Yet ANOTHER electric bike question! (1 Viewer)

[Revolvor]

I want to get an e-bike to use with my Motorhome, but do not want to spend much over £1000. I have seen a second-hand Wisper 906 Alpino (2011) advertised locally for £495. It has a front wheel motor and 14Ah battery and looks in good condition.
Does that seem a good buy, or would I be better off spending more and getting a new/newer alternative?

One reservation I have is the fact that in order to future-proof it as I get less agile, a step-through might be better. Also, does anyone have any experience of Dahon folding bikes? Is a 20" wheel suitable for typical motorhome use, or are they only suitable for commuting?
Thanks,
John

 

[Ranger]

I believe Wisper are good bikes but the main thing with any used electric bikes is the battery, some only last around three years or less if mistreated and can cost around £500 to replace.

 

[Mikeco]

Decathlon do a sensible priced step through for around £600 which has been good enough for us for the last two years.

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[injebreck99]

I use a full size dutch style bike, it works well for me, I think crank drive bikes are more efficient , but more expensive, rear hub drives are better than front drive, or so Im told, small wheel bikes are unstable over uneven surfaces, compared to big wheel bikes, try before you buy is the answer.
We would not be without ours.

 

[Revolvor]

@Ranger @Mikeco @injebreck99 Thanks for your advice guys. I just have to make some decisions.
John

 

[Judge Mental]

@Ranger @Mikeco @injebreck99 Thanks for your advice guys. I just have to make some decisions.
John

Noooooo.... what you have to do is get out there and try a few! including hill climbing, not just a quick whizz round a car park as they are all reasonably impressive while doing not much

You will then see why the far more efficent crank/centre drive systems (that drive through the gears) from the likes of Bosch cost a little more...simply because they are worth it, and will encourage you to cycle more.... most cheap hub drive bikes end up in the garage gathering dust

taken from other thread - within your budget, mens available as well:

"ebay.de - look at adds that allow offers like this one..you can be surprised what they will accept this time of year with 2015 stock to shift

Broken Link Removed

This one £862 postage normally around 40-60 quid. would try an offer £700 and take it from here. even at advertised price its very good value."

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[Kim H]

We have Wisper bikes. Mine is the 705 classic and hubbies the 905 classic. We're really pleased with them and would definitely recommend them. They are a bit pricey, but you can buy them on 2 years interest free credit.

http://www.ebikeshed.co.uk/products/wisper-705-classic.php#.Vj8viXrfWrU

 

[musson]

My wife has a freego dutch style (£1000ish) I have whoosh mountain bike cost £600 with 15amp hr battery it works great and for the money has a same controls as the more expensive models does about 30/35mile ish if you pedel l would I buy another yes.

 

[Minxy]

When I started researching into this before we got our bikes I found that front hub drives are not great as they 'drag' you up hills etc rather than 'push' you and can loose grip as they don't have a lot of weight on them, which is why I believe most electric bikes are now either crank or rear hub drive.

We needed some bikes which would meet our very specific needs, namely folding and light weight as the bike rack on our camper van can only take 35kg max and most electric bikes, even with the batteries and seats removed still weigh over 17kg (each) so not suitable. We did get some Pro-Rider 20" ones which were good bikes but unfortunately the seller had made a mistake with the weight of them, and despite my ringing to check before purchasing them, they were about 5kg heavier than we were told so reluctantly had to return them - the seller was very good about it and admitted it was his mistake so paid for the return courier. We therefore got some Evora bikes from Bicycles4U which are light so meet our needs in that respect but they also have other benefits, price (yes they are cheap but aren't 'cheaply' made); the battery is in the frame and can be charged in situ or taken out to charge (something which you can't do with all bikes); being in the frame the bike doesn't 'look' like an electric one so is less appealing to thieves IMV; it also means that the frame isn't longer than it needs to be to accommodate a battery behind the seat post which a lot have; it has a chain ring with 52 teeth which is larger than most 20" wheel bikes which are usually 40-42 teeth, this means you don't have to pedal so frantically to 'keep up' with the motor/speed and also if you use it without assistance, again is a much more pleasant bike to ride as your legs aren't having to go round so much. The batteries aren't expensive either (I think it was £150 when I asked before we purchased the bikes) so getting a spare won't break the bank either:

http://bicycles4u.com/products/evora-electric-explorer

We are very pleased with ours and the only change we made was to get some 'big bottom' saddles with good springs in them (about £7 off ebay I think) and these have made it much nicer to ride over uneven ground (the originals were okay for short trips and on roads, but when we did 18km on tracks we were a bit 'bruised'!).

