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Which electric bike shall I buy?

Billy

Billy

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Messages
334
Location
Portsmouth
Vehicle
T6 Ocean 204 4Motion
I know this question has been asked before but since then technology has improved, new brands are on the market and prices have come down.

I have £1,500-£2,000 to spend on a E Bike , ideally looking for something that I can use on both the road and tracks, there looks to be some good deals around on 2019 models at moment but I have no idea where to start
 
I know this question has been asked before but since then technology has improved, new brands are on the market and prices have come down.

I have £1,500-£2,000 to spend on a E Bike , ideally looking for something that I can use on both the road and tracks, there looks to be some good deals around on 2019 models at moment but I have no idea where to start
I will watch this with interest, often thought VW should get into bed with a Manufacture and sell them colour coded to the van.
 
Have a look at bikes at cycle republic , Evans cycles etc, if you see anything then join British cycling as you get discount at both stores . You even get a level of insurance whilst riding your bike into the bargain
 
I know this question has been asked before but since then technology has improved, new brands are on the market and prices have come down.

I have £1,500-£2,000 to spend on a E Bike , ideally looking for something that I can use on both the road and tracks, there looks to be some good deals around on 2019 models at moment but I have no idea where to start

Try https://www.velospeed.co.uk/ near Newbury. Very helpful and you can try them out.
 
Strömer is Swiss made, but way above your budget.
 
I know this question has been asked before but since then technology has improved, new brands are on the market and prices have come down.

I have £1,500-£2,000 to spend on a E Bike , ideally looking for something that I can use on both the road and tracks, there looks to be some good deals around on 2019 models at moment but I have no idea where to start
Have you though about a D-bike insteadE652BCB7-14DE-4301-951C-D441FF2C072A.jpeg
 
If you're thinking of putting them on the VW bike rack, check the loading capacity.....our normal towbar Thule rack isn't robust for 2 e MTB.....I'd be a bit concerned about putting them on the van.....even if I could lift them that high!
 
I know this question has been asked before but since then technology has improved, new brands are on the market and prices have come down.

I have £1,500-£2,000 to spend on a E Bike , ideally looking for something that I can use on both the road and tracks, there looks to be some good deals around on 2019 models at moment but I have no idea where to start
Have a look at www.tredz.co.uk they have some good deals on at the moment. There are plenty of reviews on bikeradar / road.cc / mtb.cc
 
When I was looking for a bike I looked around Bristol. About 5 shops then, only 1 would let me borrow a bike for a proper test. The rest were to the end of the road and back.
https://www.electricbikesales.co.uk/pages/contact/ I borrowed it from Saturday lunchtime and returned it Tuesday morning and I think the cost was in the order on £50 returnable if I bought one. He suggested a model which I tested fully on the Bristol to Bath path one day and the the same again the following day, but adding the Two Tunnels on as well. I tried another couple of bikes from at the shop for riding round the block, but he was correct with his first advice.
I learned so much more about them by riding it for 2½ days. It is a Dutch style upright bike made by Cityzen Gazelle. I think it is probably a hybrid style bike, suitable for tarmac, surfaced cycle paths but not completely off road paths.
Do look for a standard battery pack, the ones that are built into the bike, inside the frame or wherever to be discreet, but may be hard to replace when they begin to loose their rechargeability.
Also go for a motor in the pedal crank if possible, that way the motor can make use the gears on the bike to increase the potential mileage you can do.
 
Probably above your budget at £2700, but how about an Electric Brompton? Only weighs 14.5 kilograms and still has the folding ability of the normal Brompton, so can be stored inside the van when folded. The motor is in the front wheel and the detachable battery goes on the front luggage block.
 
Probably above your budget at £2700, but how about an Electric Brompton? Only weighs 14.5 kilograms and still has the folding ability of the normal Brompton, so can be stored inside the van when folded. The motor is in the front wheel and the detachable battery goes on the front luggage block.
I've just bought two for our van, thanks to @Amarillo & @Moose for info. They are excellent, only 2kg more (without the battery) than the standard bike, easy to use and secure out of sight in the boot. We intend to park up, cycle on towpaths for 30 - 40 miles, then jump on a train back to the van.
The standard charger is just over the 150W limit for the vans inverter, but I have a standalone 500W inverter to use or just use the EHU if we're on site.
 
@Billy
When you say dirt track does that mean unmade track where a mountain type bike would be required?

How many miles would you want to cover between charges, do you want a throttle too or just pedal assist, How fast do you want the bike to go assisted (legal limit in UK is 25KMH I believe although it’s very easy to change the limit on many of the standard ebikes available), what degree of your riding will be hills and how steep are they likely to be and finally what will the kit your carrying plus you weigh?

For what you have to spend it’s possible that you will get a lot more for the money buying a kit and fitting it to a standard bike, or, if you’re not too concerned about the street cred of the bike brand or in need of high end components, a bike sold by someone like ‘Woosh Bikes’ in Southend.

Woosh are very responsive to messages, offer lots of good advice to potential purchasers plus allow a decent test ride if you’re nearby plus their bikes provide good value with excellent after sales.

I’ve just converted my bike using one of their rear wheel hub motor kits, it was simple to do and seems very good so far.

Hub motors last for a very long time generally, however, they are not best choice for every type of riding, lots of off road bikes now have crank drives which I understand respond in proportion to the effort you put in and make steep Hill climbing easier (not tried one).

I’ve previously owned an electric Brompton and it was a great little bike but they are very expensive for what’s effectively adding a kit, it’s a lot cheaper to convert a Brompton yourself.

Good luck whatever you decide to buy.




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Have a look at: https://moustachebikes.com/en/electric-bikes/samedi-27-wide/

They are hybrid eMTD bikes and they are really robust yet also good on the road.
You can choose between two battery sizes - I have an older one with 400wh battery and I can get up to 100 miles! on a single charge from mine if I am economical and save the big assisted input for the biggest hills. You can add rear racks for panniers etc and the lights are built in. I got mine from Velospeed near Newbury, who have been excellent at support etc. They will set the bike up to your exact requirements, allow you to test bikes and offer expert advice on fit. Sometimes they have last seasons bikes on special offer with good reductions, it’s worth a hone call to check out their stock list.

Good luck.
 
I've had a Focus Jam2 for about 18 months now and have covered about 1,500 miles on it, mostly off-road. Set me back £2.6k at the time. It's probably too off-road for your needs but they do a good touring hardtail with the new Bosch motor for similar money:

 
I have a Carerra Crosscity E Bike

It's pretty good, very very heavy, the battery was dead from new and I had to wait several weeks for a new one. However it has since redeemed itself and has proven great for riding to work, or V uses it to pop to the allotment.

Overall its a good little bike, the folding mechanism isn't fantastic in that it doesnt naturally stand up for storage when folded.
 
I think if i was in the market again I'd just get a conversion kit for my mountain bike.
 
I've had a Focus Jam2 for about 18 months now and have covered about 1,500 miles on it, mostly off-road. Set me back £2.6k at the time. It's probably too off-road for your needs but they do a good touring hardtail with the new Bosch motor for similar money:

That looks good, our bike to work scheme is up again, very tempting, although they capped the value now ;)
 
I bought a Kalkhoff 9 years ago. Very pleased with the bike itself, though disappointed at the discontinuation of the availability of parts.
I have ridden an electric Brompton, and was very impressed, though wouldn't have thought it would be particularly effective for off road use, assuming that means dirt tracks. Obviously superb for transporting.
 
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