Reply With QuoteThere was a recent bike appreciation thread on here and someone posted photos of theirs with glowing reports. Can't recall the person or make sorry but did notice that the components looked decent spec.
Hi guys
My wife Linda fancies getting an E mountain bike and I wondered if anyone on here has got one and if so what are they like, I am looking at possibly Haibike and Cube although I hadn't heard of either :) I know this market has really grown in technology and design and they are becoming more and more popular so any help or advice would be appreciated
Thanks
There was a recent bike appreciation thread on here and someone posted photos of theirs with glowing reports. Can't recall the person or make sorry but did notice that the components looked decent spec.
Ahh ok thanks for that but whether I can find the thread is another matter :)Originally Posted by dustybottoms
I would highly recommend that you have a chat with Steve at http://electricmountainbikes.blogspo...nversions.html He is a good guy and very knowledgable. We have had three varied bikes/trikes from him. He is a one man band and his level of service is excellent. His work is bespoke and that allows a lot of options.
My first was a Montague paratrooper with Heinzmann high torque steel geared conversion, fantastic fun and practical, would climb until you let go!
We then put a Heinzmann on my recumbent trike, used to tow my daughters recumbent Haze trike. We racked up 6.5k miles on the school run.
My wife had her Trek mtg fitted with an internal seat tube motor weighing only 1kg, amazing power from such a small motor and wonderful in the Alps with great range.
Nigel
Great. Open thread thinking 'why would you want an electric mountain bike'
10 mins later, I think its a perfect option for me for where I've moved to due to being at the very top of a hill! Goddam it. Search commences
Well I like biking and Linda feels bad because she slows me down but it doesn't bother me but I think for her one of these would make it all so much fun so we are looking at maybe Cube or Hailbike but crikey they aren't cheap
I've already decided I'm going to get a Greenedge CS2 to try out. £649. Seems to get good reviews. Then will take it from there.
So thanks Andy! lol.
But yes a good option. I've got a Rockrider 8.1 but I've just moved to a very rural area and think this would be a good mix.
Last edited by senwar; 6th January 2016 at 00:42. Reason: rockrider 8.1 not rockhopper 8.2!
Nice one but I think a mtb will cost the best part of £3000 but I can get it through the cycle to work scheme although I have no idea how that works or how much I will save so if anyone can shed some light on the potential saving on a £3000 bike that would be great.
The Greenedge CS2 is an MTB. Not saying go for it but it looks a great starting option definitely for me anyway. I've had access myself to C2W but never used it.
This is what I'm going to try anyway
http://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/Item/...tain_Bike.aspx
Decent video review here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o588zGaU9CE
Good luck with your search anyway
Looks great but I am looking for a higher spec hence the £3000 price point! I have seen a nice Cube at £2700 so I will do some research and see what happens, let me know how you get on though :)
Andy
No probs, and get ya. Will do. A water tester this for me.
I think you are going to love it :)
lol - changed already before ordering the one I mentioned earlier
Ended up ordering this (https://expedition-bikes.co.uk/produ...ectric-e-bike/) - Just thought it looked better/nicer
I am so easily swayed. Will probably sell my rockrider now too
hehe nice one enjoylol - changed already before ordering the one I mentioned earlier
Ended up ordering this (https://expedition-bikes.co.uk/produ...ectric-e-bike/) - Just thought it looked better/nicer
I am so easily swayed. Will probably sell my rockrider now too
I use a hybrid Ansmann FT 15.
3 knee ops mean that a standard bike for long distances isn't really an option.
Sadly they no longer produce them though they were pretty high spec and were made by one of Europe's biggest battery manufacturers.
The market has a high attrition rate with firms coming and going very quickly. It is therefore a good idea to stay with one of the big players to improve your chances of long term support from the manufacturer. Ansmann have proved to be fantastic despite pulling out of manufacturing the whole bike. Haibike and Reismann seem to be two of the market stayers for MTB type bikes.
