Really considering getting an electric bike

[jcat00uk]

I've applied for a job at work which will be longer hours and have me finish when rush hour begins, so I'm pretty much decided on getting a bike to ride to and from work, I live roughly 6.5 miles away from work and am pretty much wanting the bike as a low hassle mode of transport after a 10-11 hour shift at work. The trip usually takes about 15 to 20 mins on clear roads by car, but leaving an hour later from work can easily double that because I will hit the rush hour traffic.

I have been seriously looking as the Kudos King, as it seems to suit my needs and the £1000 price is at about my maximum price range I'm willing to go, but the main problem is that there are no distributors close enough for a test ride (which i hear is, highly recommended) I live in the DE24 area and can't seem to find any information of an electric bike supplier with a decent range of reviewed bikes in my price range.

Can anyone suggest any similar bikes to the King, which have a local distributor or have a decent website which accept the cycle to work scheme (which seems to add hassle to the buying process, but promises to offer savings, I think), I'm 5'8 and weigh about 60kg if that helps recommending a suitable bike


thanks for any help

John

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi John,

Welcome to the forum.

We are approximately 75 miles from you down the M1, but you might consider it a worthwhile trip as we have a bike that would suit your requirements, the eZee Sprint Primo for only £750.

You can see more here Bikes & Conversion Kits - Cyclezee Ltd

Regards,

 

[Kudoscycles]

Hello,thank you for considering our Kudos King model,it is a high specification bike for the money and is the more sporty of the Kudos models. It will easily meet your specification for rangeand performance,there are many members on this forum who have posted reviews of their King bike.
Your nearest dealer would appear to be Leek Cycle Solutions-
Leek Cycle Solutions
Haywood Street
Leek
Staffs
ST13 5JW
0800 043 1966
Kevin of Leek Cycles is a very knowledgeable e-bike seller and a friendly guy,he will be most helpful in your choice.
If Kevin does not have a King model in stock we will gladly send a bike up to him for you to test,but this must be arranged by the dealer.
The cycle to work scheme is not so attractive as it was at inception but Kevin I am sure can offer advice,it is however expensive and complicated for the dealer to organise and dealers often charge a premium to cover the costs-typical governments make an offer then make it too complicated so nobody takes it up.
Good luck with your choice.
Dave
KudosCycles

 

[indalo]

Can anyone suggest any similar bikes

John

Hi John.

At the price point you are interested in, you are fortunate that there is a whole host of ebikes from which to choose. As you are in the Derby area, you could take a look at Juicybike's offerings which are very well regarded by forum members/owners. For commuting, it's important to have solid relability, a good warranty and a local dealer always helps.

I'm not saying Juicybikes are better or worse than any others in your price range but you really ought to test-ride one when you get round to doing some hands-on testing and comparison so you know you're buying the right tool for you.

A Google search will produce loads of different ebikes but not all have shop premises and some may not be around this time next year.

All the best with your search,
Indalo

 

[NRG]

Other things to consider apart from the bike itself are good lighting, a mirror and good clothing and gloves, factor these into your price as well. Also, how good are you mechanically and electrically? Things go wrong on ebikes especially the electrics. Mechanical things are reasonably easy to fix but electrics can be frustrating and if you get stuck your local bike shop probably wont be of much use...

Oh and budget for a new battery in 2~3 years time...

 

[JuicyBike]

Hi John
If it helps we will be demonstrating our bikes at the Arkwright Mill in Cromford this weekend, at their sustainability festival. Our shop in Buxton is always open and our New Mills Trade Showroom will be open for the long weekend too.

Bank Holidays are always busy and this weekend will be no exception. But we do try to find time for people who often come from far away to try our bikes, which does make me proud.

We do offer bikes under the Cycle To Work Scheme and you can get a quote direct from our website.

Thanks for the wise words Indalo.

 

[Eaglerider]

I'd say you can't go far wrong with a King or a Juicy, but definitely take a test ride first. Most of the providers on here have a very solid commitment to after sales sevice which is very important.

If you can use a local retailer near your home then that would be optimum.

E-Bikes Direct, where I got my Eagle, are doing a Freego Hawk with a 17.5 amp battery for £1079. Cracking deal. Just a suggestion.

