mid-low range e-bike: carrera crossfuse? or alternative?

mikelata

Hi all,

I want to get my first mid-low range e-bike. So far, based on reviews and price, Carrera Crossfuse is winning: https://www.halfords.ie/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrera-crossfuse-mens-electric-hybrid-bike-17-19-21-frames

But dealing with halfords to test the bike is being a pain, and I am tired of dealing with them to arrange a trial (or not dealing with them as they never answer the phone...)

Would you recommend another similar bike as an alternative?
Also, can you buy the carrera in another Dublin shop?

Thanks

JMcL

mikelata wrote: »

Hi all,

I want to get my first mid-low range e-bike. So far, based on reviews and price, Carrera Crossfuse is winning: https://www.halfords.ie/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrera-crossfuse-mens-electric-hybrid-bike-17-19-21-frames

But dealing with halfords to test the bike is being a pain, and I am tired of dealing with them to arrange a trial (or not dealing with them as they never answer the phone...)

Would you recommend another similar bike as an alternative?
Also, can you buy the carrera in another Dublin shop?

Thanks

Carrera are one of Halford's house brands, so the only place you'll find them is another Halfords branch.

Giant have this for a bit more than the Carrera. A colleagues folks got one recently and are happy with it. That said, I've no idea what the "Giant SyncDrive Sport" motor is like. You could probably arrange a trial at the showroom

privateBeavis

Check out these guys:
https://www.greenaer.ie/product-category/electric-bikes/hybrid-commute/
not sure where your located but they're based in Dublin /pearse st, have lots of different models and can book a trial.
I bought from there and would recommend.

eclipsechaser

privateBeavis wrote: »

Check out these guys:
https://www.greenaer.ie/product-category/electric-bikes/hybrid-commute/
not sure where your located but they're based in Dublin /pearse st, have lots of different models and can book a trial.
I bought from there and would recommend.

I highly recommend Greenaer too. Excellent to deal with.

mikelata

eclipsechaser wrote: »

I highly recommend Greenaer too. Excellent to deal with.

nice 1. I will go this weekend so

mikelata

JMcL wrote: »

Carrera are one of Halford's house brands, so the only place you'll find them is another Halfords branch.

Giant have this for a bit more than the Carrera. A colleagues folks got one recently and are happy with it. That said, I've no idea what the "Giant SyncDrive Sport" motor is like. You could probably arrange a trial at the showroom

Giant has been recommended to me by a few people too
They claim that it is a bit more expensive, but more solid brand than Carrera/Halfords

I will check them out

mad turnip

You checked out any cube e-bikes? They make some pretty decent mountain bikes which is what I'm more familiar with.
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/cube-cross-hybrid-one-400-e-bike-2019/rp-prod181708

Cube are stocked in quite many bike shops locally so you could probably get a demo.

homer911

Decathlon in Belfast do electric bikes starting from £650 https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-811556-electric-bikes
Dont see any on the Irish site, but it wont be long before the shop in Ballymun is open..

mikelata

mad turnip wrote: »

You checked out any cube e-bikes? They make some pretty decent mountain bikes which is what I'm more familiar with.
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/cube-cross-hybrid-one-400-e-bike-2019/rp-prod181708

Cube are stocked in quite many bike shops locally so you could probably get a demo.

That cube looks great. I will check their range out

The only thing is that I have been recommended 400Wh Bosh batteries, and this one seems to be a 250Wh Bosh battery.

homer911

mikelata wrote: »

That cube looks great. I will check their range out

The only thing is that I have been recommended 400Wh Bosh batteries, and this one seems to be a 250Wh Bosh battery.

Their write-up looks wrong.
The battery spec is Battery: Bosch 2A, Bosch PowerPack 400
The motor is typically 250W in order to be street legal

JMcL

homer911 wrote: »

Decathlon in Belfast do electric bikes starting from £650 https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-811556-electric-bikes
Dont see any on the Irish site, but it wont be long before the shop in Ballymun is open..

I was in France last month and had a look. They've a fair range of e-bikes, including a few nice looking MTBs. The urban/commuter style bikes didn't look great though - heavy, clunky with hub motors. They're strange in that they produce cracking value and spec road and mountain bikes, but their about town bikes are very meh, and their kids bike are awful compared to the likes of Isla, Frog and the like. Then again, I'm not turning over circa €10bn annually so what would I know!

Ray Palmer

Greenaer have a good range but are all the the high price models. The problem when you go up in price is the extra specs tend to go into the components that are expensive to replace and more sensitive.

I went from a sturdy commuter ebike to a high performance ebike. Next time I will go back to a sturdy commuter one.

Get an internal gear hub otherwise you will end up replacing the gear gang regularly. A chain guard is also important to keep the chain in better condition as it will wear out quicker anyway. Disc brakes are essential but after that it is personal taste.

Ferris

Another vote for Greenaer customer service - they only charged me 10quid to run a diagnostic on my ebike - which they hadn't supplied - nice fella's.

