Chinese E-Bikes

Silverdream

Hi folks, looking for your thoughts and any recommendations on a cheap E-Bike from Amazon or Aliexpress. I'm on a tight budget so would like to spend as little as possible. The bike has to do a 11 klm run each way with some steep hills. It needs to be foldable so that I have the option to put it in the back of a car.

So far I've been looking at an Electric Bike Folding 20 Inch 250w hub motor for €849 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004137822036.html

Or this one with the 500W motor for €1012 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004024670881.html

And the final one from RadBikes the RadExpand 5 for €1499 https://radpowerbikes.eu/products/radexpand-electric-folding-bike?_pos=1&_sid=8fd30494b&_ss=r

magicbastarder

you need to bear in mind what happens if there's an issue with the bike; do you have a local bike shop who are willing to service it for you? can they service it for you?

the second bike in your list does not qualify as a pedelec as the motor is double the limit of 250W to qualify, and legally is a moped.

third comment - do you need such fat tyres? they'll reduce range.

Silverdream

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119442527#Comment_119442527

I don't know of any bike shops near me that know anything about E-Bikes so it would be a worry. The second bike can be got with a 250Watt motor. I'd like to know how can one tell the difference by just looking as they all seem very similar, I wonder is it just software in the controller?

I like the look of the fat tyres, but they might not be practical I really don't know. I'd have though that the commute would be within it's range. I can't find a foldable bike with narrow wheels for some reason

jamesd

Worth a look as they have stock for order - https://www.halfords.ie/bikes/electric-bikes/carrera-crosscity-folding-electric-bike-750632.html

CantGetNoSleep

I would recommend going with RadPower (with the caveat mentioned above that servicing it still might not be straightforward). But they are a relatively big and reputable brand, I bought their cheapest ebike second hand as I leave it locked on the street semi regularly and I've been surprised by how good it has been in the 500km or so I've put on it.

Silverdream

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119443817#Comment_119443817

I couldn't do it to myself after the bad experience I had with Halfords n the past.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119443861#Comment_119443861

The RadPower is tempting, my only issue is the price tag. It's €500 more than the Aliexpress bike but they look almost identical.

cletus

On the servicing front, I wa in with my local bike mechanic a while back, and he had a Chinese ebike in for repairs.

He couldn't get replacement electronic parts, so he was having to bodge connections and stuff to get it running. He's very good, but a lot of bike shops won't go to the trouble he did

CantGetNoSleep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119445429#Comment_119445429

1000 euros is still a bit of a gamble to buy anything from Aliexpress. I would prefer some form of name and possible comeback if anything goes wrong

You can also find referral codes for Rad Power if you look around online

Squidgy Black

Another vouch for the RadPower here, we’ve a Radmission in the house and it’s been great, their support is decent too

wheelo01

I know most of the fold up bikes I see around here are Fiido bikes, two people I know have the D2S, they tell me it came in around €700.

Cabaal

For the budget, Rad Power Bikes seems the safer way to go. Atleast you'd likely have better come back and can source parts easier.

9320

Would there not be customs issues with the Aliexpress route? So that price may not be final price.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119445625#Comment_119445625

my LBS will fix punctures on the fiido and no more. he reckons they're junk.

Icyseanfitz

worth looking at buying a motor and kit and fitting it to an existing bike? hoping to do the same myself

Silverdream

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119445797#Comment_119445797

They are sent from Poland so if I was to get hit by customs I would not be paying it just cancelling the order instead.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119445885#Comment_119445885

I'm not expecting top quality but in fairness a lot of the Branded stuff comes from China and contains the exact same components.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119445681#Comment_119445681

It's just out of my Budget, I'm really stretched to €850-900 without much hope of going higher as I've more new bills every week!! I've bought loads of stuff off Aliexpress or Amazon and often at half the price of any retailer here. My last purchase was a Welder from Amazon and it is a fantastic piece of kit at a bargain price

CantGetNoSleep

If you are really stretched on budget then please make sure to check customs. A few people have already suggested the Rad Power but you never know maybe the others will arrive in a reasonable time and work well. It is a big gamble if money is tight though compared to buying from a brand with some sort of reputation

Kaisr Sose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119445885#Comment_119445885

They look like pure junk too. I would wonder about the batteried. If they are junk, thr bike is a fire hazard.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119445625#Comment_119445625

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119449437#Comment_119449437

A few people in work have them. No sign of a fire hazard but the range drops significantly with regular use (according to them, not me). If you don't have far to go, you'll probably never notice but I imagine if it's anywhere near the range value, then you may be disappointed sooner rather than later. May just be bad luck but multiple people in one workplace wouldn't instill faith from me.

Kaisr Sose

Sure they don't even look like proper bikes, and the wheels for Irish road surfaces. That's a no from me before we even get to being road legal. The ones I see don't require pedal power for the motor to assist.

loyatemu

Fiido's are basically eScooters with pedals from what I've seen.

