Shetland woman looking to find my perfect Ebike, Need Help Please!

[Nealh]

Very hands on knowledgable folk tend to buy direct from China and pick and mix their components. Other wise the easiest kits are plug and play kits available from Woosh , Oxydrive ( mega sale just finished now just a Jan sale ) or from Spain Ciclotek just to name three. Price wise £499-£799, these include every thing you need battery,hub motor built into a wheel,wiring harnesses, LCD display, controller etc,etc. If thinking of a bike to convert then consideration should be made that disc brakes can be fitted esp to the front and hydraulic is better then cable.

 

[Shetland Wife]

Yeah I think I might be better just avoiding the kit idea, I can see it all going very complicated and wrong and with our isolation here, not much local help.

 

[JohnCade]

By the time you have paid for the donor bike and a BPM kit you'd probably find the Big Bear or similar about the same price. You have a warranty and back up with that too, and only have to put the pedals on and straighten and tighten the handlebars. Kits are perhaps better for the more mechanically minded who are happy sorting out any problems themselves.

 

[RobF]

Yeah I think I might be better just avoiding the kit idea, I can see it all going very complicated and wrong and with our isolation here, not much local help.

Very wise.

There are people on here who can install kits to factory quality.

But it's all too easy for a novice to produce a lashed-up looking bike.

That's OK if looks are genuinely not important, but you have mentioned several times that looks are important to you.

 

[Shetland Wife]

So there is the Big Bear, the Cyclezee Sprint and any other suggestions?? I really like to compare and contrast things and you all are so helpful.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You have to be careful in choosing a donor bike if you want to convert it. Some things make it virtually impossible, so, if you find a donor bike, post the details here so that we can confirm that it's OK.

For a first bike, it's probably better to buy a ready-made one unless you're a technical hobbyist.

If you weigh less than 80kg, virtually any electric bike will have enough power, so you can pick the one you like. The baskets are a standard fitting. You can buy them on Ebay, but you have to look at how they fit because you might have something already where they want to go. Some buckle onto the handlebars, some just hook on, others have a proper quick-release bracket. If you get a hook on one, make sure that it's not so deep that the bottom touches your front brake.

 

[trex]

it's easy enough to contrast things: headwinds are the biggest reason for having an electric bike! and not many bikes have as strong motor as the Big Bear LS and the Sprint, the vast majority have less powerful motors than these two, including the German bikes. Adding to this, your budget of £1000 rules out the Kudos Sonata.
http://www.kudoscycles.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=347

 

[Shetland Wife]

I am 92 kg and 5 ft 11 1/2 so too big for some bikes. I will speak with my husband and see what he thinks. He is very technical minded as a joiner but not sure how confident he would be with something like this. As he has had motorcycles in the past. Regardless I am really struggling with the world of aesthetic or practical/useful to me.

But as an artsy person I can see myself customizing a bike to make it beautiful to me. I know it seems such a minor thing but as a visual person due to my passion for art and craft it is important to me. Has anyone customized a ebike after they bought it and not a kit one??? Sorry to be such a big pain everyone.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

That means that the Woosh Big Bear LST would be a good choice. You need a high-torque motor. Note that most listings state "high torque motor", but that's just sales speak.

Fitting a kit is easy if you've done it before and have all the tools. Ideally, you need to be able to solder, which isn't difficult if you know how. There's always little hidden obstacles though. Nobody has yet come up with a universal ebike kit, though they're getting closer.

 

[Nealh]

I'm a joiner/wood machinist by trade until made redundant so with any tech ability hubby should be able to overcome any niggles, having had m-bikes previously he'd probably jump at the chance.

 

[Alan Quay]

As others have said, sounds like hubby would be able to do it no problems. We are all here for technical advice, and to help you chose a kit.

Because of where you live, it would be advantageous to be able to repair your own bike if it goes wrong.

Look for a ladies bike with a rear rack:
e.g.

http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B6600.html

.......and for a simple install go for a front kit. A BPM kit is probably your best bet.

Lots of people will tell you that its imperative that you have hydraulic disk brakes, but assuming that you are not into performance, rim brakes will be fine.

 

[Shetland Wife]

Funny enough I stumbled upon the same make of bike earlier and really liked the style of it. I really like the style of this one also not sure if it would be any use though http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Viking-Prelude-Ladies-Heritage-Trekking-Hybrid-Bike-7-Speed-Basket-Pannier-/151469129818?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&var=&hash=item234443805a

and what type of kit could? or would ?? Work on it. So fire away if you have links and suggestions. Please and thank you

 

[Alan Quay]

Easy way would be a front BPM kit from woosh:

http://www.wooshbikes.co.uk/?hubkits

Instructions are listed on the page, none of it is very hard.

Get a nice pannier bag to go on the rack, hide all the gubbins on there. Most people won't even realise it's electric.

 

[Shetland Wife]

Now the big question from this bigger girl is how would this be for hills and wind??? I don't want to do huge distances but I would say maybe a 10 mile round trip at most daily???

 

[Deleted member 4366]

That one would be better than the other viking because the derailleur gears allow a rear motor, which would be better. The bafang BPM would be the motor. It's just a question of finding one with the right speed.(code 13). Woosh Bikes do a nice kit (BPM700) with or without a battery. I guess that they can provide a rack battery if you ask them nicely.

http://www.wooshbikes.co.uk/?hubkits

 

[Shetland Wife]

d8veh I am a total newbie so excuse my asking what are "derailleur gears" and which viking bike are you referring to??? Thanks

 

[Nealh]

The big bear series have a reputation for being good strong hill climbers.
There is a thread where someone put a big bear kit in the front of his bike and uses it to tow his 2 kids in a trailer.

 

[Alan Quay]

d8veh I am a total newbie so excuse my asking what are "derailleur gears" and which viking bike are you referring to??? Thanks

Basically, you a choice of two types of gears. Derailer (or derailleur) are what you see on most bikes - 5,6,7 or more cogs on the rear wheel. They are cheap and simple but can only be changed while pedalling along.

Hub is the other option. Less maintenance, neater, and can be changed while you sit at the lights.

My personal preference is hub, as is my wife's.

If you go hub, you are limited to a front drive (or perhaps mid drive) motor.

In my opinion, front hub is easier to fit, and gives the bike a better balance if the battery is over the rear wheel.

I have two of each type of bike, so I speak from experience.

As for hill climbing, the BPM will be fine. It's arguably the best option for climbing hills.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

d8veh I am a total newbie so excuse my asking what are "derailleur gears" and which viking bike are you referring to??? Thanks

If you look at where the chain goes round the back wheel, you'll see on your link that it goes round an extra couple of cog-wheels under the axle. That's the derailleur that changes gear. The gears and the changer are outside the hub of the wheel. On the other link, the chain just goes round one cog-wheel. That bike has hub-gears, where the gears are inside the hub. You can't have a hub-motor where you have hub gears.

A high-torque motor, like the BPM is better on the back-wheel because it can't get enough grip on the front. That's much worse if you have thin tyres like on that Viking bike. Also, the forks are a bit weedy for a powerful motor like the BPM.

 

[john h]

shetland wife the viking company also sell a mixtie frame bike, if you old style bikes ,