Separated at Birth and by £500. What's the link anyone?

[countryman663]

Does anyone know the provenance of Winora bikes and are they related to Haibike
see images below and see what i mean.
cloen or cousins?

I'm thinking of buying a Winora T2 from German Ebay through Ebay UK. any hazards or pitfalls I should be aware of
thanks in anticipation

 

[RobF]

Haibike is a brand of the Winora Group:

Winora » Winora Group

 

[flecc]

Haibike is a brand of the Winora Group:

Winora » Winora Group

And Winora in turn wholly owned by the Accell Group, Europes largest bicycle industry group. Commonality of design and part elements often occurs within a group like this:

Accell Group Main Brands

 

[50 Hertz]

Does anyone know the provenance of Winora bikes and are they related to Haibike
see images below and see what i mean.
cloen or cousins?
View attachment 5488View attachment 5489View attachment 5490View attachment 5491
I'm thinking of buying a Winora T2 from German Ebay through Ebay UK. any hazards or pitfalls I should be aware of
thanks in anticipation

Nice find. Should you need it, backup is going to be slightly more problematical than buying from a UK supplier, but it would have to be a substantial fault to swallow up the £500 saving. Apart from the motor and battery, it's just a bicycle. The Bosch system has been around long enough now and has developed a reputation for reliability so I would say that the probability of you losing out overall is very low.

It's an individual decision, but I'd be confident enough to buy directly from Germany if I was looking for a new bike. You could always approach a UK supplier, show them the cash you have for the Winora and ask them what they would like you to do. Buy from them, or send it to Germany?

 

[countryman663]

Thank you both.
It seems as if bikes are now like cars in terms of ownership/co-ownership and partnerships. So.... is the Winora TS the Skoda to Haibikes Audi? I will look into these sites and see what else I find to explain the extra cost between these two bikes. I saw in another post that the price differential is largely due to components used.

for example what is the functional difference between tyres, Winora "Schwalbe Energizer tour with puncture protection, 40-622 Reflex, DV Valve" Haibikes "Continental Eco Contact, 42-622 Reflex, SV valve"
dynamo hub WIN "Shimano hub dynamo 3D30" HAI "Shimano hub dynamo 3D72"

For general out and about in Cumbria are the Win forks
" Suntour NEX HLO lockout, suspension: coil spring / oil, Travel: 63mm" a match for Hai"Suntour NCX-D RL Lite remote lockout, suspension: coil spring / elastomer Travel: 63mm"

Its all just numbers to me at the moment and test rides won't give me much insight because my bum isn't that technical and can't evaluate durability and value for money! I understand that there is a difference between cheap and good value and am very nearly convinced that the Winora represents good value in the Skoda mold( new iteration NOT the two stroke rear engined variety!). Would prefer a home country purchase however

thanks again
M

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Replied to your other post. We have a Macina Cross with 400wh battery in stock for £1799 rather than £1899 (51cm, roadster frame). Alternatively we could do the bike with the smaller battery if you prefered. We offer free collection of your bike in the unlikely event of a problem and offer a free courtesy bike if required at no extra cost. Good luck with the search!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The bikes share the same motor, rack, mudguards and some other bits, and they have similar frames, but you have to look at every component to get an exact comparison. Brakes, gears/changers and forks can make a big difference to the user-friendliness of a bike. It's always a difficult decision to decide at which price-point you want to pitch your purchase. These Bosch bikes have made it a bit easier because at least you know that the motor performance will be similar between the different options.

Don't forget that you can always upgrade components after purchase with good used bits off Ebay.

 

[countryman663]

Nice find. Should you need it, backup is going to be slightly more problematical than buying from a UK supplier, but it would have to be a substantial fault to swallow up the £500 saving. Apart from the motor and battery, it's just a bicycle. The Bosch system has been around long enough now and has developed a reputation for reliability so I would say that the probability of you losing out overall is very low.

It's an individual decision, but I'd be confident enough to buy directly from Germany if I was looking for a new bike. You could always approach a UK supplier, show them the cash you have for the Winora and ask them what they would like you to do. Buy from them, or send it to Germany?

Thanks 50 ( you don't mind me calling you do you Mr Hertz?)
do you know of anyone who has done this, I'm wondering about extra costs such as an import charge or whatever. I'm not too worried about a purchase through E Bay as there are protections that apply to this kind of purchase.

 

[Artstu]

I'm wondering about extra costs such as an import charge or whatever. I'm not too worried about a purchase through E Bay as there are protections that apply to this kind of purchase.

There's no import duty to pay on purchases from EU countries.

 

[flecc]

Thank you both.
It seems as if bikes are now like cars in terms of ownership/co-ownership and partnerships. So.... is the Winora TS the Skoda to Haibikes Audi?

I understand that there is a difference between cheap and good value and am very nearly convinced that the Winora represents good value in the Skoda mold( new iteration NOT the two stroke rear engined variety!). Would prefer a home country purchase however

It's very much like the VW/Seat/Skoda situation, existing brands bought into a group and then the names used for various market price and application positions. In some cases even the same factory is used to produce more than one badge. So it comes down to a judgement on personal suitability, content and price.

I can't give an opinion on the suspension forks, but Schwalbe tyres are the most expensive of the leading bicycle tyre brands, good but not necessarily much better than equivalents from other makers.

