Hi from Hampshire

[andy slow coach]

Hi,

I'm in my 40's and live in the north of Hampshire. I don’t have an ebike as yet but I do have two road bikes a mountain bike and an old Windcheetah recumbent trike! Much to the annoyance of the wife.

I used to ride quite a lot. I live 11.5 miles from work and about 6 years ago could do it in about 45 mins, I think that’s an average of about 14.5 mph? but I could only do that 2 days a week as I was knackered I did ride to work twice earlier this year but got a bit disheartened when it took me 55min to and 56min back the first time and 55min to and 54min back the second time.

I also used to be a member of Audax (Audax United Kingdom (known as Audax UK or AUK) is the foremost long-distance cycling association in the UK, and the biggest in the world.) I did several 100k rides and 200k rides and a couple 300k rides, but my biggest ride was a 400k ride (250 miles). I’ll put the details of that in another post.

But then, 5 years ago, my second child was born (with Down Syndrome) and the bike riding along with other things went by the wayside, so what fitness I had has now all but gone. I get out of breath just running 200yds or so!

I have been reading a few bits and bobs on and off, on this forum for a year or so now and have just got around to becoming a member.

With the ever increasing cost of fuel and my wanting to get a bit fitter again (I was 70KG but I’m getting on towards 80KG now. ) I’m now thinking of getting an ebike to use mainly for work, so I may be able to ride to work and back without killing myself more than 3 times a week, if I could get it to each day, I may be able to get rid of one of our cars.

Anyway that’s enough about me.

PS 5th Dec 9pm BBC1

Ride safe.

Andy.

 

[gray198]

welcome to the forum Andy. many knowledgeable people on here who will give you sound advice

best regards gray

 

[themutiny]

Hi Andy
Welcome to the forum
Whereabouts in Hampshire are you located?
Nick

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Andy,

As you will no doubt be aware, there is a huge choice when in comes to availability of electric bikes.

To narrow things down, how much or little do you want to spend?

Do you want a complete 'off the peg' electric bike or do you want to convert your one of your existing bikes or even your trike, probably not the trike for commuting, although I know a couple of people who do.

Regards,

 

[JuicyBike]

Hi,

I'm in my 40's


With the ever increasing cost of fuel and my wanting to get a bit fitter again (I was 70KG but I’m getting on towards 80KG now. ) I’m now thinking of getting an ebike to use mainly for work, so I may be able to ride to work and back without killing myself more than 3 times a week, if I could get it to each day, I may be able to get rid of one of our cars.

Andy, you're approaching your best years, especially with a 5 year old around!
Your ambition to dump a car is often quoted as a reason for purchase of an e-bike, and is an excellent and realistic prospect.

You could take a trip to the Bike Centre in Romsey to try a range of bikes (including ours).

 

[andy slow coach]

Thank you gray.
Thanks Nick, I'm in Andover.
John hi, now thats the million $ question! or questions. I think I need to try a few first.
Thank you Bob, Romsey is just down the road for me, may well do that.

 

[themutiny]

Hi Andy
Well, there is Petersfield Cycles, and Cytronex at Winchester to consider also.
You don't state your budget, but you may find their stealth approach might very well suit.
If you can get to Denmead, I'd happily show you (completely unbiased) the pros and cons of the three different types PI have. Mine are all hub though. If you have serious hills on your commute, you should try a crank drive as well.
One other thing to bear in mind is the effect on range when it's cold, I only mention it because few start ebiking in Winter, and it can be significant!
Nick

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Crank drives are not necessarily more suited to hilly terains than hub-motors. It's true that some crank drives climb better than some hub-motors, but it's equally true that some hub-motors clinb better than some crank-drives. One should only refer to specific bikes as being good climbers and not spread this myth from the past that crank-drives climb better - just like we used to see the myth about drag from hub-motors, which thankfully seems to have died off.

 

[flecc]

Crank drives are not necessarily more suited to hilly terains than hub-motors.

Not the experience of those of us who have to tackle the steepest hills. There are hills I can tackle even with the original Panasonic crank unit which had no high power mode or the newer unit Agattu with one, but which even on my Quando based but geared bike nearly kill me to get up. That hub motor bike is motor geared for 16 mph, has over 1000 watts available with it's 30 amp controller and the mechanical advantage of a 20" wheel.

Yes, it's due to my limitation, but driving through the gears overcomes that.

Of course on lesser hills my hub motor bike delivers better with higher speed climbs, but there's no denying it has a limitation.

