How to buy an electric bike on the internet

All your Riese & Muller e-bike questions answered

How to buy an electric bike on the internet

The rise of the internet has been great for consumers, giving access to huge choice and the ability to compare products and prices. But this can create massive confusion, and trying to select the right bike and comparing like for like can be almost impossible.

I have used this blog to talk through the best way to go about purchasing an electric bike. And whilst internet research is great, you can’t beat a short-cut to get the answers you need. Whilst I am an authorised specialist dealer for Riese & Müller in the UK, this content is still relevant if you are thinking of buying a Haibike, Specialized or any other brand of electric bike on the market today.

I have split the process into 4 key phases;

Phase 1: Online research supported by product experts
Phase 2: Find a dealer and try some bikes
Phase 3: Specify exactly the bike you want
Phase 4: Delivery, set-up and hand-over

Phase 1: Online research supported by product experts

When I first got interested in electric bikes I spent endless evenings and lunch hours getting to grips understanding how an e-bike works, the different batteries, motors and manufacturers available under the broad term of ‘electric bikes’. Once I thought I understood exactly what I would need, I made my first electric bike from parts I bought on Alibaba, and a donor bike I purchased at Go-outdoors. The research phase took me at least 3 months, but more like a year if I am being honest.

Once built up, the combination of the all the components I had purchased, gave me a bike which was very different to the image I had built in my mind from my reading. But my money was spent, so I made the best of it.

My second bike was made from a conversion kit purchased in the UK but using a popular Chinese motor, controller and battery brand. Again, the idea was good but the application and delivery was poor.

My third bike was a mainstream brand which I bought online from a european distributor offering a great price. The delivery was awful, the bike was ‘lost’ for about a month. When it arrived, it needed building and the ride and feel whilst good, was not what I had imagined. Returning it was not an option as I had covered 20 miles on my first ride and the bike was now used.

I currently ride Riese & Müller Delite GT Rohloff, and none of my previous bikes even come close in ride quality of ride or build. But to get to this point I spent about £10,000 and it took me roughly 4 years. If I had known it would take me this long and cost this much, I would have started by purchasing my dream bike straight away.

I now offer my customers the benefit of the experience and the knowledge I have gained, free of charge. This can help you save a fortune and radically reduce the research cycle, and ensure you get the right bike first time.

Phase 2: Find a dealer and try some bikes

This is when you find out if all your research has been a complete waste of time! It’s unlikely, it will be a complete waste, but there will be a check of reality against the image you have built up of an electric bike. You trip to a specialist e-bike retailer is a critical step, which is missed if buying online, which can help you save a lot of money in the long run.

Plus, it is better to try the bike at your local bike retailler who will be equipped for you to try different bikes, rather than ordering on-line with the view of returning it if it’s not what you wanted. Remember, you will be liable for the cost of return for an item purchased online and it must returned un-used and in it’s original packaging. That doesn’t sound like much of a deal to me.

A lot of the time we find customers arriving to try a particular style or specification of bike, then go on to order something completely different!

We offer our customers the opportunity of a two hour test ride guided by our in house Riese & Müller expert for a cost of £95 which is refunded against the purchase of a new bike. A two hour session like this can be the best way to ride more than one bike in a real world situation and whilst gaining valuable product knowledge.

Phase 3: Specify exactly the bike you want

When buying online, you are essentially looking at stock which has previously been specified by dealers and it is their job to try and work out the most popular configurations and stock these. This is a lot easier when the product range is limited like many of the mass produced brands. For example, you will find each model of bike only comes in one colour way, with one configuration of gears and no options.

Riese and Müller allow you the choice of colours, gears and options so you can choose what you actually wanted. As an example, the Riese & Müller Superdelite/Delite range has 60 different size, colour and gearing variations in the 2020 line-up before you even start to consider the list of options available. So the likelyhood of finding the exact bike you wanted in stock is going to be pretty slim.

Unlike any other manufacturer, Riese & Müller offer customers a factory order option. Factory ordering is a simple process and allows you to specifiy any combination of bike in the catalogue and have it built for you. Once ordered, your bike will likely arrive in the showroom in 3-4 weeks. We specialise in this option as we believe it is important to get the right bike as it is likely to be an investment to last many years.

