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Both my parents are in their 70's but still very active and enjoy cycling however this last year my mum has struggled a bit on longer/hilly rides.
Dad's solution is a rope (for the bike 😀) but I've talked them into considering an e-bike. Now I have zero knowledge of these but a quick look suggests that their budget of £1k may have to be increased a bit but they can't afford much more so is anything decent available around £1.5k?
Some kind of step thru hybrid would be ideal so can anyone recommend anything please?
My mum loves her Islabike ejimi but it's considerably over budget. A friend has the G Tech ebike and really likes it and hasn't had any issues in two years or so but it's not a step through.
My mum has a Pendleton step through ebike from Halfords and absolutely loves it.
Wisper 705 Step Through , with the 575wh battery upgrade? With a cadence sensor and 2” tyres it will ride smoother than a cheap Halfords jobbie, nwve better quality battery and motor, (cable) discs, 2 year battery guarantee and up to 60 mile range
The torque sensor version with hydraulic brakes, Spaninga lighting and susoensiin fork is about £300 more
Halfords Pendelton is your best bet for a 1k budget
We have 3 within our family, all have been faultless and have done quite a bit of mileage between them, plus if we do ever have any issues its easy to take them back to be fixed at Halfords
My wife has a Moustache Lundi e bike, it cost £2700 but i was lucky as a friend is a dealer so i paid much less
https://www.fullycharged.com/Moustache-Lundi-26-3-2020
Ive spent a bit of time on the Moustache and the Pendelton's and in all honesty the Pendelton's are 90% just as good as the Moustasche and nearly a third of the price
Mrs D had a Pendleton. Picked it up 2nd hand for £550. She really liked it, it pulled really well and had a fantastic range but it is very heavy. The rear hub bafang was very good but a little tricky to put on and off. I recommend putting in some sealant in the inner tubes! 15mm and 17mm spanners needed! (I think)
The frame, gears and wheels are very basic. The money is in the electric motor, cables and battery. This is why its so heavy.
I put 2 inch big apples on and new mudguards which improved the ride a lot. I also put deore v brakes on as the ones that came with it were terrible. The cable routing is tight in places and I couldn't get them right, also the v brakes flexed a lot. The brake levers are connected to the motor and cut power when you brake so didn't change them. The deore v brakes were like night and day.
I don't have any experience of them but Rutland Cycles seem to sell a few models in that price range and also have some ex-demos which might net a better bike for the money.
If you're interested. My Mum has a 2020 Haibike Trekking 1.0 step thru for sale. It's a size S bought new last year by my 78yo step Dad for £2500 from Chevin Cycles Otley, it's still in absolutely brand new condition, I can send pics. My Mum is selling it for £1400 (sadly he passed away a few weeks ago). There are a few additions including a dropper post for even easier access, ergonomic comfort grips, large saddlebag and it has a Badass dongle so it will continue to assist the rider over 15mph. It's at Otley Yorkshire but I don't mind driving and meeting part way with it.
This Appears to be it
https://highcountryebikes.com/product/haibike-sduro-trekking-1-0-step-thru/
Just FYI (as I’m also looking)
https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/electric-bikes/step-through-frames/?page=1
There are some sale items,
https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/electric-bikes/step-through-frames/ex-demo-forme-peak-trail-1-els-ladies-hybrid-electric-mountain-bike,-18-frame-400wh-grey
(*I have never used them and think that buying local for support is best but it shows what sort of stuff is available)
Bosch engines etc have a pretty good record and can be rebuilt.
The Isla ejimi looks great for my mrs (weight, step thru)but v expensive, no suspension , battery doesn’t appear to be removable ( so can’t take into hotel rooms, store indoors etc etc) and have no idea about motor history, spares, rebuildability.
As a wild alternative and if she has a bike already (esp if you’re near Southend) whoosh bikes we’re doing a hub motor kit with a torque sensing bottom bracket that looked pretty good, and I’m stilI thinking about to converts the mrs myka, also noticed
https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?rambla. Buts it’s got a 5ft8 height rear any my mrs is 4ft10, anyway bafang also get a good write up.
Thanks for the replies everyone - much appreciated
Really sorry to hear about your step Dad B.A.Nana, I'll let you know. I'm in Sunderland so not too far.
One other consideration is weight. They go away with their caravan a lot and use the bikes to get about. When traveling they take the wheels off the bikes (which I think would rule out the Pendleton) and put them in the back of the car so how easy are these to manhandle? Would removing the battery (if possible) make much of a difference?
Also is it worth the extra for something with a Bosch or Shimano motor from a reliability/warranty/usage point of view?
Bosch is rebuildable, ( see https://www.performancelinebearings.com/ been helpful on the phone to me and gets good reviews) so are others, to the best of my knowledge there are no third parties offering a rebuild/bearings etc service for shimano e7000, e8000, ep8 motors but you can get the parts (*I think but not for 7000)
Edit, they are heavy a light proper emtb is about 22kg (they go much heavier), a lightweight proper emtb is 18kg, the weight can be a pita,
Battery, not all are removable (might be worth checking it can be locked as well), imho removable much better, can make bike lighter, can take in in winter, can charge in hotel, caravan, rented house much easieretc
faz71 I've had a chat with my Mum and by the looks of it (the info in the manuals and the till receipt) it's a 2019 Haibike Trekking 1.0, but it was bought June 2020 for £1800 (he got a £200 disc as a member of Otley Cycling Club), so the warranty runs from 24 June 2020 (Bosch warranty is 2 years, so 8 months left). It appears to be exactly the same specs as the 2020 I linked to. He also bought an extra 500wh Bosch Battery for approx £600 (god knows why). So the £1400 includes an extra 500wh Bosch battery (the original one that came with the bike is 400wh). Two batteries seems a bit pointless to me, So I expect without the 2nd battery she will sell it for £1100 or there abouts. The wheels are quick release and yes it's pretty heavy, the battery does detach but it's still pretty heavy, as they all are I presume. The badass dongle cost approx £100 and basically takes away the dead spot at 15mph https://www.badassebikes.com/current-badassboxes/ I should point out that they are only legal to use on private land.