 

[50 Hertz]

Thanks 50 ( you don't mind me calling you do you Mr Hertz?)
do you know of anyone who has done this, I'm wondering about extra costs such as an import charge or whatever. I'm not too worried about a purchase through E Bay as there are protections that apply to this kind of purchase.

I've not purchased a bike directly from Germany or anywhere else on the continent for that matter. I think ex Pedelec member eddieo did, but he's been banned for speaking his mind, so we can't ask him about it.

It's a case of balancing the risks and rewards to see if its the right thing for you.

I remember a few years back, there was a bike called the Technium Privilege (I think), which was really a Kalkhoff Agattu. The only difference being that the Agattu was about £1300 and the Technium was £800. It was a large UK supplier selling the Technium, so that made the risk factor lower, but the re-branding of well known bikes and selling them cheaper is nothing new.

 

[Scimitar]

and am very nearly convinced that the Winora represents good value in the Skoda mold( new iteration NOT the two stroke rear engined variety!).

The old Skodas were actually pretty good cars and you betray your ignorance even more by describing the Wartburg, not Skoda.

 

[funkylyn]

. I think ex Pedelec member eddieo did, but he's been banned for speaking his mind, so we can't ask him about it.

.

I dont want to re open the pros/cons and whys and wherefores, but can I just say that....No....Eddieo was not banned, either time, for speaking his mind.........

We all speak our minds on this forum and the huge majority of us have not been banned......

Lynda

 

[50 Hertz]

I dont want to re open the pros/cons and whys and wherefores, but can I just say that....No....Eddieo was not banned, either time, for speaking his mind.........

We all speak our minds on this forum and the huge majority of us have not been banned......

Lynda

Gulp.....

I'm not privy to the full facts, but as an outside observer, it looked like a case of being banned for speaking ones mind. But as you say, best not re-open this one and I'll give way to your opinion.

 

[funkylyn]

Gulp.....

I'm not privy to the full facts, but as an outside observer, it looked like a case of being banned for speaking ones mind. But as you say, best not re-open this one and I'll give way to your opinion.

None of us are really privy to the full facts, but, hey, lets just be happy we live in a free world and can read with great interest your apparent dogging experiences on another thread ...........fun and very educational this forum at times isnt it ROFLOL

Lynda

 

[Hugh]

I've not purchased a bike directly from Germany or anywhere else on the continent for that matter. I think ex Pedelec member eddieo did, but he's been banned for speaking his mind, so we can't ask him about it.

I bought my Haibike direct from Germany using German eBay. No problems at all and it arrived quickly and in perfect nick. The dealer is called Fahrrad Becker.

 

[melspea]

I've not purchased a bike directly from Germany or anywhere else on the continent for that matter. I think ex Pedelec member eddieo did, but he's been banned for speaking his mind, so we can't ask him about it.

Just as I found a thread that interests me with a guy contemplating the pros and cons of purchasing in or from Germany, I'm stymied because I read that there was a guy who did just that but he's been banned!

That's exactly the kind of information that would be useful to me in Spain and I can't access it. This is very intriguing I think because this is a biking forum, in fact it's an ebiking forum which suggests grown-up people, probably older than the average cyclist out there. I can't for a moment even begin to understand how someone gets banned from a forum where people discuss ebikes. I can imagine somebody who repeatedly uses crude and foul language to others perhaps being suspended or thrown out if there's no improvement but for speaking his mind....??

Anybody else got experience of purchasing from mainland europe in order to save money or perhaps have more choice?

Mel

ps just seen Hugh's post. What prompted you to buy from Germany Hugh, if you don't mind me asking? I hope you made a good saving as that's motivation enough for me!

 

[funkylyn]

Just as I found a thread that interests me with a guy contemplating the pros and cons of purchasing in or from Germany, I'm stymied because I read that there was a guy who did just that but he's been banned!

That's exactly the kind of information that would be useful to me in Spain and I can't access it. This is very intriguing I think because this is a biking forum, in fact it's an ebiking forum which suggests grown-up people, probably older than the average cyclist out there. I can't for a moment even begin to understand how someone gets banned from a forum where people discuss ebikes. I can imagine somebody who repeatedly uses crude and foul language to others perhaps being suspended or thrown out if there's no improvement but for speaking his mind....??

Anybody else got experience of purchasing from mainland europe in order to save money or perhaps have more choice?

Mel

ps just seen Hugh's post. What prompted you to buy from Germany Hugh, if you don't mind me asking? I hope you made a good saving as that's motivation enough for me!

Hi Mel,

Dont fret, if you do a search on the forum, top right hand white box, you will be able to find lots of info, and opinions, on buying from germany and elsewhere, including eddios......

Lynda

 

[countryman663]

The old Skodas were actually pretty good cars and you betray your ignorance even more by describing the Wartburg, not Skoda.

the point being that they are now badge engineered part of a much larger group rather than an independent CZ based outfit..pardon my ignorance no slur intended on how good they are/were

 

[countryman663]

I bought my Haibike direct from Germany using German eBay. No problems at all and it arrived quickly and in perfect nick. The dealer is called Fahrrad Becker.

Tha'ts encouraging. thanks for your reply which has helkped encourage to go for it!