Can A £795 E-Bike Be ANY GOOD? We BUILD And Review ELEGLIDE M2

[@ChrisJohnson-pd4hh]

Here is the problem with some ebikes. Replacement parts and repairs. I had a Claud Butler ebike that needed three battery chargers in four years at £90 a time. Then I couldn't get a charger at any price and eventually had to scrap the bike after using it as a regular non-electric bike for a while. It was too heavy though and had to go. Then I got an Easifit e-bike kit but within a year of getting it the company selling it in the UK stopped trading. A new company started selling them. I asked them if they did spare batteries, chargers etc. Their reply was my best bet would be to buy a complete new kit! Many of these ebikes just aren't sustainable. I also have a Raleigh Felix Plus fitted with Bosch parts. Hopefully I will be able to get parts for this if needed. Every day I see a chap pushing a bright yellow ebike up a very slight hill. I asked him if he had a problem with it. Yes he said. Cannot get a new battery for it. Buyer beware.

[@MeandMonAmi]

Absolutely. Though my haibike is now 7 years in and no issues beyond a new battery at 6 years

[@trixiepickle8779]

I love my electric bike, great for my area of France - many, many hills. This looks like a good value bike. Well built and functional - like it.

[@MeandMonAmi]

Indeed I’ve always loved mine

[@RUBYROMANE333]

Hee hee,we've all been there with the cursing and cussing trying to tighten nuts anticlockwise/ clockwise and the leftover spare part... ...i well remember the Raleigh Budgie and Chopper too -I still have a vintage ( very old ) titanium Raleigh... Thank you so much for another entertaining and funny in parts vlog,very informative and interesting . Great stuff 🙂

[@MeandMonAmi]

Thanks. I was literally going round the bend!

[@richardcato379]

Looks good value,be interesting to see how it performs in your later video's,well done lads another great video.

[@MeandMonAmi]

Thanks 👍 yes the proof of the pudding etc

[@TheMaleforce]

I got the 29 inch wheel version of this bike on Amazon with a discount code for £642 an absolute bargain, it was easy to build up and is also the new version with a 15.6 ah battery. Great bike and I'm very pleased with my purchase. In todays world prices are based on what they can get rather than the build costs, it would be interesting to know the actual build costs.

[@MeandMonAmi]

That’s good to hear. Ours is still running great, we’ll be on it this afternoon

[@phonepower66]

Interesting. I have a boardman hybrid 8.9 e bike . Bought in July 2019 . Electric bikes keep you cycling ,and as you get older the hills are a problem. Obviously no problem for you young lads ! But seeing some of the hills around Ville france it makes sense to go electric. My bike was £2000 . Great value your new one . Look forward to more adventures.

[@MeandMonAmi]

Indeed and you still get a very good workout!

[@vincekerrigan8300]

phonepower. I also live in a hilly area of France, which became eventually too hard as I reached my late eighties. I struggled on but when I hit 90 I went electric. Being a lifelong road cyclist, however, I took a different route. I added a simple friction drive e-assist kit to my road bike. It hardly altered the appearance at all, total weight, bike and kit, 13.5 kg, and it works very well. Athough not quite as refined, it gives me a rough equivalent to something like the Orbea Gain road e-bike for a fraction of the price. The hills are possible again now.

[@jackoneil3933]

At only £800 a great starter e-bike and' bang for the buck', exercise and affordable joy. And when it comes to joy. And when it comes to joy, I've had all sorts of rolling, floating and flying toys, and I have to say eBikes have have provided the most joy and benefit of anything I've enjoyed. BTW, The frame of your Eleglide M2, appears identical to an non-electric frame I used to build a 1500W ebike for a friend two summers ago, and it's been a great performer, held up well, and rides stable ride at 45mph. My friend and his wife use it every day (much more often than he rides his Harley) and they love being able to just flip a switch and head off, rather than starting a car and dealing with traffic, parking and etc. The ebike and and electric unicycle even fits in the back of his Helicopter, so he and his wife have transport when they fly off for an an adventure. With rear hub motor layout, upgrading with a higher power motor and battery kit might be an option for those wanting a bit more performance (and risk) at some point and still have an unbeatable value. Also, where I'm at in the U.S. Class 3 with a throttle is legal but occasionally I ride in areas where it's pedal assist only, I remove the right-hand throttle and swap over to right hand thumb throttle on the left grip, I normally use for regenerative breaking. If questioned, my plan is to say I use the left hand thumb throttle for regen, basically a half-truth.

