Time to buy a new e-bike

[CorpusLuteum]

I have been riding my current e-bike (sports direct Eco) for around 2 months now and it's time to buy a better bike. In a couple of weeks, I would need to attend hospital 5 days a week. The journey would be 24 miles both ways which is obviously not possible with my current bike. So my only option is to sell my Brompton and a few other belongings and buy an e-bike that would not only do the job but also last me a good few years. I am considering buying the Kalkhoff Agattu i8 (£1495). Would it better to spend an extra £600 on the Agattu HS 8G (£2095)? Like I said, I need a bicycle that would last me a very long time without any problems. My current e-bike has caused me a lot of grief (the chain fell off this morning) and I really need a bike that wouldn't require a lot of repairs. I can't deal with a puncture whilst travelling to and from hospital which is why I'm going for a bike with puncture resistant tyres. Do you have any other recommendations? Also how safe is it to park an expensive e-bike at a hospital? Do hospitals usually have bicycle parking? Thank you.

 

[trex]

that is swinging from one extreme to the other. I would recommend you try a £625 Woosh Santana or the £799 Santana CD then upgrade in a year or two. The Santanas do the job competently and cheaply, both have puncture resistant tyres already.

Santana CD

 

[Artstu]

Is that 48 miles for the full journey to and from hospital ?

 

[CorpusLuteum]

that is swinging from one extreme to the other. I would recommend you try a £625 Woosh Santana or the £799 Santana CD then upgrade in a year or two. The Santanas do the job competently and cheaply, both have puncture resistant tyres already.

Thank you for replying. I honestly do appreciate and trust your recommendations but to be honest with you, I'm frightened. I don't want to deal with any problems whatsoever, hence I want to go for a good quality bike. I know it would be impossible to not encounter any problems even with an expensive bicycle, but I just feel that it would be stressful travelling to hospital 24 miles a day 5 days a week, and I want to make the journey as comfortable and stress free as possible for myself. Thank you once again

 

[CorpusLuteum]

Is that 48 miles for the full journey to and from hospital ?

Hi it's 12 miles one way, 24 miles for the entire journey.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

You could upgrade whateverer bike you have to include Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, most retailers would do this for you. They are not puncture proof but as close to it as you can get.

We have several Bosch powered bikes and I would be happy to recommend a good quality bike which would deliver what you require. Bosch is supposed to be more reliable than Impulse, I base this on reading members comments on the German Pedelec forum where most e bikes are sold in Europe (Germany that is around 400,000). Although I appreciate it is not scientific.

We also offer a free loan bike at no extra cost so hopefully that would offer peace of mind.

Good luck.

 

[peerjay56]

Hi CL,
I'm with trex on this one. Woosh bikes are well made, have a good reputation are are well supported. They may not have the overall component quality that you would hope to get from an agattu, but they will be more than adequate for what you want to achieve. Alternatively Juicy bikes are not too far from you down Buxton way - a short-ish train ride to see first and test ride - not quite as cheap as Woosh, but well built with a good reputation.
Having got the bug with your 'starter bike' I understand it's tempting to think that getting a top range bike will solve any anxiety you have regarding reliability, but you can do that for much less, and have the feelgood factor of knowing you haven't bankrupted yourself into the process.

 

[jackhandy]

Hi CL,

It stikes me you need support close-by for whatever bike you buy:
The chain falling off, unless it actually broke, is likely to be simply chain stretch or selector cable - maintenance items which most of us sort-out without really thinking of it as a problem.

Buying an expensive bike doesn't preclude parts failing - It can sometimes just mean it costs a hell-ova-lot more to repair )

In your position I'd seriously look to the level of support available locally & promptly: Did you keep the number of the mobile mechanic that set-up your bike & was he any good? Is there a competent Electric bike dealer who can guarantee this level of support, preferably close-by?

 

[CorpusLuteum]

Hi CL,

It stikes me you need support close-by for whatever bike you buy:
The chain falling off, unless it actually broke, is likely to be simply chain stretch or selector cable - maintenance items which most of us sort-out without really thinking of it as a problem.

