Burnsey
New Member
Bit of a long post, but some may find it interesting...
So, I'll start by saying I've not turned a pedal in over a decade, maybe two and was encouraged to buy an eMTB in order to help shred the three stone weight gain over the last year or so.
I'm also eating healthy and a month into that, I'm 16 pounds lighter already.
So, I only have one mate who's into his bikes and he was my first port of call for help choosing a bike. The problem is, he's a bit of a mtb nerd, so started using words like Kashima and Cadence, which pretty much lost me straight away
. Anyway, the hunt commenced...
Despite what I've learned during the process, stock is poor and we are somewhat forced into online purchases, which does cause issues in terms of customer service and of course, trying a bike prior to purchase. I am a brand whore and like the best, so with no real budget off I went. First mistake was buying from CRC. The Nukeproof arrived damaged and faulty. It went back and was refunded. During the returns process I ordered a YT Decoy, but later cancelled due to the long lead in time.
Frequently checking online, I noticed Leisure Lakes had a Whyte e-160s in both medium and large, so arranged to call over (35 miles) and take a look. They has others, including Orbea and Specialized, either in stock or due relatively soon, so I would have a range to look at.
Popped down and sat on the Whyte (medium) and liked it. I generally was already favouring Whyte as a manufacturer. I should also say, I knew about the pending motor./display upgrade. But as irrelevant as it may appear, the sky blue was too in your face for me - thefts are high where I live and I felt a more discrete colour would be less of an attraction. Plus I'd started to become interested in higher end components - pure snobbery - so couldn't help catching a glimpse of a black 180RS in the corner of my eye. Now, that was a large, when by all means I should be on a medium, but had a play and a short ride and all felt good, so I bought it.
Left it with the shop to organise the wrap (matt Xpel) and arranged to collect three days later. Arrived on the day, when they set the suspension, bars, seat, levers, fitted pedals and had already converted to tubeless. Bought a few odds and sods - ground anchor, lock, cleaning stuff, tools, etc and then whipped off the front wheel, loaded it up and off I went.
Charged fully overnight and decided on a short 8 mile route for my first ride and was back home in a jiffy! That was a mixture of roads and short trails/tow paths. Next time I managed 12 miles and yesterday another 11, all in similar terrain.
I'm already getting to understand using the gears and modes in sync, surprisingly using less assistance and more leg power already. I'm concerned the size is a challenge, having sore wrists (and rear end of course!), but don't truly know if it's right for me or not. I intend to pop to the LBS for a proper assessment soon and if it isn't right, I don't think it is by much and adjustments will get it good enough for the intended use.
Intention is to cover 10 miles per day and a much longer cross country weekend run with a mate. Enjoying it immensely, so really pleased I made the investment and can see it being an expensive hobby, as I really 'need' the factory seat post.
So, I'll start by saying I've not turned a pedal in over a decade, maybe two and was encouraged to buy an eMTB in order to help shred the three stone weight gain over the last year or so.
I'm also eating healthy and a month into that, I'm 16 pounds lighter already.
So, I only have one mate who's into his bikes and he was my first port of call for help choosing a bike. The problem is, he's a bit of a mtb nerd, so started using words like Kashima and Cadence, which pretty much lost me straight away
. Anyway, the hunt commenced...Despite what I've learned during the process, stock is poor and we are somewhat forced into online purchases, which does cause issues in terms of customer service and of course, trying a bike prior to purchase. I am a brand whore and like the best, so with no real budget off I went. First mistake was buying from CRC. The Nukeproof arrived damaged and faulty. It went back and was refunded. During the returns process I ordered a YT Decoy, but later cancelled due to the long lead in time.
Frequently checking online, I noticed Leisure Lakes had a Whyte e-160s in both medium and large, so arranged to call over (35 miles) and take a look. They has others, including Orbea and Specialized, either in stock or due relatively soon, so I would have a range to look at.
Popped down and sat on the Whyte (medium) and liked it. I generally was already favouring Whyte as a manufacturer. I should also say, I knew about the pending motor./display upgrade. But as irrelevant as it may appear, the sky blue was too in your face for me - thefts are high where I live and I felt a more discrete colour would be less of an attraction. Plus I'd started to become interested in higher end components - pure snobbery - so couldn't help catching a glimpse of a black 180RS in the corner of my eye. Now, that was a large, when by all means I should be on a medium, but had a play and a short ride and all felt good, so I bought it.
Left it with the shop to organise the wrap (matt Xpel) and arranged to collect three days later. Arrived on the day, when they set the suspension, bars, seat, levers, fitted pedals and had already converted to tubeless. Bought a few odds and sods - ground anchor, lock, cleaning stuff, tools, etc and then whipped off the front wheel, loaded it up and off I went.
Charged fully overnight and decided on a short 8 mile route for my first ride and was back home in a jiffy! That was a mixture of roads and short trails/tow paths. Next time I managed 12 miles and yesterday another 11, all in similar terrain.
I'm already getting to understand using the gears and modes in sync, surprisingly using less assistance and more leg power already. I'm concerned the size is a challenge, having sore wrists (and rear end of course!), but don't truly know if it's right for me or not. I intend to pop to the LBS for a proper assessment soon and if it isn't right, I don't think it is by much and adjustments will get it good enough for the intended use.
Intention is to cover 10 miles per day and a much longer cross country weekend run with a mate. Enjoying it immensely, so really pleased I made the investment and can see it being an expensive hobby, as I really 'need' the factory seat post.
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