Following on from my introduction to this forum I have questions

[LesG]

May I ask how much did you pay for this bike? There is a lot of wisdom in what Andy wrote. Maybe it would be wise to cut losses and start fresh? After all cycling should be enjoyable.

The bike cost me £350 (I believe it was 800 new) I did get a spare battery with it.

I have paid £8 for indexing the gears and £25 for fitting a quick release skewer to be able to fit it in my car if required.

Also the previous owner had taken the pedal assist disc off (because they didn't like the way it jolted away when starting peddling ) and that was put back inclusive of cost at the same time as the quick release.

So at this moment in time it has cost me £383 and the electric to recharge the batteries.
I am only cycling for pleasure and I know the battery life is not very good as I think I have been using it the wrong way up to now, ie not peddling hard enough to stop the assist from using battery life, but this is why I have been asking basic questions and most of you kind folk have been extremely helpful with parting with knowledge and tales of your experiences.

My main reason for getting an ebike was to get up the hill to get home as I live at the top of a hill, so although the battery life on my bike is not what it should be, as long as I leave enough juice in one of the batteries to get home I will be satisfied with my purchase.

Thanks Les

 

[Deleted member 16246]

I've still got a few bikes I bought 20-30 years ago in my shed. The price is not important in this regard. All it takes is to keep the tyres inflated, the mud off of the bike, the bike in the shed and give them a little grease now and then. It's really nothing much. I have never taken any bike to the tip.
Expensive bikes have expensive tyres. They are tubeless and not even puncture resistant so get punctured more often and require expensive sealant. If you hit a big thorn, it's a big mess to sort out whereas ordinary bikes requires 10 minutes and cost next to nothing to fix.

Indeed.

I am put in mind of the first second hand bikes I got my hands on in the 1950s. They were cheap and cheerful, ride to work machines used by men who had them as their only mode of transport. I expect that some of them dated from the 1930s when I got hold of them. They were fairly crude, single gear bikes that needed a small amount of attention, and would last forever as long as they had it. Clean, grease, oil, adjust and keep it out of the the rain when not in use. That was all they needed to last pretty much forever. The same was true even when they had sturmy archer three speed hubs. They had a little oil can cap on them through which occasional squirts of oil were entered into their esoteric, whirling epicyclic gears.

I am sure the same is true of any half decent Chinese motor.

 

[Az.]

Who sends old bikes to landfill? Worse case scenario the scrapman takes it and it gets recycled

Who? I am not sure. I try to maintain a healthy distance from this kind of people, but I have seen many BSOs in skips, in rivers, abandoned in bushes etc.

 

[Az.]

Your example is not an expensive bike, more my idea of mid range (£400 to £900), which brings comforts like smoother gear change components and disc brakes.

Personally I find £500 level as a good compromise between quality and price. I can afford much more expensive bike, but my Cube Attention SLX is all what I need really.

I think employers should do much more to encourage cycling. The other day I have seen few expensive bikes (around £2000) left by B&Q. They were locked up in a bike shed for employees. Solid metal construction with good lock, sheltered from rain and covered by CCTV cameras. We need more bike sheds like that.

 

[Az.]

So at this moment in time it has cost me £383 and the electric to recharge the batteries.

If I were you I would try to get new battery or to recell old one. It won't be cheap unfortunately.

 

[LesG]

If I were you I would try to get new battery or to recell old one. It won't be cheap unfortunately.

I have just watched a video on how to recell a battery, much too technical for me.....

Stupid question of the day time, the battery is as shown on the attached photos.
A - Are the similar shaped batteries universal ?
B- Would I need to change the battery housing/connection bar on the bike as well?
C- Are there trusted sellers that you folks could recommend rather than just googleing and getting a poor battery?

Whilst I am on the topic of stupid questions, is there a ball park figure as to when a 48v battery will cut out on an ebike, I'm not sure I trust the bar on the digital display? The voltage starts around 54v fully charged, at what voltage will it cut out?

Thanks
Les

 

[AndyBike]

So let me get this straight Wheezy.
You know loads of people who bought expensive bikes but dont use them, and you also know loads of people who bought expensive bikes but they all broke, and you also know loads of people who bought cheap bikes and got on fine with them.

This is getting to be like the daily mail comments section.

