Hi, i have CFS, wondering if an ebike is right for me and which type?

[Nealh]

You are not factoring in shipping/ postage and import fees for the battery as well, on paper $159 sounds good but in reality not a great offer £190 with shipping and a £25/30 fee at this other end from the carrier just fro the battery alone.
Also using a poor quality 4P battery with 4 or 5a rated celsl might be ok on a low powered set up not drawing more then 12a, but will suffer with in 18 months.
A basic Q100C kit is min £360 - 390 shipped + fees this side.

 

[Nealh]

With out giving the full facts, it would be misleading to suggest a kit can be had cheaply.
For most considering a kit first time around better to try and UK source a whole kit or at least a decent celled battery.

 

[TheGnarlyCenturion]

Not my intention to mislead! Just presenting, what to my mind, are two viable schools of thought. Hence the pre-face about end user needs. (as a continuation: an awful lot of emphasis on ebike resources - for diy - is put on power, increasing amp draw etc. but for most casual users, especially those looking for city use, a relatively 'legal' kit works bob on.)

To the OP - the ideal would be to borrow or rent a few ebikes and then make a judgement on predicted long term usage. IMO.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

There's a German seller (actually Chinese selling from a German warehouse) on Ebay, who sells quite nice kits for £200. Just add a 36v battery of your choice.

 

[Nealh]

There's a German seller (actually Chinese selling from a German warehouse) on Ebay, who sells quite nice kits for £200. Just add a 36v battery of your choice.

There are two selling the same kit YSBattery 2012 and elifeshop 2012, could be the same seller.
The hubs appear to be 270 - 290 rpm.

 

[RoverT]

Pedalease don't have a good reputation on here. Soundwave is a bit of an extremist; he probably thinks your Kona is a piece of dung. The Greenedge is a decent affordable bike as is the Cyclamatic CX3 for £660. Woosh do some nice MTBs for around your budget. I suppose the advantage of the Greenedge is you can try it out in Halfords and also take it in to them if you have a problem.

You could turn the Kona into a nice ebike with d8veh's suggestion above. The Q100 has good torque and is very quiet. This is probably your best route but it'll likely mean buying some stuff from China and waiting a few weeks.

Thanks! I'm currently looking into the cycle to work scheme as I might be starting an apprenticeship soon. Yeah I was also concerned about maintenance should I run into issues; returning a bike online is not really an option!

I've found some really nice looking options on eBay for under 1k but I like the West Hill on spec and reviews alone from all the options I've looked at...

There seem to be a few good deals on Amazon where the prices are significantly reduced like this... https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MXXF25E/ref=s9_dcacsd_dcoop_bw_c_x_6_w

I am tempted to get the kit cause i know my bike. It's got decent components aside from the fork, needs very little maintenance...

Otherwise I'm gonna look to get the best ebike i can under 1k. I guess dillenger but be the ones to buy from? And what would i need to get from China?

 

[RoverT]

+1 regarding Pedalease avoid them as CS is very very poor, no tel number and email replies non existent though they are happy to take your money in the first place.

Greenedge probably give it a miss, issues with bad battery contacts and melting plastic battery receiver has caused problems though replacement under warranty seems good.

Cyclamtic is good value for the price and appears to be quite reliable and fairly bullet proof, as time goes by you can always upgrade com components if you need to.

You can disreguard SW a lot of the time as he often has issues with any parts that are 10x cheaper then he would wants to pay for them. A cheap bike will get you out and about just as an expensive one will, afford what you can and don't worry about others bragging rights and views.

I had a front BPM kit not being used after trying another bike kit, so got a cheap Kona Blast frame off ebay and built it up with spare parts I had, stuck the BPM on it and it gets me out and about for winter mud rides on the North/South Downs and any where else I care . 51 miles to and back from the north downs on Wednesday, probably one of the muddiest rides I have encountered to date. All good fun though .

Cheers. I suppose the other option is to get another decent used lightweight bike like a Felt, Boardman or similar and add the kit.

Then I get the best of both worlds. I mean a better frame will mean a better ovreall ride and with decent components and weight considerations.

What do you guys think?

 

[RoverT]

To convert will cost about £500 and the ability to be able to fettle and fit the kit to your existing bike.
The CX3 only £160 more the only real upgrade might be to change the front brake lever /calliper for a Hydraulic one for about £30 and 5 minutes or so to swap it over. The bike will be ideal and do exactly what your existing bike will do.
A hub motor with PAS pedal sensor is the way forward for easier relaxing pedal input.

https://www.thesportshq.com/cyclamatic-cx3-pro-power-plus-alloy-frame-ebike.aspx

To clarify is converting relatively simple? I'm good with technology a bit cautious when it comes to stuff like this as I'd want to be sure the bike was safe etc. That's my main issue I suppose...

Am I also considering PAS as I guess the frame will dictate the type of system i can use...

 

[RoverT]

SW,
none of them can have a throttle fitted.
The OP needs it.

Prefer. The PAS system may be feasible. Ideally, I need to try some bikes out.

 

[Nealh]

To clarify is converting relatively simple? I'm good with technology a bit cautious when it comes to stuff like this as I'd want to be sure the bike was safe etc. That's my main issue I suppose...

Am I also considering PAS as I guess the frame will dictate the type of system i can use...

All kits electrically are plug and play esp if includes a battery. If no battery then when you source one you may have to solder the wires together of fit a suitable connector.
Fitting wise you need to be able to do some fettling mainly by filing the dropouts for the axle to fit.

 

[RoverT]

Hiya there RoverT,

I also have CFS - full blown. Gone from a cyclist racer to full on bed worm, nasty stuff. Just beggining to get out now and have built myself a Bafang BBSHD based build. You are absolutely on the right track with an electric bike - it has made such a difference!

