Push bikes
For electric add £500 at each price point
Electric folding bike
- Thread starter Diabalo
- Start date
For electric add £500 at each price point
I think the previous poster was talking e bikes from decathlon at £800. I certainly don't see£800 asea starting point for a back of a motorhome cycling to the shops bike way lower.
As stated above, I have a few friends in the cycling business, one of whom is a bike mechanic.
He gets sick and tired of people bringing in "BSO's" (Bike Shaped Objects).
£500 bikes that are a year old, already starting to rust and fitted with non standard Chinese parts which are already failing, stretched spokes made of fence wire, brake blocks made from pencil rubber, cables so cheap they simply stretch, tyres designed to last 100 miles etc.
He will repair punctures, retune the gears, replace brake blocks and possibly true the wheels and at a push replace cables.
But that is the limit of what they can do.
Every day they have to tell people to simply take them to the tip.
Even something as simple as replacing the chain or the sprockets can not be done as there are no compatible parts and you can't buy spares as they were never designed to be replaced.
Every couple of months they have the scrappy turn up with a skip which they load with dozens of bikes (and parts) to be crushed.
As an aside, during the winter season they work flat out refurbing bikes donated to them which are then sold by a charity, so any parts they can reuse, they do reuse on the charity bikes.
They sold over 50 refurbed bikes in a single weekend last spring, all for the charity, prices started at £100 with several bikes in the high hundreds.
However this do not include any of the cheap Chinese made or Chinese components fitted bikes, they were all scrapped, some under a year old.
With bikes, buy cheap, buy often.
Depends what you buy and how it's set up. Smaller wheeled bikes will always have some inherent disadvantages in terms of stability, but both my folders are fine using them on tracks and paths. I've never had a spill from either because of loose surfaces, whereas I once came off a 'regular size' bike on gravel. My Dahon is designed for touring, has Schwalbe tyres with Kevlar puncture protection on and has 24 derailleur gears and 8 hub gears, so I've never run out of gears!! My ebike folder doesn't have Schwalbe tyres, but I've never had any issues with riding it off road (which is most of the time). That said, I do still prefer bigger wheeled non-folding bikes.
It must depend on the use you intend to put them to. My bike is probably 30 years old it was ex hire from Rutland water cycles. It's still going. I'm pretty sure if you talk to a technician working on morello motorhomes they might well say don't buy anything less than a Hymer it's a valid opinion but not one id necessarily agree with.
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We picked up two second hand electric folding Raleigh bikes during lockdown which had seen very little use and were almost as new. Managed to get the pair for £1350 which is less than the cost of a new one. . Very pleased with them so far.
My Brompton (non-electric) went through two years of daily commuting. One day in two years I decided the ice was too thick, but the rest of the time I rode regardless of weather. Ride to the station, train, ride to the plant and return. It got a lot of abuse. Crashed it a couple of times (wrecking work trousers), it got regularly knocked over and bashed into stuff. It'd get de-crusted from road crud (and salt in the winter) every couple of weeks. It then got 6 months of being crammed in the back of a van and knocked about while we drove 10k around Europe over 6 months. Now it gets used for shopping duties (it takes 10kg on the front rack with the basket bag with ease) and general buzzing about. I've had it 5 years total now and I've just replaced the chain and sprockets because they were worn and the bottom bracket was getting crunchy. It rides like new again. They are seriously robust and well designed bits of kit.
And really worth paying for IF you're going to use it a lot and rely on it like you have done.
Yes you are. Light weight and electric is not possible but the lightest ellectric folders come at a significant price. We sold our "quality" Juicy e-bikes as they were too heavy for her at 23kg.
We have paid £1800 each for two carbon fibre Furo-x e-bikes which weigh only about 13kg each and although not without issues they are about the cheapest of the "lighter" e-bikes.
E-Bromptons, which IMHO have significant design issues, are about £3000 each.
Hi there, we have 2 Bromptons with Swytch kits, brilliant !
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Nowt wrong with a 30 year old ex hire bike.
30 years ago Bikes were made properly and there were no imports from the Far East.
So with a bit of TLC it should be good for another 30 years
My 20+ year old bike cost close to a grand at the time, it's been ridden all over Europe and has over 45,000 miles on the clock.
I expect it to outlast me!
