Happy eBay E-Biker.....

[CHW4]

Living in West London and working in the City makes for a stinking commute - the horrors of the Piccadilly/District Lines or nightmarish Knightsbridge traffic queues & congestion charges. Early Covid period - May/June - I started using my road bike which was fine - but the hassle of showering & changing clothes on arrival was a right drag. Then the Cycle to Work scheme offer rolled up to include E-bikes.....
Bring very tall at 6’6” meant a hunt to find anything in an XXL frame under £2,200 - but eBay is the nuts & I stuck with it - finding an absolute bargain in August - ‘brand new‘ for less than £600 with Bafang motor & controller. Not the most stylish thing ever, slightly ‘Dutch’ in design but pretty ‘neat’ and big enough for my ‘sturdy’ 61 year old torso....I am now completely hooked.
The ride takes me past the Albert Hall, Hyde Park Corner, Buck Pal and Parliament Square, then down the Embankment in the dedicated Cycleway to St Pauls......truly beautiful & hassle free. I arrive at work in the same condition I left home in & don’t need to fret about social distancing en route.. I’m determined to keep on through the nasty weather - kitted up in a decent set of water-proofs with matching panniers for the office gear.
I’ve saved the cost of the bike & kit in CC costs & petrol alone in 2 months & apart from a slight concern on battery performance decay [it’s not keeping the same %charge after 800 miles] it seems to be a solid plan for ongoing city travel.....I might even consider an upgrade next year.

 

[vfr400]

It looks like a nice bike for the money. Can we see some pictures with a better resolution?

One thing I notice is that there don't seem to be any tie bars to the rack, so it would pivot if you put any weight on it.

 

[CHW4]

More pictures - from the eBay advert.... a proper ‘old blokes’ bike but it zips along at 15mph for 30miles a day without me breaking sweat.....

 

[Artstu]

Not the most stylish thing ever, slightly ‘Dutch’ in design but pretty ‘neat’ and big enough for my ‘sturdy’ 61 year old torso....View attachment 38559

That looks like someone just 5' tall could ride ?

 

[Artstu]

One thing I notice is that there don't seem to be any tie bars to the rack, so it would pivot if you put any weight on it.

A lot of bikes are now using the mudguard instead, reinforced obviously but most have a low 15 kg limit.

 

[CHW4]

That looks like someone just 5' tall could ride ?

28” wheels and a 25” frame - plenty big enough and I am 6’6” tall.....

 

[egroover]

Epic bargain. Enjoy the daily commute. I have found I get a great amount of personal satisfaction from commuting every day in all weathers. Sometimes laughing and singing to myself as I ride home in the wind and rain.
Ebikes are great

 

[richtea99]

As a 6'5"er I completely understand the hassle of finding a big enough frame, especially via eBay.
You've done well!
But you mention an upgrade - why not stick with it, if it works?

 

[CHW4]

As a 6'5"er I completely understand the hassle of finding a big enough frame, especially via eBay.
You've done well!
But you mention an upgrade - why not stick with it, it it works?

.....not fast enough(!) It tops out at 15.5mph on a limiter which is boringly legal.

 

[egroover]

.....not fast enough(!) It tops out at 15.5mph on a limiter which is boringly legal.

Thats a Bafang Max Drive on your bike ? I think you can change the max speed either via the display (if not locked down) or using a BBSxx programming cable
Try this:#
http://www.voltbike.ca/Manuals/max_drive_manual.pdf
The default pin is 0512, you can then change the speed limit

 

[vfr400]

.....not fast enough(!) It tops out at 15.5mph on a limiter which is boringly legal.

You can reprogram the speed and the power with the programming cable.

 

[Fat Rat]

Welcome