Availability of electric bike parts in the UK

[lone_ranger]

Crikey Mike, didn't mean that at all, I also think I'm due an apology to forum members on this thread discussing power...I think I might have crashed their thread, total bad form in forum etiquete as was any impression you may have received about me being judgemental. No offence was ever intended.
Well done you on your purchase - if you are half as scared as me you've done a really brilliant thing. More nice days for pedalling that's what I vote for!
Rx

 

[Croxden]

Would the car drivers like to forgo their power steering or brakes? That's 'cheating' too.

 

[lone_ranger]

As I suspect they don't know what they are...I'm not sure that's a valid argument. The majority of car drivers in my neck of the woods haven't even figured out what indicators are for...I wouldn't necessarily credit them with the inteligence of knowing what or how either power steering or ABS brakes either do or work!
Rx

 

[danielrlee]

I'm on a catch 22 with this one.
The horrible road I ride is well worn by super quick racers in lycra. Therefore they have paved my path. Car drivers are at least aware of the possibilty of cyclists if not very sympathetic. I got a toot and a wave today, from 2 young 20 year olds in a Merc (can't imagine they're local unless they're drug dealers) at the back of a (whole 4 car queue) as I made hard work of a hill, but I assume they saluted me pulling in to let the cars past - I can't imagine they fancied me, I'm a cougar with a puce face and a fat arse!
I reckon I still hold the moral high ground...at least I'm not damaging the roads as much as their car is! Eddie, i'm afraid I still feel as though I'm cheating, those lycra clad guys don't want to make friends with me any time soon, and the car drivers aren't really convinced either,
Rx

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over this. Lycra clad individuals with superiority complexes are dicks and who wants a dick for a friend? I just watch them get angry at me while I maintain 20mph+ speeds up the hill they are comparing penis sizes over.

 

[lone_ranger]

Daniel - you're my hero. When I make anything like 20mph I will post!!! ( I did close-ish today, but it was downhill with a following wind and electric assist so I take no credit). But I do have a small smile, song in my heart, and positivity to try again
Yes, buying in the UK is expensive...but, I think worth it, that's why I did it. Many feet, bottoms and pedals make for a less expensive NHS, happier folks, and erm maybe a better community?
The more we do it, the better we get - practice makes perfect (and boy do I have a lot of practicing to do!)
Please ride safe all of you,
Rx

 

[danielrlee]

Daniel - you're my hero. When I make anything like 20mph I will post!!! ( I did close-ish today, but it was downhill with a following wind and electric assist so I take no credit). But I do have a small smile, song in my heart, and positivity to try again
Yes, buying in the UK is expensive...but, I think worth it, that's why I did it. Many feet, bottoms and pedals make for a less expensive NHS, happier folks, and erm maybe a better community?
The more we do it, the better we get - practice makes perfect (and boy do I have a lot of practicing to do!)
Please ride safe all of you,
Rx

Simply swapping/modifying your existing battery, will give you those sort of speeds. The truth is that electric vehicles are ridiculously simple machines when compared to the internal combustion engine in your average motor vehicle. Once you understand electric bikes, you're pretty much ready to jump to most other forms of electric transport - they really don't differ that much.

 

[lone_ranger]

Simply swapping/modifying your existing battery, will give you those sort of speeds. The truth is that electric vehicles are ridiculously simple machines when compared to the internal combustion engine in your average motor vehicle. Once you understand electric bikes, you're pretty much ready to jump to most other forms of electric transport - they really don't differ that much.

Hee hee hee I think the problem is my legs and lungs, not the elecric battery but I take your point. I aspire (actually I''m not sure about that- 15mph on very skinny tyres was quite an experience...I think maybe "I'll build up to that" rather than be overly bold.)

 

[danielrlee]

Hee hee hee I think the problem is my legs and lungs, not the elecric battery but I take your point. I aspire (actually I''m not sure about that- 15mph on very skinny tyres was quite an experience...I think maybe "I'll build up to that" rather than be overly bold.)