The Bromptons (manual) are great quality innovative folders. My opinion of the electric versions are:
- They power the front wheels which is ok but not the best
- All the extra weight is over the front wheels
- The battery weight hangs on the handlebars
- You can not lock the battery therefore can't leave the bikes secured without carrying the battery around
- The controls are on the battery bag which is set too low to reach when travelling
- They're massively overpriced.
- The Swytch conversions share all the same problems except the battery bag can be place a bit higher up.
Nout wrong with our decathlon folder.
Trikeman
Free Member
We bought two 36v 14.5Ah folders from Ebikesdirect and they are fantastic. Not in the megabucks bracket but have been ultra reliable. We live in an extremely hilly area near the Cambrian mountains and use them regularly in the hills and for shopping with trailers - we’ve not found a hill yet that they can’t handle. Very wide gear range and fit easily in MoHo too.
Couldn’t live without them and the company are great to deal with.
Couldn’t live without them and the company are great to deal with.
I do agree that the eBrompton does have some compromises. They stuck too rigidly to original when they designed it. But it's still a very good machine.
Mid-drive motors are by far the best, but they also add bulk. Hub motors use spare space within the wheel. I don't think front hub motors are any worse than rear when riding. The weight of the front wheel makes it a bit more awkward to fold, but it's not too bad.
Being able to take off the battery so easily is a good thing. It makes the bike significantly less interesting to thieves. It's a couple of kg, but when we lock it up, we either carry it as it's own mini-bag, sling it in a larger rucksack, or bring the courier bag that incorporates the battery. I don't think putting a 50p barrel lock on a battery provides more than ten seconds of security. The only batteries I'd trust to leave on a bike are the ones that integrate into the frame.
I too thought putting the controls on the battery pack was a bad choice. Having ridden it, it really doesn't matter. A well engineered system means you just don't need to play with the settings. My wife just leaves it on max all the time, and it feels like that's what the engineers intended when you ride it.
The main issue I have with the eBrompton is where the battery sits. I use my manual Brompton to carry a lot of stuff off that front hanger and the battery blocks it. We've also got the courier bag with the battery slot, which helps a bit, but there's not that much space in there. But I don't think the way I tend to use the bike matches the way a lot of other people use them, so it's probably not a factor for many people.
The main thing about the Brompton is how small it folds. It's about half the folded volume of pretty much any other folder, and yet it still rides pretty well and not like a roller-skate. When folded, it doesn't have the chain and vulnerable, oily derailleur on the outside, waiting to get bashed or get you mucky. It's relatively easy to carry and quick to fold and unfold. Small enough that we carry ours into cafes rather than having to lock them up outside. And it is a quality product. If you don't need something that small or robust, then there are cheaper options.
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Peppadog
LIFE MEMBER
Well the info is all in this thread for you.
1. You are not going to get high end electric bikes at a budget price. We also have a pair of Brompton's (with Nano electric kits fitted). They're both well over 10 years old (not the Nano kits) and great, but they are expensive and the benefit of lightness and ease of riding them is offset once its electric. If buying electric bikes now, I would not buy Brompton's.
2. Most bikes are made in the Far East. Even Raleigh only final assemble here. the bits are all made in China or Taiwan. I would not assume any European brand bike is made in Europe! Its not important or relevant where they are made, but how well they are made. Better is likely to be more expensive, like an iPhone (made in China)! Cheap is likely to be lower quality parts and little or no infrastructure to service or repair. So buying from a big group, like Halfords or Decathlon is a much safer bet.
1. You are not going to get high end electric bikes at a budget price. We also have a pair of Brompton's (with Nano electric kits fitted). They're both well over 10 years old (not the Nano kits) and great, but they are expensive and the benefit of lightness and ease of riding them is offset once its electric. If buying electric bikes now, I would not buy Brompton's.
2. Most bikes are made in the Far East. Even Raleigh only final assemble here. the bits are all made in China or Taiwan. I would not assume any European brand bike is made in Europe! Its not important or relevant where they are made, but how well they are made. Better is likely to be more expensive, like an iPhone (made in China)! Cheap is likely to be lower quality parts and little or no infrastructure to service or repair. So buying from a big group, like Halfords or Decathlon is a much safer bet.
