tried halfords vulcan mtb and crossfire ebikes today

[footpump]

hi all after looking at Carrera mtb and crossfire ebikes and being told there is a special mode called climb which gives power at a lower speed to aid hill climbing .
the lcd is removable on 2017 models and slightly different software

both bikes have same electrics moter 50nm 11ah battery torque sensor ,tried a couple of short but steep hills had to put in quite a bit of effort (climb mode) to get to the top,
brakes good on both bikes.
on the road Vulcan mtb felt slightly slower 26" wheels nobly tyres but just a fraction more comtable over bumpy cycle track with suspention lock off. than the crossfire 700c wheels narrower tyres ,
but the cross fire was a bit faster for the same effort and setting than the mtb.
no throttle though/ replacement battery £350.
I have a Carrera subway one fitted with tdz mid drive with amp setting set to 12 which I normally leave it on this also stuggled a bit on same hills but upping amps to 16 (default) it was somewhat easier.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Did you try the special climb mode?

 

[footpump]

yes I did that was the main reason I wanted a demo, having the Carrera with cd ,kudos vita uno and a specialised sirrus with rear hub kit.
so using the Carrera went up the hill in turbo mode the highest setting but at 12amps.
trying the Vulcan/crossfire in (climb mode ) they felt just the same as the Carrera up the same 2 hills I tried.
the whole point for me was do I purchase /need a new bike or just keep Carrera as I am 68 retired and just pootle about.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

So climb mode is normal full-power, but. at only 12 amps, full power is a bit lame. if it were my bike, the first thing I'd do is turn it up to 18 amps. that's 50% more power! Those integrated controllers can be a bit tricky to adjust, but where there's a will there's a way. 12 amps just wouldn't do it for me.

 

[Woosh]

18A may be too much for their battery.

 

[footpump]

i think the climb mode is full power but kicks in at 4mph no idea what amps Vulcan/crossfire is set too.

on my Carrera fitted with tdz moter you can set the amps via the lcd default is 16 (I set mine to 12) as I was getting more range on mainly flat terrain)
I have set amps to 16, and just come back from trying the same 2 hills as yesterday.

the wind was stronger today but it was no easier? but the tdz can be a bit tempremental not sure it always gives the correct desired power.
I also tried 2 phones and a clinometer android app set to gps to try and get some idea what gradient the hills were, but the readings seemed to vary so much they were usless

 

[Rolling Sly Stone]

I was just about to pull the trigger on a Crossfire-e today and the sales assistant asked if I'd seen the Vulcan yet...

He wasn't very knowledgeable about either bike so couldn't advise me but I did hold off on the purchase to give me time to compare the two.

I will be using the bike mainly for commuting so the Crossfire-e is more suited to this in it's original configuration but I was wondering how the Vulcan would compare with a pair of hybrid tyres on it?

They both have the same motor and battery (I believe) yet the Vulcan only states 40mile range compared to the Crossfire-e's 60? Is this because they have different assistance modes or some other reason?

Why is it so difficult to get the information I need on e-bikes?

 

[footpump]

rss the moters /battery are both the same on both models,the 40/60 range might be a misprint.
plenty of Halfords in Hertfordshire would suggest you book a demo ,you only need to give couple of days notice passport or driving license and bank card.
you could for instance pick a sat/sunday and at a Halfords with similar terrain to your intended commute hills etc they give you about 40 minutes on each bike.
the crossfire is a bit heavier than the Vulcan but has kickstand.

the crossfire is now £1200 was £900 on offer easter.

not sure if hafords do the cycle to work scheme discount?

woosh now have the rio mtb choice of 13/15/17 ah battery also has throttle
and has a slightly more powerfull moter than the Vulcan

 

[egroover]

I have the crossfire-e, a great commuting/touring bike.
Lad at work just got the Vulcan-e, took it out for a spin, very impressive. Seems a bit lighter and are similar effort to maintain speed. Smaller wheels and knobbly tyres, wider bars, better gearing.
I suspect the range to be about the same (I can get 50-60 miles on mine on eco setting with a bit of effort)
Both bikes are great, either one a solid commuting bike. Although the crossfire-e can handle gravel paths etc the Vulcan can do much more off road. At a difference of £200 between the two, the Vulcan looks the slightly more tempting option right now. If you only ever likely to stick with tarmac/light paths then the crossfire-e is still the best choice of the two, but the Vulcan gives you the option of more off road, at the expense of a little speed perhaps on the tarmac commute. Don't forget the BC 10% discount on either bike

 

[Rolling Sly Stone]

Thanks footpump and egroover for your input. footpump - what cycle2work discount are you referring to?

