Someone make up my mind for me..

[damian]

Our cycle to work scheme is starting soon, so I have to make my mind up. I wish someone would just do it for me.

The freego eagle is the least good looking but the dealer seems really helpful and is a small local shop. The battery is big and the warranty impressive. If only the frame was a bit bigger and less industrial. There is £100 at the minute too.

I love the look of the new Momentum Upstart. Battery is smaller (11ah) than the Eagle though and it is less comfortable. Under 19kg though. Dealer is knowledgeable but is further away if I need to take the bike back

Then my wife said she thought the cube hybrid was best looking. It does look nice to me. Not a big battery, has crank drive but I won't be using it on hills and might put more pressure on the gears?
It's in chain reaction so service might be more driven by targets then on a smaller place

I to my head says the Eagle. I've tried all three and they are all fun.

 

[Artstu]

Not sure which Cube, but I'd go with the Cube over the Freego any day.

 

[damian]

Not sure which Cube, but I'd go with the Cube over the Freego any day.

It's the cube hybrid town 2015.
I'm sure the battery will be fine for my piddling little commutes but might be expensive to replace

I take it that their ebike have a good reputation?

 

[RobF]

It's the cube hybrid town 2015.
I'm sure the battery will be fine for my piddling little commutes but might be expensive to replace

I take it that their ebike have a good reputation?

Cube/Bosch is a good combination.

Bosch batteries are expensive, but they last well.

Mine are about three years old and have had a fair bit of use.

No decline in capacity that I can detect.

I take it you know the Cube bike in your link is 21.5", in other words, large.

 

[trex]

a crank drive is good at any speed, on any hill because you can select the right gear. Have you tried the Cube? as e-bike goes, it's a proper job.

 

[Artstu]

Last one too, you'd better be quick.

 

[damian]

Cube/Bosch is a good combination.

Bosch batteries are expensive, but they last well.

Mine are about three years old and have had a fair bit of use.

No decline in capacity that I can detect.

I take it you know the Cube bike in your link is 21.5", in other words, large.

They have a 50cm bike in stock, so I'm going round to try that later. I'm 5'10" (and a wee bit if I straighten up) so might be in the middle of the two sizes

Might a bike that has been in the shop for a while have potential battery problems?

 

[Nealh]

Haggle with them and see if you can get 10/15% discount, the battery along with the bike will be under guarantee for at least 12 months so any short comings should show up before then.

 

[damian]

Haggle with them and see if you can get 10/15% discount, the battery along with the bike will be under guarantee for at least 12 months so any short comings should show up before then.

Not allowed to take it out in the rain today :-(
They reckon 54cm would be a better fit but I want to see how it feels to ride so have another day or two.
Does look a bit classier than eagle and has bigger wheels.
(but the Eagle had a more knowledgeable dealer)

 

[JohnCade]

Not allowed to take it out in the rain today :-(
They reckon 54cm would be a better fit but I want to see how it feels to ride so have another day or two.
Does look a bit classier than eagle and has bigger wheels.
(but the Eagle had a more knowledgeable dealer)

You’re not going to ride the dealer. I hope.

 

[damian]

You’re not going to ride the dealer. I hope.

For a15% discount? Maybe. At least it was a girl selling me the Eagle...

 

[RobF]

They have a 50cm bike in stock, so I'm going round to try that later. I'm 5'10" (and a wee bit if I straighten up) so might be in the middle of the two sizes

Might a bike that has been in the shop for a while have potential battery problems?

No problems with the battery, they can sit part charged for ages.

At 5' 10", I would expect 50cm to be plenty big enough, especially on 29"/700c wheels.

Sizing is personal, and relative leg/torso/arm length comes into it.

But be wary of the shop trying to tuck you into something that's too big.

The 54cm bike - more than 21" - would only suit a tall person.

A cynic might say the shop would rather sell you that because they know it will be a lot harder to shift than the 50cm.

 

[damian]

I also asked about warranty. And do you know what he told me? Electrical parts are covered by bosch, frame by cube and other parts by individual manufacturers.
Sounds suspicious to me.

Oh, the cube website says I'm exactly hallway between 50 and 54cm bikes and to take the bigger one for a more upright style.

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

I also asked about warranty. And do you know what he told me? Electrical parts are covered by bosch, frame by cube and other parts by individual manufacturers.
Sounds suspicious to me.

