Wisper 905se City S (2010) Review

[sockster]

Reviewer: sockster

Purchased From: E-Bikes Direct

Purchase Price: £1519

Time Owned: 4 weeks

Local Terrain: Moderate Hills - West Yorkshire

Daily commute : 6.5 miles each way - 2 hills of 1 in 12 (0.5 and 0.75 miles)

Miles Covered : 450 (and I strangely wish it was more!!!)
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Strengths:
ELECTRICALS
Motor works really well, is quiet and really very smooth. As the 905se City S is a hub motor was a little concerned prior to purchase that it may feel mechanical but it really doesn't.
BATTERY RANGE
The battery range is frankly brilliant. They say you get 56 miles pedal assist but I think I could get 45 miles or so due to the hills and my extra padding. I am more than happy with this and day to day it does all that I want.
HILL CLIMBING (as opposed to normal bike)
Hill climbing is excellent on my commute and I can easily get up my 1 in 12 0.75 mile hill mid commute at around 12-14 mph as opposed to ~5mph on normal bike. Have to pedal hard-ish but am at the top before I am getting out of breath so really happy. This has been my main barrier to daily cycling and the 905 has broken it down with ease.

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Weaknesses:
BIKE STUFF
BRAKES
Brakes are frankly a nightmare. Weak and require regular adjustment.
MAINTENANCE
Spokes have required tightening on a few occasions already. Hope this will settle down.
Front Headset loose and required adjustment on initial purchase.
2 Bolts missing from pannier rack.

A little extra spent on improving these components would really make this a fantastic product. Am slightly disappointed at the quality of the bike bits.
Could do with at least one extra gear for down hill but this is just my need for speed. Not a very good ride with electrics off but was aware of this and really don't intend to use the bike like this anyway. Is rideable with a moderate physical effort if I got stuck with a flat battery.

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Summary:
PURCHASE DECISION
Took quite a long time to investigate the different options prior to buying my bike.
I was unsure as to whether to buy a crank drive bike or one with a hub motor.
I think it comes down to function and this is how I see it:-
If you have hills above 1 in 10, are a heavier athletic type build or are fitter and like exercise, want to carry heavy loads or wish to travel slower then a crank drive is best as it gives more variability of use.
If you live in a flat or moderately hilly (less than 1 in 10 hills), want to go fast easily or budget is more of an issue then a hub bike is best.

REGULAR COMMUTE
I chose the 905 primarily as a commuter bike (half road and half cycle trail) and it is perfect for this apart from the brakes which I will be replacing to make sure I don't die. Comfortable to ride and solid on the road. Have ridden through all conditions recently and have felt steady and in control despite surface conditions (very cold:down to -15C some mornings, icy and snowy etc.) Commute time is 26 mins average as opposed to 35mins by car. Bike parked directly at work so A to B direct is now possible.

HILLS
At moderate/higher gradient 905 requires more effort to maintain climb speed as if you drop below about 8-9mph then motor power begins to fall markedly and strangely it becomes more difficult rather than easier.

LIFESTYLE
I am glad I spent a little more to get the 905 instead of a cheaper bike as the additional range for me is proving the value of this purchase. I am unbelievably cycling upto 40 miles some days now as it is such a pleasure and a sea change in lifestyle. I simply don't think for most people that would be possible on a working day on a normal bike for those of us who are not excercise freaks.

FINANCIALS
Got 0% finance over 18 months without issue.
I am a little concerned at replacement battery prices and hope this is sorted soon but am saving anyway to get a new one in two years or so.
Haven't paid town parking (£5 a day) in a month and only been in wifes car 3 times this month.
Reckon the bike will have paid fir itself in about 6 - 9 months as I have got rid of my car. I planned to keep it until I was happy that the e-bike would do the job but the Turbo went and I really didn't see why I needed to pay £1000 for it to be repaired so am in at the deep end. Maybe this means it has already paid for itself.

CONCLUSION
Why is everyone not riding electric bikes? They are simply brilliant.
Have I glimpsed the future?
Definitely the correct solution (for me) if I was commuting up to about 10 miles or so. Any more than this and I would on balance probably still go for the car due to 15mph restriction.
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Overall Rating (out of 10) :
ELECTRICALS - 10
BIKE BITS - 7
OVERALL - 9
Would I buy again - Absolutely.

