After riding several ebikes in local shops, and deciding that they they were beyond my financies (ie >£1K) I took the risky step of ordering my first ebike - a pretty good spec Woosh Santana CDL with 15 amp battery and hub drive motor. But was I taking a gamble at £800?.
A huge box arrived on time and I set about fixing the pedals, handlebars, front wheel and mudguard. One drawback is that you are requested to keep the box in case the bike has to be returned for any reason - a potential problem perhaps for those with space issues, though I might just dispose of it and get one from Woosh for £15 if needed. This is the drawback from not buying from a local shop of course. Been reasonable mechanically adept this was pretty straitforward. I did note a couple of scratches on the frame, but this could have been me. The paint appears at first glance to be not very durable but we will see how it goes.to beA small tine of white enamel is on my shopping list. One small comment is that the allen keys supplied are not very long. When tightening the handlebars in particular, a hefty torque needs to be applied, so be aware that these are a little underpowered for this task
My opinions on the components:-
Wheels, spokes and tyres are all good. Always a sign of a half decent bike.
Gears and chain ok. Having had a bad experience with a so called long life Shimano hub gears some years ago, a cheap derrailier is ok my me. The chain seems to be stainless steel. Never come across this. Is the chain maintenance the same as the old type?
Brakes. Rear V fine. Front cable disc less so (spongy brake) . This is my first disc and I wonder what the advantage is over a V brake. Can anyone convince me that I have a good brake ? Customer Support have been helpful so hopefully sorted soon
Lights. Not connected to the main battery, just normal led jobs. Rear is ok, front a bit less inspiring, but at least you get them
Everything else acceptable for the price (except the bell!)
Motor. Impressive. Compared to another crank drive this is smooth and seems quieter.
Battery: Well it's big, and has an impressive range claimed for it. Gone for 2 rides so far total 35 miles, after which the meter was reading 3 out of 4 - so only 25% used: so 100% = 35 x4 = 140 miles! That would be fantastic, so I can only conclude that the meter is inaccurate. In addition the readout drops to 1 or 2 when under a big load (hills) Is this normal? So what then is the actual meaning of the battery 4 indicators. I thought it was just "charge remaning"
How does it ride?
Having never ridden a sit up and beg ladies bike I was bit apprehensive. I'm 6'4" and 15 stone so it has it's work cut out. I was very impressed with the lack of sweating required. I felt after the 30 mile ride that I had done about 2 miles! The most impressive thing is the hill performance, and I haven't even used the lowest gears as yet.
One annoying thing is how the motor keeps turning on and switching off as you approach the cut off speed. I guess when I refine my riding this may become less of an annoyance. I've read somewhere about "cruise control" Can anyone explain?
How exactly does the crank drive motor work? Is it activated by chainwheel rotation or what?
What exactly does the big black box next to the battery do?
And finally, the age old question, why is something so simple, so expensive? (the battery)
John F
A huge box arrived on time and I set about fixing the pedals, handlebars, front wheel and mudguard. One drawback is that you are requested to keep the box in case the bike has to be returned for any reason - a potential problem perhaps for those with space issues, though I might just dispose of it and get one from Woosh for £15 if needed. This is the drawback from not buying from a local shop of course. Been reasonable mechanically adept this was pretty straitforward. I did note a couple of scratches on the frame, but this could have been me. The paint appears at first glance to be not very durable but we will see how it goes.to beA small tine of white enamel is on my shopping list. One small comment is that the allen keys supplied are not very long. When tightening the handlebars in particular, a hefty torque needs to be applied, so be aware that these are a little underpowered for this task
My opinions on the components:-
Wheels, spokes and tyres are all good. Always a sign of a half decent bike.
Gears and chain ok. Having had a bad experience with a so called long life Shimano hub gears some years ago, a cheap derrailier is ok my me. The chain seems to be stainless steel. Never come across this. Is the chain maintenance the same as the old type?
Brakes. Rear V fine. Front cable disc less so (spongy brake) . This is my first disc and I wonder what the advantage is over a V brake. Can anyone convince me that I have a good brake ? Customer Support have been helpful so hopefully sorted soon
Lights. Not connected to the main battery, just normal led jobs. Rear is ok, front a bit less inspiring, but at least you get them
Everything else acceptable for the price (except the bell!)
Motor. Impressive. Compared to another crank drive this is smooth and seems quieter.
Battery: Well it's big, and has an impressive range claimed for it. Gone for 2 rides so far total 35 miles, after which the meter was reading 3 out of 4 - so only 25% used: so 100% = 35 x4 = 140 miles! That would be fantastic, so I can only conclude that the meter is inaccurate. In addition the readout drops to 1 or 2 when under a big load (hills) Is this normal? So what then is the actual meaning of the battery 4 indicators. I thought it was just "charge remaning"
How does it ride?
Having never ridden a sit up and beg ladies bike I was bit apprehensive. I'm 6'4" and 15 stone so it has it's work cut out. I was very impressed with the lack of sweating required. I felt after the 30 mile ride that I had done about 2 miles! The most impressive thing is the hill performance, and I haven't even used the lowest gears as yet.
One annoying thing is how the motor keeps turning on and switching off as you approach the cut off speed. I guess when I refine my riding this may become less of an annoyance. I've read somewhere about "cruise control" Can anyone explain?
How exactly does the crank drive motor work? Is it activated by chainwheel rotation or what?
What exactly does the big black box next to the battery do?
And finally, the age old question, why is something so simple, so expensive? (the battery)
John F
