Looking for step through bike for my wife?

[Ben Jones]

I'm new to electric bikes and so I've been looking around for a good but modestly priced electric bike for a while. My wife needs a bike for shopping and getting around town. Luckily where we live there aren't any hills so she doesn't need a powerful motor. Also, I don't want to spend a lot as this is her first bike and looking for something she can get used to quickly.

Looking around I've come across a few models but we are not sure which might be the best.

Would like people's opinions of these two bikes?

https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/brands/cyclotricity/cyclotricity-sahara-electric-bike

https://www.rctoyworld.co.uk/zipper-z5-city-deluxe-electric-ebike-cycle-bike-24---midnight-blue-126718-p.asp

 

[flecc]

I'd say avoid the RC Toyworld bike, it uses a special in-frame battery that might not be available when you need a replacement, something that often happens with such bikes.

The Cyclotricity looks good value and will meet your undemanding needs ok.
.

 

[Ben Jones]

Seems a new battery is quite expensive as well! so how long do batteries last?

Also, do more expsneive bikes have better quality batteries? Would it better and cheaper long term to buy a more upmarket bike?

 

[flecc]

Seems a new battery is quite expensive as well! so how long do batteries last?

Also, do more expsneive bikes have better quality batteries? Would it better and cheaper long term to buy a more upmarket bike?

The battery life tends to be related to price and quality. It's not uncommon for them to fail by two years, while some of the best have been lasting five years or more. But the battery price differences do even that out a bit, ranging from around £250 to three times that.

Regular use is important, if out of use for months such as in winter it's important to top up the charge every couple of months.
.

 

[Ben Jones]

Many thanks.

 

[sjpt]

The smaller battery on the Cyclotricity Sahara is very small. Should be fine for short trips on the flat, which it sounds as if your wife wants? The bigger battery ups the price a lot. As you will have noticed, the battery makes up a big chunk of the price of an eBike.

If you want a bit more, look at the step through bikes at Woosh
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/category/uid-2/stepthrough-bikes

Also Kudos Sonata
https://www.kudoscycles.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=347
They are doing a special deal on two, might be worth checking if anyone else is interested, or even getting 2 and selling one on.

You may have already found the review at
https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/reviews/electric-city-bikes/cyclotricity-sahara-548
Looks fairly reasonable.

 

[Woosh]

Also, I don't want to spend a lot as this is her first bike and looking for something she can get used to quickly.

There are a lot of good bikes out there, to narrow down the choices, could you let us know:

- how tall and heavy is your wife?
- do you live in a very hilly area?
- is she a natural with gear shifting?
- does she need the support of a full throttle?
- does she need front suspension?
- what kind of range would you like? 30 miles? 50 miles? 70 miles?
- your budget

 

[Ben Jones]

Woosh,
My wife is 5' 8" and about 65kg (guess). We live in Bungay in Suffolk, so pretty flat. Gear shifting isn't a problem, doesn't need a full throttle but I'm sure she wouldn't mind if the bike had one. No suspension needed. Range probably 30 miles as journeys are likely to be under 10 miles.

 

[Woosh]

all the bikes you mentioned will do 30 miles - especially with not much hills. I would go for something lightweight.
Kudos Verona: https://www.kudoscycles.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=354
Wisper 705 Step Through: https://wisperbikes.com/e-bikes/705-se-step-through/
Emu Step Through: https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/electric-bikes/step-through-frames/emu-step-through-black
Halfords Cross Fuse Women: https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/carrera-crossfuse-womens-electric-hybrid-bike-17-19-frames
Woosh Crusa: http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?crusa

 

[Ben Jones]

thank you.

 

[Steve Dyson]

the bikes i cant comment on but the batteries, i build my own from Li-Ion cells reclaimed from old laptop batteries and have found from my type of riding and killing cell packs, i class a cell pack as the 3.7V cells x by however many i have in that pack.

so far i have found that on my journey to work and back which has several large climbs uphill and then several decents... the better quality cells like the samsung, LG and Panasonic last better and allow for more power to be used from them, I have ran individual cells down to 2.8v and they have come back fine.

i also notice that the thing that kills the batteries is by them going out of balance so if you have a 13s7p (13 in series to get the voltage and 7 in parralel to get the Amp hour rating) you will find checking each series pack that instead of them being matched up they become way out of balance and eventually discharge to below the value that will allow the charger to pick them back up...

the cheaper battery packs will not only have cheaper cells but usually use either cheaper BMS which allows them to go out of balance.

 

[JuicyBike]

Seems a new battery is quite expensive as well! so how long do batteries last?

Also, do more expsneive bikes have better quality batteries? Would it better and cheaper long term to buy a more upmarket bike?

I think asking about which cells are used is a useful question of any retailer or manufacturer. We find Samsung cells are performing very well for us. Light with good reliability.
There can be no substitute for trying a bike and I'd like to add our own range to your list, which you could test ride in Norwich. Our Classic or Roller may well suit, given your wife's size.

 

[Steve Bowles]

Raleigh Motus? My wife loves hers. It's a touring bike, so the tires aren't the widest.

 

[sjpt]

We recently bought a second-hand Motus and are really enjoying it. Shared between my wife and I ... I now really appreciate a step-through too, and we have the tandem for going out together. Unless you are lucky with a used one it is quite a bit above the price range of the other bikes mentioned.

 

[Ben Jones]

Thanks for the advice about in-frame batteries. So with that in mind my wife and I did further research and as budget was limited we went to for this one,a Zipper Z2. It has a battery on the rear carrier, so we hope that will make it easy to replace. She also liked the "shopper" style and as an added bonus it's a folding bike, so we can get it in the car that much easier than the two dutch style bikes I originally asked about on this forum. Many thanks again for everyones help.

https://www.rctoyworld.co.uk/zipper-z2-compact-folding-electric-bike-ebike-cycle-20---onyx-black-104796-p.asp

 

[Trevormonty]

Thanks for the advice about in-frame batteries. So with that in mind my wife and I did further research and as budget was limited we went to for this one,a Zipper Z2. It has a battery on the rear carrier, so we hope that will make it easy to replace. She also liked the "shopper" style and as an added bonus it's a folding bike, so we can get it in the car that much easier than the two dutch style bikes I originally asked about on this forum. Many thanks again for everyones help.

https://www.rctoyworld.co.uk/zipper-z2-compact-folding-electric-bike-ebike-cycle-20---onyx-black-104796-p.asp

Ideally for short local trips, you will need a pannier or two for shopping trips. Don't forget lights.

 

[Lancslass]

Hi Ben
I have been the proud owner of a Juicy Classic step through bike for about 2 years now - Bob is the lovely fella who owns Juicy bikes, he has sent you an email already.
I use it roughly every couple of weeks for leisure riding and I live in hilly north Bolton, in the Lancashire foothills. The battery is still going strong and I can vouch for the fact that the bike has never needed any work doing to it beyond normal maintenance. The power of the bike on the hills where I live, never fails to amaze me and even now, I can't wipe the silly grin off my face whenever I step aboard! The battery seems to me to be in the right place as the bike feels nicely balanced with the weight in the centre and low down on the frame.
What I am getting around to saying is that I'd highly recommend the bike for your wife.
Pauline

 

[Crockers]

Not wishing to be rude but the clue for the zipper is in the sellers title......toy world. They are charging for that bike what many pay for the battery alone.

By all means get one. But I can almost guarantee you'll be buying a new bike again in a years time. If not sooner.

My old granny always told me "what's cheap is dear". Woosh listed out some very good bikes.

My advice is find a local bike shop and try a few. Get some hands on advice.