Rockrider E-ST500

[RobF]

But it's £200 more, doesn't look as good and won't be as comfortable. As I've got older I much prefer a bigger tyre, suspension and a comfortable ride rather than speed.

Up to you, of course.

The '1x' gearing on the mountain bike is very low - wouldn't be so bad if it had a mountain triple up front.

At the very least, I suspect you will want to change the tractor tyres for something with a shallow tread.

Schwalbe balloons such as Big Ben or Moto-X is the usual route.

 

[RichB]

Just seen that the Focus Whistler 2 3.9 is also avaliable for £750.
The battery is much smaller but hydro brakes and 29' wheels, so this one is in the running now as well
FOCUS WHISTLER 2 3.9

Decisions, decisions!

 

[lutin]

Just seen that the Focus Whistler 2 3.9 is also avaliable for £750.
The battery is much smaller but hydro brakes and 29' wheels, so this one is in the running now as well
FOCUS WHISTLER 2 3.9

Decisions, decisions!

Just for some input - the last thing you want on an e-bike is battery anxiety. And even if you calculate that the battery is big enough for a round trip, you have to factor in that a couple of years down the line, it might not hold it's charge so well.
I have a Gtech Escent with a small battery - and though it looks neat - I'd swap it for a bigger battery if I could.

 

[RichB]

Just for some input - the last thing you want on an e-bike is battery anxiety. And even if you calculate that the battery is big enough for a round trip, you have to factor in that a couple of years down the line, it might not hold it's charge so well.
I have a Gtech Escent with a small battery - and though it looks neat - I'd swap it for a bigger battery if I could.

As a matter of interest, what sort of mileage do you get out of your Gtech battery?
I like to cycle a lot with out asistance or above 15.5mph so do not necessarily need a big battery as my commute is a 11 mile round trip but I get what you're saying about a bigger battery being more desirable.

 

[vfr400]

As a matter of interest, what sort of mileage do you get out of your Gtech battery?
I like to cycle a lot with out asistance or above 15.5mph so do not necessarily need a big battery as my comutte is a 11 mile round trip but I get what you're saying about a bigger battery being more desirable.

A bigger battery means more weight. It takes about the same effort to ride a 9kg road bike as it does an MTB style electric bike on level 1 assist. The lighter the bike, the less power you need. Different people want different things from their bikes. I'd say that you should choose your battery to meet your needs. I like the idea of multiple light weight batteries, so for short journeys, you can have a very light bike, and if you want to go further, you can carry a spare battery in your pocket. I ran a bike for a while from a battery that was in my pocket, i.e. nothing installed on the bike. That would work quite well with a Gtech bike, except that they charge so much for the spare batteries. When you do it yourself, a 5 Ah battery can be made for less than £100 now and weighs only 1kg.

 

[KirstinS]

I think they actually do a 365 day refund guarantee so it looks like a no brainer to give it a try I guess. I'll see if I can take another look on Monday and take it from there.

They do but only if you join their system/email marketing/loyalty card.

No issue for me, its the same info id need to give any online order. But you only get 30 days automatically. At least that's what the bloke told me in the brighton store

 

[RichB]

They do but only if you join their system/email marketing/loyalty card.

No issue for me, its the same info id need to give any online order. But you only get 30 days automatically. At least that's what the bloke told me in the brighton store

Yeah, I think that’s right as i joined up a while ago for something else and you get sent a electronic loyalty card (basically just a barcode in an email).

 

[lutin]

As a matter of interest, what sort of mileage do you get out of your Gtech battery?
I like to cycle a lot with out asistance or above 15.5mph so do not necessarily need a big battery as my commute is a 11 mile round trip but I get what you're saying about a bigger battery being more desirable.

For my round trip, I do 100% assist - I'm basically only turning the pedals to engage the motor and there is practically no resistance.

I would say you could only get about 10 miles on full assist from the gtech battery.

 

[RossG]

Don't forget to read their small print very carefully when it comes to return offers. I'm quite sure they are a very reputable company but obviously they have to set out some ground rules as regards 30 day returns or you could hand back a wrecked bike and ask for your money to be returned as it's unsuitable.
You wouldn't do that of course but they don't know that so they would need to cover themselves.

 

[Mark1966]

Anyone got any info on the Rockrider ebike? On sale at the moment for £799, which seems like a good price.
Cant find many reviews but a few seem to suggest it may not like the wet?
Thanks,

Rockrider E-ST500

We bought 2 x Rockrider ST500, my husband bought the version 2 black model for £999 I was impressed by it, so sold my Giant Trance for a version 1 ST500 for £799 (V2 was out of stock)
The V1 cut out on a wet road ride, but seemed OK after a stop. The next day on a very steep road it again cut out in the drizzle and never worked again. Rang Decathlon up, they said to return it to store, we re in Cardiff nearest store was Oxford, and they were not helpful so had a full refund and bought a Haibike Sduro Hardseven 1.0
The V2 bike has been OK even in the wet, and seems quite sturdy, there was a nasty buckle in the rear wheel, which our local bike shop straightened, so if you re going to get a ST500 don't buy the silver/grey version 1 model as its not waterproof.

 

[Boab]

Hi all. I took my 500 out for the second time today. 20 miles all in and really enjoyed climbing ridiculous hills without panting! One issue, though. I tried charging my phone with the USB and the bike immediately stopped working. Motor cut out. Unplugged phone and it started up immediately. Anyone know why?

 

[soundwave]

usb power out might only be 1a so a iphone would be to much for it

 

[Boab]

usb power out might only be 1a so a iphone would be to much for it

Hi. Thanks for the reply. It's a Samsung but if it's 1A it wouldn't be enough. Just surprised at the motor cutting out.

 

[soundwave]

no idea what amps new phones pull these days but id not use it as it could be faulty and if under warranty id get hold of them ans see what they say.

on my display i have to buy some stupid ass cable to use a iphone

 

[Boab]

no idea what amps new phones pull these days but id not use it as it could be faulty and if under warranty id get hold of them ans see what they say.

on my display i have to buy some stupid ass cable to use a iphone

Manual says it's 0.5 output which is useless unless the phone's off, I'd imagine. I have a portable battery anyway. As I said, more worried about the motor cutting out when I used it. I'd love to hear from someone else who's tried it.

 

[soundwave]

my old intuvia display only had 500ma usb output and could not be used and charged at the same time.

 

[matthewslack]

Haven't had that issue, but my two 36V generic batteries on my solar trailer both have USB ports, one good, charges my phone or Gopro batteries perfectly well, the other useless. Luck of the draw, maybe.

 

[Boab]

Got something to take my mind off the usb issue. A flat tyre on a Sunday ‍. Nearest open store 30km away!

 

[Boab]

Got something to take my mind off the usb issue. A flat tyre on a Sunday ‍. Nearest open store 30km away!

Hmm...thought I put a face slap emoji!