 

[gray198]

further to Eagleriders post. There is a shop in Chesterfield called Pelican Cycles who stock Freego bikes. I am sure you should be able to arrange a test ride there. I had my Eagle from there. Also my wife has a juicy bike which is excellent, so its well worth a visit to Cromford to look at them

Regards gray

 

[jcat00uk]

thanks for all the suggestions, it seems that i live in a bit of a black spot for ebike shops as they all seem to be at least an hours drive away , i do like the look of the kudos tourer and the juicy sport 2012 and will spend a bit more time later trying to find some more reviews of these bikes

ta
John

 

[Lloyd]

thanks for all the suggestions, it seems that i live in a bit of a black spot for ebike shops as they all seem to be at least an hours drive away , i do like the look of the kudos tourer and the juicy sport 2012 and will spend a bit more time later trying to find some more reviews of these bikes

ta
John

Hi John,

Samways Cycles in Ashbourne road, Derby, are a large cycle shop who stock a few ebike brands. They are also part of the cycle to work scheme.

Well worth a look as not far from you at all.

Kind regards

Lloyd

 

[Jimod]

Obviously it is better if you can try the bikes but for my 2p worth. I've got a Kudos Tourer with the 9 speed. I've had it 10 months and bought it online without seeing or trying it. I've never regretted buying it for a second. It looks like a proper bike to me.
It does exactly what I want it to do and I live in a very hilly area and it's always got me there. To give you an idea of the area I use it in, I have to travel 5 miles down to sea level to get flat roads, then obviously all the way back up again.
I've done nearly 900 miles on it and it does 30+ miles on a charge.
Only one thing has ever gone wrong with it and that was the twist grip for the gear change stopped working, it wouldn't hold it in gear. I phoned Kudos and they sent me a new one which I received the following morning.

The best thing I could say about it though, if it was stolen or destroyed today, I'd phone Kudos and buy another tomorrow.

 

[timidtom]

Juicy Bikes. Great bike, good service. Can't go wrong - but try a few before you buy.

 

[JuicyBike]

Juicy Bikes. Great bike, good service. Can't go wrong - but try a few before you buy.

Thanks Tom!

 

[jcat00uk]

I've been scanning the forums for a while now, at the moment I have two bikes I like the look of in my price range, which are the:
juicy sport
and
kudos tourer

I'm swaying towards the kudos tourer because of the Nexus 8 speed internal hub option which from what I've read, needs a lot less maintenance and allows for a chain guard which would be really useful for my main use of the bike which would be commuting to work.
The kudos is just missing one thing for me, which is a throttle, does the controller allow for a throttle, if so does anyone know what the connection looks like or is there an updated version of this or a similar bike coming out, with a throttle.

I haven't ruled out the juicy sport, it looks like a nice bike and the main supplier is a lot closer, but the internal hub on the tourer seems to suit my needs better.

thats where my thinking is at the moment,

ta

John

 

[Jimod]

Before I bought the Kudos I had only ever tried a quick shot on one bike and that was an Alien with a throttle. I decided that I needed a throttle, then I bought the Kudos without a throttle and i've not missed a throttle. When I can't be bothered working hard I just turn the pedals really slowly and the motor gives full poewer no matter how little effort I put in. On a flat road it will take me along quite nicely. If I the come to a hill I simply pedal a bit harder and help out. Just to point out, I only do that occasionally, I'm not totally lazy.

The best thing to do is try a bike without a throttle and see. If however, it has a torque sensor, the Kudos doesn't, the above will not work.

 

[Kudoscycles]

John,the Nexus 8 hub is also my favourite gear system,its simplicity seems to suit the concept of the e-bike. However the twist grip to operate the hub has to be on the R/H of the handlebars. We have just finished our new Kudos Safari bike which also uses the Nexus 8 hub and we have fitted a thumb throttle on the L/H of the handlebars. The Safari is a step through type frame so probably not your prefered style,however it does show that a throttle can be fitted with a Nexus 8 hub gear.
Unfortunately the Safari comes from a different factory to the Tourer-N8. I will tomorrow ask if my Tourer-N8 supplier can advise if a throttle can be retrospectively fitted.
Dave
KudosCycles

 

[TonyReisman]

John i have tried both bikes you are considering and for me i prefer the disk brakes, suspension and the rear wheel drive bike - much better handling and much better in gravel IMHO

 

[banbury frank]

Hi John

You are welcome to come to Banbury for a test ride

But our bikes start at £1395 and go up to £3995

But if you ride one you will see why they are expensive

And we DONT do the cycle to work

Thanks for looking at our bikes

Commuter


Frank

 

[Scatty]

You Could travel 10miles down the A52 & go to Poweredbicycles in Long Eaton & try before you buy. The Longest running electric bike shop in the midlands

 

[Blew it]

Hi John

You are welcome to come to Banbury for a test ride

But our bikes start at £1395 and go up to £3995

But if you ride one you will see why they are expensive

And our bikes cruise at 28 mph on the flat

And we DONT do the cycle to work

Thanks for looking at our bikes

Commuter


Frank

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