Issue Five - Autumn 2012 - Electric Bike Magazine

£2.50 where sold 

Issue 5 www.electricbikemag.co.uki 

Seven electric reviews!l 

E-bikes in Europel 

Technology newsl 

ON TEST: Kalkhoff C11 Impulse Falco E-motor drive system Conv-E kitl 

Kudos Cycles Secret Volt Pulse Batribike Breeze Gepida Rodanus 1000l

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Contents 

From the editor 

Welcome to Issue 5 of Electric Bike magazine! 

This issue we’ve another eclectic collection 

of reviews, featuring the latest electric 

bikes, two kits and even a tandem! 

There’s also some first news of what to 

expect in 2013 with our preview of the 

Eurobike show and, on page 42, a look 

across to mainland Europe where electric 

bikes are leaping ahead in numbers sold. 

Meanwhile back in the UK we’re looking 

forward to meeting many readers at our 

stand (E41) at the Cycle Show at the NEC in 

Birmingham, on the 28th-30th September. 

We’ll be handing out free copies to spread 

the word on electric bikes, and will 

doubtless be fielding non-stop questions 

from visitors. 

Please do come along if you possibly can: 

not only would it be great for us to meet 

you the readers, but it’s also an excellent 

opportunity for you as electric bike 

enthusiasts, owners and potential owners 

to see, touch and try a wide selection of 

machines all in one day, and with the 

manufacturers and distributors on hand 

too to answer any queries. 

As you’ll see in the item on page 5 there’s 

a special advance ticket offer for Electric 

Bike readers: please do take advantage. 

Hoping to see you there, and in the 

meantime happy electric cycling! 

Peter Eland 

8 

8 

18 

20 

14 

4 News 

All the latest from the electric bike world 

6 Letters 

Your queries and comments 

8 Review: 

Kalkhoff Agattu Impulse C11 

14 Review: 

Kudos Secret 

18 Short review: 

Falco E-motor first look 

20 Review: 

Batribike Breeze 

26 Review: 

Gepida Rodanus Tandem 

30 Short review: 

Volt Pulse 

32 Dealer locator 

Find your nearest electric bike dealer 

38 Review: 

Conv-E conversion kit 

40 Eurobike 2012 

Upcoming products from the German show 

42 Europe calling 

The state of e-biking across the channel 

ELECTRIC BIKE 

Electric Bike magazine 

is published by 

Velo Vision Ltd. 

ISSN: 2045-3183 (Print) 

ISSN: 2045-3191 (Online) 

Velo Vision Ltd 

York Eco Business Centre 

Amy Johnson Way 

York YO30 4AG 

Tel/Fax 01904 692800 

info@electricbikemag.co.uk 

www.electricbikemag.co.uk 

Editor/Publisher: 

Peter Eland 

Art Director: 

Brian Holt 

Web Programmer: 

Simon Ward 

Photo Assistant: 

Debz Butterworth 

Printer: 

Stephens & George 

Magazines Ltd 

Cover photo: Peter Eland 

26 

Subscribe to Electric Bike 

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send a cheque (to ‘Velo Vision Ltd’ please) to Velo Vision, 

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anywhere in the world! 

Issue 5 Electric Bike 3

+NEWS 

hugely successful Bristol electric 

A bike festival saw the city’s Park 

Street closed off to traffic and host to 

electric-assisted hill-climb races in June 

this year. Actor and celebrity Robert 

Llewellyn was on hand to present the 

prizes and offer commentary, and a wide 

range of supporting events were also laid 

on. It was organised as part of the Bristol 

Green Week celebrations by local e-bike 

specialist dealer Atmosphere Electric 

Bikes, who are based just a few hundred 

yards from Park Street. 

Atmosphere Electric Bikes: Tel 0117 

9087153 or see www.electricbikes.org.uk 

Bristol 

blast 

The East 

of England 

Electric 

Bike Rally 

Electric bike 

companies galore 

gathered on the 

seafront at Great 

Yarmouth in May 

for this event, many 

having travelled 

many hundreds of 

miles to be there. 

The unseasonably 

cold weather did 

doubtless reduce the 

crowds somewhat, 

but there was still 

a steady stream 

of people taking 

test rides. The 

local Mayor was a 

particularly good sport, trying out many of the bikes on 

show. Here he’s trying a Batribike. 

The event was instigated by local shop Transport 

Electric UK and organised with the help of David 

Helsdon of Great Yarmouth Tourism. 

Transport Electric UK: Tel 01493 603388 or see 

www.transportelectricuk.com 

Rolling out the powered police 

Police in Sussex have recently 

expanded their fleet of two Wisper 

electric bikes to a full 17, all of which 

will be supplied and maintained by 

E-bikes Direct in Bodiam, Sussex. 

The roll-out to the whole of East 

Sussex follows a successful trial in 

Wealden. PCSO Wendy Wyatt, one of 

the officers involved in trialling the 

bikes, said: “The use of these bikes 

has enabled me to visit communities 

that I would not normally be able 

to. Local farms are an excellent 

example. With a rural area without 

safe footways it was sometimes 

impossible to visit. However with the 

new bikes, I can make a number of 

visits in a relatively short space of 

time.” 

One of the electric bikes has 

already been instrumental in 

arresting a known offender. Sergeant 

Howard Nevill was on a rural patrol 

when a call came in about a theft in 

nearby Hailsham. With the help of 

his electric bike, he reached the area 

well before other officers and made 

the arrest. 

4 Electric Bike Issue 5

NEWSI 

Come to the Cycle Show! 

The major cycle show at the NEC in Birmingham, 28-30th September, will have 

a slew of electric bike exhibitors and much more besides. Read on for how to 

save pounds on entry tickets via Electric Bike magazine! 

We’ll be there with a stand, and as you’ll see from the exhibitor list below 

there will be a strong electric bike presence from manufacturers. The e-bike 

exhibitors are to be clustered around a ‘hub’ complete with extensive testtrack, 

and this will include a 30 metre length ramp with a 1.4 metre incline to 

test out the hill-climbing! Lloyd Clarkson from Raleigh will also be hosting an 

open session on e-bike technology every day of the show. 

This should be a great opportunity to try out masses of electric bikes in 

one event, and I’d highly recommend it! There are of course also many other 

attractions at the show; see their website for full details. 

Electric Bike magazine readers can enjoy a special ticket price of just 

£11.50 per ticket in advance, by visiting www.cycleshow.co.uk/book and 

entering discount code EBM when prompted. Tickets for children aged 14 

and under are £1 with a paying adult. Children under 5 go free. Tickets 

are normally £13 in advance and £16 on the door. A £1 booking fee will be 

charged for all advance bookings. So take advantage and save £3.50 on the 

door price by booking ahead! 

Cycle Show 2012: see www.cycleshow.co.uk 

The exhibitor list as we go to press is: 

The E4 Group: Wisper, Storck Raddar, Hero Eco, EBC Ltd 

Batribike 

Green Zebra Cycles 

Oxygen Bicycles 

Barnes and Robinson 

FreeGo Electric Bikes 

Solex 

Byocycles 

Sub-4 

Eveport / Powabyke 

Powacycle 

Beat Bikes 

Momentum Electric 

Riese und Muller 

Braking Sunstar 

Raleigh 

Electric Bike Magazine 

Like us on 

Facebook! 

If you’ve checked out the Electric 

Bike magazine website 

(www.electricbikemag.co.uk) recently 

you’ll have seen a section to the 

right of your screen showing our 

Facebook feed; that’s where most of 

the recent news updates and links 

have been going. You don’t have 

to be on Facebook to read these 

of course, but if you are, please 

‘like’ us to have all of our electric 

bike news fed through to your own 

Facebook wall! 

New stores 

• The Electric Transport Shop has 

moved its Bristol branch to new more 

spacious premises. The shop is now at 

35a Lower Redland Rd, BS6 6TB, with 

access via Whiteladies Road. 

Tel: 0117 973 4046 or see 

www.electricbikesales.co.uk 

• Justebikes are opening a new London 

outlet very shortly. The shop will be 

at 318 Portobello Rd, W10 2RU (Tel 

0208 960 98 48) and the back doors 

open up in to Munro Mews, which they 

described as “a huge cobbled car free 

area for test rides”. The Grand Union 

Canal cycle path runs close by, too. 

Wisper, 

Grace and 

Germany 

Two business developments from Wisper Bikes have been 

announced. First, they are to import two high-end Grace 

electric bikes from Germany, both using Gates Carbon 

belt drive systems. The off-road ‘MX’ (pictured top) uses 

the Bosch power assist system, plus a NuVinci stepless 

transmission, while the sleek ‘Easy’ city hybrid has the 

BionX drive with a built-in three-speed hub gear (above). 

Wisper are also moving much of their production from 

China to Germany, where three models will now be made. 

The move coincides with the appointment of a new sales 

manager for mainland Europe, where ‘Made in Germany’ is 

a powerful selling point. 

Wisper: Tel 01590 681 553 or see www.wisperbikes.com 

Le Mans glory for 

Solex e-bikes 

Solex e-bikes came to the rescue 

at a recent Le Mans race-meeting, 

providing speedy and stylish transport 

for motorsport photo-journalists Glen 

and Elke Smale. Glen later said: “I hadn’t considered 

using e-bikes for paddock transport but after I spotted 

a few very positive media reviews I thought I’d try 

them out and now I’ll never go back. Efficient, fun 

and reliable, they were the perfect way to get around 

with my cameras for the entire race weekend and they 

certainly sparked some interest!” 

Paul Stanforth, managing director of Solex importers 

EBC, added “We’d be more than happy to speak to any 

teams or media wanting to know more about using 

Solex for pit-lane transport!” 

Solex e-bikes: see www.solexworld.co.uk. 


+LETTERS 

PHOTO: Batribike 

Electric bike cover 

From Tony, via email 

I recently asked whether my Halifax 

home insurance policy covered theft 

of my new electric bike. Their reply 

was that in their policy, motorised 

pedal cycles are not covered. 

Perhaps somebody (you) should 

convince them that legal electric 

pedal cycles should be covered by 

normal home insurance. 

If only my influence reached that 

far! Sadly many policies haven’t 

caught up with the technology 

– but if customers like you keep 

on requesting electric bike cover, 

providers must surely respond 

eventually. Meanwhile, the ETA 

(0800 212 810 or www.eta.co.uk) is 

an insurer who definitely do cover 

electric bikes. 

Battery life 

From Chris, via email 

I’m planning on purchasing a bike 

to help me with a 22 mile commute 

in the flatlands of East Coast 

Lincolnshire. I’m a little concerned 

that I won’t be able to find a bike 

with the reliable range needed to 

do it. I will only be using pedelec 

rather than throttle mode. 

I will also need to do bits and 

pieces of popping around town 

at lunch doing visits – I’m a GP. 

Hopefully I will be able to top up at 

work, but that will depend on the 

day/situation. Obviously, if it runs 

out of power, I can still cycle home 

the old fashioned way! 

So with a total daily mileage of 

around 50 miles, is there a solution 

for me Also, how long will the 

batteries last Am I going to have 

to buy new ones each year Also, 

my other half will kill me if I spend 

more than £1500! 

We field a good few queries like 

this; it’s hard to know what to 

suggest, especially without a 

good idea of your fitness and 

riding style. A dealer will likely 

be able to give better advice 

face to face. The range should be 

attainable with various models, 

especially if the electric assist 

is used sparingly. But you won’t 

find all that many options for a 

torque sensor bike (which I think 

is what you mean by ‘pedelec’) at 

£1500, especially if you’re after 

a large battery capacity. The best 

advice really is to go to a dealer 

with a wide range of machines 

and try several. I suspect that you 

may want to revise the budget 

upwards once you’ve ridden the 

higher-cost (and, I’d hope, higher 

performance) machines. 

Sadly as you’ll see from our 

dealer map Lincolnshire isn’t 

blessed with a huge selection of 

electric bike dealers. I directed 

Chris to some of his closest, but 

also suggested that he make the 

effort to travel a little further 

afield to some of the larger dealers 

stocking several brands. 

Batteries should last two years 

at least nowadays, even with 

daily use (and they should have 

a clearly defined warranty to 

back this up), and they can last 

considerably longer. 

Charging points 

From Chris Dethridge, Newcastle 

I am currently undertaking a group 

project on electric bicycles as 

part of my transport masters at 

Newcastle University. I am hoping 

that you can tell me the cost of an 

electric bike charging post/point, 

or guide me to where I can find this 

information. 

As you’ll see in the ‘Europe 

calling’ article later in this 

issue, it’s probably premature 

to look at electric bike charging 

infrastructure until charge cable 

standardisation is widespread, 

and even then it may not make 

sense. You could just use the cost 

of installing a standard domestic 

mains socket (indoors, because 

most chargers aren’t designed for 

outdoor use) and work from there. 

Bikes on boats 

From John Ackland 

My wife and I are considering 

getting two electric folding bikes 

to transport in our boat. Do you 

know if any are available with 

battery chargers which will run off 

a 12 V DC supply as provided by the 

boat’s battery 

I’m not aware of any specially 

made for that purpose. Most 

manufacturers suggest in these 

circumstances that you power their 

standard mains chargers through 

an inverter (which provides mains 

voltage from a DC supply). 

Thank you for your letters! 

If you have a query or a comment, 

please do send it along. You can 

e-mail to peter@electricbikemag. 

co.uk, send messages by post to 

the editorial address (see page 2) 

or by fax to 01904 692800. If you 

can include a picture, please do! 


+ON TEST 

Kalkhoff 

Agattu C11 

Impulse Premium 

With Kalkhoff’s new Impulse crank drive and 

Shimano’s latest 11-speed hub gear, is this latest 

£2495 incarnation of the Agattu the best yet 


ON TEST: Kalkhoff Agattu C11 ON Impulse TEST: Ezee Premium Torq 

German brand Kalkhoff have 

had an Agattu in their e-bike 

line-up for several years; 

until 2012 they were powered 

by Panasonic crank drive motors 

with, as technology developed, ever 

increasing battery capacity. This year, 

though, Kalkhoff launched their own 

‘Impulse’ drive system, with the aim 

of addressing some of the perceived 

shortcomings of the Panasonic: its 

lack of a speed sensor (so it has to 

cut out at a particular pedalling 

rate, equivalent to 15.5 mph in top 

gear), its power profile (designed for 

stricter Japanese regulations) and its 

lack of flexibility (no re-programming 

possible). The new Impulse drive 

addresses all of these, and adds on-bike 

charging (the Panasonic battery had to 

be removed for charging), the option 

of an informative handlebar display, 

and (especially for mainland Europe) 

the ability to be combined with a 

coaster (back pedal) brake. It also adds 

a ‘push assist’ function for low-speed 

assistance without pedalling. 

Our bike, supplied by Kalkhoff’s UK 

importers 50cycles, is the top of the 

range Impulse model, complete with 

11-speed Shimano hub gear, the large 

display and full 540 Wh battery (36V, 

15 Ah), promising a range of “up to 

120 km/75 miles”. Three frame sizes 

are available across diamond frame 

and step-through versions: ours was a 

medium with cross-bar. 

Some of the first Impulse bikes 

were supplied with an earlier version 

of the control software: ours came 

pre-installed with the latest update 

giving, they say, improved hill-climbing 

performance. If further software 

updates are needed and no dealer is 

nearby, importers 50cycles can post out 

a small device for customers to do the 

update at home. 

A battery life of 1100 charging cycles 

is claimed for the 540 Wh battery, 

suggesting a life of over three years in 

everyday use, although the warranty 

period for both bike and battery is two 

years. 

50cycles have two bases themselves 

(in Loughborough and London) but 

there is also a network of six further 

dealers selling Kalkhoff bikes, plus 

around 70 ‘owner demonstrators’ 

around the country who are willing to 

offer potential buyers test rides (not 

necessarily of this model, of course). 

Contact 50cycles or see their website for 

all of the details. 

Specification 

Weight overall (inc batteries): 

25.15 kg 

Battery weight: 2.94 kg 

Bike only weight: 22.21 kg 

Charger weight: 0.76 kg 

(inc. mains cable). ‘Dock’: 1.1 kg 

Battery type: Li-Ion 

Battery capacity: 540 Watt 

hours (15Ah 36V). 

Gearing: 11-speed Shimano 

Alfine hub gear. 36T ring (I think 

– hard to count), 21T sprocket. 

Ratios 24-100". 

Brakes: Magura HS-33 hydraulic 

rim brakes front and rear. 

Lighting: front LED, rear LED 

Other accessories fitted: bell, 

mudguards, carrier rack, stand. 

Price: £2495 

» ON THE BIKE 

The C11 is equipped with a fairly high 

end set of cycle components on its 

alloy frame. The Shimano 11-speed hub 

gear is their newest model, promising 

a wider gear range than the commoner 

8-speed version, but still with the low 

maintenance of fully enclosed gears. 

It’s controlled by a ‘trigger’ type shifter, 

with separate levers for up and down 

shifting, nicely placed below the bars 

so you don’t have to release your grip to 

change gear. 

BELOW: The Magura HS33 

hydraulic brakes are 

smooth and powerful. 

Note also the AXA frame 

lock, which uses the same 

keys as the battery. 

