New here. Advice on up to £1K bike please. Folder or normal ok.

Hi I live near Perth and have always enjoyed cycling. I walk my dogs about 6 miles a day so reasonable fit, but eat a lot so also quite fat. I am 51, 5ft 4in with very short legs. I sound a picture don't I . So planning to use my e bike to go to Tesco for a few things, travel to run my maths (Kumon) classe in Perth, visit friends and go for longer cycles with my very fit cyclist husband, who think 60K is a breeze. I probably wouldn't go on the longer ones, but would be nice to pop out in the evening for a cycle with him without being put off by his speed and ability to tank up hills.

 

I am buying through the cycle to work scheme, and for work that means in September, limited to 1K and through Halfords. My understanding is that Halfords will get any bike, not just the ones they sell. I am toying with a folderas it would be nice to chuck it in the car and really like a Volt bike I tried but it is a bit over £1K so not a gooer. Also liked the look and sounds of the FreeGo folder but with the bigger battery it is £45 over £iK!!!! My understanding is that this is no negotiable in our scheme. I had also read here that the bogger battery could make the seat too high for short asses, but can't find any info on that. The Halford's sold Ebco 30 looks like and OK option if not a folder and the Koyote folder didn't look too bad either.

 

I have almost lost the will to live, trying to decide which bike to go for and would love a little help please. Any less than £1K bike will be given consideration. I tried a F4W bike and although the bike was ok only being able to go up the assist range and not down was a complete pain, so I suppose it would be good to try each bike. Trouble is not much chance of that in Perth.

The Ebco 30 is a decent bike for the money.

 

Given all the other restrictions on your choice, you may as well have one.

I got my freego regency through the cycle to work scheme...there is a number for you to ring once you have registered on the Halfords cycle to work scheme site (you need to do this first)..Halfords then use ebikes direct for the electric bike provider, so have a browse round that site first...I am very pleased with my regency, and they do it in a small size too..good luck. Mine has 3 levels of assist and you can go up and down them, also a throttle that will maintain your speed without pedalling if you so wish.

Great,

 

Thanks. I have had a look at that and the Wren, which seems similar. Think they are both good candidates. Fancy something with disk brakes, but not too bothered about suspension and could change the seat post.

have a look at Juicy Bikes. They do a nice little folder for about £850. My wife has one. Nice bike

 

gray

Do seem nice but adding disk breaks takes me over the 1K mark. Do I need them?

Do seem nice but adding disk breaks takes me over the 1K mark. Do I need them?

Not really. Not on a bike like that unless you're thinking about hot rodding it.

All brakes if set up correctly work well, but if wearing out quickly or not good enough to work when used hard can always be upgraded to disc.

So, I think I have decided not to go for a folder. I though I liked the Freego wren but have decided I would prefer the battery to be above the wheel at the back. Just looks more like a normal bike. Ideally would have liked 15AH but think I can live with 10. Ideally disk brakes but have lived with V brakes for years, so can live with that too. Also discovered I proabably need a small frame. So the bike I have found is the Woosh petite. Any comments? Not sure if I can buy it though through Halfords Cycle to Work. They do say they will supply any bike. Called Woosh and they were going to call back, but haven't as yet. Not a good sign of their customer service. Comments or other bikes that fit the bill gladly received.

So, I think I have decided not to go for a folder. I though I liked the Freego wren but have decided I would prefer the battery to be above the wheel at the back. Just looks more like a normal bike. Ideally would have liked 15AH but think I can live with 10. Ideally disk brakes but have lived with V brakes for years, so can live with that too. Also discovered I proabably need a small frame. So the bike I have found is the Woosh petite. Any comments? Not sure if I can buy it though through Halfords Cycle to Work. They do say they will supply any bike. Called Woosh and they were going to call back, but haven't as yet. Not a good sign of their customer service. Comments or other bikes that fit the bill gladly received.

 

Woosh customer service is among the best but they are busy and you need to get their attention.

If that is the style of bike you have opted for then please also look at our Kudos Tempo.....only 3 left out of the current batch.

There is a review video of the Tempo on you tube....fosseelectricbikes.

KudosDave

Edited August 31, 201510 yr by Kudoscycles

All brakes if set up correctly work well, but if wearing out quickly or not good enough to work when used hard can always be upgraded to disc.

Only if the bike has caliper mounts on the frame & forks and the disc mounting holes on the motor That Juicy bike doesn't have any of that, so upgrading to discs isn't a practical option.

Did look at the Tempo. No throttle and battery behind seat post, were the things that put me off. Also and this sounds very picky, I don't like the bright green and white . Sorry!

If that is the style of bike you have opted for then please also look at our Kudos Tempo.....only 3 left out of the current batch.

There is a review video of the Tempo on you tube....fosseelectricbikes.

KudosDave

 

The OP may not like the Tempo so much but Mrs 13 has now got a hankering for one.

Did look at the Tempo. No throttle and battery behind seat post, were the things that put me off. Also and this sounds very picky, I don't like the bright green and white . Sorry!

 

The bike is a euro spec bike so no throttle,can't do much about the colour,the next batch will be the same.....colour is such a personal choice but the colour scheme has proven very popular.

The battery behind the seat post works very well on this small bike....on bigger wheeled bikes putting the battery in this position makes the wheelbase too long but on a 24" wheeled bike the wheelbase ends up about right. When I can I avoid rack mounted batteries because it makes the back of the bike very heavy,especially if you load up the rack with shopping but sometimes it is not avoidable.

Good luck with your choice.

KudosDave

Dave,

 

Good points. I never really thought about the length not being so longdue to the 24" wheels. I measured the distance between the ground and the top of my saddle today on my normal bike which is a Specialized Hardrock (25 years old and still going strong). It is 84 cm and I recon another cm would be fine. Does that put me in the correct size for a 26 " whell bike? Is there anywhere close to Perth that I could try the Kudos bikes? .

Dave, had another look at the Tempo, but also discovered the Safari!. Looks like all my boxes ticked, and a bit cheaper. Have a few questions though. Don't know much about the

LifePo4 battery an notice somewhere that it only does up to 30 miles. Bike seems on the heavy side at nearly 30Kg, so maybe that is the reason. But other than that is looks great, has back battery, can cope with my short legs, throttle, suspension etc etc. is there a reason you didn't recommend it?

you are small, you need a lightweight bike and with smaller wheels, 24 inch or 20 inch. Not a heavy bike with large wheels.

Thanks. Until I tried a few, I would have agreed with you, but the wheel size makes no difference so long as the frame can accommodate my height. The 26" Batribike was absolutely fine for me if I replaced the sprung saddle and felt more like my normal bike, which also has 26" wheels than the 24" wren. I can cope with inside leg up to about 85cm fine. The weight of the bike is a different matter and I think I should go for something as light as possible, and the extra 6Kg on this is actually about 25% heavier than most. So probably best avoided, but just wanted to see if anyone had a different experience as I like everything else. Thanks again for your help.

there are not many bikes with the same size as the Wren, you may have to bite the bullet and get one.

I know Woosh have in their Southend showroom a bike that may be ideal for you that has a foldable handlebar and they call the Compact that weighs only 18kgs and has a 70 miles range but that bike won't be available until next year.

You could take a look at our LITE range of electric bikes. Upgrade the battery and still get a bike for less than £1000. The Halfords bike to work scheme takes a bigger percentage from retailers than other schemes, so not all suppliers are keen to support their scheme. So it becomes more advantageous (for Halfords) to supply their own range of bikes... We do supply under their scheme though, wholeheartedly!