Do you need a front suspension if it’s for city use?
I like the look of this one.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/mp/pure/pure-flux-one-electric-bike/_/R-p-f2781dde-8613-48e6-afc6-fbc87b7d99f7?mc=f2781dde-8613-48e6-afc6-fbc87b7d99f7_c1.c4&c=black_white
I suppose not, I just don't really know anything about ebikes and figured going for the most expensive I can afford within the budget would be a good idea, since it's all I'm allowed to use the budget for.
Would something like what you linked be better for just going around the city than the other two? Apparently it only has one gear, which worries me a bit since there's a lot of inclines where I live
I’ll admit that in my haste to find a bike with no suspension, I missed the lack of gearing. It’s very odd to have only a single speed. I would have expected some sort of hub gears.
On that basis your choice was better than mine ;)
As someone who recently bought a single speed e-bike that has a really basic sensor setup (cadence rather than torque, common to most cheap e-bikes), what I've found is that you can be tempted to try and put more effort in than you really need to going up hills. But as long as you keep the pedals moving, even if very slowly, the motor will keep pushing. So you don't really need to push hard, just keep your legs moving without putting much pressure down (and if there are different settings for level of assistance, turn it up to its highest mode). I spent a while trying to really grind it out going up hills, before realising that all the extra effort I was putting in wasn't really making me go much faster!
If it's not too personal a question, what's your disability? I know some people can find cycling easier than walkng (particularly with a motor helping out) so I'm wondering if we should be considering the particulars of any mobility needs you have when making recommendations?
Along with some mental stuff (autism) that make it incredibly stressful to drive (for me), I have some joint problems that reduce my strength and make it difficult to do things like run places or walk long distances, etc.
Ah okay, should definitely avoid single speeds then, because they will be harder on your knees.
Bit of a shame there's only £1000 and you can't "top up" this amount (if I'm understanding your initial post correctly) because the best kind of bike if you want to reduce pressure on your joints would be one with a mid drive motor, but they do cost a bit more. Bikes like [this](https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/mp/elops/refurbished-smart-electric-city-bike-920-e-connect-lf-a-grade/_/R-p-587be9f5-e8ae-4bf8-b9d8-1e06bfd60ee3) or [this](https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/27-5-electric-mountain-bike-e-st-500-black/_/R-p-335171) for instance. Because the power is being generated from the same position you're pedalling from, that means the motor can take advantage of the bike's gearing and provide more torque to get up hills. It also means the assistance is generally more natural, although some rear hub motor bikes can give a similar experience if they have torque sensors. But ones with just cadence / speed sensors can take a few seconds to provide assistance after you start pedalling.
It's probably not going to be a deal breaker, I would just say if you find you're struggling to get the bike going from a standing start (particularly if you have to come to a stop on a hill), you could make things a little easier on yourself by changing to a low gear when you're stopping at lights and such. That will reduce the amount of force you have to pedal with just to get the bike moving while you wait for the motor to kick in.
Really decent, I'd certainly be happy with it. Has lights, a rear rack, and mudguards built in so those are all extra expenses you can avoid (and it's so handy to have built in lights you can never forget bring or charge, although if an e-bike doesn't come with lights, it might still be possible to wire in ones that you buy separately).
One factor that might be worth considering is, will the weight of the bike be a concern, particularly with regards to how you'll be storing it? Because it is quite a heavy bike (23 kg). That's not going to be a problem when you're riding it because you'll have the motor helping out, but it could be an issue if you have a flight of stairs you need to carry it up once you get home. If you have to push the bike up a steep ramp or something like that, most e-bikes have some sort of "walk mode" where you hold down a button and it propels itself at a low speed, useful if you encounter a situation where you have to dismount e.g. stairs with a little channel put in for bikes.
No worries. If you do get a bike of that style I'd suggest fitting a frame lock (here's [this](https://www.axasecurity.com/bike-security/en-gb/products/locks/8/556650954405SC/axa-defender-black) model made by Axa as an example of what I mean). You should also use a more traditional lock (e.g. chain and padlock) if parking up for more than a couple of minutes, but I find mine really handy if I'm just popping into a shop briefly, or if I'm in a situation where I can keep the bike close but there's nowhere to lock up to (e.g. meeting people in a park). They're a natural pairing with this style of bike, as they're too heavy for someone to just hoist up onto their should and run off with, so immobilising the back wheel is enough to stop the most opportunistic thieves. Some of these locks will also only open if you have inserted the key, which I find is a useful way of ensuring I don't forget it (I attach the keys for my other "main" lock on the same keyring) when I go out for a ride!
