Electric Bikes (AGAIN)

Teuchter

Teuchter

LIFE MEMBER
Deceased RIP
Joined
Nov 4, 2014
Posts
1,404
Likes collected
4,003
Location
Lee on the Solent
Funster No
34,115
MH
Hymer Mercedes MLI 580
Exp
I have been caravanning for 32 years but in 2014 I have"gone over to the dark side"
I have read with great interest the other threads and gained much valuable advice by doing so so a big thank you to all who contributed apologies for bringing this subject up yet again however I am close "make up your mind" time and some further advice would be welcome.

I have decided to rule out any wheel hub motor and go for a centre or "Crank" mounted one under £2k and my favourites at the moment seem to be

Kalkhoff pro connect impulse 9 men's and Raleigh Motus ladies

Opinions and alternatives please :)
 
All good .
But IMO
There are a couple of funsters with loads of experence of these bikes
One is Judgemental very knows loads about these.
Cant rember the other
Maybe @Judgemental will see this and reply

Mel
 
Munchie said:
We are thinking of getting a Motus each when next in UK!
Click to expand...

I am still unsure which is the best motor - the Bosch as fitted to the Motus, the Kalkhoff impulse or the old Panasonic !
 
Cheers Mel:)

@Teuchter, your moving in the right direction with your choices, have you test ridden these bikes up hill and down dale? as at the end of the day its a personal decision....

My preference for Bosch, prefer battery low in the frame as better for balance and a normal wheelbase. @lennyhb looked at the Raleigh, though the build quality cheap and nasty, some other membrs have bought them and seem happy with them though.

Len went for a pair of Scott e-sub Tour 10's. (£2200 here) imported a pair and saved £800. nice looking bikes. whatever you get buy abroad and save a few quid..saying that you can get sale 2015 bikes this time of year both sides of the channel.. just compare.

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Scott-E-SUB-Tour-10-2015-Electric-Bike_73202.htm

go through German ebay and get an idea of euro prices here:

http://tinyurl.com/o5fe6y8

I like full suspension high end, certainly not for everyone but dont run a 2nd car so justify it that way....used daily weather permitting. The latest Bosch performance motor is very good, they now have a 500 watt battery available as well. new motor manufacturer to watch is Brose..pricey theough.

let me know what you want out of a bike and ill try and help

Eddie

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Judgemental said:
try them! you will soon know
Click to expand...

Thanks @Judgemental - from your previous posts on the subject of E bikes I value your opinion highly so

Which Bike to you reccomend under £2k?

Which motor do you think the best

Thank you in advance :)
 
It doesn't look like you are looking for a folding one but for anyone who is I can highly recommend the Solex Mobiky (bought earlier this year and find it much better than previous dutch e-bike)- it is not heavy, lovely to ride, even on hills and it folds like no other bike, taking much less space as does not fold on itself but concertina upwards. Also easier in this configuration to walk with i.e. on train platforms etc.
http://www.solexworld.co.uk/en/produit/3-SOLEX-BY-MOBIKY.html
 
I have the Kalkhoff pro connect impulse and am very pleased - about a year old now and no problems - good range 80 miles if sensible and very good on hills as live in peak district. My wife has the step through Kalkhoff anfd very pleased - a year older so not as good a range but still 30 plus.
 
Teuchter said:
Thanks @Judgemental - from your previous posts on the subject of E bikes I value your opinion highly so

Which Bike to you recommend under £2k?

Which motor do you think the best

Thank you in advance :)
Click to expand...

just googled e bike shops on googlemaps where you live, plenty of bike shops. you will have to look on their websites to see what they have. not clear what your after as you mention both crossbar and step through in your introduction

once I know ill look around for you but Scott as mentioned earlier a really good make? its reviewed here but by a dealer but seems an honest appraisal
http://www.cyclingmadeeasy.co.uk/electric-bike-reviews/scott-sub-10-electric-bike-review/
ignore the price have seen them from £1500 here, all good makes Felt, Cube as well on link

Broken Link Removed

the E sub 20's in link have the shimano steps drive not Bosch.. relativily new motor and dont know much about it. E Sub 10's have the bosch. try them and compare..look at reviews

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
As @Judgemental is aware we are in the process of buying 2 eBikes, but as of yet have not found one that we can say "yes this is the one", however we have been given 2 on loan ( thinks we are going to buy them ) for 5 days now and I have to say very very impressed. They are Spanish made, but sold all over the world. Here is a link to the model we are playing with:
http://electricbikereview.com/easy-motion/neo-volt/
Has totally changed my views of cycling. I would recommend you try before you buy. We passed a group of Spanish cyclists in all the kit yesterday and they stating "muy bueno que eres más rápido que somos" - very good you are faster then we are" and I was not even trying hard.
 