Last year I cycled from the UK to Spain to visit my daughter. Fantastic 6 week trip on an e-bike and, after a couple of weeks, used very little assist. This year we are doing Dieppe to Paris. A great option for those who want a bit of extra help to keep fit or just want to keep up!
Last edited by davestrong; 6th January 2016 at 01:09. Reason: Correction!
Good advice thanks and I think we will be going with the more well known players either Haibike or Cube at the moment.
My sister bought a Scott version to help her get out more after a stroke, I went round for a look and thought it was a £500 spec mountainbike with a battery that cost £2000. Had a go on it and couldn't believe the thing, you really could get up anything on it. Think there were three settings and even on 'turbo' it still had a great range (think about 150 miles was max), obviously you still have to pedal as it only assists, it's not a motor as such but if you don't mind spending the money they are great options for people to get out and enjoy cycling who may not fancy spending weeks getting to a level of fitness to do a 15 mile pootle
Here's the thread mentioned above http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...=1#post3593906
A friend of mine who I go out cycling with has a pretty decent Haibike model. Since he had reasonably progressed Parkinson's it makes it possible for him to still rode with me or others and not feel like he is slowing anyone down. He's done quite a few 50 mile rides now which would have been out of the question on a regular MTB. So they do seem a great option for levelling the playing field between riders of different capabilities.
Here you go:
#714
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...thread!/page15
[edit: already been linked to, sorry!]
Last edited by warns74; 6th January 2016 at 17:45.
I am a keen mountain biker and attended the Felt bikes 2016 demo day. The electric bikes were the pick of the entire range and I can't remember having such a big smile on my face for a long time. Racing round Sherwood pines against mates all on electric bikes was awesome... One was an electric fat bike!
Are there any electric assist ones with a charging hub that would charge the battery? you can get them for charging usb devices like your phone and GPs etc... so I don't see why not...
Unless there's a medical or physical reason for needing an assisted bike, why not buy an ordinary machine, which will be almost half the weight, and build up the distance you can comfortably cycle? Cycling is a good way to attain and retain fitness, you may as well get a motorbike otherwise.
F.T.F.A.
There are a few reasons why but I can't be bothered to explain them to you as you clearly know best.
Why then bother to post in the first place and reply like a petulant child when someone takes the time to reply? I didn't ask about your reasons, and I certainly don't claim to know best, but gave my opinion on the thread topic. I would seek advice about the saddle on your bike, being so sensitive you may develop a sore ar$e.
I must have misinterpreted your post so please accept my apology it has been a long hectic day and of course I appreciate you taking time to post your opinion.
Last edited by andy armitage; 7th January 2016 at 20:15.
Addressed :]
Nigel
Last edited by tempfort; 7th January 2016 at 23:14.
Accepted, I assure you I didn't intend to seem patronising. Enjoy your riding, if this damned rain ever stops.......
Lots of info on pedelecs.co.uk. As always do your research. http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/ link.
Thanks and I know you didn't :) the thing is my wife Linda used to be a great off-road rider but since we got our little dog we sort of stopped riding and went out walking in the peaks dales etc and we still do but I had to retire from playing football due to my knees being knackered so I have been getting back into biking and Linda wants to but she feels she doesn't have the strength or stamina to keep up with me and she feels she will be the slowest but that just doesn't bother me but it does her :)
She also suffers every morning with sore Achilles for some weird reason so the full suspension e mountain bike will just give her that bit of help up the gruelling hills, in fact I had a little go on one today and it was just amazing, so she will enjoy her biking again and it will become fun rather than a gruelling time for her, she still has to physically pedal the bike and herself around so it will still be good exercise and as for the rain I don't think it will ever stop 😀
Parents in law have have one each to accompany the motor home and they love them. Used lots to tour around and go to shops etc. Can't remember the make (could find out) but they were c£1100 about 3 years back and seem to be functioning fine with a decent distance from the battery providing you pedal occasionally. In summary, heartily recommend if pedaling longer distances has become challenging.
