Best Electric Bikes Under £1000
As we speed through the 2020s the world is changing on a number of fronts, but arguably none more so than the field of battery-operated vehicles. From cars to trucks to bikes to scooters it seems to be a case of “if it moves then whack a battery in it!”.
And with good reason too. If we concentrate on e-bikes then the advantages over standard bicycles are obvious:
- Additional power to supplement either tired or (*shock horror*) ageing legs. The latter applies to me I hasten to add.
- Far more motivation to get out on the bike knowing that you have power in reserve. The power can be dialed up or down in assistance, so you can start out on a journey using very little and then ramp it up as your enthusiasm and leg power wanes.
- An increased range (for a fixed expenditure of energy) makes ebikes perfect if you’re camping and want to explore the surrounding countryside. Strap a couple of e-bikes on the back of your campervan or motorhome and you’re laughing.
The downside of electric bikes at the moment is cost and for the life of me I cannot explain why they are so expensive. The motors are fairly similar to those used in electric scooters, having an average power of 250W to meet EU regulations.
However a typical e-scooter is £250 whereas most e-bikes start at £2000! That’s almost a 10x differential which cannot purely be explained by higher development costs or slightly more torque. Of course, a standard bike is more expensive than a standard scooter, but not 10x more expensive.
In order to counteract this, we’ve selected what we consider to be the best electric bikes under £1000. Whilst £1000 is still a considerable sum of money for most people, these great-value electric bikes accomplish everything their more expensive brethren do with only minor disadvantages .
The main disadvantage of cheaper electric bikes is in the weight of the components used and the amount of suspension on offer. You may get a front suspension fork included, but none of the ebikes we review below have rear suspension. However, for town and trail riding a rear shock just isn’t needed.
The drivetrain and other components on these sub-£1000 e-bikes (e.g. disk brakes, gears etc.) may not be the ultimate ‘top of the range’ lightweight versions found on the £2000-£5000 e-bikes, but they all still performed admirably in our tests. And let’s face it, you have an electric motor on board to counteract any extra grams!
Battery capacity should also be checked carefully on the cheaper electric bikes. Batteries are expensive, and so most ebikes under £1000 carry less capacity on board which translates into reduced range compared with more expensive alternatives. That being said, all our choices below are capable of >25 miles range.
Of course, if the battery runs out then you can still pedal these bikes under pure leg power, although it’s not a particularly fun exercise. The additional weight of the components and friction of the motor makes it a tough challenge, but you won’t be stranded. Put some effort in!
Finally, if you can afford a slightly higher budget then you may wish to check out our ‘best ebikes under £2000’ article instead.
E-Trends Trekker E-Bike
When we first saw the E-Trends Trekker we were gobsmacked for two reasons – firstly, it looks absolutely amazing due to its futuristic and exceptionally stylish design.
Secondly, the price of the Trekker is extremely competitive for what you are actually getting in return for your money. Yes, it just slightly slips over our £1000 budget, but we would say that it is is still an excellent value money when you consider that you are getting a lightweight (22kg including battery – ignore the 26.6kg on Amazon), pedal-assisted electric bike with a front suspension fork, Shimano gearing and superb off-road tyres. As I say, this is great value for money and can compete with £2000+ bikes.
So let’s get into the detail – why do we like the E-Trends Trekker so much?
Frame and Wheels
Part of the reason E-Trends can offer such a great price on the Trekker is that they only offer it in one frame size, and in one colour. Luckily that colour is a sumptious matt black which really helps accentuate the sexy lines of the frame – if the US military made a bike based on the stealth bomber then this would be it!
The single frame size has therefore been aimed roughly at the medium-sized male but has an adjustable seat post and handlebar stem to cater for both shorter and taller people. I’m 6ft3 tall (1.95m) and so had to have the seat raised considerably – however I could still pedal with ease and in some comfort.
For reference, the seat can be lowered down to 55.5cm and raised to 73.5cm above the ground. This means that ladies can ride it with ease, especially as the crossbar is not completely horizontal. The saddle is surprisingly comfortable too which was a pleasant surprise.
The wheels are 27.5” and the front uses a quick-release skewer to attach the hub to the frame. The rear wheel contains a hub motor and rear 7-speed cassette and Shimano derailleur for the gear shifting.
We really liked the Shimano R:7S Rove shifter on the right side of the handlebars which made it very simple to change gear without moving your hand position – felt like a motorbike!
Disk brakes front and back and thick knobbly tyres complete the wheelset and all work well and are of decent quality. There is even a neat kick-stand to keep the bike upright when you get off and there’s no handy tree to rest the bike against!
One thing to note is that the bike does not come with mudguards or lights, but it’s easy to pick up a pair of both when required for not much expense.
The front fork uses coil suspension which works well over gravel, but there is not much travel to cope with large jumps for example. As a result, you couldn’t use the Trekker on anything more than a canal tow path or a ‘blue run’ at your local bike park (Cannock Chase in our case).
This bike is perfect to take camping with you or to use for an urban commute when a bit of off-road action might be required.
Battery and Motor
So far so good, but how does the electric side of the bike work? Well the Trekker uses a 270Wh battery and a rear hub motor. There is an excellent display on the handlebars to turn on the motor assistance, but no power is driven to the rear wheel until you have been peddling for a second or so.
