Thought I share my experience with you. Recently bought a Sirroco ( £555 including VAT and delivery). I have been wanting to use a bike to work -7.5 miles each way- but because of my location (Cumbria = hills) it’s a bit of a struggle so I wondered if the motor and battery would be up to it. As a result I opted for a cheaper model with a view to test the theory of how good these bikes are as I have never been able to get any definitive answers. The Woosh site does give some indications of expected performance.
To add to my enthusiasm in August we visited China on Holiday and both me and my son (11 years) tried a few. My original cunning plan when I went to China was to bring one back on the plane as there are loads of electric bikes out there. One reason we opted to buy in the UK was we could not find a European style model easily and they were relatively expensive. (talking about 400 GBP + 200GBP on the plane). The Chinese opt for more scooter type I suspect local laws etc influence this as they are not restricted to 250W. (European /US models are export only) I had a quote for a UK conversion kit to collect in China but just the kit was about £220. Also there is the usual worries of warranties etc.
Anyway went for the Sirroco from Woosh Bikes as they are Chinese imports and seemed to tick all the boxes. I also think the price of some electric bikes is crazy as they are Chinese parts – someone is making a killing from the mark ups! Also I spoke to the lady there and they seem very helpful and honest being 5’6” and 12 stone was told no problems but you will have to pedal up the hills. Further discussions I was told the motor had a safety cut out if it overheated as I was concerned about this. Also told the company carry spares should there be any problems. They were happy to chat about any reliability issues and they seemed very rare with only one case of faulty controller / motor. As regards the hills a few customers had been unhappy because they had expected the bike to pull them unaided up steep hills.
Ordered the bike over the phone and it arrived on requested day no problems – even gave me a 2.5 hour delivery window. I’d say about an hour to assemble – and add about an hour to remove packaging it is very well wrapped up! Put it together no problem, a bit of buggering about with the forks but very straight forward. All black - it does look good! All lights and mudguards included. Two minor picky points front guard a bit distorted and a bolt had fallen out of the carrier everything else OK.
Took the bike on a test ride and a few things to note. Battery came charged. The back is heavy (reminds me of my camping days as a youth). Two faults found: The first was a stiff link in the chain and the second was the battery clatters on the bike. It turned out it was the battery pack itself, as the innards which have a bit of weight, sit loose inside the outer weather casing.
I contacted Woosh about this and it was a refreshing change to get some honest support. The guy on the phone told me how to fix the link (very easy) and the assembly workers were lazy for not checking this. The battery was OK to be left but agreed that the manufacturer builds them like this – if its to save costs or being lazy again we couldn’t agree. Any way by removing the battery and unscrewing the terminal end I could insert some dry dish sponges in which has massively reduced this problem. The guy insisted this wouldn’t effect warranty and not to worry. Top marks to Woosh for after sales advice – the company seem very honest and sensible in solving problems with no denials or BS. (you need basic DIY skills to do this)
I’ve been using the bike for a few weeks going to work.(clocked up about 150 miles to date) I tend to leave it set on high pedal assist setting because I need all the help I can get going up hills. The bike handles the hills really well. The largest hill is about 1.5 miles long with an 8-10% incline about 400 yards long at the end. Its one of those hills without electric assistance I am wrecked by the time I reach the top. Very easy on the sirocco bike, it gets up quickly and I reach the top only puffing slightly. The second is a shorter 0.4 mile but steep (10%) most the way. Again if you are prepared to pedal no problem and you can hear the motor working between pedal pushes. I have passed a few people going half the speed or less on MBTs and I am hoping I soon pass someone I know so I can give them the finger as I cruise past.
The only safety concern (minor) is that the pedal assist cuts in after a second and if you’re in stop/start traffic can give you a little boost when you don’t want it! Personally I use just throttle or switch off power and pedal only.
So motor performance is good – what about the battery performance? It’s a 36V 10Ah and had no problems (except the rattling mentioned earlier). It claims it can do 30-40 miles on the flat no pedalling and I would believe this. I do 30 or 45 miles between charges on high pedal assist and that equates to roughly 40% – 60% of battery used. It takes me about 30 mins each way so I am averaging around 15 mph. At these speeds the motor cuts in and out and I have found on low or medium pedal assist settings it sometimes feel that the motor is ‘dragging’ as it cuts in and out. Could be just me but this does not seem to happen on the high setting.
Only mildly annoying thing about battery charge is the unit on the handle bars always shows full battery when under no load conditions. It only reveals its true level when going up a hill so once it starts showing 2 bars (out of 4) during use its time to think about recharging. (It quickly recovers to full once on the flat) Is this the same on all bikes? The charger is simple - you can leave the battery on the bike just plug in and a red light goes to green when done. I’m charging at 50% levels as ‘expert opinion’ seems to say this is best.
In general the bike build is good (excellent for the price), the 7 speed gearing is excellent with roughly 5th gear being balanced to 15 mph. Up the hills I’m usually in 3rd (2nd on a bad day), the motor doing the rest. Obviously I can’t comment on longer term performance but all is covered in a 12 month warranty – only time will tell.