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[Revolvor]

Thanks to all that bothered to reply to my post - much appreciated.
@Judgemental Thanks for your post. I had hoped you would reply as you obviously have a lot of practical experience. I will just have to curb my enthusiasm to buy something in a hurry. I have looked at the link you posted. Looks very good, though I can't find the men's equivalent. I have never purchased from German ebay, so will have to look into that. I think my biggest problem is that I don't know exactly what I want! A folding bike would be useful, but I am worried about smaller 20" wheels on rough ground. A step thru or a crossbar? Hub or Centre Drive? I am sure a Bosch is best, but not sure I can justify the cost. I will keep looking.
@katv Kim, as said in my original post, Wispers seem like good bikes. I think a new one is more than I want to spend though.
@musson I have looked at Whoosh & Frego - thanks for your feedback
@MinxyGirl Mel, thanks for sharing your experience with the Evora. Glad you eventually got bikes that suited you. Did you have to buy a spare battery to cater for the reduced capacity of the integral one? What are they like off-road? The low weight sounds very good.
John

 

[Minxy]

@MinxyGirl Mel, thanks for sharing your experience with the Evora. Glad you eventually got bikes that suited you. Did you have to buy a spare battery to cater for the reduced capacity of the integral one? What are they like off-road? The low weight sounds very good.
John

Hi John, we didn't buy a spare battery but did consider it, but I wanted to know how much one would be if we needed one in the future as some can cost a lot more. We haven't had a need to get one, admittedly we haven't used them anything like Eddie (Judgemental) does as he rides his at home a lot, but when we have we've found them very good and whether on tarmac or a rough track other than the reduction in speed due to friction etc that you'd get with any bike, it didn't make any difference. When we did the longish ride by the time we got back whilst the batteries had dropped one 'blob' (I checked when we stopped) by the time we went to use them again they had 'recovered' to 3 blobs WITHOUT being charged, so they must have used very little juice. We don't use them in 'no pedal' mode totally, although there are times when this can be beneficial, but the assistance they give means that we can ride bikes without a problem for distances that we'd struggle with otherwise, and therefore not even attempt to do.

Due to our specific needs we had to rule out a lot of electric bikes but we did consider quite a few which were a much higher price than ours but were not 'as good' in our view, for example I think it was a Whoosh folder that you could only charge up with the battery in the bike ... not much use if a MH when the bike is packed away in a bag and you need to charge it up from the cab 12v socket! One other thing with folders specifically, check the height that the handle bars can be raised to - a lot are quite low so you end up with a 'stooped' riding stance which for touring round can be quite tiring, ours go high if we want them to so they are 'perfect' for us, also the handlebar itself can be adjusted/twisted round to suit, something which a lot of them can't as it is rigid.

Have a look at the website as they do full sized ones too as well as larger wheeled folders and shaft drive:

http://bicycles4u.com/collections/electric-bikes

 

[Judge Mental]

There is no way I could recommend use of 20 inch wheeled bikes for use of tarmac! skittish don't come near it

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[Minxy]

There is no way I could recommend use of 20 inch wheeled bikes for use of tarmac! skittish don't come near it

Have to disagree judge ... never had a problem ... perhaps 'cause I'm a bit 'slimmer' than your Honour????

 

[Puddleduck]

try before you buy is the answer.

Noooooo.... what you have to do is get out there and try a few! including hill climbing, not just a quick whizz round a car park as they are all reasonably impressive while doing not much

Try try and try! There is no one size fits all.

 

[Don Quixote]

Have to disagree judge ... never had a problem ... perhaps 'cause I'm a bit 'slimmer' than your Honour????

