Electric bicycles - who buys them?

[BIRMA]

ddom said:

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.

That's the thing with the E-MTB's the uphill sections are just so much more of an easier/satisfying challenge.
I still look around where I ride regularly and see nice uphill sections that would be a breeze with my trial bike but I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle them on my E-MTB. I'm only about 6 months into E-MTB ownership and can definitely track my riding progress, I'm getting much faster/more confident on the downhill sections and hardly use the brakes at all now.

Edited by BIRMA on Sunday 11th April 18:11

Edited by BIRMA on Sunday 11th April 18:11

[Sway]

What's the thinking for the shortlist of "entry level decent" emtbs?

Loving a return to riding via my Enigma I bought on C2W last year. Whilst I'd like to upgrade it to a custom frameset, that's not happening until shimano wireless is finally released.

Chatting with neighbour, and he's been going out with a few lads from the village (near Chichester) all on ebikes - and loving it.

However, really don't want to be spending £6k +...

[ddom]

BIRMA said:

That's the thing with the E-MTB's the uphill sections are just so much more of an easier/satisfying challenge.
I still look around where I ride regularly and see nice uphill sections that would be a breeze with my trial bike but I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle them on my E-MTB. I'm only about 6 months into E-MTB ownership and can definitely track my riding progress, I'm getting much faster/more confident on the downhill sections and hardly use the brakes at all now.

Edited by BIRMA on Sunday 11th April 18:11

Edited by BIRMA on Sunday 11th April 18:11

I rode up a bit today that I’d say would be pretty much impossible on a regular bike. It meant shifting weight and some tight bum cheeks but it dragged us up. Hugely impressive. Also, strava said I was faster on most the downhill bits, it was a really confident ride.

[Chicken Chaser]

Anyone with experience of the Shimano EP8 motor Vs the Bosch?

[ddom]

Chicken Chaser said:

Anyone with experience of the Shimano EP8 motor Vs the Bosch?

Does the EP8 have the run on thing, it's really useful when you get used to it.

[Chicken Chaser]

ddom said:

Does the EP8 have the run on thing, it's really useful when you get used to it.

Isn't that the Bosch?

[Dog Star]

Chicken Chaser said:

ddom said:

Does the EP8 have the run on thing, it's really useful when you get used to it.

Isn't that the Bosch?

I’ve not noticed any such thing - what is it.

I’ve an EP8 on my new Canyon - it’s very nice, very smooth. Cutoff at 15mph noticeable.

[nickfrog]

Dog Star said:

Cutoff at 15mph noticeable.

Isn't it hackable yet?

[vindaloo79]

Sway said:

What's the thinking for the shortlist of "entry level decent" emtbs?

Loving a return to riding via my Enigma I bought on C2W last year. Whilst I'd like to upgrade it to a custom frameset, that's not happening until shimano wireless is finally released.

Chatting with neighbour, and he's been going out with a few lads from the village (near Chichester) all on ebikes - and loving it.

However, really don't want to be spending £6k +...

There’s not much out there at the moment it seems, I kept and eye open after seeing your post.

£4K for a cube stereo hybrid 160 would seem a solid intermediate to advanced bike to me.

I would recommend the decathalon stilus 2 as the first was great at £2700. But it will be hard to obtain when it finally becomes available and not rumour and the price will be above £3k looks like.

If you can see anything with an old Bosch CX line motor second hand at the right price (saving money for a motor repair should the worst ever happen) could be a good shout.

Edit: ask the lads or your mate to let you try theirs for an hour. Then you will just buy one for £4K and be happy!

I personally like the fact that the version -1 of Bosch CX line was pretty easy to derestrict and gives it a new lease of life. 15.5mph is a bit like hitting quick sand sometimes.

Edited by vindaloo79 on Friday 16th April 12:57

[ian996]

ChocolateFrog said:

gangzoom said:

ChocolateFrog said:

The 15.5mph limit must kill the concept of a road ebike?.

