What is the maximum price you would spend on an electric bike?

[Deleted member 4366]

How anyone who can remember the great British racing and touring bikes of the mid 20th century can ride some of these ugly budget bikes without feeling embarrassed astonishes me. There's also the weight issue and most cheap bikes, (though not all) are heavy at 25-40 Kgs whereas at the upper end of the price range, quite a few ebikes tip the scales at around 20Kgs, some even lighter. The Cytronex/Cannondale combos are remarkably lightweight and look like real bargains compared to some. Their component list isn't too shabby either!

I sincerely hope we get to read more postings about the more expensive ebikes out there although I do appreciate that the number of owners among members here is far outweighed by those who cannot or will not pay good money for a good ebike.

Indalo

Yes, I feel totally embarrassed as I ride past some of these expensive bikes at nearly twice their speed on my £359 Cyclamatic while they try and explain to me the quality of their handlebars, or, as they're trying to convince me of the benefits of their super light weight, when they come to a steep hill, they're puffing like billio while I don't have to pedal at all. My Cyclamatic only weighs 21kg BTW.
I also agree with you on the point about more postings about the more expensive bikes. I like to read about them and marvel at the technology in some of them even though I wouldn't buy one at those prices. I don't understand why you don't get excited about some of the kit conversions here. My Giant BPM has the same cycle parts as the Hai Bike (gears, forks, suspension, wheels, brakes, etc) but has a far superior motor and it's less than 1//3 the price. You should try it. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed.

 

[NRG]

Nice bike d8veh.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Nice bike d8veh.

Thanks. And it only cost me £750 for everything. I've built 3 such bikes now, and all were about the same cost. Spare 10.4aH batteries are £120. You dont have to spend thousands to get a decent bike. Anybody could get a similar bike by buying such a donor off Ebay or local ads and handing it over to Cyclezee to convert. I reckon the total price would be no more than £1500. For everyday riding, you can't beat the comfort of full air suspension. all other bikes seem agricultural by comparison.

 

[RegularGuy]

I think there are three distinct types of buyers.

1. Want it as cheap as possible, will pay as little as possible.
2. Mid range, up to £1k. £1k is a natural ceiling in this market because many like me will use cycle2work scheme. £1,001 makes the bike something like 40% more expensive if you are on higher rate tax and no longer able to use the cycle2work scheme because it doesn't fit in the £1k bracket.

There are ways to get around it, like selling the battery separately which also allows you to offer a choice of battery to meet different requirements. Part of what puts me off the Kudos King is the 10mah battery, but I won't pay more than £1k because of the cycle2work scheme.

My solution is going to be to buy a decent bike that's right for me on Cycle2Work then get a conversion kit. That way I can use the benefits of the scheme but still get a decent battery.

There is a massive gap in the market for a company to come in and sell matched bike and conversion kit packages, or even conversions. I.e here is our range of bikes up to £1k suitable for conversion with our motor system, here is our motor systems and here is our conversion service and/or kits matched to your bike. Sell the bikes up to £1k on cycle2work, sell the conversion kit and/or conversion kit separately.

3. Prestige. These guys are willing to pay 'what it takes' it get the bike that's right for them. Price isn't really an issue here, but they are looking for something special.

 

[mike killay]

How anyone who can remember the great British racing and touring bikes of the mid 20th century can ride some of these ugly budget bikes without feeling embarrassed astonishes me. There's also the weight issue and most cheap bikes, (though not all) are heavy at 25-40 Kgs whereas at the upper end of the price range, quite a few ebikes tip the scales at around 20Kgs, some even lighter. The Cytronex/Cannondale combos are remarkably lightweight and look like real bargains compared to some. Their component list isn't too shabby either!

Indalo

I take your point, but weight is not an issue if the bike is electric. My Tonaro will go up hills that I could barely pedal up on my 1956 tourer. As to fittings, the old centre pull brakes were not a patch on modern disc brakes. Derailleurs change just the same as they always did, perhaps a bit smoother.
As for looks, I quite like the modern look of not only my bike, but my car, my campervan etc.

 

[smudger1956]

After reading d8veh posts,made me have an upgrade rethink, I was a custodian of a 'high end' full suspension MTB for a work colleague who was on holiday for 2 weeks, as I recall, this bike was extremely comfortable and 'silky' to ride, actually, it was and still is the best bike I have ever rode.

 

[Hugh]

I wonder if full sus works better on ebikes than ordinary ones. My experience of anything full sus and unpowered is that you waste an inordinate amount of energy in bouncing the suspension when working hard, and really, full sus belongs where it began, on specialist D/H bikes, where it's obviously helpful.

