New, confused and needing advice please!

[Cyclezee]

Hi Nicxf,

I was going to give to give the eZee Sprint Primo stepthru a 'plug', but a couple of members have beaten me to it, thanks Frank and Lynda

You might be interested in this section of our website Testimonials - Cyclezee Ltd, other than that I will not bombard you further.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Nicxf....We have no intention of producing a derallieur version of the Safari....so many of our customers love the Nexus gear system-no maintenance,change gear stationary,no chance of wrapping chain around the cassette if backpedaling. Shimano have now put the Alfine parts into all the Nexus hubs so the quality is very high,gearchange is almost as quick as the derallieur Deore system.
Although multi gears are useful if riding without power we now feel that 8 or 9 speeds are more than enough for e-bikes.
I have spent some time defining the major differences between the crank and hub drives,I suggest you search my later posts rather than repeating same here.
Unless you are in a hurry,Atmosphere have a try-an-ebike day on College Green,Bristol-virtually all the importers will have a presence,June 10.

 

[Nicxf]

ok, cheers. That sounds useful - anything that can get up Park Street should be fine round here! I'm not in a tearing hurry as I'd rather find the right bike than buy in a rush. I'll have a hunt to see if I can find more about the crank and hub drives. And hope you've explained it in really, really short words...

re the eZee bikes - you don't mention their weight anywhere on your site, that I can find? Are your bikes going to be at the Bristol event?

 

[Kudoscycles]

Nicxf...Crank v Hub drive....if you are going to spend most of your time going up steep hills and don't have the power in your legs to go up hills quickly then go for crank drive. If you are only occassionally going up steep hills and have the power in your legs plus the power in the motor to maintain at least 8 mph up the hill then go hub drive and save lots of money.
The crank drive allows you to select the ideal gear for both your legs and the motor combined whereas the hub drive only allows you to select the ideal gear for your leg power,the motor runs at a constant speed so falling below 8 mph moves the torque band of the motor below it's optimum.
However on the flat or gentle hill the crank drive requires constant pressure on the pedals(pedal sensor)to maintain power whereas all that is necessary on the hub drive to maintain power is to turn the pedals(speed sensor).
In as simple terms as I can offer that is my understanding of the differences,personally I now prefer hub drive because I have learnt to go up hills in a higher gear,can maintain that magical 8 mph keeping the power at optimum minimum and find it relaxing to just have to turn the pedals on the flat whereas with the crank drive I don't always want to maintain pressure on the pedals.
Now wait for the floodgate to open with the contrarian view !!!!!!!!
Dave
KudosCycles

 

[JuicyBike]

Hi Nic
I can recommend E-Motion in Swindon as a dealer near you, who has a range of bikes worth trying and who has a Juicy Classic in stock.
If you think the FreeGo bikes handled your terrain well enough, then ours definitely will too.
Atmosphere in Bristol have no stock of our bikes at this time so a trip there will not get you a ride on a Juicy. I'm sending locals to Swindon now instead, until they re-stock.

Mark at Swindon is an extremely nice guy and very patient and helpful.
Hope this helps your search.

 

[Cyclezee]

re the eZee bikes - you don't mention their weight anywhere on your site, that I can find? Are your bikes going to be at the Bristol event?

Hi Nicxf,

I will post the weight this evening when I get back to base.

Sorry, we won't be in Bristol, we are travelling to Iceland the same day.

 

[Nicxf]

Dave - thanks for the 'words of one syllable' explanation! So, if i'm understanding it correctly, a crank motor won't just run on the throttle - the rider needs to pedal all the time and definitely pedal up hills? Hmmm...

Bob - you're right; Swindon isn't a million miles away from me... but in terms of trying to save expensive fuel I'm hoping to see a range of bikes in one place (though not averse to driving elsewhere if I'm not happy with the bikes I see). Are you going to be at the Bristol event on 10 June?

That's a shame, I'd have liked to try one of your bikes alongside some others for comparison.

 

[funkylyn]

Dave - thanks for the 'words of one syllable' explanation! So, if i'm understanding it correctly, a crank motor won't just run on the throttle - the rider needs to pedal all the time and definitely pedal up hills? Hmmm...

Nic....the only crank driven bike that actually HAS a throttle is the Tonaro, and yes, you can use the throttle on it without pedalling.

Lynda

 

[Cyclezee]

That's a shame, I'd have liked to try one of your bikes alongside some others for comparison.

Sorry Nic, but we are available over the Bank Holiday weekend by prior appointment if you fancy a trip to MK and you compare the Sprint to a Tonaro at the same time.

To answer you previous question regarding weight, the eZee Sprint Primo is 21.75 Kg including battery.

Regards,

 

[Nicxf]

Nic....the only crank driven bike that actually HAS a throttle is the Tonaro, and yes, you can use the throttle on it without pedalling.

