Electric Bikes from Chris’s Cycles

Huge Choice of Electric Bikes Models Available

Electric bikes are now a huge booming business in the UK.  There is a staggering choice of models and makes, some excellent, some good and

some probably not so good.  Hence your choice depends on several things.  Your budget, the type of cycling you intend to do, the type of drive you want and distance.  Types of drive available include front wheel, rear wheel or mid drive.  So gone are the bad old days when electric bikes would travel no more than 10-15 miles on a battery charge.  And that’s if you were lucky (although a few of these still survive!)   Modern battery technology and improvements in motor design have extended riding distance.  Consequently electric bikes now have a realistic range of approximately 80 miles (or more) on a charge.

Obviously this will depend on a lot of factors.  Rider weight and fitness level, the terrain, the level of power assistance selected and lots of other variables.  A 90kg person riding with full motor assistance will obviously drain the battery a lot quicker than a 70kg person riding with a low level of assistance.

Which Drive Mode?

You then have the different drive modes.  Front wheel motor drive which is fine for clean and smooth surfaces.  Therefore this maybe not so good on a loose surface as the wheel tends to skitter under drive.  The other direct drive option is to have the motor mounted on the rear wheel so that the rider weight keeps it planted.  A lot of people prefer this to front drive.

The other option is to have a mid drive motor.  Where the motor is mounted centrally and the pedal crank sits and drives the back wheel through the chain.  This tends to be used on the higher spec bikes and is a very effective system.  Chain wear may increase on this type of system.  Although it should be any more than a normal bike with the rider pedalling hard.  These are the bikes that tend to have the longer ranges to a charge as the motors are more efficient.

Don’t be Tempted by Faster Speed!

You may be tempted by some of the higher power models advertised with claims of 30mph or more.  These are not legal for road use in the UK.  Strictly speaking, bikes for road use should be limited to a maximum of 15.5mph assisted speed.  Obviously you can pedal above that speed but the motor should not drive it any faster than that.  New legislation states that electric bikes should now only be pedal assist.  I.e. no separate throttle that drives the bike along without pedalling.  Eventually all electric bikes will be made this way.

Buy Your Electric Bikes from Chris’s Cycles

We are appointed dealers for both VOLT and Gepida (which all use the Bosch mid-drive system) electric bikes.  We have stock of some of the models.  We also have second hand ones of other makes occasionally and may stock other new makes as time goes on.  Come and see us and view/try the bikes to see just how impressive they really are!  Evenings or weekends are no problem if that suits you best.  Check our Facebook page or under ‘Contact/Opening Hours on this website for any unusual hours as these are updated daily.  If in doubt, a quick phone call first is always advisable.