 

[Woosh]

This is getting to be like the daily mail comments section.

it depends on the price range that you call cheap.
Between £300-£500, I have converted loads of Halfords Carreras, Subway and Voodoos, Marin, Specialised, Giant.
They are all pretty good value for money. After that, there will be diminishing return on your spending.
As long as the gears shift, the pedals don't stick, the brakes are hydraulic, the crankset has external bearings, the bikes will be easy to convert and the result excellent.
Bikes bought secondhand are even better value for money.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

I have just watched a video on how to recell a battery, much too technical for me.....

Stupid question of the day time, the battery is as shown on the attached photos.
A - Are the similar shaped batteries universal ?
B- Would I need to change the battery housing/connection bar on the bike as well?
C- Are there trusted sellers that you folks could recommend rather than just googleing and getting a poor battery?View attachment 52514View attachment 52515View attachment 52516

Whilst I am on the topic of stupid questions, is there a ball park figure as to when a 48v battery will cut out on an ebike, I'm not sure I trust the bar on the digital display? The voltage starts around 54v fully charged, at what voltage will it cut out?

Thanks
Les

Looks very similar to my (960Wh !) battery that I have for my BBS02 conversion but the connector highlighted in yellow is different.

 

[Az.]

it depends on the price range that you call cheap.

I guess by cheap we mean £100 disposable bike with one year life time expectancy.
In my opinion it is just a false economy.

I have never seen a new decent bike at this price point.

 

[Az.]

I have just watched a video on how to recell a battery, much too technical for me.....

Stupid question of the day time, the battery is as shown on the attached photos.
A - Are the similar shaped batteries universal ?

I didn't mean DIY recell. There are people who can do it at a price..

Shape of battery is not that important. I suggest you check connector coming out of battery base. It is quite easy to buy a battery with matching base. It might work if connector is right.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

Bike snobbery

I’ve been getting more and more into cycling in the last few years-for my commute and also going on lovely countryside rides as a Breeze ride leader. This has meant more exposure to cycling twitter…

londondigitalmum.wordpress.com

 

[saneagle]

I have just watched a video on how to recell a battery, much too technical for me.....

Stupid question of the day time, the battery is as shown on the attached photos.
A - Are the similar shaped batteries universal ?
B- Would I need to change the battery housing/connection bar on the bike as well?
C- Are there trusted sellers that you folks could recommend rather than just googleing and getting a poor battery?

Whilst I am on the topic of stupid questions, is there a ball park figure as to when a 48v battery will cut out on an ebike, I'm not sure I trust the bar on the digital display? The voltage starts around 54v fully charged, at what voltage will it cut out?

Thanks
Les

A. Yes and no. There are several similar types of that battery. The controller compartments are different length and there are different connectors. You have to look underneath to see which version it is, but many sellers don't show that in their listing.
B. More likely than not unless you confirm that the new one matches your one exactly.
C. Eclipse are the best, though relatively expensive. After that, any established seller, who offers a proper guarantee.

Low voltage cut-off is typically 3.0v for any cell group, so 39v for a 48v thirteen cell battery; however, when you draw high current, you get voltage sag, so when you go up that last hill with maximum power, your voltage might drop 3 or 4 volts and cut- off would occur.

 

[LesG]

A. Yes and no. There are several similar types of that battery. The controller compartments are different length and there are different connectors. You have to look underneath to see which version it is, but many sellers don't show that in their listing.
B. More likely than not unless you confirm that the new one matches your one exactly.
C. Eclipse are the best, though relatively expensive. After that, any established seller, who offers a proper guarantee.

Low voltage cut-off is typically 3.0v for any cell group, so 39v for a 48v thirteen cell battery; however, when you draw high current, you get voltage sag, so when you go up that last hill with maximum power, your voltage might drop 3 or 4 volts and cut- off would occur.

Thanks for that, I was hoping I could buy a new battery that would fit my existing connector (that way I could use my existing batteries as a back up) but it seems like I would be very lucky to get an exact fit

 

[saneagle]

Thanks for that, I was hoping I could buy a new battery that would fit my existing connector (that way I could use my existing batteries as a back up) but it seems like I would be very lucky to get an exact fit

Every time I've bought a spare battery (3 times) it's been different, so I had to replace the base as well. My bike downtube now has riv-nuts all the way down because the fixing points are different too.

 

[WheezyRider]

So let me get this straight Wheezy.
You know loads of people who bought expensive bikes but dont use them, and you also know loads of people who bought expensive bikes but they all broke, and you also know loads of people who bought cheap bikes and got on fine with them.

