ebike needed for work comute

[marc.knuckle]

i have recently got a job in the city, about 5.5-6 miles each way from home and i have been spoilt for the last 10 years with my work location being at most 2 miles from home.

while the thought of the extra travelling initially worried me i then found out the train is only about 10 minutes being the stops. unfortunately the walk from station to work is then 15-20 minutes. also the train isnt that cheap and will only every get more expensive.

so, i thought about a moped/scooter but the insurance costs etc put me off. finally i found out about ebikes.

i tested the journey with a normal mountain bike yesterday, my first bike ride for about 20 years, and it took me 35 minutes. i actually enjoyed it as well although being so vunerable in the traffic was worrying after years being safe in a car.

my budget is max £1k but ideally well under to keep the wife happy.

my questions are these...

firstly, i will be aiming most likely for a folding bike as i dont think there is much bike parking/securing locations in the area around the new work location, what are my options? i found possibly the Volt Metro Black??

i worked out my average speed to be about 9mph on that journey, i know the ebike should be able to get up to 15.5mph but in the real world testing, should my average be faster, slower or comparative with the standard bike?

most of the folding bikes i have seen have smaller wheels, i think they are about bmx size rather than mountain bike size, will this cause any problems or have any benefits?

lastly, riding in the rain, general clothing etc. any suggestions such as ways of keeping dry, will i get sweaty, will my trousers and shirt be viable attire if i cant get changed at work i will have to ride in my standard work clothes. etc etc

any/all suggestions welcome

marc

 

[marc.knuckle]

update...

i think i may have whittled it down to 3 bikes unless anyone can give other recommendations.

Volt Metro Black - £849

Batribike Breeze - £749

Kudos Secret - £725

so, firstly i would appreciate opinions on these and also any similar recommendations.

 

[gray198]

marc,
may I suggest you have a look at Woosh bikes The Scirroco 2 looks good value

gray

 

[marc.knuckle]

marc,
may I suggest you have a look at Woosh bikes The Scirroco 2 looks good value

gray

that doesn't just look good value it looks nice as well. as it isn't folding, i will need to check on a storage location at work before buying a non folding one.

when it says 250w, 500w on startup, does it mean an initial power surge to help startup?

are any of these bikes capable of faster speed but limited to abide by the law?

which would maybe be the strongest hill climber even if not the fastest?

 

[newbie2011]

Commute to work

Hello Marc
great choice to use an ebike to cycle to work. I occasionally
cycle 8 miles to my office, the route is a mix of gentle hills, upwards, downwards and flat. I average about 15 miles an hour even taking into account stops at traffic lights. Ebikes will go faster than the legal limit of 15odd miles an hour going downhill as they are not being powered by the motor, I can get up to about 19-20 miles an hour going down and this makes up for the slower climb.
In terms of clothing, I don't need to change when I get to work which I most definately would need to do using my other pushbike, that's if I actually made it to work on that!
All in all I love using my ebike for the commute. I'm not a fan of cycling in the wet, so can't comment on clothing for that.
My bike is an Oxygen City which I love, but it might be too big given what you were saying about storage.
Good luck, let us know how you get on.
Keith

that doesn't just look good value it looks nice as well. as it isn't folding, i will need to check on a storage location at work before buying a non folding one.

when it says 250w, 500w on startup, does it mean an initial power surge to help startup?

are any of these bikes capable of faster speed but limited to abide by the law?

which would maybe be the strongest hill climber even if not the fastest?

 

[Kudoscycles]

Marc,there is a review on the Kudos Secret published by the Electric Bike magazine. The review is available to read on the Kudos website,just click on the 'Secret'. It is very light at 18kg and nicely balanced which is important when riding or handling.It comes with a wheeled transport bag which helps in storage.
We reduced the power to 220 watt because it was 'wheelie quick' with 250 watt and the power reduction increased the range. All these 20" wheeled bikes have a strong hill climbing torque.
Dave
Kudoscycles

 

[marc.knuckle]

Hello Marc
great choice to use an ebike to cycle to work. I occasionally
cycle 8 miles to my office, the route is a mix of gentle hills, upwards, downwards and flat. I average about 15 miles an hour even taking into account stops at traffic lights. Ebikes will go faster than the legal limit of 15odd miles an hour going downhill as they are not being powered by the motor, I can get up to about 19-20 miles an hour going down and this makes up for the slower climb.
In terms of clothing, I don't need to change when I get to work which I most definately would need to do using my other pushbike, that's if I actually made it to work on that!
All in all I love using my ebike for the commute. I'm not a fan of cycling in the wet, so can't comment on clothing for that.
My bike is an Oxygen City which I love, but it might be too big given what you were saying about storage.
Good luck, let us know how you get on.
Keith

cheers mate, very grateful for the help.

any other opinions and comments welcomed.

