ebike for commuting & pre-school runs & bike shed size problem

[chr4]

The battery is Ansmann with Panasonic cells and has a 3 years warranty.
The motor is Ansmann and has a 4 year warranty.[/quote]

The warranty is impressive. Another reason to like this bike.

 

[chr4]

If your main criterion is pulling power then forget the Ansmanns.
The Ezee Street has better motor with greater pulling power.

Could you be more specific? How big is the difference in torque? 10-15% or more?

Ezee Street has small wheels so I don't think it would be good for carrying kids.

I think my list of requirements is so long that I need to be more realistic and compromise somewhere or I will never find anything. I might need to relax about the length of the bike. If I can only use the bike shed for one bike by putting it in diagonally so be it.

 

[RobF]

You have a problem.

A rack or seat post mounted battery will get in the way of a child seat.

You need a step through frame, but most have the battery mounted as above.

Except this one:

http://www.shop.flidistribution.co.uk/p/2015-ktm-ventura-vienna-8-di2/ktm_bicycles_ebikes_shimano-steps?pp=12

 

[trex]

Could you be more specific? How big is the difference in torque? 10-15% or more?

Ezee Street has small wheels so I don't think it would be good for carrying kids.

I think my list of requirements is so long that I need to be more realistic and compromise somewhere or I will never find anything. I might need to relax about the length of the bike. If I can only use the bike shed for one bike by putting it in diagonally so be it.

I tried a couple Ezee and also a couple of Ansmann bikes, all are very well engineered, so it's difficult to choose just from the point of view of price or finish or engineering or comfort or support but I'd say the Ezee bikes give about 30%-40% more pulling power.

 

[Kudoscycles]

I had a customer who bought one of our old Kudos King bikes,she carried a 6 year old child on a seat mounted on top of the rear rack,it wasn't a problem and she used it every day for 3 years going to work.
She has recently purchased a Kudos Sonata,fitting the seat in exactly the same manner,it was a bit easier on the Sonata due to the thin section of the battery,she also wanted a step thru finding it easier to mount the bike even with her child on the back,she also liked the idea of the powerful BPM motor and hydraulic brakes....with a child on the back,shopping on the front and a very steep hill it was easier braking with the hydraulics.
Ok you may not wish to spend £1395.00 on the Sonata but it would give you a benchmark to compare others.
Have just got home from the London Electric Bike Company event at Hampton Wick,the weather was awful so attendance low but those who came were serious purchasers,the Sonata was a popular and well received bike.
KudosDave

 

[Cyclezee]

You have a problem.

A rack or seat post mounted battery will get in the way of a child seat.

You need a step through frame, but most have the battery mounted as above.

Except this one:

http://www.shop.flidistribution.co.uk/p/2015-ktm-ventura-vienna-8-di2/ktm_bicycles_ebikes_shimano-steps?pp=12

Both the models of Ansmann and eZee bikes mentioned previously can and have been fitted with child seats.

The reason I mentioned the Ansmann FT 11 is because chr4 was looking for something less lady like, if that were not a consideration I would have suggested any of the stepthru bikes that we supply, e.g.

eZee Sprint Primo priced from £795​

Ansmann FC1 Plus from £995​

Heinzmann Ceres eST £1595​

For someone who wants to carry more than one child and or cargo I would have suggested the eZee Expedir LTS

 

[2Lazy]

I tried a couple Ezee and also a couple of Ansmann bikes, all are very well engineered, so it's difficult to choose just from the point of view of price or finish or engineering or comfort or support but I'd say the Ezee bikes give about 30%-40% more pulling power.

I can vouch for that. I've tried quite a few Ebikes from various different manufactures and of those that I've tried the Ezee bikes definately have the edge when it comes to pulling power.

 

[chr4]

John
I must say the warranty on Ansmann is a big selling point for me so I am keen to try and see whether this bike has enough torque to meet my needs.
If not I might have to consider other options including Ezee. Did you measure FT11 by any chance?

I was at some point considering more expensive bikes because I was led to believe my employer was planning to introduce a cycle to work scheme for ebikes over £1k. I started to ask some questions about it but I am not getting any answers so I have a feeling it might not happen. For this reason bikes over 1k can only be considered as a last resort.

