Which bike for off-road?

[Gepida uk]

Hi eTim,
We offer a full comprehensive warranty throughout on our Gepida bikes for 2 years.

The RRP of the bike is £1599.00, due to the unprecedented demand we have most of the first shipment of the Gepida Sirmium MTB bike have already been sold. All of our dealers have already started to order these bikes for their shop display and for demonstrations.
However we will also be attending Tour De Presteigne this year to also show case our new bikes,

If you would like any further information then please feel free to contact me on 01580 830959 or info@gepidaelectricbikes.co.uk

Please see specs below for the Sirmium:

SPECIFICATIONS
Name: Sirmium Pedelec
Code: 30100820
Frame: 6061 Alloy
Fork: RST GILA PRO
Headset: Gepida integrated A-Head
Crankset: Prowheel A002/170mm
BB parts: Yamaha
Rim: Rodi Vision Double Wall Alloy, 36L
Spoke: Steel Black
Front hub: Gepida Alloy QR 36l
Rear hub: Shimano Nexus Inter 8 freewheel
Front brake: Gepida Alloy LB-927
Rear brake: Gepida Alloy LB-927
Brake lever: Gepida Alloy LM-48
Front light: -
Rear light: -
Handlebar: Gepida MTB Alloy 600 mm
Handlebar stem: Gepida, LA-4, 90mm
Saddle: SELLE ROYAL ARIEL 5158
Seat tube: Gepida Alloy, 31, 6x300 mm
Shifting lever: Shimano Revoshift Inter 8
Rear derailleur: Shimano Inter 8
Front derailleur: -
Outer tyre: Schwalbe Black Jack 26X2,1
Rear derailleur: Shimano Inter 8
Rear derailleur: Shimano Inter 8
Frame size: 19", 21"

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Wisper off road

Hi Guys

The Wisper 905se Sport has been used off road for years now, with its high end magnesium suspension and super tough frame it has proved very reliable.

The most important thing to consider when taking a bike off road is that the battery power is high enough to cope with the extra demand, our 36V 14Ah tried and tested battery is ideal, I would seriously consider whether bike with a small battery is up to it!

All the best

David

 

[Gepida uk]

Hi David,

Thats fighting talk

The frames we use on the Gepida bikes are European and are renowned for their quality, and are far superior of those frames made in China! So are excellent for off road use.

I may be wrong but having a Yamaha crank drive kit means the power and performance on the Gepida can be used more effectively off road. As it use a toque sensor that will deliver the power on demand and more efficiently then the Wisper would.

We should meet up and put it to the test David – Knowle Parks near you isn’t it?

Saying all that the wisper is one of the best ebikes on the market. For a rear hub driven bike this is what we recommend to all our customers in our sister company E-bikes Direct.

Regards
Aidan

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I know!!

Hi Aid

Yes I love a fight, as you do I think!!!!

Did you know most of the bearings for BMW are made in China as is the Mac Book Pro I am working on now and the Olympus E 500 sitting next to my computer, what is it that makes you think only cheap stuff comes out of Asia? It soooo depends on what you pay, as you know we have an amazing record for producing very strong frames, I for one would rather trust China than Hungary!

Unfortunately, Knowle Park does not allow bikes but I would be delighted to meet up for a challenge!

All the best

David

 

[Lloyd]

AstonHill, Buckinghamshire. Home to the infamous 'Blackrun Downhill mountain bike course! Plenty of roots and mud, any ebike that can make it down that in one piece is truly off-road capable.

I know the guys that run it, I am sure I could persuade them to host an 'e-bike offroad shootout', we could maybe run a demo day and then each bike completes a run down a selected course, just for fun of course

Astonhill is located just off the A41 near Tring/Aston Clinton/Aylesbury.

The gauntlet has now been officially thrown well and truly down guys.

 

[eTim]

Well I've got my bag of popcorn and I'm enjoying the banter, keep it coming

 

[Gepida uk]

Bring it on

 

[matt-derby]

KTM MTB BionX

This one looks nice!

KTM Bikes // Bikes vom Besten!

 

[eddieo]

This one looks nice!

KTM Bikes // Bikes vom Besten!

Very nice.......with BionX kit. Unfortunately the 250 watt not the 350 watt. approx £1700

although I prefer the black bike it looks stunning IMO and what an E bike should look like (£1500)

KTM Bikes // Bikes vom Besten!

 

[Tim]

This fits the bill

It's a variation on the frame our Sahel range is based on. The Focus bike is likely to be around £2500+.

Sahel Pro Disc Alfine

 

[eTim]

This one looks nice!

KTM Bikes // Bikes vom Besten!

Nice looking, if I was going to go down the Bionx route I could spend less, get the 350w motor and fit it to my Marin with a higher spec (it's still an option)!

 

[eTim]

This fits the bill

It's a variation on the frame our Sahel range is based on. The Focus bike is likely to be around £2500+.

A nice looker

 

[brucehawsker]

Could I join in the fight. I fancy Astonhill but never done it on an electric bike.

This one is our tourer at £1499. 37V 17.4Ah. Loads of current when you need it. Nice forks too......

PS how do I put the picture in the body of the post?????

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Why not put it to the test?

OK I am seriously up for this, I think it will sort the men out from the boys!

Why not find a suitable bit of "off road" and run the bikes up and down the same course say a 40 or 50 mile stint, half up hill and half down, that should be achievable for the bikes with the small batteries, let's do this in the Brecon Beacons or similar. All off road using a rider of our choice all riders should be weight handicapped to say 12 stones by adding weight to the bikes.

