Thanks!! I really appreciate for bringing up the fact here. I guess It's better to stick to the original bike which i am quite happy with so far....
Volt metro or A2B kuo+ ?
- Thread starter tapash
- Start date
Im still looking for mine too but having the same old problem of the bikes i like are to expensive and I can't justify spending that amount of money or the bikes I can afford look very old fashioned and TOTALY uninspire me. The only ones at the moment I can fined are the kudos mountain bike range and the vita uno. Both look better than the average e bike to me they do anyway. Some of the woosh do what I want but the paint colour looks so boring and drab. A new brighter paint scheme would make them far more attractive but they are what they are so i will just keep searching. Looks like I will have to up the price to get anything near to what I like.
Yes if your an urban rider and need something compact most 20 inches are uninspiring. The problem is retailers have not cottoned on to the fact there is a younger market and were not all OAP's.
I love to see a genuine hybrid between a bike and a moped something that allows you to pedal it but has a footrest for when you want to use the throttle and has indicators. The 20inch Storm which sells on eBay (not to be confused with the U.S. storm fat bike) is a interesting design but would have been better if battery was in the frame. I like the A2B octave, obree and their SPed Shima range but far to much overpriced.
I guess my next bike will be a e-moped for general use and buy a cheap mountain bike and put a kit build on it for off road use.
I love to see a genuine hybrid between a bike and a moped something that allows you to pedal it but has a footrest for when you want to use the throttle and has indicators. The 20inch Storm which sells on eBay (not to be confused with the U.S. storm fat bike) is a interesting design but would have been better if battery was in the frame. I like the A2B octave, obree and their SPed Shima range but far to much overpriced.
I guess my next bike will be a e-moped for general use and buy a cheap mountain bike and put a kit build on it for off road use.
Twangman.....the trouble with e-bikes that are a cross between a moped and a bicycle is it isn't what most people want in the UK,so these bikes tend to be niche and produced in low volume,so expensive.
Many have tried to make something a little different but without commercial success.
Personally I like my e-bikes to still look like bicycles but respect that others have their own ideals.
KudosDave
Many have tried to make something a little different but without commercial success.
Personally I like my e-bikes to still look like bicycles but respect that others have their own ideals.
KudosDave
No I disagree the Trade are still clinging on to the idea that e bikes are for the OAP,s and those with a disability that prevents them from riding a normal bike
Yes their a large part of the market but not the only market.
As the old sketch goes Customer goes into the shop to shopkeeper can you sell me Blah Blah sorry sir your the 10th one today but as I told them there's no demand for it....
Tell me how much would it cost to add indicators at the production stage and design a a way of having a pedal size footrest fold out from a frame when you want it. To me these are a little addons that with some though could be designed into a regular e folder. Or my favourite gripe given the weight of e bikes why does a double stand not come as standard!
Yes their a large part of the market but not the only market.
As the old sketch goes Customer goes into the shop to shopkeeper can you sell me Blah Blah sorry sir your the 10th one today but as I told them there's no demand for it....
Tell me how much would it cost to add indicators at the production stage and design a a way of having a pedal size footrest fold out from a frame when you want it. To me these are a little addons that with some though could be designed into a regular e folder. Or my favourite gripe given the weight of e bikes why does a double stand not come as standard!
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Twangman,that's just not true....if you look at the Kudos product range we are using some exciting frame shapes as a basis. These frame shapes are the same as used by young people for lightweight sports bikes,I personally picked the frame shape for our Kudos Rapide bike,it was intentionally selected as close to the sports bikes used by fit people riding to work in London.
What is certainly true is that most UK cyclists still have the notion that you buy an e-bike when you are not fit enough to ride a normal bike. Compare this to e-bike usage in Germany and Holland....sit in a cafe in those countries and you will see e-bikes ridden by teenagers to grandparents and also by young people out to the pub,Mum picking up the kids and Dad going fishing. None of these people are unfit or disabled,they make a choice that an e-bike is just another form of transport,but all their bikes look like normal bikes.
In China exists a type of e-bike which is really a moped or scooter,these are rarely pedalled,often have indicators,have footrests a la moped,usually 800 watt motors and 20 Ah batteries.....is this the type of bike you have in mind?
I was thinking bringing some over,the one I had in mind sells well in Germany but it is registered as a moped,not a bicycle. I thought it a smart looking machine,I think they sell for about 1500 euros,they are popular with young people,especially girls in German cities.