The brakes are one of my favourite 

systems, Magura hydraulic rim 

brakes. I use these on several of my 

own bikes and they’ve proved truly 

low-maintenance over several years, 

retaining a silky smooth feel long 

after even the best cable brakes would 

be starting to stick. Replacing brake 

blocks is very easy too – just snap 

the old ones out and the new ones in. 

Thumbs up from me. 

Everything else is good too, so I 

won’t spend too long detailing the rest 

of the parts. On instead to the Impulse 

system! It nestles neatly between 

seatpost and rear mudguard, with a 

curve to the battery pack to maximise 

its use of space. The motor itself is 

built in around the bottom bracket, 

and it all sits within the ‘visual 

envelope’ of the plastic chainguard. 

The battery removal system is 

very similar to the Panasonic’s: once 

unlocked it just swivels out, and 

replacement simply involves seating 

the base and clicking the top back 

in. It’s fast and easy, and cleverly the 

battery keys (two provided) also fit 

the frame lock. This puts a steel bar 

between the spokes of the rear wheel 

to immobilise the bike, a good way to 


+ON TEST 

prevent opportunistic theft (but no 

substitute for locking it to something 

substantial). 

From the motor unit a short wire 

runs to the wheel rotation sensor, 

which detects a magnet attached to 

a spoke on the rear wheel. The rest of 

the wiring runs up inside the frame to 

the headset area before emerging to 

run to the handlebar units. 

Right next to your hand is the 

control console, with the on-off button 

and power level up and down switches 

(three levels plus ‘off’). The ‘set’ 

button between them scrolls through 

the display modes on the LCD display 

at the centre of the handlebars, and 

if you hold it down for a few second 

it brings up a menu system offering 

options including language choice, 

units, wheel circumference settings 

and many more. 

The ‘lump’ you’ll see just below the 

console is a bell, very conveniently 

sited, and nestling behind that is 

the button for push assist – an aid to 

walking with the bike, helping you 

push it up ramps, for example. The bell 

does get in the way of using it a bit, but 

it’s a function I rarely felt the need for. 

A separate hub dynamo in the front 

wheel powers the lights, which are 

top quality LED units front and rear. 

A switch on the front light controls 

them, or just set it to ‘sensor’ mode 

and they’ll operate automatically. 

Finally, the bikes comes with a twopart 

charger, so that you can top up 

the battery either on the bike or away 

from it (if you have no power point 

where you park the bike). The charger 

looks rather like a black version of a 

ABOVE LEFT: The large 

battery pack curves 

around the rear wheel 

(with a mudguard in 

between to keep it 

clean). 

TOP CENTRE: The speed 

sensor detects the 

passing of a magnet 

attached to one of the 

spokes on the rear wheel. 

ABOVE: The control 

buttons are in easy reach 

of your left hand, as is 

the bell. 

ABOVE RIGHT: Quality 

forks and LED lights. 

HIGH POINTS: 

Good quality bike bits 

Comfortable ride 

Crank drive works well, 

especially on hills 

Big battery and range 

LOW POINTS: 

Not silent 

‘Soft start’ may not suit 

everyone 

GOOD FOR: 

Those wanting to 

cover longer distances 

between charges 

Anyone with steep hills 

to get up 

Riders who don’t mind 

always having to pedal 

Well budgeted cyclists 

looking for a quality 

e-bike 

Available from: 

50Cycles and their 

dealers: Tel 0333 

900 5050 or see 

www.50cycles.com 

Mac Mini computer for some reason, 

and it should charge from empty in 

around three hours: quite fast for such 

a large battery. To charge away from 

the bike, the charger cable plugs into 

a ‘dock’ onto which you can place the 

battery, just as you would have done 

for the previous Panasonic system. 

» ON THE ROAD 

Even with just a medium frame and 

with the stem set at a fairly moderate 

angle, the swept-back bars give a fairly 

sedate, upright riding position. This 

takes the weight off your wrists and 

eases the bend of your back, at the 

cost perhaps of rather more resistance 

into a headwind. A cycle dealer 

would have no problem making a few 

alterations if you want something 

more sporty. 

It was also good to find that the 

C11’s suspension seatpost worked 

well, moving responsively as the rear 

wheel hit bumps. The front suspension 

too responded well. It has a lockout 

function but I didn’t feel much need to 

use it even on longish hills. 

The brakes were superb, among 

the smoothest and most powerful 

I’ve tried. Perhaps the smoothness 

was down to brand new rims and 

brake blocks, but still impressive. The 

levers have a lovely feel and not much 

pressure is required for stopping. 

Overall, the bike aspects were really 

good, with a stable, rattle-free ride and 

components which really operated well. 

I’ll touch on the gears in a moment. 

With the electrics turned on, 

the LED display comes to life (it 

remembers the power setting you 

were using when you last switched 

it off) and you’re ready to set off. 

It did surprise me that the power 

assist didn’t start immediately 

when you start pedalling, as it does 

with most crank motors. Instead, it 

seems to ramp over a half rotation 

or so. Kalkhoff say that this ‘soft 

start’ system makes setting off more 

predictable, with no chance of ‘pedal 

kick’ if you rest a foot on the pedals 

while stationary. True, but I did 

miss the instant power assist when 

setting off – that first pedal stroke is 

exactly when you need full assist most, 

especially on hill starts. 

After that, though, the power 

assist works in true torque sensor 

fashion: the harder you pedal the 

more it assists. And it does this very 

well, without any uneven pulsing, and 

however fast you choose to spin the 

pedals. As your pedalling speed rises 

so does the noise level – if you move 

your feet only gently, it’s very low and 

quiet, rising to a more urgent buzz if 

you really spin them round. 

Setting off from lights, this freedom 

to pedal as fast as you like is very 

welcome: it frees you from needing to 

shift up gears for those first few yards. 

That’s particularly useful on this 

model, as there’s an interplay between 

the drive system and hub gear here 

which has both positive and negative 

consequences. The Shimano 11-speed 

hub shifts really well, and it’s even 

easy to click through several gears at 

a time, whether you’re at a standstill 

or moving. 

But what it won’t do is shift while 

under load: it lets you change gear 

at the handlebars, but then the 

mechanism within the gear won’t 

actually implement the shift until the 

load going through the transmission 

drops to a ‘safe’ (for the gear internals) 

level. This should work really well to 

prolong the life of the hub gear, but it 

does mean that it’s very hard to shift 

(especially into higher gears) without 

easing off on the pedals to make the 

change happen. And that easing off 

also leads to the power assist cutting 

out, then ramping up again before 

it kicks in again at full power. So as 

you’re going up through the gears, 

power assistance is ‘punctuated’ each 

time by the gear change. It’s not a 

problem at all once you’re used to it, 

just a quirk you quickly adapt to. 

As you speed up, the tail off as it 

comes to the legal cut-off speed of 25 


ON TEST: Kalkhoff Agattu C11 ON Impulse TEST: Ezee Premium Torq 

km/h (15.5 mph) is very gentle indeed 

– in fact it’s often still giving a tiny bit 

of power (according to the display) as 

you go through 17 mph. You’ll need to 

be in one of the higher assist modes to 

get there – in ‘eco’ it tails off around 

14 mph, and feels noticeably less eager. 

Up hills the power level feels 

good, and with just moderate effort 

in your pedalling it will take you up 

even the steepest hills, as long as 

you’ve selected a reasonably suitable 

gear. One of the display modes is of 

instantaneous power assist level, and 

it’s interesting to see this reach four 

or more bars out of its five as the 

power assist works harder to help 

you up. Other display modes include 

trip and total distances, average 

speeds, and one purporting to show 

how much CO2 emission you’ve saved 

compared to travel by car. 

More usefully, your road speed is 

always displayed, as is battery status 

and an estimate of the range remaining. 

On our demo bike this started at 48 

miles with a full charge, and this 

reduced pretty much in line with my 

actual mileage over the following 

BELOW: The display 

console is large and clear. 

It’s mounted solidly 

at the centre of the 

handlebars. 

days. I think it’s always calculated on 

the basis of the assist being in ‘power’ 

mode (its highest setting) as selecting 

the presumably more economical ‘sport’ 

or ‘eco’ modes didn’t affect the figure. 

Strangely, though, with around 14 

miles to go the range remaining figure 

plummeted suddenly to two – but it 

continued to work for around another 

ten anyway. I couldn’t find details of 

how the figure is calculated, but it must 

always be an estimate at best. And it’s 

good that it was under, rather than 

over estimating. 

If you’re relatively economical in 

your riding the claimed 75 miles range 

on a charge should be achievable, 

barring major hills. The bike rides well 

enough without the assist, although 

the weight is noticeable. Certainly 

it’s no great sacrifice to switch off 

the assist on the flat and downhills if 

you’re trying to save power. 

» SUMMARY 

The Agattu C11 is a strong showcase 

for the new Impulse drive, and the 

bicycle aspects all perform well. In 

almost every riding situation the 

electric assist is also excellent, with 

plenty of power to add to your own 

pedalling, and an excellent display. 

My only niggles are the noninstant 

start of the assist as you set 

off, and the somewhat erratic range 

readout, although in fairness it’s 

probably near impossible to make 

any such figure truly accurate. I 

suppose I should also count as a 

niggle that it’s not silent, although 

it’s very much at the same modest 

noise level of other crank drives. 

Overall though, a highly impressive 

machine with substantial range, a 

strong company behind it and with 

the mechanical aspects a pleasure 

to use. You’re paying for this quality, 

admittedly, with the £2495 purchase 

price, but if that budget’s in your 

ballpark I’d recommend trying it out 

and making your own judgement as 

to the value: an expensive bike you 

really enjoy using will always be a 

better buy in my book than a bargain 

which reminds you of its cheapness 

on every ride. 

Peter Eland 

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+ON TEST 

Kudos Cycles 

Secret 

With its battery hidden as a ‘secret’ 

within the frame tubing, the £725 

Secret from Kudos Cycles is somewhat 

out of the ordinary when it comes to 

budget folders. How did it perform 


ON TEST: Kudos ON TEST: Cycles Ezee Secret Torq 

K 

udos 

Cycles, based in 

Swalecliffe, Kent, are 

an offshoot of a well 

established auto parts 

company, Rally Design, and bring in 

a range of relatively affordable bikes. 

We reviewed their ‘Tourer’ in Issue 

3. They sell both direct and via a 

growing network of around 20 dealers 

around the UK (and there’s one each 

in Ireland and Belgium, too). 

The Secret is a relatively new 

addition to the range. It’s available 

in white, silver or black, and comes 

complete with a handy carry bag 

(complete with suitcase-style handle 

and trolley wheels) and a strap to 

keep the folded bike together. 

The Secret uses ‘standard’ lithiumion 

batteries, rather than the 

lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4) 

type used in the other Kudos bikes. 

The LiFePO4 type, they say, sacrifices 

a little power density (capacity per 

unit weight) in favour of long life 

(typically 3 to 5 years). To keep 

the weight down and to make the 

most use of the space available, the 

Secret’s batteries are instead the more 

usual type of lithium ion (lithium 

manganese oxide) type, with a typical 

life of two to three years. This does 

mean the warranty on the Secret’s 

battery packs is one year rather than 

the two which applies to the other 

Kudos batteries. Spare packs currently 

cost £237.60 inc VAT. 

Also in line with the weight 

saving ethos is the maximum rider 

weight limit of 100 kg (including 

any backpack etc.) – a lower limit 

than some, but one which should 

still accommodate most riders. Frame 

warranty (provided presumably that 

you respect this limit!) is two years. 


The Secret’s aluminium frame is 

neatly put together, and in the 

matt black version we tested it 

looks very tidy indeed. Almost all 

of the other parts such as brakes, 

stem, mudguards and carrier rack 

are black too, giving a co-ordinated 

‘stealth’ appearance. Even the Kudos 

graphics are relatively tasteful. Also 

contributing to the neat looks are the 

cable runs: from the handlebar two 

‘wrapped’ bundles run down to the 

main frame, keeping the front end of 

the bike uncluttered. 

The main frame hinge is also rather 

elegantly done, with a big polished 

lever to lock and unlock, with a plastic 

safety toggle to prevent unintended 

operation. Swing the frame open and 

the ‘secret’ is revealed: the battery 

pack within the front part of the 

main frame. To remove it, there’s a 

convenient folding handle – hook this 

on a finger and just drag it out, once 

you’ve operated the lock below the 

frame of course. 

LEFT AND BELOW: The 

secret revealed: the 

battery pack is tucked 

away within the frame. It 

can be charged in place, 

or pulled out for charging 

away from the bike. 

Cleverly, as you unfold the bike, the 

action of closing the hinge also pushes 

spring-loaded contacts in the rear 

part of the frame onto the battery in 

the front – it seems like it should be a 

robust and reliable system. 

There’s an external charging port 

on the side of the bike (sealed with a 

rubber cover) but if you wish you can 

also remove the battery and charge 

Specification 


19.0 kg 




(inc. mains cable). 

Battery type: Li-Ion. 


hours (8 Ah 36V). 


derailleur gears. 44T ring, 14-28 

T sprockets. Ratios 29"-59". 

Brakes: V-brakes. 

Lighting: front LED, rear LED, 

both powered from main battery. 

Other accessories fitted: 

mudguards, carrier rack, stand, 

bell, strap, carry bag. 

Price as tested: £725. 


+ON TEST 

it away from the bike. Given the 

battery placement this isn’t quite as 

easy as on most other designs – you 

have to half-fold the bike to get the 

battery in or out, an operation which 

sometimes feels as if three hands 

would be handy. But a useful option 

if there’s no power sockets near where 

you park the bike. 

The motor is a 220W Bafang type 

in the rear wheel, and it’s controlled 

by a pretty standard handlebar unit, 

offering power on/off, three auto 

assist levels and a four-stage battery 

status display. There’s also a throttle 

twist-grip for your right hand, plus a 

push-button for the LED lights front 

and rear, both of which run off the 

main battery. 

The saddle is a moderate width 

type, supported on a black anodised 

31.8 mm diameter, 400 mm long alloy 

seatpost. When I came to adjust this 

for a ride, I was surprised to see that 

the maximum extension (marked by a 

series of grooves on the post) was well 

short of what I’d expect. It’s around 

64 cm from top of the saddle to centre 

of the chainring. A rough calculation 

suggests that, as usually worked out in 

cycling circles for efficient pedalling, 

this would suit riders at most 5' tall. 

I asked Kudos about the length 

of the seatpost, and they said that 

longer ones are available for those 

who want them (500 mm length, at 

“nominal extra cost”), but the current 

length seems to suit most customers 

to date. If you’re not pedalling, the 

ideal saddle height is less important – 

indeed, a lower saddle makes it easier 

to get a foot down when you stop, 

and it’s easier to get on and off. Also, 

the longer seatpost won’t fit into the 

‘footprint’ of the folded bike, and will 

prevent it fitting into the carry bag. 

Good points all, and indeed I could 

ride the Secret around quite happily 

most of the time with the seat (for 

me) way down low. It’s only if you 

have to pedal to help on a hill, or if 

the battery dies, that this might be 

an issue. With the saddle way too 

low the knees are too tightly bent, 

which reduces the power available, 

and pedalling can quickly become 

uncomfortable. Athletic riders can get 

out of the saddle and ‘stand on the 

pedals’ of course… 

Both wheels are 20", and are 

shod with Kenda tyres (406-50 size) 

complete with reflective side-walls: a 

good feature to make you visible at 

night to traffic approaching from the 

side. V-brakes front and rear do the 

stopping, with proper metal levers 

on the handlebars. A basic 6-speed 

Shimano RevoShift derailleur system 

handles the gears. The (non folding) 

pedals are nicer than some, too, with 

rubbery grip pads on top. 

Other accessories fitted include 

a useful side stand, carrier rack, 

mudguards and the obligatory bell. 

Weight as tested, including battery, 

was spot on 19.0 kg according to our 

scales. 

» THE FOLD 

The Secret’s fold is fairly simple; the 

main frame folds in half, then you 

drop the seatpost and fold down the 

stem. The stem has a neat sliding 

plastic catch to double-lock the hinge 

lever, and it all feels solid: there’s 

a smart looking MTB style ‘block’ 

attaching the bars to the stem, too. 

Unfolding is just the reverse – it can 

all be done in pretty much any order. 

One omission is a little support 

bracket underneath the chainring: 

this would help support the bike 

when it’s folded in half without 

resting the chain or the bottom of the 

seatpost on the ground. I guess this 

was dispensed with to save weight. 

Commendably, the Secret is 

supplied with a Velcro strap to keep 

the folded bundle together, and 

this makes it a lot easier to lift and 

place – either direct into a car boot 

or instead into its carry bag. This 

is a rather splendid item with little 

trolley wheels and a slide-out handle, 

rather like a suitcase. Those are on 

the rigid back of the bag: once the 

folded bike is placed onto it, the 

sides close via a full-length zip. A 

really good system, easy to wheel 

round and protecting other luggage 

from dirt or sharp bits on your bike. 

The only minor caveat is that the 

bag itself is quite heavy (4.1 kg) 

and bulky – the rigid back means it 

doesn’t fold very small for storage, 

although it will go pretty much flat. 


Just lifting the bike out of the house 

and down a couple of steps onto 

the road, the lowish weight (for an 

electric bike) is noticeable. The bike 

balances well when picked up by the 

frame ‘handle’ just behind the hinge, 

which is a nice touch. 