There are three levels of power assistance, and in the top mode acceleration is brisk. E-Trends claim a range of 30 miles on the highest power setting, but we got significantly more than this – around 40 miles.
It is grin-inducing when that surge of torque hits you – it’s like being pushed in the back and is highly addictive. You can waltz up the hills like a Tour de France champion (but without the performance enhancing drugs!).
The battery is locked onto the downtube of the bike with a key and is removable if you wish to charge it somewhere other than where the rest of the bike is. I like this feature because if you live in a flat or similar, you don’t need to carry the bike up the stairs to charge up – just take the battery. Charge time is around 3 hours which is very reasonable indeed.
The E-Trends Trekker Ebike In Use
You could easily be forgiven that a hardtail electric mountain bike is going to be awful to ride at this price. The fact that the Trekker isn’t and is actually a competent steed is a marvel to behold. I’ve ridden bikes costing 4x as much as the Trekker which are not as much fun and much heavier in weight.
The motor is a peach and is activated by a long-press of the power button on the display unit. It provides a really substantial shove in the back on the highest power setting once you’re moving along and peddling. Shifting between the seven gears is simple and definitely needed on the steeper hills. I recommend stopping peddling before shifting otherwise there is a slim chance of snapping your chain with the torque from the motor.
There are some weak areas of the Swifty, but none are catastrophic.
- The small delay before the power surges in is slightly non-optimal, especially if you’re starting on a hill. It’s always a good idea to shift down in gears before stopping.
- No drinks bottle cage points – unbelievable oversight, but you can always get a bottle which clips onto the back of the seat post.
That’s about it really. There’s a cool ‘walk mode’ I forgot to mention. If you get fed up of riding or come across a particularly steep hill then you can walk alongside the bike and flip into this mode – the bike will then ‘walk’ alongside you which means you don’t have to push 22kg uphill – useful!
Conclusions
From the moment I unpacked the E-Trends Trekker E-Bike it was pretty much love at first sight for me. When I rode the ebike the grin just grew and grew. Make no mistake, this is an excellent example of what electric bikes have got to offer the world and we highly recommend seeking one out.
BTwin Rockrider E-ST100 Electric Mountain Bike
BTwin are the well-regarded cycling arm of the massive French outdoor superstore giant Decathlon. Decathlon have absolutely huge buying power and as a result you can get an awful lot of decent components on a bike which would put some of the more ‘recognized’ brands to shame. This state of affairs translates directly to e-bikes too – none more so than the Rockrider E-ST100 which comes in at a remarkable £999 at time of writing.
Firstly – the name. The Rockrider – I simply love it, and that made me want to love this electric bike as soon as I clapped eyes on it. I used to own a Specalized Rockhopper many moons ago, and while BTwin have obviously ‘purloined’ the spirit of that old classic, there’s no doubt it’s a classy name. Can the bike live up to it? Well yes actually it can!
The Rockrider is a proper hardtail mountain bike with a decent (for this price) Suntour XCT30 suspension fork at the front which gives 100mm of travel – this is fine for gentle off-roading on canal towpaths and forest trails and stops the vibrations translating through into your wrists. The handlebars are wide which gives a great degree of control for the 27.5” wheels and tyres.
There are four frame sizes available, ranging from small to Extra Large (the option I plumped for at 6ft3 tall). There is also a rather nice ladies version available which really looks swish and has very similar dimensions, but with a slightly raised riding position. The frames are 6061 aluminium which helps keep the weight down and enables ergonomic shaping to keep the battery smoothly streamlined with it.
Battery and Motor
The battery is externally attached and clipped securely to the downtube. It is locked in place with a key to make it difficult to steal.
Samsung battery cells are used inside the Rockrider to give 380Wh of capacity. It’s well known that Samsung make some of the most reliable battery packs in the business – another example of that strong Decathlon buying power. The Rockrider battery pack will give you over two hours of riding in the middle 175W mode (see below).
The battery pack includes an LED indicator on the exterior to let you know how much power is left – this is effectively a range indicator. If your final bar goes out then you may have to resort to leg power only! You should be able to get well over 30 miles before this becomes an issue though.
The motor offers a decent 42Nm of torque for a considerable shove in the back, and is located in the hub of the rear wheel. The controller circuit offers three power modes which enable you to change between 20-100W (gentle assist), 80-175W (mid range) and 150-250W (max power). The middle range is probably the best to use most of the time, and gives plenty of zip with extended range. The max power mode felt like a rocket!
Gears and Shifters
We love the fact that the Rockrider just uses a single chainring at the front. When you’ve got 42Nm of torque available, you really don’t need 27 or more gears to get good speed in all conditions.
The Rockrider is and 8-speed system which uses a 32 cog chainring at the front and an 11-34 cassette at the back using Microshift trigger shifters. This will get up some steep hills, but also provide a decent top speed. Motorized power cuts out at 15.5mph as is the EU standard – perhaps with Brexit this limit might get raised by the UK government?
High speed needs decent brakes and tyres. The Rockrider uses Tektro mechanical disk brakes which perform very adequately, stopping the 22.5kg bike without any fuss. It’s worth pointing out that 22.5kg is an excellent weight for a bike like this, and pretty comparable to some of the more expensive bikes on the market.
