Which electric bike ??? for a Newbie
Discussion
I am now considering one of these and I dont have a clue. I am buying a 4x4 next week which I want to use mainly for weekend/holiday use. I cant justify the daily running costs of the 4x4 since I live about 6 miles from work, so I want to get an electic bike.
The route is very hilly in one or 2 places but for the most parts its relatively flat. There are a couple of cycle/bridle paths that would be a good shortcut so I was either looking at some hybrid style Electric bike or one of those Electric MTB'S.
I have tried to do some research but most of the bikes seem to have their pro's and con's, so I am none the wiser really. I dont want to have to spend £1500 on one where the range is awful and the battery will pack up and then I would have to spend £500 or more on replacements.
If someone could please recommend a bike that would cope with a daily 12-14 mile round trip, negotiate hills relatively easily, is known to be a reliable bike and also can cope off-road I would greatly appreciate it.
There are lots of cheap Chinese ones that come in at under a grand, but I would almost certainly avoid these.
The German and Dutch brands are likely to be better quality, but I would take a look at these personally: http://www.cytronex.com/
Made in Winchester using quality branded framesets.
The German and Dutch brands are likely to be better quality, but I would take a look at these personally: http://www.cytronex.com/
Made in Winchester using quality branded framesets.
AnotherClarkey said:
I would go with a kit on a decent bike too. The 'Alien' kits put together by a guy in Scotland seem to have a good reputation and are reasonably priced.
Thanks that was my next question, what decent kits are out there? I have puy my name on a waiting list for a Cytronex kit, which apparently will be available sometime this year but I would rather get it fitted now, so I can use the bike before the weather turns cold for winter later on.
I will look at the Alien but would appreciate other recommendations too, thanks so far
Unless for some reason or medical condition you can't pedal a bike, i'd avoid lecy ones like the plague. heavy, slow, and why not just get fit yourself. 6miles each way is only going to take you 30mins and you'll feel a lot better for the exercise! Also, for the amount of money you have to spend to get even a half decent lecy bike you can get a pretty decent normal one ;-)
Max_Torque said:
Unless for some reason or medical condition you can't pedal a bike, i'd avoid lecy ones like the plague. heavy, slow, and why not just get fit yourself. 6miles each way is only going to take you 30mins and you'll feel a lot better for the exercise! Also, for the amount of money you have to spend to get even a half decent lecy bike you can get a pretty decent normal one ;-)
I may have agreed with you 3 years ago but the tech has got really good now. decent battery packs can be had that are only about 2 to3 kilos, a motor less.The speed thing is artificial, they are only allowed to go a certain speed so that is what is available to buy.
I have one I made myself, for off road use, it will do 35 mph unrestricted, it will do that for around 15 miles. if you pedal as well (it is a proper MTB with all the gears functional) it will do around 60 miles, the motor has a freewheel, you don't get battery regen but you get no drag so you can coast down hill as you normally would.
I am getting another motor that ought to be good for nearly 50mph if my balls are big enough to go that fast on a trail.
We have an electric bike and we love it. The first one I had was second hand from ebay, an unbranded step-through with lead acid batteries. Its was unreliable and heavy but the power was great, so I bought a cyclamatic which was £500 with a lithium ion battery.
Its swift and not much heavier than a regular bike. Its easy enough to ride as a regular bike (6 speed shimano) if it runs flat or if you choose to turn the power off and do the work yourself. The battery does about 15 miles if you run on throttle and do no work at all, and further depending how much pedalling you do yourself.
Its swift and not much heavier than a regular bike. Its easy enough to ride as a regular bike (6 speed shimano) if it runs flat or if you choose to turn the power off and do the work yourself. The battery does about 15 miles if you run on throttle and do no work at all, and further depending how much pedalling you do yourself.
seadragon said:
Thanks that was my next question, what decent kits are out there?
I have puy my name on a waiting list for a Cytronex kit, which apparently will be available sometime this year but I would rather get it fitted now, so I can use the bike before the weather turns cold for winter later on.
I will look at the Alien but would appreciate other recommendations too, thanks so far
The Cytronex kits have been 'coming soon' ever since I first took an interest about 3 years ago. I wouldn't hold your breath. Last time I checked the motor was the Tongxin Nano, which looks good but has had reliability issues in the past.I have puy my name on a waiting list for a Cytronex kit, which apparently will be available sometime this year but I would rather get it fitted now, so I can use the bike before the weather turns cold for winter later on.
I will look at the Alien but would appreciate other recommendations too, thanks so far
Whisper do a kit, the DaaHub. It is meant to be pretty good but is about £1000. The other one to watch out for is the Bionx which has an excellent reputation although availability in the UK has been a bit patchy.
You can get teh Bionix kit on a Trek electric Bike. Trek are a huge high quality global brand with dealers in every town. I know they have demo bikes available....so you should book a demo on one. I've ridden one and teh torque that they have for climbing hills will bloow you away.
Cycling Plus did an article on one going around teh Lake District, it went up Hardknott very quickly.
Cycling Plus did an article on one going around teh Lake District, it went up Hardknott very quickly.
Work doesnt have showers etc so I dont want to get to work sweating like a pig on a normal bike and an electric bike would be cheaper to run than a scooter, no tax, insurance.
I have chatted with the Cytronex guys and I am told the kit will be this year but they also do custom bike fits. You just need to take your bike in at a pre agreed time, then they will look it over and if they can do your bike then they will quote you, so no need to wait years for a generic kit when you can get them to do a custom one for you if you want one bad enough.
