Electric bicycles - who buys them?

[Cupramax]

The 800 charges thing doesn’t mean it’s dead after 800 uses, it means there’s likely (not definitely) to be a measurable degradation in capacity, i.e. 10-15%.

I’ve been using mine for 18 months, how many charges? Don’t really know, maybe 150 but no noticeable reduction in fully charged capacity, the unit still shows its rated charge and performs as it did when new.

As for range, buy the highest capacity battery you can afford, most e bikes come with 400 or 500 watt hour batteries. These mean with a legal 250w motor you get up to two hours assistance on full power approximately.

One of the reasons I went with a custom battery was it allowed me to get a battery over 700w hours which allows me over 40 miles hooning and I’ve not managed to run it out yet on a ride.

Edited by Cupramax on Tuesday 27th March 10:23

[Croutons]

The Mad Monk said:

May I suggest you have a chat with a dealer who stocks several different makes of bike.

Thanks for the info.

Yours looks good.

There are 4, if not 5 ebike shops here in Bristol (plus most big bike shops also sell them, in passing at least), who are all happy to quote brochure figures, but have little real world experience of use over time.

And we all know what "up to" means for battery life!

I still can't work out how a battery costs £300 (in the first place), a conversion kit the same or a tickle more, and whole bikes £700.

Distinguishing between the "core" offerings at say 12-1500 is pretty difficult, so your own findings are appreciated.

[ukbabz]

This has got me thinking, wonder whether I could get the Mrs an e-bike and convince her to do the Alpe d'huez with me in Summer when we're in France. Hire places look to have a few (and if get her an e-MTB she'll be happier on the descent)

[Russ T Bolt]

I have one, bought a Specialized last September.

I have health problems that forced me to give up Mountain Biking about 6 years ago. I hadn't kept up with the evolution of bikes and happened across an e-bike in a local bike shop, didn't know they existed till then, had bought one within a couple of weeks.

I bought the Specialized because I like the integration of the motor/battery.

It means I can now get out and get some proper exercise.

My bike has three levels of assist, on maximum it does 30 miles.

It is perfect for me, without it I would get little exercise certainly couldn't cycle.

[Hoofy]

How far can you go without pedalling at all?

[LeadFarmer]

Hoofy said:

How far can you go without pedalling at all?

They tend to all be pedal assist nowadays, to stay lawful. So you have to be pedalling for the motor to be working. Saying that, the Bosch CX motor on my Cube Race has a 'Walk' mode which activates the motor at a slow speed whilst your pushing your bike up an obstacle. I use it when I'm at work and pushing my bike up a flight of stairs to park it.

[The Mad Monk]

LeadFarmer said:

Hoofy said:

How far can you go without pedalling at all?

They tend to all be pedal assist nowadays, to stay lawful. So you have to be pedalling for the motor to be working. Saying that, the Bosch CX motor on my Cube Race has a 'Walk' mode which activates the motor at a slow speed whilst your pushing your bike up an obstacle. I use it when I'm at work and pushing my bike up a flight of stairs to park it.

I think it was at the beginning of 2016 that the law was brought to restrict the maximum 'throttle only' speed to 5kph. The idea being that is you were pushing the bike up a steep hill, the throttle would give you that amount of assistance.

I hear that some people may have found a way round this, some of the time.

[Hoofy]

So if I were to be ultra lazy, it could still do most of the work? How many miles would it last?

[troc]

Ebikes are very handy for drafting behind on my commute when it's windy.

Yes, it does feel a but weird to be sitting on the tail of an old lady and her sit-up granny bike but when it's allowing me to do 25kph into a howling gale, I don't mind

[RizzoTheRat]

Hoofy said:

So if I were to be ultra lazy, it could still do most of the work? How many miles would it last?

The Bosch system on the one I had a go with puts in an additional boost based on the amount of torque you're applying though the pedals. On full boost (think it was either 200% of 250%) it claimed a range of about 30km, on minimum (50%?) boost it was something like 100km, or you can turn it off completely of course, in which case it's harder to pedal than a normal bike because of the extra weight.

[MiseryStreak]

sjg said:

...can have a drink or two after work without jeopardising your driving licence.

I think you might have nailed it there, even though it is technically illegal, you can get yourself home from the pub when you're too pissed to even pedal. I love e-bikes, hated them at first before I regarded them as motorcycles that you don't need a license for (which they are).