And even with the original low power Panasonic unit, a standing start on a very steep hill is much easier than with the hub motor bike due to the Panasonic's availability of full power take-off and driving through a lower gear.

 

[andy slow coach]

As I have not had a ride on any type of ebike I have no idea as to which one will suit me. I going to have to look around and have a try on a few first!

I did think about buying a kit for my mountain bike but not so sure about that, it looks cheaper but in the long run if bits don’t fit etc it could end up costing more.

I think I will not be using my road bikes anymore as each time I do I end up with head, neck and shoulder pains. My chiropractor has suggested a more upright riding position to help with the pain and also I suffer with my lower back.

I would prefer a bike without a throttle as I think I’d just get lazy and use it all the time , but I guess if I bought a bike with one I could just unplug it? I like the idea of the motor only working when I'm working to give me a bit of a hand.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Not the experience of those of us who have to tackle the steepest hills.

You need to try some of the more powerful ones like the BHEmotion Neo series. That Gadget show episode showed the difference pretty well. No smoke and mirrors, no special techniques - just try one and you'll see for yourself.

Andy, if climbing power is important, make sur you try one of these bikes. If you can afford it, the Bosch motored bikes climb quite well too, then the Panasonic and Kalhoff 36v bikes, or. if you want to do it with a kit, you can blitz any of them, but the more power you go for, the harder it is to keep below the radar

Another good option might be to wait for the new Kudos range with BPM motors for about £1000. If Kudos have done them right, they're going to be very popular.

 

[Richard_E_Biker]

Hi from south Hampshire - Southampton in fact. I joined the e-biking fraternity last month when I got a Rose Xtra Watt 500. This was after I had tried a few pedelecs at the NEC bike show in November and decided I liked the crank drive systems. I was going to fit a Sunstar to my exisiting bike but it didn't quite fit in with the eccentric bottom bracket. I then chanced accros the Rose bikes website and saw the Xtra Watt and it just ticked all the right boxes for me. Of the bikes that I tried at the bike show I really liked the Reisse and Muller Bluelabel range with Ave being a close second. Don't know if that says anything about me that all those are German made bikes. I am very happy with the Rose, definitely makes my ten mile each way commute to Otterbourne much easier on the legs.

 

[Storcker]

Crank versus Hub?

You need to try some of the more powerful ones like the BHEmotion Neo series. That Gadget show episode showed the difference pretty well. No smoke and mirrors, no special techniques - just try one and you'll see for yourself.

Although new to the E biking I cannot see that having a crank drive automatically gives you better hill climbing. Electric motors should be capable of giving maximum power from zero revs if well designed with a good electronic controller.
Assuming your bike motor produces the same maximum power connecting through gearing to the wheel surely just increases the revs of the motor and that causes the torque output to drop at the same time resulting in the same maximum power output?
My first E bike a Storck Raddar Multitask surprised me on Monday as the front wheel came of the ground when starting on a very steep slope leaving the Barmouth bridge North bound.
I would love to see more technical articles about E bikes published with all the different systems analysed.

 

[flecc]

Although new to the E biking I cannot see that having a crank drive automatically gives you better hill climbing. Electric motors should be capable of giving maximum power from zero revs if well designed with a good electronic controller.

Not so, power at zero revs is zero, it's torque that is at the maximum, but that torque has very limited effectiveness in the absence of power. The problem with legal e-bike motors is that the available power is too limited to be effective for hill climbing without it being passed through reduction gearing. The most common type of hub motor unit has the motor driving through orbital gears at around 6 to 1 reduction, this coping in many circumstances, but only those pushing the boundaries oif legality cope with the steepest hills. That's where the crank drive units can be useful since their legal power can be used to climb virtually any hill by passing it though the bikes reduction gears in addition to any reduction within the crank unit.

 

[andy slow coach]

I also used to be a member of Audax (Audax United Kingdom (known as Audax UK or AUK) is the foremost long-distance cycling association in the UK, and the biggest in the world.) I did several 100k rides and 200k rides and a couple 300k rides, but my biggest ride was a 400k ride (250 miles). I’ll put the details of that in another post.

Well here is my account of a 300k ride I did back in 2003 when i was fitter!

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/charging-post/13461-audax-300-k-194miles.html

 

[andy slow coach]

And here is my account of a 400k ride I did back in 2003 then I was fitter!

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/charging-post/13462-audax-400k.html