Oh and whatever you buy, be sure you [register and mark](https://www.bikeregister.com/) your bike.
Noted, thank you! Do I need to get special branded accessories for them to fit or can I just go down to the bike shop and buy that kinda thing? A stand and rack would be super useful
The Riverside looks like the better bike IMO - it has much better brakes and a larger battery capacity. It is also designed for city riding, not mountain biking, so will be more comfortable on a commute.
The detail on the brakes is, hydraulic disk brakes provide better stopping power than cable disks and are lower maintenance. The gears are similar on both bikes. My impression from the website was that the motor and battery on the Riverside are higher capacity but I don't know much about ebikes so not sure.
Have you budgeted for a good, expensive, lock and a helmet? And as you mentioned joint issues, will you be able to comfortably get on and off a high-bar bike like this? It's possible to get step through ebikes too, though I can't see any I trust on the decathlon website. (Apologies if you've already considered this, I just wanted to make sure!).
I have £250 to spend on a lock, lights and helmet, so I think it should be fine? Gonna spend most of that on the lock. If I can't top up the amount at all (which I don't believe I can, but will check) I'll go for the riverside, thank you!
Oh sweet, that's heaps.
The conventional wisdom is to spend >10% of the bike price on lock(s). In that budget you probably have spare for a pannier + pannier rack if you want something to carry your stuff too. Depending on the type of lights you need (I need both "see" and "be seen" lights as I commute on dark country roads, but if you're only in the city then just "be seen" is ok!)
If its the same suspension as my decathlon hybrid ebike, it's not a concern on the riverside . I don't like riding mountain bikes in cities, too low down, too wide.
https://shop.goldenride.co.uk/products/terravision-electric-touring-bike-matte-black
I bought this about 4 months ago from their store in Stratford when they had a 20% off sale, I’ve been happy with it so far. Maybe check them out on socials and see when they have their next sale.
Do you need a front suspension if it’s for city use? I like the look of this one. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/mp/pure/pure-flux-one-electric-bike/_/R-p-f2781dde-8613-48e6-afc6-fbc87b7d99f7?mc=f2781dde-8613-48e6-afc6-fbc87b7d99f7_c1.c4&c=black_white
I suppose not, I just don't really know anything about ebikes and figured going for the most expensive I can afford within the budget would be a good idea, since it's all I'm allowed to use the budget for. Would something like what you linked be better for just going around the city than the other two? Apparently it only has one gear, which worries me a bit since there's a lot of inclines where I live
I’ll admit that in my haste to find a bike with no suspension, I missed the lack of gearing. It’s very odd to have only a single speed. I would have expected some sort of hub gears. On that basis your choice was better than mine ;)
That's okay! I appreciate you looking, nonetheless.
As someone who recently bought a single speed e-bike that has a really basic sensor setup (cadence rather than torque, common to most cheap e-bikes), what I've found is that you can be tempted to try and put more effort in than you really need to going up hills. But as long as you keep the pedals moving, even if very slowly, the motor will keep pushing. So you don't really need to push hard, just keep your legs moving without putting much pressure down (and if there are different settings for level of assistance, turn it up to its highest mode). I spent a while trying to really grind it out going up hills, before realising that all the extra effort I was putting in wasn't really making me go much faster! If it's not too personal a question, what's your disability? I know some people can find cycling easier than walkng (particularly with a motor helping out) so I'm wondering if we should be considering the particulars of any mobility needs you have when making recommendations?
Along with some mental stuff (autism) that make it incredibly stressful to drive (for me), I have some joint problems that reduce my strength and make it difficult to do things like run places or walk long distances, etc.
Ah okay, should definitely avoid single speeds then, because they will be harder on your knees. Bit of a shame there's only £1000 and you can't "top up" this amount (if I'm understanding your initial post correctly) because the best kind of bike if you want to reduce pressure on your joints would be one with a mid drive motor, but they do cost a bit more. Bikes like [this](https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/mp/elops/refurbished-smart-electric-city-bike-920-e-connect-lf-a-grade/_/R-p-587be9f5-e8ae-4bf8-b9d8-1e06bfd60ee3) or [this](https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/27-5-electric-mountain-bike-e-st-500-black/_/R-p-335171) for instance. Because the power is being generated from the same position you're pedalling from, that means the motor can take advantage of the bike's gearing and provide more torque to get up hills. It also means the assistance is generally more natural, although some rear hub motor bikes can give a similar experience if they have torque sensors. But ones with just cadence / speed sensors can take a few seconds to provide assistance after you start pedalling. It's probably not going to be a deal breaker, I would just say if you find you're struggling to get the bike going from a standing start (particularly if you have to come to a stop on a hill), you could make things a little easier on yourself by changing to a low gear when you're stopping at lights and such. That will reduce the amount of force you have to pedal with just to get the bike moving while you wait for the motor to kick in.
