Electric bicycles - who buys them?

[macp]

Just gone electric and stumped up for a Tern HSD S8i. I was commuting 3 or 4 days a week on a non electric Brompton and using my car when I couldnt be bothered. So my daughter needed transport and I enjoy my cycling so I gave her my car and looked for something on two wheels to replace it. As it was going to be my only transport I decided on an ebike. This just fitted my needs like a glove and is such an excellent ride. Really well balanced and comfortable.

Edited by macp on Wednesday 12th May 20:28

[RizzoTheRat]

tapandunwrap said:

I'm after a commuter ebike - a hybrid? - something to make commuting a breeze around the city.

After something small, with a bit of luggage space. Any good suggestions?

Am I mad to consider a vanmoof x3? it looks very close to what I *think* i'm looking for - hassle free commuting.

I want to like Van Moof but the looks are very marmite and really don't do it for me. I had to move one to get my bike out of the work bike shed the other day and the alarm system seems pretty effective.

Gazelle, Batvus and Cortina seem to be about the most common brands around here, not sure if you see them un the UK much though.

For a daily commuter I'd be looking for belt drive and hub gears to save on maintenance.

[gangzoom]

tapandunwrap said:

it's hub not mid-drive which most of the bikes I've seen mentioned here before are.

My Boardman commuter is a mid-drive, and though I do like it and use it alot its current back in the workshop again for noises from the BB. The Fazua BB has already been replace once and I think it now needs another, I've had issues with motor too, all in 3000 miles - still on original tires/chain/cassette. So the weak link is very much the mid drive motor unit.

Given the choice again I would go with hub drive for commuter duties, though I have also had to have the rear hub rebuilt on the Boardman after hitting a pothole in the dark!! So a knackered rear hub on a hub drive motor is not easy.

I've never commuted on a pedal bike before, and now I understand why people say the commuter bike is the one that gets the hardest work out!!

What ever you buy make sure you can access support if/when you need it, and have a second bike to cover days when the eBike is been fixed. Riding my road bike to work is more fun, but it'll fall apart even quicker than the eBike if I used it every day in rain/hail/mud etc like I do the eBike.

Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 13th May 12:26

[BIRMA]

m_cozzy said:

Bathroom_Security said:

Supposedly announcing the new Kenevo SL tomorrow although theres speculation it maybe more of an Enduro SL

Been holding off a Stumpy Evo frame purchase to see what comes of it

No doubt it'll be prohibitively expensive

Yeah screw lightweight & weak motors. I prefer them heavy(25kg) & powerful(90nm). You are right though, it will be pricey whatever it is.

I agree with you, I like that sort of power for going uphill and can live with being a bit slower/safer on the downhill sections.

Edited by BIRMA on Thursday 13th May 13:22

[Barchettaman]

macp said:

Just gone electric and stumped up for a Tern HSD S8i. I was commuting 3 or 4 days a week on a non electric Brompton and using my car when I couldnt be bothered. So my daughter needed transport and I enjoy my cycling so I gave her my car and looked for something on two wheels to replace it. As it was going to be my only transport I decided on an ebike. This just fitted my needs like a glove and is such an excellent ride. Really well balanced and comfortable.

That looks a really decent urban option.

The Bosch motor should be reliable. Ours have been.

[Newton472]

How many miles are people getting out of cassettes and other consumables ?

I'm just coming up to 2,000 km and am getting some occasional skipping in the highest gear (smallest cog).

Everything else working perfectly.

[Bathroom_Security]

https://m.pinkbike.com/news/first-ride-2022-specia...

Kenevo SL. Pricing as expected

8 or 9k for an expert factory spec. S Works pricing is... Well... s works.

I dont want one that bad, shame really.

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

Bathroom_Security said:

https://m.pinkbike.com/news/first-ride-2022-specia...

Kenevo SL. Pricing as expected

8 or 9k for an expert factory spec. S Works pricing is... Well... s works.

I dont want one that bad, shame really.

Compared the older kenevo that's not actually a bad price. Carbon frame top end group-set with axs.

My kenevo - bought last year - is ally frame and low to mid end kit. That was 7k.

That said, I'm not sure where athe new one actually sits. It seems to massively overlap with the levo. Mine has boxxer, coil shock and a 700wh battery - it makes no pretence to be anything other than a DH bike with a built in uplift...one that will also do 50k xc.

No way I'd buy that over mine or a levo... Seems the worst of both worlds.

[Barchettaman]

Newton472 said:

How many miles are people getting out of cassettes and other consumables ?

I'm just coming up to 2,000 km and am getting some occasional skipping in the highest gear (smallest cog).

Everything else working perfectly.

I swap everything out- cassette, chain, chainring- at about 3.5k km.

If the smallest sprocket is skipping then adjust the limit screw so it’s inaccessible, maybe?

[macp]

Barchettaman said:

That looks a really decent urban option.

The Bosch motor should be reliable. Ours have been.

Yes its a superb piece of kit almost like a motorcycle. It has an 8 speed internal hub and carbon drive. Its actually given me back my enjoyment of cycling. It has the Bosch Active Plus motor which is almost silent in operation.

