Powabyke initial impressions

[Griswold]

Happy with my Commuter

Shame about your problem with the bike.
Ive had no problems with mine so far.
Peformance was fine with the old lead acid battery - Ive ridden it everywhere in top gear even up Portsdown hill and several other hills around the Portsmouth area. Performance is good with the new lithium battery too.
The only annoying thing about the bike is the ridiculous freewheel noise - makes me feel kinda embarrased at times! Is there a mod to stop this? I hate it!
If I had known about the new Powabykes coming out I may not have bought the Lithium!

 

[Andy Day]

Hi Griswold, I know Portsdown hill. I'd end up pushing!

You are right about the noise, on the Nano I can creep through Hemel town centre and no-one looks twice, they assume it's a normal bike. The Powabyke makes people turn round and do a double take, to the point where I have taken to parking it and walking the final hundred yards or so.

 

[keithhazel]

to the point where I have taken to parking it and walking the final hundred yards or so.[/QUOTE]
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having had one and read a lot about them i used mine for purely a functional bike to get from A to B, pleasure not included, i found my 5 speed undergeared and clumbsy and awkward to maneuver( not as hard as i found spelling that wrongly)..it was like riding a tank, i almost handed over the money for a 21 speed one and that was as bad if not worse....but at the end of the day it was a workhorse that went on and on and on and on.reliable even after being under 3 foot of water after the floods...maybe the new ones will be prettier, less of a tank and just as functional,im looking forward to seeing them..

 

[Mrs Marple]

It's often said that there is no such thing as an ideal purchase, that the promise of whatever we buy rarely lives up to our expectations or the stated claims.

So was this the case with my Euro? I had nothing to compare it to and the dealer did say three times that the bike would never live up to the stated specification. He did say that the batteries were often poor to start with, but after a couple of charges it would gain in power (never happened).

After using the bike for a week I decided that something must be wrong. The Euro comes with a bank of 10 leds with which the battery can be monitorered easily by the user and on even a modest gradient, there was a reduction in the number of leds displayed - say from 10 to 6, and this after a full charge and a 2 mile journey

So what should I do? Go back to the dealer again, he'd already said three times "nothing wrong". Had he sold me a duff battery? Who knows? In the worst case if I demanded a new battery I'd probably get the same battery back and be no further forward.

So I decided to buy a replacement battery from an independent supplier, I felt I had nothing to lose. Either the dealer was right and I'd gain a useful spare, or the dealer was wrong and I'd have a powerful proof.

The rest as they say is history!

Thanks Pete22. How do the LEDs perform now?

[Quick edit: and did you change the forks on it - as I did? I found that made a huge difference to the quality of the ride!]

 

[pete22]

Thanks Pete22. How do the LEDs perform now?

[Quick edit: and did you change the forks on it - as I did? I found that made a huge difference to the quality of the ride!]

I use the bike mainly for going in and out to university. My longest journey to date however was 15 mile round trip, and all the lights remained on. I'm careful to keep the battery charged after every trip.

When I bought my bike 3 months back, there was an free offer of suspension forks with new bikes. I finally got round to fitting them a month ago. They made a huge difference to the quality of the ride, smoothing out all the bumps!

 

[Andy Day]

Got a replacement Powabyke!

Time to report back on the problems I had with the first delivered Powabyke, or more correctly how they were resolved.

I'd bought the bike from JANES of EDLESBOROUGH in Beds, midway between Hemel Hempstead and Leighton Buzzard. Also close to Luton, Milton Keynes and Aylesbury. I can't complement Janes enough for their service, I had no previous dealings with them, but I was so surprised at the good old fashioned direct way they dealt with the problem I feel I must give them some praise.

Peter Janes arranged with Powabyke they would have a complete bike delivered for use as spares. After doing the PDA on this bike they arranged for me to go to the shop to do a comparison and find a solution. I rode the old bike the 10 miles to Edelsborough last thursday - fortunately it's flat so not needing too much motor! I arrived at the shop to meet Marcus, who took my bike for a ride and after 20 or so minutes returned and proclaimed it faulty. It was then agreed I'd take the bike supplied as spare and they would send mine back to Powabyke for investigation. I can't recommend Janes too highly - and they deliver free locally!

I rode the new bike the 10 miles back to Hemel, stopping after a few miles to fiddle with seat height and handlebars to get them more to my liking. It made the flat 8 or so fine, then I began the climb through Nettleden, Potten End and Fields End up to where I live in Warners End.

It's certainly more lively than the first bike.
The freewheel is not so loud.
It still groans like it's in it's death throes, although I have a feeling after a few more miles this may be reducing. Slightly!
I've noticed another phenomenon. It goes decidedly better when it's hot! I took it out - had to - in the awful cold rain on monday, and it went decidedly slower than today, tuesday, when the temperature is up a few degrees.

However, I went down to the supermarket today, and brought back 16 cans of lager, two bottles of wine and the makings of a big picnic (big family do!), and it lugged the lot back up the hill with only an average amount of personal input, so it must be better, and certainly usable. Not as lively as the Nano, but hopefully a reliable workhorse.

 

[fcurran]

Im glad Janes have sorted you out. They are a very friendly set up and do look after there customers well. With regards to the noise from the front wheel, it will get better over time, but there will always be some sort of noise Im afraid!!

Happy Powabykeing!!

Regards

FrankC
Powabyke Ltd

 

[Andy Day]

And of course thanks to people at your end Frank. It would be interesting to hear the diagnosis when the rig gets back to you, although I understand Janes were going to stick it outside their shop over the holiday weekend to try and drum up some interest, so it may be delayed. Shame about the weather!