Price: £549
For more photos, see here.
This bicycle offers a wonderfully relaxed, upright riding position with a bonus – electrical assistance. It has a large frame, but has a highly adjustable handlebar stem allowing it to suit a range of heights. As a tall man (6 foot 2) it suits me fine, but it would also suit men and women who aren’t quite so tall.
The electrical assistance uses a brushless motor (24V, 220W) mounted in the front wheel. The motor starts automatically after a couple of revolutions of the pedals. The strength of the assistance can be adjusted between three levels, or switched off entirely.
The electrically-assisted range will vary greatly depending on how much effort you put in, but I find that it goes at least 10 miles on the maximum assistance level with me pedalling very lazily. The manufacturer quotes a range of ‘20+ miles’, which I’m sure would be possible if you put more effort in.
The battery (Toshiba SCiB, 24V, 4.2Ah) charges remarkably quickly, with a full charge taking only 30 minutes. According to the manufacturer, the battery will still retain 82% of its capacity after 6000 charging cycles*. The battery can be left on the bike when it is parked, since it can be locked into the rack and will not operate the motor without a key being inserted.
This is a very well-equipped bicycle which could be used for commuting in all weathers. It includes mudguards, fixed lights, a frame lock, a kick-stand, suspension forks and seat-post and a chain case. The eight hub-gears offer a wide range of gear ratios and make the bike a pleasure to ride with or without the assistance of the motor.
The bicycle is in pristine condition and has only been ridden about 100 miles in dry weather. I’m selling it because it is surplus to my requirements. I bought it because the electric bike that I really wanted (a Brompton Nano) wasn’t available new at the time. However, a couple of weeks after acquiring the Tailwind (in August 2011) a Brompton Nano turned up on Gumtree. I bought the Brompton and then didn’t use the Tailwind again.
I will supply the original receipt and manual with the bike. If you’re seriously considering buying, you’re welcome to have a test-ride. I’d rather not have the bother of packaging the bike for delivery, so I would prefer the buyer to pick up the bike or to use a courier to pick up the bike (using a service such as Anyvan).
Here is the full specification:
• Frame: Ultra low step-through Schwinn N'Litened City-Tuned Aluminium with integrated bearing cups
• Fork: SR Suntour NEX 4610 MLO (with lock-out)
• Crank: Schwinn Approved forged alloy 38t ring
• Bottom Bracket: VP semi-cartridge sq. JIS taper
• Shifters: Shimano Nexus Revo 8-speed
• Gears: Shimano Nexus 8-speed rear hub with 18t sprocket
• Chain: KMC Z510 rust buster
• Rims: Jalco DT21 double wall
• Spokes: 14G stainless
• Tyres: Continental Town Ride 700 x 42c
• Pedals: Alloy trekking
• Brakes: Tektro alloy LP front and Shimano Roller rear
• Brake Levers: ORO alloy with cut-out switches for motor
• Handlebar: 100mm rise trekking
• Stem: Tranz X JD-ST17 1 bolt adjustable (–10° to 60°)
• Headset: 1 1/8" threaded integrated with nut cover and wire guide
• Grips: Bio Tuned Ergonomic Components dual-density
• Saddle: Selle Royal Look-In 30° Athletic
• Seat Post: Alloy suspension with micro adjust clamp
Also included: Fully enclosed chain case, kick-stand, Basta Defender frame lock (with 2 keys), bolted-on front and rear lights (Spanninga Luceo front, Vector rear), full mudguards and skirt guard, rear rack with elastic straps.• Fork: SR Suntour NEX 4610 MLO (with lock-out)
• Crank: Schwinn Approved forged alloy 38t ring
• Bottom Bracket: VP semi-cartridge sq. JIS taper
• Shifters: Shimano Nexus Revo 8-speed
• Gears: Shimano Nexus 8-speed rear hub with 18t sprocket
• Chain: KMC Z510 rust buster
• Rims: Jalco DT21 double wall
• Spokes: 14G stainless
• Tyres: Continental Town Ride 700 x 42c
• Pedals: Alloy trekking
• Brakes: Tektro alloy LP front and Shimano Roller rear
• Brake Levers: ORO alloy with cut-out switches for motor
• Handlebar: 100mm rise trekking
• Stem: Tranz X JD-ST17 1 bolt adjustable (–10° to 60°)
• Headset: 1 1/8" threaded integrated with nut cover and wire guide
• Grips: Bio Tuned Ergonomic Components dual-density
• Saddle: Selle Royal Look-In 30° Athletic
• Seat Post: Alloy suspension with micro adjust clamp
Frame dimensions as quoted by the vendor who sold me the bike:
Seat tube: 21”
Head tube: 6.7”
Top tube: 22.9” (Actually, there is no top tube)
Head tube angle: 71°
Seat tube angle: 73.5°
Chain stay: 17.9”
Wheelbase: 42.7”
Standover height: 31.2” (Actually 17.5” as this is the step-through version.)
Fork offset: 1.7”
Bottom bracket height: 11”
Head tube: 6.7”
Top tube: 22.9” (Actually, there is no top tube)
Head tube angle: 71°
Seat tube angle: 73.5°
Chain stay: 17.9”
Wheelbase: 42.7”
Standover height: 31.2” (Actually 17.5” as this is the step-through version.)
Fork offset: 1.7”
Bottom bracket height: 11”
* For more information on the battery see:
Super-Charge Ion Battery (SCiB™) on Toshiba website
Lithium titanate battery on Wikipedia