[@MeandMonAmi]

I used to have a solex with no insurance and pedal like crazy when i saw the police to pretend it was a normal bike! PS send me your address Jack and i will send the key ring you won!

[@Jamienomore]

A very Good and Very Interesting Episode.

[@petermorrison680]

i noticed your cable routing at the handlebars looks a little wonky - otherwise nice bike and video.

[@MeandMonAmi]

Yes we re did it!

[@UnluckyPlant]

Oooh, can’t wait to hear how it fares against the 125km claim! We’re looking to get e-bikes, so am excited to see what your verdict is! Also, yeah, no fun to have only one person on an e-bike! 😂

[@MeandMonAmi]

Yes we are going to do a real world test (as they say!)

[@annies8075]

I purchased my first generic chinese electric mountain bicycle in 2009 for £1000. The bike has 21 gears, 5 assistance speeds and at 18.5 kg is much lighter than many sold today. I've replaced some parts and put a couple of bottle batteries on over the years. It's still going strong after 14 years, though obviously the range of ebikes these days has improved. Far too many more expensive brand name ebikes you struggle to get parts for years down the line, so sometimes a cheap generic ebike can last you far longer than one costing a lot more money. Happy ebiking Mr Boo 🚴‍♂️ .....oh and don't forget your helmet

[@MeandMonAmi]

That’s very interesting. I’ve had my Haibike 7 years now and still going strong

[@TheOuttolunch]

I've got two e-bikes already having a third could be excessive although haven't a mountain bike, have a tourer and an unusual Scillian city bike with battery at the front modified to fit easily in the motorhome garage both Bosch powered through a hub gearbox because I'm a lazy cyclist that can't be bothered to go through all the gears.

[@vikingsystem]

love the unboxing/build Tim, I have the same problem sometimes; clockwise, anti clockwise lol seems a very good value for the money, not so expensive and well built, Mr. Boo will get use to it very quickly for sure. great review and waiting for more content like this :)

[@MeandMonAmi]

I was literally screaming at it!

[@prieten49]

Oooo! You're going to break 10,000 subscribers real soon! Let me be the first to congratulate you!

[@MeandMonAmi]

Thanks we did it today!

[@mb280sl7]

Great vlog. The two of you and your adventures. I so look forward to your vlogs. 😀

[@MeandMonAmi]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@mb280sl7]

@@MeandMonAmi You are very welcome.

[@stevegee7593]

I was going to ask if you had a left handed spanner. In the UK you can have the accentuator, but you have to register it, get a MOT, insurance and have a motorbike license. Just get a moped and CBT, it'll be cheaper.

[@alantsneddon]

Excellent review and it looks like a very good bike for the money. I currently own a VanMoof S3 city/commuter bike. Sadly VanMoof recently were forced into Administration (fingers crossed for a buyer). The proprietary tech in VanMoof bikes makes them difficult (and expensive) to maintain and service so there is definitely something to be said about keeping things simple. Look forward to seeing how Mr Boo finds the real life use. Thanks again for another excellent video and helping us all stay charged.

[@MeandMonAmi]

I didn’t know that about Van Moof. I always thought they were very cool and they seemed to be doing very well (shop in Covent Garden etc)

[@AliWade1971]

Interesting. I have been riding electric bikes since 2014. A KTM Macina to start with, and then changed to a MiRider in November. Enables me to continue cycling (I live with chronic pain & fatigue conditions).

[@MeandMonAmi]

I think e bikes are great and i see so many older people round here cycling because of them (and they wouldn’t ride a conventional bike given the hills etc)

[@janrobertbos]

...visir ANY Dutch city...😁😁😁

[@MeandMonAmi]

Yup I imagine quite popular there too

[@grobbosixtyone]

Keep those red plastic things that came with the disk brakes. Use them when you have the wheels removed so if you accidentally pull the brakes, you won’t have to pry the disk pads apart. In regards to the pedals, to remove turn your Allen key towards the back of the bike. That way you don’t have to remember which way the pedal crank is threaded.

