Boardman HYB 8.9E women's: what version of the release mechanism are Halfords currently supplying?

[ashearwig]

First post, please be gentle.

I'm considering getting a ladies HYB 8.9E 48cm for my wife, so we went into a Halfords store recently that had (incidentally) both men's and women's versions of this bike, as well as the ADV 8.9E.

The men's version and the ADV had the new release mechanism below the down tube, and in both the battery+motor unit was very easy to remove. Turn the key, pull the latch (IIRC), out pops the unit. Replacing was similarly easy, with it clicking into place with a nice solid feel.

The women's version had the old release mechanism with a button on the top of the down tube; it took about 5 minutes of key twiddling by myself and the two (helpful) Halfords assistants before the unit was released. Even then, putting it back felt a bit mickey mouse, and not something I'd be inclined to rely on. It was a nightmare demonstration for the sales staff - who did their best - but it showed me that it would be completely unworkable for my wife to use.

So, we do like this bike, but I'd want to make sure that it came with the new mechanism. Unfortunately, the staff said there's no way you can specify that, so it's just pot luck as to what comes in from their warehouse. I'd rather not risk it (and although I know one can get a refund, that's not a practical option), so my question is:

Has anyone recently purchased a women's HYB 8.9E 48cm and did it have the new mechanism?

Thanks for your help.

 

[richtea]

Ours has an old-school release, and it can be quite tough to get out. Practice helps, but then again, having the new design is even better.

I'd ask Boardman direct. They're here:

Phone: :+44 (0) 1527 505 616
Email: contact@boardmanbikes.com

 

[ashearwig]

Thanks for that. I've had limited success contacting Boardman recently - they just directed me to Halfords when I emailed them, and again a few days later when I called them on that number!

Ho-hum.

 

[gzoom]

My bike has the original lock, it's used nearly every day for commuting. I take the battery out twice a day, 2 years+ on and no issues at all with the lock.

 

[ashearwig]

Thanks. I'm going to go for it in the next day or two and hope for the best.
Looking forward to "borrowing" it occasionally from my wife

 

[quilkin]

I'm also thinking of getting one of these for my other half, but don't want to do so if it's still the older release mechanism - so I'd be interested in how you got on.
Also, can anyone here ith a Fazua system tell me how quickly the battery kicks in when you start pedalling? One thing that's putting her off a heavy-ish e-bike is hill-starts - earlier ebikes seemed not to 'take off' until more than half a pedal revolution. Hill starts here in Cornwall are quite a common requirement when meeting an oncoming vehicle in a narrow lane.

 

[ashearwig]

Well, I'm very impressed with the Halfords system; ordered it on Sunday lunchtime and it arrived on Tuesday (opted for home delivery, rather than collect from store).

To answer your first question (and my original one!): yes it does come with the new release mechanism, which is a lever on the down tube; this for the 48cm women's version. The lock (it's an Abus lock, so they should know what they're doing) was initially very difficult. After a minute of trying both keys in both orientations, I really thought they'd sent the wrong keys for the lock! Then, suddenly, it unlocked. The keys are getting easier to use, with a little help from some WD40 and much jiggling; I think they'll get a lot easier with use. The release mechanism itself works just fine.

Charged up, and first ride round the block for my wife this morning. She's happy, so I'm happy

Sorry I can't answer your second question. It may depend where the rear wheel magnet is in relation to the sensor when you start; I imagine that if it's just passed the sensor, you have to do a full revolution of the wheel before the motor kicks in. If it's just about to pass the sensor, then it might kick in immediately. Just my tuppenceworth.

 

[richtea]

I'm also thinking of getting one of these for my other half, but don't want to do so if it's still the older release mechanism - so I'd be interested in how you got on.
Also, can anyone here ith a Fazua system tell me how quickly the battery kicks in when you start pedalling? One thing that's putting her off a heavy-ish e-bike is hill-starts - earlier ebikes seemed not to 'take off' until more than half a pedal revolution. Hill starts here in Cornwall are quite a common requirement when meeting an oncoming vehicle in a narrow lane.

Half a revolution is about right, for our 2020 version, before the power kicks in. Getting into the lowest gear before you stop will help, of course.
And try and convince the car to give way!

 

[quilkin]

To answer your first question (and my original one!): yes it does come with the new release mechanism, which is a lever on the down tube; this for the 48cm women's version.

Great, thanks for that. and glad that she's happy!

Sorry I can't answer your second question. It may depend where the rear wheel magnet is in relation to the sensor when you start; I imagine that if it's just passed the sensor, you have to do a full revolution of the wheel before the motor kicks in. If it's just about to pass the sensor, then it might kick in immediately. Just my tuppenceworth.

Hmm, I'd rather hoped that there'd be more than one sensor position per revolution (teh sensor is in teh crank, rather than the rear wheel, I assume).

Half a revolution is about right, for our 2020 version, before the power kicks in. Getting into the lowest gear before you stop will help, of course.
And try and convince the car to give way!

Trouble with a low gear for starting on a hill is that half a rev of the pedals doesn't get you going fast enough to get the other foot on the pedal and start balancing.....
...and some of our lanes are so narrow that a car 'giving way' isn't enough, I often have to stop and lean into the hedge while a car (or something bigger) crawls past!
So still looking for a definitive answer to this question, but maybe it's a Fazua question rather than a specific Boardman one.

 

[gzoom]

Hmm, I'd rather hoped that there'd be more than one sensor position per revolution (teh sensor is in teh crank, rather than the rear wheel, I assume).

As far as I can tell its pretty much 'instant', the power delivery is based on torque at the pedals not the wheel. I'll connect the bike up to Wahoo app for the commute home today which should give some power readings +speed(though the speed reading on my wife is not 'correct' for reasons related to the rear wheel sensor ).

 

[richtea]

As far as I can tell its pretty much 'instant', the power delivery is based on torque at the pedals not the wheel. I'll connect the bike up to Wahoo app for the commute home today which should give some power readings +speed(though the speed reading on my wife is not 'correct' for reasons related to the rear wheel sensor ).

Ah, interesting. Maybe ours isn't as quick to 'wake up' (or maybe I don't pedal hard enough initially). It will be interesting to see what you find.

As an aside our ebikemotion-based Orbea Gain is slower still to wake up - maybe a whole revolution (of the wheel rather than pedals).
I've not spent that long thinking about it whilst cycling, other than you do need to plan a little ahead when hitting the steeper inclines.
Then again, on a standard bike you still have to get your gear changes in swiftish too in the same situation.

 

[ashearwig]

Thinking about it a bit more, the wheel sensor probably only senses the road speed for the purposes of cutting out the motor.

My experience on hills is that you don't want to be in the lowest gear for a restart (it all depends on your gear ratios, of course); something like a 35-40" gear will get you moving enough to be stable, and you can then change down. By my calculations, the HYB 8.9E has a gear range of around 28.4" - 108.5", so 3rd gear at 37.3" would be about right. but YLMV (your legs may vary).

 

[gzoom]

Why guess when you have data....Ignore speed it's wrong, this was from 0mph. 0 watts to 300 watts in about 1 second on a mild hill, even T Pogačar will struggle manage that .

Another section was, pulling away from the traffic lights peaking at over 800watts.....The Fazua motor might be small, but its pretty might!

 

[quilkin]

0 watts to 300 watts in about 1 second on a mild hill, even T Pogačar will struggle manage that .

Thank you for testing . That's quite amazing.

 

[MBosh]

I'd like to know why a bike from 2019 has gone up in price from £1,999 to £2,299. I always thought the older things got the cheaper they got, unless they are antiques.