What do you need the bike to do? Commute open road or city, cycle offroad up the side of a mountain or go to the shops? What range will you require? Make sure you try a bike first to see if you like it - Greenaer rent bikes out so that might be an idea.

I did 11000miles on an ebike in 18 months on a cube emtb with a bosch CX mid motor. I abused it daily and it never broke once and got the job done but looking back I would have gone for a different style of bike, albeit with the same drivetrain. I had the 500ah battery and I wouldn't go smaller personally. Also I added things like permenant mudguards and lights that would have been cheaper to buy already fitted to the bike. As Ray said above, mid motors wear the drivetrain - I was swapping mine every 2000miles, but I did the work myself and enjoyed doing so. I have my reservations about hub motors for big miles or offroad but they would be great for regular light to medium road use.

A good brand bike which uses a hub motor is Whisper, https://www.dlbcycles.ie/ in Dun Laoghaire supply them, no personal experience however.

I bought my bike from Chainreaction and they seem to have some good deals on at the moment. Civil/Public service also recognise them for the Bike to work grant which I availed of.

JMcL

Ferris wrote: »

As Ray said above, mid motors wear the drivetrain - I was swapping mine every 2000miles, but I did the work myself and enjoyed doing so

In fairness, assuming by drivetrain you mean chain and not cassette (well not every time anyway) and changring, you'd be looking at similar on a normal bike. I'd go so far as saying 2000 miles would be quite good going,. I'd get about 2000km or so on a chain, less even in winter

DaveyDave

A chain is €20 if even, hardly a huge cost every 2,000km in the grand scheme of things.

How do Greenaer do their trials? I'd be interested in having a go of the Orbea road bike they have.

mikelata

JMcL wrote: »

I was in France last month and had a look. They've a fair range of e-bikes, including a few nice looking MTBs. The urban/commuter style bikes didn't look great though - heavy, clunky with hub motors. They're strange in that they produce cracking value and spec road and mountain bikes, but their about town bikes are very meh, and their kids bike are awful compared to the likes of Isla, Frog and the like. Then again, I'm not turning over circa €10bn annually so what would I know!

I bought a decent amount of Decathlon stuff in France over the years. In my opinion, it is a little bit like Ikea or Zara... it is not built to last.
I know nothing about their range of ebikes, but I'd feel a bit uncomfortable buying from them but as I said, I might be wrong

mikelata

homer911 wrote: »

Their write-up looks wrong.
The battery spec is Battery: Bosch 2A, Bosch PowerPack 400
The motor is typically 250W in order to be street legal

oh, I see.
so the battery is 400Wh

great

What about the RadWagon or the other model they do? It looks like great value considering the price although I'm not sure if the twist throttle is 100% legal in this country yet. But still, it's something you can easily get away with.

www. radpowerbikes.com/products/radwagon-electric-cargo-bike

Sorry can't post a proper link yet just remove the space after www.

mikelata

Ferris wrote: »

I bought my bike from Chainreaction and they seem to have some good deals on at the moment. Civil/Public service also recognise them for the Bike to work grant which I availed of.

If you buy from Chainreaction, you will get it in a box for self-assembly, right?
I d not feel comfortable doing that... an I guess you cannot go to a shop for that?

thanks

mikelata

Ferris wrote: »

What do you need the bike to do? Commute open road or city, cycle offroad up the side of a mountain or go to the shops? What range will you require? Make sure you try a bike first to see if you like it - Greenaer rent bikes out so that might be an idea.
e great for regular light to medium road use.

I need it for a small commute to work, and occasional one day/week longer commute from Dublin city center to Seapoint area

mikelata

A couple of extra questions:

- lights: fixed in the bike and use internal battery looks like a great idea. the only issue is to attract thieves when the bike is locked?
- battery: removable makes sense for easy charging, but you will need to take it out each time you lock the bike too?

thanks a lot to everybody for your help and advice!

mikelata

mikelata wrote: »

If you buy from Chainreaction, you will get it in a box for self-assembly, right?
I d not feel comfortable doing that... an I guess you cannot go to a shop for that?

thanks

The self-assembly could be as simple as attaching the wheels and seat post depending on the bike and what company it comes from. Honestly, I'm a mechanical idiot and managed to put together a bike in 10 minutes without a problem.

Cyclepath

Ferris wrote: »

... Greenaer rent bikes out so that might be an idea. ...

Take this advice OP!

I tried a few different bikes and it helped refine the real world requirements. Lots of things you don't think about, like:

The sheer weight of the bike when you're trying to manoeuvre it into a shed etc
Mounting and dismounting a heavy bike
Starting on a hill
Ease of battery removal and charging times
Getting the back wheel off to fix a puncture...
etc...

homer911

mikelata wrote: »

A couple of extra questions:

- lights: fixed in the bike and use internal battery looks like a great idea. the only issue is to attract thieves when the bike is locked?
- battery: removable makes sense for easy charging, but you will need to take it out each time you lock the bike too?

thanks a lot to everybody for your help and advice!

