Ebike for commuting

[codemonkey]

Hello everyone. I'm thinking about buying an ebike for part of my commute. I've been lurking here and seen lots of recommendations for ebikes but I'm not sure what I should be looking at.

I'm a 37 year old female, 5'9" most of which is leg, and currently 14.5 stones, although I am trying to reduce this. I am changing offices at the end of the month from one 5 minutes from the train station to a 40 minute walk from the station. I realise it's a short cycle but it's pretty hilly on the way back and I figured it would be more useful to have an engine do some of the work for me on hills than to get off and push.

Because I'm not happy to leave the bike at the station at the end of the day, I will need one I can lift on the train but as I've not been on a bike in 20 years I'm also going to need something relatively stable. The train itself shouldn't be a problem as they have a bikes section at floor level and aren't busy when I travel.

Budget is £1000 (cycle to work scheme).

Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

[Sarabee]

Hi Codemonkey

I would suggest trying a few to see what style suits you. I bought a step through bike from ERanger because they were reasonably local, I liked the look of it, it does what I need but I'd say it is a solid, heavy bike. It also has a throttle so if my knee locked up I could get back without pedalling.
I also liked the look of Woosh and Juicy bikes. There are so many suppliers out there. I would research reviews especially on customer service/after care and support before buying. Check for any exhibitions near you too.
I think the main thing is - will you get bitten by the bug and want to do more on your bike at weekends? If so, you might want a mountain bike for off road or trails and I have to say that looks great fun. Then again you might prefer a fold up bike.
I wouldn't worry about not having ridden a bike for years, neither had I and it took me about two minutes to know I loved it, ten minutes to get to know it better and two weeks later, I'm still smiling whenever I ride it ( every day). I'm 60 this year, with arthritis and not yet the shape I should be though working on that quite successfully.
Good luck with your search. I'm sure some others will be along with more technical advice and there is a First Timers article on the homepage.

 

[LeighPing]

Hello everyone. I'm thinking about buying an ebike for part of my commute. I've been lurking here and seen lots of recommendations for ebikes but I'm not sure what I should be looking at.

I'm a 37 year old female, 5'9" most of which is leg, and currently 14.5 stones, although I am trying to reduce this. I am changing offices at the end of the month from one 5 minutes from the train station to a 40 minute walk from the station. I realise it's a short cycle but it's pretty hilly on the way back and I figured it would be more useful to have an engine do some of the work for me on hills than to get off and push.

Because I'm not happy to leave the bike at the station at the end of the day, I will need one I can lift on the train but as I've not been on a bike in 20 years I'm also going to need something relatively stable. The train itself shouldn't be a problem as they have a bikes section at floor level and aren't busy when I travel.

Budget is £1000 (cycle to work scheme).

Does anyone have any recommendations?

I'll just say welcome and give this post a well deserved bump.

 

[Danidl]

Hello everyone. I'm thinking about buying an ebike for part of my commute. I've been lurking here and seen lots of recommendations for ebikes but I'm not sure what I should be looking at.

I'm a 37 year old female, 5'9" most of which is leg, and currently 14.5 stones, although I am trying to reduce this. I am changing offices at the end of the month from one 5 minutes from the train station to a 40 minute walk from the station. I realise it's a short cycle but it's pretty hilly on the way back and I figured it would be more useful to have an engine do some of the work for me on hills than to get off and push.

Because I'm not happy to leave the bike at the station at the end of the day, I will need one I can lift on the train but as I've not been on a bike in 20 years I'm also going to need something relatively stable. The train itself shouldn't be a problem as they have a bikes section at floor level and aren't busy when I travel.

Budget is £1000 (cycle to work scheme).

Does anyone have any recommendations?

.. a 40 minute walk is probably under 3 miles. This is the sweet spot for a low power ebike and a 12 minute cycle trip. Any of the commuter bikes will be suitable. If you intend taking it on and off trains, perhaps one with small wheels would be better. Compact bikes are easier to manage. In my opinion any bike , preferably with small wheels, and a rear wheel mounted geared hub motor, and a small battery will be suitable. The consumer models also come with mudguards, usually a carrier and probably lights, whereas the bigger bikes may not.

 

[2Lazy]

Best to visit a few ebike shops and test ride a few bikes to find what suits you. You can definitely get a decent ebike for £1000 for your use case. Go with a well known brand and ideally buy from a shop which is fairly local for repairs and servicing etc. Just off the top of my heads brands that might be suitable would be Woosh, Freego, Oxygen, Juicy, and Ezee but there are many others. If after you've tested some bikes you have a few that you're considering I'm sure there are folks on here who can provide some further advice. Getting the bike on and off the train is a very important consideration in your case. If there are restrictions on putting bikes on your train route or the train can only accommodate one or two bikes it might be worth considering a folding bike. Ebikes tend to be quite heavy so do bear that in mind as you'll obviously need to get the bike on and off the train and up/down onto the platform.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Choose me!

Hi Code Monkey, we do have bikes from 1,099.00 such as the bike below. The Wisper 705se comes in black or red as well.

Did you know that if you use Green Commute for your C2W scheme, you can spend as much as you like, there is no £1,000 limit. They will even lend your firm the money to buy the bike in the first place.

All the best, David

 

[Woosh]

Hello CM,

For your weight, height and budget, I would recommend two of our finest:

1) Woosh Zephyr

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?zephyr-2017

Full suspension, foldable, excellent hill climbing ability, battery is 12AH, range is about 35 miles.

2) Woosh Crusa

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?crusa

Comfortable bike, excellent hill climbing ability, battery is 13AH and range is about 40 miles.

If you have any question, just ask.