We bought two Brompton bikes second hand from eBay. I then converted them to electric using the Swytch conversion kit. Really easy to fit and works a treat. They’ve just brought out a new kit with a very neat small battery which makes it even better. I’ve just ordered the upgrade battery kit for my existing set up. Highly recommended. See swytchbike.com
Well, we have had our Furo systems carbon fibre folding electric bikes now for a year. Just gone through Tuscany visiting all the hill/mountain top towns. These bikes are nothing short of amazing. Loads of power (500w), tough, light and very good quality components means you can cycle off power as a normal bike. We have been amazed the hills these have got us up. We did a 1300m climb over 5km in Spain and at the top we had used a third of the battery….bearing in mind I weigh 90kg. Normal riding 30-40 mile range easy. Very impressed with after sales service and an British company.
Buy a Raleigh Evo-2 new off Ebay for £240 or so then add a Swytch Bike electric conversion kit. I've converted 2 full size and 1 folding bikes they are brilliant. They are just introducing a new very light, compact battery which I saw at the recent Fully Charged EV show. Really good! Easy to convert as one just replaces the front wheel and add a handlebar bracket essentially. Check out www.swytchbike.com
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- May 26, 2016
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If you want a decent electric bike you have to pay over £1000 for it. Remember a new battery alone will cost the best part of £500. They usually only lasts about 4 years.
tonka
LIFE MEMBER
Only for info and I dont need comments on the quality from the "e bike experts" 
Been to the Argos clearance warehouse in Walsall today and quite a few referb electric bikes in stock from £279 with guarantee.
Been to the Argos clearance warehouse in Walsall today and quite a few referb electric bikes in stock from £279 with guarantee.
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We bought Kudos Secret, small wheels and about 17Kg. We purchased in 2017 isa the guy had been selling electric bikes for several years and that model was the only one he was still selling. New batteries for them were around £250 when I looked a couple of years ago so relatively. Who know now of course, but you can replace the batteries, I saw a guy on the t'internet do it. We have had no trouble with ours. They are still under a grand.
- Jul 29, 2021
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I have one in North Yorkshire, view no problem, make me a sensible offer in cash, and it’s yours
OP
OP
Thanks but I'm in Kent.
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We have had their bikes for about 9 years and they are very helpful.
Trikeman
Free Member
Hi Dane,
We have a pair of 36v 14.5Ah Basis Osprey folders.
Truly are fantastic for the price and we have done well over 1000 miles on them.
Hope it helps.
Trikeman.
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Michael Rennison
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- Apr 28, 2019
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I've a 3 speed Brompton and they are very very good. Maybe look for a 2nd hand one on Ebay then add the Swytch conversion kit?
Swytch's new conversion kit includes a 700g, smartphone-sized battery that will electrify any bike
The battery and motor are said provide 250 watts of power for up to 15km (9 miles)
www.bikeradar.com
We've had two MiRiders for a few months now https://mirider.co.uk/. They were £1450 but bought through cycle to work scheme so can take 40% off that price.
I go to work on it two days a week and have used it for longish rides at weekends and when in Spain/France. No complaints so far and customer service very good.
I go to work on it two days a week and have used it for longish rides at weekends and when in Spain/France. No complaints so far and customer service very good.
ED O'DARAC
Free Member
Secondhand Brompton plus a Swytch kit to very simply electrify it.
£600 for Swytch kit, £5-600 for secondhand Brompton.
Brilliant. We tried the E-Brompton and found it less smooth and it also has a problem where you have to lean right over the handlebars to change the amount of assistance given. The Swytch with thumb throttle/'Walk-Assist' allows you to ride on Zero assistance the n bring it in without taking your hand from the bar. All round brilliant - ride, comfort, safety, amazing fold, always get people wanting to chat, can do 30-50km but loads more by using zero assist+throttle only when needed.
MiiRider looks good (I have ridden one) if you want to buy an off the peg new one and can't/won't stretch to a Brommie.
£600 for Swytch kit, £5-600 for secondhand Brompton.
Brilliant. We tried the E-Brompton and found it less smooth and it also has a problem where you have to lean right over the handlebars to change the amount of assistance given. The Swytch with thumb throttle/'Walk-Assist' allows you to ride on Zero assistance the n bring it in without taking your hand from the bar. All round brilliant - ride, comfort, safety, amazing fold, always get people wanting to chat, can do 30-50km but loads more by using zero assist+throttle only when needed.
MiiRider looks good (I have ridden one) if you want to buy an off the peg new one and can't/won't stretch to a Brommie.
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