Where do I start?

[Cari]

Hi
It's just dawning on me that getting an ebike is the answer.
I've been riding bikes on and off for over 50yrs but not so much recently though I do have a hybrid I had been riding with my son using weeride seat.
He's now too big, 4 yrs but I still want to ride with him around town, on school runs and for holidays.
He has SN and may not ride his own bike for some time, if at all so I'm looking at getting a bike that will help me living in hilly South Wales and carrying an increasingly heavy child.
We use trails but don't plan to do any serious mountain biking.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what I might be needing and or what bike will take a bike seat easily.
I don't plan to spend more than I need to but having been a keen cyclist in the past would hope to get something that would inspire me to ride more.
Thanks
Cari

 

[LeighPing]

You'll get help with your answer soon enough. I'll just say welcome aboard.

 

[Nealh]

Are you looking for an mtb style bike or a step thru with fatter tyres and a price range. Have you thought about a small trailer or a tag along bike for him ? Would that work ?
For hilly locations like S/W's a bike with a BPM, CST or SWX02 hub motor are as powerful as they get or a crank drive bike. One thing you need to do though is to try and test ride some bikes first to get and idea of which motor drive suits you.

 

[Cari]

Thanks for your reply. I had thought about a trailer, too wide to fit through some local trails, tag along, not yet as my child has balance issues and would feel unsafe. A rear bike seat for the next few years will be necessary.
I need a step through as I kick him in the face tracing to get my leg over my current men's mountain bike! Also I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do that.
I will have to look up PBM CST etc, but these are things I need to know about before I start trailing bikes that won't be suitable.
Thanks again

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Woosh Big Bear LS if you want stepthrough, or the normal Big Bear if you don't. Both have loads of power and are very comfortable.

 

[Benjahmin]

I have heard BPM referred to as, 'Big Powerful Motor' Ezee hub motors are such, as in my avatar.
http://cyclezee.com/ezee-e-bikes--pedelecs.html
Another example are Bafang 8Fun motors as fitted to the Big Bear D8veh refers to.
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?bigbear-ls
This is the bike that carries my wife around hilly West Wales.
CST, as far as I know, is the rear wheel version of this type of motor.

There is a place near Aberearon that stocks electric bikes and has a few demo's, Though none mentioned here so far. Mostly Haibike, Kalkhoff and a few Volt. Knowledgable and helpful staff.
http://www.cyclemart.co.uk/

From what you say the Big Bear would seem a goodun to try. However they are in Southend and only deal over the internet. So if you would like to try ours, you'd be welcome, we are just north of Carmarthen. .P.M. me if you want to arrange.
Ben

 

[RobF]

A step-through will usually have the battery on the carrier which can complicate child seat mounting.

A seat which clamps to the seat tube may fit, although clearance above the battery could be tight.

The money no object answer is the Riese and Muller Nevo, a step-through with a down tube battery.

Riese and Muller are among the sturdiest and best made of bicycles, so it would last for the several years of which you speak.

As a keen cyclist, you will probably appreciate the quality bike bits.

https://www.r-m.de/en-gb/e-bike/nevo/

 

[E-Wheels]

Seems like the designers of the Nevo lost an opportunity to lower the centre of gravity on this bike
Why is the battery mounted so high
They could have put it on top of the motor on the down tube and still have enough room without loosing the benefit of a step through

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Seems like the designers of the Nevo lost an opportunity to lower the centre of gravity on this bike
Why is the battery mounted so high
They could have put it on top of the motor on the down tube and still have enough room without loosing the benefit of a step through

The Nevo is one of the strangest looking Ebikes out there. It was designed as a step through that can be comfortably ridden by everyone regardless of height and weight. The large frame version is perfect for 6' plus and 20 stones. The styling is aimed at both men and women. The designer H. Müller claims it's the first step through designed for men as well as women. The battery position slows the ride easy access when mounting.

When I first saw the bike I was convinced it would be dreadful to ride particularly considering the the battery position would raise the C of G to an unacceptable level. My comment to RM was that the bike would never sell.

How wrong I was. The bike is solid well balanced and the effect of the battery being do high on the frame actually makes the bike feel more stable. I have no idea why but it does. The Nevo is one of RMs biggest sellers.

Strange but true!

All the best, David

 

[Nealh]

Another example are Bafang 8Fun motors as fitted to the Big Bear D8veh refers to.
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?bigbear-ls
This is the bike that carries my wife around hilly West Wales.
CST, as far as I know, is the rear wheel version of this type of motor.
Ben

Bafang 8fun is a marketing name my BBS01 has 8fun written on the side . Bafang 8fun make many motors with different names BPM is their most powerful geared hub motor. The CST is a rear wheel cassette version, others hubs include SWX01/02 slightly less power and the original
lower powered SWK range.