Phase 4: Delivery, set-up and hand-over

If you have ever bought a bike on-line you’ll know this means booking at least half a day off work to wait for a courier delivery. And when the bike arrives you will need a torque wrench, pedal spanner, allen and torx bits, to fit the pedals, adjust the handle bars, shifters, brake levers. You’ll also need to do a saftey check on the bike to ensure nothing has been damaged during transportation. In addition you will need to understand how a bike should be set-up for the most comfortable ride, including the adjustment of suspension.

As part of our service, we offer to personally deliver bikes up to 2 hours away at no additional charge. We will work with you to find a mutually agreable time for delivery, and when we get to you, we will spend time configuring your bike and running through the controls. Most importantly, we will take away the packaging so you don’t have to deal with the disposal.

Give us a try, you will be pleseantly surprised.

We can be contacted 7 days a week 9am-5pm on 01453 834300. Or email us any questions [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Talk with an e-bike specialist

Talk with one of our helpful e-Bike advisors on 01453 834300 or fill out the form below with your message. We’ll be more than happy to help you in your search for your dream e-Bike.

Many people have been in the position you are now, looking for their dream bike. Be assured that once you get in touch, we will treat you with the best customer service, just like we did for them. Don’t just take our word for it, read what 163 customers say here with an average 5.0 star Google review rating.

Call one of our knowledgeable advisors on 01453 834300 or complete the form below.

Join the EDEMO e-bike community

We’re always out and about on our e-bikes, testing new models and kit or just exploring.

Follow us on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram. Or sign up here to get regular blog posts, articles and updates delivered straight into your inbox.

Download our Riese & Müller E-BIKE buyer's guide

Alice A.

1684740087

I came across these guys as I couldn't find a stockist in Scotland who did the bike I was looking for. From the get go the staff were really helpful, I mostly dealt with Jen, they didn't bat an eyelid at my many requests and changes including delivery to central Scotland - working around my timescales. Brilliant service!

Neale B.

1683894820

Great service from choosing the correct model to delivery and tuition - all part of the service which is Platinum

Preston S.

1682507724

Lots of good advice, no pressure and plenty of opportunity to road test bikes. I was on a break in Glos and called in to EDEMO, having previously watched a number of their very useful you tube videos about Riese & Muller bikes. Two days later my chosen stock bike was prepared and paid for and a week later delivered to my address in Cumbria. Faultless. A pleasure dealing with them. The bike is great too!I would recommend.Thank you

Michael D.

1682274189

Excellent service. Dan guided me through all the choices, Jen organised the delivery and kept me updated, and AJ delivered the bike and got me set up and going. The team let me know I can come back to them anytime for any help or support I might need.

Mike R.

1681987430

I had a test ride booked and was pointed to a very steep hill to try the bike on and then a reasonably flat cycle-way to give me an idea of different riding scenarios. Enjoyable test ride. Got back to the shop and had a talk about the bikes and tried a different model. I got some very helpful advice, decided on the bike and purchased it. They delivered the bike to my home and spent some time running through all the features and adjustments I could make. Very happy with the bike and the service from Edemo.

Mike M.

1677260519

Nice shop, good selection and helpful staff, good place to buy a bike.

John H.

1675859607

It was such a pleasure to buy my bike from Edemo after years of dealing only with internet based suppliers. I used the Bristol based office/workshop and enjoyed the entirely personal service provided by AJ who also delivered my bike to me when it was ready and explained how to operate and maintain it. In particular I felt reassured that Edemo would continue to provide support during my ownership of the bike. Great service throughout!

Charlotte C.

1675791717

Dan and the team at EDEMO were super helpful in getting my new bike sorted. We found them really knowledgeable, and honest in how they helped me choose; finding something that would be exactly suited to what I needed, not just the most expensive option in the shop. The process of trying out bikes and chatting through everything was enjoyable. For me, the Riese & Muller range that they stock encompassed great options. Using only one supplier did make the process more straightforward than at other places as EDEMO could provide a wider range of options rather than just having lots of very similar bikes from different suppliers. Dan was helpful in organising what we needed so we could use the cycle-to-work scheme. The pick up process was thorough and thoughtful, making sure I had everything I needed and knew all the ins and outs of the bike.

