Which bike under £1,000?

I've been considering an ebike for a while but still unsure. The ones I like (in my price-range) are:

 

Cyclotricity Sahara

RooDog Chic

Wisper 705se

GreenEdge stepthrough

Ebco UCL10

 

I tried an Ebco last week and it was quite nice (and have tried Smarta in the past), but the price of a new battery puts me off the Ebco. The GreenEdge looks good; however reading about battery problems on the site here also makes me think that maybe one of the first three would be better.

 

The commuting distance isn't too far - just over 5 miles each way and it's Cambridgeshire so not hilly (can get windy as it's so flat) - so I think I just need a bike with a bit of extra power to make my journey easier.

 

Woosh bikes sound great - but sadly I can only afford to buy using work's cycle scheme and Woosh don't use the one we have.

 

I prefer the bikes which hold the battery in the pannier rack rather than behind the seat (I think they just look nicer) and some people have said that disc brakes are better, but because it's not hilly, I've never had a problem with v-brakes around here.

 

Any thoughts welcomed - thanks

Any bike will do your 5 mile commute.

But v bakes do suffer from reduced efficiency in the wet. Long term they wear out the rims, and bikes do do big milages.

Disk are much better in the wet and don't need as much maintenance.

Improved feel is something for better riders than me ;-)

When I returned to cycling after 45 year absence I thought disc brakes on a bike rather silly. The rim is a big disc, much bigger than these silly little shiny things they have.

 

Then I started riding through the wet and muddy paths and found the dirt & grit affected the braking performance. Also accelerated the wear of the brake blocks. Neither did it occur to me the alloy rim of the wheel was wearing to the point new wheels were required.

 

Next bike had discs, but not hydraulic. Although a better option they did seem to get through pads on a regular basis and cables too.

 

Then I invested in a Pedelec. Perhaps a bit more money than you are proposing to spend but I can assure you, from experience that the hydraulic disc brakes are worth going for.

 

Maybe you will not ride as hard or in such inhospitable conditions as I have nor weigh the same. Talk to your bike shop personnel who be able to help you more than you think.

 

Good luck with your purchase, test ride more than a few to see which is the right one for you. It will get confusing at first but there are many on here who will guide you to the right decision.

The Wisper is the stand out bike in your list a solid good branded bike with cable disc brakes and good equipment specs , David owner of AMPS/Wisper is also a regular on the forum and deals with queries regarding his bikes. Regarding brakes Hydraulic disc is the way to go or later on it is easy to convert cable disc to hydraulic disc giving great stopping power in the dry and more reassurance in the wet, maintenance is hands free with no adjusting needed except for new pads every couple thousand miles or so.

Edited June 12, 20169 yr by Nealh

I've been considering an ebike for a while but still unsure. The ones I like (in my price-range) are:

 

Cyclotricity Sahara

RooDog Chic

Wisper 705se

GreenEdge stepthrough

Ebco UCL10

 

I tried an Ebco last week and it was quite nice (and have tried Smarta in the past), but the price of a new battery puts me off the Ebco. The GreenEdge looks good; however reading about battery problems on the site here also makes me think that maybe one of the first three would be better.

 

The commuting distance isn't too far - just over 5 miles each way and it's Cambridgeshire so not hilly (can get windy as it's so flat) - so I think I just need a bike with a bit of extra power to make my journey easier.

 

Woosh bikes sound great - but sadly I can only afford to buy using work's cycle scheme and Woosh don't use the one we have.

 

I prefer the bikes which hold the battery in the pannier rack rather than behind the seat (I think they just look nicer) and some people have said that disc brakes are better, but because it's not hilly, I've never had a problem with v-brakes around here.

 

Any thoughts welcomed - thanks

 

 

Hi; it's important to ride a selection of ebikes if you can, and check on both the reliability of the bike and the dealer. For what it's worth we have found Juicy Bikes to have both. Lots of reports here on this forum! Let us know your decision, happy biking.

I've been considering an ebike for a while but still unsure. The ones I like (in my price-range) are:

 

Cyclotricity Sahara

RooDog Chic

Wisper 705se

GreenEdge stepthrough

Ebco UCL10

 

I tried an Ebco last week and it was quite nice (and have tried Smarta in the past), but the price of a new battery puts me off the Ebco. The GreenEdge looks good; however reading about battery problems on the site here also makes me think that maybe one of the first three would be better.

 

The commuting distance isn't too far - just over 5 miles each way and it's Cambridgeshire so not hilly (can get windy as it's so flat) - so I think I just need a bike with a bit of extra power to make my journey easier.

 

Woosh bikes sound great - but sadly I can only afford to buy using work's cycle scheme and Woosh don't use the one we have.

 

I prefer the bikes which hold the battery in the pannier rack rather than behind the seat (I think they just look nicer) and some people have said that disc brakes are better, but because it's not hilly, I've never had a problem with v-brakes around here.