 

[gray198]

Maybe have a look at the Kudos secret. Could be suitable

 

[JuicyBike]

A test ride is essential! Where abouts are you CM? Members should be able to identify a good place to try some for you.

And as a matter of interest, what sort of coding are you into?

 

[codemonkey]

Wow. So many posts with great advice. I half expected to be told not to be lazy and to get a manual bike! Instead I get loads of things to research.

I should have also mentioned that half the time I'll be lugging a laptop.

I'm in West Lothian so if anyone knows anywhere good to try, that'd be great. I had a look at the website for the nearest bike shop but they didn't have any ebikes.

Currently code in Java, Python and VBA.

 

[JuicyBike]

Wow. So many posts with great advice. I half expected to be told not to be lazy and to get a manual bike! Instead I get loads of things to research.

I should have also mentioned that half the time I'll be lugging a laptop.

I'm in West Lothian so if anyone knows anywhere good to try, that'd be great. I had a look at the website for the nearest bike shop but they didn't have any ebikes.

Currently code in Java, Python and VBA.

At the other end of the M8 are M8 Cycles:
5 Palacecraig Street
Coatbridge
01236 436112
Who have a good range of bikes to try.
A good excuse to step away from the screen for a while!

 

[2Lazy]

Also worth bearing in mind that many independent ebike shops will let you purchase a bike over the £1000 cycle to work limit. So for example if the total cost is £1250 they'd sell you the bike £1000 using C2W and the battery separately for £250. This gives you a bit of leeway if the bike you want is slightly over your £1000 C2W budget. As I say it's generally the independent shops or ebike manufacturers that sell direct to the public that will be open to this type of deal but I'd avoid the big high street bike shop chains in any case as you'll generally get much better advice and service from an independent. Don't be afraid to get quotes from a few different shops and ask your local ebike shop to price match, they'll more than likely be willing to do that in order to get a sale.

 

[LeighPing]

I saw a Sikh gentleman riding one of these this morning (Click to view).

It was pouring down as he whizzed through the traffic outside the WBA football stadium. At the lights I asked if if it was any good and he gave me a thumbs up before he shot off again.

I don't think that it would look as good under a lady though. Going to work through traffic, in the pouring rain, wearing a fluorescent factory jacket, it looked the biz.

 

[Sarabee]

I'd like a fat tire bike for the beach but it's probably not allowed under by-laws and I think I'd now like to go a lot faster than 15.5 mph! Don't know what's happening to me these days.......

 

[codemonkey]

Are fat tyres a plus or a minus for normal roads? I know nothing! I presume they'd be a hassle for train travel but are they better for pot holed roads? Some of the roads I'd be riding on are rather like the surface of the moon.

I'm not overly worried about looking pretty on the bike, although I do like the vintage look of some bikes, it's not a deal breaker if it's not girly. Growing up, I always had hand-me-down boys bikes anyway.

 

[2Lazy]

Comfort should certainly be a consideration especially when commuting. I commute on an ebike and the cycle paths I ride are quite bumpy. Rutted paths from tree root damage and overly steep curbs at road intersections can be particularly painful! I've gone through several saddles trying to find one that is comfortable and I've also added a cane creek thudbuster LT suspension seat post which has made a big difference to the ride quality.

Pay no attention to hardened cyclists who say you should only need suspension or fat tyres for riding off road. Any efficiency loss from suspension or fat tyres is more than easily offset by the motor.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Another advantage of a front suspension is they help braking too. The day you need to pull hard on the front anchor to stop in a hurry it helps a lot, I tried last week... Commuting you will always have cars slamming on the brakes in front of you at the most inconvenient times and without warning.

 

[Danidl]

Are fat tyres a plus or a minus for normal roads? I know nothing! I presume they'd be a hassle for train travel but are they better for pot holed roads? Some of the roads I'd be riding on are rather like the surface of the moon.

I'm not overly worried about looking pretty on the bike, although I do like the vintage look of some bikes, it's not a deal breaker if it's not girly. Growing up, I always had hand-me-down boys bikes anyway.

.... Not having personal experience of them,in recent years, but common sense would suggest.
1 they will be more comfortable and potentially more stable as there is more material in contact with the road and there is more suspension
There is a suggestion that they have more puncture tolerance as the pressure pushing thorns in will be less? .
2. They will be less efficient in transmitting energy from bike to road so batteries will last less distance.
3. They will make the bike more sluggish. .. any weight on the wheel
rim has exactly double the effect on weight as the same weight
elsewhere on the bike.

.. a bike with front suspension forks and with a suspension saddle post is an alternative way of achieving ride comfort.


I was inflicted by a well meaning aunt with a Raliegh RSW 16. ( 1970) which was probably the first fat wheeled bikeusing small fat wheels . It was a competitor to the technically much superior Moulton, the first small wheeled bike , which used conventional thin tyres and a unique suspension . I used it for 4 years until it mercifully was stolen.

 

[Woosh]

Compared to suspension forks, balloon tyres add little to the bike's weight and offer a fair amount of comfort.

For reference:
A Schwalbe Fat Frank balloon tyre (26 x 2.35) weighs 815g.
A Marathon Plus with green guard (26 x 2) commuting tyre weighs 1100g.

I recommend balloon tyres highly to those with a delicate bottom.

 

[Danidl]

Compared to suspension forks, balloon tyres add little to the bike's weight and offer a fair amount of comfort.

For reference:
A Schwalbe Fat Frank balloon tyre (26 x 2.35) weighs 815g.
A Marathon Plus with green guard (26 x 2) commuting tyre weighs 1100g.

I recommend balloon tyres highly to those with a delicate bottom.

.... Delicate in this context has a number of meanings....