Unfit but willing to try!

[kevwright]

Hi all, hired an Electric Bike while at Rutland Water, and really enjoyed it, had not ridden a bike for about 15 years up to that point.

Am leaving in next few mins to go to Woosh Bikes in Cambridge and buying a The Sirocco CD | Chain Drive Electric Bikes from Woosh | electric bike sales & hire which we had a ride on yesterday on the way back from Rutland to Ipswich.

Although Ipswich is not that hilly, I want to see if I can ride this to work, its about 10 miles each way with only 1 real uphill on the way, but we want to take these for about a month a year to the Lake District, so thought CD made sense?

When I say "these", what we are doing is buying one bike and then seeing how we get on before deciding if we should get her indoors the same bike or a different one.

You have about 30 mins to put me off this bike (actually,make it 90 mins, I will check on iPhone before going into Woosh)

Hope Hatti is not reading )

Kev

 

[Blew it]

Welcome aboard Kev.

Well, as you can see, nobody tried to stop you from buying a Woosh Sirocco CD, and why would they?

Excellent value for money. Drive through the chain system that will make mincemeat of that hill, and the big battery will still complete your twenty mile round trip commute in three years time. What's not to like about that?

Have fun.

 

[flecc]

Ditto, a very sensible choice as it will suit the steeper Lake District hills well while still being a good bike for your home area.

 

[kevwright]

Thanks both, have to say the chap at Cambridge was excellent both yesterday and today.

The bike is in the back of the car at the moment but will give it a test run later today.

Will probably blog about this over on my own Tech site but will certainly link to any major posts on here if that is allowed.


Kev

 

[Mike63]

....nice one Kev ...I've had a liking for this bike for some time ...price has a lot to do with it
Reluctant to buy it unseen and faced with a 300 mile round trip, never got to see/ try one.

....out of the blue wife decided we wanted to visit Cambridge and there's a Bird of Prey centre on the way that I've never visited so 'gonna kill 2 or 3 birds with one stone and I've arranged to call at Woosh bikes and see / try the Sirocco CD.

....bit put off by the fact that where I live there are very few hills....few gentle slopes, but no hills.

Doubt I'll buy it on the day so appreciate knowing how you get on with it.

....best of luck....Mike

 

[Caztaylor]

Hi Kevin, Mine is being delivered on Tuesday/Wednesday. Great value and specs for the price. Look forward to your posts going forward..... Andrew

 

[kevwright]

I think you will be impressed Mike. I just did 2 miles on it, not much but I am very unfit and its over 26 degrees out there. Really pleased with it based on that first short ride. The front mudguard got a bit bent in the back of the car (its a really close fit anyway), so need to sort that out, and the seat has a bit of side to side swivel, which as its quick release, not sure how to tighten that? Maybe have to replace with a bolt through system?

You do need to cut the motor out by hitting the brake each time you change gear, otherwise its clunky and does not sound like it would be good long term.

What is surprising to a newbie, is those 2 miles I did, well, I would swear blind they are pretty much flat....nope, they are in a car, but not on a bike!

Lot to learn. Gonna go out tomorrow when cooler and see how far towards work I can get.....

Kev

 

[timidtom]

Hi - just a little concerned by your intention to 'kill two birds with one stone' - does this refer to the Bird of Prey centre?????

;-)
Tom

 

[Mike63]

....just an expression Tom....but you knew that

.....incidentally...is it safe to bike between Chester and Delamere ?...preferably a cycle path.

 

[Oldie]

The gear change becomes intuitive after a short while - almost simultaneous touch of the brake and then the change. The Sirocco is great by the way. As with all bikes though, just nip up the various nuts and bolts every so often to keep it in good nick.

I'm using mine more often now that the weather has improved. For example, I wanted to buy a couple of beers today but instead of driving the 3 miles to the nearest supermarket, I cycled to one further away just for the fun of it. Returning home was 8 miles and 430ft of ascent and took about half an hour

 

[timidtom]

....just an expression Tom....but you knew that

.....incidentally...is it safe to bike between Chester and Delamere ?...preferably a cycle path.

Chester-Delamere-Chester Loop

Delamere forest is a well known cycling venue across the North West, and is well worth a visit as it can accommodate all levels of ability, with a dedicated area for “bike skills†if you love extreme riding. This 35 mile route is more for the off road biker, but will take you through the historic city of Chester using quiet paths and B roads to ensure you are not hit with heavy traffic on your way. Once you get to Delamere you can practically make your own route and enjoy the countryside as there are many different paths that take you through the heart of the forest.

 

[Mike63]

Thanks Tom...but I'm not looking for extreme biking.

I simply wish to cycle from Delamere, where my 'van would be sited, to Chester by the most direct route
...avoiding of course, killer roads........If this is more than 10/12 miles I won't be going.

....cheers....Mike

 

[kevwright]

So I took the bike out for a decent 10 mile run this morning, and am still very impressed indeed. It was too hot to ride for too long, but I feel this could get addictive quite quickly

I do intend to review the Sirocco CD in depth, but not for a few weeks.

Intending to try my 9 mile cross town commute for first time tomorrow, not for real as am still on holiday until Tuesday, so this will be test run with no pressure!

Bought a couple of locks today, actually I got 3 of them, as Halfords are doing 3 for 2 on accs ATM.

Typically I bet for a newbie, I should have checked better as the 2 U Locks I got are impossible to fit in the frame of the Sirocco due to the frame shape and limited space available. Ah well, live and learn, and I will leave one at work and just carry other in panniers (when I get some) or rucksack if taking it to work becomes a regular thing.

One last thing, I am a smartphone / gadget fiend, so have been playing around with the little LCD controller thing tonight. Ran through setup, and at the screen that says 25 kmh I kept pressing it until it hit 40 kmh, and when I pressed enter, I heard a little click.

Surely that is not all you do to over ride the 15mph limit is it?????

Kev

 

[kevwright]

I have asked the last question (about top speed) in the above post in a new thread over at http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/15064-woosh-sirocco-cd-speed-question.html#post185531 so if you see it here can you answer on that thread please.