In Use
The Rockrider is pedal-assist only which means that you need to turn the cranks in order for the hub motor to start gently assisting. It’s clear pretty quickly that this is a quality bike and it puts a smile on your face from the very start.
The only slight niggle is the saddle supplied with the bike. It’s overly harsh, and without rear suspension you really need a decent seat or even a suspension seat post.
It’s worth mentioning that the Rockrider allows wider tyres to be fitted if required – the 27.5+ standard (note the important ‘+’ sign there). We found the standard tyres to be perfectly fine though, but we would probably convert them to tubeless operation to get rid of the puncture risk. All hubs and bearings are waterproof, and indeed the whole bike is perfectly fine to be used in torrential rain. Many owners have reported that this has presented no problems.
Cockpit Area
The handlebars on the Rockrider are nice and wide at 720mm and give a great feeling of control to your manoeuvres. It’s like riding a Harley Davidson, but with more deftness!
There is an LCD display which shows your speed, distance, battery power and power mode nice and clearly. It’s not too big and feels fairly ergonomically integrated into the overall design.
Conclusions
There is no doubt that the BTwin Rockrider E-ST100 is a great bike for the money you’re paying. Is it a proper hardtail electric mountain bike? I would argue that the front shock is not suited to anything more challenging than ‘blue route’ forest trails, but most of the time that’s all you need. For town riding and footpaths it is great and proves you don’t need to spend thousands to get that electric help. 42Nm is a decent amount of torque, especially for an ebike weighing only 22.5kg. and you can certainly feel it pushing you along. You feel like a Tour de France champion! Definitely recommended if you’re looking for a great value ebike.
Eskute Wayfarer Ebike
The Eskute Wayfarer Electric Bike is one of the best electric bikes available in the UK for under £1000. It is frankly unbelievable that Eskute can provide the standard of equipment on offer for such a good price when you compare it to equivalent bikes such as the Fischer Viator 5.0i which is closer to £3000 but ostensibly the same.
The Wayfarer is what’s loosely known as a ‘hybrid-style’ city ebike which means it’s halfway between a mountain bike and a townbike. It has front forks and decent Tektro mechanical disk brakes front and back to provide a smooth ride and good stopping power.
The style is designed as ‘unisex’ which may upset some of the macho male riders who wouldn’t be seen dead on a bike without a horizontal crossbar. However this is absolutely no impediment to it being equally at home on canal towpaths as it is whizzing around campsites or into the town centre for a café latte. In fact we think it looks quite stylish.
The wheels are 700C (i.e. 622mm bead set diameter) and come fitted with 28” Kenda DX3000 anti-puncture tyres. These seem of great quality with some decent tread/grip and Kenda are a reputable make.
The Wayfarer measures 186 (l) x 177 (h) x 66 (w) cm and weighs 28kg in total. This might seem quite heavy but it also includes a very sturdy rear rack which can be used to attach panniers or other gear you wish to transport – a picnic set perhaps! There are also proper mudguards fore and aft which are superb for avoiding getting sprayed with mud and water off the road. The bike is suitable for male or female riders between about 5ft4 – 6ft5 (1.6m – 1.96m) in height.
You really do not notice the weight of the Wayfarer when riding around, but it does make it more difficult to load onto a bike rack on your car/campervan. 28kg is a fair heft and can benefit from someone giving you a hand to load it. If you’re looking for a good e-bike cycle rack for your car or campervan, then we recommend the Thule Velospace XT 3.
Battery and Motor
The battery is nicely hidden away behind a panel in the aluminum frame downtube, and the integrated sleek design resulting from this cool design is certainly pleasing to the eye. The hatch is lockable and the bike comes with two keys to access it. You would not know this is an electric bike without being an expert in the field!
The battery offers 360Wh in capacity which is not as large as some of the more expensive e-bikes costing over £2000, but is ample for 20-50 miles of riding depending on the level of motor assistance required. Charge time for our battery was around 4-5 hours.
Drive assistance comes from a 250W (average power) hub motor which is located in the centre of the rear wheel. Most of the expensive >£2000 e-bikes from the big brands use mid-drive motors (i.e. between the pedals), and it is true that these can give a slightly better balanced bike. However for gentle road and path cycles, a rear hub motor is perfectly fine and gives a pleasant push forward when activated.
Gears and Shifters
The gears and shifters are made by well-known brand Shimano and there are 7 gears to select from the cassette. The system works well and shifting is smooth. In all honesty you don’t really need more than this amount of gears on an e-bike because you have the additional assistance from the motor.
In Use
Power can be applied in one of two ways – either manually using a thumb-throttle on the handlebars (strictly illegal in the UK) or by ‘pedal-assist’ (legal). We recommend you use the latter or you may be fined or have the bike confiscated. In the latter mode, peddling engages the motor and provides additional power to your forward movement up to a software-limited top-speed of 15.5mph, which is the EU max.
Ride quality of the electric bike was really smooth, probably aided by the weight giving stability. At max assist mode we also got up some pretty steep hills in the 10-15% range. This is a flexible bike!