Macy0161

They'll be covered as PPT's, if/ when that legislation is passed won't they?

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119458440#Comment_119458440

that remains to be seen - I'd assume so if they're under 250W and 25km/h

Kaisr Sose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119458440#Comment_119458440

Are non-pedalectics categorised thr same as pedalectics? I thought they had to be the latter to comply with the EU directive. 250KW / 25kmph limit is then the secondary criteria.

loyatemu

I'd assume if they're not a pedelec (because they have a throttle), then they're de-facto a PPT regardless of the fact that they have pedals and will be covered under the new legislation. But we won't know until it's published

Macy0161

My assumption is as per loyatemu, but I wouldn't put in past them to overcomplicate things!

Kaisr Sose

Exactly, if they have a throttle are they not a different category than pure-pedectics? That is, motorised vechicle, requiring licence etc? Or is all that out the door now? No doubt time will tell.

Those big ones linked earlier in the thread are monsters. To think a pedal cyclist is having to share a cycle lane with these beasts. They are more like motorbikes than bicycles.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119459462#Comment_119459462

The logic is that throttle scooters will be legal as a PPT, so that would apply to a throttle ebike (as a "ppt"). With the same conditions as scooter/ pedelec in terms of speed limit. Throttle ebike doesn't necessarily mean breaching the 25km/h. There's one or two on my commute which I pass on my normal bike, so not everyone is going crazy even as is (and pedelec's I can't keep up with when going over 25km/h!).

Kaisr Sose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119459517#Comment_119459517

There is a key difference between both modes.. One has pedals. I would hope all bicycles with throttles are not categorised the same as scooters, which need one. The former does not if its compliant with the EU-directive on pedalectics (power assist only)

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119459908#Comment_119459908

The grey area/overlap with the scooters is they technically can be self propelled since you can just scoot on them like a micro-scooter.

Silverdream

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119459462#Comment_119459462

Seen one in the flesh sort of speak today. They are fair big and awkward looking. I watch the guy cycle off on it, he seemed to struggle to get the bike going for the first peddle or two but then you could see the motor kick in and he took off.

I reckon without the motor it would be next impossible to go anywhere, the fat wheels are just too big and the bike looks heavy. I wouldn't like to get knocked over by one either you'd be K.O'd.

I think I'll be choosing a lighter bike with narrower tyres, them 4 inch+ fat tyres are a no no

getoutadodge

"I reckon without the motor it would be next impossible to go anywhere, the fat wheels are just too big and the bike looks heavy. I wouldn't like to get knocked over by one either you'd be K.O'd."

Same applies to all e bikes. I have a conversion. Truth is that if the battery fails its next to impossible to cycle in a normal way with just leg power. It's why Im so paranoid about range.

ted1

Can you avail of the cycle to work scheme?

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119460793#Comment_119460793

i've been passed a couple of times heading out to howth by a chap on one of the fat tyred ones; they're certainly not a bike for ninjas (well, his one anyway), they sound like a swarm of angry bees and i suspect the noise would drive you demented after a while.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119459908#Comment_119459908

Categorised as PPT, not a scooter. There won't be a "scooter" definition, they'll all be PPT's?

I'm really not sure I see the issue, once they comply with the PPT regulations. Why would it matter, particularly if it means more options that get people out of cars.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119461979#Comment_119461979

I actually came across a few comments like this on "conversion" forums. My thinking was that I'd cycle in, and ebike home, but basically the consensus was that lots start with that idea, but it's just not practical to go zero assistance.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462369#Comment_119462369

Why would it matter, particularly if it means more options that get people out of cars.

not sure if scooters will get people out of cars per se, i don't see them making much dent there.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462430#Comment_119462430

Well the majority of city (all?) car journeys are under 5km iirc, so they could? But that's why I think a wider definition of PPT will help (by making things like throttle ebikes legal*). Also have the potential to impact more on first and last mile, which makes Public Transport more attractive.

Really when you look at the impact they're already having when illegal, there must be a lot of people (like myself tbh) who would consider PPT options if they were legal.

*obviously with the caveat that they comply with the speed/ power limits.

hesker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462430#Comment_119462430

Most people I see on them appear to be teenagers so possibly getting people out of buses rather than cars

copeyhagen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119445429#Comment_119445429

theres a reason they look almost identical...

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462474#Comment_119462474

yeah, i think a large part of the demographic i see using them are teenagers, as you say, and probably low wage workers, so they're probably a boon for them getting to work along routes that were not efficiently served by public transport.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462474#Comment_119462474

One of the excuses people use to not get buses is over crowding/ too full to stop. So even if that is the displacement, it still helps overall. One of the other excuses is reliability of service, which again PPT's can address.

fwiw on my commutes into town it's normally 20 year olds on the scooters. My age (mid-40's) or older on ebikes (predominantly pedelecs, but some throttle). Throttle conversions mainly the delivery guys, but in the evening only.