Electric bicycles - who buys them?
Discussion
gangzoom said:
272BHP said:
I want something that is light and usable and fun for sure.
My Specialized Creo is really fun and light, but use it once in a blue moon because I don't want to get it wet, ruin the wheels on city pot holes etc. It rides as close my analogue Trek Madonne as any eBike can, expect when you hit a double digit hill you can still carry on at 15mph versus slowing down to a single digit crawl 
.[Img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53689857706_9e3f177caa_c_d.jpg[/thumb]
However the Boardman gets used far far more because its got cheap 'bomb proof' wheels, survived many a hit with tarmac, and I've just used it to pick up some takeaway with not too much worries about adding to bike theft stats. No way would the Creo still be under my ownership if I had left it outside some of the more 'vibrant' parts of town!! That's before you work our how to carry £20 worth of curry in a rucksack.
[Img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53731274021_f850fe8212_c_d.jpg[/thumb]
The Canyon Roadlite:On CF looks really tempting though, the Fazua motor has no drag when unassisted, the 400wh+ battery will last you 100 miles+ with the Fazua motor, at under 15kg its nearly as light as the Creo!!!
How long it would last in a work bike park or outside a takeaway rack is a different question
.[Img]https://www.canyon.com/dw/image/v2/BCML_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-canyon-shared/default/dw25d14d71/images/plp/canyon-ride-unltd-roadlite-family-03-1.jpg?sw=767[/thumb]
Edited by gangzoom on Sunday 19th May 13:20
This video surprised me when i saw the effectiveness of the bike thief not long after viewing your post above. Be careful out there
vindaloo79 said:
https://youtube.com/shorts/od-lScwOG90?si=eh0R8gas...
This video surprised me when i saw the effectiveness of the bike thief not long after viewing your post above. Be careful out there
Jesus the audacity of the guy. Hopefully someone knows him and he’s caught quickly so the bike can be taken back to the owner. This video surprised me when i saw the effectiveness of the bike thief not long after viewing your post above. Be careful out there
Just made a electric bike purchase, a Boardman 8.9e which arrives on Friday. Given the current "trade in" deal and being able to combine with C2W it seems well worth doing, and can't see how I could lose too much money on it. Not going to be the most refined option, but should be a good test to see if I can get back into cycling properly. I rode a Scott Addict eRIDE last year, so must not make unfair comparisons to that.
I managed 64 miles this morning on my new Creo Turbo Comp SL 5E (had it for a week and got 200 miles on it so far) and it’s a great machine and Specialized really have it together. There was one point whilst riding for some time along the coast I didn’t realise it was off and I was simply ‘cycling’ unaided.
However the most amazing thing this does is allow me to ride long distances with no range anxiety and when hills appear I simply press the plus button, perhaps go into Trail or Turbo and up I go. I’ve got the range extender and after 64 miles, 2700ft climbing and an average speed of 15mph I still had 80% of battery left (you start with 150%). This gives the bike a range of about 140 miles or so and more if the conditions are ideal.
Anyone who suggests these make cycling a doddle and it’s cheating should try one, you’re still working out to the point where I lost 3.5lbs this morning and my legs are shot to be honest (I have a damaged in one knee which doesn’t help).
They are a brilliant piece of technology and they’re only going to get better.
However the most amazing thing this does is allow me to ride long distances with no range anxiety and when hills appear I simply press the plus button, perhaps go into Trail or Turbo and up I go. I’ve got the range extender and after 64 miles, 2700ft climbing and an average speed of 15mph I still had 80% of battery left (you start with 150%). This gives the bike a range of about 140 miles or so and more if the conditions are ideal.
Anyone who suggests these make cycling a doddle and it’s cheating should try one, you’re still working out to the point where I lost 3.5lbs this morning and my legs are shot to be honest (I have a damaged in one knee which doesn’t help).
They are a brilliant piece of technology and they’re only going to get better.
Could anyone who is knowledgable about these ebikes give me any advice.
I want one for my son's upcoming 16th birthday, is this one any good for just over £800 delivered? This is the max price bracket, would prefer something a bit less.
Or if not can anyone recommend something for a similar price bracket? He's not tall, around 5' 8
Thanks for any advice, I would also consider used if there was a (very) good condition one close to Leeds
I want one for my son's upcoming 16th birthday, is this one any good for just over £800 delivered? This is the max price bracket, would prefer something a bit less.
Or if not can anyone recommend something for a similar price bracket? He's not tall, around 5' 8
Thanks for any advice, I would also consider used if there was a (very) good condition one close to Leeds
To be blunt, that's a bag of s
t that's only really good for potentially setting your house on fire whilst it's charging overnight.
In that price range e-bikes aren't an option, you'll get the worst of everything with some components genuinely being dangerous.
You need to be spending £2k+ to get something that's safe and usable. If £800 is your max budget then you're not going to get anything worth buying.
