Black Friday ebikes: the best deals on electric bikes right now

Electric bikes are the fastest-growing sector of the UK bike market, following the trend seen elsewhere. Half of the bikes sold in the Netherlands, for instance, are now ebikes. And you can see why. Not only are they environmentally a much sounder option than driving, they’re also a great way for folk who are not in six-pack shape to start shedding the pounds.To get more news about electric bike, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

That said, you’ll find plenty of fitter riders using ebikes, too. The extra speed up the climbs means you can go further for the same effort, which is great if you’re having to fit riding around work or parenting and want to squeeze as many miles as possible into a short time frame. They’re also fun… though only to 25km/hr where they’re capped by UK law! Here, we test a quintet on the market to suit numerous cycling scenarios…

One of the biggest issues when it comes to electric bikes is the larger investment needed to buy one. Luckily, we're in the Black Friday weekend period right now. That means plenty of bikes are coming down in price, and we've listed the best picks below
Like Hoover and vacuums cleaners, Brompton’s ubiquity means they are the folding bike. Vis-à-vis, that means for many cyclists they are the commuting bike. Brompton forged their reputation on a superb folding mechanism that’s simple and results in a compact set-up. That’s seen here, the C Line Explore taking fewer than 30 seconds to fold and unfold. It folds to a compact 585mm high x 565mm long and 270mm wide, and weighs 14.5kg. That’s perfect for hopping on and off a train, as per our Yatton to Bristol sojourn.

It actually weighs 17.4kg with the battery that sits on the front of the bike. It’s easily added and removed, and has a handle to carry. The battery’s 300Wh and features an LED display to show battery status. It has four modes of assistance, which you switch through via a press of the battery button. On paper, reaching over to the battery is a safety hazard. In practice, it was absolutely fine. The front-wheel motor’s 250 watts. Range is around 30km to 70km depending on mode, temperature and terrain. Manually, you’re given six gears (2 x three-speed) and the ride is incredibly fun.
The phone mount’s worth the extra outlay to attach your phone and tap into Brompton’s Electric app (iOS and Android) where you can switch modes to save reaching over to the battery. It also monitors metrics like speed and distance. In fact, the only moot point’s the bell, which rattles all the time. We’d suggest replacing.

Riese & Muller are the artisans of the ebike world. This is the German brand’s singlespeed, meaning just the one gear. That signals its urban, commuting intentions, and ensures it’ll be easier to maintain than a geared version. The Fazua motor provides a smooth, natural feeling of assistance with a maximum power output of 450 watts and maximum torque of 60Nm. You can shift through the three modes via a thumb lever, the LED on the top tube highlighting which mode you’re in. The pink mode (greatest assist) certainly came in handy when cruising up Bristol’s short but steep Park St.

Minimalism’s the UBN 5’s major sell. It weighs sub-20kg (18kg), boasts a slimline battery that slots into the sleek downtube (range a solid 40 to 100 miles) and features a svelte pannier rack (bags not included). The built-in Supernova Mini2 headlight is plenty strong enough for urban riding, while your trousers will thank the grime-free carbon Gates drive belt and sleek mudguards.

Rather neatly, the LED mode panel lifts up to reveal a USB-C port for charging your smartphone that can slot into a phone mount (at an additional cost). In theory, you can then download the company’s RX Connect app to provide riding data (distance, speed…), statistics and further safety features, albeit it wasn’t live at time of press. TRP disc brakes are quality stoppers, giving reassurance in the urban jungle.
Volt is the only dedicated electric-bike brand here, highlighted by their extensive range across the genres. Folding, mountain, step-through… they have the lot. We went urban, testing the nine-speed-geared Connect around the rather sodden, winter streets of Bristol.

It’s a utilitarian build, featuring full-length mudguards to deflect the worst the roads can flick up; a slick but strong pannier rack complete with elastic straps; front and rear lights that are powered by the battery; and an integrated security lock on the rear wheel. Its no-nonsense aluminium frame and reinforced wheels shout that this is one urban bike designed to batter the elements into submission.

The lithium ion battery sits within the downtube and is removable for easy charging. However, it’s removed via a key. Activating the motor’s by key, too. That strengthens security but isn’t ideal for the absent-minded of us, so keep the spares somewhere safe. As for the motor, it’s a 250-watt Bafang M200 that sits within the crank. And it’s rather impressive, delivery a natural-feeling ride across three different modes. At its most frugal, range is around 100km, which is impressive.

It’s a comfortable experience, improved via the Suntour forks, the likes of which you’d see on a mountain bike. It’s a neat touch to smooth out wrinkles in the road. All in all, it’s a fine urban bike, albeit all of that durability comes at a weight penalty with the bike plus battery coming in at over 23kg. So not one for those of you who live on the top floor of a flat.