Which eBike?

[czmate1999]

Hi All,

A little off topic, but thinking more and more about an ebike since riding a few over the summer. Has anyone got any recommendations.

Brands i am currently looking at are:

- Cube (thanks @moomin-j) and
- Haibike

Also at the start of summer there was talk of Govt subsidies for eBikes but I haven't heard anything since, it was supposed to be about a third off... has anyone heard anything else on this?

Cheers

CZ.

 

[dubber36]

The first questions are,

- Where do you want to ride it?
- What is your budget?

 

[Linoleum Bonypart]

There is the tide to work scheme...
Look at... Moustache
Bergamont
Wisper
All good bikes you don't see often in physical bike shops
Depends how much and what specs you want

 

[andys]

I've got a Haibike at the moment and have been happy with it but am planning to ask Santa to replace it with a Cube 160 at xmas, hope he takes part ex Good time to be buying with all the new models and motors coming out

 

[Toad]

Had a first go on a Bafang converted mountain bike last Saturday. What a hoot! Just somewhat put off by the £800 price tag for the kit.

 

[czmate1999]

The first questions are,

- Where do you want to ride it?
- What is your budget?

Hi,

Mainly road but also some trails and forest rides.

£2-3k with grant, if it becomes available?

cheers.

Cz

 

[Pete C]

My wife has a Boardman hybrid e-bike. Very happy on the simple off-road stuff, and she makes me sweat on the climbs trying to keep up with her.
Cost was about £2k from Halfords.

Pete

 

[andys]

Hi All,

A little off topic, but thinking more and more about an ebike since riding a few over the summer. Has anyone got any recommendations.

Brands i am currently looking at are:

- Cube (thanks @moomin-j) and
- Haibike

Also at the start of summer there was talk of Govt subsidies for eBikes but I haven't heard anything since, it was supposed to be about a third off... has anyone heard anything else on this?

Cheers

CZ.

And make sure you watch Rob's EMTB reviews on Youtube, he's a forum member too.

 

[GraemeP]

Like TVs, the tech is changing very quickly. As others have said, think about use and buy the right bike. I know a few people that have got long travel slack bikes, and are eating through drive trains, blowing up forks and shocks. The bikes are getting really good, but the components aren’t ready really! I’d have a YT Decoy I think.

 

[JPL]

Hi - have the 1.5 hard tail (hardseven) - well made - looks good imho - does well on the roads but Gears Top out quickly and I’m not that fit so I end up wanting to drop another cog

Faultless on the trails for the price and takes small jumps ok

if you haven’t had one before though they weigh a ton if lifting over a field gate So check them out before you buy

 

[Baylisstic]

Agree the technology is changing rapidly but most are great and depends a bit on priorities, I had a Focus Jam2 which was great and now have a specialised Levo comp which I adore! Friends have Cube, Focus and Merida all great bikes and they job well.
Test rides are great if you can get them, you’ll be hooked

 

[czmate1999]

Agree the technology is changing rapidly but most are great and depends a bit on priorities, I had a Focus Jam2 which was great and now have a specialised Levo comp which I adore! Friends have Cube, Focus and Merida all great bikes and they job well.
Test rides are great if you can get them, you’ll be hooked

Hi,

the Levi comp looks amazing... slightly over budget for me - thinking maximum £2-3k (also hoping the Govt sorts out a grant).

 

[dubber36]

The Levo Comp is a full suspension MTB. Is that not a bit overkill for road and the odd trail?

 

[czmate1999]

The Levo Comp is a full suspension MTB. Is that not a bit overkill for road and the odd trail?

I’m edging towards a haibike or cube at the moment - have had an hour ride on and off road on the haibike - it was very good and a quick cycle ride a campsite on a cube also seemed good.

 

[DXX]

When I see Halfords and bicycles mentioned in the same sentence I cringe. I had a relative who assembled bikes at Halfords in Plymouth, the target quantity was ridiculous to achieve even a reasonable quality standard. He stated that Halfords generate additional income by getting customers back in the store for warranty issues, once in store it’s generally a junior member who has to pacify them and the customer inevitably ends up buying some accessories or upgrades.
IMO stick to a proper bicycle dealer.

 

[czmate1999]

When I see Halfords and bicycles mentioned in the same sentence I cringe. I had a relative who assembled bikes at Halfords in Plymouth, the target quantity was ridiculous to achieve even a reasonable quality standard. He stated that Halfords generate additional income by getting customers back in the store for warranty issues, once in store it’s generally a junior member who has to pacify them and the customer inevitably ends up buying some accessories or upgrades.
IMO stick to a proper bicycle dealer.