Would any one like to make the arrangements? I am extremely busy with orders, production and development. We are in the process of taking on 18 new dealers in the UK and now have 15 exclusive nation wide distributors either set up or in the final stages of set up with Canada, Greece, Israel and Holland coming on board in the last few months. We have trebled our turnover for the second year running and are in the process of building 2 completely new bikes and of course the kit, as you can appreciate this really doesn't leave me much spare time Happy days

If you would like me to do the honours I would be happy to do so, but it may well be in the late summer before I can get it arranged.

All the best

David

 

[Lloyd]

I can look into it if there is enough interest. Brecon wouldn't be a great choice, Ideally this needs to be in a controlled environment I think, imagine the implications if someone hits a walker/rambler/sheep on an e-bike. Insurance-wise most of the suitable areas are either national trust (hell would freeze over before we were allowed to run an event there!) or Forestry Commision. FC are generally more friendly towards cycling but would have to be in a specific cycling area for risk assesments and insurance etc. Booooooooooooring. Even with it just being a modest turnout of a few bikes it would be classed as an organized event so needs to be run accordingly.

That leaves us with Forestry Commision cycling areas.

AstonHill, to be fair the Black Run is going to be a hard choice, and would probably kill a novice rider. BUT Aston Does host 4 specific tracks and a cross country loop. I could speak to Rich (runs the park) and get a specific course marked up. The bonus of this is that we would be insured and there would be no risk of haring round a corner to come across Ethel and Cedric wandering up the path we are coming down!

UK Bikepark, Bladford Forum. Another good choice, pre-designed tracks of varying levels of ability, cycling only (no walkers), fully insured, This is near south coast so access may be an issue for some.

South Wales (Gethin, Cwmcarn etc.) There are several FC tracks here, same advantages as above but a pain to get to for most and they are VERY unforgiving. Littered with big rocks, these courses have destroyed many a MTB of mine in the past and I think this will be too much for most riders.

Forest of Dean. Has cycling specific tracks, but its no fun in the wet!

Afan Forest. This would be ideal, as it has several loops designed to cater for all abilities. BUT it is miles away. Nearest town is Port Talbot. It is also permanently busy so I doubt we could get a specific track for us, so probably a no.

So what does everyone think? Who wants to come, when should we do it and where? Also rules wise, lets get some drawn up.

I would suggest out-of-the box specs on bikes, no modifications apart from maybe tyres in the name of safety? Most come with slicks

I like the weight idea David (as I am 16 stone ), how do you suggest doing it though as adding weight to a bike(as opposed to the person) will affect its handling? Rucksack maybe?

Other big one is to make sure the bike conforms to EN15194.

So who's in and who's out? (or shaking it all about)

 

[Straylight]

although I prefer the black bike it looks stunning IMO and what an E bike should look like (£1500)

KTM Bikes // Bikes vom Besten!

Now that's what I call bike porn - sex on wheels

 

[eTim]

I don't mind being a test rider, however I already weigh 14.5 Stone

I think that the terms of the competition need to be set also, as this is not necessarily a speed event, maybe a series of events:

Speed course
Endurance
Technical

And a set of rules - i.e. Bike out of the box with a set of allowed mods (typical mods that an off-road rider would make) such as changing the pedals, mudguards, tyres, stopping battery rattles etc

There are a few of off-road (private) areas around the country that could be hired for use, they are usually owned by private off-roading, 4x4 schools and provide a mixture of terrain from gentle tracks to steep inclines to mud pools etc, this is likely to cost.

There is also Salisbury Plain, if anyone knows how to run an event there? Or has military connections?

 

[Stumpi]

OK I am seriously up for this, I think it will sort the men out from the boys!

Why not find a suitable bit of "off road" and run the bikes up and down the same course say a 40 or 50 mile stint, half up hill and half down, that should be achievable for the bikes with the small batteries, let's do this in the Brecon Beacons or similar. All off road using a rider of our choice all riders should be weight handicapped to say 12 stones by adding weight to the bikes.

Would any one like to make the arrangements? I am extremely busy with orders, production and development. We are in the process of taking on 18 new dealers in the UK and now have 15 exclusive nation wide distributors either set up or in the final stages of set up with Canada, Greece, Israel and Holland coming on board in the last few months. We have trebled our turnover for the second year running and are in the process of building 2 completely new bikes and of course the kit, as you can appreciate this really doesn't leave me much spare time Happy days

If you would like me to do the honours I would be happy to do so, but it may well be in the late summer before I can get it arranged.

All the best

David

It’s a nice idea but as a consumer test I'm more interested in

How the bikes handle off roads and how they cope with the more technical sections rather than just how quick they complete a course.

How well the bikes and particularly the "electric" parts stand up to the abuse of general off road riding

 

[Stumpi]

I already have a full susser MTB in the form of a Marin Attack Trail, I wonder if the Bionx kit would fit that, I'm not sure there is room on the frame as it's a wierd shape, do they do a kit for disc brakes ? As for keeping it legal

Picture of Marin below:

Tim I have this tucked away in the garage and would be very interested in fitting a kit to it. So if you move ahead with a Marin project I'm with you

 

[Gepida uk]

Let’s keep it simple, I think most of us will be attending this year’s Tour De Presteigne, I am sure we can find somewhere to go, and not cause any trouble? We can test out the bikes capabilities for off road use. Any suggestions?
I agree some rules need to be put in place. Let’s keep is a safe event. Let’s get it sorted

Gepida