I’ve always liked the idea of finding faster, cleaner, and easier modes of transport, especially as we move towards a Net Zero future. Given a choice I’ve always preferred getting the train to get to work over using the car, It’s less hassle, and I’m doing my bit for the environment.
Sadly, due to the Covid pandemic, trains suddenly stopped running, and getting to and from work became a huge pain, so I started cycling instead. It turns out I was nowhere near as fit as I thought I was, although two to three hours of cycling a day did improve my fitness dramatically. The time it took up each day became a bit of a bother though, time is money so they say, and so I looked for an alternative.
Why I didn’t think about an electric bike years ago I will never know, although I suspect the extortionate prices of E-bikes in my local bike shop may have something to do with it. You can pay insane amounts for a new E-bike, but I just needed a reliable runabout to get me from A to B and back again. And that’s when I discovered the Power-Ride Storm Electric Mountain Bike, when I cut my travel time in half, and when sweating became something other people did.
Roads? Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads…
Alright, you’ll need roads, but they fly by with zero effort, hills melt away beneath your pedals, and I should know, I live in Yorkshire where the hills are many, and the weary cyclist is often seen wheezing in desperation. My new Storm electric bike just eats up the miles, I have an extra hour a day free to get more work done, and everything is just so much easier.
How Does It Work?
After taking the bike out of the box, I flipped through the simple instructions leaflet, it all looks a bit daunting at first, but it’s as simple as putting the handlebar on, then the front wheel, and finally the seat and pedals. What the leaflet doesn’t mention is that you need to fit the front brake, at this point I was panicking, I assumed I would be putting batteries into the headlight and that’s it.
Fitting the front brake is easy, there are two screws to take off, then place the brake in the right position (If it's wrong, it won’t go on, so just sit and stare at it for a minute, it’s really easy) find the two holes on the side of the suspension arm, and then screw the brake onto the bike. If you get into any trouble, which you shouldn’t, the Power-Ride website has videos on there that also guide you through.
Once set up, it’s just a case of charging your 10.4Ah Samsung battery, sliding it into place (when you put the battery back on the bike, remember to insert the key and turn it so the battery slides in, then remove the key), and away you go. The Storm Electric bike has three power settings, so you can change the difficulty rating depending on your terrain. I have it on level 3 at all times, because I'm lazy, and It gets me around a lot quicker, but the choice is yours.
The Storm E-bike is pedal-assisted, so as you ride the motor, combined with your pedalling, propels you along with zero effort. There's also a small paddle on the handlebars that you can use, when pressed the motor kicks in and propels you along without needing to pedal.
Is The Storm Electric Bike Any Good?
Honestly? yes, it works great, it weighs more than a standard mountain bike obviously, but when riding you only feel the benefits of the battery power, not the weight of the bike. It looks and feels solid, the materials are of good quality and everything works like it says it should. I’ve averaged over 120 km per week on my Power-Ride Storm electric bike and usually charge the battery every few days.
I save 20 hours a month in travel time, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but that's 240 hours a year, on a 37.5 working week, you just saved six weeks of travelling! I still have to pedal, so I get my daily exercise, I don’t get home shattered after making my way home up the north face of the Eiger that is Yorkshire, and I don’t dread my morning commute.
It’s also fun to ride, I recently rode home with a colleague who is half my age, and disgustingly healthy, and we decided to go the long route to have a bit of a chat and some exercise. An hour later I looked like I had been on my Storm bike for about 5 minutes, while my 20-year-old, mountain bike-riding colleague looked like he was about to drop from heat exhaustion.
Overall Conclusion
Electric bikes may not be everyone's cup of tea, for a serious aficionado, I would stick to an expensive mountain or road bike. But for the casual user or someone just looking to get to work and back, this bike is awesomely easy to use and adds a real quality of life.
It has front suspension, but don’t take it through the woods with any serious thoughts about off-roading, I don’t think it would be a great idea. The Power-Ride Storm Electric Mountain Bike is fantastic as a way to move quickly from home to work, and back again, with barely a drop of sweat. It’s hard not to look smug as you shoot past other cyclists; you feel rather childish because it's that much fun.
Considering the high price of many electric bikes, £999.99 is hard to fault, it’s one of the main reasons I bought it. I didn’t want a £5k bike to use just for work, so the Storm fitted my purposes perfectly.
The customer service at Power-Ride is second to none, having had multiple texts from the company to ensure I was happy with my product, I feel confident that even if I do eventually have an issue, it will be sorted out immediately.
Power-Ride Storm Electric Bike Specs
18” Aluminium Frame
250W Power Motor
26” or 27” Wheel
25 KMH speed
Samsung Cell 10.4AH Battery
8-Speed Shimano TXZ500 Gear Shift
Front Suspension
Disc Brakes
Front Headlamp Powered By Bike Battery
Please note that I am not affiliated with Power-Ride in any way, this is a personal review of a product I use daily. Given the difficulty in making the right choice when it comes to buying a new bike, I always read the reviews of a product before purchase, and hope this review helps you in some way. If you do like the Storm electric bike, the links above are affiliate links through Amazon.