 

[eddieo]

I would go for a full size bike rather then a folder as they are not that comfortable or stable compared to a full size bike...have you thought about a kit? Ezee have decent strong performing kits....

 

[marc.knuckle]

cheers mate.

i am currently considering the whoosh sirocco 2 as recommended above as long as there is bike securing locations by work. it is well priced, well specced and looks good.

again, all opinions and recommendations welcome

 

[indalo]

i am currently considering the whoosh sirocco 2

Good choice, I'd say; cheap...and not so nasty!

Indalo

 

[marc.knuckle]

only problem with the sirocco 2 is it's popularity. sold out, next order all sold out so end october at the earliest!.

any other, non-folding recommendations?

 

[Velospeed]

only problem with the sirocco 2 is it's popularity. sold out, next order all sold out so end october at the earliest!.

any other, non-folding recommendations?

Well I think the Kudos secret is a great little bike if you're still thinking about a folder. Otherwise the Batribike Granite is very popular, and with good reason. There really are many options and your best bet is to get along to somewhere that has a good range and try them all out, 'cos choosing is a very personal thing and can depend on many factors...

 

[Kudoscycles]

Our Kudos bikes are not sold out and never will be unless the model is to be replaced. Its not that the Kudos bikes are not popular,we have sold over 1200 units to date, its that we hold good stocks and reorder in plenty of time to maintain stock levels-we still have over 100 Secret bikes in stock!
You can't sell what you don't have !!!
Dave
Kudoscycles

 

[marc.knuckle]

thank you dave.

so far my options are....

foldable - volt metro black or kudos secret

non-foldable - woosh sirocco 2 or alien aurora

also, i was thinking, if i used the alien aurora kit, is there any recommendations for a good hydrid bike with disc brakes i could add it to?

thanks guys

something i want to throw in the

 

[marc.knuckle]

any other comments or recommendations guys?

 

[marc.knuckle]

been a while since any post on here so here goes..

i went to the cycle show today and tried out 3 ebikes and liked them all. only the little folding one i tried had throttle and i loved being able to just twist and go so thats a must. i didnt however like the smaller bike so even if it is a folder, it needs to be full size, ie mountain bike/hybrid or whatever.

few questions..

1) why is the whoosh sirroco 2 so cheap for a bike that seems very popular, has the bigger battery and looks nice also?

2)how easy would it be to deristrict the motor/controller? i know this is more for speed not hillclimbing but as the main journey i will use it for will be about 12 miles round trip i can eat into the battery a little more if it was giving more speed?

3)how 'puncture resistant' are kenda tyres? it is best to fill them with that tyre goo?

lastly, as i have stated many times above, any/all recommendations to roughly meet my requirements are welcome.

 

[banbury frank]

Hi Our new Outlook is now on line

Stealth Outlook

Thanks Frank

 

[flecc]

2)how easy would it be to deristrict the motor/controller? i know this is more for speed not hillclimbing but as the main journey i will use it for will be about 12 miles round trip i can eat into the battery a little more if it was giving more speed?

3)how 'puncture resistant' are kenda tyres? it is best to fill them with that tyre goo?

I ran two e-bikes on those Kendas for a year totalling well over two thousand miles without a single puncture. The third e-bike which I'd been running for three years mostly on Maxxis tyres had several punctures every year on the same roads, so my experience of the Kendas was very good.

 

[JuicyBike]

I ran two e-bikes on those Kendas for a year totalling well over two thousand miles without a single puncture. The third e-bike which I'd been running for three years mostly on Maxxis tyres had several punctures every year on the same roads, so my experience of the Kendas was very good.

Agree with you Tony. Kendas are good tyres.
Best way to avoid punctures with any tyre is to keep it fully hard. Tyres are much easier to pump-up than repair!

 

[marc.knuckle]

thanks guys.

@frank - that bike looks great but my budget really is about £1000 only so is well out of my price range.

what do you guys think of the alien aurora 350w conversion? £700 kit plus a bike for £300 or less. would that be preferable to the sirocco 2?