 

Any thoughts welcomed - thanks

 

That's not a particularly long commute so that opens up a lot of options, can you get to try the three you favour? You might then find a clear favourite

The Wisper 705SE is a good bike for the money. Have you looked at the Freego Hawk Stepthrough?

Hi Laoura would you be interested in trying the Wisper at our Cambridge shop? 118-120 Newmarket Rd. Let me know if I can help.

 

 

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The Wisper 705SE is a good bike for the money. Have you looked at the Freego Hawk Stepthrough?

 

Thanks Emo Rider, I agree the OP would do well to try both bikes one after the other and compare.

 

All the best, David

I've been considering an ebike for a while but still unsure. The ones I like (in my price-range) are:

 

Cyclotricity Sahara

RooDog Chic

Wisper 705se

GreenEdge stepthrough

Ebco UCL10

 

I tried an Ebco last week and it was quite nice (and have tried Smarta in the past), but the price of a new battery puts me off the Ebco. The GreenEdge looks good; however reading about battery problems on the site here also makes me think that maybe one of the first three would be better.

 

The commuting distance isn't too far - just over 5 miles each way and it's Cambridgeshire so not hilly (can get windy as it's so flat) - so I think I just need a bike with a bit of extra power to make my journey easier.

 

Woosh bikes sound great - but sadly I can only afford to buy using work's cycle scheme and Woosh don't use the one we have.

 

I prefer the bikes which hold the battery in the pannier rack rather than behind the seat (I think they just look nicer) and some people have said that disc brakes are better, but because it's not hilly, I've never had a problem with v-brakes around here.

 

Any thoughts welcomed - thanks

this falls under the "any thought" category: three years down the lien form owning an ebike, ive stopped using it and returned to regualry cycling a 21 mile commute (10.5 each way) to work on a brompton. The ebike did its job 0of getting an unfit me back into cycling, BUT - if i had an unhilly five mile commute, i woudl risk simply getting a normal brompton, say - hoping teh acclimatising bck to cycling woudl be OK. £1000 (or a bit more) buys one an excellent quality brompton tht will last forever (i got mine in 2004, functionally 20000 plus miles later its just fine); or frankly a rather dodgy cheap chinese import of an ebike.

the problem, derf, is alloy and carbon are perceived as 'progress' and steel as 'cheap'.

the problem, derf, is alloy and carbon are perceived as 'progress' and steel as 'cheap'.

by whom (and for what purpose)? on a commuter steel certainly isnt cheap, and alloy (or carbon)definitely not progress. There are reasons why brompton takes marketshare, big time, from Dahon and destroyd the likes of mezzo (and i own a mezzo, as well), both made of "progressive" alloys.

(Admin note: Zack - we ask that you kindly note our rules regarding trade membership please. Please contact me if you wish to support the forum like other trade members are doing, it's just £29 a month so it's affordable to all.)

Edited June 14, 20169 yr by HelenJ

frankly a rather dodgy cheap chinese import of an ebike.

 

Wow...

 

Although there maybe merit in your post regarding a Brompton, although I would go for a Birdy every time over a Brompton, I am sure you didn't mean to be quite so offensive regarding Chinese built electric bikes? China is a brilliant manufacturer, in my experience better than Germany. Consider other products made in China such as Olympus cameras, iPhone, iPad etc you will agree it doesn't get much better.

 

I would also like to think the Wisper brand of electric bicycles are neither dodgy or shoddy? What leads you to think they are?

 

As most parts for most bikes, wherever they are built, come from Asia, it seems pretty sensible to be to have the bikes built in the same area?

 

Regards, David

Edited June 13, 20169 yr by Wisper Bikes

derf, a Brompton has far fewer parts than an electric bike, a Brompton weighs less than half the weight of an e-bike and you also ride a Brompton at much lower speed. The punishment that the roads inflict on an electric bike is much greater because of those factors. If you fit Marathon Plus tyres to your e-bike and ride the Brompton at the same speed as you ride your e-bike for the same number of miles, then the comparison is fairer.

derf, a Brompton has far fewer parts than an electric bike, a Brompton weighs less than half the weight of an e-bike and you also ride a Brompton at much lower speed. The punishment that the roads inflict on an electric bike is much greater because of those factors. If you fit Marathon Plus tyres to your e-bike and ride the Brompton at the same speed as you ride your e-bike for the same number of miles, then the comparison is fairer.

 

that's true, but somehow i think a brompton with a kit may nonetheless outlive most £1000 pedelecs - i know its an unpalatable thing to say on a pedelec forum - i'm hoping the manufactuers who read this take it as sincere customer feedback: there is a problem with the quality of the components and frames on inexpensive pedelecs. It would be unfair to refer to any one manufacturer - but everyone here who has owned one for more than 12 months know about cracked alloy battery racks, poor V brakes, suspension seatposts that dont work, badly out of true rims, humungously fat plastic saddles that are great as anti theft devices (no one in their right mind wants a bike with that on it), loose spokes, batteries that last 12 months, etc

 

Wow...