I very rarely get any competition on my commute, so when an e-bike overtakes me on a hill (it's happened twice now) I of course see it as a massive motorised ttcycle sized gauntlet thrown down before me, and proceed to blow their two wheeled milk float into the weeds by channeling raw, impotent rage. The audacity.

[HardtopManual]

OP said:

Electric bicycles - who buys them?

Judging by the way the derestricted ones are ridden in my neck of the woods (north London), bellends.

[Hoofy]

RizzoTheRat said:

Hoofy said:

So if I were to be ultra lazy, it could still do most of the work? How many miles would it last?

The Bosch system on the one I had a go with puts in an additional boost based on the amount of torque you're applying though the pedals. On full boost (think it was either 200% of 250%) it claimed a range of about 30km, on minimum (50%?) boost it was something like 100km, or you can turn it off completely of course, in which case it's harder to pedal than a normal bike because of the extra weight.

Oh, I see. Thanks.

[option click]

MiseryStreak said:

I very rarely get any competition on my commute, so when an e-bike overtakes me on a hill (it's happened twice now) I of course see it as a massive motorised ttcycle sized gauntlet thrown down before me, and proceed to blow their two wheeled milk float into the weeds by channeling raw, impotent rage. The audacity.

can't beat a good bit of SCR

[Dog Star]

MiseryStreak said:

I very rarely get any competition on my commute, so when an e-bike overtakes me on a hill (it's happened twice now) I of course see it as a massive motorised ttcycle sized gauntlet thrown down before me, and proceed to blow their two wheeled milk float into the weeds by channeling raw, impotent rage. The audacity.

But what happens if it's someone who is fit on the e-bike? They might up the ante and start really piling it on. They you're going to bust a blood vessel and still get blown into the weeds?

My mum and dad are in their 70s and have folding electric shopper style bikes - they say it's hysterical as they serenely pedal past all these sweaty lycra blokes on big hills, bolt upright in their beige slacks with a terrier in the basket.

My dad can be a menace though - he left our house pissed up last year and just rode straight into a hedge.

[Hoofy]

Dog Star said:

MiseryStreak said:

I very rarely get any competition on my commute, so when an e-bike overtakes me on a hill (it's happened twice now) I of course see it as a massive motorised ttcycle sized gauntlet thrown down before me, and proceed to blow their two wheeled milk float into the weeds by channeling raw, impotent rage. The audacity.

But what happens if it's someone who is fit on the e-bike? They might up the ante and start really piling it on. They you're going to bust a blood vessel and still get blown into the weeds?

How fast can you cycle on an e-bike if you're not lazy like me??

[RizzoTheRat]

Dog Star said:

MiseryStreak said:

I very rarely get any competition on my commute, so when an e-bike overtakes me on a hill (it's happened twice now) I of course see it as a massive motorised ttcycle sized gauntlet thrown down before me, and proceed to blow their two wheeled milk float into the weeds by channeling raw, impotent rage. The audacity.

But what happens if it's someone who is fit on the e-bike? They might up the ante and start really piling it on. They you're going to bust a blood vessel and still get blown into the weeds?

If it's a legal one they won't provide any boost above 15.5mph, so if you're going quicker than that on a normal bike you'll have the advantage because your bike is probably going to be half the weight of theirs.

[Hoofy]

Oh. That's disappointing.

[Dog Star]

RizzoTheRat said:

If it's a legal one they won't provide any boost above 15.5mph, so if you're going quicker than that on a normal bike you'll have the advantage because your bike is probably going to be half the weight of theirs.

I'm going to get a derestricted shopper ebike, with a basket, and disguise myself as an old codger (like Johnny Knoxville in Bad Grandpa). Then using some sleuthery I will find out where you live and when you are going out and then spring my trap

[RizzoTheRat]

Dog Star said:

RizzoTheRat said:

If it's a legal one they won't provide any boost above 15.5mph, so if you're going quicker than that on a normal bike you'll have the advantage because your bike is probably going to be half the weight of theirs.

I'm going to get a derestricted shopper ebike, with a basket, and disguise myself as an old codger (like Johnny Knoxville in Bad Grandpa). Then using some sleuthery I will find out where you live and when you are going out and then spring my trap

You'd be better off tracking down Miserystreak for that, my bike has a 900cc petrol engine