One of the problems of buying expensive bikes is that you will not leave them parked up anywhere while you have a look around. Decathlon do one for around £600 to £700 which do the job nicely and not too risky with a sturdy cable lock.
 
We have 2 Verza e bikes with the Bosch crank drive. The 300 watt battery. This was a big decision for us as we have historically towed a car on a trailer. We do circa 3 months twice a year in Europe. We decided to sell the 2 ordinary push bikes and get 2 electric ones, not tow a car and just hire when we needed. We needed good bikes as these would be our sole means of transport to the supermarket etc. We were concerned about the reports of throttle based hub bikes and their legality in Europe generally, so counted them out although that was where we started. Having been here for 6 weeks and seen the majority of Germans, French and Spanish on throttle bikes whizzing around like hells angels I dont know why I was concerned!
That aside we have found these bikes tremendous fun, we use them every day getting around 40 to 50 miles per charge, although I tend to charge whenever convenient. My wife is comfortable with the sport and turbo modes enabling her to keep up and manage every hill we have encountered so far. They have variable gears controlled by a simple twist grip and a visual graphic of a bike going uphill, but we only use them occasionally as the power support is so good. We have 2 large "outer edge" panniers each, these carry all the shopping including 12 packs of beer without any stress to us or the balance of the bike. The Bosch drive has a neat display panel and you can also connect a USB to it to charge the phone. I use sygic to navigate if we need and have a handlebar mounted waterproof case.
We looked around locally for the bikes and found a dealer with 2 bikes last winter that were end of year models he wanted shot of for new stock and of course twas not the season for cycling. So we got them for £1200 each reduced from £2700 if I remember, but after several visits and haggling.
As Eddie has said go to various shops and give them a go; at first we were unsure of the crank drive compared to the motor bike feel of the throttle hub drives, but as I have said felt we had no choice at the time. But after some 250 miles we are very at home with them and would recommend the concept.
 
Mikeco said:
One of the problems of buying expensive bikes is that you will not leave them parked up anywhere while you have a look around. Decathlon do one for around £600 to £700 which do the job nicely and not too risky with a sturdy cable lock.
Click to expand...
I cannot see why not, I know were have ours on loan, but have very good U-locks and cables and so far have no problem leaving them whilst we walk around town or city for a hour or two. We do remove the battery and lcd screen and store that in backpack.
May as well not buy them if your not going to leave them, it's like buying a MH and not leaving it in an aire/carpark/site whilst you explore.
At the end of the day if they want to steal your bike nothing will stop them.
 
sallylillian said:
We have 2 Verza e bikes with the Bosch crank drive. The 300 watt battery. This was a big decision for us as we have historically towed a car on a trailer. We do circa 3 months twice a year in Europe. We decided to sell the 2 ordinary push bikes and get 2 electric ones, not tow a car and just hire when we needed. We needed good bikes as these would be our sole means of transport to the supermarket etc. We were concerned about the reports of throttle based hub bikes and their legality in Europe generally, so counted them out although that was where we started. Having been here for 6 weeks and seen the majority of Germans, French and Spanish on throttle bikes whizzing around like hells angels I dont know why I was concerned!
That aside we have found these bikes tremendous fun, we use them every day getting around 40 to 50 miles per charge, although I tend to charge whenever convenient. My wife is comfortable with the sport and turbo modes enabling her to keep up and manage every hill we have encountered so far. They have variable gears controlled by a simple twist grip and a visual graphic of a bike going uphill, but we only use them occasionally as the power support is so good. We have 2 large "outer edge" panniers each, these carry all the shopping including 12 packs of beer without any stress to us or the balance of the bike. The Bosch drive has a neat display panel and you can also connect a USB to it to charge the phone. I use sygic to navigate if we need and have a handlebar mounted waterproof case.
We looked around locally for the bikes and found a dealer with 2 bikes last winter that were end of year models he wanted shot of for new stock and of course twas not the season for cycling. So we got them for £1200 each reduced from £2700 if I remember, but after several visits and haggling.
As Eddie has said go to various shops and give them a go; at first we were unsure of the crank drive compared to the motor bike feel of the throttle hub drives, but as I have said felt we had no choice at the time. But after some 250 miles we are very at home with them and would recommend the concept.
Click to expand...

