newbie looking for a cheap e-bike for commuting. Any recommendation?
- Thread starter trex
- Start date
Can you give us any idea of your budget and commute distance?
The Cyclamatic Power Plus can be had for £350 on occasion when they are on special offer, but more often than not they are priced around £500. A basic bike that will do about 20 miles without too much bother.
The Juicy bikes seem to be pretty good value at £750. I don't have personal experience of them but I would be tempted if I was buying for the first time. Should be good for 30 odd miles or more.
Edit: Welcome to the forum by the way...
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Hi When looking at purchasing a new e bike
set your budget
then look at SUPPORT
Otherwise it is a false Economy to have a problem and have to take the bike down the tip and start again
If you buy from Bob at Juicy bike there prices are Fair but you have SUPPORT
Frank
set your budget
then look at SUPPORT
Otherwise it is a false Economy to have a problem and have to take the bike down the tip and start again
If you buy from Bob at Juicy bike there prices are Fair but you have SUPPORT
Frank
D
Deleted member 4366
Guest
Do you know anything about setting up a bike and bike maintenance, or would you need a dealer to sort that out for you? That means could you have a bike sent by mail-order, or would you have to buy it from a shop? If it's the latter, we need to know where you live.
This is my favourite cheap (sorry: good value) bike at the moment:
26" New Electric Aluminium Mountain Bicycle bike-26M03S | eBay UK
or, for a bit more, higher spec bike, but same electrical stuff, the King by Kudoscycles, which has decent forks and hydraulic disk brakes, or for a bit more still, the King Carbon by Kudos
http://kudoscycles.com/Kudos_Cycles_Brochure_April_2011.pdf
And, if I understood correctly, if you order now, the price is £100 less.
True, some suppliers offer amazing support to their users, while with others, your mileage may vary.
I tend to overlook this as I fix my own bikes and tend to default to the assumption that others can as well.
You may well find, as did I, that there aren't any local suppliers and taking the bike back for a service or repair is out of the question. In that case you may find local bike shops unable or unwilling to look after the bike for you. If you are happy to do it yourself, then you need to consider the availability and lead time for spares.
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Trex here`s a summary of bikes at the budget end gleaned from Postings here over the last week .
Decathlon £500 , ElectroBike Plus ( AS Bikes of Coventry ) £540--£740 , WOOSH of Southend £299--£525 and the well regarded and known ones on here, Juicy Bikes of Buxton and Kudos of Kent . If you look at the Adverts on this site there are others as well .
Decathlon £500 , ElectroBike Plus ( AS Bikes of Coventry ) £540--£740 , WOOSH of Southend £299--£525 and the well regarded and known ones on here, Juicy Bikes of Buxton and Kudos of Kent . If you look at the Adverts on this site there are others as well .
Thank you all for your help.
I am clearer on the idea of buying an electric bike but on some aspect such as support, I am even more confused now than before I came here.
For example:
What makes an e-bike more expensive than another if both have the same motor power, battery power, maximum speed and same weight?
To z0mb13e:
Can you give us any idea of your budget and commute distance?
I don't have a fixed budget but I would like to spend wisely. I will use the bike to commute 10 miles a day.
To banbury frank:
set your budget, then look at SUPPORT
How much support one would expect to need in a bike's lifetime? does an expensive bike need more support than a cheap bike (or vice versa)?
To d8veh
I guess I am an OK diyer. I can fix most things around the house. How long does it take to get a bike ready from receiving it?
I am clearer on the idea of buying an electric bike but on some aspect such as support, I am even more confused now than before I came here.
For example:
What makes an e-bike more expensive than another if both have the same motor power, battery power, maximum speed and same weight?
To z0mb13e:
Can you give us any idea of your budget and commute distance?
I don't have a fixed budget but I would like to spend wisely. I will use the bike to commute 10 miles a day.
To banbury frank:
set your budget, then look at SUPPORT
How much support one would expect to need in a bike's lifetime? does an expensive bike need more support than a cheap bike (or vice versa)?
To d8veh
I guess I am an OK diyer. I can fix most things around the house. How long does it take to get a bike ready from receiving it?
That depends very much on how much you use the bike. I do more miles on my ebike than all other forms of transport combined and good support saves me a lot of money in train fares whilst trying to get my bike fixed.
It's easy to find help in fixing a car, there will most likely be a forum where someone has already documented what you need to do. There is ebike advice on the net but much of it isn't specific to yours and still leads to much head scratching and looking for parts. There are some excellent retailers about but they are spread a bit thin still, I've found it quite handy at times that David of Wisper is closer to me than any retailer.
All bike bits break if you use them enough.
D
Deleted member 4366
Guest
What makes a bike more expensive? Difficult question, I'm sure all the expensive ones will be able to justify their prices. Some fit more expensive components like the forks, brakes, saddle, etc. Some provide good support, which can be expensive. Some have fully tested products. etc. etc.
As long as you know how to wield spanners and a scredriver, not very long. Depending on the supplier, you normally have to straighten the handlebars, fix on the pedals and things like that with a mail-order bike. So it's the Kudos King Carbon then! Their bikes appear to have very good components and are fully tested and are still reasonably priced.
Think cars. Mercedes; BMW; Skoda; Lada; Ford. (etc., etc.) All motor vehicles, all get you from here to there, but all different prices. Okay, in ebikes as in cars, there is an element of hype, so that Mercs are always top price, whether they deserve to be or not, but basically you pay for build quality, for component quality, for back-up service and for longevity. And if it looks too good to be true? Fill in the rest yourself!
A.
My advice is go for Juicy they are good bikes for the money and Bob will provide you with fab support. I have ridden one and was impressed with it get your self over to Buxton if possible and chat with Bob and then try one out
The front forks on the Kudos Sport look pretty hard core!
The Juicy Sport (£749) would be comparable.
D
Deleted member 4366
Guest
That bike is almost identical to my Sunlova, which I'm guessing came from the same factory, It has different forks and chainwheel, but the rest is the more or less the same. My Sunlova has performed really well and I've done about 2000 miles. It free-wheels well and gives a good range.
Unless Kudos has figured it out, you'll need to think about getting a 400mm seatpin for it. I know of one where the frame snapped below where the battery is attached because the end of the seatpin came just above the frame joint causing huge stress. A longer seatpin or lower seat should be OK. If you look at the photo in the brochure, you'll see how long that piece of the frame is from the crosstube up to the seat. It's totally unsupported and carries the leverage from the battery as well.Don't let this put you off, you only need to upgrade the seatpin if you have the seat that high Hopefully, Kudos know about this problem and have fixed it internally.
D
Deleted member 4366
Guest
It'll be ok with a longer seat pin. Maybe Kudos have already done that.
Anyway, this was the Sunlova replacement and is still my favourite in that price range.
26" New Electric Aluminium Mountain Bicycle bike-26M03S | eBay UK
D
Deleted member 4366
Guest
If I found the right 8fun bike here... then...
I was going to list things and compare them but honestly, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of difference. The biggest different is the Juicy is designed to be an ebike while the 8fun appears to be a bike with a kit fitted.
Best advice anyone on Pedelecs will give you? Try before you buy.
I was going to list things and compare them but honestly, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of difference. The biggest different is the Juicy is designed to be an ebike while the 8fun appears to be a bike with a kit fitted.
Best advice anyone on Pedelecs will give you? Try before you buy.
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