Hello to everybody!

[Mike169]

Hi all, i am new here so thought it would be great to link up with you all, form some good friendship and of course exchange advise and experience with others.
I am technically partly disabled as i have a blue badge in my car but i need a different means of transport as finding a cheaper way to live is becoming my need and goal. I am quite osteo arthritic and have a replacement knee and a metal plate in my other foot with 8 screws in it in my big toe area to stop me being able to move it, hence no pain
I though the idea of a powered bike a good one but and a little concerned that it seems to me powered bikes built new today all have to have the pedal turned all the time to get the power assistance and i believe bikes of 'yesterday' many had a power button only i.e. you didn't have to pedal the bike at all. Any advice from anybody about and new bikes that are 'power button only' or that don't really need to be peddled for the assistance would be very appreciated. I have noticed modern bikes have a speed restriction of 15mph but have also seen conversion kits that 'upgrade' bikes so they do say 30mph, any advise on these kits would be very appreciated as of course i would only be using the bike off road The idea of a free to run, i.e. no road tax, no insurance, no MOT's etc is very appealing i also will consider a very good 2nd hand one if the right bike came along. I am 56 years old and live in Benfleet in Essex, regards to all, Mike.

 

[funkylyn]

Hi Mike and welcome to the forum. There certainly are some bikes around like that, but I have to say the first thing that sprung to my mind whilst reading your post was .... a scooter....it would be loads more comfortable and do the speed you are looking for legally.
Have you looked into one of them as a solution ?
I know they need tax and insurance but does that cost a lot ?

Apart from that I am sure that someone will be along soon to advise you on electric bikes that have that ...errrr.....little bit of extra..... if thats the road you want to travel.....

You dont say how far you will want to travel but remember, using throttle only, really eats up your battery power.

Good luck anyway, I hope you find the right one for you.

Lynda

 

[Mike169]

Hi Lynda, great to hear from you. The longest trip i will ever do will not exceed 20 miles and even then i can charge up the battery at the half way point so to speak. Yea i think i will be looking for a bike with a bit extra and the main reason for owning such a bike is just so i can pop down the road as my walking distance capacity is a bit impaired and my total weekly mileage i doubt will ever exceed 20 miles and to pay road tax, insurance etc for such little use would pro rata become costly and probably cheaper to 'call a cab' which is a route i didn't want to go down, so for me i feel i would like a free to travel, short journeys only, the most regular one being but a mile away and a mile back. A bike that works on 'twist and go' only would be ideal but also with pedals so i can at will turn them as well to keep my dodgy knee moving and hopefully slow down the dreaded arthritis from stiffening up more than it has already. Mike

 

[funkylyn]

Hi Mike...OK, well if thats the mileage you will be doing with the option of a recharge halfway.....the world is just about your oyster as most bikes with a throttle can manage that.

Next consideration ....any steep hills ??

Next....you really do need to try a few before you buy.

Do you live anywhere near any of the electric bike roadshows that are starting with Redbridge 7th april ? There is a full list of them on this forum....somewhere

As for going faster, 15mph on a bike is not bad you know......especially when you are going downhill lol

You will find that you will start to get fitter and of course if you can pedal a bit ......all the faster...... whatever bike you have.

Perhaps you could even go down the kit route ?

Lynda

 

[RobF]

No point in going more than 15mph on your most regular journey of a mile, it will only save you seconds.

You will up the average speed a bit with a faster bike on the longer journey, but we are only talking a mph or two, so again the time saved won't be a lot.

Also you are asking for trouble batting along on an illegal bike at 20 to 30mph while hardly pedalling.

If you want speed, buy a scooter.

I don't know the extent of your disability, but you will likely qualify for free road tax.