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi chr4,

Sorry but I didn't get a chance to measure the FT-11 today, but now you have reminded me I will tomorrow.
I assume that you mean total height, ground to highest point of the handle bars? Length is a given.

Please note that we don't participate in cycle to work schemes.

 

[D8ve]

Chr4
It you want easy mounting with space for a child then the BH emotion Neo has a frame battery that is a thick down tube!
It's pricey new but a nice bike. And no torque issues, just legal top speed to upset the speed freaks.

 

[Nealh]

If you read EddiePJ's experience with the BH then you would give it a wide berth, not only did he have component problems but also terrible CS. Then again Eddie puts all his machines thru the mill the, how ever his cleaning and maintenance regime is second to none.

 

[chr4]

John
I was looking for some info about the torque for Ansmann and found that front drive for Ansmann conversion kit has 27Nm which I suspect is the same as for FT-11. This would not be enough I think. Sorry.

D8ve
I will first be looking for something cheaper. Also - can I remove the battery from the frame to charge it at home?

 

[RobF]

John
I was looking for some info about the torque for Ansmann and found that front drive for Ansmann conversion kit has 27Nm which I suspect is the same as for FT-11. This would not be enough I think. Sorry.

You need to be wary of going by manufacturers' figures - it could be Ansmann are being more truthful than the rest.

Having said that, it looks like the bike has a compact hub motor - a bit like my Brommie Nano - which is not particularly powerful.

Only a test ride would tell you for sure.

 

[Cyclezee]

John
I was looking for some info about the torque for Ansmann and found that front drive for Ansmann conversion kit has 27Nm which I suspect is the same as for FT-11. This would not be enough I think. Sorry.

No problem chr4, but just bear in mind a well known phrase "Lies, damned lies, and statistics", the electric bike industry has more than it's fair share of exaggerated claims.

This is verbatim. Only yesterday an owner of a bike we converted last year with an Ansmann front motor wheel kit brought his wife's bike to have the same conversion so that she can keep up with him. He loves his bike, but only ever uses level 1 or 2 of the 6 levels of assistance, as he finds that quite enough. I'm guessing that once his wife has her conversion he will be increasing his assistance level to keep up with her.

 

[trex]

if you were to consider a conversion, which donor bike is ideal for your requirements?

 

[Cyclezee]

John
I must say the warranty on Ansmann is a big selling point for me so I am keen to try and see whether this bike has enough torque to meet my needs.
If not I might have to consider other options including Ezee. Did you measure FT11 by any chance?

Length of the FT-11 = 185 cm, height to highest point of the handle bars adjusted to the highest position 108 cm. N.B. This is for the largest 50cm frame.

 

[D8ve]

John
I was looking for some info about the torque for Ansmann and found that front drive for Ansmann conversion kit has 27Nm which I suspect is the same as for FT-11. This would not be enough I think. Sorry.

D8ve
I will first be looking for something cheaper. Also - can I remove the battery from the frame to charge it at home?

The battery can be charged at home.
Personally I have had No issues with the three BH's we have owned.
One sold on, one killed by a 4*4 and wifies still going well.
They are pricey but nice.

 

[chr4]

Can you tell me what you do with batteries when you leave your bike somewhere? Take them with you I understand? I think I might not want to carry some of them around - especially the long ones sitting under the saddle.

I think my ideal bike would be something like Raleigh Captus or Motus. I no longer care whether it is mid crank or hub as long as it has some decent grunt uphill (journey with my daughter is on the flat - hills are only when cycling alone). I just need something with relatively upright riding position (but adjustable stem to squeeze it into asgard shed), strong enough for me and my daughter (me almost 100 kg, DD about 22), bottle style battery.
Can you point me to something similar but cheaper than Captus?
Also, despite what I said previously I am back to crossbar.

 

[RobF]

Kudos Rapide.

The stem spec is not clear, but an adjustable one would let you flop the bars down although you would need an allen key to do it.

http://www.kudoscycles.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=346

 

[chr4]

Thanks. I was looking at Kudos yesterday but I am not sure about the max. weight. Their website just mentions max. rider weight (100kg). No mention of extra allowance for the rack? I might need to contact them.