I include non-MTBs in this view - I've had a couple of Moultons (the later spaceframe type), and whilst beautiful to look at and good for a leisurely progress when touring or commuting, they were too bouncy under pressure.

I've ended up sticking to front air suspension (good, because it's weight-adjustable and you can lock it out if need be), together with a suspension seatpost. I've got a Thudbuster on my Kalkhoff, and a USE post on my Cannondale, and I can give them both a bit of stick without bouncing madly, but also without hammering the family jewels too hard

However (as he finally gets to the point), I suspect full sus on an ebike would be good because the bouncy aspect would be reduced by the easier ride provided by the electric motor. I'd certainly fancy doing a Cytronex on my Cannondale - I continue to 'invest' in premium bonds in hopes of boosting the exchequer ......

 

[flecc]

I largely agree with you Hugh, and I have an article on suspension in the technical section which expresses the suitability for various applications including various e-bike types. Link here

Some of the best pedal force counteracting cantilever rear suspension designs are much better now though.

 

[avronb]

Dave from Kudos said you should never buy a ebike without trying it out first,but in my case i have a long way to travel to be able to try a Kudos bike out.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Dave from Kudos said you should never buy a ebike without trying it out first,but in my case i have a long way to travel to be able to try a Kudos bike out.

Even trying a bike out doesn't give you all the answers. I work in Shrewsbury at Belvidere school and three of my colleagues have bought Schwinn Tailwinds from a local bike shop. They're fantastic bikes as long as you don't want to go more than 5 miles.

 

[eddieo]

better a trip on a train then to buy in haste and repent at leisure And I am talking from experience

 

[avronb]

After reading your post i looked up the Schwinn bike and it does look pretty good to me,where is the dealer ??,there is only Halfords to my knowledge,it must do more than 5 miles surely or they would never sell them.

 

[kitchenman]

Even trying a bike out doesn't give you all the answers. I work in Shrewsbury at Belvidere school and three of my colleagues have bought Schwinn Tailwinds from a local bike shop. They're fantastic bikes as long as you don't want to go more than 5 miles.

Thats a bit harsh. Fatboytrig has one and does at least 7 miles a day. He loves his Tailwind. I would say he has ridden it almost everyday. The battery is a quick charge (30 -40 mins) He did have one problem with the charger which he had to return and received a replacement under warranty. (He noted that if he has a problem out of warranty the charger is VERY EXPENSIVE at £200!)
Winklebury Cycles in Basingstoke had 12 in stock at £1000 a pop.

Had a quick chat to fatboytrig and he has done 15 miles on a single charge. Of course it all depends on route and weather conditions ...

 

[eddieo]

not in the slightest bit harsh......these bikes have previously been slated on here?

 

[NRG]

agreed, what are they? 5ah 24v and 180w?

 

[flecc]

agreed, what are they? 5ah 24v and 180w?

Yes, they are a deliberately low powered setup to get enough from the 120 Ah.

It's discontinued now, the new Tailwind uses a 29.4 volt 10 Ah li-polymer battery. Charging slower now of course, a little under 3 hours for a full charge.
.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

After reading your post i looked up the Schwinn bike and it does look pretty good to me,where is the dealer ??,there is only Halfords to my knowledge,it must do more than 5 miles surely or they would never sell them.

I'll find out where they got them from tomorrow hopefully. It's half term now, but I'm going in tomorrow to help some lazy pupils catch up with their course-work. The guys with the Schwinns are all admin staff, so maybe one of them will be in as well.

I believe that they all paid £800. I know two of them bought them when you could get them online for £600. The third guy got his recently, but I don't know what he paid.

We had a report here from a guy who started from his home up a hill on one and his battery conked at five miles. You should be OK up to that distance. After that it'll depend on the wind, your hills and how hard you pedal.

The bike itself looks real quality. If I had one, I'd chuck the standard battery and maybe the controller, and mount new ones on the rack, so I'd get power and range - cost about £250 more.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Avronb...Kudos is selective about it's dealers....they must have prior knowledge about electric bikes not just non assisted bikes,they must be enthusiastic about the product and they must have sample bikes in stock. In return we don't try to find a dealer on every street,that dilutes the sales to each dealer to such an extent that they individually don't enjoy enough business, the nearest Kudos dealer is at Leek,near Stoke on Trent,about 50 miles away...I agree that is a bit of a trek so I have today contacted an existing e-bike dealer in Shrewsbury to see if he would be interested in becoming a Kudos dealer.
Dave
KudosCycles

 

[jasono]

Hi all,
I've come to this thread late, but my ceiling would be around the 1,500 pound mark.
However I am sure for a lot of people, particularly those new to e-biking and wanting to dip into the market, their threshold may well be lower. Possibly between 500-1000 pounds.

 

[avronb]

Keep me posted on the outcome Dave