Cockpit Area
The handlebars have a cool LCD screen which details all the key parameters needed to ride the bike including battery-life, speed and distance travelled. It looks very swish and is easily the equal of the Bosch version on the latest high-end ebikes.
The Wayfarer also has an electronic horn and LED headlight which can be controlled from the handlebars. Very useful.
In summary, the Eskute Wayfarer Ebike would be an excellent electric bike at twice the price. We can highly recommend it if you’re looking for an ebike but don’t want to spend more than £1000. There is also a mountain bike version if you prefer sportier looks. Please ignore the weight of these bikes – as soon as you’re up and running you will not notice it. Pure bargains!.
Mycle Compact - Best Folding Ebike
The Mycle Compact is a great e-bike made in the UK which is remarkable value at under £1000. We think it’s perfect for camping trips because it can fold down to a mere 85 x 70 x 40cm and only weighs 17.5kg. This means you can store a couple of them in your car or campervan without needing a bikerack and then fire them up for 30km of assisted cycling surrounding the campsite before putting them back on charge.
The folding mechanism on the Mycle is quick and simple to configure and can be completed in less than a minute – Mycle say 10 seconds, but we haven’t managed that yet!
The Compact uses a hub motor in the rear wheel and a 230 watt hour battery-pack which is stored in the bike seat post underneath the saddle. This is a fantastic piece of design which we found really useful. You can charge the battery as part of the bike or simply lift out the saddle and seatpost to charge separately – nice! The battery gives a range of about 20 miles with a top speed limited to 15.5mph. In our view this is plenty for a small bike like this. Charging time is about 4 hours.
Incredibly there are mechanical disc brakes front and back and a front headlight with a reflector at the back. The LED display on the handlebars is clear and allows switching between five levels of power assist. It also shows your battery remaining and current speed in a compact and well-designed screen. The control panel also incorporates a USB-A port for charging your phone and will allow you to turn the headlight on and off.
In Use
I was a little concerned that such a small bike would be difficult to ride for me – I’m 6ft3 tall (1.9m) and the bike is only about 1.1m tall at it’s highest setting. That being said I was able to get a surprisingly comfortable riding position and set off with confidence.
The tyres are 20-inch diameter but have decent tread on them for going over slightly rougher paths and tracks. However there is no suspension at all, so it is probably advisable to keep to smooth paths where possible.
The Mycle has a surprising amount of poke when you ride at the highest level of pedal-assist – the electric hub motor in the rear wheel can supply up to 40Nm of torque which is more than the Specialized Levo XL e-mountain bike! Admittedly the battery does not have a huge capacity, but for campsite jaunts to the local pub it’s a great option and so compact and user-friendly. I was quite taken with it!
In summary, the UK-built Mycle Compact is excellent value and a whole heap of fun. Certainly one of the best electric bikes you can buy under £1000. Check out our full review of the Mycle Compact here, and also watch our Youtube review below.
Basis Beacon Hybrid e-Bike
The Basis Beacon E-Bike shouldn’t strictly be in this round-up because its RRP is actually currently £1099, but we think it’s worth stretching the budget a little bit. Why do we say that? Well, you get an aluminium frame, semi-integrated battery, disc brakes, a better standard of front suspension fork and cool motorbike-style twist-grip gear shifters with this bike – that’s why!
Layout
The Basis Beacon has a fairly conventional ‘hybrid townbike’ layout, and you wouldn’t immediately notice that it’s an ebike, apart from the battery bulge on the down tube. A pair of 27.5” wheels with all terrain tyres give you contact with the round, and the rear wheel contains the hub motor, 7-speed Shimano Tourney groupset and mechanical disc brake. Front wheel has its own disc brake and is connected to the frame by a Zoom front suspension fork which is one of the best we’ve seen on a budget ebike.
The frame itself is made from lightweight aluminium which brings the total weight (including motor and battery down to a very respectable 20kg. The frame has a crossbar and so you really need to be wearing shorts or trousers to get your leg over so to speak.
Battery and Motor Performance
A word on the motor – this is one of the most perky motors we’ve tested in this range, with a maximum torque (turning force) of 59 Nm. This is seriously peppy and can get you up some fairly serious inclines. The Beacon is pedal-assist which means as soon as you start applying some turn of the pedals with your own strength, the electric power kicks in and provides assistance.
The battery is nicely contoured into the frame and can be removed if necessary to charge separately from the bike. Capacity is 14Ah at 36V which equates to a fairly beefy 504 Wh – another reason to spend a little more on this bike as this equates to a better range than other ebikes with lower capacity. We managed almost 50 miles on a single charge when running in the lowest ‘eco’ power setting.
Talking of power settings, you can switch between three levels from the cockpit, with the maximum power assistance coming from the ‘turbo’ high setting. We found the middle setting the most comfortable for the majority of day-to-day riding, but couldn’t resist the occasional switch into boost to put a grin on our face.
In Use
This is a great little mountain/hybrid electric bike which is just as at home on off-road segments as it is on the road. The hub motor works well with ample power, the saddle is comfortable and the twist grip 7 speed gears worked flawlessly on our review model.
