Gadget show testing e-bikes again

GaRRy

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 18, 2012
1,019
3
Tamworth
Yes we all agree it goes like stink no problermo!lol

Range please, with what is considered a very small battery with a powerful (hence the performance?) 350 watt motor. someone says he gets 28 miles in ECO...If I ride my crank drive in ECO I COULD get over 100 km.....and yes it wont be as exciting (golly gosh) but I will be riding way after you will be pushing...So come on, help us out here, range please on max assist. Because as Tillson says, a big hungry hub motor and controller needs plenty of fuel.
For me Eddie 25 - 30 miles using in a mix of modes. But I do weigh 112 kilos so that obviously effects the figures. Been as I rarely do any where near this in a day its plenty for my needs. I dont see the point in a 50-60 miles range if I never need it. I would rather have the performance. After all you dont buy a Bugatti Veron to travel long distances but to go shorter ones real fast. Again as with all things its what you need to use it for and what feels 'right' which effects whats the best choice for you but not necesarily someone else.
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
Lower powered bikes are great if you're a light-weight, but those of us that have eaten rather too many pies need a bit of grunt from the motor. When it's hilly, no ebike will take us far, and in some cases won't even get us up the first hill. I wish people would stop talking about the range of bikes. It's absolutely meaningless. What's important is how much energy is stored in the batery, which has a direct effect on how far you can go on your rides. The main reason that some bikes go further than others with the same size battery is because they don't give so much power - simple physics. You can't get something for nothing.
 

Jeremy

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 25, 2007
1,010
3
Salisbury
Lower powered bikes are great if you're a light-weight, but those of us that have eaten rather too many pies need a bit of grunt from the motor. When it's hilly, no ebike will take us far, and in some cases won't even get us up the first hill. I wish people would stop talking about the range of bikes. It's absolutely meaningless. What's important is how much energy is stored in the batery, which has a direct effect on how far you can go on your rides. The main reason that some bikes go further than others with the same size battery is because they don't give so much power - simple physics. You can't get something for nothing.

I couldn't agree more. My old recumbent ebike (the build and development of which is featured somewhere way back in the darkest depths of this forum) had a range that varied enormously, depending on where and how I rode it. Using the same battery pack (it ended up with a 36V 10Ah Ping pack) I could get anything from around 15 miles to well over 35 miles - once I did around 35 miles and only used about 80% of the capacity.

If I was a manufacturer conjuring up advertising blurb to mislead punters, then I'd advertise it as having a 35 mile range, which would be wholly unrealistic for many riders. Riding the steep hills behind where I live it would struggle to get half that, but riding around the city and on the flat it could probably do even more.

I was talking to a lady a few weeks ago who had bought an ebike on the basis of its advertised range, as she wanted to be able to ride to and from work, rather than use her car. She was very disappointed to find that the actual range fell far short of that advertised, and as a consequence was quite dismissive of the whole idea of ebikes, and wasn't at all the sort of PR we need to get people to return to cycling for everyday journeys.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,152
30,567
My old recumbent ebike (the build and development of which is featured somewhere way back in the darkest depths of this forum)
Here's the links Jeremy. For others, there's photos of this well finished project on the fourth page of this thread, with two further photos on the fifth page showing the custom battery pack that Jeremy constructed and tailored to complete the project:

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/1193-tongxin-k-nano-motor-project.html#post15348

There was a preceding thread detailing the start of the project on this link:

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/991-recumbent-project.html
.
 
Last edited:

Jeremy

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 25, 2007
1,010
3
Salisbury
Well revived, flecc, I'd forgotten just how long ago it was! That was right back when I was trying to get to grips with ebikes, and making a few interesting errors along the way.

A lot has happened since then, including changing jobs, then being offer a very nice early retirement package, meaning that the last couple of years of retirement have seen me cycling a lot more, and building more ebikes (and eboats, and an emotorcycle, and getting another semi-ecar).
 

Jeremy

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 25, 2007
1,010
3
Salisbury
That's good news Jeremy, I think retirement is the best phase of life by far!
Based on my limited experience of just over two years, I'd have to agree with you. I've absolutely no idea how I ever used to have time to go to work!
 

trev

Finding my (electric) wheels
Sep 19, 2012
9
1
Well, I Have ridden a neo - owned one for 5 weeks, half of which it's been in for repairs which are so wide ranging it's not worth mentioning, except one problem that's occurred three times, namely water ingress into the control unit, rendering the bike unusable except in the lightest rain. Not a one-off as I'm on my third unit, which failed in today's rain, stranding me miles from home once again. Unbelievably bad design, manufacture or both.

Beautiful bike, great ride. Utterly dreadful reliability, which of course wouldn't show on a brief test in the dry.
 

RobF

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 22, 2012
4,732
2,312
BH bikes come from the Basque region of Spain.

If wiki is to be believed, much of the region gets very little rain, so the bike is probably not designed for - or tested in - the wet.
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
Well, I Have ridden a neo - owned one for 5 weeks, half of which it's been in for repairs which are so wide ranging it's not worth mentioning, except one problem that's occurred three times, namely water ingress into the control unit, rendering the bike unusable except in the lightest rain. Not a one-off as I'm on my third unit, which failed in today's rain, stranding me miles from home once again. Unbelievably bad design, manufacture or both.

Beautiful bike, great ride. Utterly dreadful reliability, which of course wouldn't show on a brief test in the dry.
That''s bad, but after the second time, I''d have put some cling film over the control unit.
 

GaRRy

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 18, 2012
1,019
3
Tamworth
Well, I Have ridden a neo - owned one for 5 weeks, half of which it's been in for repairs which are so wide ranging it's not worth mentioning, except one problem that's occurred three times, namely water ingress into the control unit, rendering the bike unusable except in the lightest rain. Not a one-off as I'm on my third unit, which failed in today's rain, stranding me miles from home once again. Unbelievably bad design, manufacture or both.

Beautiful bike, great ride. Utterly dreadful reliability, which of course wouldn't show on a brief test in the dry.
Weird I have ridden mine for 10+ miles in torrential rain several times with out any problems what so ever. May be its not the controller but the mount ?. Mine is a very tight fit on both my NEO's. On the first one when I received it it was slightly damaged (since replaced under warrantee) and water could get behind the unit but even then it seemed to work fine.
 

GORDONAL

Esteemed Pedelecer
Dec 11, 2009
333
6
sunny Powys(Wales),Spain
BH bikes come from the Basque region of Spain.

If wiki is to be believed, much of the region gets very little rain, so the bike is probably not designed for - or tested in - the wet.
I don't think you carefully looked at that info. the area around Vittoria usually has a climate that is as wet as many of the UK. I don't imagine the water/rain ingress is a result of basic design or lack of wet weather testing its more probably a "friday afternoon build" (on a highly automated production line !!!???)
Whatever the reasons its obviously totally unacceptable

Alan
 

trev

Finding my (electric) wheels
Sep 19, 2012
9
1
That''s bad, but after the second time, I''d have put some cling film over the control unit.
Tried it! But the water seeped in behind the unit. Silicon sealant would prob have done the trick, but as the unit is designed to be removable, this would have been a security risk. Just bad design