Verza e bikes are from the manufacturer Felt I mentioned earlier along with Cube..Good makes

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Don Quixote said:
I cannot see why not, I know were have ours on loan, but have very good U-locks and cables and so far have no problem leaving them whilst we walk around town or city for a hour or two. We do remove the battery and lcd screen and store that in backpack.
May as well not buy them if your not going to leave them, it's like buying a MH and not leaving it in an aire/carpark/site whilst you explore.
At the end of the day if they want to steal your bike nothing will stop them.
Click to expand...


touch wood...never had a problem yet with security but we are careful and use good locks. As for riding a cheap chinese hub drive bike as a defense against theft......No thanks!lol would rather catch a bus:D
 
wanderingyp said:
It doesn't look like you are looking for a folding one but for anyone who is I can highly recommend the Solex Mobiky (bought earlier this year and find it much better than previous dutch e-bike)- it is not heavy, lovely to ride, even on hills and it folds like no other bike, taking much less space as does not fold on itself but concertina upwards. Also easier in this configuration to walk with i.e. on train platforms etc.
http://www.solexworld.co.uk/en/produit/3-SOLEX-BY-MOBIKY.html
Click to expand...
A better link with more detailed spec and only 17.5kg http://www.cyclingmadeeasy.co.uk/store/folding-electric-bikes/mobiky/youri/
 
We've both got the Kalkhoff bikes, mines the Urban one with smaller wheels, husband has the one that does nearly 30mph. we're really pleased with them. We tow our dog in his Tail Wagon - combined weight of around 36kg with ease.

Regarding security - firstly get them insured then buy good locks. My bike has an integrated lock - we usually lock the two together. Always leave them in view of everyone and your less likely to have them stolen.
 
I needed 26" wheels and from all the info on here I wanted a Bosch drive. I tried the KTM macina bold and thought it was great, but couldn't get one. I had contacted nationwide ebikes online who offered the gepido reptilla 900 as a comparable, I was doubtful as I had never heard of them.(Hungarian) I negotiated a good price and bought it. It's brilliant has a higher spec than the ktm, integral hub, lights battery powered, abus lock, 8 gears 400 watt battery. Nationwide ebikes very helpful to deal with too. Insured with Santander.
IMAG0262.jpg
 
I tried a bike with the Shimano drive it was terrible to ride, the motor didn't have enough power, going up hill you you had to constanly change gear. The Panasonic battery technology is old the batteries are twice the weight of Bosh .
The first e-bikes we tried were Kalkhoff seem very good until we tried other makes, in the end the Scott just felt right & have had them a few months now & still pleased with them.
The review Eddie links to is an old model couldn't reconise our bikes from the discription.
If I was buying now I think I would go for ones with 26" wheels, easier to get in motorhome garage, and do find the 28" can be a bit akward around town particularly for my 4'10" wife, but great on the open road.

Just got back from a ride up the local hillside in Greece reached 1003 feet rode from sea level, wouldn't have attemped it on a ordanory bike. Great fun freewheeling 4 miles back down hill.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Last edited:
As posted previously on here, both our Kalkhoff Agutti impulse bikes have had major problems with the crank freewheel mechanism, not what you'd expect on bikes just over two years old. I like the look of the new KTM's but as long as I can continue fixing the Kalkhoffs we'll stick with them as apart from that fault, they've been grand.
 