This is getting to be like the daily mail comments section.

I have been around quite a while and have met people who have had a range of different experiences. I would not use the phrase "loads of people..." Or, "all XXX did YYY", just as I would be very surprised if you told me every expensive bike and component you have bought over the years has worked flawlessly and to your complete satisfaction for many years. I am not wanting to reduce the discussion to black and white X or Y terms. What works for one person does not work for another. I am simply pointing out that throwing money at a problem is not a guarantee of success or a happy result. As I have said, if you have a lot of money and you don't mind taking the hit if you run into issues, go ahead and splash out. Unfortunately most of us are not in that situation and we have to be careful and do things like balance the cost of an annual public transport travel card verses the cost of running a bike. If the cost of the bike takes 10 years worth of travel cards and will need expensive parts and servicing, it's hard to justify it economically.

The picture I get from you is that you seem to want to write off cheap bikes as a waste of time. Some are, but not all. A cheap bike can be life changing for some people and without it they are stuck.

 

[WheezyRider]

I guess by cheap we mean £100 disposable bike with one year life time expectancy.
In my opinion it is just a false economy.

I have never seen a new decent bike at this price point.

I would say these days you want to spend around £150 or so to be able to get a decent bike - due to inflation over the last couple of years. I think you would struggle to get a new bike these days for £100, unless you buy end of range deals or in a sale.

But even a lot of sub £150 bikes are completely serviceable for a year or two and then as and when they develop issues, upgrade the parts that are problematic. In my experience, this is mainly the brakes and then the gears, with the rest, there is not a lot that can go wrong. As I have said, I would not touch a suspension bike - cheap ones are crap and a waste of money.

If you want something with disc brakes you need to spend a bit more. But even then, you could buy something with cable discs and then after a year upgrade to hydraulic. These upgrade kits are very cheap these days, even from major manufacturers.

 

[matthewslack]

I have just watched a video on how to recell a battery, much too technical for me.....

Stupid question of the day time, the battery is as shown on the attached photos.
A - Are the similar shaped batteries universal ?
B- Would I need to change the battery housing/connection bar on the bike as well?
C- Are there trusted sellers that you folks could recommend rather than just googleing and getting a poor battery?View attachment 52514View attachment 52515View attachment 52516

Whilst I am on the topic of stupid questions, is there a ball park figure as to when a 48v battery will cut out on an ebike, I'm not sure I trust the bar on the digital display? The voltage starts around 54v fully charged, at what voltage will it cut out?

Thanks
Les

When you buy a battery, the mount comes with it, so if you can't find something identical just get something that physicslly fits and change the mount. There are different types of connectors for the battery cables, but can always be changed by cutting off and soldering on correct type.

Cut out will be roughly 3V per cell, so about 39V on 13S 48V.

Search and read recent threads for supplier advice, or take a reasonable punt on Yosepower.

 

[Az.]

I would say these days you want to spend around £150 or so to be able to get a decent bike

So over 10 years you spend £1500 on disposable bikes vs. my £550. Don't like your economy at all, especially I expect my bike to last at least next 10 years with minimal maintenance.

Having said all that I have seen few half decent bikes on sale around £200. I am glad prices are going down. I have spent insane amounts of money on bikes for my family over last few years.

 

[WheezyRider]

So over 10 years you spend £1500 on disposable bikes vs. my £550. Don't like your economy at all, especially I expect my bike to last at least next 10 years with minimal maintenance.

Having said all that I have seen few half decent bikes on sale around £200. I am glad prices are going down. I have spent insane amounts of money on bikes for my family over last few years.

That's not at all what I am recommending.

My point earlier on in this thread was that depending on a particular person's situation, even if they did get a new bike every year, they would be better off financially than spending several thousand on an expensive bike and then hundreds per year for servicing and parts. Also, if you are spending £150 a month on public transport, it puts the cost of a cheap bike into perspective if you can use that to completely replace public transport use.

Constantly buying new cheap bikes is not what I have recommended though, as I have said several times, it is perfectly possible to buy a cheap bike and after the first year upgrade parts as necessary and keep it going for many years. Also, as I have said, your £550 bike is not what I would call an expensive bike, but for me, mid range. It is other people on here who seem to think you have to spend thousands on bike - or go home.