Buying an expensive bike doesn't preclude parts failing - It can sometimes just mean it costs a hell-ova-lot more to repair )

In your position I'd seriously look to the level of support available locally & promptly: Did you keep the number of the mobile mechanic that set-up your bike & was he any good? Is there a competent Electric bike dealer who can guarantee this level of support, preferably close-by?

Hi thank you for replying. The mechanic who assembled my bicycle was good but he's too far from me and charges an extortionate call out fee. I realise that my lack of knowledge is the real problem here, but it's something that I don't have time to worry about just yet. Thank you so much for your advice

Hi CL,
I'm with trex on this one. Woosh bikes are well made, have a good reputation are are well supported. They may not have the overall component quality that you would hope to get from an agattu, but they will be more than adequate for what you want to achieve. Alternatively Juicy bikes are not too far from you down Buxton way - a short-ish train ride to see first and test ride - not quite as cheap as Woosh, but well built with a good reputation.
Having got the bug with your 'starter bike' I understand it's tempting to think that getting a top range bike will solve any anxiety you have regarding reliability, but you can do that for much less, and have the feelgood factor of knowing you haven't bankrupted yourself into the process.

Thank you for the suggestion I think I may need to consider cheaper options but still feeling pretty anxious. I don't want anything that feels or looks cheap. And more importantly, I need the e-bike to be comfortable taking the journey and my health into consideration.

Which of the two Agattu bicycles would be better for me? Is it worth buying the £2100 one for its extra features?

 

[trex]

the Agattu i8 is perfectly good, the HS 8G has a more powerful motor, better at climbing steeper hills, for heavy riders. These are big bikes, you need to be 5ft10 and above to ride comfortably. The Santanas are for smaller riders (5ft3 and above).
Both Agattus are low maintenance with Nexus hub gears.
If you want a Kalkhoff, the i8 is much better value for money.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Remind me where you are based? The only option of not maintening a chain is to have a maintenance free carbon gates drive but these are expensive and tend to be on bikes that cost at least £3k. You could get a simple chain tool which tells you when you need to replace the chain and if you keep it well lubricated and clean regularly it will last a while but chains do not tend to last as long on crank drive bikes.

We have Bosch bikes from £1600 including one with hub gears.

If you do not buy locally ask what happens if there is a problem. We and a few others would collect your bike and return free of charge and fix if under warranty not all places do this. Best to ask these questions and if you are unlucky you know you will not have any extra costs.

 

[CorpusLuteum]

Remind me where you are based? The only option of not maintening a chain is to have a maintenance free carbon gates drive but these are expensive and tend to be on bikes that cost at least £3k. You could get a simple chain tool which tells you when you need to replace the chain and if you keep it well lubricated and clean regularly it will last a while but chains do not tend to last as long on crank drive bikes.

We have Bosch bikes from £1600 including one with hub gears.

If you do not buy locally ask what happens if there is a problem. We and a few others would collect your bike and return free of charge and fix if under warranty not all places do this. Best to ask these questions and if you are unlucky you know you will not have any extra costs.

I'm from Manchester. I don't really know the difference between impulse and Bosch. I simply assumed that Kalkhoff bikes were the most reliable e-bikes with the best quality. So which bicycle would you recommend from your selection? Thank you so much for taking the time to advise me

 

[CorpusLuteum]

the Agattu i8 is perfectly good, the HS 8G has a more powerful motor, better at climbing steeper hills, for heavy riders. These are big bikes, you need to be 5ft10 and above to ride comfortably. The Santanas are for smaller riders (5ft3 and above).
Both Agattus are low maintenance with Nexus hub gears.
If you want a Kalkhoff, the i8 is much better value for money.

