Help! Newbie needs advice on bike choice please

[maldrich999]

I'm 53 yo and semi-retired. I'm lucky to live in a Nottinghamshire village with some great flat countryside around. I currently enjoy a 35 minute cycle twice a week and want to extend this with more free time and a keenness to exercise. I am generally limited to 45 min trips and want to explore some villages and sights further afield so think an electric bike looks a great option. I have had a road cycle in the past but found it wasn't really for me and currently enjoy a mountain bike but could fancy something a little lighter and not quite as wide tyres so a hybrid looks good.

As I don't go out too often and I'm not using for commuting I don't want to spend a fortune. Options I have looked at include the Decathlon Riverside 500 at £1000 (https://www.decathlon.co.uk/riverside-500-electric-hybrid-bike-id_8405314.html)and the Scott sub active ride 2019 which I saw mentioned here at £1200 (https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/electric-bikes/scott-sub-active-eride-2019-electric-crossbar-hybrid-bike-bronze_462484). I went into my local cycle republic but needless to say they want me to Spend £1500-£1800 which I really don't want to do. The Scott has a Bosch motor which they mentioned but gets marked down on the cycle republic reviews for heaviness and a real difficulty to charge without taking the battery off (https://www.cyclerepublic.com/scott-sub-cross-eride-30-mens-electric-hybrid-bike-2019.html).

Im looking to purchase asap whilst the sales are on and 2019 bikes are still around and would welcome your experience and views.

thanks
Mark

 

[RobF]

The only Decathlon bike I can see is the Rockrider MTB at £799.

One of those with shallow tread tyres on would represent decent value.

Standard Chinese ebike, but a lot of sellers want more than £1,000 for them.

The Scott is the much nicer bike and also good value, but it is half as much again as the Rockrider.

I'd have the Scott, no question, but it's your money.

 

[Woosh]

I'm 53 yo and semi-retired. I'm lucky to live in a Nottinghamshire village with some great flat countryside around. I currently enjoy a 35 minute cycle twice a week and want to extend this with more free time and a keenness to exercise. I am generally limited to 45 min trips and want to explore some villages and sights further afield so think an electric bike looks a great option. I have had a road cycle in the past but found it wasn't really for me and currently enjoy a mountain bike but could fancy something a little lighter and not quite as wide tyres so a hybrid looks good.

please take a look at the Woosh Faro.
It's the e-bike that comes nearest to a normal hybrid, except it will flatten the hills for you and is well within your budget.

The Faro | Very Lightweight Electric Bikes from Woosh

The Faro: very lightweight road electric bike from Woosh with hydraulic brakes and in-frame 36V 8AH battery or 20AH external battery.

wooshbikes.co.uk

 

[sjpt]

Look at the offerings from Woosh as well (http://wooshbikes.co.uk/). They don't generally do sales, but are always good value.

 

[maldrich999]

Thanks all - the Faro does look interesting. I like the fact that with the internal battery it looks like a normal bike. Good price too. Would the tyres be suitable for typical rural roads?

Also do I don't think I'd go for the larger battery as it looks very bulky. Would I regret a bike with less power and less battery life? All thoughts welcome!

 

[Woosh]

Would the tyres be suitable for typical rural roads?

the Faro comes with 28mm Maxxis Detonator 700C road tyres.
We can fit the tyres you need.

Would I regret a bike with less power and less battery life?

If you are a very good DIYer, you can fit the external battery kit yourself.

 

[Jonah]

Do you have a somewhere to charge the bike without removing the battery? I believe the internal battery is not straightforward to remove. Otherwise the Faro looks great. It might be a reason for going for the external battery option which would be easily removed for charging. It would also enable longer rides without worrying about running out of power. Downside is aesthetically less appealing and increase in weight.

 

[maldrich999]

Thanks Jonah. I popped into Halfords this afternoon and they have proposed a test ride of the Carrera Crossfire - any thoughts?

 

[sjpt]

Old Crossfire had lots of issues. It isn't clear form this forum if they are fixed with the latest version.

 

[maldrich999]

the Faro comes with 28mm Maxxis Detonator 700C road tyres.
We can fit the tyres you need.



If you are a very good DIYer, you can fit the external battery kit yourself.

I'm rubbish at DIY that's one thing I know! What tyres would you recommend for rural roads (tarmac but lumps/bumps/potholes)? Also I'm 5ft 8" is the Frame too large for me?

