First E bike ?

[RufusChucklebutty]

I'm looking for something like this for a old git ( me ) to get around the local area on , I dont need anything fancy or high spec but want a solid reliable bike that can carry weight on the racks and I can have confidence in .

1. Step through frame
2. Upright riding position
3. Racks front and rear
4. Semi fat tyre



What are the good and bad brands ?
What specs should I look for ?

 

[FrankCrank]

This one has seen many favourable reviews:-


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G81IT0zXtuU

 

[dicko]

It might be a good idea to enquire if the E bike comes with a thumb throttle which will give you a 5mph boost as you set off. I was pointed this out, by a dealer, at a cycle fair in Derby a few weeks back.

 

[SteveH80]

I found https://www.cyclingelectric.com/ and https://road.cc/ebiketips very useful when I was looking for an ebike last year.
There are so many different types ebikes that it's confusing till you've decided what you really want to do with the bike.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

It might be a good idea to enquire if the E bike comes with a thumb throttle which will give you a 5mph boost as you set off. I was pointed this out, by a dealer, at a cycle fair in Derby a few weeks back.

It is called "walk assist" - helps to know the exact term and "throttle" can get the wrong message across

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I reckon I should mention the Raleigh Motus

They seem to be reducing the number of bikes in the range now

but mine is 6 years old and has just gone over 12,000 miles
I have worn out a few chains and gear cogs but it has been great

I also ride a lot on paths rather than roads - so it has dealt with roughish tracks pretty well

It has a Bosch motor - which are really good
but Bosch are a pain in the whatsit if they go wrong - which they do not do much
but that is only the motor - the rest of it is "just a bike" so wheels, gears etc etc are just normal

I would suggest that you look around local bike shops and see what they have

it is easier to get things repaired if you bought it through them in the first place

and ebikes do sometimes need someone who has a contact with the manufacturer


Oh - and Raleigh were really good when I first got mine and it went wrong
after a while they replace the whole bike with a better one free of charge to me and the LBS


Edited when I realised said the range has reduced - not the range of the bike - but the number of different type of Motus they sell
e.g. none with a crossbar like mine!

 

[Mike_P]

I'm looking at a Raleigh Motus to replace my Giant Entour E+1. A combination of an ankle still recovering from a bad twisting last year, a knee that is stiff at times and the sheer weight of it means currently getting on it is not easy and I need something to hold onto. The Raleigh ticks the box for a hub mid drive step through.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I'm looking at a Raleigh Motus to replace my Giant Entour E+1. A combination of an ankle still recovering from a bad twisting last year, a knee that is stiff at times and the sheer weight of it means currently getting on it is not easy and I need something to hold onto. The Raleigh ticks the box for a hub drive step through.

Is the one you are looking at hub drive???

I have only seen them as mid drive - mine certainly is

 

[Mike_P]

Is the one you are looking at hub drive???

I have only seen them as mid drive - mine certainly is

Sorry meant mid drive - same as the Giant. Have noted the Specialized Turbo Como 3.0 has some signifcaint reductions as well.

 

[Mike_P]

Realised the Specialized has a belt not a chain so with a mind to simply resolving rear wheel.puncture back to thinking about the Raleigh.

 

[Stul]

I have a Rally Motus and love it. I specifically went for the belt drive and hub gears.

To help with punctures they are fitted with Garddi "double ended" inner tubes which you can replace without the need to remove the wheel....(which I have needed to do a few times). Not sure why Raleigh stopped doing belt drives??

I also note that on their current range of bikes the mileage range is a lot lower than it was??.....eg mine was advertised with a range of 105 miles, (in real life I can get around 90), but the greatest range they advertise now is 70miles?? (unless they have changed the way they calculate range now??)

 

[SteveH80]

I prefer slime tubes; the usual scenario is pull out the thorn, there is a short "pstt", and I'm on my way.
Obviously these are heavier than ordinary tubes or tubeless but I'm a slow and lazy sod so they suit me fine 🙂

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I have a Rally Motus and love it. I specifically went for the belt drive and hub gears.

To help with punctures they are fitted with Garddi "double ended" inner tubes which you can replace without the need to remove the wheel....(which I have needed to do a few times). Not sure why Raleigh stopped doing belt drives??

I also note that on their current range of bikes the mileage range is a lot lower than it was??.....eg mine was advertised with a range of 105 miles, (in real life I can get around 90), but the greatest range they advertise now is 70miles?? (unless they have changed the way they calculate range now??)

As mine was a free swap in for a cheaper ebike (Raleigh Array) which had problem I was not given any choice - it was actually pretty good fo them to do that so it was a good deal for me!

so I got the lowest version with chain, derailleur gears, the cheapest controller and the 300 Wh battery

The battery is currently saying ti can do about 60 miles on full charge - but if I planned on getting to that I would expect to do that last couple of miles with no assist
but it has done 12,000+ miles so it is doing pretty well

I hav ebeen usinf Marathon tyre with slime (or similar) for ages and I get very few punctures
I did have one once and found 7 other thorns and slivers of metal in the tyre while I was checking it - so it seems to work!

I do find I have to get rid of the slime every year or so otherwise it gets gungy and doesn't work so well

It also seems to not work so well in cold weather - I assume it is less flexible so can;t fill the holes as easily?????

As far as I know they stopped doing the 300 battery fairly soon after I got mine and left it as just the 400 and 500 versions

 

[RufusChucklebutty]

Do you need suspension on a fat tyre bike if you are not going off road but are using non paved trackes like canal towpath ?