Oh, okay. If it makes you feel any better, it involves very little effort from me. I'm on really fat tyres and my bike pulls me along at a precisely 28mph on the flat with no pedaling. Uphill, I'm probably only adding a couple of mph with my own effort. I've done 35mph+ downhill though and that's pretty scary. Google 'liveforphysics deathbike' and you'll see what truly terrifying is.

 

[lone_ranger]

Perhaps I should have said, I'd been practicing on an "analogue" ( no electric assist) bicycle with 20 inch mountain bike tyres, on cycle paths only. The new bike has thinner (narrower?) 26 inch wheels. It doesn't steer more quickly, but it's erm, different to the previous.
I'm sure there are many people who are much more competent with 26 inch wheels on this site

 

[lone_ranger]

nope, no deal, erm Isle of Mann TT pretty much sums up terrifying for me!!! Over 100mph with barbed wire fences, yikes! Cheesewire springs to mind, with sliced people. Ok that's way too scary for a Sunday night, I absolutely don't want anyone to have nightmares. I'm happy a rode a bicycle today and made some new friends I hope (Blimey what kind of a battery do you have -no no no don't actually tell me...I am hoping to become fitter but well done you Rx)

 

[danielrlee]

Perhaps I should have said, I'd been practicing on an "analogue" ( no electric assist) bicycle with 20 inch mountain bike tyres, on cycle paths only. The new bike has thinner (narrower?) 26 inch wheels. It doesn't steer more quickly, but it's erm, different to the previous.
I'm sure there are many people who are much more competent with 26 inch wheels on this site

Well, as you see, I'm certainly no hero - I'm told I'm a 'cheat', haha! Don't be so hard on yourself. Whenever I ride unassisted, I turn into a quivering wreck within minutes. If you really are as unfit as you make out (and I'm sure you're not), a sustained 15mph is bloody marvellous. I can only add a couple of mph to that and I'm a skinny 33 year old.

 

[danielrlee]

nope, no deal, erm Isle of Mann TT pretty much sums up terrifying for me!!! Over 100mph with barbed wire fences, yikes! Cheesewire springs to mind, with sliced people. Ok that's way too scary for a Sunday night, I absolutely don't want anyone to have nightmares. I'm happy a rode a bicycle today and made some new friends I hope (Blimey what kind of a battery do you have -no no no don't actually tell me...I am hoping to become fitter but well done you Rx)

Well okay, I can't argue with you there, but bare in mind I've seen videos of him riding that thing in shorts, a t-shirt and no helmet.

I'm using high powered batteries that usually power little radio controlled models. They can be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands and are potentially a huge fire risk, but you can do these sorts of speeds with much safer battery technologies. I'll stop trying to tempt you there, but if you ever need any additional info about any e-bike related wizardry, don't hesitate to ask.

Right, we really ARE off-topic now (but it's my thread, so it's allowed ).

 

[flecc]

When I make anything like 20mph I will post!!!

We've got an unofficial "50mph Club" in the forum for those who've exceeded it downhill, so there's a target for you!

Link 1

Link 2

 

[lone_ranger]

Been reading this post with interest and I have to say now it clearly looks (shame to say) that us, we are too stingy to pay a slightly higher price to a UK supplier when it comes to buying a components for e-bikes. Trying to save few pence and probably thinking that
- ohhh maybe I'm not get get caught with duty and VAT upon arrival
- ohhh maybe the plane won't burn if my li-po catches fire.
- ohhh maybe shipping won't cost that much
- ohh maybe I won't get screwed by the Chinese when my parts don't work
- ohh maybe I won't have to wait for 5 weeks to get my parts

As far as I know loads of members have been sourcing bits and pieces from Chinese vendors such as BMSbattery etc but our UK sellers seems to struggle selling the parts at almost the Chinese prices.

great example of Dave who sourced some great products from China and selling them at pretty much at the purchase cost after paying shipping and duty. Selling on the average one motor per month.