[@MeandMonAmi]

Thanks for the tip that’s a good one. I was seriously convinced it was duff!

[@simonbean1264]

Brilliant Channel really enjoy watching your ' adventures' . I notice when you fitted the handlebars you've got your cables tangled under the frame ! Easily done you'll need to remove the bars again and sort of loop them under if you get my drift.

[@MeandMonAmi]

Thanks! I shall check them tomorrow.

[@simonbean1264]

Yeah I think the cables are supposed to go either side of the head tube.

[@davidpowellseattle]

Dorothy... you're definitely not in Kansas any more! You'll need to fit that thing with a basket for Toto (Twiggy) too.

[@AliWade1971]

Definitely. I am going to have a basket on the back of my e-bike for when we adopt another dog

[@colinblick4903]

They are the business I’ve a Cube E bike…..best hill killer ever😝😎👌🏼

[@MeandMonAmi]

Yup I love e-bikes

[@1971ufo]

Interesting video Lads 👍

[@MeandMonAmi]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Sipo95]

Hi guys! Was there ever a follow up video for this review? Im new here and exploring some other videos but cant see a "part 2" for this. Thanks 😊

[@MeandMonAmi]

Not yet! But its still on the road!

[@alejandrayalanbowman367]

Hi lads from Spain where it is 40° at 7 pm. We have, for the mother-in-law (age 92,) a motorised wheelchair. She hasan't used it much other than for a few circuits of the ground floor of the house. When we went to charge it up the other day, the charger said it was fully charged. BUT it wouldn't go. Contacted the manufacturer and were told that it needs new batteries 180€ because we hadn't kept discharging and recharging it. So beware, if you have a battery powered electrical thing, you need to use it and recahrge it often or it won't work.

[@MeandMonAmi]

Very true!

[@Meldonator]

Hey, it's Xmas time for Mr Boo! (but one deserves 2 Xmas a year IMHO). I hope you'll have great trip around Villefranche on your bikes! :)

[@MeandMonAmi]

We may go further! I used to ride to Italy!

[@Meldonator]

@@MeandMonAmi wow!👏 we'll need an ebike episode then! 👍☺

[@alunhoskins4513]

Really enjoyed this. I don’t have an e-bike, in fact I haven’t cycled for quite some time. E-bike is on the cards now - in my 60’s - and where I live in rural Ireland there’s plenty of hills. Good luck with this one, look forward to the updates.

[@MeandMonAmi]

Great to hear! I love e bikes

[@AlvaroJoseCruz]

Hi. The wires to the steering should stay on the left side of the bike. It will steer much better. See some other videos.

[@MeandMonAmi]

Thanks for the tip!

[@stevezodiac491]

My father was too miserable, tight or both to buy me a Raleigh Chopper 54 years ago but I only held a grudge until he popped off. So when they started to remake the mark 2 this year, I tried to get one in the first sale but failed. On the second traunch limited edition sale I have managed to procure one in ultra violet. Great fun and nostalgia, even for a now much older but content 64 year old. All I want now is a Johhny Seven one man army that he didn't buy me for x-mas either. I was obviously a deprived child in those days that left a deep mental scar lol. By the way the chopper cost more than your Eleglide electric bike.

[@MeandMonAmi]

How funny. I wanted a chopper. All the Kool kids had them.

[@stevezodiac491]

​​@@MeandMonAmi obviously we weren't cool or deserving lol ? Did you know that it is now a boomer must have item !

[@HenkModderman]

Nice bike!

[@MeandMonAmi]

Looks good so far

[@zenzen9131]

I thought that my e-movement panther was a bargain at £1,600 but that one is incredible !

[@MeandMonAmi]

It’s very reasonable

[@MeandMonAmi]

Certainly a good price.

[@qurmaca2302]

Hello, I bought this bike yesterday, but there is this sign (!) on the screen, how can I fix it?

[@bobbyrudki3851]

Woooo midweek special, great video guys, keep em coming 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@MeandMonAmi]

Thanks Bobby.

