Commuting Bike

[barneyrubble]

Hi All

I'm looking to buy an e-bike to commute once the virus subsides and we go back to work. I'm 51, 5'7 and about 14.5 stone, so a bit overweight!

In the past i commuted into London from home but it was really hard work for me, so I'm looking for the e-bike assistance.

My commute is 13 miles each way, mostly flat or slight inclines. I have a bike space at work already and can easily charge the bike there if necessary.

I've been looking around at e-bikes, but really don't know what I'm looking for. What should i be concentrating on?

I will be buying through the cycle scheme if that makes any difference.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edit to add: My budget would be up to £1600 or so - but cheaper he better

 

[Wicky]

Something like this with the large battery capacity should do the job

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

 

[Woosh]

for your height and weight, the Woosh Rio MTB is worth considering.
It is fast, with stunning acceleration.
It has a very good magnesium suspension fork with preload adjust and lockout, powerful Bafang SWX02 motor, 17A controller, front and rear hydraulic brakes, comfortable 26" x 2.0" puncture resistant tyres, GXP bottom bracket with external ballbearings, pedal assist and throttle.
Battery: 36V 17AH, good for 60-65 miles from a full charge.
It's in stock at the moment.

The Woosh Rio MTB | Massive power and advanced components

The new Woowsh Rio MTB is a high performance, high specs e-bike, 100mm magnesium suspension fork, GXP crankset, hydraulic brakes front and rear, semi-hidden battery, hi-speed hub motor, 22kgs.

wooshbikes.co.uk

 

[vfr400]

Here's my opinion on what you should get, based on a few years of commuting 15 miles each way:

A 10Ah battery would be enough, but a bigger one will give you more time running at maximum power.

Hydraulic disc brakes are set and forget. They work consistently, and the pads last for ages. Avoid rim brakes and cable disc brakes and cable disc brakes.

Puncture proof tyres are more or less essential. Nothing comes close to Schwalbe Marayjon Plus. Whatever tyres come on your bike, change them immediately. the last thing you want is a puncture in busy traffic and pouring rain.

A rear hub-motor will be the most reliable and maintenance free.

If you think you might want a throttle, which can be very useful on a commuter, make sure that the bike you buy has that option before you buy it. The same applies to releasing the 15 mph speed limit.

 

[ChuckingFeet]

Fully agree with the previous post , on flat(ish) city work, a hub motor is hard to beat . Get good tyres and brakes , lights wired to the main battery , good mudguards , decent stand and a good rack , should be possible easily on your budget, maybe after the covid to get a delivery tho' . Full suspension is probably not worth it IMHO , but a decent suspension seat post probably is, road and cycle path surfacing is not that great normally .
If you can , try to get a few test rides, will give you a better idea what suits you , ebikes are very subjective .One word of warning, if a bike seems super cheap , there will be a reason , and it will bite you in the rear sooner or later .
Local support is also very handy if you do not want to do your own maintainance, if you are lucky and find a good local shop, see if you can go with that . Otherwise, good British brands with manufacturers support can be found by reading this forum . I can guarantee a non stop grin....

 

[barneyrubble]

Thanks to everyone for your replies.... Good advice which I will be sure to follow.

I've got a specialised tricross as a road bike but I havent really used it for about 10 years properly, so am very unfit. I need to be able to actually work when i get in hence the e-bike. I got it serviced round the corner from work over a year ago and since then it has sat in the basement gathering dust as I'm not brave enough to try the trip home....

 

[barneyrubble]

If you think you might want a throttle, which can be very useful on a commuter, make sure that the bike you buy has that option before you buy it. The same applies to releasing the 15 mph speed limit.

Being really Dim, how does the throttle work? Is it exactly as it you'd think? Similar to a quad bike type thumb throttle for example?

What's the score with releaseing the 15 mph limit. I didn't know this was possible. Does it work on all bikes?

 

[Woosh]

how does the throttle work? Is it exactly as it you'd think? Similar to a quad bike type thumb throttle for example?

yes.

What's the score with releaseing the 15 mph limit. I didn't know this was possible. Does it work on all bikes?

don't go there, it's illegal and also a hot topic on here.

 

[vfr400]

Being really Dim, how does the throttle work? Is it exactly as it you'd think? Similar to a quad bike type thumb throttle for example?

What's the score with releaseing the 15 mph limit. I didn't know this was possible. Does it work on all bikes?

Yup, twist and go. The law changed in 2016 to disallow the fitting of full-range throttles on new bikes. People will argue that it's not illegal to fit one after you buy the bike, though that's never been tested in law because nobody has ever been prosecuted for having one. Some new bikes 4mph throttles that are legal, and they can be activated to full range by pressing some buttons. Others, like Oxygen, supply the throttle separately. All you have to do is screw it onto the handlebars and connect it to the provided connector.

The advantage of the throttle is that it can keep you going when you're hampered from pedalling, it will bail you out when you stop in a too high gear, it helps for hill-starts and it can give an instant power boost without having to press lots of buttons when you're using a low level of pedal assist and you need to dash to get through traffic lights, get out of the way of cars and things like that.

On a long commute, adjusting your maximum speed up a few mph can make a significant difference to your journey times. If your motor continues when you're over 16.5 mph, it's illegal, but it's almost impossible to prove that you're doing that as long as you stick to sensible speeds. Only one guy has been prosecuted, and he had a completely illegal bike, was going very fast and ran into someone crossing the road and then left the scene. It's similar to driving a car at 35 mph in a 30 zone, which is also illegal. Some people do it, some wouldn't.

You can release the limit on most ebikes. Some are easy and some aren't. Some are expensive to do and some aren't. That's why I say that if it's important for you, find out about it before you buy your bike.

 

[barneyrubble]

On a long commute, adjusting your maximum speed up a few mph can make a significant difference to your journey times. If your motor continues when you're over 16.5 mph, it's illegal, but it's almost impossible to prove that you're doing that as long as you stick to sensible speeds. Only one guy has been prosecuted, and he had a completely illegal bike, was going very fast and ran into someone crossing the road and then left the scene. It's similar to driving a car at 35 mph in a 30 zone, which is also illegal. Some people do it, some wouldn't.

You can release the limit on most ebikes. Some are easy and some aren't. Some are expensive to do and some aren't. That's why I say that if it's important for you, find out about it before you buy your bike.

Great - ok thanks. Being honest- i didn't even know it was a thing so it's not important to me, it was more asked just to understand what it is more for information than anything else.

The route i would take has so many traffic lights (and yes i obey them) that it would probably not be of much use anyway.

 

[vfr400]

Great - ok thanks. Being honest- i didn't even know it was a thing so it's not important to me, it was more asked just to understand what it is more for information than anything else.

The route i would take has so many traffic lights (and yes i obey them) that it would probably not be of much use anyway.

I only mentioned it because we get an awful lot of people come on here and say something like, "I've just bought X bike. I love it, but I find the 15mph limit too low. How can I change it?". In nearly all cases, they've bought the bikes that are the most difficult or expensive to adjust. It's horrible to have to tell them that they've bought the wrong bike if that's what they want.