So to anyone thinking of selling a components you can only do it as operating from a bedroom and surely not as a full time job

all the best

Andrew

Andrew you are so right. As concumers, reallistically you have to look at who would fulfill warranty. Tesco will, Aldi will. (But they will make whoever supplied them their good pay, and at their cost.) Which online electric bicycle sellers will? I wish to the end of the earth the UK was better at electric bicycles, however as we have Jeremy Clarkson getting paid stupid money by car manufacturers to finance his lifestyle, we've our work cut out to get even a level playing field.

 

[lone_ranger]

Eddie, your post had me smiling all the way through. My standard response at that point is "Cheating?... But I'm commuting, not competing. If you don't want to get to your destination in less time, at a fraction of the cost [of a car or public transport] and with so much more fun, you're the only one getting cheated." To date, nobody has had a meaningful response.

Oh I've been the subject of ridicule all week for buying a bike which is a 'cheater' mostly by people who don't know what a bicycle is, let alone an electric one.
Until we have a massive change in popular TV soap opera's portrail of motorcyclists/cyclists/anyone who isn't driving a car, lets face it the character they portray will die due to a road accident. Most folk don't even know what a motorbike/electric bike/bicycle is, we appear to be lentil eating hippies that don't pay tax. I rate lentils,but I don't eat them, and proportionatley I pay more tax than big earners as I don't have a tame accountant. Down with Jeremy Clarkson I say, he is not representative of the people using our roads.

 

[flecc]

Down with Jeremy Clarkson I say, he is not representative of the people using our roads.

Sadly I'm not so sure that is right. The fawning crowd that stand around him in the Top Gear studio are all today's drivers and there are large numbers of others who would gladly take his place behind the wheel of the exotixa he tests.

The UK's population is largely a car obsessed culture, as evidenced by those currently who admit to cutting down on food rather than on driving.

 

[lone_ranger]

Guys, and I think you are as I'm not spotting too many females on this site, but it'd fair to say I'm new to the site, and not very good at looking in the right place.

I do also ride a motorcycle, it would be in denial of the truth if I did not tell you this. However, my opinion of motorcycle designers/corporate motorcycle companies has wained, as they make bikes which can easily fail inside 40k miles. Not a number cyclists embrace, but dissapointung if you've spent several thousand pounds from new.

Sadly I'm not so sure that is right. The fawning crowd that stand around him in the Top Gear studio are all today's drivers and there are large numbers of others who would gladly take his place behind the wheel of the exotixa he tests.

The UK's population is largely a car obsessed culture, as evidenced by those currently who admit to cutting down on food rather than on driving.

Flecc, I agree with you, we seem to be living in a car obsessed culture, and for me, I'm not convinced that it's healthy - either in a moral or environmental way. Shame there isn't a 'personality' as widely followed as Clarkson for other transport options, be whatever they may be - rail, bus, bicycle you get the idea.

 

[flecc]

True, there's nobody of stature. I had hoped that Will Hoy's popularity after his success in the cycling arenas might have the lasting effect of him being an ongoing personality. Likewise out two Tour de France winners, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome. Sadly they've slipped from public recognition as fast as they entered it.

If anything underlines that this is not a cycling country, that has to be it. If French they would have been feted for many years as public heros.

 

[El Champiero]

We did so well in the Olympics - especially with the cycling. It is a great shame that our successes never really got sustained recognition. I think it's mostly due to the money - think of football and the colossal amounts of money thrown at it all with promotion and the rest. It is a massive marketing industry much more so than the game itself. This is what the masses buy into. How can anything else begin to compete with that?

 

[lone_ranger]

We did so well in the Olympics - especially with the cycling. It is a great shame that our successes never really got sustained recognition. I think it's mostly due to the money - think of football and the colossal amounts of money thrown at it all with promotion and the rest. It is a massive marketing industry much more so than the game itself. This is what the masses buy into. How can anything else begin to compete with that?

I could not agree with you more. It's impossible to buy electric bike spares north of the border..unless someone else knows otherwise. (and if so please pm.) I'm breaking my heart here, I'm looking for professional machinists to make a product for the company I work for,(erm sewing machines not CNC or 3d printing), erm we don't do it it the UK any more, if I get one more quote from China - the quality and tracability is pants... help! We used to make it at home.