[@uweinhamburg]

Now you only have to work out, how to attach your Bluetti to it, and you can go to Marseille with one charge... 🤣😉

[@blablabla670]

Brilliant review

[@MeandMonAmi]

Thanks

[@peterworby2049]

In fact Parker and Lady Penelope would be good for the two bikes...👍

[@RealButcher]

Counterclockwise is the thing that gets most people to think they're coocoo... 🙂

[@MeandMonAmi]

I was literally tearing what’s left of my hair out!

[@RealButcher]

@@MeandMonAmi lol

[@davidmarshall5596]

Mister Me and Mister Boo well ya can't say tge bike wasn't well packed inside that box!!! Crikey I'd still be there now trying to get it out the bloody box 📦 😂 looks pretty good value this & be interesting to see how ya get in with it in daily uses! Stay well and stay charged 🙏

[@MeandMonAmi]

There was a LOT of editing whilst I got it out!

[@Hayles6677]

Excellent. Hope he keeps us with you now Tim!!!

[@MeandMonAmi]

I doubt he’s fit enough!;

[@Hayles6677]

Oh lord. Too much riding on his E motorbike 😂. Hubby will need to get riding soon too

[@Hayles6677]

I’m looking forward to your ebike adventures real soon??

[@louiselage7740]

🌺 Hi Tim, I have been looking into getting an e-bike for myself, so thank you for your explanation and demo! 🤣I had to laugh when you came down from that hill and were exaggerating your 'heavy breathing' just as two young ladies walked by! Ha ha ha....I wonder if they thought you were some sort of creepy perv and just kept on walking...anyway, yes, investigating e-bike options is on my radar lately. Looking forward to finding out how Mr. Boo finds it in a week or so....🚲

[@MeandMonAmi]

I never thought of that! Oops. Yes we will keep you informed on bike progress

[@taiwaneil]

Thanks for the video, very informative. Two questions please (1) can the battery be removed from the bike so it can be charged indoors (we have no electricity in our shed), and (2) is there space to fit a rear mud guard. I would use it to cycle to work and wouldn’t want a line of dirt all down my back if it was raining?

[@MeandMonAmi]

Thanks. Yup the battery unlocks to take in and a mudguard could be attached to the stem of the saddle (I have the same on my Haibike)

[@andynightingale7335]

I like the look of this, as a newbie to E-bikes, is this bike more or less maintenance free, aside from tyres, brakes etc?

[@MeandMonAmi]

Well i cant speak for this one as we’ve only had it a few days but my Haibike has been total maintenance free apart from brakes tires etc.

[@raziel0729]

Hi, I have a question. From what i've seen in your review and in other videos about this bike, there is a lot of "ghost pedaling" with this bike. I'm interested in buying it but the thing is, i want to exercise from time to time too, not just "pretend" like i'm pedaling, you know what i mean? So i want to ask, could I get a little bit of leg workout with this bike if i am to set the assist level to 1? And then play with the gears a little bit so that i can actually feel like i'm pedaling like on a non electric bike. Or is it simply not possible with this bike?

[@MeandMonAmi]

Yes 100%. If you set it to 1 you will workout same as any peddle assist. We’ve not altered ours to ghost pedal.

It is stupid laws, an adult can not have a motor on a bike to get them to places in 25 km/h, only eclectic assist or it will be illegal and you can get fined. But remove the pedals and seat, make the wheels silly small and call it a scooter and even children can drive them, and they are often as fast as 30 km/h and they are often rided on the sidewalks (by children) and never getting a ticket or so :)

[@MeandMonAmi]

True but the scooter has to have insurance ..

@@MeandMonAmi I live in Sweden so I talked about those "kick bikes" that you can buy, the one you can rent and that litter most cities of Europe just now. I will soon buy an e- bike and I will for sure hack it, AMI is still hard to get in Sweden and the price is going up here, some say it will cost around 7.000€ if it come, that is a bit sad for AMI have that charming practical but playful look, I think it will become a classic design. And thank you for good and easy to watch content, and wear helmet when biking, it may look silly and be hot, but it is a simple way to keep the brain egg safe.

[@rayro999]

Have a little eLife fold up eBike i can fit in back of fiat 500X - it would probably fit in passenger side of the Ami.. Cost a little less than this eBike but it's not a monuntain bike type. This one looks good value. Is the battery detachable so you can lock the bike in a shed and charge the battery in the house?