 

[sockster]

1500 mile review

Am very happy with my purchase.
Generally have got the bike adjusted correctly now.
Spokes have settled down and front disk bake is working well. Back brake (V type) is still worse than useless.
Paint finish on motor has begun to peel away but am not particularly bothered about that.
Battery holding up well and range still good.
Went out for a leisure cycle yesterday and covered 42 miles using mostly Medium setting. Still had a few more miles left so doing well.
A few little chips and scrapes appearing in the paintwork but that is me and not the bike.
As far as commuting goes it is really proving its weight in gold. I have not used the car once since purchasing the bike in late November and is proving very reliable so far.
I am finding that I am now riding more upright as this seems more comfortable and speed seems affected little.
Once a week I am travelling 21 miles each way to a nearby town on an evening and am charging on the fly at each end to reduce battery strain although I am confident I could do this trip in one charge.
Only passed a few times by race cyclists but generally I am the one passing others with ease and especially so uphill.
Noted that after a long trip the following day the battery seems a little lacklustre (not so much as to worry me). Not sure why this is. Seems OK after next charge.
In conclusion no mechanical issues of note. Accused several times of cheating by other cyclists but frankly I don't care as they are not in earshot for too long anyway. I am treating my e-bike as a vehicle and not a recreational machine and as such I am getting far more exercise than car commuters and saving myself a fortune. Easily ridden when tired and demotivated after work so never seems a chore like a normal bike did sometimes.

 

[sockster]

15,000 miles done now on bike and coming up to 2 years use. Use the bike to commute 5 days a week and in addition a 40 mile trip each week plus other stuff on an evening.

BATTERY
Beginning to age a little now. Has probably had 500-600 half charges and I think the range is now down to around 30 miles from around 40+ when the bike was new. I will be buying a new one soon.

ELECTRICS
Basically, the electrics are still in good working order and have had no issues at all. Only once I appeared to have water penetration in the throttle and the bike speed became slightly unstable but it was extremely wet weather and only lasted 15 minutes or so.
The bike is generally in good condition but has had to have a bit of TLC along the way. I have had a look and can see no signs of wire corrosion so all appears OK for now.
The original lights have worked well but I have additionally upgraded for my own safety with Exposure Lights. Not cheap but extremely bright.

MECHANICALS
Took the decision to replace the back sprocket (was originally 14-34T Shimano Mega Range replaced with 13-28T as I simply didn't find the 14 tooth sprocket suitable for flat/downhill high speed riding and don't ever think I used the big 34 tooth sprocket. I could however see this being required if the battery was flat or I was less fit.
Most things on the bike have worn and needed attention mechanically. Have had 5 or 6 broken spokes which have needed replacing and the paintwork on the rear motor has delaminated but not a major issue.
The most annoying thing for me was that both pedal arms and chainset have needed replacing as the thread appeared to have given way. I asked for this replacing under warranty but was told that this was not covered. If you get your bike flat packed make sure the supplier fits the pedals to avoid any issues like this and allow a claim under warranty if required. They said I hadn't fit them correctly. Life is too short to argue although I think the alloy was substandard.
The front disk brake calliper snapped one day and has also required replacing. I have replaced with a similar Tektro disc brake system and all is well.
I have several sets of tyres and have found a good tyre for my bike is the Schwalbe Land Cruiser. This is a hybrid mountain bike tyre that has a solid tread band down the middle allowing smooth road riding but good off road grip as the edge is nobbled. Use slime inner tubes but have still had a number of punctures (half a dozen or so). Make sure you are fully prepared for a back wheel puncture as this can be difficult to fix when removing the wheel. I carry a 19mm spanner in my saddle bag with me.

Battery has proved reliable and performed well.
All in all electrically the bike is excellent and well recommended.
Mechanically it could do with improvement. I am a little disappointed at the mechanical quality for such an expensive bike.
Rideability is excellent and the bike is often not noticed as being electric by passers by although most of the cyclists I pass accuse me of cheating!!

We purchased a Thulo roofrack and by taking the battery off we can carry the bike using the top end bike carrier. My wife has a Wisper 705 SE and this also has proven to be generally excellent.

I wouldn't be without it and the conversion to two wheels has undoubtedly saved me a fortune. If you are thinking of buying one all I can say is do it. You won't regret it.