 

[Mike169]

Hi Lynda, many years ago when i was an energetic teenager 10 gear racing bikes were the thing, i can remember doing one particular journey when i averaged 28mph all the way home lol so yea speeds in excess of 15mph are welcomed, i actually think it is safer to have spare power in case you ever get in trouble so to speak and have to get out of a situation. As for steep hills yea where i live we have one which is about half a mile long, so whatever bike will need a motor strong enough to pull the bike and 15 stone 6' 3" me! I see many bikes now have disc brakes which seems a good idea and some sort of rack on the back so i can hang panniers, reason being i am lucky enough to own a 30 foot motor boat so much of my journeys will be to pop down to the boat which is in a sorta marina, only a mile down the road so i can either just enjoy the creek it's in or do repair jobs on it.....so to quote yourself when i go out in my boat......of course i sleep around, lol. Mike.

 

[Mike169]

Hi RobF
Interesting point about only saving a few seconds on an illegal bike it was more so the free transport that was more appealing obviously a scooter has it's ongoing running costs and i am not totally sure of the law about needing a driving license to ride a scooter. I have an old car licence which at the time meant you could drive a 7.5 ton truck, in my past i drove an 44 ton artic lorry, legally, with a class one licence but that has now expired as i wouldn't of passed the medical req'd. I think i am looking for some free to run wheels which can propel itself along and me having the option to pedal it only if i want to if for the exercise if nothing else. I am good with a spanner so to speak so maybe a self build kit is an option something i will have to look into whether they come as a complete kit or whether you have to source the parts individually? Mike.

 

[funkylyn]

LOL.....touche' Mike.....

Look....just go and buy a Tonaro, it will eat those hills no probs, you can remove the sensor from the back wheel and get a couple of extra 'legal' miles assisted power, its strong, got panniers, and Ive got one ....what more do you want

I'm a bit of a speed freak myself and I too like that little extra bit of ooomph ready for 'situations'....in a car.... but quite honestly, on a usual bike ride of about a mile....do you really need that ? really ?

Cant you just keep your lust for speed for when you're on the boat ? .....and of course for when you are cycling down that steep hill of yours.....

Lynda

 

[funkylyn]

so maybe a self build kit is an option something i will have to look into whether they come as a complete kit or whether you have to source the parts individually? Mike.

If you want to go down the kit route Mike......go Ezee....powerful,complete and excellent reputation.....

electric bikes and conversion kits - Home

Lynda

 

[Mike169]

Hi Lynda and all, ok i'm off for a short while, gotta do the weekly shop catch you laters

 

[Jackyh]

Hi Mike,
Welcome to the forum. You will find lots of good advice here. I hope you get sorted as I also have osteoarthritis and had both hips replaced in my early forties. I firmly believe exercise has kept my symptoms manageable and relatively pain free.

My ebike has allowed me to return to cycling after a 40 year break. My knees are much better if I keep them moving.

Good luck with your plans

 

[flecc]

Hi RobF
i am not totally sure of the law about needing a driving license to ride a scooter. I have an old car licence

If you passed your car driving test before 1st February 2001, you do not need a new licence to ride the P1 moped class of 30 mph limited 50cc scooters. Just tax and insure and ride away.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Unless you're built like a whippet, converting a bike to do more than about 22mph without pedalling will be very expensive, and the bike will end up rather heavy and unwieldy. Some scooters can be registered, taxed and insured, but I don't know of any bikes that can. Shame because the Stealth Fighter would do what you want for about £8000, or an Optibike for a bit less:
Stealth Electric Bikes Australia | Fighter | Electric Bike | Electric Dirt Bike | Electric Motorbike

One of Frank's Xipi bikes can get you up to 28mph in ideal conditions, but don't expect to cruise round at that speed in all conditions:
Welcome to Xipi

Lastly, you can make your own copy of Frank's bikes, by buying the stuff direct from China or Ebay. You could probably save a bit by doing it like that, but you need to know what you're doing, and even then, it probably won't come out as nice. I reckon a 30mph conversion can be done for about £1000 plus donor bike. Ideally you need a bike with strong full suspension like a down-hill bike.