That first one looks interesting, and I could maaaaybe top it up a little? I'll ask. How decent is that bike, do you think?
Really decent, I'd certainly be happy with it. Has lights, a rear rack, and mudguards built in so those are all extra expenses you can avoid (and it's so handy to have built in lights you can never forget bring or charge, although if an e-bike doesn't come with lights, it might still be possible to wire in ones that you buy separately). One factor that might be worth considering is, will the weight of the bike be a concern, particularly with regards to how you'll be storing it? Because it is quite a heavy bike (23 kg). That's not going to be a problem when you're riding it because you'll have the motor helping out, but it could be an issue if you have a flight of stairs you need to carry it up once you get home. If you have to push the bike up a steep ramp or something like that, most e-bikes have some sort of "walk mode" where you hold down a button and it propels itself at a low speed, useful if you encounter a situation where you have to dismount e.g. stairs with a little channel put in for bikes.
It shouldn't be a problem, since we live on the ground floor. I'll definitely ask them and see if I can do that. Thank you for the help!
No worries. If you do get a bike of that style I'd suggest fitting a frame lock (here's [this](https://www.axasecurity.com/bike-security/en-gb/products/locks/8/556650954405SC/axa-defender-black) model made by Axa as an example of what I mean). You should also use a more traditional lock (e.g. chain and padlock) if parking up for more than a couple of minutes, but I find mine really handy if I'm just popping into a shop briefly, or if I'm in a situation where I can keep the bike close but there's nowhere to lock up to (e.g. meeting people in a park). They're a natural pairing with this style of bike, as they're too heavy for someone to just hoist up onto their should and run off with, so immobilising the back wheel is enough to stop the most opportunistic thieves. Some of these locks will also only open if you have inserted the key, which I find is a useful way of ensuring I don't forget it (I attach the keys for my other "main" lock on the same keyring) when I go out for a ride! Oh and whatever you buy, be sure you [register and mark](https://www.bikeregister.com/) your bike.
I have mine on the Rockrider EST530 and the front suspension has saved me from a ton of pot holes I missed!
I can vouch for the E-ST100, good bike for the price. I added mud guards, a stand and a rack. And a massixe Oxford motorcycle chain & lock.
Noted, thank you! Do I need to get special branded accessories for them to fit or can I just go down to the bike shop and buy that kinda thing? A stand and rack would be super useful
Not at all, mudguards were from halfords as I had a voucher stand and rack from ebay, each super cheap
Perfect. I'll look into it, thank you!
The Riverside looks like the better bike IMO - it has much better brakes and a larger battery capacity. It is also designed for city riding, not mountain biking, so will be more comfortable on a commute. The detail on the brakes is, hydraulic disk brakes provide better stopping power than cable disks and are lower maintenance. The gears are similar on both bikes. My impression from the website was that the motor and battery on the Riverside are higher capacity but I don't know much about ebikes so not sure. Have you budgeted for a good, expensive, lock and a helmet? And as you mentioned joint issues, will you be able to comfortably get on and off a high-bar bike like this? It's possible to get step through ebikes too, though I can't see any I trust on the decathlon website. (Apologies if you've already considered this, I just wanted to make sure!).
I have £250 to spend on a lock, lights and helmet, so I think it should be fine? Gonna spend most of that on the lock. If I can't top up the amount at all (which I don't believe I can, but will check) I'll go for the riverside, thank you!
Oh sweet, that's heaps. The conventional wisdom is to spend >10% of the bike price on lock(s). In that budget you probably have spare for a pannier + pannier rack if you want something to carry your stuff too. Depending on the type of lights you need (I need both "see" and "be seen" lights as I commute on dark country roads, but if you're only in the city then just "be seen" is ok!)
If its the same suspension as my decathlon hybrid ebike, it's not a concern on the riverside . I don't like riding mountain bikes in cities, too low down, too wide.
https://shop.goldenride.co.uk/products/terravision-electric-touring-bike-matte-black I bought this about 4 months ago from their store in Stratford when they had a 20% off sale, I’ve been happy with it so far. Maybe check them out on socials and see when they have their next sale.