Another electric bike question

[leyorkie]

What size?
There are bikes around if yo know where to look.

Edited by leyorkie on Sunday 7th March 10:02

[ian996]

Northernboy said:

The Ribble that looks good has a three month lead time, so I’ll get something off eBay for now, and make sure I do actually use it. I can sell it on when the new one arrives.

I can confirm that the Ribble Endurance SLE is VERY good - keep an eye on the Outlet page on their site - I managed to pick up an ex-display model a couple of weeks ago. There were about 3 or 4 Endurance SLE at one point which unfortunately have all sold now, but I didn't see any of the CGR models, so maybe a batch of those will come up ex-display at some point.

I did have a slight concern about whether the battery on an ex-display (or ebay...I considered that too! ) bike might not have been maintained properly but the capacity on mine seems great and well in excess of anything that I am likely to need on any given ride. It will probably degrade a little bit earlier than a brand new battery with more recent cells, but I don't think its going to be a real-world issue for me.

[Northernboy]

leyorkie said:

What size?
There are bikes around if yo know where to look.

Edited by leyorkie on Sunday 7th March 10:02

Large. I’d be happier buying a discounted new one or ex-display than getting one from eBay. A fair few of the prices on there seem a little optimistic.

[gangzoom]

Trek Domane LT+ in 58 is stock according to their website, £5k though.....Not that I've been looking

https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/road-bike...

[nyt]

Have you got somewhere safe to leave it? I'd worry about a £3k bike parked in London? I had my bike stolen while secured with a high end lock. Thieves with battery grinders seem impossible to guard against.
If you haven't then a folding ebike might be the only option.

When your in london, I'd visit: https://www.fullycharged.com/ and https://www.vanmoof.com/en-GB/stores/london. I think that both do test rides.

[Northernboy]

nyt said:

Have you got somewhere safe to leave it? I'd worry about a £3k bike parked in London? I had my bike stolen while secured with a high end lock. Thieves with battery grinders seem impossible to guard against.
If you haven't then a folding ebike might be the only option.

When your in london, I'd visit: https://www.fullycharged.com/ and https://www.vanmoof.com/en-GB/stores/london. I think that both do test rides.

Yes, fortunately. It’ll be in my very secure garage at home, and in the office at the other end, so it should never need to live out in the street.

[MaxFromage]

Northernboy said:

Where are they reduced like that? I may prefer not to fanny about waiting and eBaying if there’s a bargain to be had.

A few places. I used Rutland Cycles

[Ungarsee]

Northernboy said:

Thanks. Was that from a bike shop, or eBay?

It was off a guy on the GoCycle Facebook Group. They typically sell on eBay for around £1,800 to £2,000. Each one has an individual frame number so you can check with GoCycle if it’s been recorded as stolen before you buy.

[Northernboy]

I picked up a new BMW Urban e-bike off eBay.

It was £1,750, which is a bit of a discount, and will do while I see if I’m going to actually make use of it

If I do I’ll order something better (and lighter) and sell this one on.

It’s 18kg, which isn’t too heavy for these things, but it feels like it weighs a ton.

[gangzoom]

Northernboy said:

It’s 18kg, which isn’t too heavy for these things, but it feels like it weighs a ton.

Don't worry about the weight, you are getting 250watts+ extra power for the additional 10kg weight gain over a 8kg road bike - so 25watts/kg gain, far more than any training will get you .

Hope you get to use it, todays commute into work is why I love the eBike. Lovely weather, but actually quite a stiff headwind all the way into work, on a normal bike it would have been a pain, but the eBike means you can enjoy the ride and arrive at work not looking like a sweaty mess!

[Northernboy]

gangzoom said:

Don't worry about the weight, you are getting 250watts+ extra power for the additional 10kg weight gain over a 8kg road bike - so 25watts/kg gain, far more than any training will get you .

Hope you get to use it, todays commute into work is why I love the eBike. Lovely weather, but actually quite a stiff headwind all the way into work, on a normal bike it would have been a pain, but the eBike means you can enjoy the ride and arrive at work not looking like a sweaty mess!

I’ve been out and about just getting used to it. The brakes are a bit spongy, so I’ll have a look at them, and I need to get some (larger) kit to make it comfortable. It feels like being a child again, using the bike for going out to have a play.

The wind went right through my top, and my hands were frozen, so I’ll want to dress a bit more sensibly and / or start the longer rides once it turns a bit milder.