Mark A.

1675435853

A top team! Really know their products, are willing to invest the time in helping you understand them as well. One of the best sales and service experiences I’ve ever gone through! Now bought two bikes from them! Just cannot fault any aspect of their service delivery.

Timm

1674989277

Another 5* review from me.If you were on the fence of spending the extra £££ on a R&M, visit the shop and test ride one of their bikes. They seem to have most, if not all their models in store.Very friendly service too :).

Ben R.

1674056195

Excellent purchase process with no pressure. Edemo were patient and happy that I wanted to try many different makes of cargo bike before deciding which one to purchase.. In my view, for my needs, the R and M Load 75 was superior in all respects. Since purchase the bike has exceeded my expectations

Isabel B.

1673467673

We received absolutely brilliant customer service from Edemo. They all have really in depth knoweldge about the different bikes so could answer any question. We could test ride any bike we wanted which is so important. They were really accomodating with our Bike to Work scheme. When we bought the bike it was delivered with a really in depth handover, and after sales support is very helpful. Can't fault them!

m W

1672337321

Very helpful staff in the Nailsworth shop (even though I came on the wrong day)Was able to try three different models and different setups which was invaluable and meant making the right choice of bike was easy.The R and M website is good but being able to try and chat about the various models and options made sense of it all. The Edemo website is also extremely helpful.Ordering was very easy and delivery happened when they said it would. When the bike was delivered it was all set up with a couple of small adjustments done on the spot.I would happily recommend Edemo to anyone.

Paul B.

1671735666

A really excellent service, especially from the workshop team who had no problem ordering extra parts from Germany and helping me make changes to the Multicharger I bought from them.I would highly recommend Edemo to anyone looking to purchase a Riese and Muller Ebike. With so many things in life the back-up and after sales service is key, especially with an investment such as one of these excellent bikes.

Katherine P.

1671395084

Excellent all round service . Really knowledgeable about all things electric ! I can’t recommend enough .

Benjamin B.

1670711970

Amazing service from wonderful people who assisted me in purchasing an e-bike. Every request was fully explained, and nothing was too much trouble. Thank you very much, Team.

Julian B.

1670683515

Thanks to Dan, Jen and AJ. Great doing business with you and thank you for your ongoing support. The Tinker is an amazing eBike which is easily carrying me and my things around 70 miles each week as I commute across Bristol. Great to do business with you. Thank you!

Sayed H

1669291794

Really good experience, Johan was great, he let me test ride some amazing ebikes which helped me decide which models suited me best, a lovely showroom and location too.

Boo and M.

1667656037

What a breath of fresh air it has been, talking with Dan about R&M bikes. His knowledge is vast, his patience and humour, to be praised, from the first initial enquiry, to the delivery of my fantastic bike. Thank you 😁

Liam P.

1667504289

Great crew providing excellent service! Have even taken the time to discuss things I would describe as outside their remit - ex. having the little one on the back, insurance etc

Gareth E.

1667399525

Excellent service and advice. Test ride was greatly appreciated as was Dan looking after Walter (my dog) whilst I had the test ride!

Paul B.

1665916010

Tremendous knowledge and service. I’m so pleased we went with EDEMO for our bike purchase. I really can’t recommend enough!

Steve C.

1665560253

Bike is great everything I expected, typical excellent German quality of design and manufacture.The service received from Dan and his team was 1st Class, friendly, knowledgeable and professional.Thoroughly recommend both the product and EDEMO.

Peter M.

1665497553

All worked well and am happy with the bike as well as the support from Dan's team. There is quite a lot to learn because the bike is a step up from previous electric bike that I have had but the result is very good and I am still learning.

David S.

1665252882

Excellent all round buying experience. Dan was really helpful going through options no hard sell or pressure too buy. We visited his shop twice and test rode any of the bikes as many times as we liked. Nailsworth has good test ride conditions and good lunch stop for a nice day out. We bought 2 charger 4’s didn’t really want to spend that much money but they are already paying back as the car is parked up for many of our trips a 20 mile trip is quite easy now, we live rural with big hills. Bikes took about 3 months to come so if your thinking about it get your order in. They were delivered by AJ who gave us a good briefing. If you want a R &M get it here if your no sure go test ride one.