 

[Gaz]

The Nevo is one of the strangest looking Ebikes out there.View attachment 17596

I really rather like the look of it. Got a bit of a Dutch look to it. No surprise that it's popular.
The mention of the click in system on the rack for child seats might well suit Cari's needs.

Gaz

 

[Nealh]

Cari,
You have not given us a price range for a bike you are looking for, so to start with the Woosh bikes are generally well regarded bikes in the slightly above budget bikes and middling range. As with quite a few retailers on here their reputation /CS is very good a lot of recommends for bike vendors can be found on here.The Big Bear Bpm hub motor is quite awesome and the power often means if you are lazy then there is often no need to change gear and just let the throttle then the pas drive move you easily along. The throttle uses max power all the time so battery range is shorter, the pedal/pas system relies on you turning the cranks/pedals to get the power for this it is beneficial to use a few more gears but to be honest 3 or 4 gears are the max you really need in going up hills.
Another bike that looks quite nice from the range is the Crusa using the 8fun SWX01 hub with 7SPD freewheel gears this motor is about 10% less powerful then the Bpm but is a bit lighter, the bike has balloon tyres so should give a good ride on light trails.
Both of these have rear rack battery options and it may still be possible to fit a rear child carrier above the battery. Speak to Woosh and they may be able to let you know if a rear seat will fit and work or whether they are able to mount a downtube HL battery on the BB ls models lightly swept down tube.

 

[Nealh]

I really rather like the look of it. Got a bit of a Dutch look to it. No surprise that it's popular.
The mention of the click in system on the rack for child seats might well suit Cari's needs.

Gaz

The bike might but the price may not.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

£4200 for that Nevo. I guess people buy them, but, personally, I find it very difficult to understand how anybody would want to spend that sort of money on an electric bicycle.
For only £1700, you can get one of these, where the child can sit on the seat behind the rider. No need for anything extra:
https://www.eskuta.com/products/eskuta-sr250-1?variant=23774143943

 

[Woosh]

The Nevo is one of the strangest looking Ebikes out there.
View attachment 17596

This one (Chinese) follows the same idea:

 

[Wisper Bikes]

This one (Chinese) follows the same idea:

This is very bike is very different. Completely different actually. There are so many differences it's tricky to know where to start. It's a generic Chinese frame built to a tight budget for a mass market. Nothing wrong with this kind of bike built to be rebadged and sold at a keen price, but a Nevo it isn't.

The Nevo is very expensive but absolutely superb for someone who wants to ride what, in my opinion, is the best step though in the world. It's solid and handles brilliantly.

 

[flecc]

The bike is solid well balanced and the effect of the battery being do high on the frame actually makes the bike feel more stable. I have no idea why but it does. The Nevo is one of RMs biggest sellers.

Weight higher up isn't a dynamic problem on two wheelers, modern motorcycles totally outclass the handling of those from long ago, despite their weight being carried much higher to allow greater banking angles.

I think the Nevo design is excellent, the higher battery a perfect solution for providing good foot space for step through.

That it looks good too is a bonus.
.

 

[Woosh]

David, I did not compare the two bikes, having seen neither in the flesh.
I said the Chinese bike follows the same idea, there is no need to go further.

 

[RobF]

Weight higher up isn't a dynamic problem on two wheelers, modern motorcycles totally outclass the handling of those from long ago, despite their weight being carried much higher to allow greater banking angles.

I think the Nevo design is excellent, the higher battery a perfect solution for providing good foot space for step through.

That it looks good too is a bonus.
.

I've never ridden a Nevo, but I doubt moving the battery a few inches - which is all it is - further up the down tube makes any difference to the centre of gravity.

I expect that girder frame will be rock solid, so the down tube probably weighs more than the battery anyway.

 

[Cari]

Thanks for all your replies, though I haven't had much time this evening to research them I willl do tomorrow.
I have found a local bike shop with a good reputation and had a brief chat with them, they showed me two bikes in store that after a chat they thought would suit.
I have found a child seat that though expensive clamps onto an existing rack and is a good size so should last my son about 3 yrs if necessary.
Discussing this seat it became apparent that it wouldn't go onto a rack with a battery mounted under so we looked at step through with tube mounted batteries. They showed me 2.
One was a bergamot and the other if I remember right was a scot. Both priced at about £2000.
I hadn't really considered a price as until i reaserched I really didn't know how much I would need to spend on a bike that would fully meet my needs.
I guess I was hoping that I could pay a little less, say 1500, but I could raise to 2000 if it was really necessary.
Can anyone comment on either makes, sorry I'm not sure the models as there seem to be many around that price range.
Thanks again.