I'm not a great cyclist (been out twice this year so far) and even I could average that speed for hours on a regular road bike.

Not into a 20mph head wind you wouldn't, nor going up a 5% gradient (or both at the same time), unless you are very very fit!

Don't forget adding in a backpack and the need to do a days work when you get to work.

I got home just in time yesterday to beat the clouds, cycling in a snow blizzard isn't fun even on an eBike!!

[Img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51099798850_fa6a7c916f_k_d.jpg[/thumb]

[Img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51099056281_82fcc6a522_k_d.jpg[/thumb]

Compared to my road bike the eBike is much better commuter tool, it enabled me to commute on the bike through out the entire winter except for the week of snow we had.

Am currently trying to decided which next n+1 bike I should buy, something like the Orbea Gain is very close to been my final choice .

[Img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51041595423_67ba3b2c17_c_d.jpg[/thumb]

I think the word was average.

All my rides these days start and finish in the same place so unless I'm really unlucky that headwind is going to be a tailwind, likewise what's 12-15kph up hill will be 50 coming down then the dilemma is do you want to turn your 7-8kg road bike into a 16kg one just for those bits?

I was just commenting because I know they're technically sold but I've never seen one out and about whereas I'm more likely to see a eMTB now than a regular MTB.

After a couple of months with a Ribble SLe , I reckon the 15.5 mph cutoff is fine for a road bike...if you are on the flat or riding downhill, the extra 3.5 KG makes very little difference, so if you normally ride at 17, 18 , 22 or whatever MPH on the flat, you are going to be going a pretty similar pace on the ebike (with no assistance). When you hit a false flat, the ebike will slow down quicker than a lighter bike, but it doesn't take much of a gradient to bring any but the fittest of cyclists down to 15.5 mph, then you get the assistance of the motor. My Ribble weighs just on 11KG including bottle cages , pedals etc, so it's noticeably heavier to lift than a normal road bike, but you really don't feel it that much when you are riding.

I'm using the ebike to "flaltten" my effort and keep my heart rate in a rigidly controlled zone. It means I can ride the same routes I have been riding for nearly 40 years with no chance of "blowing" or risking any health issues. For old roadies with age-related or health issues they are bloody brilliant. If they allowed you to ride at 20MPH under power, they would just feel less like a normal bike as they'd blast up false flats at a ridiculous rate.

This video by Cameron Jeffers gives a pretty good overview of what an e road bike is like to ride - and, If a 15.5 MPH limited e road bike can improve his average speed for a given effort, I reckon it will do the same for most people:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNbhliPQYNE&t=...

Edited by ian996 on Sunday 18th April 18:52

[Sway]

vindaloo79 said:

Sway said:

What's the thinking for the shortlist of "entry level decent" emtbs?

Loving a return to riding via my Enigma I bought on C2W last year. Whilst I'd like to upgrade it to a custom frameset, that's not happening until shimano wireless is finally released.

Chatting with neighbour, and he's been going out with a few lads from the village (near Chichester) all on ebikes - and loving it.

However, really don't want to be spending £6k +...

There’s not much out there at the moment it seems, I kept and eye open after seeing your post.

£4K for a cube stereo hybrid 160 would seem a solid intermediate to advanced bike to me.

I would recommend the decathalon stilus 2 as the first was great at £2700. But it will be hard to obtain when it finally becomes available and not rumour and the price will be above £3k looks like.

If you can see anything with an old Bosch CX line motor second hand at the right price (saving money for a motor repair should the worst ever happen) could be a good shout.

Edit: ask the lads or your mate to let you try theirs for an hour. Then you will just buy one for £4K and be happy!

I personally like the fact that the version -1 of Bosch CX line was pretty easy to derestrict and gives it a new lease of life. 15.5mph is a bit like hitting quick sand sometimes.

Edited by vindaloo79 on Friday 16th April 12:57

Cheers for the reply.

