Help! Commuter e-bike

[cadishesd67]

Hi all,

I am a cyclist who rides Raleigh Pioneer (hybrid type) bikes. Nothing fancy. I cycle 11 miles to work and 11 miles home. I live in the suburbs and have some hills with significant inclines on my way to and from work.

I am looking at the Raleigh Motus Grand Tour Hub (with cross bar) e-bike. However, Evans cycles today pushed me towards the Motus Tour. I am not sure that the torque of the Bosch Active Line nor the 400WH battery will be suitable from what I have read. I am just looking for something to make my hills a bit easier, currently get up them on a normal bike but want to up my average speed and get home quicker.

Any advice on the Active Line, is it any good? I like the idea of buying from Evans cycles because I can take it back to a physical store if there are issues but I would not have too much issue with buying a bike online to ensure I get a better product.

Please give your thoughts....

 

[soundwave]

active line motors are for more city riding on the flat what you really want is the cx motor with 85nm.

The motor: Powerful drive for eBikes

The mid-motor supports the pedelec from gently to powerfully. The Bosch eBike drive is optimally tuned thanks to a precise sensor concept, allowing a natural riding sensation and riding fun.

www.bosch-ebike.com

most of these ebike shops are box shifters so will try to sell you anything they have in stock.

 

[cadishesd67]

active line motors are for more city riding on the flat what you really want is the cx motor with 85nm.

The motor: Powerful drive for eBikes

The mid-motor supports the pedelec from gently to powerfully. The Bosch eBike drive is optimally tuned thanks to a precise sensor concept, allowing a natural riding sensation and riding fun.

www.bosch-ebike.com

most of these ebike shops are box shifters so will try to sell you anything they have in stock.

I get the impression that CX are good but expensive. My questions really is whether an Active Line/Active Line Plus would be sufficient for a few hills on a commute.

Does anybody have any suggestions for a hybrid rider as to what bike to pick?

 

[soundwave]

more nm less effort required but the motor could do it and the miles from a 400w batt

 

[soundwave]

8-Fun BBS01 CD kit | Chain Drive Electric Bike Kits from Woosh

The 8-Fun BBS01 CD kit: we have two models (36V 15A BBS01and 48V 14A BBS01), chain drive electric bike conversion kit available from Woosh.

wooshbikes.co.uk

BBS01B + 36V 20AH RACK battery kit and charger

£859​

just find a bike a frame you like make sure it will all fit and half the price

 

[Benjahmin]

For a commute the better, more reliable option is a hub motor, they are near bullet proof. If you go the way of converting the bike you already have you will save hundreds of pounds, have a machine whose workings you have an understanding of, and, should anything go wrong, be able to repair or replace electrical parts with off the shelf items.
With Bosch you are locked into their parts and 'service' regime. You can only take the bike to the dealer you bought it from. Should anything go wrong with the motor the 'service engineer' is not allowed to do anything but take the motor out and send it back to Germany, leaving you without a bike for the duration. (Some reports on here of that being many weeks) If/when the battery looses enough range to make it iffy for your commute, you are tied in to Bosch only replacements. These come in at many of hundreds of pounds more than similar capacity quality batteries available.
I'm sure there are many owners out there who have had no problems with their Bosch bikes. But the tales of woe we have seen on here when things do go wrong, beggar believe. The costs being such that one wonders if a small motorcycle would not be a better option,
Even if you buy a brand new bike of your liking, then convert it with a kit (much advice and technical know how available here) you could save yourself the thick end of a couple of grand.
A rear hub with a 10Ah 36v battery would do your commute. Even better a 14Ah battery to give plenty of range headroom and cauae less stress to the battery. Charge each night at home.

 

[sjpt]

I agree with most of the comments above; you will probably be better off with a rear hub (or even front hub) conversion. The Bosch stuff is mostly pretty good and reliable; but when anything does go wrong or you need a new battery it can get very expensive (more expensive than a complete new hub kit) and slow.

We got a second hand Motus (hub gears and step through). Not a great hill climber, but it easily does everything around here (Winchester). We love it and it's been reliable apart from some badly designed connections (battery and Intuvia control, both free to fix), but if we were to replace it/buy again we probably wouldn't get another.

You don't say what you mean by 'significant' when it comes to hills. If they really are steep then a mid-drive might be your best option. If not go for a hub, or the basic Motus should be fine

I'd go for a >400wh battery. It will do that commute, but won't leave much headroom for the days you feel tired and want maximum assist. Though any assist is more than you get at the moment; I reckon that minimum (eco) assist on our Motus about makes up for the extra weight and inefficiency and brings it on a par with our push bike (oldish Giant pretty like a Pioneer). I'd hate to ride the Motus any distance without power; I've more than once forgotten to replace the battery after charging and headed off down the hill from home without noticing. Luckily it's a small and not too steep hill, but I really do notice the effort pedalling back to get the battery.

 

[slowcoach]

We both have the Motus GT step through and hub gears, with 500wh battery and have been very pleased with them. We only use them as leisure bikes ie take them caravanning with us, but have found them adequate for us on hills.

We were at Yeovil couple of years ago and it was fairly hilly around there, but the bikes were fine especially when you realise I have knee problems and atrial fibrillation.

 

[matthewslack]

22 miles per day is serious commuting, so clearly you are a fairly fit rider.

You slightly run the risk of easing the hills but not necessarily improving your journey time, as an ebike will be somewhat heavier, will only help up to 25 km/h and some will not pedal without resistance above that speed.

A good fit would be a hub that is good enough for your hills and without resistance at higher speeds, and lower all up weight which does tend to favour a conversion.

Others are far more knowledgeable about hub motor choice than I, further useful info would be gradient of hill you need to sail up.

 

[Bikes4two]

I ride regularly with my local Cycling UK group and many have bikes with Bosch motors and I don't recall any riders experiencing problems.

There are however plenty of 'noises' when it comes to visiting the dealership and the cost therein (servicing, software upgrades and so forth).

Three riders in the last month have mentioned reduced range and are starting to think about replacement batteries but are understandably hesitant at the £500+ cost.

I suggested they ask about a battery capacity test but that will cost £40 apparently although that cost would be offset against a new battery (how very kind, er.....).

If you do go for a Bosch system and can afford it, think about getting a large battery than you might initially think is necessary, then as the battery ages and capacity drops, it should still give you the range that you initially wanted.

The downside to this approach, apart from cost, is that you'll be carrying the extra battery weight around.