I will take a look at the others recommended and see what looks best for my money.
I have chatted with the Cytronex guys and I am told the kit will be this year but they also do custom bike fits. You just need to take your bike in at a pre agreed time, then they will look it over and if they can do your bike then they will quote you, so no need to wait years for a generic kit when you can get them to do a custom one for you if you want one bad enough.
I will take a look at the others recommended and see what looks best for my money.
C'mon guys, if the OP asks for opinions on electric-assisted bikes, why does he get answers that vary from "Why not go unassisted?" to "Why not get a motorbike?".
Whilst these might be valid considerations, I imagine that the OP has already considered these options and dismissed them.
Yes, electric-assisted bikes occupy an awkward middle-ground, but I can certainly see the appeal for a lot of people that don't want to sweat it out for 6-miles on a normal bike or go to the expense and hassle of a IC motorcycle.
Whilst these might be valid considerations, I imagine that the OP has already considered these options and dismissed them.
Yes, electric-assisted bikes occupy an awkward middle-ground, but I can certainly see the appeal for a lot of people that don't want to sweat it out for 6-miles on a normal bike or go to the expense and hassle of a IC motorcycle.
Thing is, in the UK at least,for a lot of the time i ride my bike the physical exertion is a way of keeping warm! Unless you're gonna get all dressed up in some proper motorcycle, if you're not peddling then a wet cold UK commute is going to be pretty miserable, and you'll need a shower at work anyway. And of course, once you have a certain basic level of fitness, you can easily do 6 miles on the road in a reasonable time without massively exerting yourself or sweating like a rapist ;-)
So whilst the OP said "which electrical bike" i think it warrants a discussion (it's a discussion forum after all). Of course, the OP can chose to ignore what i and other have said, that's absolutely his right to do so, but maybe they would also find interest in other peoples differing opinions ??
So whilst the OP said "which electrical bike" i think it warrants a discussion (it's a discussion forum after all). Of course, the OP can chose to ignore what i and other have said, that's absolutely his right to do so, but maybe they would also find interest in other peoples differing opinions ??
Max_Torque said:
Thing is, in the UK at least,for a lot of the time i ride my bike the physical exertion is a way of keeping warm! Unless you're gonna get all dressed up in some proper motorcycle, if you're not peddling then a wet cold UK commute is going to be pretty miserable, and you'll need a shower at work anyway. And of course, once you have a certain basic level of fitness, you can easily do 6 miles on the road in a reasonable time without massively exerting yourself or sweating like a rapist ;-)
So whilst the OP said "which electrical bike" i think it warrants a discussion (it's a discussion forum after all). Of course, the OP can chose to ignore what i and other have said, that's absolutely his right to do so, but maybe they would also find interest in other peoples differing opinions ??
A discussion is good, you did say ebikes were Heavy and slow and you would avoid them like the plague. I hope any discussion will change your mind about the niche these gadgets occupy and how they are in terms of tech and useability now.So whilst the OP said "which electrical bike" i think it warrants a discussion (it's a discussion forum after all). Of course, the OP can chose to ignore what i and other have said, that's absolutely his right to do so, but maybe they would also find interest in other peoples differing opinions ??
Getragdogleg - do you mind putting a bit of detail on about your set up?
I have considered doing something similar. My commute is 28 miles and takes 1h40m to 2 hours depending on the weather and which bike I use. I rarely do it more than once or twice a week, but I have thought that some sort of assist set up that speeds things up a bit would encourage me to do it more often. The fitness thing is ok and I have a lovey scenic ride, but 4 hours out of the day is a lot.
I have considered doing something similar. My commute is 28 miles and takes 1h40m to 2 hours depending on the weather and which bike I use. I rarely do it more than once or twice a week, but I have thought that some sort of assist set up that speeds things up a bit would encourage me to do it more often. The fitness thing is ok and I have a lovey scenic ride, but 4 hours out of the day is a lot.
madbadger said:
Getragdogleg - do you mind putting a bit of detail on about your set up?
I have considered doing something similar. My commute is 28 miles and takes 1h40m to 2 hours depending on the weather and which bike I use. I rarely do it more than once or twice a week, but I have thought that some sort of assist set up that speeds things up a bit would encourage me to do it more often. The fitness thing is ok and I have a lovey scenic ride, but 4 hours out of the day is a lot.
Will a little later, I am just off out for a walk and an icecream with the wife !I have considered doing something similar. My commute is 28 miles and takes 1h40m to 2 hours depending on the weather and which bike I use. I rarely do it more than once or twice a week, but I have thought that some sort of assist set up that speeds things up a bit would encourage me to do it more often. The fitness thing is ok and I have a lovey scenic ride, but 4 hours out of the day is a lot.
PM me if you want all the specs and details of where I got the kit, its a lot of info to type on a forum !
Ok, I have to admit the idea of sailing past roadies on one of these does seem mildly hilarious. of course you'd have to remove the 15mph limiter.
With all the extra bits they mention on the site (remove battery when not in use, not keen on rain, not for use from a standing start) I'd still be tempted to get something unassisted but more inclined towards a casual relaxing ride style to keep cool.
With all the extra bits they mention on the site (remove battery when not in use, not keen on rain, not for use from a standing start) I'd still be tempted to get something unassisted but more inclined towards a casual relaxing ride style to keep cool.
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