Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Anyone got an electric bike?

11 replies

BorisJohnsonsHair · 25/04/2022 18:30

Is a cheap one (and I use the term lightly as £850 is a lot of money!) any good?

OP posts:
bellac11 · 25/04/2022 18:38

No, a cheap one I wouldnt get to be honest

I paid a lot for mine but Im quite fussy, nearly 3k

However if I wasnt fussy I think about 1500 is a good price for quality fittings and components. Plus you want a brand whereby if something goes wrong with it, there are established shops/manufacturers to replace bits

You need to think about what you want it for, is it commuting, leisure cycling on roads, roadie bike or a hybrid on old railway tracks/forest tracks. Or a proper mountain bike

Once you decide that, you need to think about do you want a particular style, like a step through or you're not bothered about the shape

Then think about do you want a rear motor, mid drive or front motor (dont touch a front motor, terribly weak)

Then how much do you weigh, does the bike need mega power to get you around (mine does!) or are you quite fit so you dont need to worry too much about battery power
How far are you likely to go on one trip before charging up again, hills or flat? If you're only going pootling down the shops or down tarmacked tracks it would be less draw on the power, but if you're riding over hilly rough gravelly railway paths you need a lot of power. Are you likely to be out all day for hours or just use it for an hour or so?

Finally, they are very heavy, again if I was not so fussy I would have got something much more lightweight but they also come at a cost. Make sure if you need to take it in your car you can lift it and make sure you have an e bike rack which fits on your tow bar (or good luck getting it on the roof)

bellac11 · 25/04/2022 18:40

Dont forget you can use cycle to work

Bairnsmum05 · 25/04/2022 19:09

I bought the Rock rider from Decathlon and it was around £800 and its brilliant. Battery is good and it's sturdy. Only issue is its heavy.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

AnotherEmma · 25/04/2022 19:14

I have an electric bike and love it. It was expensive but I bought it through the cycle to work scheme.

I test rode a cheaper one (under £1k) and it was shit in comparison, I'm afraid.

Mine is heavy (has to be heavy duty so I can carry a child on it) but when I don't have such heavy cargo any more I might sell it and buy one of these - it's one of the lightest ebikes I found
www.islabikes.co.uk/products/adult-electric-bike-ejanis

bellac11 · 25/04/2022 19:23

AnotherEmma · 25/04/2022 19:14

I have an electric bike and love it. It was expensive but I bought it through the cycle to work scheme.

I test rode a cheaper one (under £1k) and it was shit in comparison, I'm afraid.

Mine is heavy (has to be heavy duty so I can carry a child on it) but when I don't have such heavy cargo any more I might sell it and buy one of these - it's one of the lightest ebikes I found
www.islabikes.co.uk/products/adult-electric-bike-ejanis

Are you the poster on the other thread about isla bikes?

AnotherEmma · 25/04/2022 19:25

Not even!

bellac11 · 25/04/2022 19:28

Thats so funny, there is a rash of e bike posts tonight!

So if you want a lighter bike when you dont need your heavy one anymore, have you thought about Ribble cycles, they do a couple of lightweight e bikes, they look lovely

MrsAvocet · 25/04/2022 19:51

Buying an ebike is quite tricky, because you need to consider what you want both from the bike and the e if you know what I mean?
Obviously you've got all the same considerations that you would have when choosing a regular bike which can be a minefield in its own right, and then you need to decide what you want from the motor and battery as there are a lot of different options available with a wide variety of ranges and torque, and there are pros and cons to different types of motor.
As a PP said, it all depends on what your riding is going to be like. An £850 ebike is not going to have high end components and it will be heavy for sure, but if you want it for shopping trips or a fairly short commute on reasonably good surfaces and you live somewhere fairly flat, it will probably do what you need it to. But if you are going to work it very hard, with regular long trips, orj you live somewhere very hilly or want to ride off road, then you may well be disappointed.

BorisJohnsonsHair · 29/04/2022 18:25

Thank you all for your advice. I've just bought one for £1400, as it seems the cheapest ones aren't brilliant.

I love it!! It's life-changing.

OP posts:
Corty02 · 27/05/2022 10:30

Actually I was thinking about having this model, but I heard that E-bikes pretty heavy for the kids, that is why I haven't bought it yet.

CMOTDibbler · 27/05/2022 11:16

I picked up my Ribble e road bike on Wednesday after waiting for a year. Its not much heavier than my mountain bike tbh and looks amazing, no sign of the battery at all

New posts on this thread. Refresh page