Thank you trex I'm only 5'2 and it says the 26 inch should be suitable for me. I'm really not too sure anymore.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's not such an easy problem to solve. All bikes need a bit of maintenance, but you can minimise it a bit by getting a good quality bike with hydraulic brakes, 3 or 8 speed hub-gears and a hub motor. Your low weight means that any bike is powerful enough and will be able to complete the return journey. Waterproofness is probably the most important characteristic. When I was at South Yorkshire Electric bikes, they had an Ave something or other stepthrough that would do the job apart from the hydraulic brakes. The Guy there seemed very amenable,and they're only about 44 miles away,so he might be able to assemble and check it, and deliver it in his own van for maybe a bit extra. I think this was it. Look at the price: £500 reduction. It also has a fully enclosed chain for longer life and less adjustment.
http://www.syebc.co.uk/bikes/ave-ch-cite

They have other bikes too.

You need a good lock if you're going to park the bike in the same place every day, ut hospitals are big places, they often have bike racks/sheds,or you can sometimes find a discrete place to park your bike away from the public areas.

 

[trex]

you are too small to ride the Agattus.
Something small like this £895 Kudos Tempo is much better:
http://www.kudoscycles.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=336
Unlike the Agattus, these Chinese bikes do not need special tools, they are easily looked after by any mobile mechanic. However, this Tempo does not have suspension fork, so perhaps a bit harsher to ride than the Santanas.

 

[CorpusLuteum]

It's not such an easy problem to solve. All bikes need a bit of maintenance, but you can minimise it a bit by getting a good quality bike with hydraulic brakes, 3 or 8 speed hub-gears and a hub motor. Your low weight means that any bike is powerful enough and will be able to complete the return journey. Waterproofness is probably the most important characteristic. When I was at South Yorkshire Electric bikes, they had an Ave something or other stepthrough that would do the job apart from the hydraulic brakes. The Guy there seemed very amenable,and they're only about 44 miles away,so he might be able to assemble and check it, and deliver it in his own van for maybe a bit extra. I think this was it. Look at the price: £500 reduction. It also has a fully enclosed chain for longer life and less adjustment.
http://www.syebc.co.uk/bikes/ave-ch-cite

They have other bikes too.

You need a good lock if you're going to park the bike in the same place every day, ut hospitals are big places, they often have bike racks/sheds,or you can sometimes find a discrete place to park your bike away from the public areas.

Thank you I will take your suggestion into consideration. Also thank you for the information on parking.

you are too small to ride the Agattus.
Something small like this £895 Kudos Tempo is much better:
http://www.kudoscycles.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=336
Unlike the Agattus, these Chinese bikes do not need special tools, they are easily looked after by any mobile mechanic.

Thanks trex. What if I request a shorter seat post with the Agattu? Would it still be uncomfortable?

 

[trex]

yes. The Agattu frame (46cm equivalent) are meant for 5ft10-6ft2 - the arm reach, handlebars height are made for Dutch style posture are too long/high for you. The bikes are also heavy (around 26kgs) - not recommended for you. Denwyn bought a cheap bike last year, too big for him, forced to sell it a couple of weeks later and lost £150.

An alternative to the Tempo is to get a good foldable bike.

To get you started, this £559 Woosh Gale is a good example:
it's ready built, fits your size, light, do the trip easily in reasonable comfort.

 

[CorpusLuteum]

yes. The Agattu frame (46cm equivalent) are meant for 5ft10-6ft2 - the arm reach, handlebars height are made for Dutch style posture are too long/high for you. The bikes are also heavy (around 26kgs) - not recommended for you. Denwyn bought a cheap bike last year, too big for him, forced to sell it a couple of weeks later and lost £150.

An alternative to the Tempo is to get a good foldable bike.

To get you started, this £559 Woosh Gale is a good example:
it's ready built, fits your size, light, do the trip easily in reasonable comfort.

Thank you I'm not questioning your judgement but I just don't understand why the description says it's suitable for my height. Thank you for yet another recommendation.

Small - 45cm frame with 26-inch wheels

We recommend the 45cm frame size with 26-inch wheels for riders between 5'2" and 5'8". Riders below 5'2" should ask for a shorter seatpost when ordering. This reduce the minimum saddle height by about 2 inches.

 

[trex]

honest misprint?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I just noticed that the Ave bike above is 24v, which puts it right on the limit for range. I think this is the one I saw with 36v, but it looks a bit bigger:
http://www.ebco-ebikes.co.uk/products-page/ave/ave-ch-edition/