On the road, you can use the 

throttle to set off then, if you wish, 

gently move the pedals around so that 

the power automatically kicks in at 

the level set on the handlebar display. 

On the flat and on moderate slopes 

there’s no need to pedal even starting 

off: the motor pulls the bike away 

eagerly. There’s a distinct buzz as it 

gets you up to speed – it’ll disappear 

under traffic noise, but it’s certainly 

enough to be heard on cycle paths. 

I did find that the low saddle 

made me more inclined on the Secret 

to simply not bother pedalling at 

all (to get the ‘auto power’ to kick 

in) and just to keep the throttle 

twisted instead: this does eventually 

cramp the wrist, but pedalling isn’t 

comfortable either with my knees so 

bent. Shorter riders shouldn’t have 

this issue. 

At some points it would have been 

nice to have an ‘off’ mode for the auto 

power – if you’re just using the pedals 

to gently nudge the bike around bike 


ON TEST: Kudos ON TEST: Cycles Ezee Secret Torq 

path barriers, for example. Turning it all 

off seems excessive, and there’s a delay 

switching it back on. A workaround is 

to ‘feather’ the brakes – just squeeze 

the levers enough to disengage the 

contacts, cutting out the motor, 

without really slowing you down. 

Given the saddle height I didn’t do 

much pedalling, but anyway I found 

the gears way too low to really help 

with motion anyway. The bike just 

stayed in top gear, even on hills. 

Brakes on the other hand were 

good, and the fairly wide tyres 

soaked up bumps well. If it were my 

bike I’d be tempted to upgrade the 

hand grips, which are a bit hard, to 

ergonomic ones offering palm support. 

I might also go for an even wider 

saddle: if you’re just sitting on it 

without pedalling, it may as well be a 

wide squishy one. Then again, a wider 

saddle would add extra weight… 

The bike’s range seemed very much 

as you’d expect from the 36V 8Ah 

battery: it took me around 20 fairly 

flat miles before I felt it wise to recharge. 

A lighter rider might get more, 

or in the hills any rider would likely 

get less – but try not to run out of 

power as it’ll be a long pedal home! 

The battery charger is small and 

light, so if you have a longer or hilly 

commute it might be worth taking 

that with you for a top-up half way. 

» SUMMARY 

The Secret has a lot going for it. The 

key feature is that it’s light for an 

electric folder at 19 kg: that makes 

it a lot easier to lift and generally 

manoeuvre. Yet it’s still well equipped 

with rack, mudguards, stand and 

lights (which could all be easily 

removed if you wanted to make it 

lighter yet). There are no suspension 

forks, but I didn’t miss them. 

This low weight is all the more 

commendable on a relatively budget 

£725 bike, as is the inclusion of the 

strap and carry case. 

The in-frame battery is very neat 

and tidy, and of a decent capacity too 

despite the packaging constraints. 

The motor may be a tad less powerful 

than some (220W instead of 250W) 

but it didn’t seem to make much odds 

in practice. There’s a buzz from the 

HIGH POINTS: 

Light weight 

Very tidy appearance 

Comes with good carry 

bag 

Good basic electric 

assist 

LOW POINTS: 

Modest 100kg rider limit 

Gearing too low 

Standard seatpost too 

short for most to pedal 

e f fi c i e n t l y 

Saddle a bit narrow for 

a ‘pull you along’ bike 

GOOD FOR: 

People who need a light 

bike to lift 

Riders who prefer not 

to pedal 

Shorter riders, weighing 

under 100 kg. 


Kudos Cycles and their 

dealers: Tel or see 

www.kudoscycles.com 

to locate your closest 

dealer. 

motor but it’s not too bad. 

The bike as bought is very much 

a ‘sit on it and let it pull you along’ 

design, as evidenced by the short 

seatpost and too-low gears. The very 

short seatpost did bug me rather as a 

long-time cyclist, though if pedalling 

isn’t your thing anyway it may be a 

non-issue, and besides, Kudos do offer 

a longer one. That and the grips are 

about all I can really criticise at the 

price. 

Pedalling enthusiasts might just 

be tempted to get a Secret, select the 

longer seatpost and then add a larger 

chainring – this would, I think, make 

it into a very different and more 

capable machine for a rider keen to 

pedal, and one hard to rival for the 

money. Not sure it would remain in 

warranty, though… so do this at your 

own risk! 

In any case, the Kudos Secret in its 

stock form offers a very attractive 

package as a discreet electric bike 

which packs down well and pulls you 

along. And at a modest price, too. 

Peter Eland 

Falcoe 

e-motors 

250W-1500W MOTORS 

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Unit F3, Knowle Village Business Park 

Mayles Lane, Knowle 

Hampshire PO17 5DY 


+ON TEST 

The Falco drive system has 

been under development for 

some years by an international 

consortium including, for 

the UK, electric bike and 

handcycle company Team 

Hybrid, who are also handling 

European distribution. In 

anticipation of the system’s 

imminent commercial launch 

they kindly brought two bikes 

fitted with pre-production 

Falco systems to York, where I 

and fellow journalist Richard 

Peace had the opportunity 

to try them out. Sadly the 

day of our test ride dawned 

with torrential rain, and with 

just a few short breaks this 

continued for much of the day. 

Falco 

E-motor drive system 

The system consists of motor (can 

be front or rear, with or without 

disk brake mounts), 36V, 9Ah 

battery pack (carrier mounted) and 

a removable control console which 

communicates wirelessly with the 

other two main components. There’s 

also a control unit within easy 

reach of your left hand. All of these 

were fitted for our test ride to two 

Montague folding mountain bikes. 

One of the attractive aspects of 

the Falco system is that it minimises 

complication: wireless communication 

means that there’s no need for cables 

to run between the handlebars and 

the rear of the bike. This does mean 

that the handlebar controls need 

their own battery, and of course a 

single power cable is still needed 

between battery and motor. The 

motor, incidentally, claims extra 

smoothness and efficiency from 

its apparently unique ‘five phase’ 

design, while the battery boasts 

a sophisticated management and 

protection system, plus a ‘fast charge’ 

capability (under three hours). 


ON TEST: Falco E-motor ON TEST: drive Ezee system Torq 

The display console 

is waterproof and 

removable, and the large 

LCD display shows ride 

information clearly. As 

the unit is connected 

wirelessly to the motor 

no cabling is needed 

along the bike frame. 

The motor can be 

configured for front or 

rear wheel use, with or 

without disk brakes. 

Production casings will 

have a smarter finish 

than the bare metal of 

these prototypes, and 

will also incorporate the 

torque sensor function. 

The original idea was that all of the 

necessary sensors would be built into 

the rear wheel: a strain gauge on the 

rear axle would detect when the rider 

was pedalling (from chain tension) 

and speed could be deduced from the 

wheel’s rotation. This would allow a 

torque-sensor type drive (it measures 

your effort and adds to it) as well as the 

more usual rotation sensing type (drive 

kicks in at your chosen level once the 

system knows you are pedalling). 

Sadly, technical difficulties with 

the torque sensing system meant that 

our bikes had been equipped with 

separate pedal rotation sensors on the 

cranks, and they could only operate 

in that mode. Power would kick in 

after around one stroke of the pedals. 

As we go to press, however, we’ve 

just heard that the first full torque 

sensor-equipped units have been 

delivered to Team Hybrid. 

The control console on the 

handlebars offers an excellent 

(backlight-equipped) display of all 

of the usual ride parameters such as 

speed and battery status, and there 

are also plenty of configuration 

options, more than we have space 

to describe here. Power assist can 

be set to no fewer than nine ‘assist’ 

levels and also nine ‘fitness’ modes in 

which the motor acts as a generator 

and brake: you’d have to be seriously 

masochistic to pedal around like this 

in my view, but each to their own! 

The resistance available is impressive 

– I needed a low gear to pedal against 

it. This’ll also be activated as a 

‘security mode’ if anyone attempts to 

ride the bike without the console. 

Power levels are impressive: at the 

highest level the bike would scoot 

forward smoothly and in near silence. 

The same motor can be used at higher 

power levels too, say Falco – it’s 

regulated electronically to comply 

with the EU regulations. 

Hill-climbing is a particular 

challenge for direct drive motors, but 

it coped well with the best slopes we 

could find (on the York university 

campus). Only on a ‘torture test’, with 

me pedalling as little as possible and 

with the bike moving very slowly on 

a steep section did I get it to falter: 

the motor cut out and couldn’t be 

restarted. Shortly after, the same 

thing happened to the second bike. 

Later investigation by Team Hybrid 

showed that fuses in both battery 

packs had blown. Subsequent changes 

to the battery management software 

should ensure that this won’t occur 

in the production product: in such 

situations the control system should 

limit the current draw. In any case, 

no diagnosis could be made in the 

pouring rain so we cut the test short 

and retired indoors. 

There are some very promising 

aspects to the Falco system; perhaps 

the wireless control console is the 

feature that most sets it apart from 

other drives. I was also most impressed 

by the regenerative braking: the 

resistance level available seems higher 

than any I’ve tried to date, certainly 

sufficient, if combined with a suitable 

brake lever control, to handle a good 

proportion of typical braking as you 

ride. Some sort of instantaneous 

control would be better for this than 

tapping on the console buttons. 

The much-vaunted five-phase motor 

did seem to do the job, but it’s beyond 

my legs to make any sort of judgement 

as to whether its claims of extra 

efficiency or smoothness are justified. 

It was disappointing that the 

pre-production motors we tried 

didn’t have the torque sensing 

functionality: I’d love to try the new 

units with it in place. At that point 

it’ll be the long-awaited first (I’m 

fairly sure) system that could work 

either as a ‘rotation sensor’ or ’torque 

sensor’ drive as the user prefers. 

I’m not all that concerned about 

the glitches we encountered in our 

tests – that’s the nature of preproduction 

samples. By the time 

you read this several month’s worth 

of further development and testing 

should have sorted all such snags out. 

Indeed, as we go to press Team Hybrid 

have confirmed that production units 

will be on sale shortly, with prices 

for full kits starting at around £1150. 

That’s very competitive compared 

to other sophisticated direct drive 

systems such as BionX. Motor and 

console will also, they say, be 

available for purchase separately, and 

they can then used with suitable 

third party battery packs. 

We’ll try to get hold of the finished 

item for a more definitive (and less 

wet) test soon! Bikes with the system 

fitted as original equipment will 

likely be available for 2013. 

Peter Eland 

Available from: Team Hybrid. 01329 832 

068 or see www.teamhybridebikes.co.uk 


+ON TEST 

Batribike 

Breeze 

We try the Batribike Breeze, 

a modestly priced 20"-wheeled 

folding bike with ‘twist and go’ 

electric assist… 


ON TEST: ON Batribike TEST: Ezee Breeze Torq 

Batribike are a family 

company, founded in 2007, 

based near Lincoln, and they 

specialise in models at the 

more affordable end of the electric 

bike market. The Breeze is their lowest 

priced machine at a RRP of £749; they 

also run a range of full-size bikes, 

another folder (the Quartz) with low 

step-through frame, and a popular 

tricycle model, the Trike 20, at £1199. 

There are two colours available for 

the Breeze: ‘Wine Red’ or ‘Royal Blue’ 

as on our test bike. Optional extras 

include a storage/transport bag (£35) 

and spare batteries (36V, 8Ah, £290). 

All of the Batribike products are 

sold through dealers, of which there 

are currently around 50 in the UK, and 

one in Ireland (GoEco). The warranty 

on the Breeze (and for their other 

models) is one year, including the 

battery which is, they say, expected to 

last “up to 1000 charging cycles”. 

It’s worth mentioning that Batribike 

have a comprehensive website, 

including user manual downloads for 

all of the bikes, and a commendably 

impartial ‘Electric Bike Buyer’s Guide’ 

as a free PDF download – I found little 

to disagree with in it. They’re also 

members of trade association BEBA 

and exhibitors at many cycling and 

outdoor events where they offer test 

rides on the bikes: see their website 

for the events diary. 


The Breeze first caught my eye at 

one such event, being test-ridden 

by an elderly lady. She went past 

with a huge grin, and with the 

curvy, colourful Breeze frame and 20" 

wheels in perfect proportion to her 

petite frame. Trying one later I was 

surprised to find it fitted me too, at 

6' 2" – it’s not just for the smaller or 

lighter rider. It’s rated for a maximum 

rider weight of 130 kg, higher than 

many other folding bikes. 

The alloy frame is nicely curved, 

giving an easy step-through onto 

the bike for less limber riders. It’s 

hinged in the middle for folding, 

with a quick-release lever to lock it 

together and a spring-loaded safety 

pin for backup. Cables run down 

inside the frame and through the 

hinge, keeping everything tidy. At 

the back the frame is extended both 

to accommodate the batteries and to 

provide a wheelbase similar to that 

on a full-size bike. That should help 

Specification 


23.30 kg 





Charge time from empty: 

5 hours. 



hours (8 Ah 36V). 


derailleur gears. 44T ring, 

14-28T sprockets. Ratios 29-59". 

Brakes: V-brakes. 

Lighting: front LED, rear LED, 

both battery powered. 


mudguards, carrier rack, 

stand, bell. 


ride comfort, stability and with heel 

clearance if you have panniers or 

bulky luggage on the rear carrier rack. 

The 36V, 8Ah battery pack slides 

down behind the seattube, with the 

saddle equipped with a quick-release 

pivot system so that it can be tilted 

quickly out of the way for battery 

removal, once it’s been unlocked of 


+ON TEST 

course. The battery pack is of the 

familiar aluminium-cased variety, 

with a charge status display on the 

top by the carry handle. Control 

electronics are fitted below the 

battery base. 

The handlebar controls consist of 

a twist throttle on the right hand, 

plus the control console just near 

the left hand. This provides on/off, 

three levels of assistance in ‘pedelec’ 

mode (i.e. motor operates whenever 

you’re pedalling) and a four-stage 

battery charge level display. Cables 

from this, the throttle and the two 

brake cut-out switches all run to a 

heart-shaped plastic box below the 

handlebars before diving into the 

frame on their way to the controller, 

battery and motor. 

The bike parts on the breeze are 

basic but solid. A six-speed derailleur 

transmission from Shimano is fitted, 

along with V-brakes and a set of good 

metal brake levers. The gears are 

shifted via a lever (for downshifts) 

and button (for higher gears) set-up 

for your right hand. Both 20" wheels 

use Kenda tyres (47-406 size) and 

have mudguards already fitted. The 

front is supported in a basic set of 

suspension forks. 

Finally, a useful side stand supports 

the bike well for parking, and batterypowered 

LED lights are provided front 

and rear. 

» THE FOLD 

There’s nothing complicated about 

folding the Breeze. Just fold it in the 

middle by undoing the quick-release 

and then lifting it to disengage the 

safety lock. Then drop the seatpost 

and fold the stem by unscrewing the 

clamp – no secondary safety catch 

here, so make sure it’s well secured 

before each ride. Fold the pedals to 

finish. 

...this suggests it’s more a bike for those 

who want to be pulled along, rather than 

one for pedalling enthusiasts. 

ABOVE: Basic but 

functional control 

console, gear shifters and 

battery LED lighting, plus 

tidy wiring, all add up 

to a no-frills bike which 

does the job. 

BELOW: You’d get two into 

most car boots, although 

a strap to hold the folded 

bike together would be 

welcome. 

The folded package isn’t a bad size: 

you’d get two into most reasonably 

sized car boots. But there’s nothing to 

hold it together so it’s awkward to lift 

without it flopping around. A simple 

Velcro strap would cure this, or the 

optional carry bag. 

There is a useful metal bracket 

under the frame which the folded 

bike stands on, avoiding any possible 

damage to the chainrings or chain. 

Unfolding is also simple, just the 

reverse of the above. It doesn’t seem 

to matter in which order you fold or 

unfold the various parts, so it’s hard 

to go wrong. 


First impressions of the Breeze are of 

a surprisingly stable and comfortable 

bike – I put that down to the long 

wheelbase, fairly wide tyres and a 

generously padded saddle! There are 

also well-shaped ergonomic grips 

on the bars. Even those who haven’t 

ridden a smaller wheeled bike will 

find the handling easy – it feels quite 

‘full size’. 

Once the bike is switched on, the 

electric power kicks in automatically 

shortly after you start pedalling 

– within about a pedal stroke and 

a half. You can also over-ride this 

via the throttle, which gives direct 

control of motor output whether 

you’re pedalling or not. This is handy 

for starting off or for quick bursts of 

power if you’re just riding along in 

low or medium mode – the throttle 

always has ‘high’ on hand. But the 

automatic modes are also good, so 

that you don’t have to keep the 

throttle twisted for long periods, 

which can start to strain the wrist on 

your throttle hand. 

Occasionally I would have liked an 

easily accessible ‘off’ mode as one of 

the power levels – when manoeuvring 

through pedestrians on a shared use 

path for instance. In this situation a 

power surge (and motor noise) as you 

take just a few gentle pedal strokes 

is unwelcome. Of course you can turn 

the whole thing off, but that’s less 

convenient as the system takes a few 

seconds to initialise when switched 

back on. 

