

Definitely worth a check Terry.

 

[Woosh]

My mistake - apols Woosh.
I read the website and saw the 'I'd like to reserve this bike' button, and assumed no stock.

Definitely worth a check Terry.

I have now amended the web page.
Thank you for the tip-off!

 

[terrylamb]

Where are you based, Terry?

North Nottinghamshire