I used the one that was loaned to me for a week "off road" and have to say 20in wheels do not feel as safe as full size, but none the less they did the job. No doubt @Judgemental rides a lot harder than the many MH owners would do or want to do.......... but for the odd ride across rough ground they work.
Two very good posts by @Broken Link Removed that cover what you need to know as a MH owner who wants a system that will cover their basic needs.

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[Lenny HB]

There is no way I could recommend use of 20 inch wheeled bikes for use of tarmac! skittish don't come near it

Have to agree test rode some 20" wheel bikes, frightening on gravel. (and I'm slimmer than Eddie )

 

[Puddleduck]

Having used a small wheel bike in the past I now have a 26 inch wheel bike and would never go back to a small wheel. The ride feels more stable and much smoother.

 

[Judge Mental]

Having used a small wheel bike in the past I now have a 26 inch wheel bike and would never go back to a small wheel. The ride feels more stable and much smoother.

Course it does....There is no comparison between a small wheeled bikes and full sized

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[Don Quixote]

I too have used full sized wheels since I was a boy and agree with all about the ride being more stable, but when you want to store your 500 quid or more bike in your MH garage or inside your MH 20in wheels fit most and once your used to the 20in wheel ride they feel like any full sized wheel.
At the end of the day like everything in the MH world we are all different and our needs are different, so whatever suits you sir...........

 

[Minxy]

As Puddleduck said "no one size fits all", you need to choose a bike that meets YOUR needs and that you are comfortable riding ... if you go for 20" wheels for size/space/weight saving but hate it, it will just sit there not being used, if you go for a larger wheel one but storing/carting it about is a pain, again you won't use it.

Decide what you want to use it for, how often etc, and that will help you decide on what suits best then you can look at actually buying one!

 

[Minxy]

Course it does....There is no comparison between a small wheeled bikes and full sized

It depends on the comparison your making Eddie ... now if it was one of thee types of small wheeled ones ... I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole except for it's intended purpose of a small distance bike for when commuting ... looks fun though!

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[Puddleduck]

It depends on the comparison your making Eddie ... now if it was one of thee types of small wheeled ones ... I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole except for it's intended purpose of a small distance bike for when commuting ... looks fun though!

No good for me - I wouldn't be able to get my leg over!!!!!

 

[Minxy]

No good for me - I wouldn't be able to get my leg over!!!!!

I think you'd normally mount it from the rear!

 

[Puddleduck]

I think you'd normally mount it from the rear!

Ohhh errrrrrr!!!!!!

And the dismount?

Still don't want one

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[Langtoftlad]

I got a ProRider E-Tourer
Broken Link Removed
for bumbling about off site when I don't want to move the MH.
Absolutely appreciate it isn't the 'best' in any category - but it was (relatively) cheap, I'm not an enthusiast, and it does the job perfectly adequately.
Never dropped more than one blob on the battery meter.

 

[Judge Mental]

Ohhh errrrrrr!!!!!!

And the dismount?

Still don't want one

don't blame you its a toy...just more rubbish to end up in the garage unloved.

 

[Puddleduck]

My AS Bike gets used - I'm not sure that even if I spent a lot more on a bike I would use it anymore.

I'm a fair weather cyclist not 'ard core. 26 miles in one day is about the limit I can do.

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[Dave and Ginny]

Don't dismiss the cheaper end of the market as it all depends on where and how you want to ride your bike! Ginny's £550 Pro Rider fold up is now over two years old, still going strong, the only problem ever being a broken spoke.

 

[Judge Mental]

All depends on what you want out of a bike..We dont have a second car and its used for most of my transport needs so the higher price justified. a car costs £3000 a year just to run let alone buy, so bike easily pays for itself...... Quality bikes are strong, ultra reliable, good load carriers, comfortable and fast. Most importantly they encourage cycling. Chalk and cheese...

 

[Dave and Ginny]

Totally agree Eddie, it all depends on what you want. Ginny's is no good for me as I like to ride the canal tow paths and cycle tracks where my all peddling hybrid is adequate. But if you do just want to potter about, do a bit of shopping and maybe total journey is up to 18 or 2o miles then spending the kind of money that will allow you to do that is good enough...I would have thought.

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