Advice sought for new eBike

[ride_dem_hills]

Hello Pedelecs Community,

I'm after some advice on buying an e-bike, I hope you can help! I'm starting a new job soon and looking to ride into work. The commute is ~20-mile round trip. Mostly rural roads with a small patch of poorly-maintained track. There's a strong-ish headwind most days (on the way in). As I approach town, there will be ~3 miles of well-maintained cycle path.

I'd like to tick as many of these boxes as possible:

1. Frame: Road or MTX, but has to be reasonably strong; there are a few patches of bumpy track on the commute.

2. Battery: Removable so it can be charged by my desk at work.

3. Top Speed: Variable. And this is a big factor for me. Why I want variable top speed: My commute starts out very rural; as in, I can bike 4-5 miles and not see anyone; it seems ridiculous to me that I can't go a little faster than 15mph in these conditions. It's for this section of the journey that I would like to be able to 'derestrict' the bike. I don't want to be doing stuipid speeds (i.e. I'm not interested in going 25mph+) but I would like to get up to 18-22mph; basically the same speed as I could reach with my own legs if I was out for a 'serious' ride, and not commuting to work. Once I approach civilization, I would like to take it back to the 15.5mph limit; I'm not interested in tearing along busy cycle paths at 22mph. I guess my question is: can you buy a bike that can be restricted/de-restricted at the flick of a switch?

4: Range: At least 15 miles. Given #3, I realise that a greater level of assist will use more power. I would like a bike that could get me 15 miles on a single charge, taking into account part of my journey (4 miles or so) will be at 18-21mph. I can then charge while at work if required.

5. Cargo: Space for a rear-mounted rack for my Ortliebs.

6. Price: Happy to spend up to £2000, but would rather be nearer the £1500-mark, if possible.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[RobF]

A 2019 Bosch crank drive bike - one with the small front ring - can be derestricted by means of a dongle.

The 2020 bikes supposedly have anti-dongle software, but that may not matter because most of those will be outside your budget.

This hybrid from Tredz would do the job.

It has the smaller 400wh battery, which is why it's relatively cheap.

You ought to get a 20 mile round trip out of it, even at speed.

There may be others on the site which would suit.

Lapierre Overvolt Explorer 600 400Wh 2019 - Out of Stock | Tredz Bikes

Lapierre Overvolt Explorer 600 400Wh 2019 - Electric Hybrid Bike. Out of Stock. All Electric bikes are delivered free to the UK mainland, 365 day returns & Price Match.

www.tredz.co.uk

 

[Woosh]

your commute can be done by a number of well proven bikes, such as the Oxygen SCROSS:

S-Cross CB MK II | Unleash Adventure with Electric Bicycles

S-Cross CB MK II | Embark on an electrifying journey with the S-Cross CB MKII. Discover innovation, performance, and style in our collection.

www.oxygenbicycles.com

or the Woosh Camino:

Camino MTB electric bicycle from Woosh

The Woosh Camino, a very sturdy electric bike with hydraulic brakes 36V 15/17AH battery from Woosh. Price range: �£1049-�£1119.

wooshbikes.co.uk

The two bikes above have cadence sensor and rear geared hub motors. They are much more suited to commuting than the traditional crank drive, cheaper to buy, less maintenance, less demanding effort on hills, no need to change gears etc.
You can charge the battery on the bike or off the bike with those two.

if you carry stuff, a front suspension will be kinder to your bike.
Do bear in mind that if you derestrict your bike, it remains illegal even though you respect the legal speed limit in presence of other fellow riders or cars.

 

[Warwick]

Definitely go for a mid-drive machine would be my advice. I've had front-hub-driven, rear-hub-driven and mid-driven bikes, and the latter is by far the best.

I can't speak for other makes, but the Bosch system on the two bikes I currently have is excellent. A Badass dongle will allow you to derestrict it, but budget for that, as it isn't cheap. It isn't switchable, however, but you can just turn down the power.

A Powerpack 500 battery should easily do your return journey and a bit more, so no need to charge at work. A 400Wh battery would probably also manage.

One make that doesn't get much publicity, but is of excellent quality is Ortler. This would fit your budget: https://www.bikester.co.uk/ortler-bozen-performance-black-matt-1113170.html and leave money to get a Badass dongle and still have change from £2000. AFAIK, there isn't anywhere to try them out though. One more popular brand is Cube, and this might fit your bill: https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/brands/cube/cube-nature-hybrid-one-400-allroad-mens-electric-bike-2020-iridium-blue

You're familiar with Ortliebs, so know about quality. I have both of those brands and the quality is excellent on both machines.

One caveat, is that Bosch batteries and chargers are very expensive, but they are reliable.

 

[Woosh]

@Warwick

how many miles did you do with your Oxygen compared to your Bosch Ortler?

 

[Warwick]

Both in the thousands. Your point being...?

 

[Woosh]

Both in the thousands. Your point being...?

I am interested in real life experience.
the general view is geared hub bikes are more suitable for commuting. You've reported regularly on your own experience over about 4 years on 3 different bikes.
I thought you can offer a very good account of acquisition and running costs.
Bluenoes had also done about 4 years on 3 bikes, all hub bikes. The first had direct drive motor, the second and third are Oxygen SCross.
I am surprised that you voted for crank drive.

 

[Warwick]

The Ortler is a very good commuter. It's hub-geared, so no derailleur to worry about and has a simple twist-grip gear change. It even has 3 brakes! The gearing ratio is easily tweaked by changing rear sprockets that cost £3 and maybe a new chain costing £5. If I had one less positive thing to say it would only be that the battery is 300Wh and replacements are very dear. In cold weather with the Badass dongle the range comes down to <30 miles. However, in the summer, I've done my 10-mile commute on it at an average speed of 18.4 MPH early in the morning when traffic has been quiet.

All in all, including conversions, I've ridden and owned 7 ebikes since 2015. The sophistication of the Ortler's drive system is apparent as soon as you get on it. The torque sensing set up allows power to kick in immediately, which is very useful in town. Add that to the ability to change gear when stationary and it's a very adept commuter, but one that can also hold its own on country roads. My commute covers town riding, cyclepaths, country roads and bridleways.

I was very happy with the Oxygen. I don't know about modern machines of theirs, but they were easy & free to derestrict. It served me well, but, even so, I wouldn't go back to a hub-driven bike now I've used a mid-drive system like the Bosch, particularly a front hub drive.

The Cube I have just acquired - although it has been extremely well maintained - has done nearly 3000 miles, but feels and looks like a new bike. In my opinion, the extra expense >£1500 is money well spent.

Regarding upkeep, the Oxygen was quite costly to keep in tip-top condition, because it has a derailleur drivetrain. Replacing that cost quite a lot of money, but was necessary as my commute includes some muddy stretches this time of year and that took its toll. The Ortler hasn't done as many miles, but all I've done is clean the wider chain as regularly as I cleaned the Oxygen's; i.e. every week or so in the winter, fortnightly otherwise. I expect the Cube to be as needy as the Oxygen and more expensive, as it has a 10-speed set up. If someone made a bike with a Shimano Alfine 11-speed hub gear, I'd consider that instead. A Rohloff would probably be out of my price range.

 

[Woosh]

very interesting and insightful summary. Thank you warwick.
I think another member has clocked up 14,000 miles with his Bosch based bike.
Would you be able to work out a rough total ownership cost per mile?