Electric bicycles - who buys them?

[mike9009]

fizz47 said:

So after three days on my e bike ( Giant Anytour) I have to say I’m loving it …

Around here where I live (Switzerland) there does not seem to be any flat roads so without an Ebike there is no way I would be able to cycle for more than 5 mins here ( although there are plenty who do … I’m just an unfit b@#£@)

I’ve decided I’m not going to derestrict my bike because have found the gearing isn’t suited on my bike to consistently maintain higher speeds.

Immediately outside my house I can hit approx 38 mph ( quite steep ) without even trying and that’s more than enough for me ..

I’ve test drove quite a few ebikes over the last few months and have to say am very impressed with the Giant and the Yamaha engine… didn’t expect to like it as much as I do..

Are suspension seat posts worth it? I’m just riding on the road and very causally but even then would prefer a more comfortable seat ..

I would wait a bit. When I first started cycling again (in late Nov 2021) after about 25 years of very occasional cycling, I found I really ached for the first few weeks. Then my body got used to it and maybe the saddle softened a little on my Giant Ebike (fathom). I was wearing padded shorts but I have stopped wearing them now as I have toughened up a bit....... No more aching even after a long ride.....

If you have done a few rides and still have an issue - then I would look again.....

[LeadFarmer]

PushedDover said:

Ffs

One of our Bosch chargers seems to have died….

bd bike had me rolling most of the day in ECO,

Got home after 37mi with 1 mile left in it and me !!

Edited by PushedDover on Tuesday 29th March 21:49

I too have previously suffered from range anxiety, my Bosh battery only gives me 20 miles and it's been touch and go a few times.

[LeadFarmer]

mike9009 said:

If you derestrict, what is the limiting factor? The gearing? The road conditions? Combination of both?

My max speed seems to be about 30mph which is limited by the gearing (restricted bike), and up to 35mph on a downhill stretch but my legs spin out because of the gearing, so gravity is my friend.

I can imagine if mine was derestricted I would be going at 30mph uphills too.

<Giant Fathom>

I've derestricted mine, I would say the gearing of my 11 speed is the limiting factor. I ended up putting a larger front chain ring on to give more top end speed, but at the expense of sacrificing a low gear when going up hills.

[PushedDover]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

fizz47 said:

Are suspension seat posts worth it? I’m just riding on the road and very causally but even then would prefer a more comfortable seat ..

I added a Cane Creek Thudbuster ST to mine and I think it is worth it. Obviously not as plush as a FS setup but you adjust the firmness by changing the elastomer inserts. If wanted more travel there is a bigger LT version.

One of the first 'addictions' to our HT's.
And whilst chunky, theey are a great compromise and alternate to doubling the cost to a Full Susp if not needing that dexterity.
We've the Suntour posts - although mine has developed a really annoying squeak of late. I think I need to swap the 'piston' at the top as it shows signs of wear after 3,500 miles.

[Hol]

It’s possibly an old tyre vs newer tyre design question, but is anyone else suffering more punctures than expected on the E MTB?

Compare to the tyres on my 20yo MTB, the ones on my Cube seem to be more like plastic covers than the tyres of old.

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

Hol said:

It’s possibly an old tyre vs newer tyre design question, but is anyone else suffering more punctures than expected on the E MTB?

Compare to the tyres on my 20yo MTB, the ones on my Cube seem to be more like plastic covers than the tyres of old.

Much heavier system weight so bigger risk of pinch flats and punctures. Do you run tubes + similar tyre pressure to your normal bike?

I run mine tubeless with inserts (cushcore). Never had a puncture.

[Hol]

PushedDover said:

RedWhiteMonkey said:

fizz47 said:

Are suspension seat posts worth it? I’m just riding on the road and very causally but even then would prefer a more comfortable seat ..

I added a Cane Creek Thudbuster ST to mine and I think it is worth it. Obviously not as plush as a FS setup but you adjust the firmness by changing the elastomer inserts. If wanted more travel there is a bigger LT version.