The mechanical disc brakes also worked well. At one point on my test ride a puppy ran in front of me whilst I was riding in a local park and I thought “we’ve got a problem here” as I was hurtling along. Jamming on both front and rear brake levers at the same time brought me to a quick (if screechy) stop in about 3m. That wouldn’t have been possible with standard V-brakes.
Summing Up
Is the Beacon worth the extra expenditure over the Swifty ebike we review below which has ostensibly exactly the same aluminium frame? Well the Beacon has about 60% extra battery capacity and a superior front fork over the Swifty, and for that reason it could be worth it if you can afford the extra cash. We would say yes it is worth paying the extra in most situations as it will give you longer in the (surprisingly comfortable) saddle. If you’re just commuting a few miles to work with the bike then the Swifty is a better value alternative.
In summary, the Basis Beacon is certainly worth a look if you’re willing to spend up at the high end of our (somewhat arbitrary) £1000 price limit. You get alot for your money with this bike and as you’re buying through Decathlon you get that peace of mind of great after-sales services which means so much if something goes wrong.
Swifty Electric Mountain Bike
When we first saw the Swifty Electric Mountain Bike we were gobsmacked for two reasons – firstly, it looks absolutely amazing in an eye-catching electric blue colour. The paintwork is of a quality we haven’t seen on any electric bike under £2000 before.
Secondly, the price of the Swifty is jaw dropping. It costs slightly under £800 which is exceptional value for a relatively lightweight (24kg including battery) pedal-assisted electric bike with a front suspension fork and Shimano gearing. Simply. Incredible.
And it’s actually even more impressive than that because Swifty are a UK-based company supplying to Amazon. This means that even though many of the components on the bike are from ‘the East’, there is a friendly staff-member on the end of a UK phoneline to talk to if you experience any difficulties. Not to mention a dependable two-year warranty on battery, motor and componentry (excluding tyres and tubes).
So let’s get into the detail – what do you get for your (not many) pounds sterling?
Frame and Wheels
Part of the reason Swifty can offer such a great price on their ebike is that they only offer it in one frame size, with a choice of two colours. Our preference is the electric blue which we have reviewed, but there is also a sleek black version available which has some nice red detailing.
The single frame size has therefore been aimed roughly at the medium-sized male but has an adjustable seat post and handlebar stem to cater for shorter and taller people. I’m 6ft3 tall (1.95m) and so had to have the seat raised considerably – however I could still pedal with ease and in some comfort. Well I say comfort, but I found that the saddle on the Swifty was a little firmer than I would have liked, and if the bike was mine I would be changing that for a more forgiving one.
The wheels are 27.5” and the front uses a quick-release skewer to attach the hub to the frame. The rear wheel contains a hub motor and rear 7-speed cassette and Shimano TY-21 derailleur for the gear shifting. There is also a neat kick-stand to keep the bike upright when you get off and there’s no handy tree to rest it against!
One thing to note is that the bike does not come with mudguards, and so we bought a pair for our testing.
The front fork uses a Masera coil suspension which works well over gravel, but there is not much travel to cope with large shocks. As a result, you couldn’t use the Swifty on anything more than a canal tow path or a ‘blue run’ at your local bike park (Cannock Chase in our case), but for the price it is extremely good! This bike is perfect to take camping with you or to use for an urban commute when a bit of off-road action might be required.
Battery and Motor
So far so good, but how does the electric side of the bike work? Well the Swifty uses a 345 Wh battery and as mentioned above, a rear hub motor. There is a smallish display on the handlebars to turn on the motor assistance, but no power is driven to the rear wheel until you have been peddling for a second or so. This is a pedal-assist electric bike, and not a motorcycle. The battery cells are made by Panasonic and again this is an excellent brand who make some of the best battery cells in the business – I really don’t know how Swifty have pulled this out of the bag, but they have!
There are three levels of power assistance, and in the top mode acceleration is brisk. Swifty claim a range of 35 miles on the lowest power setting, and we agree with that finding. We got around 25 miles but used quite a bit of the top ‘fun mode’. It is grin-inducing when that surge of torque hits you – it’s like being pushed in the back and is highly addictive. You can waltz up the hills like a Tour de France champion (but without the performance enhancing drugs!).
The battery is locked onto the downtube of the bike with a key and is removeable if you wish to charge it somewhere other than where the rest of the bike is. I like this feature because if you live in a flat or similar, you don’t need to carry the bike up the stairs to charge up – just take the battery. Charge time is around 3 hours which is very reasonable indeed.
The Swifty Ebike In Use
You could easily be forgiven that an electric bike at this price point is going to be awful to ride. The fact that the Swifty isn’t and is actually a competent steed is a marvel to behold. I’ve ridden bikes costing 4x as much as the Swifty which are not as much fun and actually heavier in weight.
The bike arrives in a large box with the handlebars, wheels, seat and pedals off – it’s a fairly simple job to attach these and there are videos on Swifty’s website to help you if you’re not use to wielding an allen key. Once you have the ride height set up and the battery charged you’re good to go.
The motor is a peach and is activated by a long-press of the power button on the display unit. It provides a really substantial shove in the back on the highest power setting once you’re moving along and peddling. Shifting between the seven gears is simple and definitely needed on the steeper hills. I recommend stopping peddling before shifting otherwise there is a slim chance of snapping your chain with the torque from the motor.
