Ebike recommendations

adeo

I'm 60 next week, slightly over weight, have arthritic knees, other than that relatively fit! Use existing pedal assist bike on short rides of no more than about 5 miles round trip on roads. But trying to increase my ride mileage for leisurely rides for exercise mostly
I have a budget of approximately £2000 to purchase an Ebike but looking for recommendations from people who have recently purchased Ebike.
Only experience of Ebike is through purchase of UK business Swytch that I purchased a conversion bike kit several years ago, which was good for last two years but now has developed a fault which is a common problem with swytch generation version 2 kit. So now it's time to upgrade to a full Ebike very soon!
Hope anyone has helpful information to help me come to a decision.

SiliconChip

Although I haven't bought or even tested one yet (waiting for better weather) I've been looking into Ezego bikes, primarily because they are what my local bike shop sells but also because a couple of people who did buy there have told me they've been pretty happy with their purchases.

https://ezego.bike/

handful

There are about a million different types of ebike, any of which may be suitable for you. Best to clarify the intended use, what your range requirements are, what terrain you will be cycling on and what your levels of fitness are. You may get some decent recommendations then

Bicycleman22

Ask your question on the cycling U.K. forum. Far more knowledgeable on there and there is even a separate section for electric bikes.

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewforum.php?f=55&sid=13cd617f57ba6df0082ebf9be60dbfd9

Herzlos

What bike are you currently using? What do you like/dislike about it or wish it would do differently?

You can get an e-assist version of more or less all styles of bike, so that'll depend largely on what you want the bike part to be like.

Beyond that you want to get one with local support (like an actual bike shop) and from a reputable brand (Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, Giant, etc.) rather than something you've never heard of.

adeo

Herzlos said:

What bike are you currently using? What do you like/dislike about it or wish it would do differently?

You can get an e-assist version of more or less all styles of bike, so that'll depend largely on what you want the bike part to be like.

Beyond that you want to get one with local support (like an actual bike shop) and from a reputable brand (Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, Giant, etc.) rather than something you've never heard of.

Currently using Evans hybrid bike pinnacle with swytch Gen 2 eco front wheel, but really wanted a e-mountain bike with chunky wider wheels.

Herzlos

Whilst I have no direct experience with the electric ones, I've been really impressed with Decathlons bikes. They are a huge chain so seem to get pretty good deals on parts.

You can get this in budget https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/27-5-inch-electric-mountain-bike-e-st-900-grey/_/R-p-168875?mc=8487240&c=GREY

Which has 27.5x2.8" tyres (about as wide as you can get), and pretty good components.

It does have the obvious external battery pack but that makes it easy to remove and you'd need to pay much more to get a bike with the battery hidden in the down tube.

Some branches rent out the bikes too so you may be able to try one for the day first.


It's also worth checking if your workplace offers a cycle to work scheme to let you buy one tax free.

adeo

Herzlos said:

Whilst I have no direct experience with the electric ones, I've been really impressed with Decathlons bikes. They are a huge chain so seem to get pretty good deals on parts.

You can get this in budget https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/27-5-inch-electric-mountain-bike-e-st-900-grey/_/R-p-168875?mc=8487240&c=GREY

Which has 27.5x2.8" tyres (about as wide as you can get), and pretty good components.

It does have the obvious external battery pack but that makes it easy to remove and you'd need to pay much more to get a bike with the battery hidden in the down tube.

Some branches rent out the bikes too so you may be able to try one for the day first.


It's also worth checking if your workplace offers a cycle to work scheme to let you buy one tax free.

Thanks very much for your advice, much appreciated. The bike is awesome, right up my strasse 👍

ispookie666

I have a specialized Turbo Vado SL with a range extender (A hybrid bike).  I have put on narrow 32c tyres; my longest ride is 60K, and I was left with a full battery (the range extender was nearly empty).  It is not a very powerful bike, and it provides around 250W of assistance till 15mph (legal speed limit), but you can easily cycle faster than this.  Most of the time, I cycle around 18mph.  The full-size eBikes produce double the power, and weigh much more, and cycling beyond the assistance limit can be brutal.  
The bike is around 17 kg and has done approximately 1000k since its purchase.  I bought mine through cycle2work, and it cost me £3000.  
There are plenty of eBikes, but I would stick to known brands and plenty of EMTBs