new to ebikes - advice needed

[cornish]

Hi,

Just staring to look for an ebike for wife as she needs to get to/from work which is about 5miles from where we live, mostly downhill on the way there but some quite big ones on the way back.

I started with fleabay and found the IZIP, Powabyke (Windsor), Synergie and a local dealer for Sakura and some that look like mopeds (FUN something).

I don't want to spend half of what I should on a piece of rubbish and then have to go out an spend the correct amount on something decent so I was wondering what experienced owners would go for.

I like the look of the Sakura and the fact that there is a dealer in Gloucester (15 miles away) so we can have a look, but need advice on what to look for. There are also a couple of bikes in trade-it in the Brizzol area that I can have a look at.

There are so many battery types (nicad Lion etc.), brushless and brushed motors, 24v or 36v....help!!!!!!

Any advice on what to go for would be great.

thanks

cornish

 

[flecc]

Hello Cornish, welcome to the forum. I've just given a wide ranging answer on this which you can access on this link. As you'll gather, there's a huge range of choices.

After that you could scroll down to see Aldby's advice on this as well. On the preceding pages in that Introduction section you'll see lots more advice entries and links.

Then please come back here for any specific questions to help with narrowing the choice down for your needs.
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[frank9755]

These posts give good advice. However I'd suggest something else too, while you are doing the research.

Go and buy a second-hand bike from Ebay or elsewhere. If you get a decent model - ie one that is listed in AtoB magazine's website - it will hold its value so you will be able to sell it on later at only a moderate loss. You would learn so much more from owning and using a bike over the terrain you want to use it on than you ever could from research or test-rides around the dealers' sites.

This is because the variety of bikes available all have their own strengths and weaknesses, most of which will be irrelevant for you, but some will be really important. This means that there will be a bike that is right for you but it is near to impossible to work out which one it is from a standing start.

Good luck!

 

[fishingpaul]

i too think a second hand bike may be better to start with.my first bike was a sakura i brought it second hand for just £100, because the owner had no other interested buyers.it was a reasonable bike,with very little drag from the motor, although very heavy and not suitable for taking up more than 2 steps , new lead acid batteries are available that often last 2 or three years for around £100 (nimh and lithium batteries being £250+ to replace if you buy a bike with these).try as many as you can before buying one as all are different,and avoid anything with no gears if you go up hills.

 

[cornish]

good advice

Thanks for the replies.

I think that I am sold on a Powabyke shopper 24" as I saw one in Swindon today and the price (£595) is quite good, although I found one cheaper online.

Had a look on fleabay and there are a couple on there so will go that route.

cheers

cornish

 

[flecc]

Just a postscript Cornish. Don't know why we always forget to mention it, but we also have a classified section. There's a couple of bikes advertised there currently.

Pedelecs Classified Ads
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