There are some weak areas of the Swifty, but none are catastrophic.
- The saddle is very hard and could be described as uncomfortable. We would recommend swapping it out for a softer gel model, such as the MsDada.
- The tyres are not entirely suited to the roughest terrain. Although they’re ‘knobbly’, they seem quite thin and it may be worth either filling them with puncture-proof slime or swapping them out for more substantial alternatives.
- The display is merely adequate – it shows the battery power remaining and the mode you’re in but that’s about it. No distance travelled etc., but you can use your phone for that (e.g. Strava). Not a deal breaker for sure at this price!
That’s about it really. There’s a cool ‘walk mode’ I forgot to mention. If you get fed up of riding or come across a particularly steep hill then you can walk alongside the bike and flip into this mode – the bike will then ‘walk’ alongside you which means you don’t have to push 24kg uphill – useful!
Conclusions
From the moment I unpacked the Swifty Electric Bike it was pretty much love at first sight for me. I could overlook the uncomfy saddle and just bask in the beauty of the design and the paintwork. When I rode the ebike the grin just grew and grew. Make no mistake, this is an excellent example of what electric bikes have got to offer the world and we highly recommend seeking one out.
Emu Roam Crossbar Electric Bike
Emu are a British company who build their own e-bikes. Electric bikes are all they do! This really helps when choosing because you know the company is dedicated to giving you great service in the specific field of electric bikes.
There are a wide range of dealers selling Emu bikes around the UK – we recommend Electric Rider if you’re buying online and want an effortless purchasing experience.
The Emu Roam Crossbar is a fantastic entry level ebike which is available with two levels of battery – a 374Wh version for around 27-45 miles range, and a larger 522Wh beast for longer rides of around 35-55 miles. There’s about £200 difference in price between the two with the large battery just edging above £1000. If your budget can stretch to it then we don’t think you will regret spending the extra for additional range and fun times in the saddle. The battery cells are Samsung too which are just about the best in the business for decent power and longevity.
Emu recently updated the design and structure of the Roam – the old version had a hub motor in the rear wheel and the battery was stored on the rack at the back of the bike. It worked well, but the new model is much sleeker and incorporates the battery seamlessly into the downtube. To our eyes it looks fantastic and a real credit to the designers, especially in British Racing Green. We also sense that the handling has been improved because the centre of gravity of the bike is now significantly lower than before.
The Emu Roam weighs ~24kg including the battery which is about average for modern ebikes. This is a manageable weight for transporting the bike if you need to lift it on to a bike rack for example, but it will take a bit of effort.
Design details
The Roam is a great looking hybrid-style bike which uses 6061 aluminium for the frame, has curved (towards the rider) handlebars and fairly compact ‘old school’ 26” wheels with puncture resistant tyres. There is a crossbar, but it is sloped and should be easily rideable by men and women alike – however it’s not a “step-through” bike like the Vitesse Pulse we review below – you need to get your leg over to mount it! Anyway, moving swiftly on….
The first thing that struck us when looking at the Emu is the excellent saddle it comes supplied with. This has decent padding, a nice wide seat and excellent support for a long day’s riding.
The Emu comes fitted with useful features everywhere – from the sturdy mudguards on both the front and rear wheels to the rack at the back for touring duties. It should be noted that there is no suspension on the front fork, and so this is more of an urban bike – put some thicker tyres on though and canal tow paths are not out of the question.
The rack over the back wheel enables pannier bags to be used if you want to carry extra gear – this is emminently sensible on an ebike – you have the power, so why not use it!
The bike comes with a bell and front and rear Spanninga LED lights – it really is the complete package.
Gears and Motor
Emu have somehow managed to keep the price down on the Roam whilst also incorporating Shimano gears, which is a great achievement as they are the torch-bearers for reliability and repeatable shifting. Admittedly there only 7 gears in total, but there is enough torque from the 250W front-wheel hub motor to make cycling a breeze. You don’t need to shift all the time on an e-bike because you’ve got super-human zip in your legs!
Speaking about the motor, it wasn’t clear on our review bike what brand it is. To be honest, these 250W average power brushless motors are pretty ubiquitous these days and are being churned out in the thousands by manufacturers in the Far East – they all do the job well and seem to be pretty reliable. There’s not much to go wrong.
Starting and Stopping
As mentioned, the Emu can be bought with two battery capacities. Charge time is capacity dependent, but around the 5 hour mark for the biggest battery. There’s a useful LED on the supplied charger which turned green when charging was complete. No guesswork involved.
The computer on the handlebars (King Meter LCD) is used to switch on the power and adjust the level of pedal assistance. There’s three levels of assist which are displayed on the dash and also a speedometer which is useful. Power cuts out at the EU max of 15.5mph.
In the highest power mode, power is brisk and comes in after about half a turn of the pedals. It’s a lovely surge of torque which soon gets you up to the top speed, and it’s easy to maintain your speed. If you wish to put in even more leg power then you can exceed the 15.5mph but it’s rarely worth it in our experience. There is always a little bit of extra drag from the motor and so you get tired very quickly if you start trying to hit 20mph on the flat.