One of the first 'addictions' to our HT's.
And whilst chunky, theey are a great compromise and alternate to doubling the cost to a Full Susp if not needing that dexterity.
We've the Suntour posts - although mine has developed a really annoying squeak of late. I think I need to swap the 'piston' at the top as it shows signs of wear after 3,500 miles.

According to my purchase history, from last year, mine is a cheaper version of the Suntour.

Not as good as my old full suspension bike, but it takes the jolts out of holes and roots and for the price it was worth the gamble.

[Hol]

take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:

Hol said:

It’s possibly an old tyre vs newer tyre design question, but is anyone else suffering more punctures than expected on the E MTB?

Compare to the tyres on my 20yo MTB, the ones on my Cube seem to be more like plastic covers than the tyres of old.

Much heavier system weight so bigger risk of pinch flats and punctures. Do you run tubes + similar tyre pressure to your normal bike?

I run mine tubeless with inserts (cushcore). Never had a puncture.

Big fat tubes.


I already had the picture as I needed to remember the size to order a spare to carry around with me.

I think my rims are tubeless ready, so that might be the perfect answer.

[Petrus1983]

I’m looking to get an eBike for the first time - has VanMoof been mentioned? Any feedback? I’m looking at this one -

https://www.vanmoof.com/en-GB/s3?color=dark

[Jobbo]

Hol said:

It’s possibly an old tyre vs newer tyre design question, but is anyone else suffering more punctures than expected on the E MTB?

Compare to the tyres on my 20yo MTB, the ones on my Cube seem to be more like plastic covers than the tyres of old.

I had a good few punctures on my eMTB in the first year, having had virtually none in 10 years on my previous hard-tail hybrid MTB. Partly that was down to riding over any surface type feeling invincible, and almost entirely it was thorns or similar in the tyres. I bought the bits I need to go tubeless but haven't done so yet because I've been less careless about riding down bridleways straight after the hedges have been trimmed, so I've not been suffering since.

Not had any pinch flats at all.

[Hol]

Jobbo said:

Hol said:

It’s possibly an old tyre vs newer tyre design question, but is anyone else suffering more punctures than expected on the E MTB?

Compare to the tyres on my 20yo MTB, the ones on my Cube seem to be more like plastic covers than the tyres of old.

I had a good few punctures on my eMTB in the first year, having had virtually none in 10 years on my previous hard-tail hybrid MTB. Partly that was down to riding over any surface type feeling invincible, and almost entirely it was thorns or similar in the tyres. I bought the bits I need to go tubeless but haven't done so yet because I've been less careless about riding down bridleways straight after the hedges have been trimmed, so I've not been suffering since.

Not had any pinch flats at all.

Two of my three were thorns as well.

[gangzoom]

Petrus1983 said:

I’m looking to get an eBike for the first time - has VanMoof been mentioned? Any feedback? I’m looking at this one -

https://www.vanmoof.com/en-GB/s3?color=dark

They look fine, and review seem good. However I personally have find it spend money on bike where the company uses PR material that has the saddle height LOWER than the handle bars and don't even bother to line up the pedals, even Halfords knows that just isn't acceptable....I mean us electric bike riders gets enough mocking from 'real' cyclists, to get a bike from a company that clearly doesn't take bike photography seriously is just a step too far .

[Chromegrill]

Two years since I moved to electric, very happy with the result. In my case I had a well liked but rather too heavy steel tourer so I fitted a 250W front wheel hub conversion kit. Very easy to fit, went for front hub as it makes for an easy conversion and I have rear hub gears. Only compromise was that I couldn't run lights off the kit but not a biggie as I already had a bottle dynamo set up. Unusually for hub motors, I have a torque sensor pedal arrangement rather than cadence sensor and though it's a bit more expensive it feels so much more natural than cadence sensor. Best described as though cycling along the flat is like a gentle downhill slope with the wind behind you, whilst going up hills is like cycling on the flat with the wind hitting you.