If it helps, £4k feels about right (it'll be on C2W regardless) but £6k feels a 'leap' if you see what I mean?

Also, absolutely zero rush. Don't care if it's even this year (although I get it's rather hard to recommend bikes that don't exist yet!).

But you've given me a few things to check out - and I'm sure that'll then lead me down the path into looking at others.

[BIRMA]

Sway said:

Cheers for the reply.

If it helps, £4k feels about right (it'll be on C2W regardless) but £6k feels a 'leap' if you see what I mean?

Also, absolutely zero rush. Don't care if it's even this year (although I get it's rather hard to recommend bikes that don't exist yet!).

But you've given me a few things to check out - and I'm sure that'll then lead me down the path into looking at others.

It might be worth having a look at the Giant range of bikes, I'm just over 6 months into the ownership of a Trance +1 Pro, it has the 625 battery it was £4600 but Giant are doing no deposit 3 years interest free credit which was the big deciding factor for me. I couldn't get it any cheaper elsewhere either,I tried a couple of more expensive bikes at my local bike shop but decided I liked the Auto setting on the Giant. To this day I still just put it into the Auto setting and the bike does the rest. No problems so far with the bike either.

[Sway]

Oh, that's a dilemma...

Near 40% "tax rebate" but paid over a year (and with the final payment) or interest free for 3 years at RRP...

But cheers for the tip, I'll check the Giant's out.

[MaxFromage]

I've just bought a Giant Trance X E+ Pro 2. I figured it was needed to complement my Giant Road E+ 2 Pro, as I'm moving house and will be able to commute on the towpath Oh and there are some good bike parks nearby.

Starting at £5,199, I deduct the VAT, super capital allowance and what I'd pay on a dividend, and the reality is it's costing me £2,200. Bargain

[Sway]

That, is a masterclass in man maths!

[robsa]

Sway said:

Cheers for the reply.

If it helps, £4k feels about right (it'll be on C2W regardless) but £6k feels a 'leap' if you see what I mean?

Also, absolutely zero rush. Don't care if it's even this year (although I get it's rather hard to recommend bikes that don't exist yet!).

But you've given me a few things to check out - and I'm sure that'll then lead me down the path into looking at others.

I paid £3200 for my Cube Stereo Hybrid with 625Wh battery, it's pretty much entry level, and for me it's an excellent bike. The Shimano brakes are good, the SRAM derailleur and chain I upgraded to GX for about another £150 which was a big improvement, but I only did that as my one was damaged. Latest Bosch motor is brilliant, and the range on the 625 battery is loads for me, as I ride mainly in ECO mode.

Really can't fault it for entry level, although it doesn't have a dropper post. Other than that I love it hugely.

[Newton472]

Sway said:

What's the thinking for the shortlist of "entry level decent" emtbs?

Loving a return to riding via my Enigma I bought on C2W last year. Whilst I'd like to upgrade it to a custom frameset, that's not happening until shimano wireless is finally released.

Chatting with neighbour, and he's been going out with a few lads from the village (near Chichester) all on ebikes - and loving it.

However, really don't want to be spending £6k +...

Just done 1,000 KM on my HaiBike SDuro Hardseven 2.5 e-Hardtail bought for ~£2 grand back in Jan, no issues.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Chicken Chaser]

If you're after a "cheap" eMTB full sus, then the Decathlon Stilus which is due in June/July will likely be around £3.5k. Above that, Youve got a couple of 500wh bikes like the Orbea Wild over £4k. Cannondale Moterras seem to be still in stock around dealers in the country under £5k and Wiggle/CRC keep getting supplies of the E Sommets in at £4k and £4600. You can get email stock alerts for those.

[Barchettaman]

nickfrog said:

Dog Star said:

Cutoff at 15mph noticeable.

Isn't it hackable yet?

That Shimano motor is hackable. Tuning modules are available here in DE.

[Garemberg]

Have one of these on order via a cycle to work scheme, can't wait.

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/product/...