The Emu Roam uses cable-operated (non-hydraulic) Tektro disc brakes which work well and can easily scrub off your speed. We generally feel that discs are the best option on ebikes, especially in the wet. The additional weight of the battery and motor makes powerful, reliable braking an essential safety feature, and disc brakes are the best way of achieving that.
Whirlwind C4 Folding Electric Bike
A slightly leftfield choice here, but a great little UK-assembled e-bike which is remarkable value at under £500!
The Whirlwind C4 is an electric bike which weighs only 16kg and can fold down to a mere 71 x 40 x 63 cm in size. This means you can easily put a couple of them in a car or campervan boot for trips away and you don’t need a bike rack on the back. Admittedly, 16kg is a reasonably high weight to carry over a long distance, but for short spurts it is manageable – you can easily take the Whirlwind on a train or bus. The folding mechanism is quick and simple to configure and can be completed in a minute or so. Equivalent Brompton ebikes are around £3000!
The Whirlwind uses a hub motor in the rear wheel and a 187Wh LG battery-pack in the rectangular crossbar (which folds at a point ~75% towards the rear). This gives a range of about 30-35 miles in Eco mode and a top speed limited to 15.5mph which is plenty on a small bike like this. Charging time is about 4 hours.
Incredibly there are mechanical disc brakes front and back and a front headlight with a reflector at the back. The LED display on the handlebars is clear and allows switching between three levels of power assist. It also shows your battery remaining and current speed in a compact and well-designed screen.
In Use
I was a little concerned that such a small bike would be difficult to ride for me – I’m 6ft3 tall (1.9m) and the bike is only about 1m tall at it’s highest setting. That being said I was able to get a surprisingly comfortable riding position and set off with confidence.
The tyres are only 14” but have decent tread on them for going over slightly rougher paths and tracks. However there is no suspension at all, so it is probably advisable to keep to smooth paths where possible.
The Whirlwind has a surprising amount of poke when you ride at the highest level of pedal-assist. Admittedly the battery does not have a huge capacity, but for campsite jaunts to the local pub it’s a great option and so compact and user-friendly. I was quite taken with it!
In summary, the UK-built Whirlwind C4 is excellent value and a whole heap of fun. Certainly one of the best electric bikes you can buy under £1000 and DEFINITELY the best you can buy under £500!
Vitesse Pulse/Pharos Hybrid Unisex E-Bike
Fancy a more relaxed riding style? Look no further than the excellent Vitesse Pulse Hybrid Electric Bike which has recently been renamed the Vitesse Pharos. This is more of a unisex design featuring a ‘step-over’ crossbar – if you like to ride whilst wearing a kilt, then you’re in luck with the Pharos!
The Pharos incorporates some excellent features which make it one of the best electric bikes under £1000. It is perfectly set up to avoid the rider getting wet or muddy, with chain guard, mudguards and even a rear wheel guard which captures any spray off the road.
The battery is located on a rear rack (which can still be used as a rack) and offers 418Wh of storage capacity. This is a decent amount of juice and means the Pharos can travel up to around 30 miles in Eco mode. The battery also uses Samsung cells which are some of the top-performers in battery-land.
The 250W Mxus hub motor is incorporated in the rear wheel of the bike which we prefer for power delivery. When power assistance is activated it provides a slightly different feel to front-wheel hubs as you are being pushed along rather than pulled. Power delivery is smooth and really addictive!
Gears and Brakes
The Pharos uses a standard derailleur fitted to the rear 26 inch wheel. Shifting is smooth and there are 7 gears to choose from using Shimano Revo shifters.
Braking is adequate and probably the weakest part of both bikes – no disc brakes on the Pharos, just standard V-brakes. These work well enough in the dry, but with the 22.9kg overall weight (which incidentally is very good for the amount of gear included) then care should be taken when stopping in the wet.
Great Level of Kit Included
The Pharos comes with excellent lights on the front and rear and a very comfortable gel saddle. The height of the front stem is fully adjustable which means that you can get a great upright riding position if you have a bad back like me. There is also a front rack and kick-stand included – they really have thought of everything.
The Vitesse Pharos is certainly one of the best electric bikes under £1000 and definitely deserves consideration if you’re looking to buy a flexible e-bike. It’s perhaps more suited to urban riding then rural, but the 26” x 1.75” e-bike specific tyres give good grip on canal tow paths. We very much like the Pharos!
Emu Roam Step-Through Electric Bike
Emu are a British company who build their own e-bikes. Electric bikes are all they do! This really helps when choosing because you know the company is dedicated to giving you great service in the specific field of electric bikes.
The Emu Roam Step-Through is a fantastic entry level ebike which is available with a 360Wh battery for around 27-45 miles range, depending on the level of assist you’ve dialled in. The battery cells are Samsung which are just about the best in the business for decent power and longevity.
Suitable for male or female riders owing to the step-through design, the Emu Roam looks great to our eyes. The bike weighs ~24kg including the battery (situated on the rear rack) which is about average for modern ebikes. This is a reasonably manageable weight for transporting the bike if you need to lift it on to a bike rack for example, but it will take a bit of strength.
Design details
The Roam is a great looking hybrid-style bike which uses 6061 aluminium for the frame, has curved (towards the rider) handlebars and fairly compact ‘old school’ 26” wheels with excellent puncture resistant tyres.