Judgemental said:
just googled e bike shops on googlemaps where you live, plenty of bike shops. you will have to look on their websites to see what they have. not clear what your after as you mention both crossbar and step through in your introduction

once I know ill look around for you but Scott as mentioned earlier a really good make? its reviewed here but by a dealer but seems an honest appraisal
http://www.cyclingmadeeasy.co.uk/electric-bike-reviews/scott-sub-10-electric-bike-review/
ignore the price have seen them from £1500 here, all good makes Felt, Cube as well on link

Broken Link Removed

the E sub 20's in link have the shimano steps drive not Bosch.. relativily new motor and dont know much about it. E Sub 10's have the bosch. try them and compare..look at reviews
Click to expand...

Thanks again @Judgemental - looking for one with crossbar & one step through - all on road or cycle track so don't need mountain bikes nor do we want folding bikes
 
Fed up now telling everyone about these bikes but just in case you are just after a bike for going to the shops or to the centre of town or whatever but not interested in doing the tour of France or up mountains you could do far worse than have a look at these
http://www.wayscral.com/en/6-notre-gamme
We have two , the stepthrough for Julie and I have the cross bar one, bought from norauto on special offer £580 for the two, not each, had them four months now , just can't fault them.
And as for judge rather catching the bus , that's what we do the bikes are only for if there isn't one, wouldn't catch me on any sort of bike if there's a free or cheap bus. (y):)
 
Oriel said:
We've both got the Kalkhoff bikes, mines the Urban one with smaller wheels, husband has the one that does nearly 30mph. we're really pleased with them. We tow our dog in his Tail Wagon - combined weight of around 36kg with ease.

Regarding security - firstly get them insured then buy good locks. My bike has an integrated lock - we usually lock the two together. Always leave them in view of everyone and your less likely to have them stolen.
Click to expand...

Do you realise your husband riding a totally illegal in the UK high speed bike? legal in Germany with insurance, tax and number plates but only on the road not bike lanes etc....we don't have a similar class here... Sorry

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Last edited:
chaser said:
Fed up now telling everyone about these bikes but just in case you are just after a bike for going to the shops or to the centre of town or whatever but not interested in doing the tour of France or up mountains you could do far worse than have a look at these
http://www.wayscral.com/en/6-notre-gamme
We have two , the stepthrough for Julie and I have the cross bar one, bought from norauto on special offer £580 for the two, not each, had them four months now , just can't fault them.
And as for judge rather catching the bus , that's what we do the bikes are only for if there isn't one, wouldn't catch me on any sort of bike if there's a free or cheap bus. (y):)
Click to expand...

We are all different... Live and let live?

Some really enjoy cycling on decent ebikes and don't get fixsated re the cost. My brother in law stayed last weekend,he has a £9500 road bike, one ride of mine and he has ordered one for his commute to work. So another car off the road..all good in my book!:)
 
Last edited:
jockaneezer said:
As posted previously on here, both our Kalkhoff Agutti impulse bikes have had major problems with the crank freewheel mechanism, not what you'd expect on bikes just over two years old. I like the look of the new KTM's but as long as I can continue fixing the Kalkhoffs we'll stick with them as apart from that fault, they've been grand.
Click to expand...

That's tough... KTM good value e bikes
 
A young friend of ours who we met up with in Greece last week took my bike out for a spin, he came back absolutely amazed couldn't believe how it went up the hills & boy are they steep here.
On yesterday's ride did think the Bosch Performance motor would have been nice, but at £400 a bike more & the amount of times we do that sort of hill climbing probably doesn't make financial sense, maybe next time.
 
lennyhb said:
A young friend of ours who we met up with in Greece last week took my bike out for a spin, he came back absolutely amazed couldn't believe how it went up the hills & boy are they steep here.
On yesterday's ride did think the Bosch Performance motor would have been nice, but at £400 a bike more & the amount of times we do that sort of hill climbing probably doesn't make financial sense, maybe next time.
Click to expand...

Have not found anyone yet who is not impressed by them....if they bother trying one that is.
 
Judgemental said:
Do you realise your husband riding a totally illegal in the UK high speed bike? legal in Germany with insurance, tax and number plates but only on the road not bike lanes etc....we don't have a similar class here... Sorry
Click to expand...


Oh well... it looks very understated and much like any other bike so he won't loose any sleep about that!

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top