When it’s working, the motor gives a 

noticeable low buzz, but you’re quickly 

used to it. It dragged even me (a 

heavyish rider) up to speed smoothly 

and with plenty of power, and if you 

can keep the speed up it’s also not a 


ON TEST: ON Batribike TEST: Ezee Breeze Torq 

bad hill climber. If the speed drops on 

a really steep section, you’ll probably 

need to help via the pedals. 

There are plenty of low gears – even 

‘top’ is pretty low – and I tended just 

to leave the bike in top gear all of the 

time. The trouble is that even in top 

gear, at the 15 mph cut-off speed for 

the electric motor it’s near-impossible 

to pedal fast enough to make a 

contribution to propulsion. So you’re 

rather encouraged to rely fully on the 

motor. A simple change to a larger 

chainring, to raise the gears, would 

make it easier to get some exercise 

as you ride. As it is, away from 

steep hills you’ll need to be riding 

unassisted or on a lower power mode 

(and hence going slower) to put any 

pressure through the pedals. 

The battery casing would rattle in 

its mount over bumps sometimes, but 

apart from that there’s little to really 

criticise. With the throttle it’s an easy 

bike to use without any pedalling at 

all except on the steepest of hills. The 

main reason to pedal (but putting in 

no effort) is to make the auto power 

kick in, if your throttle hand gets tired. 

Batribike claim a range of 25 to 40 

miles, depending on power level and 

all of the other many factors, and my 

commutes to work and back (5 miles 

each way) bear that out – it managed 

two trips (20 mostly flat miles) with 

some charge in reserve, at which point 

I hooked up the charger. The motor 

loses a little eagerness as the battery 

is almost depleted, so if it wasn’t for 

test purposes I’d have charged it after 

every day’s ride so as to keep the 

charge level up. This not only avoids 

the risk of a tedious unassisted ride 

home but is good practice anyway to 

extend battery life. 

» SUMMARY 

The Breeze is a good solid electric 

folder without any pretension – its 

specification is fairly basic, but so 

is the price. The electrical system 

is made up from standard imported 

components, well proven by now, 

and they do the job well. The bike 

aspects are also basic but very 

functional. Gearing is rather low, as 

on many electric folders for some 

reason, so you won’t be able to help 

HIGH POINTS: 

Folds to car boot size 

Carries up to a heavy 

130 kg rider 

Fits many rider sizes 

Comfortable ride 

Strong power assist 

with throttle control 

LOW POINTS: 

Gears too low 

Not the lightest folder 

around 

Battery rattles 

Folded package flops 

open easily 

Not silent 

GOOD FOR: 

Budget buyers who 

need a folder 

Non-pedalling riders 

Those after a 

comfortable, compact 

ride 


Batribike dealers: 

contact Batribike 

(Tel 01427 787774) or 

see www.batribike.com 

for details of your 

closest. 

the motor by pedalling except at 

fairly low speed. Along with the 

‘twist and go’ throttle, this suggests 

it’s more a bike for those who want 

to be pulled along, rather than one 

for pedalling enthusiasts. 

Minor niggles include a battery 

pack which rattles on bumps and 

the modest motor noise, neither big 

deals. I’d also have liked the bike to 

hold together somehow when folded; 

this would make lifting the 23 kg of 

it into car boots etc much easier. The 

optional carry bag would be a solution 

here, or a simple strap. 

There’s also a good established 

company behind the Breeze; Batribike 

offer full spare support via their 

dealers and I’ve seen very good 

reports about their customer service. 

The quality of the user manual and 

of the advice on their website is also 

confidence-inspiring. 

Definitely one to check out if you 

need an electric bike which can also 

fold, at the affordable end of the 

spectrum! 

Peter Eland 

Solex - Ferrari Inspired Design 

An experience worth waiting for 

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For electrical conversion of 

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Parent cOmPany: Ashleigh Engineering 

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Moulton bicycle fitted with 

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assist Issue system 4 Electric Bike 5

+ON TEST 

Gepida 

Rodanus 

1000 

Yamaha tandem 

It’s the first electric tandem we’ve ever tested, and 

one of a very few on the UK market. So how does 

the Gepida Rodanus 1000, with its Yamaha power 

assist system, match the demands of two-up riding 


ON TEST: Gepida Rodanus 1000 ON Yamaha TEST: Ezee tandem Torq 

Tandems are a relatively 

specialist area of cycling, 

with the numbers sold small 

in comparison to solo bikes. 

Yet it is a niche with enduring 

appeal, offering a uniquely sociable 

riding experience to couples, friends 

and families. It’s also a great way 

for riders with visual impairment 

or balance problems to enjoy the 

benefits of cycling, and for pairs of 

riders of even very differing strength 

to tour together. 

Specification 


31.2 kg 






Battery capacity: 212 Watt hours 

(8.2Ah 26V). 

Gearing: 9-speed derailleur gear 

plus 3 range hub. 48T ring, 

12-32T sprockets. Ratios 30-147". 

Brakes: Hayes Stroker Ryde 

160mm hydraulic disks front 

and rear. 

Lighting: front LED, rear LED. 


mudguards, carrier rack, stand, 

bell. 


On the downside, tandems by their 

nature are awkward to transport and 

bulky to store. Failing a van or a 

motor-home large enough to fit the 

bike inside, a car roof rack is the 

usual solution: on the best ones you 

can attach the tandem at ground 

level then swing it up via a spring 

or hydraulic mechanism. Just do a 

web search for ‘tandem roof rack’ to 

explore the options. 

Tandems do also tend to be 

expensive, partly because of the 

lower numbers in which they’re made 

and partly also because they have to 

be made robustly to cope with the 

weight and strength of two people. 

This puts demands on frame and 

wheels in particular, while the brakes 

must also be designed to handle the 

weight of two riders on descents. 

Electric assist is a fairly new 

concept to tandems, presumably 

because it’s such a niche market. The 

only other electric tandem on sale in 

the UK is I believe the £2100 Pedego 

Tandem, which is very much a 

cruiser-type machine, rather than a 

tourer like the Rodanus. There’s also 

a Panasonic-powered tandem from 

BELOW: The Gepida 

Rodanus 1000 uses the 

Yamaha crank drive 

system; a Bosch-powered 

version is also available. 

Flyer in Switzerland, but it’s not sold 

in the UK as far as I’m aware. Some 

users have fitted kits to existing 

tandems too, of course. 

This Gepida Rodanus retails at 

£2199 via importers E-bikesdirect, 

who have bases in London and East 

Sussex. Gepida themselves are a 

well established e-bike maker from 

Hungary; we reviewed their ‘Reptila 

1000’ in Electric Bike Issue 1. This 

machine was the first sample of the 

bike which E-bikesdirect have received, 

and they say they’ll request a number 

of changes to future machines in 

response to some of the comments I’ve 

made in this review. Gepida also offer 

the machine with the Bosch electric 

assist system (at a rather higher price), 

and E-bikedirect can obtain that too. 

There’s a two year warranty on 

the whole bike including battery 

(that it retains 70% of capacity after 

that time), and spares currently 

cost £449. The Yamaha system is 

well established worldwide so future 

availability should not be a problem. 

If you register on the Gepida 

website the frame has a lifetime 

warranty, too. 


+ON TEST 


The Rodanus is an imposing machine, 

with its oversized aluminium frame 

looking well up to the task. A single 

frame size is available, measuring 

around 54 cm at the front and 45 cm 

at the rear (bottom bracket centres 

to top of seat tubes). It’s good to see 

mounting points for three bottle 

cages on the frame, plus a neat set 

of mudguards ready-fitted. There’s 

also a Pletscher rear rack: not a super 

heavy duty touring model, but fine 

for general use. At the front is a midrange 

Suntour suspension fork, with a 

lockout function and relatively short 

travel (around 50 mm), so very much 

for on-road comfort rather than any 

serious off-roading. 

The key feature is of course the 

Yamaha power assist system, which 

in typical crank motor fashion is 

built into the frame at the front 

rider’s bottom bracket. It’s a torque 

sensing system, which responds by 

multiplying your pedal input with 

assistance from the motor. But 

unlike the version we tried back in 

Issue 1, the Rodanus’s system also 

has a speed sensor, which in this 

case comes in the form of a sensor 

attached to the hub of the front 

wheel. As we’ll see when riding, this 

has the welcome effect of freeing 

the system from the need to cut out 

at a particular pedalling cadence 

(rotations per minute) to comply 

with legal speed limits – one of our 

complaints last time. 

The battery pack clicks out of the 

bike in an instant once unlocked; the 

charger supplied is a ‘dock’ type into 

which the battery slots, so you do 

have to remove the pack for charging. 

The pack itself is rated at 26V, 8.2Ah, 

giving a capacity of 212 Wh. 

A simple handlebar control gives a 

display of battery status and allows 

you to select the power assist level. 

The wheels are 700c (28") sized, 

built with heavy box section rims 

with 36 spokes, and with the 

standard 135 mm axle width at the 

back. Some tandems use more spokes 

and wider spacing, but 36 and 135 

should be fine for normal use – and 

will make spares availability easier. 

The front hub is actually a Shimano 

hub dynamo, providing power to 

the LED lights front and rear. The 

Yamaha speed sensor disk was a very 

tight fit here – it would just squeeze 

LEFT: A basic steel carrier 

rack is fitted, complete 

with spring clip, light and 

pump. 

BELOW LEFT: A hub 

dynamo in the front 

wheel, with the Yamaha 

speed sensor on the right. 

BELOW: The transmission 

runs down the right hand 

side of the bike. 

BOTTOM: The Yamaha 

crank drive system. 

up against the dynamo connector, 

squeaking at low speed until I gave 

it a drop of oil to ease the contact 

between the two surfaces. This will 

likely be fixed in future bikes. 

At the back is the SRAM DualDrive 

hub, which combines a 9-speed 

derailleur cassette with a three-speed 

internal hub gear. This is a tidy and 

well-proven system which has been 

around for many years now, and it 

makes a lot of sense on the Rodanus. 

Tandems do tend to need a wide range 

of gears; they’re fast on the flat (with 

around half the wind resistance, but 

twice the power) but are typically 

slow on hills (perhaps because the 

two riders can never perfectly coordinate 

their efforts). 

So normally a triple chainring is 

used along with the rear cassette, 

with the connecting chain to the 

front rider running on the left 

hand side of the frame. Here, the 

connecting chain from the Yamaha 

runs on the right, so there’s not really 

space for multiple chainrings, but the 

hub gear gives back the extra range. 

The range is set a little high overall 

for my taste, but then again the 

electric assist should remove some of 

the need for really low gears. 

Both wheels are also equipped with 

‘Stroker Ryde’ hydraulic disk brakes 

from Hayes, with 160 mm rotors front 

and rear. Generally tandems tend 

to use the largest disk brake rotors 

available, typically 203 mm, for extra 

heat dissipation on long descents. But 

if you avoid extreme descents the 

stock disks should be just fine. If you 

do want more braking, upgrading 

to the larger rotors would be fairly 

straightforward for a dealer. 

It’s definitely a good idea for 

any tandem to have three brakes, 

and here a further backup V-brake 

working on the rim of the rear wheel, 

and operated by the rear rider, is 

provided as backup. 

The brake levers are rather 

impressively designed, and along with 

the polished metal levers of the gear 

shifters, the electric assist control 

and the adjustable stem it all gives 

the front handlebars a very high tech 

look. The front rider also has supercomfortable 

Ergon grips with great 

palm support and built-in mini bar 

ends, for a comfortable hand position 

gripping the ends of the bars. 

On our bike, the rear rider isn’t 

so lucky: their grips are round and 


ON TEST: Gepida Rodanus 1000 ON Yamaha TEST: Ezee tandem Torq 

hard. It was also tricky to raise 

the handlebars high enough for a 

comfortably upright riding position: 

a telescopic type stem would help 

here. Both of these improvements 

(telescopic stem and ergonomic grips) 

will be in place for future bikes, say 

E-bikesdirect. 

Also, although both saddles are 

wide and squishy, it was surprising 

on a ‘comfort touring’ tandem of 

this quality not to see a suspension 

seatpost at the back. Because the 

rear rider can’t see and anticipate 

bumps, and is right over the rear 

wheel, riding at the back of a 

tandem is known to be ‘harsh’, so 

suspension seatposts are pretty 

much standard. Again, E-bikesdirect 

confirm suspension will be fitted on 

future bikes. 

Finally on the niggles, I’d liked 

to have seen a more substantial 

clamp on the front rider’s seatpost. 

With the rear rider’s handlebars 

also attached to it there can a lot 

of leverage twisting it around, and 

it moved several times during the 

review, mostly while pushing the 

bike. A solid Allen key clamp might 

be better than the quick release one 

supplied. E-bikesdirect are looking 

into changing this, too. 

The weight of the machine, at 

around 31 kg, is very reasonable for a 

machine of this type. 


The Rodanus feels commendably rigid 

on the road, and the front rider gets 

plenty of control through those wide 

front bars. It felt solid and stable up 

to any speed we could manage, even 

ABOVE: The front 

handlebars have a hightech 

look, with the Hayes 

brake levers and Ergon 

grips. A simple control 

console (INSET) operates 

the Yamaha electric assist 

system. 

downhill. The brakes were good if 

not stunning, but being brand new 

they were still wearing in. They’re 

certainly smooth and give good fine 

control. The gears also performed well. 

So how does the electric assist 

fit into tandem riding Well, it 

immediately throws up an interesting 

state of affairs. Because there’s a 

freewheel built into the Yamaha drive, 

the two riders’ cranksets are not 

linked firmly together as they are on 

a traditional tandem. The front rider 

can freewheel at any time, leaving 

the person at the back to pedal on 

alone. Not that I would, of course. 

This also means front and rear 

pedals aren’t ‘in synch’ automatically, 

and each rider needs to move their 

own pedals round into position 

before setting off (usually the rear 

rider can do that for both). It’s just 

a minor adjustment to standard 

tandem technique and we were 

quickly used to it. Equally, the extra 

freewheel didn’t seem to affect the 

‘communication’ between front and 

rear riders – after a while the back 

rider learns to start, stop and ease 

off during gear changes instinctively, 

The Rodanus seems made for holiday 

and leisure riding use, where speed 

isn’t the object... 

HIGH POINTS: 

Intuitive power assist 

Basically good comfort 

specification 

Stable, secure ride 

The togetherness of 

tandeming 

LOW POINTS: 

Rear rider comfort could 

be better (will be fixed) 

Modest battery capacity 

GOOD FOR: 

Tandeming without the 

strain 

Relaxed touring 

Riders who still want 

exercise but not too 

much exertion 


E-bikesdirect: Tel 01580 

830959 or see 

www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk 

sensing the front rider’s intention 

through the drivetrain. 

Anyway, from the first instant of 

pedalling the electric assist kicks in, 

giving a welcome boost to get you up 

to speed. It’s smooth and intuitive, 

and the system cuts in and out fast 

enough to make easing off for gear 

changes simple, too. As I mentioned 

it’s great that there’s no cadencerelated 

cut-out: you can pedal as fast 

as you like and the motor will keep 

helping, up to the 15 mph legal limit. 

I did find, though, that the fairly 

muted noise of the motor became 

harsher and louder as we pedalled 

faster, and this tended to encourage a 

relaxed pedalling rate under power. 

On the flat the tandem would roll 

past the 15 mph power assist limit 

quite easily, and we’d then be riding 

unassisted. It goes well for a tourer, 

and then as the speed drops on any 

sort of gradient or into a headwind, 

the electrics provide some very 

welcome relief. 

The Rodanus seems made for 

holiday and leisure riding use, where 

speed isn’t the object but riding 

without strain is. In this role it works 

very well; the electrics taking care 

of any ‘peaks’ of effort while not 

adding undue weight. Unless you’re 

in the saddle all day in the hills 

you’re unlikely to exhaust the fairly 

modestly sized battery; it took us 

on a 30-odd mile ride with plenty 

of capacity remaining, but we were 

pedalling a fair bit. 

» SUMMARY 

The Yamaha drive system is much 

improved by the speed sensor, and 

responds well, offering an intuitive 

feel to the power assist. Working 

through the gears, it can help you 

up most hills, and it really does 

take the hard work out of ascents or 

headwinds, especially if one or both 

of you is flagging a bit towards the 

end of a ride. 

The battery is looking a tad small 

by today’s standards, perhaps, but the 

efficient nature of the torque-sensing 

drive means range should be adequate 

for most – it only tops up your own 

efforts rather than replace them. Also, 

on the flat at least, the extra speed of 

a tandem means you’ll be above ‘assist 

speed’ much of the time. 

The Rodanus’s bicycle specification 

is fine for what it is, a leisure/ 

touring tandem. Tandem nerds 

like me will certainly find areas to 

upgrade, but for leisure riding it 

should easily suffice. 

The few slightly puzzling design 

decisions around rear rider comfort 

will all be fixed by the importers 

E-bikesdirect, so they won’t be an 

issue for future bikes. The front rider, 

meanwhile, is treated to a very nice 

set of handlebar controls for brakes 

and gears. 

At £2199 the Rodanus is a 

substantial investment, but as quality 

tandems go – let alone electrical 

ones – that price is not out of order 

at all. The warranty also ticks all of 

my boxes, with a well defined battery 

guarantee, and the lifetime frame 

warranty as a bonus. 

As with any tandem, it’s a machine 

you really should test ride as a 

couple before deciding whether it’ll 

suit you both, but if it does it could 

bring a unique togetherness, and 

effortlessness, to your cycling. 