Very pleased with it. May get the GSD next.

[tapandunwrap]

Yikes £4k. that's massive money, no? or am I missing the point?

[mikeiow]

tapandunwrap said:

Yikes £4k. that's massive money, no? or am I missing the point?

£4k?
Bargain!

How about £12½k?

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Kenevo-SL-S-W...

Saw this earlier....that's more than most people's first, second and third cars

With most tech, the prices come down over time.....eBikes appear to be the exception to this rule....go figure!

[Brainpox]

mikeiow said:

With most tech, the prices come down over time.....eBikes appear to be the exception to this rule....go figure!

eBikes need to be seen to hit their peak first. When people realise you don't need 200Nm of assist or 200mm travel to ride the local trail centre, prices might start to come down.

See smart phones. When the iPhone hit £1000 it looked utterly ridiculous. It's pretty much sat there since.

[Fundoreen]

Brainpox said:

mikeiow said:

With most tech, the prices come down over time.....eBikes appear to be the exception to this rule....go figure!

eBikes need to be seen to hit their peak first. When people realise you don't need 200Nm of assist or 200mm travel to ride the local trail centre, prices might start to come down.

See smart phones. When the iPhone hit £1000 it looked utterly ridiculous. It's pretty much sat there since.

True but a lot of phones that do pretty much everything an apple does are £200.
In a few years we may see sanity in the Ebike market by which time I will be old enough to need one. Just wont be able to absorb the crash so well sadly.

[Barchettaman]

tapandunwrap said:

Yikes £4k. that's massive money, no? or am I missing the point?

They can be a big outlay new.

That Tern is quite fancy with the gates belt drive and IGH hub.

My wife’s commuter hybrid, with Bosch motor, lights, rack, mudguards etc was €1990 from Decathlon. That’s now at 9000km and has been trouble free.

I got my Cube e-Hybrid with 1500km on it for €900, which wasn’t too bad. Now at 9500km.




There’s no real reason to have an expensive drivetrain in these things unless you’re doing some serious off road climbing and need a super low range.

Ours are both 9 speed and that’s more than enough!

[Newton472]

Given the battery is probably around £800 or so I’d not spend less that two grand on an ebike as I wouldn’t spend less than a grand on a non ebike - otherwise you start sacrificing on cheaper components.

[LeadFarmer]

tapandunwrap said:

I'm after a commuter ebike - a hybrid? - something to make commuting a breeze around the city.

How about an electric mountain bike, but a rear rack on and a rack bag, swap the knobblies for road biased tyres and you have the best of both worlds. A bike suitable for commuting, and by swapping the tyres back over you can go mountain biking. That's what I do.

[LeadFarmer]

Newton472 said:

How many miles are people getting out of cassettes and other consumables ?

I'm just coming up to 2,000 km and am getting some occasional skipping in the highest gear (smallest cog).

Everything else working perfectly.

I commute every day and get through chains fairly quickly on my mid drive Cube eMTB, maybe 3 per year. I can't afford to replace the cassette each time I swap the chain as folk suggest should be done, as that would cost £100 every 4 months. I keep an eye on the chain for wear and try to swap before its worn.

[PomBstard]

One of the things I've started to notice is how emtbs are changing some of the dynamics of my local trail, and how people interact.

On tricky sections that are uphill or flat, it used to be that riders might catch up a slower rider but there wouldn't really be too many, and they would be strung out a little. If you couldn't get past, you waited until the slower rider pulled over, or you got the end of the section - nothing's much longer than 2-300m.

Now, emtbs catch other riders quite easily, and its not rare for a bunch to catch up and expect to be let past. I'm pretty good on this track, up and down, so its a bit of a surprise to find 5 riders tailing me up a twisty bit of singletrack, with the occasional shout to get past. I'm sure slower riders would find it more than a little intimidating.

I know, there's crap in all walks of life, but I think the potential speed difference means there's less inhibition about trying to barge past. Also, at the crest where many might be just catching their breath and not necessarily keeping the pace going.

And its also annoying to be held up by an emtb going downhill because the rider doesn't want to put in any extra effort, only for them to boot it off into the distance as soon as the trail levels out.

This has nothing to do with the ability of emtbs per se, more the attitude of some who can now go around the trail quicker than they were ever able, and want to do so more often, usually wearing a full face helmet and padding. Its a bit more than just the Strava Hero who needs to get that KOM, but needs to do so at 10am on a warm Sunday morning when the trail is busy.

I hope trail etiquette doesn't get lost entirely, and we all remember to look out for each other.

[Jobbo]

I have not really used the EMTB mode on my bike because I just choose the assist (Turbo in advance before a steep climb, for instance). But yesterday I was climbing a stony, muddy, long, steep, wet hill and my rear wheel kept spinning in Turbo. So I knocked it back to EMTB and discovered it acts like traction control; it gave me all the assistance I wanted when there was grip but it cut assistance when the wheel spun up. Uncanny, probably not Bosch’s intention, but highly effective.