Lynda

Aha, thanks...the fog is finally clearing! Looked at the Tonaro website - very nice looking bikes but really heavy! So probably not what I'm looking for as it'd be nice to think there was a possibility of me lifting the bike if I absolutely had to. From experience I know 20kg is pushing it to my limit really, so 30kg...I don't stand a chance.

 

[funkylyn]

Aha, thanks...the fog is finally clearing! Looked at the Tonaro website - very nice looking bikes but really heavy! So probably not what I'm looking for as it'd be nice to think there was a possibility of me lifting the bike if I absolutely had to. From experience I know 20kg is pushing it to my limit really, so 30kg...I don't stand a chance.

Nic...the Tonaro esprit is 25 kilos.....

But that Ezee primo is pretty light at 21.75kgs !!

If the weight is that important I dont think you will find anything lighter than that Ezee at the price and with the power......

WAY better than the Powacycle Windsor .......and same weight and similar price

Lynda

 

[Nicxf]

definitely worth a look if I can find one to see near me.

Thanks for all the input guys, has given me some more to think about.

 

[Cyclezee]

Nic...the Tonaro esprit is 25 kilos.....

But that Ezee primo is pretty light at 21.75kgs !!

If the weight is that important I dont think you will find anything lighter than that Ezee at the price and with the power......

WAY better than the Powacycle Windsor .......and same weight and similar price

Lynda

I had to think long and hard before saying this to a lady..............5 seconds actually
There is something wrong with your scales Lynda, I think you need to get them calibrated as they are being economical with the truth

OK, that's me out of here before the flack starts to fly

 

[funkylyn]

I had to think long and hard before saying this to a lady..............5 seconds actually
There is something wrong with your scales Lynda, I think you need to get them calibrated as they are being economical with the truth

OK, that's me out of here before the flack starts to fly

I dont rely on scales in MY garage........I go by the manufacturers quoted weight......then double checked with properly calibrated scales.......
I suggest before we lock horns seriously you might like to do the same...........it could then get VERY interesting......if I was you, I would quit whilst you are ahead ( not that you ever have been...apart from the "weight" of your bike )

Lynda

 

[Cyclezee]

I guess if I used your scales Lynda the Primo would only weigh 16.25 Kg., and the same scales would tell me that according to the BMI chart, I am underweight

Just going to stuff my face before someone else does

 

[funkylyn]

Just going to stuff my face before someone else does

What.......and make your day ? .........

Try a cadburys cream egg......

Lynda

 

[Kudoscycles]

Nicxf....Rob from BH Emotion bikes has just advised that he will be on our stand at the Bristol show,this will give you the chance to try the BH Samsung powered Neo range and the BH Xenion Bosch powered crank drive bikes against the Kudos hub drives, up Park Street....I believe that street is described as the steepest shopping street in the UK so it will be a serious test of these bikes....Atmosphere bikes are a dealer for both BH and Kudos
Dave
KudosCycles

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Hi Nic.

My wife has owned a Juicy Classic for nearly a year now and I fitted an Ezee kit to my Giant bike a few months ago so can hopefully offer some practical opinion on two of your choices.

My wife is still loving the power and assistance offered by her Juicy Classic, even more so since I retro-fitted a thumb throttle to help her with startups and tired moments when she wants a break from pedalling, like you have mentioned. Bob also offers a throttle option on new bikes as well.

The Ezee kit I fitted was one of the dearer options but after 3 months of daily commuting I'm glad I chose it. I'm not sure if Ezee bikes can be de-resticted from 250w to 350w like my kit (purely for off-road use of course..), but the power provided in either mode is one of the strongest for a hub drive that I've ridden, and I've demo'd quite a few in the past year. I believe the Ezee kits and Ezee bikes sells are identical in spec and power, which makes the full bikes remarkable value as they're virtually the same price as the kits !

So to sum up both Juicy or Ezee bikes should give you the power you need with the step-thru style, throttle-only control, reasonable weights and more importantly prices.

Good luck with your search.

Regards,
Phil.

 

[Cyclezee]

Thank you for your comments Phil and I am glad to hear that you are happy with your eZee kit

Just to clarify, the eZee Sprint Primo model cannot be de-restricted, but as with our conversion kits, other eZee bike models can be de-restricted.

I must emphasise that it is illegal to ride de-restricted bikes and conversions on public roads and cycle paths.

As Phil says the Sprint Primo is remarkable value

 

[JuicyBike]

Bob - you're right; Swindon isn't a million miles away from me... but in terms of trying to save expensive fuel I'm hoping to see a range of bikes in one place (though not averse to driving elsewhere if I'm not happy with the bikes I see). Are you going to be at the Bristol event on 10 June?

There is a vast range of bikes at Swindon, not just Juicy. Have a look at their website here.

We should be represented by a local dealer that day in Bristol.