Electric bicycles - who buys them?
Discussion
Dog Star said:
https://www.komoot.com/tour/76514195
5400' climbing
I can literally join it outside the back of my house.
Handy. That's probably my best peformance in terms of range. All in ECO with a 540kw battery on a similar bike (Decoy 29) but with a less efficient E8000. I am 89kgs. I had 10km worth of range left. 5400' climbing
I can literally join it outside the back of my house.
PS not sure why it is truncated, you might have to click the pic. I extrapolate this as a 47 mile range for you plus the motor better efficiency so perhaps 50. I still think you'll be marginal and I am really looking forward to the result.
Edited by nickfrog on Wednesday 7th April 16:46
gangzoom said:
Clearly you need to do more road cycling......We all know the theory of wind on loops, but a 20mph headwind is a 20mph headwind, and on commutes wind seem to love changing directions for the ride home 
.
As for hills, the extra weight of an eBike adds about 50watts/kg of additional power, so going up hill you are essentially climbing at speeds only drugged up pros can do. Coming down weight is never an issue, infact the more weight the quicker you go thanks to gravity, so its a win win on an eBike.
And as GCN love telling us on the flat it really isn't about weight but aero. A 11kg eBike versus a 8kg road bike in the same identical frame + rider position will be very similar speeds. For me holding 20mph on the flat is fine (with no wind), but a 10% gradient and I slow down to 10mph, its the extra speed on the hills that eBike are fab for. I also find my the eBike I hit the flat sections with much freshers legs as I haven't killed my self going up the climb.
As I've shown you already I can hit over 18mph average of my hybrid eBike, which isn't very aero at all. I recon on an electric road bike 19mph wouldn’t be far off on a rolling loop with 500 meters of climbing over 20-30 miles. If you can hit 19mph average on a road bike over rolling terrain already that's not an issue, but I certainly cannot.
Road eBikes aren't as common, but they seem good value. My budget for the next bike is currently £5k, and its hard to justify spending that on an unassisted road bike that looks almost identical to my current bike except for internal cables + disc brakes. Paying the same amount for what looks like the same bike but with an almost hidden motor is much easier to justify.
The Ribble SLR e looks nice to me, I doubt you would be able to tell its an eBike from a distance. For my £5k its between the Ribble, Orbea, or an unassisted Emonda SL - which actually happens to weigh over 8kgs without pedals, so HEAVIER than my current bike which comes in at 7.8 kg with pedals. Seems mad to me to pay £5k and end up with a heavier bike than my current one, so I might as well get an electric assisted one?!
[Img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSTjtLNyAB9_bby11pNWQLfeiXVp01VpGLDrw&usqp=CAU[/thumb]
Obviously different from what you're looking at, but I purchased a 2020 Giant Road E+ Pro a few weeks ago after having my Haibike sDuro stolen. A different experience, but really loving it. 80nm on a road bike weighing 7kg less than the Haibike is stunning. I haven't ridden much recently, but in urban/town riding with lots of start stop, I'm averaging 20mph with it turned off downhill/some flat, then eco/basic at times and the odd blast on sport to avoid traffic. Oh and the motor seems to run to 26mph for some reason .As for hills, the extra weight of an eBike adds about 50watts/kg of additional power, so going up hill you are essentially climbing at speeds only drugged up pros can do. Coming down weight is never an issue, infact the more weight the quicker you go thanks to gravity, so its a win win on an eBike.
And as GCN love telling us on the flat it really isn't about weight but aero. A 11kg eBike versus a 8kg road bike in the same identical frame + rider position will be very similar speeds. For me holding 20mph on the flat is fine (with no wind), but a 10% gradient and I slow down to 10mph, its the extra speed on the hills that eBike are fab for. I also find my the eBike I hit the flat sections with much freshers legs as I haven't killed my self going up the climb.
As I've shown you already I can hit over 18mph average of my hybrid eBike, which isn't very aero at all. I recon on an electric road bike 19mph wouldn’t be far off on a rolling loop with 500 meters of climbing over 20-30 miles. If you can hit 19mph average on a road bike over rolling terrain already that's not an issue, but I certainly cannot.
