new to e-bikes advise on purchase

[ashley wood]

Hi guys,

I am new to e-bikes and after changing jobs from a 75 miles round trip to a 14 mile round trip I want to go the cycle route.

me:
12 stone (76kg), 29 yrs, good fitness but not necessarily cycle fitness as all sports use different muscles and all that.
I was a keen mountain biker until around 5 years ago when it stopped due to starting a family but i have never been a road biker. I do own a cube hybrid but i just use it for walking my dog

my route:
7 .3 miles each way. quite hilly as I live in Dronfield, North East Derbyshire and will be commuting to Sheffield City Centre for those who know the area and route.

why an ebike:
as stated I have not been a road cyclist before and my job can often be demanding and therefore I am not sure I would fancy a standard cycle where I have to do all the work as I am not doing the cycling solely for fitness, i get that from other activities.
I work in the city centre and there is no free parking.
I plan to save lots of money on fuel car maintenance etc around £300-400 a month in fact.

Advice:
I have no idea what bike to go for.
I plan to get to work and back as quickly as possible and it will be a commute machine not a hobby machine.
budget is an issue, so the cheaper the better (although i do appreciate you get what you pay for, all I am saying is I dont mind not having all the 'top' components like fancy brakes etc.
I prefer the look of a conventional mountain bike rather the ones with no top bar but this is not essential.

is there any further details required?

can anyone point me in the direction of some decent bikes?

I probably plan to get one on the cycle to work scheme when it opens up again.

thanks in advance

 

[Tim]

Plenty of decent bikes here www.50cycles.com

Only the best in fact!

 

[Martin@e-bikeshop]

Hi,

Why not a Haibike RC29?

Keeps the mountain bike look you are after. Good commuter with the lockout and 29" wheels. Also has mounts for mudguards / rack etc for commuting.

Best of all you could have some fun on it at the weekends on the rough stuff as it sounds like your missing it
http://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/Electric-Bikes-UK-Dealer/Haibike-xDuro-RC-29-2014

P.S - Read the reviews, lots of people using it the same as you would be.

Any questions please feel free to get in touch.

Regards
Martin

 

[trex]

Hi guys,
...
budget is an issue, so the cheaper the better (although i do appreciate you get what you pay for, all I am saying is I dont mind not having all the 'top' components like fancy brakes etc.
I prefer the look of a conventional mountain bike rather the ones with no top bar but this is not essential.

is there any further details required?

can anyone point me in the direction of some decent bikes?

I probably plan to get one on the cycle to work scheme when it opens up again.

thanks in advance

if you want cheap, Woosh Sirocco CDL:


http://wooshbikes.co.uk/clearway.php?postcode=DRONFIELD&topostcode=SHEFFIELD

Click on the link 'Help me choose'

 

[ashley wood]

thanks,

will look at the sirocco.

ps I will not pay more than £750. I just cant do it as bikes are not a love thing for me, cars are

 

[Martin@e-bikeshop]

No worries, good luck in your search, when your ready for a crank drive eBike.. Give me a shout

Regards
Martin

 

[Artstu]

That possible £4800 a year on your motoring costs in a year is staggering, do you really spend that much with the new commuting distance?

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Ashley,

I don't know if you have considered this option, but you don't need to buy an electric bike, you could just convert you Cube Hybrid........or get someone to do it for you

 

[ashley wood]

yeah i spend around £250 a month on fuel, add mot insurance tax maintenance etc and its a wack of money.

interesting, how much would the conversion cost and are they any good?

thanks

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Here's three nice bikes to look at. Have a look at their websites for other models

http://londonelectricbike.com/shop-2/vita/vita-uno-26/

http://www.cyclotricity.com/stealth-electric-cycle/

http://www.wooshbikes.co.uk/electric-bikes/sport-cd/

 

[Cyclezee]

yeah i spend around £250 a month on fuel, add mot insurance tax maintenance etc and its a wack of money.

interesting, how much would the conversion cost and are they any good?

thanks

Hi Ashley,

Our conversion kits start at £799 and you can see them on our website here http://cyclezee.com/conversion-kits.html.

We believe we have the best conversion kits available from around the world, not the cheapest, but good quality and good performance with up to a 5 year guarantee.

 

[Artstu]

yeah i spend around £250 a month on fuel, add mot insurance tax maintenance etc and its a wack of money.

Have you thought about getting something a bit more economical, £250 is a staggering amount for around just 300 miles a month, based on your daily 15 mile commute. Or are you still quoting your old commute costs?

 

[Cyclezee]

I used to have a 37 mile commute each way to work. I did this for over 20 years and my annual milage was between 20 and 25K miles, but I was running on LPG. The LPG conversion paid for itself many times over.

Now my commute is mile

Currently I have Volvo diesel estate, £70 to fill the tank, but my annual mileage is about a third of what is was.

 

[jackhandy]

yeah i spend around £250 a month on fuel, add mot insurance tax maintenance etc and its a wack of money.

interesting, how much would the conversion cost and are they any good?

thanks

Yes, Ezee conversions are B£%%dy good.

Have a butchers' at my website if you have a minute

http://www.cornish-alpine-ebikes.co.uk/

For a bloke who'll be saving £300-400 a Month & has a bike he's comfortable with; I reckon it's a no-brainer.

P.s. Might as well factor in an extra battery now, because you'll be looking for longer & more demanding rides asap

 

[Artstu]

A Pensioner lives on just a bit more than Ashley says he sends on his motoring costs

 

[Kudoscycles]

thanks,

will look at the sirocco.

ps I will not pay more than £750. I just cant do it as bikes are not a love thing for me, cars are

Ashley....we built an E-bike for one of our dealers ,the price ceiling was £695.00....although intended to be a budget bike the end result was very smart and appears to offer the mountain bike style you seek.
You can view the bike at www.londonelectricbike.com...the name is the VITA UNO 26...,London electric bike is located in Hampton Wick,West London but they deliver foc anywhere in the UK.
Hope that helps
KudosDave

 

[trex]

http://www.therange.co.uk/silent-force-electric-bike/-/search-engine-friendly-text/fcp-product/90325

it's still on for £499. marcin bought one.

 

[Artstu]

Your link doesn't work Dave.

http://londonelectricbike.com/shop-2/uncategorized/vita-uno-26/

 

[RobF]

As a commuter, you will need mudguards and almost certainly a rack for carrying stuff, even if that's only a lightweight waterproof jacket.

A small point to bear in mind with rack mounted batteries is the width of the battery often makes it impossible to fit panniers.

You could fit a bag on top of the rack, known as a trunk bag.

The distance is realistic and a 10ah battery should be more than sufficient, even if you use full power on the motor a lot of the time.

Don't worry about 'bicycle fitness', you sound as if you already have the most important bit - heart and lung power - the biking muscles will come within weeks.

You won't do any better than a woosh for your budget.

Consider the hub motored Sirocco2, cheaper with a 10ah battery.

The seatpost mount for the battery means the carrier is not restricted, so all luggage options are open.

 

[trex]

I think RobF is right. The 10AH Sirocco 2 is only £599 and you get the warranty of one of the sellers on this forum. That means you can cruxify Woosh if the bike lets you down!