Europed THD-9 (£495)

The motor on this bike is a 200 to 250watt brushed motor and has an internal gearbox. This combination gives more torque and pulling power than standard brushless motors because it revs at 3500rpm.

On throttle power the motor operates at 200watts. However when you start pedalling it increases power to 250watts for hill climbing. Once you stop pedalling it goes back to 200watts on throttle only. This system is totally legal in the UK and is called assisting force, but should not be confused with pedal assist where power varies with pressure on, or speed of, the pedals. Pedal only switch mode next to throttle.

The THD-9 has a short twist grip throttle control that does not go to the end of the handle bar and if the bike is dropped on the throttle side the throttle control should not break like standard ones.

There is an L.E.D. battery indicator and speedo on the dash along with an overload light, telling you to help the motor by pedalling when needed. There is also a ‘charge now’ warning light. The speedo also doubles as a fault finder (see servicing pages). Top speed of the THD can be set to 15mph for UK or 13mph for China.

The seat height on the THD-9 will adjust to suit leg lengths from 26” to about 32” and the motor will pull up to 16 to 17 stone. The step through is bigger than the ED-1 to help people with leg problems get on and off.

Range will vary depending on outside temperature, hills and rider weight. Greater range can be achieved by pedalling off from stationary and then using the throttle. It will vary from 15 to 25 miles. Steady throttle use saves power! An even greater range can be achieved by pedalling with the motor.

The batteries are 3 x 12volt 12amp S.L.A. (sealed lead acid). They do not need topping up and will not leak at any angle unless they are dropped, smashed or the wrong charger is used. This is the most common battery used on e-bikes as they are cheap to replace and are readily available from your retailer or most electronic stores like Maplin Electronics. They are not gel because gel batteries have a shorter life span.

The batteries can be charged on or off the bike (if you have no power in your garage), with the easily removable, lockable, battery pack. Charge after every trip if possible or at least at the end of each day of use. They can be charged as often as needed in a day and have no memory effect. They will be damaged if left flat for long periods and should always be left in a charged state. Never leave the batteries for more that 60 days fully charged without charging again even if they only take a small charge.

The charger supplied with the bike will charge the batteries from flat to 90 to 95% in 6 to 8 hours on the red fast charge light and the remaining 5 to 10% on green in a couple more hours. If the battery is half flat when charged the charger will automatically know and put half a charge in.

New 3 stage chargers are starting to be supplied with some bikes, Red boost charging, red pulsing charging when the charger is mid way through and green trickle, extending battery life.

A free rain cover is supplied with this bike and must be used when left standing in rain to remain under warranty which is 12 months on the bike and 6 months on the battery.