Road eBikes aren't as common, but they seem good value. My budget for the next bike is currently £5k, and its hard to justify spending that on an unassisted road bike that looks almost identical to my current bike except for internal cables + disc brakes. Paying the same amount for what looks like the same bike but with an almost hidden motor is much easier to justify.
The Ribble SLR e looks nice to me, I doubt you would be able to tell its an eBike from a distance. For my £5k its between the Ribble, Orbea, or an unassisted Emonda SL - which actually happens to weigh over 8kgs without pedals, so HEAVIER than my current bike which comes in at 7.8 kg with pedals. Seems mad to me to pay £5k and end up with a heavier bike than my current one, so I might as well get an electric assisted one?!
[Img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSTjtLNyAB9_bby11pNWQLfeiXVp01VpGLDrw&usqp=CAU[/thumb]
Edited by gangzoom on Wednesday 7th April 08:09
Well after spending Wednesday putting it together and applying if Invisiframe (an utter b
d on a matte finish, however it looks like it’ll work well which is a small price to pay although it leaves a slight sheen) I got out on my new Canyon Spectral.
It’s fantastic- so much more agile and clickable than my too-big Haibike. I feel like I’m sat in it, not wobbling round on top. And it looks amazing.
d on a matte finish, however it looks like it’ll work well which is a small price to pay although it leaves a slight sheen) I got out on my new Canyon Spectral. It’s fantastic- so much more agile and clickable than my too-big Haibike. I feel like I’m sat in it, not wobbling round on top. And it looks amazing.
My conclusion iis they're just rubbish. They're just not reliable enough yet. Great when working... But...
I see loads at local trails and always ask if they've been reliable. It has to be 70-80% who've either had a new motor or battery or both.
Mine has been back three times now. FFS.
I see loads at local trails and always ask if they've been reliable. It has to be 70-80% who've either had a new motor or battery or both.
Mine has been back three times now. FFS.
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
My conclusion iis they're just rubbish. They're just not reliable enough yet. Great when working... But...
I see loads at local trails and always ask if they've been reliable. It has to be 70-80% who've either had a new motor or battery or both.
Mine has been back three times now. FFS.
Is that statement regarding e-bikes in general.I see loads at local trails and always ask if they've been reliable. It has to be 70-80% who've either had a new motor or battery or both.
Mine has been back three times now. FFS.
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
My conclusion iis they're just rubbish. They're just not reliable enough yet. Great when working... But...
I see loads at local trails and always ask if they've been reliable. It has to be 70-80% who've either had a new motor or battery or both.
Mine has been back three times now. FFS.
You local to Guisborough?I see loads at local trails and always ask if they've been reliable. It has to be 70-80% who've either had a new motor or battery or both.
Mine has been back three times now. FFS.
Chicken Chaser said:
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
My conclusion iis they're just rubbish. They're just not reliable enough yet. Great when working... But...
I see loads at local trails and always ask if they've been reliable. It has to be 70-80% who've either had a new motor or battery or both.
Mine has been back three times now. FFS.
You local to Guisborough?I see loads at local trails and always ask if they've been reliable. It has to be 70-80% who've either had a new motor or battery or both.
Mine has been back three times now. FFS.
I was only thinking I should do Guisborough again now we've got some dry weather. Used to be amazing. I'm too spoilt with yearsley and kilburn / hood Hill.
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
E-Mtb. No experience of road bikes.
Thanks, I guess E-MTB's are subject to far greater continual exposure to mud and wet crap. I must admit when I was looking to purchase an E-MTB most of the YouTube content was about the bike, not the fact they could fail due to water ingress.So far my Giant has been trouble free but according to owners on the Facebook group of Giant owners a fair few have had electrical problems, but not any motor failures as far as I can see. I guess being pro-active and spraying everything with ACF 50 may have helped me as I just felt water and low down battery terminals/connections was a recipe for potential failure. Plus being a self confessed fair weather rider may also of helped.
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
My conclusion iis they're just rubbish. They're just not reliable enough yet. Great when working... But...
I see loads at local trails and always ask if they've been reliable. It has to be 70-80% who've either had a new motor or battery or both.
Mine has been back three times now. FFS.