Electric bikes can suffer from component failures, especially due to off road use, weather and battery issues. If you pick a nice bike with a good fit, then a good conversion kit can prove to be a sensible option. It allows for individual components to be changed. It is an area where you get what you pay for. I ran several batteries from Heinzmann, they were still in good condition after over four years of use. They stood up to daily use and charging, friends who opted for cheaper motors and batteries didn't fair so well.
If you can afford it then the new Vivax is a fantastic light weight option that hardly effects the handling of a bike, but feels like someone is pushing you up the hills. If she really needs to hammer up the hills, then the crank mounted Sunstar kits are very good but not upto the torque of a steel geared rear hub motor. The downside of the hub is the good ones for off road are heavy, as are the batteries.
Weight and distribution of the components also have an effect on how you transport the bikes without causing damage.
Nigel
Thanks for that Nigel you seem to know your stuff :) You are right you do get what you pay for I called into my local Cube dealer today and was very impressed with the e bikes and the quality etc also the staff really knew their stuff so I will take her in to have a look.
As as for a conversion I don't think we can do one on her current bike due to the shape of the frame.
Andy
You are welcome, it is worth checking the standard of the normal bike components, including the wheels etc to see how a manufacturers bike stacks up against a suitable bike plus cost of conversion and kit.
I posted a link earlier, so you can estimate fitting costs etc
Nigel
Fab I will have a look :)
Well just wanted to thank you Andy after pointing me in the direction of something I'd never considered or thought necessary! This turned up Thursday and I finished the build last night.
A budget version but excellent and will be ideal for the new area where I live. Very quick blast on it earlier and really impressed. So thanks again for this thread!
Wow well done it looks great Linda rode a Scott road version just to try one with a Bosch motor and I also had a spin and it was actually shocking we couldn't believe how amazing the power was and so smooth so hopefully we will order one next week but please let me know how you get on with yours 😀Well just wanted to thank you Andy after pointing me in the direction of something I'd never considered or thought necessary! This turned up Thursday and I finished the build last night.
A budget version but excellent and will be ideal for the new area where I live. Very quick blast on it earlier and really impressed. So thanks again for this thread!
Andy
Will do. Can't wait to get out on it properly!
Hope that's not a replacement for the scooter!Well just wanted to thank you Andy after pointing me in the direction of something I'd never considered or thought necessary! This turned up Thursday and I finished the build last night.
A budget version but excellent and will be ideal for the new area where I live. Very quick blast on it earlier and really impressed. So thanks again for this thread!
On a serious note though definitely give an update I'm tempted to get one of these now (damned this thread!).
Ooh no mate. Been out on that today. Bit of an error as riding home from the Wednesday match was torrential Baltic rain. Scary.
But will let you know once I've given this a good go.
Ah bugger - Ive avoided going out on mine in the current weather - wind here especially seems to change direction constantly so i'm going to be a fair weather rider from now on!
Did you ever get round to getting one Andy?
I've used mine sparingly since getting it (too cold!) but had my first good run out on Saturday. 28.6 miles from home to Holmfirth and back. Unfortunately the majority of the way back was hills and I tried to use it on a few but the bike kept cutting out and seemingly was hard to ride! Have been chatting at length with the company today and it seems the battery was nearly flat even though showing 80% left. Plus I've only ridden 50 miles in total and I'd say less than 10% has been with the battery on. The range is supposedly 40 miles.
Sounds like this is due to the fact it had gone nearly 4 weeks without use until the beginning of last week AND I'd left the battery on the bike - the advice is to actually have it stored at room temperature. Recharged it today and all seems good again so off to try it tonight.
Really impressed with the bike overall and learnt a bit about looking after them today. Annoyingly, the one I've bought have brought out a 2016 model with improved features and I'm very tempted to get one of the newer ones now and sell mine on. Probably daft to do so though but will see. Happy to recommend these though.
Anyway, a pic from my ride
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