I had to upgrade the front rim brakes to disks as the kit added around 8kg to the bike's mass, but that was the only other change needed. It transformed the handling, from slow lumberer to rapid acceleration up to max speed before cutout at 25kph. As the pedals aren't connected to the motor there's no sudden increase in tension or the feeling of pedalling through treacle when the motor cuts out, the main benefits from electrifying the bike have been the rapid acceleration from standstill and the assistance up hills that allow me to keep going at nearly the same speed as being on the flat.

All for a third of the cost of an off the shelf ebike of similar specification.

[Petrus1983]

gangzoom said:

Petrus1983 said:

I’m looking to get an eBike for the first time - has VanMoof been mentioned? Any feedback? I’m looking at this one -

https://www.vanmoof.com/en-GB/s3?color=dark

They look fine, and review seem good. However I personally have find it spend money on bike where the company uses PR material that has the saddle height LOWER than the handle bars and don't even bother to line up the pedals, even Halfords knows that just isn't acceptable....I mean us electric bike riders gets enough mocking from 'real' cyclists, to get a bike from a company that clearly doesn't take bike photography seriously is just a step too far .

shows my ignorance! My current bike is a Boardman which I do like a lot - but going down the electric route am looking for something different. I need a kinda healthy range and not a tardy top speed - main issue is 12 miles a day but very hilly.

[simonrockman]

I rode the Vanmoof electric at the cycle show last week and really liked it. I've a Furo systems electric and don't get on with it. It's going on eBay soon.

[Big Pants]

Petrus1983 said:

gangzoom said:

Petrus1983 said:

I’m looking to get an eBike for the first time - has VanMoof been mentioned? Any feedback? I’m looking at this one -

https://www.vanmoof.com/en-GB/s3?color=dark

They look fine, and review seem good. However I personally have find it spend money on bike where the company uses PR material that has the saddle height LOWER than the handle bars and don't even bother to line up the pedals, even Halfords knows that just isn't acceptable....I mean us electric bike riders gets enough mocking from 'real' cyclists, to get a bike from a company that clearly doesn't take bike photography seriously is just a step too far .

shows my ignorance! My current bike is a Boardman which I do like a lot - but going down the electric route am looking for something different. I need a kinda healthy range and not a tardy top speed - main issue is 12 miles a day but very hilly.

I had a VanMoof S3 - ordered Spring 2020. Delivered Oct 2020.

Loved it (when it worked). It was an absolute blast, particularly the Boost button, but plagued with software errors that just kept on coming. And it's a heavy old piece of scrap iron to pedal unpowered when it suddenly decides to shut down. I returned mine on day 14 and got a full refund without quibble.

They may have become more reliable since. I still keep an occasional eye on the Facebook group, which is full of Fanboys shouting down people that complain but also has some useful insight. I'd be concerned about VM throttling the top speed via the Firmware, which keeps things legal but less fun, insofar as the extra 5mph the US setting gave was the difference between "reasonable" and "slow".

Looks amazing, but if I was in the market again I'd probably look elsewhere.

[mike9009]

Petrus1983 said:

shows my ignorance! My current bike is a Boardman which I do like a lot - but going down the electric route am looking for something different. I need a kinda healthy range and not a tardy top speed - main issue is 12 miles a day but very hilly.

I do a hilly 26 miles on my Giant Fathom (with commuter tyres). It has been 100% reliable, is comfortable and I will use approx 50% of the battery on that commute. One way fastest time is 41 minutes but typically I take 46 minutes.

A also have a Boardman hybrid, but my issue was availability when it came to buying an electric bike.

Giant do a range of electric bikes, which I would now recommend.

[Slyjoe]

Chromegrill said:

Two years since I moved to electric, very happy with the result.

All for a third of the cost of an off the shelf ebike of similar specification.

Do you mind sharing which kit you bought please.

[Wish]

I nearly purchased a Vanmoof. That was until I joined the Facebook owners page.


Wow there are a lot of issues with the bike, and after sales is no existent.

[GSE]

I did a ride to Brighton on my Orbea Gain on Wednesday:





I was fully loaded with a backpack.

The strategy to deal with the elevation gain and maximise the range was to leave the assistance on minimum, and only switch it to max for the biggest hills.

Great ride, e-bikes are just brilliant!

I just made it into Brighton before the battery was out!