Sorry to hear that. There is probably some truth in what you say. Is your bike a Specialized? I see loads at local trails and always ask if they've been reliable. It has to be 70-80% who've either had a new motor or battery or both.
Mine has been back three times now. FFS.
nickfrog said:
Sorry to hear that. There is probably some truth in what you say. Is your bike a Specialized?
Mine is yes, but it's not limited to just spesh it seems.I don't think any motor battery combo is immune based on discussions I've had with other owners.
As others have said... Forums are full of reports.
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
Mine is yes, but it's not limited to just spesh it seems.
I don't think any motor battery combo is immune based on discussions I've had with other owners.
As others have said... Forums are full of reports.
Yes it's difficult to put some numbers on the reality. It's also possible that a good number of incidents are solved by a squirt of electric contact cleaner, which should enter the "maintenance by user" category rather than reliability issue category but might be reported as a problem, particularly by new emtb users. I have to say that's the only thing I had to do on the E8000 on my Decoy in a year but that's early days. I don't think any motor battery combo is immune based on discussions I've had with other owners.
As others have said... Forums are full of reports.
People rarely post on forums just to say they’ve not had an issue with a bike, car etc. so threads are bound to be skewed in favour of problems. No manufacturer is going to reveal their motor and battery failure rates but it won’t be anything like 70%. I’d be surprised if it was in double figures TBH. My Levo is four years old now and *fingers crossed* is still running strong.
Edited by benny.c on Saturday 10th April 15:38
aparna said:
No brand is immune but these specialised reports are giving me pause for thought for upgrading my Bosch to a kenevo.
Never had a problem in 4 years of Bosch emtb.
Hard to know as a general consumer if it’s just luck or not.
My almost two year old Haibike packed up with an electrical fault two weeks ago as I was taking photos for it to be sold Never had a problem in 4 years of Bosch emtb.
Hard to know as a general consumer if it’s just luck or not.
Going on the Haibike forums has been an eye-opener: I sure wouldn't buy another.
benny.c said:
People rarely post on forums just to say they’ve not had an issue with a bike, car etc. so threads are bound to be skewed in favour of problems. No manufacturer is going to reveal their motor and battery failure rates but it won’t be anything like 70%. I’d be surprised if it was in double figures TBH. My Levo is four years old now and *fingers crossed* is still running strong.
To be fair on the Giant Facebook owners page it is mostly around 90% positive comments about the bikes, but I'm not going to try to convince anyone they are any better than any other make.Edited by benny.c on Saturday 10th April 15:38
The general consensus is that there is definitely a shortage/long delay on replacement components though
As already mentioned I think all Ebikes have their issues, the key factor for me is a decent dealer.
I have 2 Shimano motored bikes, 1 Giant and 1 Specialized
I've had a shimano charger stopped working, a mode controller borked on the Kenevo and my Giant motor broke.
All replaced on warranty by the local dealer in reasonable time.
Forums and FB pages can be very useful but do tend to give a more negative view. I ride motorbikes as well and I've yet to visit a forum/FB page where no one has issues
I have 2 Shimano motored bikes, 1 Giant and 1 Specialized
I've had a shimano charger stopped working, a mode controller borked on the Kenevo and my Giant motor broke.
All replaced on warranty by the local dealer in reasonable time.
Forums and FB pages can be very useful but do tend to give a more negative view. I ride motorbikes as well and I've yet to visit a forum/FB page where no one has issues
Went out on a Whyte e-160RS earlier. It was really interesting as it was my first e bike ride. I’ve got a T 130 and enjoy it but tbh it was annoying me how much time I was spending in misery up hill. Today went further but it didn’t hurt much. Looking at the data it was 50% tempo, vs 50% threshold on the standard bike. But, I had a lot of fun, and although a part of me thinks you need to earn it, it’s easy enough to back off the motor. Downhill it was total overkill for the Chilterns, like a motorcross bike
Found some really steep trails, I’d never had bothered with them before but it was very technical to ride up, and opens up a new experience.
Definitely on my list.
Found some really steep trails, I’d never had bothered with them before but it was very technical to ride up, and opens up a new experience.
Definitely on my list.
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