First EBike

[TheBayn]

Hi All

Thanks for allowing me to your forum.

I am 73 and have cycled most of my life but now doddery and mounting my Daws Hybrid has become increasingly difficult mainly because of the cross bar. With this in mind I determined to acquire a step through bike (Ladies lol) and since I am not getting any younger an Ebike makes sense.

I am hoping to cover reasonable distances (touring maybe) and would like it to be comfortable.

I paid a visit to my local cycle retailer and they are recommending a Raleigh Captus or a Motus.

Would this be a good choice for me?​

 

[Fat Rat]

Hi welcome
How does the bike feel when you rode it
When you say is it good for me that’s a very personal requirement
Quality and specs people can comment on but as for fit and feel test rides are needed and not just round the car park

 

[TheBayn]

Thanks for reply Fat Rat.

Main requirement for me is that it is step through i.e. easy to mount. I have not done much cycling in the last three years because I was finding it increasingly difficult to get safely on and off my daws which has a cross bar. I have sciatic nerve damage to my left leg which makes balancing on it difficult and pain and stiffness in the hip/lumber region that makes cause a loss of flexibility in the hip joint. My right leg is still pretty good so should be able to step through and so even though any ambition to take up ballet seems doomed to failure I think a step through Ebike will enable me to extend my cycling years.

Reliability will also be a major priority together with comfort and a decent battery life.

I am hoping a Ebike will provide my main source of exercise as walking and use of the gym are also proving increasingly difficult.

My retailer of choice is Master Craft in Hereford. I have dealt with them for a lot of years and as I said in my previous post they are recommending the Raleigh Captus or Motus both of which fall within my budget price of £2000.

I have a demonstration of these bikes next Wednesday and will raise your valid observation that around the car park isn't sufficient.

Thanks for advice. I look forward to further conversations.

 

[Fat Rat]

Your not far from Worcester either
I can highly recommend onbike all they do is ebikes and you couldn't ask for a more helpful shop
They have a very good choice including step through frames and test rides are always welcomed

https://www.onbike.co.uk/electric-bikes/

 

[TheBayn]

Thanks for link Fat Rat.

I must say I favour dealing with a local company. EBikes are mechanically and electronically quite complex and if I have Master Craft only a half mile away from I live. They are well established and enjoy an excellent reputation.

I note Onbike range is extensive but does not include Raleigh and most of the step throughs are above my budget 0f £2000. Is Raleigh not the best option and should I be thinking of upping my budget?

 

[Woosh]

should I be thinking of upping my budget?

I don't think you need to up your budget.

I have sciatic nerve damage to my left leg which makes balancing on it difficult and pain and stiffness in the hip/lumber region that makes cause a loss of flexibility in the hip joint.

Perhaps you should look for bikes with cadence sensor instead of torque sensor like the Captus and Motus.
A bike with torque sensor delivers power proportionally to your pedaling, the harder and faster you pedal, the more assist power you get. That's not great if you have to climb a steep hill. Bikes with simple rotational sensor let you pedal as much or as little as you like.
There are plenty of good bikes from Volt, Wisper, Kudos etc that are quite effective for budgets around £1000-£1700.

 

[TheBayn]

Have to apologize for last post being a bit garbled. That what comes from trying to watch football and post at the same time but great match. What I was trying to say is that Master craft is very close to me and so should offer better after service.

I am now confused Woosh. I want my cycling to help my fitness and have no objection to blowing a bit. Are you saying that the torque sensing may make steep hills to challenging for me and that the cadence sensor would allow the battery to do most of the work?

The bikes you mention are not available through Master Craft whom I have to say I still favour.

 

[Trevormonty]

Woosh is right, don't limit yourself to torque sensing middrive, test lower price cadence sensing hubdrive bikes. Only you can decide which system is best for you.

If you do decide on middrive eg Raleigh Captusor Motus, then consider internal hub gears. Easier to maintain with big plus of being able shift down when stopped.

 

[TheBayn]

Now even more confused Trevormonty. I thought the choices available were rear, front or crank hub gears of which I was leaning towards the crank as the most balanced.

What does shift down mean? I thought when I stopped peddling the motor stopped.

I will research more and raise these points at my demo on Wednesday.

 

[TheBayn]

Great forum. Thanks for all advice.

 

[gray198]

many great bikes about.I have recently bought a step through because of same problems and ended up with Oxygen ST cross. A great bike and easy to ride without power. One on classifieds section at a great price and in Mid Wales so fairly close

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/oxygen-cross-st-black-bnib-£1000.31757/#post-445993

regards

 

[D C]

What does shift down mean? I thought when I stopped peddling the motor stopped.

I think Trevor means when the bike is stopped.
Dave.

 

[Woosh]

What does shift down mean? I thought when I stopped peddling the motor stopped.

Hill start is a difficult situation that you may find yourself in if you are in the wrong gear.
most bikes need a little bit of forward pedaling, about a quarter to half a crank revolution, to start the motor assist. It is harder to start pedaling when you are on a hill, a hub gear is very desirable in this situation.

 

[TheBayn]

Thanks all for your kind advice.

I have attempted to research the relative advantages of cadence and torque sensors from what I have gleaned torque seems to be the favoured option.

One review I read suggested that starting again if stopped in high gear on a steep hill would be more difficult with a cadence sensor as they required two or three revolutions of the crank to engage the motor where as the torque sensor only required to see the torque produced in the drive chain and would be pretty much instantaneous. Having said that the inclusion of a throttle (not all bikes have one apparently) is said to largely alleviate this problem and then there is the hub gear compared with crank drive to further research (have to confess to a bit of a headache). Perhaps things will appear clearer following my test rides tomorrow. I will let you know how I get on.

 

[Woosh]

One review I read suggested that starting again if stopped in high gear on a steep hill would be more difficult with a cadence sensor as they required two or three revolutions of the crank to engage the motor where as the torque sensor only required to see the torque produced in the drive chain and would be pretty much instantaneous.

that is only partially true. Not all crank drives produce instant start, otherwise they may accidentally start when you lean on the pedal. Similarly, the cadence bikes are much quicker now with starting, requiring less than a quarter turn to start assisting.

Having said that the inclusion of a throttle (not all bikes have one apparently) is said to largely alleviate this problem

the law requires that you have to pedal a little before the throttle is activated, typically about a quarter turn. If you are stuck on a hill in the wrong gear, all good bikes have the 'walk assist', just press and hold it for 2 seconds then throttle up to get around the legality.

 

[TheBayn]

Thanks for clarification Woosh.

I like the solution you suggest. Get off and walk to the top.

 

[Trevormonty]

Bosch and shimano middrives need about 1/4 -1/2turn to start, bit of safety feature I think. Havn't tried Yamaha but read they start instant pressure is applied to pedals. I've had to do a few a very steep MTB hill starts where Yamaha would've be ideal.

For road riding its never going to be an issue.

 

[TheBayn]

Finally purchase the Raleigh Motus. Twenty miles under my belt and apart from having to get used to manoeuvring the weight no problems so far. Love it.

Thank you all for your advice.