"Ampere Hilux - misleading claims for the range"

I recently bought an Ampere Hilux with 14 AH battery (36v, 504Ah which weighs 2.6Kg). I have been riding electric bikes daily for over 10 years now, averaging 90 miles a week, so I have a few to compare with, and I got this one to replace my good but ageing Oxygen S-Cross CB with a 16Ah battery (36v, 576Wh which weighs 3.2Kg), and has travelled over 10,000 miles. It has done really well but has a much reduced range now that has dropped too low for my rides.

I got this bike partly due to the range claims on the website, but these are incorrect.

I do like the overall feel and riding position of the Ampere Hilux, the frame is good, as are the gears and brakes, and no back wheel spokes snapping. Ampere are using stronger spokes than in some other bikes that do suffer from this problem. It looks good with a slimline battery that weighs just 2.6Kg and is no fatter than the frame. And, only a small thing, but which I find makes a big difference, it has built in lights that are good enough to be usable on their own.

But the range is poor. The advertised range is 55 miles, which is why I went for this one. The actual is not even close. Range is hard to measure for e-bikes, depends on the terrain, rider weight, assist level used etc. On top level assist, I get 20-25 miles, and by using lower assist levels I can eke it out to about 30 to 34 miles. When new, the Oxygen (14% bigger battery remember) would do 2 round trips to work (about 40 miles), whereas the new Hilux, same route same assist level, is nearly done after one. In a head-to-head with the old 10,000 mile Oxygen over the same course, the range is about the same!

Update August 2024.

Battery and settings now checked by Ampere and everything seems as expected. The range really is a bit over 30 miles, and nowhere near the 55 miles currently being advertised on their website. And that is with a new 14AH battery so would expect that to drop off over time. So the range claims on the website are very misleading. I regularly do long distances so notice poor range, other users may not notice.

"Glad I bought my bike "

I purchased my Ampere deluxe electric bike from bike base in Southend on sea where they helped me find the best bike for me
This is my second electric bike and by far the best nice and smooth can’t hear the battery noise easy gears and nice and sturdy uk built bike

"Purchased my first ampere Hilux…"

Purchased my first ampere Hilux electric hybrid bike yesterday from cycle king in cradley heath, extremely pleased with the service I got from there Rich was so helpful and gave me excellent advice,only had a little test ride on my bike so far but I must say I am really pleased with it.

"First I have to say"

First I have to say, Ampere coordinated with Cycleking to make the Ampere Deluxe Pro 17.5Ah available for me so I could special order it online, thanks to Andy.

I've gone on a few journeys now, one was 18 miles and used one bar and last time is was 37 miles with 2 bars left, a percentage would've been good, One day will use up the battery and update this. I can get around london and back with the 17.5Ah bike, I would have range anxiety with a smaller range battery.

When off you need to pedal hard and push against the drive train a bit, but it can work. Once you turn it on to ECO riding is a breeze comfortable if you get a extra padded saddle cover from amazon, if you pedal like a person on a road bike you can get to 20mph easily if you want to move quicker and exercise you can.

Feels good on both grass, rocky, sandy and eats up bumps and pit holes on the road comfortably.

Big bike and easy to control, feels quality well made and made of good materials.

15.5mph uphills on Sport mode when tired. Gears are great too. Breaks are quick, the back does slide a bit if sudden.

"My bike is beautiful"

My bike is beautiful: comfortable and feels safe. It is easy to work the electrics: it is not a light bike for me but I like that as it feels secure. The staff of Leisure Life South West were so patient and helpful. I haven't ridden it far yet but will do so very soon.

"Bought my Ampere Deluxe ebike from Leisure Life South West"

Bought my Ampere Deluxe ebike from Leisure Life South West and have now had a chance to ride it on several occasions and really love it. After years of not being on a bike I was after a suitable ebike that was also light enough to fit on the back of our motor home and this is. It includes mudguards and lights which is useful compared to other makes.

Have found it well built, although I did have an issue with the brakes rubbing on the front wheel. But returned it to the shop and they happily fixed it for me. Great service. Brilliant bike and looking forward to many more miles of cycling.

"Spare rear wheel purchase"

Made my purchase online was delivered efficiently the following day

"Bought my Ampere bike from Leisure Life…"

Bought my Ampere bike from Leisure Life SW Ltd. Great service. Brilliant bike

"'Old-fashioned' Service and Build Quality."

I ordered my Hilux on 29th May and it was delivered on 4th June. Superbly packaged, obviously with care. Bike was in plenty of protective sleeving and was unmarked. Assembly was just the front wheel, front mudguard & light, pedals and handlebar. It all went together without a hitch. Bike looks and performs amazingly. The motor, at 65Nm is 20 up on my previous bike and the difference on hills is really noticeable. It goes without saying that I am very impressed with the quality and finish of the bike. I have had reason to contact Ampere (nothing major) and have found the staff very helpful, understanding and patient. I was probably a pain at times, but my queries were dealt with in a professional and friendly way. I really cannot fault the product (Bike), or the service (Staff) enough and would have no hesitation in recommending Ampere to anyone looking for a (Good Value) e-Bike. All the best for the continued success of Ampere E-Bikes!

"Ampere Deluxe delivered with teething issues. "

Bought my Ampere Deluxe online through the EcoBikeCo. It arrived well packaged and was relatively easily assembled. I struggled to get the front wheel to spin freely and no matter what I did there was always a clicking noise coming from the area of the disc brake. EcoBikeCo said to send them a video of this. I also noticed that the front brake lever was pulling in way too far, almost touching the grip. EcoBikeCo said to take it to a bike shop and get the hydraulic brake adjusted. We were going on a caravaning holiday and on our first stop I took my bike into Castle Douglas Cycles and asked if they could check it over.
A couple of hours later and I collected my bike in good going order. The problem with the clicking noise was that the caliper was too close to the edge of the disc. Two washers were fitted to move the caliper back a few millimeters which gave the disc enough clearance. Turned out the rear brake was the same but because of the chain, gears & motor I hadn't heard it. The excess travel on the front brake lever was caused by one piston not working freely. Castle Douglas Cycles also sorted this for me. Took the bike out for it's first real road trip that afternoon and did over 25 miles and was very impressed. The extra power from the motor, the front suspension and a comfortable riding position made it a very easy journey and I look forward to many more. Just disappointed that I had the extra expense and hassle of getting problems fixed which should have been sorted before the bike was dispatched.