Please, whatever you do, DO NOT buy that!
t that's only really good for potentially setting your house on fire whilst it's charging overnight.In that price range e-bikes aren't an option, you'll get the worst of everything with some components genuinely being dangerous.
You need to be spending £2k+ to get something that's safe and usable. If £800 is your max budget then you're not going to get anything worth buying.
Please, whatever you do, DO NOT buy that!
audi321 said:
Really?? Decathlon sell these type of things don’t they? Doubt they’ll be putting their brand reputation to something as dangerous as you’re making out?
As do Halfords.My wife commutes on a carrera vengeance - list price around £1K, bought in as new condition for £500, 5 or 6 months old.
She loves it, it's been back for one minor warranty repair (2 years on electric components IIRC).
Is it a proper mountain bike for serious use? Heck no. But for road use, towpath and light trails it's absolutely fine. And after 2 years it still looks pretty good.
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/electric-bikes/carr...
The cheapest full suspension mountain bike Decathlon sell is £2,800. Even then the components it comes with are crap but it costs that because it comes with a proper Bosch motor and battery, not some brandless Chinese st.
I really don't want to sound like a prick but you really would be wasting £800 on something that is useless and dangerous.
Have a quick google about house fires caused by e-bike's and you wont want anything like that in your house!
t. I really don't want to sound like a prick but you really would be wasting £800 on something that is useless and dangerous.
Have a quick google about house fires caused by e-bike's and you wont want anything like that in your house!
bobbo89 said:
stuff
If you want a serious e-mountain bike you have to spend a lot of money.This should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Dismissing anything cheaper as dangerous brandless chinese s
t is just silly though.I've given our experience of a Halfords bike (which has a Suntour hub drive).
Yeah that Amazon bike is a chunk of junk. Hub motor, no brand battery, who knows brakes, I wouldn't have one in the house. Btw, I bought a gen 1 Decathlon Stilus back when they were lockdown hot potatoes & other than the Rockshox 35 & the Smart Sam tyres, both of which I got rid of, it was great.
monthou said:
If you want a serious e-mountain bike you have to spend a lot of money.
This should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Dismissing anything cheaper as dangerous brandless chinese st is just silly though.
I've given our experience of a Halfords bike (which has a Suntour hub drive).
Suntour is fine, they're not brandless, in fact they're very good and make the DVO's I run on my trail bike. This should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Dismissing anything cheaper as dangerous brandless chinese s
t is just silly though.I've given our experience of a Halfords bike (which has a Suntour hub drive).
My concern is people being tempted into spending their hard earned on something that is not only not fit for purpose but also potentially dangerous.
bobbo89 said:
monthou said:
If you want a serious e-mountain bike you have to spend a lot of money.
This should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Dismissing anything cheaper as dangerous brandless chinese st is just silly though.
I've given our experience of a Halfords bike (which has a Suntour hub drive).
Suntour is fine, they're not brandless, in fact they're very good and make the DVO's I run on my trail bike. This should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Dismissing anything cheaper as dangerous brandless chinese s
t is just silly though.I've given our experience of a Halfords bike (which has a Suntour hub drive).
My concern is people being tempted into spending their hard earned on something that is not only not fit for purpose but also potentially dangerous.
FWIW I run a bafang mid-drive on an old rockhopper - I wouldn't recommend that but not because it isn't safe. And that cost me about £600 to put together.
monthou said:
Very laudable. But saying you can't get a safe e-bike for less than £2K just isn't true.
FWIW I run a bafang mid-drive on an old rockhopper - I wouldn't recommend that but not because it isn't safe. And that cost me about £600 to put together.
If you want a full suspension e-mtb like he posted then anything sub £2k brand new is garbage. FWIW I run a bafang mid-drive on an old rockhopper - I wouldn't recommend that but not because it isn't safe. And that cost me about £600 to put together.
Yes, you can buy hub drive commuters both new and second hand for reasonable money but no teenage lad is going to want that.
bobbo89 said:
monthou said:
Very laudable. But saying you can't get a safe e-bike for less than £2K just isn't true.
FWIW I run a bafang mid-drive on an old rockhopper - I wouldn't recommend that but not because it isn't safe. And that cost me about £600 to put together.
If you want a full suspension e-mtb like he posted then anything sub £2k brand new is garbage. FWIW I run a bafang mid-drive on an old rockhopper - I wouldn't recommend that but not because it isn't safe. And that cost me about £600 to put together.
Yes, you can buy hub drive commuters both new and second hand for reasonable money but no teenage lad is going to want that.
monthou said:
I have a 20 year old at home who would disagree with you re the vengeance. But then he's a casual cyclist, not a serious mountain biker.
If it suits his needs then fair enough but I don't see that as a proper mountain bike, it's a commuter made to look like a mountain bike. They've even welded aluminium sections to the downtube near the BB to make it look like a mid-drive bike rather than the hub-drive bike that it is. Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff