And today I did......

We've got to give Rob a break some time.

Right V. share your knowledge of Ebikes :D

Flipping the coins between a Tern, or Larry vs Harry Bullitt.
OR A decathlon Stilus, Plus a hub motor conversion for the shopper.
 
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I would go for the Larry V’s Harry Bullitt.
I have been trying to save for the non e version for a while, then sell my Big Dummy. I was looking to pick up a frame in Copenhagen, ferry then ride the Dummy with sidecar and then back.
The Scottish government along with the Energy saving Trust Scotland are giving interest free loans for cargo bikes and e cargo bikes. Great long term deals.
Great Facebook group as well.
So yeah, Bullitt has been on my wish list for a long while so of course my recommendation.

Jamie
 
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I should also say my experience of cargo bikes is purely acoustic, not electric.
But have been fairly into it for a good while now and have had lots of dealings/interactions with Tern riders and they all rave about them, so don’t think you would go too wrong with either.

Jamie
 
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Well I figured if they were electric and mine wasn’t then it’s acoustic :)
It was actually from a Luka Bloom song where he calls his bicycle the acoustic motorbike. The boys in the motorbike club back home often say I now mainly ride acoustic, meaning push bike not motorcycle.
Thought it suited the current bike situation but don’t think it’s commonly used, saying that, I am sure most knew what I meant.

Jamie
 
Acoustic :? Aye,i'd say most of my bikes are acoustically tuned, In fact I think theres an orchestra going on down there somewhere with it's rattles and clanks :shock:


Oh Jamie, the Bullitt is the lower choice, down to length and storage. Lists at 2.4m, and my bikes are about 1.8m. Could be a 9 point turn in the house to get it backed in or out of the bike room. Top choice for looks, stability with the lower center of gravity.
I need to get out more, and have further range so i can find a cheaper workshop rent. Glasgow is way too expensive..
Tern would be just as good tooing and froing but I'd rather carry something like my dewalt slide saw low down, than sitting higher up on the tern.

Just a little concerned on turning circle, and I'd likely have to replan my routes, as im more the crows fly one point to another over hill,dale,park and pavement. Not possible maybe on something longer and a bit wider. Lots of considerations.
I would, or should I think opt to ride an 'acoustic' cargo like the bullitt before trying the same powered.

Serious cash all the same, hence my sell of of accumulated Hope bits(Take A look gents, more to list ;) RB discounts :D

This is another small, but important point - SPEC
MTB's now, E or whatever seem to have favoured 148mm. Bound to be down to a generic frames following the trend, so we've mostly stuck with it.
Every hub I own, new or used built or 'fresh' (another for you History Man ;) ) is 135mm.
135mm can be 142mm but not 148mm without a shed load of faffing about, dishing and lord knows what else.
Buying an E anything, unless you spend loads you get Alivio, Tektro and M200 shimano. Mostly though the motor is latest gen, latest software, but the rest is shit.
I think we can list the Decathalon Stilus as currently the best EMTB on the planet for spec and retail cost. Be mad not to grab one, fit your own fork, brakes,bars. All in all wow for £2600.
The tern will likely be about 4 1/2, and the bullit is about the same, give or take a couple of hundred.
Spec on the tern is pants, compared to what im use to. BUT, the important downside is I cannot use any of my wheels(new pro 4) as they are 26" 135mm I dont expect the wheels on either to be pro4 on 517(fine @2.25") more likely joytech or such ano'd black and unbranded. Brakes will be reasonable, but I hear more niggles out of stw, here et all about bleeding issues of srams, or anything not shimano or Hope.

The Bullitt is 135mm 26" rear. FAB :D Allows all the matching Hope purple stuff to go onto it, no new wheel building or outlay or put up with whatever.
Easier to build my own kit and sell the new bits on it to recoup a little. I cant do that with the tern or any other except the bullitt.
 
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Not up on the latest ebikes but do like them and have been reading up on ebike conversion kits. Mid drive or rear drive is the way to go. I was once ahead of the game, at least 15 years ago I commuted five miles to work on an early ebike with the then heavy lead acid gel batteries. My ride was a Powabike with front wheel drive and it was great for the hills of Midlothian. Also had a front wheel drive conversion about 7 years back but l-ion battery did not have enough amp hours for my needs. E bikes are great but bloody heavy if the juice gives out.
Currently trying to get fit so ebike feels a cop-out for me at the moment but got my eye on a basic rear wheel drive kit to retro fit to my tandem wired up to two mobility scooter batteries I have. Heavy but has potential for a few winter runs about Edinburgh when the wind gets up.
 
Dyna, that Decathlon is absolutely the worst of your listed choices for you. It’s a proper off road MTB and using it for anything else is pointless. No load carrying capability at all. If you still want to be able to ride off-road, a hardtail eMTB would be a good compromise. Fit a rack and panniers for a bit of load carrying and you still have a normal handling bike. Adding a trailer is another option. Earlier in the year I looked at the same choices as you. I was looking at ways of hauling the wee man around with me. In the end I discounted the cargo bikes, as I didn’t need the carrying capacity all the time. I went for a trailer. Easy to fit and disconnect for a normal bike and not too bad to haul around. Have also recently bought a Whyte e150RS MTB, but haven’t used it with the trailer yet.
As for your Hope parts. This isn’t meant in a nasty way, but forget about using them for this. Standards have changed, get over it. Keep them for a build that suits them. Put them aside for now and wait for a suitable frame to put them on. Much better plan than compromising your other choices.
Cargo bikes spending their life on grimy streets don’t need fancy expensive parts.
If you really want to use them then why not look at the e conversions on eBay.
 
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