KudosDave
Not sure they would be so popular here. That's about £1100 for a moped you can buy a 50cc with five years warranty for £695 and a 125cc with five years warranty for £800 ish. Electric mopeds are all over ebay and not half as popular as E-bikes.
Scott....you are absolutely right,which is why I didn't bring any over...also the hassle of registering,tax,insurance would put most people off....that's the advantage of e-bikes....you buy one and ride it directly just like a normal bike.
KudosDave
KudosDave
For me the idea of a e-bike appeals because once the initial outlay is paid it's cheap efficient transport. I don't need to tax it or insure it or mot it or take it to a garage for servicing I don't need special equipment like crash helmets or leathers and I can ride my e-bike anywhere ( within reason) if my battery or motor packs up I can still ride it home and with a little help from you guys get it fixed and back out again. Not so easy on a electric scooter or a moped. e-bikes are getting more and more popular with each passing week for all age groups and all ability yes I agree once upon a time it was seen as old peoples transport or for people not as physically fit as they once was but those days are long gone. I to have spent time abroad italy was my last port of call and just as I expected many E-bikes are being used by all age groups and are getting increasingly popular and mopeds are slowly fading into the back ground.
No I'm not proposing a EAPC moped though they have their place. just something like a 20 or 24 inch bike could be a step through with say wide enough rims to take a 3"tyre aka a A2B metro.
It's not uncommon to see cheap Chinese e bikes with indicators offered on eBay. Fiting a little pop out footrest should not be beyond the remit of a manufacturer Think along the idea of a upgraded Ansmann FC-5 compact as an example.
Or even the stigobike which is a 25kph folding emoped but does not have pedals. Where there's a will there's a way!
It's not uncommon to see cheap Chinese e bikes with indicators offered on eBay. Fiting a little pop out footrest should not be beyond the remit of a manufacturer Think along the idea of a upgraded Ansmann FC-5 compact as an example.
Or even the stigobike which is a 25kph folding emoped but does not have pedals. Where there's a will there's a way!
Just unbolt the rear foot pegs from a moped drill and tap the frame where you want them use thread locker to bolt them in and job done. I say rear because they are thinner and foldable
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The Stigobike has some interesting features but still doesn't answer all the requirements for most customers.....
Weight....one article says 13kgs,another 17.5kgs,the latter is too heavy for a city commuter bike.
Battery....I cannot find a capacity,it is LifePo4,which is a strange choice because it has low energy density(heavy),it says up to 25 miles,you would need minimum 8 Ah to achieve that.
Terrain....I have never seem any video of the bike going up hills.
Pedals.....it doesn't have any so it's not an e-bike,it's a moped,it needs registering as a light moped and tax,insurance,helmet etc. no cycle track usage. It is the addition of working pedals to these bikes that make the design difficult,a throttle connected by wire to a hub motor is relatively easy to achieve,but pedals are needed to make it an e-bike and a commercial success.
Wheel size....12",our roads are so potholed these days that 12" wheels are,in my opinion,dangerous.
Rider size.....notice how all the videos show a small guy,that bike would look like a toy under my 6ft plus frame.
Price....when it came out it cost 3000 euros,it has now been reduced to 2000 euros,that is too expensive for a mass usage commuter bike,it needs to sell below 1000 euros.
Shame,because it has a good fold and some good ideas.
All my own opinions.
KudosDave
Weight....one article says 13kgs,another 17.5kgs,the latter is too heavy for a city commuter bike.
Battery....I cannot find a capacity,it is LifePo4,which is a strange choice because it has low energy density(heavy),it says up to 25 miles,you would need minimum 8 Ah to achieve that.
Terrain....I have never seem any video of the bike going up hills.
Pedals.....it doesn't have any so it's not an e-bike,it's a moped,it needs registering as a light moped and tax,insurance,helmet etc. no cycle track usage. It is the addition of working pedals to these bikes that make the design difficult,a throttle connected by wire to a hub motor is relatively easy to achieve,but pedals are needed to make it an e-bike and a commercial success.
Wheel size....12",our roads are so potholed these days that 12" wheels are,in my opinion,dangerous.
Rider size.....notice how all the videos show a small guy,that bike would look like a toy under my 6ft plus frame.
Price....when it came out it cost 3000 euros,it has now been reduced to 2000 euros,that is too expensive for a mass usage commuter bike,it needs to sell below 1000 euros.
Shame,because it has a good fold and some good ideas.
All my own opinions.
KudosDave
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