Ebike Newbie

[Sunny day]

Hi, I've been thinking about getting an ebike for a while and getting rid of the car. I would mainly use it for getting to my parents who are about 5 miles away but it's all uphill all the way there and all downhill coming back.

I always wondered after 3 or 4 years once the battery dies completely what happens? I asked that in Halfords and they said you'd just need to buy a new bike. But surely you can buy replacement batteries for bikes?

 

[Mac_user82]

hi welcome to the forum

Most bikes you can buy a new battery for but be warned some of them can be a bit expensive one for mine can cost up £800 to replace the battery completely

if you are going to be going up lots of hills then i would make sure you have a good battery to cope with the hills some batteries have small capacity
so be careful that you don't buy the wrong one for your needs lasted thing you want when you are on a ride and run out of battery on your journey

 

[gray198]

Hi, I've been thinking about getting an ebike for a while and getting rid of the car. I would mainly use it for getting to my parents who are about 5 miles away but it's all uphill all the way there and all downhill coming back.

I always wondered after 3 or 4 years once the battery dies completely what happens? I asked that in Halfords and they said you'd just need to buy a new bike. But surely you can buy replacement batteries for bikes?

Halfords is probably not the best place for advice about ebikes. Can be a bit hit and miss. Try to find an ebike stockist. You certainly don't need to buy a new bike.

 

[Sarabee]

Hi, I've been thinking about getting an ebike for a while and getting rid of the car. I would mainly use it for getting to my parents who are about 5 miles away but it's all uphill all the way there and all downhill coming back.

I always wondered after 3 or 4 years once the battery dies completely what happens? I asked that in Halfords and they said you'd just need to buy a new bike. But surely you can buy replacement batteries for bikes?

I just have a pootling about ebike, not high performance or anything. We have hardly any hills.
The company I bought from allows its customers to buy new batteries from them at virtually cost, £150. Agree with Gray that Halfords may not be the most helpful place to shop. If you want to share your general location someone may be able to tell you about a good supplier.
It's a lot more fun than you think it will be so you may end up wanting to do more than a ten mile round trip.

 

[Benjahmin]

Any bikes with batteries built in to the frame would be very difficult to do anything with, once the battery has died. From threads on this site, it looks like bikes with the Bosch power system will only take Bosch batteries, very expensive. Bikes with a rack battery or bottle battery are more generic and cheaper to replace. There is also the opportunity to get these re-celled, much cheaper.
Having said all that, modern batteries can last 4-5 years or more if treated nicely. I would say get the biggest battery you can afford. Then, as range diminishes over the years, it will still have enough for you. There is also a high probality that you will end up going far further than you currently envisage, 'cos it's just so bloomin' enjoyable!

 

[Nealh]

The Carrera like most Chinese component bikes the battery can in most cases be retrofitted in the future with a decent down tube battery, just a case of wiring up the feed wires.
Or recelling the battery case with better cells is another option.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

There's several battery repairers now, who can make any battery better than it was when it was new, at a reasonable cost.

Many of the cheaper bikes have standard batteries that can be bought from Aliexpress and UK suppliers very cheaply. Some of the more expensive bikes tie the battery to the bike with special data communication, which means that you're in the hands of the dealer for a replacement.

Have a look at the Cyclamatic CX3, which is a cheap bike with standard parts. Spares for it will not be a problem. Cheap means low cost, not low quality in this context.

 

[Mac_user82]

From what you saying there is a lot of hills on your journey i would suggest you getting a front crank motor to cope with the hills

i also wouldn't look for a battery under 13ah because under that wouldn't be good enough for your journey depending on your terrain of course

i would suggest looking for a 15ah or a 17ah battery to cope with it
but depending on your route it very hard to pin point what battery
would be perfect for your needs

The best thing you can do really is go to a e-bike specialist and say you are after a bike that needs to cope with lot of hill and see what they have

Try every bike that they own because you want what is right for you
what could be right for someone could be completely wrong for another person

i would definitely try out a Bosch front crank that is the one i have and i cannot fault it at all works very well with no really any problem they are expensive but at the end of the day you get what you pay for.

as the saying goes buy cheap buy twice.

 

[Danidl]

From what you saying there is a lot of hills on your journey i would suggest you getting a front crank motor to cope with the hills

i also wouldn't look for a battery under 13ah because under that wouldn't be good enough for your journey depending on your terrain of course

i would suggest looking for a 15ah or a 17ah battery to cope with it
but depending on your route it very hard to pin point what battery
would be perfect for your needs

The best thing you can do really is go to a e-bike specialist and say you are after a bike that needs to cope with lot of hill and see what they have

Try every bike that they own because you want what is right for you
what could be right for someone could be completely wrong for another person

i would definitely try out a Bosch front crank that is the one i have and i cannot fault it at all works very well with no really any problem they are expensive but at the end of the day you get what you pay for.

as the saying goes buy cheap buy twice.

... I would agree with that. I cannot comment on other crank drive motors but will assure you that the Bosch is very refined . The batteries are expensive compared with generic equivalents. And as been said in respect of a beer .. reassuringly expensive.

 

[Sunny day]

Thanks for all the interesting advice. I'm in Edinburgh but I don't know of any suppliers in the area. I'd love to try a few bikes out. Anyone know of suppliers in the area?

 

[Mac_user82]

http://www.electriccyclecompany.com

i would go here and try everything they have because you never know what you are going to
like at the end of the day it free to try

 

[Sunny day]

Thanks, I had a look at their site but their cheapest one is £1,250 and that's a bit more than I wanted to spend for my first electric bike.

 

[Benjahmin]

Thanks, I had a look at their site but their cheapest one is £1,250 and that's a bit more than I wanted to spend for my first electric bike.

Then you need to look at internet suppliers. Woosh have a good reputation and will come below that price range. Ship to your door in 24 hrs. 'Course that means you can't try it first as they're in Southend. That's the risk with on line purchases.

 

[D8ve]

Thanks, I had a look at their site but their cheapest one is £1,250 and that's a bit more than I wanted to spend for my first electric bike.

Nothing to stop you from testing a few bikes there. You may be able to negotiate a cash offer?

 

[Airwheel Elsa]

Highly recommend Airwheel R5. 16" Tyre,Sony lithium battery, and 235 powerful hub motor,double disc brake system and IP56 waterproof level.
You can use electric power assisted mode to travel up to 100 KM. And the kit can be folded into your car sometimes when you need.
It is really a easy way to replace the battery and buy a new one will cost a little.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You can use electric power assisted mode to travel up to 100 KM.

Good April fool's joke. I was wondering who would be first.

 

[Airwheel Elsa]

Good April fool's joke. I was wondering who would be first.

Only feet to drive the pedal, just like a singe bike. Much longer than 100KM.
Happy April Fool's Day !

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Only feet to drive the pedal, just like a singe bike. Much longer than 100KM.
Happy April Fool's Day !

Yes, of course you can also increase the range by driving the car with the bike in the boot. I managed 175 miles with mine, and the battery was still fully charged, when I arrived at the destination. My legs weren't even tired either.