Peter Eland 


+ON TEST 

Volt Pulse 

We try the £1299 Pulse, an electric-assist 

hybrid from London-based Volt Bikes. 

With a mid-range price and striking 

looks, how does it perform 

Just a stone’s throw from London 

Bridge, the Electric Bike Store is 

well placed to capitalise on both the 

proximity of bonus-laden bankers 

and on the boom in London commuter 

cyclists on all sorts of budgets. 

Alongside shop sales, customers can 

also hire electric bikes, or purchase 

by mail order. The cycles on sale all 

come from Volt Bikes, the related 

distribution company, who supply a 

network of (currently) seven dealers 

across the UK selling the Volt range. 

Alongside the Pulse hybrid-type 

bike tested here there’s a folding 

bike, a step-through frame version, 

a mountain bike and a ‘classic style’ 

model which looks rather like the 

Pulse but with straight tubes and no 

suspension forks. Prices currently 

run from £999 to £1299 depending 

on model, with the Pulse at the top 

of that range. All have two year 

warranties, including the battery 

which they say “should last for 1000 

full charge/discharge cycles”. The 

bikes are certified to conform to the 

EN 15194 standard by an independent 

testing group, SGS. Purchasers 

may also be reassured to note that 

spare batteries (36V, 10 Ah) cost an 

unusually reasonable £180, and spare 

chargers are affordable too at £35. 

Volt Bikes kindly dropped off a Pulse 

for us to review as part of a road trip 

to visit their northern dealers, then 

collected it again a few weeks later. 

First impressions are of a smartly 

turned out bike: the red highlights 

against the mainly black colour 

scheme work well, and the curves 

of the frame give it a dynamic 

appearance. The battery pack slides 

neatly down behind the seat tube 

ABOVE: Frame detailing 

and strong graphics 

give the Pulse a striking 

appearance. 

LEFT: Neatly bundled 

cables. 

BELOW: The LCD display 

gives a clear view of 

parameters including 

speed, distance, battery 

status and assist level. 


ON TEST: Volt Ezee Pulse Torq 

onto a box containing the control 

electronics, and the motor is in the 

rear wheel. This is a 250W Bafang 

geared, brushless model, a popular 

choice and with a reliable reputation. 

Also fitted to the rear wheel is the 

8-speed derailleur gearing system, a 

mid-range Shimano model. 

On the handlebars is an LCD display 

unit which displays speed, trip and 

overall distance as well as providing 

the controls for power level including, 

commendably, a setting for ‘off’, so 

that you don’t have to switch the 

whole system off if you want to 

cut the power temporarily. There’s 

a backlight for night use. A thumb 

throttle is also fitted, alongside a 

separate push-button control for the 

LED lights front and rear. 

On the road, the Volt pulls 

away well with the characteristic 

low Bafang buzz, audible but not 

objectionable. You have the choice 

of letting the electric assist kick in 

automatically half a pedal stroke or 

so after you start pedalling, or at 

any time you can over-ride that with 

the throttle, or cut the power by 

squeezing either brake lever. It coped 

well with most hills, and only the 

steepest required some modest pedal 

assistance to keep the speed up. 

Overall, the Volt was an easy bike to 

use. As electric bikes go it’s not heavy 

(around 20 kg) and this helps make it 

feel lively in stop-go traffic. With the 

power off it’s still very much usable. 

As a ‘throttle/rotation’ mode bike it’s 

biased perhaps towards those who want 

the option at least of the bike doing all 

the work, although the gearing is fine 

for those who prefer to pedal as well for 

fitness and winter warmth. 

At £1299 the Pulse is at the mid 

range of UK prices, and up against 

some strong competitors. But it’s fairly 

light, has a good level of components, 

affordable spares, and a two year 

warranty. Well worth adding to any 

shortlist, especially if you’re in striking 

distance of one of the Volt dealers. 

Peter Eland 

Volt Bikes: see www.voltbikes.co.uk 

Electric Bike Store: Tel 020 7378 4728 

or see www.electric-bike-store.co.uk 

ELECTRIC BICYCLES 

ELECTRIC 

BICYCLES 

Buyers’ Guide - Technology - History 

The Complete Guide 

David Henshaw & Richard Peace 

Foreword by Dick Strawbridge 

Out mid now! December 

Everything you always wanted to know 

about electric bikes, with expert opinion 

on: 

* The different technologies 

* The latest models 

* Using and maintaining electric bikes 

* Their green credentials and their pros 

and cons 

And lots more... 

£12.95 - 256 pages - 170 photos, 

diagrams, graphs and tables 

ISBN: 978-1901464245 

Available online via 

www.electricbicyclesbook.com 

or through all good bookshops and 

selected bike shops 


181 

187 

183 

182 

184 

186 

28 28 

124 

131 

22 

158 

22 

21 21 

20 20 

130 

129 

80 80 

29 29 

125 

95 95 

52 52 

92 92 

126-128 

91 91 88 88 97 

90 97 172 

89,94 90 60 60 96 96 

145 171 

93 93 61,62 

59 59 

12 16 

102 

118,119 12 16 146 147 13 13 

33 33 

191 

15 1519 

19 31 31 

30 30 

190 

18 18 14 14 

32 

17 

32 

17 

132 

192 

120 

149 148 

123 

135,136 

139 

98 

152 

150 98 

151 101 

121 

138 

100 

122 

137 

159 

160 

163 

99 

161 

99 

177 

162 

193 

154 

11 11 

189 

66 66 

77 77 53,56 5 

153 

57 57 

58 

58 

133,134 10 10 78,79 

176 

54 54 

55 

9 

55 

194 

78 104-117 

2 1 

78 6 

3 4 

103 

81 81 83 83 

155,156 

82 82 

85,86 

140 

157 

84 84 

87 

34 34 143,144 

65 65 

87 

174 

51 

142 173 

46 

64 71 76 

51 

46 175 64 71 76 

37 

42 49 50 

74 

to 37 

42 141 49 68,69,70 

50 

74 

67,75 

165 to 170 

47 

45 

60,72,73 

36 

48 47 

45 

36 

48 

164,168 

35 35 

44 44 

39 39 

40 38 38 

40 

25 23 

24 

41 

27 26 25 23 

195,196 

24 

41 

Guernsey 

27 26 197,198 

Map outlines courtesy of www.comersis.com 

Jersey 

Electric 

Bike’s 

dealer 

locator 

Welcome to this issue’s 

dealer locator! Readers 

in Scotland, please 

don’t write in – your 

map is over the page! 

To make it easier to locate a 

local shop we’ve sorted the whole 

listing into England, Scotland and 

Wales first, then by county. 

A few last-minute additions 

which arrived too late to include 

on the map are in the countysorted 

list, but not numbered. 

The shops listed are from the 

dealer networks of Raleigh 

and Wisper Bikes . Dealers 

with extended descriptions and 

highlighted in blue are Electric 

Bike advertisers, too, and of course 

many dealers will carry other 

brands not detailed here as well. 

The shops listed are featured 

because their participation helps 

support this magazine. As readers, 

please support them too, and do 

mention Electric Bike if you call. 

Finally, if you’re an electric bike 

dealer and would like to be listed 

next issue, please do get in touch! 

England: 

01 Avon Atmosphere Electric Bikes (Bristol) 

137 St Georges Road Bristol 

BS1 5UW 0117 9087153 www.electricbikes.org.uk 

Long established e-bike centres with a stunning 

range of brands, workshop, demo area at superb 

prices. 

02 Avon Gardiner Homecentre 

Old Bread St Broad Plain Bristol BS2 

0JP 0117 9292288 www.gardinerhaskins.co.uk 

03 Avon The Electric Transport Shop 

St Gabriel’s Bus. Park St 

Gabriel’s Rd Bristol BS5 0RT 0117 955 2271 

www.electricbikesales.co.uk 10+ major brands 

stocked, conversions, custom builds, repairs. Ask 

about 10 year battery warranty, e-bike hire, more. 

04 Avon Take Charge Bikes 

3 Georges Place Bath BA2 4EN 01225 

789568 www.takechargebikes.co.uk 

05 Bedfordshire Cyclelife Edlesborough 

Janes Ltd, 4-8 High Street, 

Edlesborough Dunstable LU6 2HS 01525 220208 

www.cyclelife.com 

06 Berkshire Berkshire Cycles 

207 High Street Crowthorne RG45 7AQ 

01344 774520 www.berkshirebikes.com 


18-20 Wokingham Road Reading 

RG6 1JQ 0118 9661799 www.berkshirebikes.com 


186 Loddon Bridge Road Woodley 

RG5 4BS 0118 9695776 www.berkshirebikes.com 

09 Berkshire Velospeed The Old School House, 

Ambury Road, Aldworth Reading RG8 9TQ 

01635 579304 www.velospeed.co.uk Bikes from 

Daum, Batribike and Velospeed. Try out our bikes 

in the quiet Berkshire countryside. 

10 Buckinghamshire Cyclefleet Ltd 

The Bicycle Workshop Rookwood Frith 

Hill Great Missenden HP16 0QS 01494 868607 

11 Cambridgeshire The Electric Transport Shop 

Hope Street Yard Hope Street 

Cambridge CB1 3NA 01223 247410 www. 

electricbikesales.co.uk Ten+ major brands stocked, 

conversions, custom builds, repairs. Ask about 

10 year battery warranty, e-bike hire, more. 

12 Cheshire Cyclelife Lymm 

1 Birchbrook Road, Heatley Lymm 

WA13 9RR 01925 753424 www.cyclelife.com 

13 Cheshire John Geddes Cycles 

43 Widnes Road Widnes WA8 6AZ 

0151 4207797 www.johngeddescycles.co.uk 

14 Cheshire Morreys of Holmes Chapel 

8-10 The Square Holmes Chapel 

CW4 7AD 01477 533125 www.cyclelife.com 

15 Cheshire The Bike Factory 

153-161 Boughton Chester CH3 5BH 

01244 317893 www.thebikefactory.co.uk 

16 Cheshire P and H Lawnmowers and Cycles 

173-175 Market Street Hyde SK14 1HF 

0161 368 1558 

17 Cheshire Supreme Cycles 

42-52 Earls Street Crewe CW1 2AT 

01270 585640 

18 Cheshire The Bike Factory 

153-161 Boughton Chester CH3 5BH 

01244 317893 www.thebikefactory.co.uk 

19 Cheshire Tracs (Uk) Ltd 

Linmere Visitors Centre, Delamere Forest 

Delamere CW8 2JD 

20 Cleveland Cyclelife Stockton 

Skinnergate Cycles Stockton Brunswick 

Street Stockton on Tees TS18 1DU 01642 606520 

www.skinnergate.co.uk 

21 Co Durham Cyclelife Durham 

A1 Motorstore, Front Street, 

Framwellgate Moor Durham DH1 5AU 0845 

6521442 www.directcarparts.co.uk 

22 Co Durham Geared 4 

The Old Bank, Newmarket Consett 

DH8 5LQ 01207 504652 


D E A L E R S 

23 Cornwall Aldridge Cycles Cambourne 

38 Cross Street Cambourne TR14 8EX 

01209 714970 www.aldridgecycles.co.uk 

24 Cornwall Clive Mitchell Cycles 

6 Calenick Street Truro TR1 2SF 

01872 276930 www.clivemitchellcycles.co.uk 

25 Cornwall Aldridge Cycles Camborne 

38 Cross Street Camborne TR14 8EX 

01209 714970 www.aldridgecycles.co.uk 

26 Cornwall Hayle Cycles 

36 Penpol Terrace Hayle TR27 4BQ 

01736 753825 

27 Cornwall The Cycle Centre 

1 New Street Penzance TR18 2LZ 

01736 351671 

28 Cumbria Bikeseven 

Unit 2 Sandilands Longtown CA6 5LY 

29 Cumbria Bespoke E-Bikes 

Unit 20 Airfield Approach Bus. Pk. Moor Lane 

Flookburgh LA11 7NG 015395 59195/35786 

www.bespoke-ebikes.co.uk 

Electrical conversions, engineering projects, 

repairs and more. Agents for Batribike, 

Powabyke, Conv-E, Oxygen. 

30 Derbyshire Hassop Station Ltd 

Monsall Trail Cycle Hire Hassop Station 

nr Bakewell DE45 1NW 01629 810588 

www.hassopstation.co.uk 

31 Derbyshire Juicy Bike 

5 The Colonnade Buxton SK17 6AL 

01298 21 40 40 www.juicybike.co.uk 

Best kept secret: style, quality and excellent 

value. Great range available, all under £900. 

32 Derbyshire Samways Cycles 

20-22 Ashbourne Road Derby DE22 3DR 

01332 368849 www.ukcyclestore.com 

33 Derbyshire The Bike Factory Ltd 

Vernon House, Beech Road, Whaley 

Bridge SK23 7HP 

34 Devon Bike-It Barnstaple 

The Warehouse, Mill Road 

Barnstaple EX31 1JQ 01271 323873 

www.bikeitbarnstaple.co.uk 

35 Devon Braking Wind Cycles 

2 Park Road Dawlish EX7 9LQ 

01626 865161 

www.brakingwindcycles.co.uk 

36 Devon Exmouth Cycle Hire 

1 Victoria Road Exmouth EX8 1DL 

01395 225656 www.exmouthcyclehire.com 

37 Devon Partridge Cycles Superstore 

A38 Kennford Exeter EX6 7TF 

01392 833303 www.partridgecycles.co.uk 

38 Devon Simply The Bike 

100-102 Belgrave Road Torquay 

TQ2 5HZ 01803 200024 

www.simplythebike.co.uk 

39 Devon Bigpeaks.com 

Bigpeaks Centre Linhay Business Park 

Ashburton TQ13 7UP 01364 654080 

40 Devon Plymouth Cycle Scene 

Hyde Park House Mutley Plain Plymouth 

PL4 6LF 01752 257701 

41 Devon Trading Post 

31 Fore Street Kingsbridge TQ7 1PG 

01548 852923 

42 Devon Excel At Cycling Ltd 

169 Pennsylvania Rd, Duryard Exeter EX4 

5BG 

43 Dorset Cycle Path 

Unit Q Link Mall, 

1st Floor Dolphin Centre Poole BH15 1TF 

01202 680123 www.cycle-paths.co.uk 

44 Dorset Cyclelife Weymouth 

28 Abbotsbury Road Weymouth 

DT4 0AE 01305 781831 www.cyclelife.com 

45 Dorset Cyclelife Christchurch 

Cyclexperience 179 Barrack Road 

Christchurch BH23 2AP 01202 486278 

46 Dorset Cyclelife Gillingham 

Wheels Cycles Station Road Gillingham 

SP8 4QA 01747 825757 

47 Dorset Cycle Paths 

Unit Q Link Mall, 1st Floor Dolphin 

Shopping Centre Poole BH15 1TF 01202 680123 

www.cycle-paths.co.uk 

48 Dorset Dorchester Cycles 

31 Great Western Road Dorchester DT1 

1UF 01305 268787 www.dorchestercycles.co.uk 

49 Dorset Wheels Cycles 

Station Road Gillingham SP8 4QA 

01747 825757 www.wheelsofdorset.com 

50 Dorset Pedals Cycle Centre 

493 Ringwood Road Ferndown, BH22 9AG 

51 East Sussex E-BikesDirect 

c/o MTF Enterprises Ltd, Unit 6, Midicy 

Oast Bodiam Business Park Bodiam TN32 5UP 

01580 830959 www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk Quality 

bikes, low prices, assembled delivery, finance, 

test facilities, London showroom now open. 

52 East Yorkshire Cyclelife Bridlington 

Hilderthorpe Cycles, 40 St Johns Street 

Bridlington YO16 7JS 01262 677555 

www.hilderthorpecycles.co.uk 

53 Essex Colchester Cyclestores 

50 St Johns Street Colchester CO2 7AD 

01206 563890 www.colchestercyclestores.co.uk 

54 Essex Cyclelife Brentwood 

B & M Cycles & Toys, 13 High Street 

Brentwood CM14 4RG 01277 214342 

www.cyclelife.com/brentwood 

55 Essex D2 Leisure Group 

Unit 3/4 Falcon Park, Luckyn Lane, 

Pipps Hill Ind Estate Basildon SS14 3AL 

01268 288208 www.d2leisuregroup.co.uk 

56 Essex Cyclelife Colchester 

26 St Botolphes Street Colchester 

CO2 7EA 01206 530073 

www.cyclelifecolchester.co.uk 

57 Gloucestershire Williams Cycles 

82-86 Albion Street Cheltenham 

GL52 2SE 01242 512291 www.williams-cycles.co.uk 

58 Gloucestershire The Bike Works 

Frogmarsh Mill, South Woodchester 

Stroud GL5 5ET 

59 Greater Manchester Cyclelife Failsworth 

Rowbothams, 470 Oldham Road 

Failsworth M35 OFH 0161 6811671 

60 Greater Manchester Winstanleys BMX 

8 Martland Court, Martland Point 

Industrial Estate Wigan WN5 0LU 01942 205463 

www.winstanleysbmx.com 

61 Greater Manchester Bikeright! Ltd 

Unit 8, 877 Ashton Old Road, 

Manchester M11 2NA 

62 Greater Manchester Brookes Cyclelife Eccles 

32 Liverpool Road Eccles M30 0WA 

63 Hampshire Cycle World - Portsmouth 

373 London Road Portsmouth PO2 9HJ 

02392 666500 www.cycleworld.co.uk 

64 Hampshire Cycle World Wessex 

Unit 9 Bourne Centre Southhampton 

Road Salisbury SP1 2NY 01722 440372 

www.cycleworld.co.uk 

65 Hampshire Cyclelife Farnborough 

Silvester Brothers, 5 Cove Road 

Farnborough GU14 0EH 01252 543778 

www.silvesterbros.co.uk 

66 Hampshire Cyclelife Petersfield 

Rear of 40 Dragon Street Petersfield 

GU31 4JJ 01730 266644 www.cyclelife.com 

67 Hampshire Cyclexperience - Brockenhurst 

The Island Shop, Brookley Road 

Brockenhurst SO42 7RR 01590 624207 

www.cyclex.co.uk 

68 Hampshire Hargroves Cycles 

453 Millbrook Road Southampton 

S015 0HX 02380 789170 

www.hargrovescycles.co.uk 

69 Hampshire Hargroves Cycles Ltd 

124 Macnaughton Road Southampton 

S02 4GH 

70 Hampshire Peter Hansford Cycles 

Bridge Road, Parkgate Southampton 

SO31 6BX 01489 573249 www.peterhansford.co.uk 

71 Hampshire Team Hybrid 

Unit F3, Knowle Village 

Business Park, Mayles Lane Knowle PO17 5DY 

01329 832068 www.teamhybrid.co.uk 

UK distributor for Falco E-Motors. Dealers for 

Raleigh, Ultra Motor, Wisper E-Bikes. 