“Also is it worth the extra for something with a Bosch or Shimano motor from a reliability/warranty/usage point of view?”
For a bike that’s going to have an easy life I’m not sure it is, one opinion (** many, many other and conflicting opinions are available) but one theory is that emtb engines are unreliable as they are used for proper emtb (pedal strikes apparently not nice for engines, as are wet and muddy conditions, jet washing, and Incorrect using of gears etc etc), some hub motors (*allegedly) have done 30000km but those are continental cycle path type user claims, anyway given a new hub motor can probably be bought for about £100, which is a lot less than a full Bosch service it’s another way to cut the cake and it might allow for a much lighter bike.
The Pendleton battery is easily removed and made a huge difference.
The above bike looks a bit of a bargain!
Thanks again for the advice, good to know there's back up available for the Bosch motor.
B.A.Nana - I've PM'd you.
I wouldn’t recommend a wisper. We use them for work. Batteries are branded cells but motors are a PITA when removing the rear wheel. The group set components are cheap and nasty as are the electrics switch gear.
The group set components are cheap and nasty as are the electrics switch gear.
Maybe you have older models? Am pretty sure Wisper have upgraded this year
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/wisperbikes.com
The 705 has a lot of positive reviews, UK company, strong customer service, smooth and quiet (AKM?) motor, Samsung batteries, Shimano Acera gears, Tektro brakes? (Torque version has hydraulic brakes and sine wave controller) Also comes in both 24” and 26” flavours (former for shorter people) so (depending on car) may be possible to simply remove battery and front wheel to load in the hatch.
OP, it may be worth having a butchers at/creating an account with pedelecs.co.uk, plenty of advice and reviews of (mostly urban) e-bikes there.
Banana’s deal sounds like a good bet though I’d question Haibikes ‘stepthru’ claims, it’s more a sloping top tube
No Tektro brakes this year, just their own branded ones which are not very good. 2 New bikes this year and both have brakes that are very poor. Have bled them, changed the fluid and they still go spongy after a couple of days use. Tourney and TX gear mechanics. 2018 we had Tektro hydraulics, wonderful brakes to work on and third party spares are available rather than the own brand double the price brake pads.
@faz71 father in law has not long since got one of these https://www.halfords.com/bikes/electric-bikes/carrera-crosscity-folding-electric-bike-750632.html, he got it so he could potentially take it on holiday with him if that is a consideration. In Sunderland as well so I imagine if your mum wanted a test ride it could potentially be arranged.
@Sandwich thanks for putting me straight on that, seems like there is spec misinformation/outdated data at a few outlets, browsers beware.
We bought an eJimi for my wife, so she could join me on easy rides on lanes and tracks as she struggled with anything resembling a hill. Here are our thoughts in case they are of help to anyone considering one-
Build quality and components are fine for its intended use, we changed the grip shift out of preference and added sealant to the tubes.
The electrics also work fine, our rides are under 20 miles and most ended with 50% or so battery left. The controls are simple, the only gripe is that the LED's can be hard to see.
We have not used the app much, it seems pretty basic. We have no issues to date with the electrics, Mahle have a UK support number, not sure if Islabikes hold spares.
The power is ample with low assist being fine for flatter sections and high allowing her to speed up hills with little effort. The low weight (claimed 14Kg) means it's easy to lift and move around.
It rides well on roads and smoother trails but (as expected from a rigid bike with narrowish 650b tyres) its not great for a passive rider on rockier\looser trails (although the larger sizes are 29ers which would be better).
For us its been ideal to get my wife out enjoying riding but is now being superseded by a hardtail 29er eMTB, which is a battleship in comparison but gives my wife more confidence off road on more natural trails.
So its pretty good as long as its used for the gentler tow path type riding its designed for and for this its easier to use and live with than a full fat eMTB.
For a 70 yr old fit or no I'd place overall weight as the highest priority.
@14kg thats got to be in a better ballpark than the majority, and islabikes certainly have a long loved reputation.
Light weight was one of the main reasons my mum got hers. Mostly for putting on the back of the motorhome but also so she doesn't have to rely too much on the motor.
One of the other selling points was being able to try it out at home and return it if it wasn't suitable, she's a bit of a shorty so was unsure if it was small enough.
Steven, is that the ejimi ?, if so what sizes your mum, as my mrs is 4ft 10, so a LOT smaller than the ejimi small recommended size
She's 4'11", maybe 4'11¾" if she stands up straight. We wanted the Jimi for the fatter tyres and luckily it fits fine. I don't think she even has the saddle as low as possible.
@p7eaven No worries, there may be old stock still out there but it's unlikely.
Not that it's a consideration for my mum, but
I wonder if the resale of the eJimi and other adult Islabikes is as good as the many kids bikes we've had over the years.
Thanks for the kind offer Matt, she's going to sit on a few in shops to see what she likes.
Cheers Steven, mmmm possibly a trip to Ludlow read, ta