I've so far had just over 150 miles with no hassle. So apart from a rattling battery pack requiring a few sponges I can't fault the bike or the company.Would recommend and the price seems a steal.
cheers
To add to my enthusiasm in August we visited China on Holiday and both me and my son (11 years) tried a few. My original cunning plan when I went to China was to bring one back on the plane as there are loads of electric bikes out there. One reason we opted to buy in the UK was we could not find a European style model easily and they were relatively expensive. (talking about 400 GBP + 200GBP on the plane). The Chinese opt for more scooter type I suspect local laws etc influence this as they are not restricted to 250W. (European /US models are export only) I had a quote for a UK conversion kit to collect in China but just the kit was about £220. Also there is the usual worries of warranties etc.
Anyway went for the Sirroco from Woosh Bikes as they are Chinese imports and seemed to tick all the boxes. I also think the price of some electric bikes is crazy as they are Chinese parts – someone is making a killing from the mark ups! Also I spoke to the lady there and they seem very helpful and honest being 5’6” and 12 stone was told no problems but you will have to pedal up the hills. Further discussions I was told the motor had a safety cut out if it overheated as I was concerned about this. Also told the company carry spares should there be any problems. They were happy to chat about any reliability issues and they seemed very rare with only one case of faulty controller / motor. As regards the hills a few customers had been unhappy because they had expected the bike to pull them unaided up steep hills.
Ordered the bike over the phone and it arrived on requested day no problems – even gave me a 2.5 hour delivery window. I’d say about an hour to assemble – and add about an hour to remove packaging it is very well wrapped up! Put it together no problem, a bit of buggering about with the forks but very straight forward. All black - it does look good! All lights and mudguards included. Two minor picky points front guard a bit distorted and a bolt had fallen out of the carrier everything else OK.
Took the bike on a test ride and a few things to note. Battery came charged. The back is heavy (reminds me of my camping days as a youth). Two faults found: The first was a stiff link in the chain and the second was the battery clatters on the bike. It turned out it was the battery pack itself, as the innards which have a bit of weight, sit loose inside the outer weather casing.
I contacted Woosh about this and it was a refreshing change to get some honest support. The guy on the phone told me how to fix the link (very easy) and the assembly workers were lazy for not checking this. The battery was OK to be left but agreed that the manufacturer builds them like this – if its to save costs or being lazy again we couldn’t agree. Any way by removing the battery and unscrewing the terminal end I could insert some dry dish sponges in which has massively reduced this problem. The guy insisted this wouldn’t effect warranty and not to worry. Top marks to Woosh for after sales advice – the company seem very honest and sensible in solving problems with no denials or BS. (you need basic DIY skills to do this)
I’ve been using the bike for a few weeks going to work.(clocked up about 150 miles to date) I tend to leave it set on high pedal assist setting because I need all the help I can get going up hills. The bike handles the hills really well. The largest hill is about 1.5 miles long with an 8-10% incline about 400 yards long at the end. Its one of those hills without electric assistance I am wrecked by the time I reach the top. Very easy on the sirocco bike, it gets up quickly and I reach the top only puffing slightly. The second is a shorter 0.4 mile but steep (10%) most the way. Again if you are prepared to pedal no problem and you can hear the motor working between pedal pushes. I have passed a few people going half the speed or less on MBTs and I am hoping I soon pass someone I know so I can give them the finger as I cruise past.
The only safety concern (minor) is that the pedal assist cuts in after a second and if you’re in stop/start traffic can give you a little boost when you don’t want it! Personally I use just throttle or switch off power and pedal only.
So motor performance is good – what about the battery performance? It’s a 36V 10Ah and had no problems (except the rattling mentioned earlier). It claims it can do 30-40 miles on the flat no pedalling and I would believe this. I do 30 or 45 miles between charges on high pedal assist and that equates to roughly 40% – 60% of battery used. It takes me about 30 mins each way so I am averaging around 15 mph. At these speeds the motor cuts in and out and I have found on low or medium pedal assist settings it sometimes feel that the motor is ‘dragging’ as it cuts in and out. Could be just me but this does not seem to happen on the high setting.
Only mildly annoying thing about battery charge is the unit on the handle bars always shows full battery when under no load conditions. It only reveals its true level when going up a hill so once it starts showing 2 bars (out of 4) during use its time to think about recharging. (It quickly recovers to full once on the flat) Is this the same on all bikes? The charger is simple - you can leave the battery on the bike just plug in and a red light goes to green when done. I’m charging at 50% levels as ‘expert opinion’ seems to say this is best.
In general the bike build is good (excellent for the price), the 7 speed gearing is excellent with roughly 5th gear being balanced to 15 mph. Up the hills I’m usually in 3rd (2nd on a bad day), the motor doing the rest. Obviously I can’t comment on longer term performance but all is covered in a 12 month warranty – only time will tell.
I've so far had just over 150 miles with no hassle. So apart from a rattling battery pack requiring a few sponges I can't fault the bike or the company.Would recommend and the price seems a steal.
cheers
