After 3 months of ownership this is my review of the ebike purchased from 'The Range'
I had been looking at e-bikes for a few years now and when I saw this it appeared to be a bargain, especially as it is sold at far more in Belgium and Holland, but after 2-3 months of ownership I think that is because they are marketed over there by bike shops who prepare the unit rather what you will get which is the raw bike from the factory.
Other good thing is that the motor and battery are guaranteed for 2 years!
Be aware that this is a Dutch design bike where the front brake is on the handlebar and the rear brake is by pedaling backwards - if you have never ridden a bike like this before it takes a little getting used to.
The problems I had -
Manual is poor as it will mention things to check and adjust but doesn't give specifics - e.g. tyre pressures.
Front brakes were miles out and were fouled by the front light bracket which broke when I tried to move it - I have since removed the lights and replaced them with battery operated devices as the generator caused too much drag.
Loud clicking noise whilst pedaling - this was found to be a loose bottom bracket that I had to buy a special tool to tighten, to access it I had to remove one of the cranks and found that this was also loose due to the plastic film being left in place when it was built.
The 3 speed gears were also out of alignment so using a guide off the Internet I got them working properly.
When this was done I went out for a ride of about 4 miles but ended up pushing it back the last mile as the chain had fallen off (note the motor will not work unless you are pedaling). Unfortunately the chain is enclosed and you need at least a screwdriver to get to it plus other tools to adjust it (it was way too loose).
I then replaced the pedals as the ones supplied that have tiny generators inside to illuminate leds are a clever idea but too much drag.
First 2 punctures were in front tyre and when I inspected it the inner tube appeared to be poor quality so I replaced that (not an easy job due to the motor wiring), next puncture was rear tyre and my fault I did not have enough tools to repair it so I had to push the bike back 6 miles (and its not a lightweight bike!).
When I inspected the tyre I noticed it was tiny bits of glass causing the puncture and the tyres are very thin.
So I invested in 2 kevlar banded tyres and good inner tubes and have not had a puncture since.
The only other thing is that even after tightening all the bolts (many were loose) on the frame etc, they continue to work loose and I have lost one holding the rear pannier in place and very nearly lost the kick stand, so I may end up stripping it and rebuilding using loktite.
One other thing is that the power meter is pretty useless as it will show 5 bars when the battery is full but after 4 bars the battery can then die without warning.
So all in all I am happy with my purchase (especially as I bought it via the CTW scheme) but could have been a lot happier if the bike had been built better but fortunately I was able to do this work myself.
So if you are not DIY minded then I would suggest factoring in the price for a bike shop to assemble and adjust it correctly and replace the pedals, lights and tyres/inner tubes.
I had been looking at e-bikes for a few years now and when I saw this it appeared to be a bargain, especially as it is sold at far more in Belgium and Holland, but after 2-3 months of ownership I think that is because they are marketed over there by bike shops who prepare the unit rather what you will get which is the raw bike from the factory.
Other good thing is that the motor and battery are guaranteed for 2 years!
Be aware that this is a Dutch design bike where the front brake is on the handlebar and the rear brake is by pedaling backwards - if you have never ridden a bike like this before it takes a little getting used to.
The problems I had -
Manual is poor as it will mention things to check and adjust but doesn't give specifics - e.g. tyre pressures.
Front brakes were miles out and were fouled by the front light bracket which broke when I tried to move it - I have since removed the lights and replaced them with battery operated devices as the generator caused too much drag.
Loud clicking noise whilst pedaling - this was found to be a loose bottom bracket that I had to buy a special tool to tighten, to access it I had to remove one of the cranks and found that this was also loose due to the plastic film being left in place when it was built.
The 3 speed gears were also out of alignment so using a guide off the Internet I got them working properly.
When this was done I went out for a ride of about 4 miles but ended up pushing it back the last mile as the chain had fallen off (note the motor will not work unless you are pedaling). Unfortunately the chain is enclosed and you need at least a screwdriver to get to it plus other tools to adjust it (it was way too loose).
I then replaced the pedals as the ones supplied that have tiny generators inside to illuminate leds are a clever idea but too much drag.
First 2 punctures were in front tyre and when I inspected it the inner tube appeared to be poor quality so I replaced that (not an easy job due to the motor wiring), next puncture was rear tyre and my fault I did not have enough tools to repair it so I had to push the bike back 6 miles (and its not a lightweight bike!).
When I inspected the tyre I noticed it was tiny bits of glass causing the puncture and the tyres are very thin.
So I invested in 2 kevlar banded tyres and good inner tubes and have not had a puncture since.
The only other thing is that even after tightening all the bolts (many were loose) on the frame etc, they continue to work loose and I have lost one holding the rear pannier in place and very nearly lost the kick stand, so I may end up stripping it and rebuilding using loktite.
One other thing is that the power meter is pretty useless as it will show 5 bars when the battery is full but after 4 bars the battery can then die without warning.
So all in all I am happy with my purchase (especially as I bought it via the CTW scheme) but could have been a lot happier if the bike had been built better but fortunately I was able to do this work myself.
So if you are not DIY minded then I would suggest factoring in the price for a bike shop to assemble and adjust it correctly and replace the pedals, lights and tyres/inner tubes.