Thats totally normal, and exactly as it should be. However you don't need to worry about any of it, because if you have a problem you'll deal with the Cube dealer... they will deal with Bosch, Cube, Shimano etc etc, you'd never contact the brands, they only deal with the shop.

 

[damian]

Thats totally normal, and exactly as it should be. However you don't need to worry about any of it, because if you have a problem you'll deal with the Cube dealer... they will deal with Bosch, Cube, Shimano etc etc, you'd never contact the brands, they only deal with the shop.

Thanks. That makes more sense. I could understand cube and bosch dealing with their own parts. I was just a bit confused that he mentioned anything else.

 

[JohnCade]

I also asked about warranty. And do you know what he told me? Electrical parts are covered by bosch, frame by cube and other parts by individual manufacturers.
Sounds suspicious to me.

Oh, the cube website says I'm exactly hallway between 50 and 54cm bikes and to take the bigger one for a more upright style.

I find it difficult to size modern bikes with sloping top tubes. On horizontal top tube frames I always rode a 53 cm which is claimed by many authorities to be too small for my height of 5’ 10” but which fitted me fine. Most serious road riders use what would be thought to be very small frames for their height nowadays since they are stiffer and more manoeuvrable and slightly lighter.

With MTB frames and sloping TTs which most frames have now the seat tube measurement doesn’t have the same relationship with the rest of the frame. So my Kalkhoff with its sloping top tube has a high front end and feels large even though it’s a 50 cm frame.

I would take these websites with a pinch of salt and try it yourself if you can. As long as you have an inch or so clearance standing astride the frame and the seat post is not out past its max or in as far as it will go almost any frame can be made to fit. By and large bigger frames will ride better on the road than smaller ones and be more directionally stable but not be as easy to throw around.

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

Thanks. That makes more sense. I could understand cube and bosch dealing with their own parts. I was just a bit confused that he mentioned anything else.

Quality brands like Cube, use branded components all over the bike, and each of these brands will have its own warranty procedure. Again nothing you really need to worry about. But this will be why the dealer said what they did.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I find it difficult to size modern bikes with sloping top tubes. On horizontal top tube frames I always rode a 53 cm which is claimed by many authorities to be too small for my height of 5’ 10” but which fitted me fine. Most serious road riders use what would be thought to be very small frames for their height nowadays since they are stiffer and more manoeuvrable and slightly lighter.

With MTB frames and sloping TTs which most frames have now the seat tube measurement doesn’t have the same relationship with the rest of the frame. So my Kalkhoff with its sloping top tube has a high front end and feels large even though it’s a 50 cm frame.

I would take these websites with a pinch of salt and try it yourself if you can. As long as you have an inch or so clearance standing astride the frame and the seat post is not out past its max or in as far as it will go almost any frame can be made to fit. By and large bigger frames will ride better on the road than smaller ones and be more directionally stable but not be as easy to throw around.

On one of the German sites they say:

- if you have a suspended seat post remove 5 cm from the "correct" size
- sporty riding style then remove 4 cm from "correct size

Which encouraged me to stay with my 47 cm low bar (ladies sport bike) frame. With the 28" wheels and extra length it is MUCH bigger than my current tiny frame where my knees almost touch the handle bar (OK so slight hyperbole there )

I would say frame length is much more important than height, my seat post and stem are at maximum height. The seat is all the way back and the bars all the way forward and I just fit but I am missing about 10 cm in length.

 

[JohnCade]

Yes, all the more reason to try frames for size and not rely on what the manufactures websites say. With the old diamond frames if you knew the length of one tube you knew them all within a small margin. But with sloping top tubes some slope much more than others and nothing can be taken for granted.

 

[damian]

On one of the German sites they say:

- if you have a suspended seat post remove 5 cm from the "correct" size
- sporty riding style then remove 4 cm from "correct size

Which encouraged me to stay with my 47 cm low bar (ladies sport bike) frame. With the 28" wheels and extra length it is MUCH bigger than my current tiny frame where my knees almost touch the handle bar (OK so slight hyperbole there )

I would say frame length is much more important than height, my seat post and stem are at maximum height. The seat is all the way back and the bars all the way forward and I just fit but I am missing about 10 cm in length.

I'll try a 54cm push bike for size and the smaller ebike for feel and then decide.