Yes, integrated lights make sense, although if you need them for country road cycling, you will need an alternative as they are more to be seen than to see

I always remove my battery when parking my bike, even when I have it in my shed. An electric bike is a big investment, an electric bike without a battery is a much less likely target for thieves

Ferris

mikelata wrote: »

I need it for a small commute to work, and occasional one day/week longer commute from Dublin city center to Seapoint area

So a town / city bike with integrated mudguards and wired in lights (to the main battery) would be a good idea. Also consider a low crossbar / stepover bike. The wired in lights are super on the bosch system, press a button and the front and rear lights come on. I supplemented these with USB rechargables but the combo ensured good visibility.

mikelata wrote: »

A couple of extra questions:

- lights: fixed in the bike and use internal battery looks like a great idea. the only issue is to attract thieves when the bike is locked?
- battery: removable makes sense for easy charging, but you will need to take it out each time you lock the bike too?

thanks a lot to everybody for your help and advice!

I always remove the battery, an ebike is almost worthless without it and the charger. Also not nice to cycle without battery.

Deleted User wrote: »

The self-assembly could be as simple as attaching the wheels and seat post depending on the bike and what company it comes from. Honestly, I'm a mechanical idiot and managed to put together a bike in 10 minutes without a problem.

This is my experience, simple assembly. I had to put on the handlebars also. Usually pedals are not included

Cyclepath wrote: »

Take this advice OP!

I tried a few different bikes and it helped refine the real world requirements. Lots of things you don't think about, like:

The sheer weight of the bike when you're trying to manoeuvre it into a shed etc
Mounting and dismounting a heavy bike
Starting on a hill
Ease of battery removal and charging times
Getting the back wheel off to fix a puncture...
etc...

Any of the greenaer bikes will be middrive so removing the rear wheel will be the same as a normal bike. One fly in the ointment with the cube bikes was the crap OE tyres, I swapped them for puncture proof tyres.

The mid drives can be ridden as a normal bike btw. They respond to pedal input so are very intuitive, hub motors less so in my experience but they are still good. Charging time on the 500wh battery was 5-6hrs.

Also see if you can deal with the 25kph assistance limit, it can be frustrating, if the OP is a fit cyclist you might be better on a non-ebike commuter. The OP's commute is pretty flat. However one of the main advantages of ebikes is the ability to turn up to work/meetings/pub without sweating.

Another option to try a rental bike is https://www.shaneshowthadventures.com/en in Howth. He has hub motor offroad bikes like the Radpower.

Cyclepath

Ferris wrote: »

...Also see if you can deal with the 25kph assistance limit, it can be frustrating, if the OP is a fit cyclist you might be better on a non-ebike commuter. The OP's commute is pretty flat. However one of the main advantages of ebikes is the ability to turn up to work/meetings/pub without sweating.

Agree - in my case, even though I fell in love with a rental mid drive ebike on holiday in France, I ultimately decided to stick with my normal commuter bike. My distances don't really justify one so I'm leaving it til I'm 60, or the knees give up!

Ferris

Cyclepath wrote: »

I'm leaving it til I'm 60, or the knees give up!

Good point. My pensioner mother, who has COPD, can cycle up Howth hill on her hub motor ebike.

Utter Consternation

Deleted User wrote: »

What about the RadWagon or the other model they do? It looks like great value considering the price although I'm not sure if the twist throttle is 100% legal in this country yet. But still, it's something you can easily get away with.

www. radpowerbikes.com/products/radwagon-electric-cargo-bike

Sorry can't post a proper link yet just remove the space after www.

That looks class and sturdy. Would be great for a child seat.

mikelata

Ferris wrote: »

Also consider a low crossbar / stepover bike.

Is that a bike without the regular horizontal crossbar? Would not be harder to lift by hand? For example, to get through the home living room to reach the garden

mikelata

Cyclepath wrote: »

Agree - in my case, even though I fell in love with a rental mid drive ebike on holiday in France, I ultimately decided to stick with my normal commuter bike. My distances don't really justify one so I'm leaving it til I'm 60, or the knees give up!

In my case, the ebike is not just for commuting mid/long distances. It is more about feeling less lazy to do more things: cinema/sea swim/gym...

I did a 48h e-bike trial in Halfords, and the number of things that I did that weekend was unbelievable...I am fit enough to do all those distances with a normal bike but I'd probably not bother after work following a long day...
so, it was not just about the distance, it was also about the easiness to cycle short uphill windy distances without a sweat

mikelata

This bike looks deadly: https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/fuji-e-traverse-1-3-intl-e-bike-2019/rp-prod179618

Bosch 400Wh Battery
25% discounted
integrated lighting and removable battery
very light 21.70kg (relatively speaking)

I don't know anything about Fuji bikes though