My parents are looking to get an ebike or two for pottering about on, chasing the grandkids around on and because I "Know bikes" I've been asked for advice!
Essentially looking to replace a couple of hefty old step-through town/shopping bikes with something similar but battery assisted, unlikely to do more than 20 miles at a push and mostly just for whizzing to the shops/across to the next village - Main stipulation really is ease of use and also ease of transport; being able to whip a wheel out and put it in the back of the car if they go on holiday for example.
In my mind something with a regular derailleur/cassette setup and an in-hub motor seems best, as it's not straying too far from being 'just a bike' in terms of maintenance and most of the drivetrain - something along these lines? But I wondered if anyone has any input. Notionally I think they're expecting to be spending up to £2,000 on a bike but I'm sure they'd love to spend less!
Raleigh Motus (or similar)
Hub motor is more complicated and less effective... Mid drive is better for many reasons, the only downside is increased drivetrain wear but for the odd 20 mile ride here and there, that's hardly likely to be a problem...
Bosch motor on the Motus, comes in under £2k these days... Hard to argue against that!
Agreed. The Raleigh Motus is perfect for this.
Available with different battery sizes, hub gear or derailleur, step through or crossbar.
Really enjoying my GT Epantera Dash Unisex I purchased from RM Cycles in Kent.Great price as well,£1299.00.Not step through mind.
The previous model specialized Vado sl might be a good bet. Also available as a step through or cross bar and they are pretty light at 16kg, which might be handy for older, frailer, people.
Maybe outside spec, but one of the offices I work at has a bunch of these as a hire fleet, they get a fair ragging, some with 6K miles + on them, probably mostly hammering up and down steep hills in turbo. all feel solid, some prob need a brake bleed/ new pads, but apart from that, they all seem to be bearing up well to the abuse.
Solid handling on and off road, decent on forest tracks, infinitely variable gears on a twist grip, rack, great lights (bright, proper tuned road beam), belt drive. Boch Performance CX motor. Pedals perfectly well above the motor with the city tyres on. Inbuilt rear wheel lock, which you might or might not want to rely on depending on location and duration of your stop!
double post.
I picked up a second hand bike powered by Mahle Ebikemotion x35 (merida espeeder). Its very light and easy to ride, possibly lighter than some of my non-ebikes. Might be a good option. I see a lot with dead batteries though. I think they need to be kept charged up, a lot seem to get left in a garage/shed unused for a year or two, then the batteries dead.
Was going to suggest the Momentum (Giant brand) hybrid ebikes for ~£1k on Tredz, but they look to be finally all sold.
Mid-mount motor and battery on the downtube to magae balance problems in later life. I wouldn't recommend Wisper Bikes
The Pendleton will be ~22Kg.
Google suggests the Board MTX-E 8.6 is ~14Kg (bit dubious IMO), takes 50mm tyres; front suspension; hydraulic disc brakes for £1280 in the Black Friday sales (lower top tube for white womens version).
Thanks all, I'll work my way through those! The Raleigh Motus in step-through looks like a good option.
Point taken on the downtube battery and centre of gravity vs the rear rack mounted battery on some bikes like the Pendleton, I hadn't considered that!
There seem to be a lot of options at Balfes Bikes (online at least) and the Trek Verve+ looks like another good option, with Bosch Motor & battery with different size options. Going to get hold of their Gatwick warehouse/store to get an idea of what stock they actually have to look at there physically.
Specialized do some nice city / leisure e-bikes, these ones are an insane half price at the moment:
https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/shop/electric-bikes/hybrid/2022-turbo-como-3-0-igh-79775/
Mid-motor, belt drive, hub gear, integrated lights. Other than punctures, they're basically maintenance free.
Just note that most e-bikes require some kind of smartphone app either to sync to the motor or to manage the whole thing so it's an extra consideration - just in case your parents are technophobes! (no offence - my Dad is a complete luddite when it comes to stuff like this, I honestly don't think he'd cope in life without my stepmother who does literally everything requiring The Internet).
You can get away without one much of the time but having one really unlocks all the extra features such as motor assist levels, theft prevention and monitoring the charge levels and updates remotely.
Can vouch for that Turbo Como. A really well put together bike and rides lovely.