 

[Kwozzymodo]

If you are travelling anywhere near north Lincolnshire, I am just about to start a hub conversion on a Crossfire. You are welcome to take a look.

 

[Woosh]

I'm rubbish at DIY that's one thing I know! What tyres would you recommend for rural roads (tarmac but lumps/bumps/potholes)? Also I'm 5ft 8" is the Frame too large for me?

rural roads are OK for the 28-622 tyres, so is your height for the Faro frame.
The main issue is potholes, if you have lots of potholes, you will need a front suspension fork.
The Camino and Rio MTB cope very well well with potholes.

 

[Nealh]

I would stay clear of the Crossfire it has caused more aggro/angst for owners. The Suntour system has thus far proved to be troublesome, that a side once warranty runs out spares will be impossible to get and you will only have Halfrauds to help you out.

 

[maldrich999]

OK thanks for that - I have to say this is leading me back to the Scott which is a problem as Rutland are now out of stock and cycle republic only have the small frame left - I'm 5ft 8" 29" inside leg so thing I need a medium. Anyone recommend alternative sources as £1200 looks like it was a very good price.

 

[Muddyfox]

OK thanks for that - I have to say this is leading me back to the Scott which is a problem as Rutland are now out of stock and cycle republic only have the small frame left - I'm 5ft 8" 29" inside leg so thing I need a medium. Anyone recommend alternative sources as £1200 looks like it was a very good price.

Nottingham based myself. I have recently brought a 2nd hand Scott E Sub 58 (287 miles on Odometer) I am same height as you but with a 30inch inside leg. My Scott is sized as small but I find it a decent fit. There is at least another 3 to 4 inch of height adjustment on the seat post. Have you physically sat on the Scott or are you working from their frame size guide ?
With regards the Bosch motor my Bosch Step model motor is quiet and very efficient. In Eco mode it is very easy to maintain speeds above 15.5 mph. I can feel a lot more motor "drag" when over 15.5mph in High mode. I now find myself more than happy maintaining a speed just below 15 mph and enjoying the benefits of the electric motor.
My battery cannot be charged "in frame" but does not present any problems to me because of this. From a security point it's better for the battery to be away from the bike whilst it's in the garage overnight. Keep us updated. Cheers.

 

[maldrich999]

Nottingham based myself. I have recently brought a 2nd hand Scott E Sub 58 (287 miles on Odometer) I am same height as you but with a 30inch inside leg. My Scott is sized as small but I find it a decent fit. There is at least another 3 to 4 inch of height adjustment on the seat post. Have you physically sat on the Scott or are you working from their frame size guide ?
With regards the Bosch motor my Bosch Step model motor is quiet and very efficient. In Eco mode it is very easy to maintain speeds above 15.5 mph. I can feel a lot more motor "drag" when over 15.5mph in High mode. I now find myself more than happy maintaining a speed just below 15 mph and enjoying the benefits of the electric motor.
My battery cannot be charged "in frame" but does not present any problems to me because of this. From a security point it's better for the battery to be away from the bike whilst it's in the garage overnight. Keep us updated. Cheers.

 

[maldrich999]

Thanks that's really helpful. I was going from one of the guides so small should work fine. Can I ask do you find you can still get plenty of exercise with it? I say this because this is more about expanding where I can get to rather than reducing the exercise as I'm pretty fit and want to keep that way. If you turn the motor off is it like using a normal bike or does the weight make that prohibitive?

On the recharging of the battery how easy is it to take off the battery to charge? Do you recharge every journey?

Cycle Republic don't get great Trustpilot reviews - any experience?

Also another curved ball - the Raleigh Strada W - if I'm going to £1300-£1400 then this comes into the list. Any views Vs the Scott?

Sorry for all the questions but this is all very helpful!

Mark

 

[RobF]

The latest Bosch motor - with the full size chain ring - has no resistance, so is not too bad to cycle unassisted, apart from the weight.

Most of the bargain Bosch bikes have the small chain ring motor which is geared up inside.

They work about the same under power, but are a bit of a dead loss to cycle unassisted because of the internal resistance.

 

[maldrich999]

Thanks Rob - I could probably use my current bike when I want a real work out - I'm assuming though if I'm on low power I can still feel like Im getting plenty of exercise?

 

[sjpt]

Any bike like that you'll get good exercise when its on low. I reckon that the upsides of motor running in eco mode approximately cancel out the downsides of the extra weight of a heavy bike.