[@MeandMonAmi]

Yup battery detaches. And yes a small fold up would be good though I’ve yet to find one that could fit alongside a passenger

[@rayro999]

@@MeandMonAmi Yep, Mr Boo would have to run along behind with the fold up bike in the passenger side 🤣

[@liamh9814]

Wasn’t the Budgie the smaller Chopper?

[@MeandMonAmi]

Yes I think so! I was trying to remember grifter!

[@liamh9814]

@@MeandMonAmiI edited it! It was the small chopper. Oo er missus. The Grifter was a sort of early mountain bike, with a foam padded crossbar. It had a huge foam seat too….that rotted within weeks.

[@davidgee9241]

CYCLE box Against the wall😂 FOOT AGAINST THE BOX ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️PULL UP BOX . that is how to do it single handidly🤦‍♂️👍

[@MeandMonAmi]

That’s it!

[@terrortorn]

Budgies were mini choppers for little boys

[@MeandMonAmi]

Phew!

[@EdmediaDeyerlerEric]

a folding bike would have been better, that could fit in your Ami

[@ChrisJohnson-pd4hh]

I would be surprised if a folding ebike would fit in an Ami and still leave room for the driver!

[@MeandMonAmi]

Yup!

[@MeandMonAmi]

I’ve not come across one!

[@fdk7014]

£800 is starting to become sensible. Where I live you don't get much for less than €3000

[@MeandMonAmi]

It’s certainly a good price we just need to see how it performs

[@phonepower66]

Name for bike , Ellie ?

[@MeandMonAmi]

Strong early suggestion!

[@owen8538]

Is motor bafang please

[@MeandMonAmi]

No it’s rear wheel drive

[@peterworby2049]

Camilla needs Parker ,so you can Bowled along on both of them.....

[@MeandMonAmi]

True!

[@PNH750]

No helmets.....naughty!!!

[@MeandMonAmi]

I know

[@devosreynaert9873]

I presume that You wear a safety helmet when going cycling (?)

[@MeandMonAmi]

But of course (not always if I’m honest)

[@pt020]

The battery for my e-bike is more expensive.

[@MeandMonAmi]

So was mine for my haibike last year.

[@theowink]

That’s the price for inframe batteries and after a couple of years total loss because of old model

[@pt020]

@@theowink Mine is not an inframe battery, and I use it already 7 years, still good as new.

[@mbak7801]

The electric motor on the wheel is bad news and inefficient. Connected at the crank is best. Also lose the fat tyres. This is also inefficient and is there to 'look cool' but makes cycling much more effort. Look at a serious racing bike. The tyres are about 1in wide. Very thin, very low profile with very low rolling resistance and are also very light. Electric bikes are a great idea. Going cheap will give a lower range and a heavier bike to try and cycle when the battery goes flat. A good ebike is worth spending money on. If you go out on jaunts I can see Mr Boo slowly pushing this bike up hills after losing power early.

[@EleanorPeterson]

I imagine there's plenty of poor-shaming and snobbery in the e-bike world, but let's get one thing straight: eight-hundred quid is not cheap. I know you can spend five or ten grand on a 'real' e-bike, just as you can spend £30,000 on a professional road-racing bike or £60,000 on an EV or £1,250 on a poxy mobile phone. But people have been carefully groomed to think that such huge prices are the norm. To me such figures are absurd. So with all-things-electric we're still very much in the realm of whizzy techie toys for rich boys. You pays your money and you strikes a pose. I'm exceedingly poor. My cheapo pedal cycle [£130 new 20+ years ago] still works. If necessary I could replace it, new, for precisely the same £130 today. I ride 70 (unavoidable and grim) miles a week in wet, hilly, windy West Yorkshire but am still not drawn to the idea of e-bikes or e-scooters (or even EV cars). I'm simple and cheap and I need (need, not necessarily want) my transportation to be the same. I understand the attraction of e-bikes to the smart-watch-wearing urban warrior brigade, though. Mmmm, lads with gadgets... No doubt EVs of all kinds will continue to sell like hot cakes; it might be a good idea to charge them somewhere safe, though, in case they catch fire like hot cakes, too.🤭

[@vincekerrigan8300]

Eleanor. You will probably find yourself more drawn to e-bikes when you get into your 70's or 80's.