Yup, can’t imagine spending that kind of money in Halfords!1

 

[Ayjay]

I don't know much about Halfords bikes in general but a cycling pal of mine has a couple of Boardmans (a carbon road bike and a gravel bike) from them which he swears by and they seem very good bikes for the money. For both buys, he let the spotty faced 17 year old bike technician in the store do his pre-delivery stuff but then took the bike home and went over the entire thing himself again. I followed exactly the same process when I bought a rather more expensive bike from Evans a few years ago. Normally, they wouldn't have been my go to bike shop but on that occasion they were about £1500 cheaper than anywhere else for the same bike.

On E-bikes, I'm looking at getting one for my wife some time before next summer and am keeping an eye on developments (I may also need to get one for also for myself if I find I'm struggling to keep up with her!). BUT the single biggest factor putting me off at the moment is the sheer weight of most of the them. Yes, I appreciate it's a full sus MTB etc. but that Specialized Levo thing weighs in at over 22Kg which is ridiculous in this day and age - indeed, some might even struggle to get it on a bike rack. Maybe I think that way because I'm just not used to heavy bikes anymore as I only ride road bikes and the two that I've got weigh in at about 7.5 Kg (full carbon 'dry' weather bike) and about 9 Kg (Aluminium winter bike with full mudguards). I appreciate that neither are super lightweights but they seem so in comparison to a lot of E-bikes.

 

[JetSetWilly]

I've got a Boardman HYB. 8.9E (yes, from Halfords). I, like others didn't want a 25kg ebike so the Boardman at around 18kg was a good compromise (plus the fazua motor and battery can be removed saving around another 4.6kg). I've had a few bikes over the years from both Halfords and LBS, and I always find the Halfords experience just depends on if you're lucky enough to get a tech who is experienced and cares about the bikes. When I collected my Boardman ebike from Halfords, the 'tech' asked me if it was an ebike, shouldn't you know? I asked...
As for the Boardman, good bike in principle but it's not the most powerful motor or battery so it relies on user input. I did nearly 50 miles yesterday and had 48% battery left when I was home but I'm a fairly fast rider who chooses roads without too much stopping. Bottom bracket bolts have come loose and the battery release is a pain, gear changes (deore) sound is awful and clunky when using power but silent without so have concerns over drive train longevity
I have a Boardman MX Comp in the garage that, with hindsight I would have perhaps fitted an e bike conversion to (Whoosh come highly recommended)
My Wife had one go on my ebike and said that's it, I'm getting one. She picks up an Oxygen ebike this week from our local LBS.
Overall, I think ebikes are fantastic. They just give that bit of assistance when you need it (steep hills and head winds).
My last bike I sold was a Giant defy advanced, full carbon. Fantastic bike but I was starting to feel the longer bikes and so was loosing interest. The ebike have certainly reignited my interest.

 

[dubber36]

At the moment, I'm cycling about 250 miles per week on the road, so am out and about seeing what other people are riding. This year has seen so many more people taking up cycling, but I can't help wondering what made them choose the bikes they did. There are lots of Carrera and Boardman MTBs riding around on the road. They obviously just went into Halfords and asked for "one of those please."

This is why I initially asked where the bike would be ridden. Ebike or not, it's unnecessary hard work lugging around a big, heavy MTB, when a road, gravel or hybrid bike is what would suit the needs better. Or is it they like the look of the thing?

 

[Ayjay]

Dubber talks a lot of sense there. On his first point, when lockdown really kicked off, a lot of people decided to buy a bike for exercise or whatever and Halfords was the go to place as a lot of them wouldn't have given it much further thought. Personally, I also reckon that next year will see a lot of those bikes coming onto the second hand market as they are unsuitable for the individuals or they discover that riding a bike is easy when the sun's shining but it takes a little bit more commitment (not to mention decent kit) to carry on doing it through the depths of winter. Personally, I was happy with the surge in demand for bikes - I sold a fairly low mileage 7 year old Specialised Hybrid 'pub bike' that I only paid £600 for (end of season sale plus an extra discount) as I wanted the space in the shed. I cleaned of the cobwebs, fed it some lube and It went on eBay with a starting price of £50 - it eventually sold a week later for £510. I was well chuffed and the bloke who collected it thought he had a bargain as well.