I've tried all my local Halfords and none of them have a suitable sized Vulcan for me to try. They've offered the Crossfire for £990 (which was them effectively price matching their own price from April) so quite happy with that - meaning I'll pay around £660ish with cycle2work tax relief.

Just a shame no one has worked out a way to derestrict or get a few extra mph out of the Carrera's yet!

 

[Mr_Mark]

Hi Rolling Sly Stone,

I've literally just been into Halfords to ask them if they would sell me the Crossfire-E at the offer price I saw in April and they simply said no. I was wondering what tack you took in order to get that.

If you or anyone else has got any advice on how to go about this I would love to hear it!!

 

[DrMagical]

I'd be surprised if they discounted as they're selling like hot cakes.
p.s. NHS 7.5% discount for NHS staff registered on NHS discounts.

 

[flecc]

So climb mode is normal full-power, but. at only 12 amps, full power is a bit lame. if it were my bike, the first thing I'd do is turn it up to 18 amps. that's 50% more power! Those integrated controllers can be a bit tricky to adjust, but where there's a will there's a way. 12 amps just wouldn't do it for me.

This is what it says on Halfords web site:

SPORT
100% power assistance; the optimum setting for riding at speed

CLIMB
75% power assistance; maximises power & torque for hill climbing

TOUR
50% power assistance to 15 km/h, then reducing progressively to 30% assistance at 25km/h; ideal for normal riding and suited to riding in city stop-start traffic

ECO
25% power assistance to 15 km/h, then reducing progressively to zero at 25 km/h: ideal for leisurely rides & to maxmise range

NO
Zero power assistance; good if you fancy the exercise and want to burn some calories
.

 

[philliptjohnson]

You can get the crossfire e on the cycle2work scheme for 999. Got one last week for this price... They didn't know about it in store... I took a printed out screen shot that comes up on the cycle2work.info site (not in my phone only on laptop) in. Staff were a bit confused at first and hadn't heard of the deal but after a few questions up the ranks they did do it.

 

[Rolling Sly Stone]

Hi Rolling Sly Stone,

I've literally just been into Halfords to ask them if they would sell me the Crossfire-E at the offer price I saw in April and they simply said no. I was wondering what tack you took in order to get that.

If you or anyone else has got any advice on how to go about this I would love to hear it!!

In all honesty I simply mentioned that I saw it had been sold for less recently and they straight away said they would do it for £990 PLUS they had already agreed to give me a further 10% off the entire sale (inc. accessories). I may well be getting the female version for the missus in the coming week so I am going to see what deal I can get out of them on that!

PS. Mine was bought through the cycle2work scheme so I don't know if that played in any part in it. I presume it may well have?

 

[philliptjohnson]

I think the reason they do it on the cycle2work scheme at that price is that you can only go up to a thousand pounds and you can't add to that at all. Given that it's over a grand rrp they wouldn't get a sale if they didn't do a deal for less than a thousand on it. Good luck trying to get more of for the wife's version though, interested to hear how you get on.

To be honest between the crossfire e and the Vulcan at the rrps I would go for the Vulcan. Very similar specs (I think the electric motor and battery etc are the same along with the gears). Crossfire e has a better fork, better brakes and a slightly better guard on front cog. Other than that it's more a choice of best type of bike for your purpose (MTB or hybrid)

 

[Rolling Sly Stone]

Halfords have agreed to do the female version for my missus for £881 (£990 minus 10%). I sweet talked the female assistant manager originally when buying mine but she had to go the the manager and he ultimately agreed the price. I spoke to the manager directly yesterday and he agreed to do the same price as he done on my Crossfire-e on the one for my missus.

Again, he stated he could do this as the bikes were both recently reduced to £990 (I believe back in April?) and the 10% I guess is something they have discretion over in store.

My only advice to anyone looking to get a discount would be to mention that you saw that they were selling for less recently and hope they offer to do it at the discounted price. After showing interest and building a bit of rapport with staff first, of course