72 Hampshire Solent Cycles 

159 West Street Fareham PO16 0DZ 

01329 822608 www.solent-cycles.co.uk 

73 Hampshire Town Bikes 

2 Portland Buildings Stoke Road 

Gosport PO12 1JH Hampshire England 

02392 584410 www.townbikesgosport.co.uk 

74 Hampshire Emsworth Car and Cycle 

41-43 North Street Emsworth 

Portsmouth PO10 7DA 01243 372742 

75 Hampshire CycleX Ltd 

Brookley Road Brockenhurst SO42 7RR 

01590 623407 

76 Herefordshire Mastercraft Cycles 

39 Bridge Street Hereford HR4 9DG 

01432 274047 www.mastercraftcycles.co.uk 

77 Hertfordshire Cyclelife Royston 

44a High Street Royston SG8 9AW 

01763 247911 www.cyclelife.com 

78 Hertfordshire Cycle Experience Ltd 

Unit 4c Beaumont House Hedley Road 

St Albans AL1 5HH 0845 4348451 

www.cycleexperience.com 

79 Hertfordshire Cycle Experience Ltd 

9 Evans Grove St Albans AL4 9PJ 

80 Isle of Man Outdoors 

Albert Road Christian Street Ramsey 

IM8 2EL 01624 811550 www.outdoorcycles.com 

81 Kent Bigfoot Bikes 

50 Hayes Street Bromley BR2 7LD 

0208 4625004 www.bigfootbikes.com 

82 Kent Bike Bike Sevenoaks 

53-55 High Street Sevenoaks TN13 1JF 

01732 464997 

83 Kent Cliftonville Cycles 

166 Northdown Road Cliftonville 

Margate CT9 2QN 01843 291650 

84 Kent Cycles UK 

111 High Street Tonbridge TN9 1DL 

01732 365718 www.cyclesuk.com 

85 Kent Lean Machines 

36 Kirbys Lane Canterbury CT2 8AG 

01227 811 717 www.leanmachines-kent.co.uk 

We offer quality electric 2 wheelers: innovation 

and attention assured! Come and see us! 

86 Kent Cyclelife Canterbury 

19-23 Lower Bridge St. Canterbury CT1 2LG 

87 Kent Dover Cycle Centre 

15 Bench Street Dover CT16 1JW 01304 

207 582 www.cyclelife.com/dover 

88 Lancashire Bikes Direct 365 

Granby Marketing Services, Stanley 

Street Blackburn BB1 3BW 0844 8119784 

www.bikesdirect365.com 

89 Lancashire Bill Nickson Cycles 

55A Towngate Leyland PR25 2FQ 01772 

422259 www.billnicksoncycles.com 

90 Lancashire Cyclelife Accrington 

A1 Motorstores Market Street Church 

Accrington BB5 0DP 01254 389911 

www.a1motorstores.co.uk 

91 Lancashire Cyclelife Blackpool 

5-21 Vicarage Lane, Marton Blackpool 

FY4 4EF 01253 763442 www.samtaylorbikes.co.uk 

92 Lancashire Cyclelife Fleetwood 

Brooks Cycles & Leisure 4 & 8 North 

Albert Street Fleetwood FY7 6AA 01253 872169 

www.brookscyclesandleisure.co.uk 

93 Lancashire Cyclelife Leigh 

Ratcliffe’s Cycles 113A Bradshawgate 

Leigh WN7 4ND 01942 673481 

www.ratcliffesofleigh.co.uk 

94 Lancashire Cyclelife Preston 

Sutcliffe’s Cycles 26 Ribbleton Avenue 

Ribbleton Preston PR1 5RY 01772 796176 

95 Lancashire Oggys Cycles 34 Regent Road 

Morecambe LA13 1QN 01524 832860 

www.morecambecyclecentre.co.uk 

96 Lancashire Valley Scooters 

136 Blackburn Road Bolton BL1 8DW 

01204 532183 

97 Lancashire On Yer Bike 

Queen Street, Off Queens Lancashire 

Way Burnley BB11 1AT 01282 438855 

www.onyerbikeonline.com 

98 Leicestershire 

50cycles (Loughborough) 

Unit 21, Gordon Road Loughborough LE11 1JP 

0800 0288 116 www.50cycles.com 

New 50cycles showroom, headquarters and 

workshop. Test ride bikes from our entire range. 

99 Leicestershire Bikes & Sports 

6-10 Stockwell Head, Hinckley 

Leicester LE10 1RE 01455 617202 

www.bikesandsports.co.uk 

100 Leicestershire Cyclelife Coalville 

Coalville Cycles 28 Belvoir Road 

Coalville LE67 3PN 01530 832179 

www.cyclelife.com 

101 Leicestershire Top Gear Electric Bikes 

82-86 Leicester Road Mountsorrel 

Loughborough LE12 7AN 0116 237 6800 

102 Lincolnshire J.C. Cook 

125 Pasture Street Grimsby DN32 9EE 

0800 0560380 www.jccookcycles.co.uk 

103 London 50cycles (London) 

82 Hill Rise, Richmond upon Thames TW10 6UB 

London 0800 0288 116 www.50cycles.com 

Test ride electric bikes from Kalkhoff, Oxygen, 

Freego and Gocycle in nearby Richmond Park. 

104 London W Bicicletta Limited 

5 Pall Mall Deposit 124-128 Barlby Road 

London W10 6BL 0208 9682155 

105 London Bike Republic 

Unit 2 Premier Park Park Royal London 

NW10 7NZ 0208 4001251 

106 London Cyclelife Mill Hill 

8 Bittacy Hill Mill Hill NW7 1LB 

0208 3465784 www.cyclelife.com 

107 London Cycles UK 

135 Creek Road Greenwich SE8 3BU 

0203 4177237 www.cyclesuk.com 

108 London Cycling Made Easy 

18 Chipstead Valley Road Coulsdon 

London CR5 2RA 02086 608823 

www.cyclingmadeeasy.co.uk 

109 London E Chamberlaine & Son 

75 Kentish Town Road London 

NW1 8NY 0207 4853983 

www.chamberlainecycles.co.uk 

110 London T Ditchfield Ltd 

792-794 High Road, Leyton 

E10 6AE 0208 5392821 www.ditchfields.co.uk 

111 London E-bikesdirect (London) 

14 Ingate Place Battersea 

SW8 3NS www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk Quality bikes, 

low prices, assembled delivery, finance, test 

facilities, London showroom now open. 

112 London Electric Zero Ltd 

6 Heath Street Hampstead NW3 6TE 

0207 7943373 www.vitaelectric.co.uk 

113 London Electric Bike Store 

Axe and Bottle Court, 70 Newcomen Street 

Southwark SE1 1YT 0207 378 4728 

www.electric-bike-store.co.uk 

Try the UK designed Volt range with full 2 year 

guarantee at the ACT Bike Shop of the Month 

2012! Full service and quality accessories. 

114 London The Bike Shop 

2288-290 Lee High Road Lewisham 

SE13 5PS 

0208 852 6680 www.bikeshoplewisham.co.uk 

115 London The Electric Transport Shop 

183 York Way London N7 9LN 

0207 4822892 www.electricbikesales.co.uk 

Ten+ major brands stocked, conversions, custom 

builds, repairs. Ask about 10 year battery 

warranty, e-bike hire, more. 

116 London Nip Nip Ltd 

4d Barking Business Centre, Thames 

Road Barking IG11 0JP 

117 London Blue Door Bicycles 

5-7 Central Hill, Upper Norwood London 

SE19 1BG 

118 Merseyside Wirral Electric Bike Shop 

N&C Jetski Ltd, The Workshop, Virginia Rd, New 

Brighton Wallasey CH45 2LH 0151 691 006 

www.ncjetski.co.uk Demonstration bikes available: 

Batribike, Freego, Solex, Ave. 

119 Merseyside Quinns Bike Centre 

379-385 Edge Lane Liverpool L7 9LQ 

0151 2286262 www.quinnsbikecentre.co.uk 


120 Norfolk Electrifying Cycles 

2 Church St Cromer NR27 9ER 01263 513 631 

www.electrifyingcycles.co.uk 

Large range of quality electric bikes for sale or hire: 

brands include Solex, EBCO, 3E and Freego. 

121 Norfolk Cycles UK 

Norwich Pilch (Lower Ground Floor) 15- 

17 London Street Norwich NR2 1JE 01603 624253 

www.cyclesuk.com 

122 Norfolk Transport Electric 

16 Longs Industrial Estate, England 

Lane Gorleston NR31 6NE 01493 603388 

www.transportelectricuk.com 

123 Norfolk C.T. Baker Ltd 

8-12 Market Place Holt NR25 6BW 

124 Northumberland Wilson Cycles 

, 17a Bridge Street Berwick-Upon- 

Tweed TD15 1ES 

125 North Yorkshire Bike-It Cycle Warehouse 

Victoria Courtyard, 131 Victoria Road 

Scarborough YO11 1SP 01723 507332 

www.bikeitcyclewarehouse.com 

126 North Yorkshire Cycle Heaven 

2 Bishopthorpe Road York YO23 1JJ 01904 

636578/651870 www.cycle-heaven.co.uk 

Your classic all round bike shop, but well known 

for utility roadsters, folders and electric bikes. 

127 North Yorkshire Get Cycling 

22 Hospital Fields Road Fulford York 

YO10 4DZ 01904 249581 www.getcycling.org.uk 

128 North Yorkshire Shannons Cycle Centre 

169-171 Boroughbridge Rd York YO26 

6AN 01904791610 www.shannonscyclecentre.co.uk 

129 North Yorkshire Electric Mountain Bikes 

Kirkbymoorside 01458 550304 

www.electricmountainbikes.com 

Very powerful custom-built e-bikes & conversion 

kits. MTB/Hybrid, commuting, folding, tandems. 

Electric Goat, Heinzmann, Gruber, BionX. 

130 North Yorkshire Trailways 

Old Railway Station, Hawsker Whitby 

YO22 4LB 01947 820207 www.trailways.info 

131 Northumberland Cyclelife Alnwick 

The Great Outdoor Store, Unit 10, Oak 

Drive, Lionheart Ent. Park Alnwick NE66 2EU 

01665 602925 www.cyclelife-alnwick.co.uk 

132 Nottinghamshire Powered Bicycles 

50-52 Main Street Long Eaton 

NG10 1GN 0115 9727201 

www.poweredbicycles.co.uk 

133 Oxfordshire Reg Taylor 

285 Iffley Road Oxford OX4 4AQ 

01865 247040 www.regtaylorcycles.co.uk 

134 Oxfordshire The Electric Transport Shop 

125 Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RJ 

01865 243937 www.electricbikesales.co.uk 

Ten+ major brands stocked, conversions, custom 

builds, repairs. Ask about 10 year battery 

warranty, e-bike hire, more. 

135 Rutland Rutland Cycling 

Whitwell Car Park, Bull Brigg Lane, 

Whitwell Oakham LE15 8BL 01572 737624 

www.rutlandcycling.com 

145 South Yorkshire Barnsley Bicycle Centre 

16 Doncaster Road Barnsley S70 1TH 

01226 287770 

146 South Yorkshire Fosters Cycles 

Thames Street Rotherham S60 1LU 

01709 371576/820293 www.fosterscycles.co.uk 

147 South Yorkshire Hudson Cycles 

4 Eva Building, King Avenue 

Rossington DN11 0PF 01302 868889 

www.hudsoncycles.co.uk 

148 Staffordshire Cyclelife Burton-on-Trent 

Sheffield Cycles, 156 Station Street 

Burton On Trent DE14 1BS 01283 532155 

149 Staffordshire Cyclelife Chasetown 

Sanders Cycles 1 High Street Chasetown 

Burntwood WS7 3XE 01543 686102 

150 Staffordshire Cyclelife Lichfield 

Freedom Cycles The Bus Station 

Birmingham Rd Lichfield WS13 6HU 01543 411633 

www.freedomcycles.co.uk 

151 Staffordshire Powastation 

6 Three Spires House Station Road 

Lichfield, WS13 6HX 01543 419419 

152 Staffordshire Back-2-Bikes 

Unit 4 Greyfriars Business Park, 

Greyfriars Way Stafford ST16 2RF 

153 Suffolk Alford Bros Felixstowe 

119-121 Hamilton Road Felixstowe 

IP11 7BL 01394 284719 

154 Suffolk Byways Bicycles 

Priory Farm, Priory Lane Darsham 

IP17 3QD 01728 668764 

www.bywaysbicycles.co.uk 

155 Surrey PowaRider Electric Bikes 

Unit G3a The Mayford Centre Mayford 

Green Woking GU22 0PP 01483 801026 

156 Surrey Greased Lightning Cycles 

Access, Unit F Dolphin Ind. Est. 

Windmill Rd Sunbury TW16 7HT 

08444 145192 www.greasedlightningcycles.com 

185 

180 

181 

187 183 

182 

179 

184 

186 

178 

188 

Shetland 

28 

136 Rutland Rutland Water and Cycle 

181 Lanarkshire Cyclelife Bikechain 

158 

Unit 3 Manton Engineering Wing Road 

22 

1417 Dumbarton Road, Scotstoun 

21 

Manton LE15 8SZ Rutland England 01572 737624 

Glasgow G14 9XS 01419581055 

www.rutlandcycling.com 

www.bikechainglasgow.co.uk 

185 

157 Surrey Cyclelife Centre Guildford 

20 

137 Shropshire Honda Equipe Ludlow 

130 

19 Woodbridge Road Guildford GU1 182 Lanarkshire FreeFlow Bikes Ltd 

129 

Coronation Avenue Ludlow SY8 1DP 1DY 01483 504932 80 

Unit 5 South Cathkin Farm Rutherglen 

01584 874738 

180 

29 

G73 5RG 0141 125632 2733 

158 Tyne & Wear Key Enterprises 95 (1983) Ltd 

52 

138 Shropshire Plush Hill Cycles 01694 720133 

Unit 36 North Tyne Ind Estate, 

183 Lanarkshire Freeflow Glasgow 

92 

126-128 

8 The Square Church Stretton SY6 6DA Longbenton Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 

91 88 9SZ 

924 Pollockshaws Road Glasgow 

97 172 

www.plushhillcycles.co.uk 

89,94 90 G41 2ET 0141 632 2733 

159 Warwickshire Cycle Experience Ltd 

139 Shropshire Shrewsbury Cycles 

60 96 

145 171 

Lynwood, Perrymill Lane Sambourne 184 Midlothian Electric Cycle Company 

93 61,62 59 

102 

43 Ditherington Rd Shrewsbury SY1 4BE B96 6PD 

118,119 12 16 146 147 133-135 Granton Rd Edinburgh EH53NJ 

178 

13 

33 0131 5534900 www.electriccyclecompany.co.uk 

140 Somerset The Bicycle Chain 

160 West Midlands Atmosphere 191Electric 15 

Bikes 3130 

Salmon Parade Bridgwater TA6 5PY 

190 

179 18 Chequer St, 18 Bulkington 14 

185 Morayshire Bikebug 01667 455416 

32 

17 

132 

01278 423649 www.bicyclechain.co.uk 

Coventry CV12 9NH 02476 490339 www. 

Falconers Lane Nairn IV12 4DS 

192 

120 

184 

149 148 

123 

141 Somerset Cyclelife Crewkerne 

electricbikes.org.uk Long established e-bike 186 Peeblesshire 

181 

135,136 B Spoke Cycles 

139 

199 

152 

150 98 

Serv-u, 10 Market St. Crewkerne TA18 187 centres 183 with a stunning range of brands, 

182 

124 

Old Tweed Dale Garage 151 101 

121Innerleithen 

186 

138 

100 

7LA 01460 76191 www.cyclelifecrewkerne.co.uk 

workshop, demo area at superb prices. 