 

Although there maybe merit in your post regarding a Brompton, although I would go for a Birdy every time over a Brompton, I am sure you didn't mean to be quite so offensive regarding Chinese built electric bikes? China is a brilliant manufacturer, in my experience better than Germany. Consider other products made in China such as Olympus cameras, iPhone, iPad etc you will agree it doesn't get much better.

 

I would also like to think the Wisper brand of electric bicycles are neither dodgy or shoddy? What leads you to think they are?

 

As most parts for most bikes, wherever they are built, come from Asia, it seems pretty sensible to be to have the bikes built in the same area?

 

Regards, David

yes, perhaps what i say is more a reflection on the ebike market than products coming from china in general. How many ebike owners dont have a serious problem in five years or less?

At £999.00 we can offer a lot of bike for the money, no gimmicks. Disc brakes back and front (180mm on the front for extra safety), LCD display, 375Wh battery, 10 year warranty on the frame. And of course a choice of three colours!

 

yes, perhaps what i say is more a reflection on the ebike market than products coming from china in general. How many ebike owners dont have a serious problem in five years or less?

 

I completely understand, there are a lot of dud ebikes out there! I should say however we have a lot of Wispers up to 10 years old still going strong, and over the last 10 years they have improved dramatically.

 

I am delighted that your ebike riding has bought you back to a level of fitness that enables you to ride a Brompton back and forth to work. You would probably not be surprised at the number of times we hear similar stories. One of our early customers who bought his Wisper when at 16.5 stones he decided to get fit. Last week he almost completed a triple Ion Man! A 7.8 mile swim followed immediately by a 460 mile cycle ride, followed immediately by a triple marathon all in under 50 hours. He had to pull out at about 66 miles of the 3x marathon, but still absolutely amazing, and all because he rode an electric bike!

 

All the best, David

At £999.00 we can offer a lot of bike for the money, no gimmicks. Disc brakes back and front (180mm on the front for extra safety), LCD display, 375Wh battery, 10 year warranty on the frame. And of course a choice of three colours!

 

Current ride:

Made in Germany - frame, front brake, rack, lights, chain, mudguards, rear wheel (Chinese rim)

Made in Switzerland - stand

Made elsewhere under German brand - tyres, tubes and rim tape

Made in Italy - front wheel

Asia - fork, motor, gears, rear brake, seat, grips etc...

 

Hydraulic rim brakes: savings of over 1 kg for equal stopping power

Decathlon frame: lifetime warranty

Chinese rims laced in Germany: correct spoke tension and completely true

"Any colour as long as it is black": Henry Ford

 

All of the above for £250 less - OK the frame and fork were found near a rubbish container...

Hi Laoura, From your list I would pick the Wisper, especially as you have a local shop offering you a test ride. From years on this forum David M of Wisper comes across as the most helpful of all the brand owners. That 705se seems excellent value too and their throttle is the best legal one at present. The battery is a bit pricy though but has 2 year warranty. My Chinese Tonaro bikes have been excellent with no real troubles over more than five years. The original battery still works fine as well. No connection with Wisper but I've ridden some and they are good quality. Best wishes.

Thanks Hoppy for your very kind words!

 

We have listened to and understood the battery price arguments. We have now started offering two replacement choices on all our new bikes.

 

£249.00 a standard generic celled 375Wh

 

or

 

£449.00 a Samsung celled 575Wh with deep sleep and remote servicing.

 

We understand that battery replacement costs can be daunting and hope this helps.

 

I should also say that our batteries have a two year warranty from the time the end user buys the bike, and if looked after can last for well over five years. We recently had a chap in Margate Kent replace a battery after 20,000 miles (six years use).

 

All the best

 

David

Thanks Hoppy for your very kind words!

 

We have listened to and understood the battery price arguments. We have now started offering two replacement choices on all our new bikes.

 

£249.00 a standard generic celled 375Wh

 

or

 

£449.00 a Samsung celled 575Wh with deep sleep and remote servicing.

 

We understand that battery replacement costs can be daunting and hope this helps.

 

I should also say that our batteries have a two year warranty from the time the end user buys the bike, and if looked after can last for well over five years. We recently had a chap in Margate Kent replace a battery after 20,000 miles (six years use).

 

All the best

 

David

£249 is a brilliant price for a 36v 11ah Wisper battery with 2 year warranty. Well done! Which motor is in the 705se and how many amps is controller? How noisy is the motor? I could be tempted myself!

Hi Hoppy, we max at 17A, the motor is from AKM. It's not silent like the Wisper Torque but very close. Certainly quieter than the older Wispers.

 

All the best, David