E-Bikes

[peterb]

I have suddenly found that may not be able to drive for at least 9 months, maybe for the rest of my life (medical reasons)

It’s early days yet but I’m looking at possible alternatives for local (up to 30 miles) journeys. As I live outside London or any other metropolitan area, bus services are very poor.

One option might be an E-bike.

Any Hexites own one, and if so what type, make etc and what are your experiences with it? Any recommendations? I would probably be more interested in a hybrid bike with some off road capabilities, Forest tracks etc as well as on toad use.

[Jonj1611]

I don't have any info on bikes sorry but hope its not serious and wish you well

[blueball]

"as well as on toad use"

Snigger!

My wife and I bought Raleigh Motus eBikes a couple of years ago. They are fantastic but not cheap (£2k each). We tried cheaper bikes (under £1k) but they just didn't compare.

We took our bikes through Forest Tracks this summer (Forestry Commision tracks in Scottish Highlands) and they coped admirably but they aren't mountain bikes. Range wise in ECO mode you will get assistance for up to 90 miles, in Turbo mode you get about 25 miles. Other settings give intermediate ranges.
Battery charges from flat in about 3 hours, pretty good.

Pros: Everything!
Cons: Bloody heavy to lift onto a bike rack on the roof.

In short, I love my bike as I find it difficult to exercise and this gives me a whole new lease of life.

Hope things improve for you Peter!

[peterb]

Thank you (both) (yes mustn’t be unkind to toads!)

I have been doing some research and £2k looks like the entry point for anything serious. Gtech do a couple of road bikes for around £1k, but their hybrid (road/off road) is £1.8k.

More input welcome though.

[TeePee]

Not helpful input, but:

https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/

[blueball]

We found a good retailer who lets you try the bikes in his local area before purchase. Glad we didn't go into town and buy cheap. Seriously, if a retailer won't let you try out the bike then don't buy there, they vary SO much in feel and quality.

[kalniel]

There are some e-mountain bikes available for about a grand now:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/e-st500-...d_8487238.html

Large Asda stores often have Decathalon so you can try beforehand.

Just be aware all such mass-produced bikes a built to a budget. The problem I have is that you can pay quite a lot more and still suffer from budget-scrimping, at least with something like the above you know about it from the start!

[PC-LAD]

Ebikes that do a 60+ mile range tend to cost in the range of 2500 squidles. At that price range, would you not be more comfortable buying a 125cc or even a 50cc scooter. If neither of them, there is the cheaper option of a do it yourself conversion which will cost about a grand including the bike.

[peterb]

Ebikes that do a 60+ mile range tend to cost in the range of 2500 squidles. At that price range, would you not be more comfortable buying a 125cc or even a 50cc scooter. If neither of them, there is the cheaper option of a do it yourself conversion which will cost about a grand including the bike.

You need a driving license for a scooter, you don’t for an e-bike!

@blueball Yes, I see Raleigh signpost to a few dealers where they have a test drive facility, I don’t know if they are just for the Raleigh range or whether they stock
other makes. More research needed when I get home!

[scaryjim]

If you've got a modicum of techy know-how (which I believe you have ) you can pick up UK-road-legal ebike conversion kits for around £600 and fit them to any existing bike - could be worth a look if you already have a bike to convert or would rather have more options of underlying bike to play with. Amazon have plenty of options, but just watch out for the over-powered (and therefore non-legal) versions....

I don't have any personal experience of rinding e-bikes, but I was out on an off-road sportive at the weekend and there were plenty of bits where I was pushing/carrying my bike and people just pootled past on their e-MTBs barely even pedalling....

[Mr_Jon]

If you've got a modicum of techy know-how (which I believe you have ) you can pick up UK-road-legal ebike conversion kits for around £600 and fit them to any existing bike - could be worth a look if you already have a bike to convert or would rather have more options of underlying bike to play with. Amazon have plenty of options, but just watch out for the over-powered (and therefore non-legal) versions....

I was speaking with a bike-tech who fixed my bike up recently when we stumbled onto this subject. He said some of the kits he's been asked to install are a nightmare to fit, and that he's been given ones where serious fabrication was needed in order for them to do the job.

[AGTDenton]

Just a worthy note, in the UK e-Bikes are now limited to 15MPH for road use. This is the maximum our government think we should go, when a lot of road bikers are riding 20/25 unaided...

https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules

EDIT looks like there is now a max Wattage as well

[kalniel]

Just a worthy note, in the UK e-Bikes are now limited to 15MPH for road use. This is the maximum our government think we should go, when a lot of road bikers are riding 20/25 unaided...

https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules

EDIT looks like there is now a max Wattage as well

Not that there is any kind of enforcement.

[Smudger]

We've got an e-bike shop in our village, and we often see the owner out and about in the park, getting people to have a go. I had a go on a Scott one, and the sensation was weird, but good. That Scott one was £4k new, but he was selling it 2nd hand for about £1.5k.

So, would 2nd hand be an option? There seems to be a market in 2nd hand ones, as new generations get released, and the 'all the gear, no idea' people have to upgrade to have this year's bike...

Edit: The Scott was a full-blown mountain bike, with suspension at both ends, which was strange, as there's not really anywhere to go proper mountain-biking in Hertfordshire...

[scaryjim]

Just a worthy note, in the UK e-Bikes are now limited to 15MPH for road use.
...
EDIT looks like there is now a max Wattage as well

That's 15.5mph assisted speed. You can pedal it (or let it roll downhill) as fast as you like. I believe it's an EU-wide ruling. I'd take a punt that it's down to powered vehicles with higher speeds requiring licensing/insuring etc. which (IMNSHO) makes a lot of sense.

For anyone who's reading this thread but can't be bothered to follow links or Google, the regs are: max 250W, the motor can only provide power while the pedals are turning, and only when the bike's speed is below 15.5mph (25km/h). As kalneil says, I'm not sure who'd stop you to check, but if you were involved in an accident and it turned out your bike wasn't compliant you'd be on a sticky wicket...

That said, an extra 250W uphill would make a huge difference to riding speeds. On a 4% slope I can generally maintain ~ 250W for a ~ 10mph climb speed. Stick a 250W motor in my bike, and I imagine I'd be able to breeze up those slopes at 15mph barely breaking a sweat. So the regs are hardly a limitation on the capabilities of e-bikes...

[kalniel]

Edit: The Scott was a full-blown mountain bike, with suspension at both ends, which was strange, as there's not really anywhere to go proper mountain-biking in Hertfordshire...

http://www.chicksandsbikepark.co.uk/