Road Peebles EH45 8BA 01721 723423 122 

137 

159 160 

163 161 

99 

142 Somerset Cyclelife Wellington 

161 West Midlands Chris Dodd & Sons 

www.bspokecycles.co.uk 

177 162 

Kings Cycles, 7 Corn Hill Wellington 

8 Manor Court Road Nuneaton 

193 131 

187 Renfrewshire The Bicycle Chain 154 

11 

TA21 8LU 01823 662260 www.kingscycles.co.uk 

CV11 5HY 02476 385160 

3 Collier Street Johnstone PA5 8AR 

189 

66 

77 53,56 

5 

153 

143 Somerset Kings Cycles Shop 

162 West Midlands Coventry Cycle Centre 

01505 335551 

28 

57 

Station Road Taunton TA1 1NL 

140 Far Gosford Street Coventry CV1 188 Shetland Eric Brown 01595 692709 

158 

58 133,134 

22 

10 78,79 

Somerset England 01823 352272 

5DY 024 76222997 www.coventrycyclecentre.co.uk 

21 176 

North Road 54Lerwick ZE1 0NT 

9 

55 

144 Somerset Reaction Electric 

163 West Midlands Pedals Plus 194Power 

104-117 

2 1 

78 6 

3 4 20 

103 

84 Priory Bridge Road Taunton TA1 

Halfpenny Green Vineyards Tom Lane 

81 83 

Bobbington DY7 5EP 01384 221766 

130 155,156 82 

1QA 01823 274444 www.reactionelectric.co.uk 

85,86 

140 129 

157 84 

80 

87 

34 143,144 

65 

174 

29 

142 173 

51 

46 175 64 125 

71 76 

95 

37 

42 

141 49 68,69,70 

50 

74 

67,75 

52 

60,72,73 

165 to 170 

92 

126-128 

47 

45 

48 

164,168 

124 

131 

164 West Sussex Barreg Cycles 

Main road Fishbourne PO18 8AN 01243 

786104 www.barreg.co.uk 

165 West Sussex Kardinal Mobility 

82-84 Broadwater Street 

West Worthing BN14 9DE 01903 211931 

166 West Sussex Cyclelife Centre Shoreham 

38-42 Kingston Broadway 

Shoreham by Sea BN43 6TE 01273 596368 

167 West Sussex Cyclelife Centre Worthing 

31 Chatsworth Road Worthing 

BN11 1LY 01903 823370 

168 West Sussex Stowaway Bikes 

Unit 4, Premier Business Park, Main 

Road Birdham PO20 7BU 01243 550042 

www.stowawaybikes.co.uk 

199 

179 Fife The Scottish E-Bike Centre 

1-9 Plantation Street Lochgelly KY5 

9LP 01592 780528 www.ebikescotland.com 

Full range of Synergie & Alien road legal and off 

road bikes and conversion kits. 

180 Highlands Mikes Bikes 

5a Myrtlefield Industrial Estate 

Aviemore PH22 1SB 

Wales: 

181 

187 183 

182 

184 

186 

189 Ceredigion New Image Bicycles 

29/30 Pendre Cardigan SA43 1LA 

01239 621275 www.newimagebicycles.co.uk 

190 Flintshire All About the Bike 28 

Unit 10 Pinfold Workshops Pinfold Lane 

Buckley CH7 3PL 01244 552000 

191 Flintshire Graham Weigh Cycles 

3/5 Chester Road East Shotton CH5 

1QA 01244 831110 www.grahamweighcycles.co.uk 

199 

181 

187 183 

182 

80 

185 

180 

179 

184 

124 

186 

29 

95 

131 

15 

22 

21 

192 Gwynedd K.K. Cycles 

141 High Street, Porthmadog LL49 9HD 

80 

193 Powys Heart of Wales Bikes 29 

Oxford House High Street Llandrindod 

95 

Wells LD1 6HE 01597 825533 

169 West Ssx The Littlehampton Dutch Bike Co. 

www.heartofwalesbikes.com 92 

46a Pier Road Littlehampton BN17 5LW 194 South Glamorgan Electric Bikes 91 88 97 

51 Cowbridge Road East Cardiff 89,94 CF11 

90 

170 West Ssx The Littlehampton Dutch Bike Co. 9AE 

9 Victoria Terrace Hove BN3 2WB 

60 96 

93 61,62 59 

118,119 12 

171 West Yorkshire Don’s Cycle Centre 

16 

13 

15b Barnsley Road South Elmsall 

33 

WF9 2QW 01977 642593 

191 15 19 313 

190 18 14 

172 West Yorkshire The Bike Shop - Leeds 

3 

17 

78-84 Crossgates Rd, Crossgates Leeds 

LS157NL 0113 2328483 www.leedsbicycle.com 

192 

188 

149 1 

173 Wiltshire Batchelors Bikz Ltd 

139 152 

150 

24 Market Place Warminster 

151 1 

138 

BA12 9AN 01985 213221 www.bikz.co.uk 

137 

159 16 

174 Wiltshire Cyclelife Salisbury 

163 16 

Hayball Cyclesport, Black Horse 

177 

16 

Chequer, 26-30 Winchester Street Salisbury 

193 

SP1 1HG 01722 411378 www.cyclelife.com 

189 

66 

175 Wiltshire Cycleworld Wessex 

Unit 9, Bourne Centre, Southampton 

Road Salisbury 

57 

SP1 1NY 0845 6526501 www.cycleworld.co.uk 

58 

176 

176 Wiltshire E Motion Electric Vehicle Co. Ltd 

373 Cricklade Road Swindon 

194 

SN2 1AQ 01793 251200 www.e-motionevc.co.uk 

2 1 

3 4 

177 Worcestershire Onbike (Kidderminster) 

Unit 330, Hartlebury 

140 

Industrial Estate Kidderminster DY10 4JB 

34 143,144 

Channel Islands 

01299 25 15 14 www.onbike.co.uk 

174 

142 173 

46 175 

Electric bike superstore with over 20 

195 Guernsey Adventure Cycles 

37 

141 49 6 

demonstration bikes. Unbiased expert advice on 

Grande Rue, St Martins 50 67 

all the major brands. 

GY4 6LH 01481 232855 www.adventurecycles.net 47 

45 

36 48 

196 Guernsey Sarnia Cycle 35 Hire 

44 

25 23 GY1 6HU 0148107781 456372 

178 Angus Lawntech 

24 

41 

Unit 20 Manhattan Works Dundonald 

27 26 www.sarniacyclehire.co.uk 

Street Dundee DD3 7PY 01382 459459 

G 

Scotland: 

Officemaker, 39 Unit 

40 

38 

1, Church Road 

Industrial Estate, St Sampsons 

197 Jersey Lawrence De Gruchy 

46 Don Street St. Helier JE2 4TR 

01534 730090 

lawrencedegruchyltd@jerseymail.co.uk 

198 Jersey Lawrence De Gruchy 

Les Vaux Store, La Routede la 

Monnaie Trinity JE3 5DG 

lawrencedegruchyltd@jerseymail.co.uk 

Ireland 

199 GoEco Electric Bike Holidays 

Eyon Cappamore Co Limerick Ireland 

00353 61 381427 www.goeco.ie 

Ireland’s electric bike specialists with over six 

years’ experience, trained technicians & world 

leading brands to facilitate the electric bike 

holiday experience. 

178 

89,94 90 

60 96 

14 

93 61,62 59 

118,119 12 16 1 

13 

33 

191 15 19 3130 

190 18 14 

32 

17 

192 

149 148 

139 152 

150 

151 101 

138 

137 

159 160 

163 161 

177 162 

193 

189 

66 

57 

58 1 

176 

194 

2 1 

3 4 

140 

34 143,144 

174 

142 173 

46 175 64 

37 

42 141 49 68,6 50 67,7 

47 

45 

36 

48 

35 

44 

39 

40 

38 

25 23 

24 

41 

Guer 

27 26 

92 

91 

28 

88 

97 

124 

131 

158 

22 

21 

17

-bikes 

e-bikes with style. 

SECRET 

£725 SPARE BATTERY £198.00 

£695 

SPARE BATTERY £237.60 

One of our best value cycles, the styling looks so right from all angles. 

Strong purposeful frame and powerful front forks combined with 21- 

speed Shimano gearing. The mountain climbing ability of this cycle was 

confirmed when French racer, Bertrand Maucout won the steep climb up 

the Alpe d’Huez known as ‘Montée Èlectrique’ using this bicycle, the climb 

of 1860 metres altitude, stage lengths 16km, 21 climbing slopes of average 

incline 7.9% is a real test for the bike. Maucout broke the world record 

for the climb and finished 91 seconds in front of second placed finisher 

at an average speed of 27kph. 

• Aluminium 7005-T6 frame 

• Zoom dual crownforks 

• Shimano 21-speed derailleur 

• 26” x 1.5 dual wall rims 

• Reflective Kenda tyres 

• ‘V’ brake front & rear 

KING 

SPARE BATTERY £208.80 

A stunning unisex bike with semi step-through frame. Would suit a lady 

who wishes to have a bike with a more sporty appearance than a full 

step-through. Features 26” wheels, road-race tyres and Shimano Nexus 

8 hub for simple but speedy progress, an ideal bike to be shared by a 

couple. Looks smart in steel blue with contrasting black and green graphics. 

Eco is a bike anyone would be proud to ride. 

• 51cm aluminium 6061-T6 frame 

• Solid forks 

• Shimano Nexus 8 speed hub gear 

• 36v x 9Ah LiFePO4 battery 

• 3-position PAS, LED display 

• LED integral lights 

• Available in silver or satin black 

• Weight 23.90kgs 

• Ideal rider height 165-190cm 

£1055 

• Black Kudos pannier bags 

• ART ant-theft lock 

• Weight approx. 22kg 

• 26” rims with road spec reflective Kenda tyres 

• Front V brake - Rear roller brake 

• 36v x 10Ah LifePo4 battery 

• 5-position PAS, LCD display, 250w Suzhou Bafang electric motor 

• Spanninga LED lighting Owl and R980 

All prices include 20% VAT 

A lightweight folder which is practical to carry on a bus or train, yet with 20” 

wheels also has road comfort. 

It’s a pretty styled bike with top quality engineering - the lightweight lithium 

battery is hidden within the frame to keep your ‘secret’ about the electrics and 

has a twist grip throttle fitted. A great city bike which is also light to transport. 


• Solid forks 

• Shimano 6-speed Derailleur - Revoshift 

• 20” x 1.95 dual wall rims/tyres 

• V-Brake caliper front & rear 

• 36v 8Ah LiMn04 ‘in frame’ 

• 3-position PAS & throttle, LED display, 

220w Suzhou Bafang motor 

• LED lights front & rear • Weight 18kg 

SPORT 

ECO 

Available in 

black or silver 

£995 SPARE BATTERY £208.80 

Our top of the range mountain bike. Absolute top specification with 6061-T6 

ally frame, Shimano Alivio 24-speed gearing, Tektro hydraulic disc brakes and RST 

front forks. 

A bike for a true e-bike enthusiast, you and the powerful motor combined will 

really power up hills. Everybody who rode this bike described its hill climbing 

abilities as awesome and the downhill as exciting. 

A true King among electric bikes. 


• 36v x 10Ah LiFePO4 battery 

• RST forks 

• 5-position PAS, LCD display 

• Shimano Alivio 24-speed Derailleur • LED lights 

• 26” x 1.75 dual wall rims 

• Available in white 

• Reflective Kenda tyres 

• Weight 23.20kgs 

• Velo Streamline saddle 

• Ideal rider height 160-185cm 

• Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, front & rear 

Kudos 

CYCLES 

Unit 4, St. Augustine’s Business Park, Estuary Way, Swalecliffe, Kent CT5 2QJ, UK 

Tel. 0044 (0) 1227 792792 Fax. 0044 (0) 1227 794888 www.kudoscycles.com

Issue 2 www.electricbikemag.co.uk 

01 Cover2.indd 1 11/03/2011 11:46 

01 Cover3.indd 3 12/06/2011 10:22 

Subscribe to Electric 

Bike magazine 

If you’d like future copies of 

Electric Bike delivered to your 

door, why not subscribe It costs 

just £7.50 (including UK postage) 

for three issues. Back issues are 

also available while stocks last. 

TO ORDER: 

Reviews: four e-bikes 

Basics: reality check 

Report: Eurobike 

ON TEST: Wisper 906 Alpino Gazelle Orange Pure Innergy 

lJuicy Bike Sport 2011 Kalkhoff Pro Connect Disc 

Call us on 01904 692800 with card details 

Order securely online: www.electricbikemag.co.uk 

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We can send Electric Bike to anywhere in the world! 

Introducing Velo Vision 

– Electric Bike’s sister 

publication 

The eclectic cycling magazine ISSUE 41 JUNE 2011 £6 

REVIEWS: 

ROTOVELO VELOMOBILE 

DAHON IOS XL FOLDER 

The publishers behind Electric 

JANGO FLIK FOLDER 

PAPER BICYCLE 

Bike have for the last ten years 

published Velo Vision, a premium 

subscription cycling magazine 

VISITS: 

REPORT: 

covering bikes for transport and 

BURROWS, ICE 

SPEZI 2011 

touring, with a particular emphasis 

on innovative and specialist 

designs. It’s an international forum for transport 

cycling culture and bicycle design. You can read 

much more (and there’s even a free sample issue to 

download) on the Velo Vision website: 

www.velovision.com 

Want to try a sample copy Simply add £1 to any subscription 

order and we’ll include a recent Velo Vision 

issue. Or send £3 for a sample copy by itself. 

www.BeatBikes.com 

- Light Weight < 14kgs [30lbs] 24v 6ah Lithium Ion Battery Anodised Alloy Frame 

- 180 watt brushless hub motor 

- Pedal assist ratio 1:1 

- Maximum speed 12mph 

- 24v 6ah Lithium Ion Battery 

[hidden in frame] 

- Range up to 25km [12miles] 

per charge 

- Maximum of 3 hours charge 

time 

- Anodised Alloy Frame 

- Front disc brake, rear drum brake 

- Folds flat to

THE REBIRTH OF 

A LEGEND 

All the Solex ebikes feature: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOR YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST 

RING 01926 437700 

High capacity Lithium-Ion Polymer battery 

A charge time from flat to full capacity in just 4/5 hours 

A Solex developed brushless motor 

Full integrated lighting system 

Iconic design by Pininfarina (designer of Ferrari, Maserati 

and Alfa Romeo) 

Iconic red and black design as an homage to the original 

Solex city scooter. 

RANGE 36-40 miles 

WEIGHT 25kg (inc. battery) 

SOLEXITY £1599 

RANGE 30-32 miles 

WEIGHT 22kg (inc. battery) 

DIMENSIONS (folded) 

L-830mm W-500mm H-790mm 

VELOSOLEX £999 

EBC Ltd is proud to be a finalist in the ‘Specialist 

Distributor’ category of the 2012 BikeBiz Awards. 

To find out how to become a Solex stockist contact Paul Stanforth 

on 01926 437714 paul@ebco-ebike.co.uk 

EBC LTD, 5 Pegasus House, Olympus Avenue, Warwick CV34 6LW 

www.ebco-ebikes.co.uk

+ON TEST 

Conv-E kit 

The Conv-E kit promises an easy 

conversion for any standard bike, 

creating an electric-assist machine 

in minutes. We fitted one to try it out! 

onv-E was formed in 2010 by 

C Keith Palmer, formerly head of 

long-established e-bike company 

Powabyke. Its first product is the 

electric bike conversion kit; more 

recently they’ve also taken on 

distribution of a USA-designed, (and 

usually non-electric) folding bike, 

the Swift. 

The kit’s recommended price is £699, 

and it’s available only via around 25 

cycle dealers who have signed up as 

‘Conversion Centres’: they will fit the 

system to your bike “typically in less 

than half an hour”; presumably that’s 

by appointment rather than while you 

wait! The labour cost for fitting may 

be included in the cost of the kit, but 

confirm this first. Warranty is one year. 

The kit consists of three main 

parts. First is a replacement front 

wheel, available in 26" or 700c (28") 

sizes as standard, and 24" and 20" to 

special order. It’s built with stainless 

spokes and a decent alloy rim. A disk 

brake version of the hub motor is 

also available. 

Next there’s the 36V, 6Ah battery 

pack in its smart aluminium casing, 

complete with bracket to fit it to 

bottle cage mounts on your frame – 

this is very like the system on the 

Powabyke we reviewed in Issue 3, 

with a small Allen key to lock the 

battery in place via a wedge system. 

The battery pack itself has a neat 

recessed button with blue LED status 

light for on/off, and connectors for 

the charger (with a captive cover), 

throttle and motor. 

Finally, there’s a throttle for the 

handlebars; both twist grip and thumb 


ON TEST: Conv-E Ezee Torq kit 

throttle types are available, and at our 

request our kit came with the thumb 

version. Finally, cables and various 

mounting hardware are also supplied, 

as is a mains charger in a tidy carry 

case, a nice touch to keep its cables 

from tangling up in your bag. 