The first thing that struck us when looking at the Emu is the excellent saddle it comes supplied with. This has decent padding, a nice wide seat and excellent support for a long day’s riding.
The Emu comes fitted with useful features everywhere – from the sturdy mudguards on both the front and rear wheels to the rack at the back for touring duties. It should be noted that there is no suspension on the front fork, and so this is more of an urban bike – put some thicker tyres on though and canal tow paths are not out of the question.
The rack over the back wheel enables pannier bags to be used if you want to carry extra gear – this is eminently sensible on an ebike – you have the power, so why not use it! Front and rear mudguards also come as standard which we like. The bike also comes with a bell and front and rear LED lights – it really is the complete package.
Gears and Motor
Emu have somehow managed to keep the price down on the Roam whilst also incorporating Shimano gears, which is a great achievement as they are the torch-bearers for reliability and repeatable shifting. Admittedly there only 7 gears in total, but there is enough torque from the 250W front-wheel hub motor to make cycling a breeze. You don’t need to shift all the time on an e-bike because you’ve got super-human zip in your legs!
Speaking about the motor, it wasn’t clear on our review bike what brand it is. To be honest, these 250W average power brushless motors are pretty ubiquitous these days and are being churned out in the thousands by manufacturers in the Far East – they all do the job well and seem to be pretty reliable. There’s not much to go wrong.
Starting and Stopping
Battery charge time is capacity dependent, but around the 5 hour mark for the biggest battery. There’s a useful LED on the supplied charger which turned green when charging was complete. No guesswork involved.
The computer on the handlebars (King Meter LCD) is used to switch on the power and adjust the level of pedal assistance. There’s three levels of assist which are displayed on the dash and also a speedometer which is useful. Power cuts out at the EU max of 15.5mph.
In the highest power mode, power is brisk and comes in after about half a turn of the pedals. It’s a lovely surge of torque which soon gets you up to the top speed, and it’s easy to maintain your speed. If you wish to put in even more leg power then you can exceed the 15.5mph but it’s rarely worth it in our experience. There is always a little bit of extra drag from the motor and so you get tired very quickly if you start trying to hit 20mph on the flat.
The Emu Roam uses cable-operated standard rim brakes which work well and can easily scrub off your speed. We generally feel that discs are the best option on ebikes, especially in the wet, but these were adequate under most scenarios. The additional weight of the battery and motor makes powerful, reliable braking an essential safety feature – we recommend taking care whatever the braking system!
Vitesse Stream Folding E-Bike
The idea of combining e-power with extreme portability is what drove us to test out the Vitesse Stream Folding Electric Bike. We were not disappointed.
The Stream features a high quality Samsung battery contained within a thickened crossbar section adjacent to the handlebars. The frame is 6061 aluminium all round. The battery has a 378 Wh capacity which offers around 25-30 miles range in the real world – not bad at all for a nice loop in the country (with obligatory pub stop!).
Power is supplied by a Bafang 30Nm hub motor in the rear 20” wheel. It’s not the most powerful motor in the world, but the bike is correspondingly not that heavy (18.2kg bike + 2.8kg battery). You never feel underpowered and indeed peddling along the flat and up gentle gradients is a breeze. Bafang are a well known motor manufacturer and we have confidence that this motor will last the distance.
Braking is adequate using the Promax V-brake system – you would not expect to get discs at this price point, but we always miss them a little bit when they’re not fitted.
Gearing is where it gets interesting. The Stream uses the Shimano Revoshift 7-speed system with rapid-fire shifters, meaning you have a choice of 7 gears on the rear cassette with a standard rear derailleur. We found it shifted well, even under power but on ebikes it’s always sensible to stop peddling before shifting in order to preserve wear and tear on the chain and sprockets.
The dash display on the Stream is simplicity itself and very discreet. It houses the main on-off switch for the ebike as well as a mode selector for variable power and battery (range) indicator.
Vitesse have fitted front and rear LED lights to the Stream which work really well. There is also a rear rack which can support a load of 25kg – not enough to give someone a lift but will certainly carry a picnic or work gear! The seat post and handle bar heights are both fully adjustable, and I had no problem getting a good riding position at 6ft3 tall (1.95m). One point to note is that the seat is exceedingly comfortable – about the best we’ve tested on any ebike – it felt like an armchair!
Folding is extremely easy once you get used to the technique. You can either do ‘the full works’ or a ‘quick and easy’ fold. Quick ‘n’ easy just involves undoing a cam clamp near the bottom bracket – once opened the bike can be folded directly in half.
For a more complete fold, you can lower the seat post and also undo a clamp at the top of the steerer tube which allows the handlebars to fold. Nice!
Overall we were very impressed with the Vitesse Stream ebike. It rides very smoothly, is not too heavy, has a comfy seat and is foldable. What more could you possibly want for under £1000?
That concludes our round-up of the best electric bikes under £1000. We will continue to monitor the market and update this article as we come across other contendors to the crown, but at the moment these are the top dogs.
If you like these then you might be interested in the best electric scooters on the market in the UK at the moment – perfect to take to the campsite with you as much more portable and lightweight than an ebike!
Happy camping Peeps!
Featured Photo by Tower Electric Bikes on Unsplash
