I live in Central London and often use a Boris bike to get around - I enjoy the upright riding style, but would prefer to have my own machine as the Boris bikes are heavy, don't have great luggage capacity and it can be hard to find one at times, especially in summer. The bike's going to be left locked up in all sorts of places so I didn't want to spend a huge amount in case it goes missing.
For £300, the spec is good and comes with all the accessories you'd expect:
- 3 speed Nexus hub gear (SG-3R40)
- Hub dynamo lights (Shimano DH-3N31 hub with a Axa Echo15 15LUX front light and a German-branded rear parking light)
- Rim brakes
- Fenders, pannier rack, kickstand, chainguard and bell
Overall, after a couple of weeks riding I’m happy with the bike. There have been two problems so far - a chain pin came loose and so the chain was replaced under warranty by Decathlon, and there was some play in the front hub which my LBS fixed - but it’s nice to ride and it’s great not having to find a docking station and not needing to worry about keeping lights charged.
Compared with a £500+ bike from a proper Dutch brand this is good value for money... I don't understand why I've never seen anybody else riding one