As an alternative to the bottle 

cage battery mount, Conv-E offer a 

carrier rack adaptor, which puts the 

battery on the top surface of a rear 

rack. The battery can of course also 

be carried in panniers or the like. 1m 

extension cables for both throttle 

and motor leads are available. All 

of the cables use good quality 

waterproof connectors, which snap 

firmly into place. 

Our kit was supplied as it would 

be to a Conversion Centre, so much 

of what follows is what the mechanic 

would encounter, rather than the 

customer. 

I first tried fitting the kit to a very 

nice hand-built frame. Unfortunately, 

although it did have bottle cage 

mounts in just the right place to fit 

the battery, the mounts were a couple 

of millimetres further apart than they 

should be, and the screws just wouldn’t 

go through the mounting plate. Hardly 

the Conv-E’s fault, but the mount 

system should perhaps have some 

leeway built in. Many bottle cages 

have one bolt hole elongated into a slot 

for this very reason – to accommodate 

some variation in mount spacing. 

The second hitch was also down to 

the handmade nature of the bike, I’m 

fairly sure: I just couldn’t get the new 

wheel’s axle into the fork dropouts; 

the slots were too narrow. I did file 

excess paint out but that didn’t help, 

and I didn’t want to remove any metal 

in this safety critical area. So it was 

on to Plan B, and another bike. 

This was my scrappy old Saracen 

Tufftrax workhorse, an MTB from 

ABOVE: The thumb 

throttle incorporates a 

three level battery status 

indicator. 

BELOW: There’s an 

adaptor available to fit 

the battery pack to a rear 

carrier rack. 

the ’90s. Not such a shiny showcase 

for the Conv-E, sadly… but an easier 

conversion, perhaps because factory 

manufacturing is more consistent 

than hand-made. The wheel popped 

in straight away, and adding the 

throttle to the already rather 

cluttered handlebars was also simple. 

I did hit a minor snag again fitting 

the battery: the mount fitted fine on 

both sets of bosses, but in neither 

position was there space to fit the 

battery pack. In the end I used a 

Topeak bottle cage adaptor to suspend 

it from the top tube. 

With all three parts in place, all 

that remains is to tidy the cable runs, 

check front brake adjustment (in case 

the new wheel’s rim isn’t the same 

width or height as your old one) and 

plug the cables in. 

The Conv-E is currently a ‘pure 

throttle’ system, although Conv-E are 

ABOVE: The Conv-E 

battery wouldn’t fit 

onto the bosses on my 

hand made frame, so I 

tried mounting it via an 

adaptor. Problems fitting 

the motor then made me 

try another bike. 

LEFT: The motor dropped 

straight into the forks on 

my scrappy old mountain 

bike. 

apparently working on a version with 

pedal rotation sensor. So turn the 

throttle and it goes whenever the 

battery’s switched on. With no brake 

lever contacts, it won’t cut out when 

you brake – something to be aware of 

as you ride. 

On the road the system was quite 

impressive, pulling away strongly 

from a standstill and coping with 

most hills well too. It’s not silent, 

although the buzz is only moderate. 

The throttle provides good control, 

from just a trickle of power to full on. 

So you can match speed with other 

riders quite easily. 

I certainly noticed the additional 

weight (around 5 kg, less the weight 

of the front wheel it replaced) from 

the Conv-E system: it did make riding 

the bike unassisted feel rather stolid. 

Another niggle is that the ‘pure 

throttle’ system means you lose power 

whenever you lift your throttle hand 

to indicate a turn. 

As batteries these days go the 36V, 

6Ah model fitted isn’t huge: doubtless 

the size was chosen to keep weight 

down. Conv-E claim 10-15 miles 

with no pedalling, which is fine for 

most everyday trips. The three-level 

battery status on the throttle gives 

a rough idea of how the battery is 

doing, and it took me the flattish 

10 miles to work and back without a 

problem (with just a little pedalling) 

before a charge overnight. 

Overall, the Conv-E kit seems like 

an effective way to add basic electric 

assist. It’s good that the fitting work 

is now being handled by bike shops – 

as my experience shows, minor snags 

can crop up. But the Conv-E is about 

as simple as it comes for installation, 

and the build quality of battery pack 

and connectors in particular inspires 

confidence. 

There are of course a good number 

of competing kits, and we’ll review 

more in due course. At £699 the 

Conv-E isn’t either the cheapest or 

the most sophisticated, but build 

quality seems good, and it’s far 

from the most pricey. If you have a 

cherished bike you want to electrify, 

it might be just the ticket. 

Peter Eland 


Conv-E conversion centres: Tel 01761 

453198 or see www.conv-e.com for 

details. 


+EVENTS 

Protanium electric 

shaft drive 

Eurobike news 

As we go to press the annual Eurobike trade show in Germany 

is almost upon us. Here’s a first look at some of the new 

technology coming up for next year’s electric bikes… 

German company Protanium have 

built a shaft drive with integrated 

250W e-motor, complete with built in 

speed and torque sensing. I’ve tried 

unassisted shaft drive bikes and even 

without electrics they can be very 

usable: benefits include freedom from 

chain grease and low maintenance. 

www.protanium.com 

AEG disc motor 

Household goods company AEG is 

the latest big company to pile into 

the e-bike market, with a crank 

drive system which should fit to a 

conventional bike frame. The ‘disc 

motor’ is said to be silent, and to have 

a built-in torque sensor system. 

www.aeg-ebike.de 

Mando Footloose 

Korean car parts manufacturer 

Mando have a ‘series hybrid’ e-bike at 

Eurobike: the idea is that the pedals 

drive a generator, which is linked 

purely electronically to the rear 

wheel motor and battery. Having no 

chain allows the ‘Footloose’ to fold 

quickly and easily, and the system is 

said to be powerful enough to permit 

riding up to 22% gradients (about 1 

in 5). There have been a number of 

prototypes of this concept before, but 

the problem has always been to keep 

efficiency reasonable at a sensible 

price. It’ll be on the market in Europe 

“in 2013”, they say. 

www.mandofootloose.com 

E-checker 

One here for manufacturers or 

distributors with busy repair 

departments perhaps: the ‘E-Checker’ 

from Microsport claims to “test 

batteries, controller, motor and 

sensors of e-bikes and pedelecs from 

different manufacturers, and with 

different motors, and to diagnose the 

problem so that you can replace or 

repair defective components as fast 

as possible.” Sounds ambitious, but 

potentially useful! 

www.microsport.de 


E U R O B I K E 

Gocycle G2 

Gocycle have a new model out, the G2. Changes from the 

first Gocycle include a lithium battery pack (rather than 

NiMH), new handlebar display and electronic gear shifting. 

There’s also now the option of torque sensing drive 

alongside the ‘power button’ control of the original. 

www.gocycle.com 

Also coming up: 

Motor mix-up: A number of 

manufacturers are expanding their 

ranges to compete in all areas of the 

drive system market. First Panasonic, 

well known for crank drive motors, is 

set to also offer rear-mounted motors 

in 2013 (a compact, gearless system). 

Derby Cycle too will be offering ‘Xion’ 

rear-wheel motors in 2013 alongside 

their new Impulse mid drive system (as 

reviewed this issue) for the Kalkhoff, 

Raleigh and Focus brands, “primarily 

on sports-oriented models”. Finally, 

Taiwanese company TranzX, whose hub 

motor drives are used in, for example, 

EBCO Eagle bikes, are now coming out 

with a crank drive system too, the M7. 

Another new drive system is 

being launched at Eurobike under 

the name Neodrive. Perhaps the 

most interesting item is the new 

magnesium-cased crank drive which 

they say has oil bath lubrication, 

built in coaster brake and can be 

used with a triple chainring. 

www.benchmark-drives.com 

Kalkhoff’s heart rate bike: Kalkhoff 

are exhibiting an e-bike controlled 

by the rider’s heart rate! The rider 

sets a target heart rate range, and 

the motor then eases off if the rider’s 

rate falls below it, or adds power if 

heart rate rises too far. This is said 

to be ideal for riders recovering after 

illness or for whom exertion needs to 

be limited for medical reasons. 

A new ‘Skycell’ battery pack 

co-developed between German e-bike 

makers Greendonkey and battery 

specialists Varta gives a glimpse of 

the future, perhaps. Capacity is 396 

or 522 Wh (37V, 11Ah or 14.5 Ah) 

and it’s capable of being fast-charged 

(at up to 30A for 5 mins, or 20A 

continuous). That would mean a 

full charge in around half an hour 

for the smaller version, or in under 

an hour for the larger, although 

apparently high current chargers to 

take full advantage are still under 

development. Such short charge 

times would make re-charging over 

lunch practical, perhaps, on an allday 

ride… 

yourspokes 

Spoke cutting, wheel building and hub 

gear servicing tailored to your needs. 

Building wheels with large electric hub 

motors often requires custom length spokes, 

especially if the wheel is a smaller size. 

I specialise in custom spoke cutting (using a 

Phil Woods machine) and wheel building as 

well as hub gear servicing. I keep in stock 

most types of CN, DT Swiss and Sapim 

spokes. I am delighted to take on ‘tricky’ 

wheel builds for electric bikes! 

I offer next day shipping in the UK and 

shipping by airmail to all of my overseas 

customers. 

Dylan Thomas, yourspokes 

www.yourspokes.co.uk 

Unit 1 Franklins Yard, 28a Fossgate, York YO1 9T 

Phone: (0044) 07917 698749 

Email: yourspokes@hotmail.co.uk 


+EUROPE 

Europe 

calling 

Mainland Europe is leagues ahead 

of the UK when it comes to electric 

bikes. We take a look across the 

Channel for a new perspective. 

Background 

If you happen to read German (and 

Dutch for bonus points), you’re at 

a huge advantage when it comes 

to investigating the state of play 

in mainland Europe. Most of the 

‘buzz’ about the bikes is in those 

two languages, representing the 

two main market countries for 

e-bikes. Alongside countless blogs 

and websites there are dedicated 

newsstand publications (Elektro-Rad 

quarterly magazine in Germany, and 

the Elektrische fietsen yearbook in 

Dutch), and the major (non-racing) 

cycling magazines also dedicate 

significant space each issue to 

electric bikes. 

Another useful source of 

information is the various promotion 

and lobbying organisations; the ETRA 

(European Two-wheeler Retailers 

Association, www.etra-eu.com) conduct 

surveys of members, and lobby at 

the European level on legislation 

affecting e-bikes. They’ve produced 

a number of interesting reports and 

surveys. Another is the non-profit 

ExtraEnergy organisation, which has 

been promoting electric bikes for 

over a decade and is now involved in 

numerous industry-related projects 

(www.extraenergy.org). 

One of these is the ‘GoPedelec’ 

collaboration (www.gopedelec.eu) 

spanning several countries. An 

element of this is the production of 

a handbook explaining all aspects 

of e-bikes both to end users and to 

municipal decision-makers. Earlier 

this summer I was asked to translate 

this into English, and it brought a 

number of themes into focus for me – 

hot topics on the continent, but yet 

to reach consumer consciousness in 

the UK. Here’s a brief summary: 

Numbers game 

In the UK, as we’ve previously 

mentioned, there aren’t very good 

sales statistics. Around 15,000 units 

were sold in 2009, so let’s guess at 

30,000-odd for 2011. 

The 2011 figure for the whole of 


EUROPEI 

PHOTO: Daum Electronic 

Europe is more like a million units, 

with Germany and the Netherlands 

as the largest within that, at 340,000 

and 120,000 respectively, according 

to ExtraEnergy estimates. Electric 

bikes also tend to sell at higher 

prices than conventional ones, 

adding to their importance in the 

cycle industry. The income electric 

bikes produce means that there’s 

an order of magnitude more money 

available to promote them, too, 

and their profile in the mainstream 

media is much higher as a result. 

Sales at the European level would 

be a dream for the UK industry, 

and they show the potential of a 

more developed market – backed 

of course by an extensive cycling 

infrastructure which makes normal 

people feel safe on their bikes. Will it 

happen here In time, perhaps… 

Different classes 

Here in the UK it’s relatively simple: 

there’s basically just a single 

category of electric bike, legally: 

limited to 25 km/h and 250W motor 

rating. Throttle-only operation 

(‘twist and go’) is still permitted 

within that. Anything outside those 

limits is effectively treated as a 

moped, requiring a motorbike license 

and helmet. The trouble with this 

is that to an extent, it limits the 

appeal of e-bikes. Riders who would 

like to go faster or who would prefer 

more power for hills are out of luck. 

In Germany, however, there’s a 

wider variety of vehicles recognised 

by legislation. As in the UK, 

electric bikes where the motor only 

operates while pedalling (via torque 

or rotation sensors) are treated 

essentially as bicycles, with power 

limited to 250W and assisted speed 

to 25 km/h. This class is often 

known as the ‘Pedelec 25’ or, in 

European regulations, as an EPAC 

(Electric Power Assist Cycle). 

The class above that is the ‘Pedelec 

45’, on which pedal assist doesn’t cut 

out until 45km/h. These vehicles 

usually have a throttle, too, but 

power without pedalling is limited to 

20 km/h. Motors can be rated up to 

1 kW, and you need a moped license, 

helmet and proof of third party 

insurance. 

For throttle only controlled 

vehicles (no pedalling required), 

there are three categories, known as 

‘E-bike 20, 25 or 45’, again referring 

to the motor cut-out speed. The 

lowest 20 km/h versions can (in 

Germany) be ridden without a 

helmet, but all require motorbike 

license and insurance. 

It all adds up to a rather more 

versatile ‘ecosystem’ of electric 

vehicles than we have here in the 

UK. Although the Pedelec 25 class 

is still by far the most popular, 

Pedelec 45 is growing in significance, 

especially perhaps among commuters, 

and Bosch for example do a version 

of their motor to support it. 

Battery safety 

E-bike battery life is well known as 

an issue here and in Europe: lithiumion 

batteries are improving, but still 

deteriorate after a number of years, 

losing their capacity. 

But alongside that is the issue 

of battery safety; how do bike 

batteries respond when overcharged, 

physically damaged as in a crash, or 

when accidentally short-circuited 

Strangely it seems there is no safety 

standard in place for such concerns: 

the only relevant legislation is 

UN38.3 Hazardous Goods regulations, 

which set some minimal standards to 

ensure safety in transport of battery 

packs. ExtraEnergy have collated 

reports on a number of incidents, 

including house fires, resulting from 

e-bike batteries, and regard battery 

safety as a serious issue for the 

industry. They’re now promoting a 

certification scheme known as BATSO 

(see www.batso.org) which involves 

more rigorous safety testing; it’s 

already up and running and a 

number of batteries on 2013 bikes 

are likely to carry this certification. 

Charging infrastructure 

and EnergyBus 

It seems that a good number of local 

authorities in mainland Europe are so 

concerned about ecological transport 

and climate change that they are 

keen to embrace electric bikes, 

and want to invest in electric bike 

charging infrastructure projects for 

their cities or regions. The thinking 

is perhaps that as with electric cars, 

such an infrastructure needs to 

be in place before the technology 

can become widespread. Charging 

networks also make for great 

headlines and photo-opportunities for 

politicians who wish to appear ‘green’. 

Electric bike organisations, 

however, are wary. One key problem 

is that there is as yet no widely 

embraced standard for charger cables 

and connectors. This means that the 

only realistic solution is to provide 

standard mains sockets and have 

the electric bike rider bring his or 

her own charger. However, the vast 

majority of these chargers are only 

rated for indoor use, and also they 

take many hours to charge a battery. 

Besides, even on multi-day holiday 

excursions, most bike riders have 

no problem finding charging points 

– power sockets in hotel rooms, for 

example – where the battery can be 

topped up overnight. So there’s little 

call from users for a charging point 

infrastructure. Most trips are short 

enough to be completed on a single 

charge, anyway. For now, therefore, 

it’s best if local authorities simply 

invest in good cycling infrastructure 

which benefits all cyclists, electric 

ones included. 

For the future, though, things look 

more promising. An organisation 

called EnergyBus, supported by many 

manufacturers including Bosch and 

For now, therefore, it’s best if local authorities 

simply invest in good cycling infrastructure which 

benefits all cyclists, electric ones included. 

Panasonic, has developed a universal, 

weatherproof ‘smart’ connector, 

also capable of fast-charging when 

batteries support it. It’s designed to 

communicate electronically with the 

battery pack’s management system, so 

that it delivers charge at the correct 

safe levels to whichever battery is 

connected. A version with integrated 

lock, the ‘ChargeLockCable’, is 

promoted as an all-in-one solution 

for outdoor charging points, and this 

will be trialled in some pilot regions 

in 2013, with roll-out over following 

years. EnergyBus compatible battery 

packs will become more widespread 

over a similar period, it’s hoped. See 

www.energybus.org for more details. 

Peter Eland 


www.beba-online.co.uk 

BEBA certies only the best 

and most reliable suppliers in 

the UK and is continuously 

active in promoting the use 

of electric bicycles. 



Member 

For further information 

please visit our web site or contact 

membership@beba-online.co.uk 

for a membership pack. 

{ 

Certified members offer 

1st class after sales support 

Comprehensive spare parts inventory 

Bikes that meet European legal requirements 

Manuals for all bikes 

Resolution procedure through BEBA 

Technically competent staff 

Full maintenance and servicing 

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Issue Five - Autumn 2012 - Electric Bike Magazine

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