A WORD OF CAUTION: I underestimated the effects of stress on my CFS, so I can only use a fraction of the banfangs power, too much and what used to excite me (speed) no leaves me in a tired mess. Hoever, I view the system as an invesment for the future - it's not just for now, it's for as I get better, so I hope to use all its potential.

What does the electric bike mean to you? Is it a small quick help, or you do envisage doing big rides/sportives/adventures with family/friends?

The two main options in my mind:

A uber cheap - proven - kit from BMSBattery (probably the Q100) will set you back about £250 inc. battery. Great for now, and the future, providing you needs dont change.

Something more powerful - a range of options from EM3ev - great battery and motor options (both hub and mid drive) and top notch communication/backup. Range from £500-1500 depending on your choice!

Hey the gnarley centurion!

I'm moderate I guess, I suffer from post-exertion malaise, cycle to and from the shops and that's it for 2-3 days! So i want to make cycling as less tiring as possible so even on bad days I could use it get somewhere if necessary. As it is cycling will take too much out of me...

I envision doing more. That's the idea! I'd like to get a decent frame with decent components, Shimano Deore gearset, decent crankshaft, good disc brakes, comfortable ride so that overall even when pedalling it's very easy and smooth ride. I'd like to get a few more miles on the bike, not just get from a to b...

I'm really coming round to the idea of buying a decent bike and converting itr myself... I'm a biker through and through, one of the reasons I'm looking is so I can ride more but I' aware of how much fitness and exercise can suffer from CFS.

At least this way I can have more confidence in what I'm buying and can just upgrade the kit later. Does this approach make sense?

Just checked out the EM3ev, looks good but is the price for the full kit including battery like this? https://em3ev.com/shop/bafang-48v-1000w-bbshd-kit/

Or do I need to add options on? Cause I could do that wit ha Boardman mtb and i think end up with something better overall...

 

[RoverT]

So, I could grab something like this, would it be suitable? http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/boardman-mountain-bike-comp-650b-16-18-19-frames

I'd ideally like a bike that runs well without assistance then the assistance would improve it exponentially... Tell me if I'm on the right track with my thinking here...

 

[RoverT]

All kits electrically are plug and play esp if includes a battery. If no battery then when you source one you may have to solder the wires together of fit a suitable connector.
Fitting wise you need to be able to do some fettling mainly by filing the dropouts for the axle to fit.

Thanks, great to know. I want the whole kit. Hmmm, filing the drop outs huh? I may need to do some mor research on the bikes.

I noticed you have Boardman bikes in your sig, hoarear you finding them overall and were they easy to convert? Thanks!

 

[Woosh]

Prefer. The PAS system may be feasible. Ideally, I need to try some bikes out.

all the bikes that SW mentioned are fitted with torque sensor meaning you have to supply at least 25% of the energy required. It can be knackering, especially when climbing hills.

 

[Nealh]

The Boardman I built from scratch, I picked up a used CX frame and Suntour susp forks not far away. Unless a bike has some special attributes then most are easy to convert, if fitting a rear hub check the drop outs are suitable for a little filing of 2 - 4mm. The handling is great even with rear top bag and side panniers.

Naked Boardman.


Fully dressed Boardman.

 

[RoverT]

There's a German seller (actually Chinese selling from a German warehouse) on Ebay, who sells quite nice kits for £200. Just add a 36v battery of your choice.

Link? Also which are the more rock solid and reliable brands IYO?

all the bikes that SW mentioned are fitted with torque sensor meaning you have to supply at least 25% of the energy required. It can be knackering, especially when climbing hills.

Thanks. Doone some investigation and looking to get a PAS system with throttle.

 

[RoverT]

The Boardman I built from scratch, I picked up a used CX frame and Suntour susp forks not far away. Unless a bike has some special attributes then most are easy to convert, if fitting a rear hub check the drop outs are suitable for a little filing of 2 - 4mm. The handling is great even with rear top bag and side panniers.

Naked Boardman.
View attachment 22361

Fully dressed Boardman.
View attachment 22362

Nice! I've also thought about kitting mine out with a few bags...So what's the overall weight like with everything added? My Kona is pretty light, 17/18" frame i think but does the kit offset the additional weight?

Apparently, a kit is gonna add 8-10kg of weight. I'm looking at either a 250w front wheel or dual power with a 11 or 17amp battery but the 17amp adds £100 to the price... Definitely gonna go with a PAS and throttle with a dashboard.

The kit I'm looking at is from Cyclotricity. I spoke to Ben and he was really helpful so I'd feel confident buying through them... As i understand it's very easy to fit so if I do decide to change bikes it'd be straightforward to refit.

Cheers guys for all the help so far, really helped narrow it down!

 

[Nealh]

I'm not worried about the weight otherwise I would have light weight non powered bike, weight only come in if you are lifting it a lot. Mine handles fine and feel no unbalancing from the rear. In the top bag I can carry two more 18650 batteries for range and a watt meter, in the side drop panniers I have tools, spares, puncture kit etc in one side and the other has lunch/snacking, camera and other bits and bobs in there.
The extra weight is offset by a torquey hub motor which I can configure as 36vor 48v. Tubes in the Alpkit under cross bar bag and other bits as well and in the top bar small bag phone, keys battery light, spare lights and spare Garmin.

 

[Nealh]

If you can afford it 17ah is always better then 11ah cells will be better depending on the spec of them.

If I carry extra batteries I link the two smallest ah batteries in parallel and then use the higher ah battery on it's own. I can and have paralleled all three together for one big battery.
If I use only one or two batteries I tend to be more frugal and use lower power, if I use three then higher power is used . Horses for courses .

 

[topographer]

Fully dressed Boardman.
View attachment 22362

Does your leg not get in the way of seeing traffic with that little mirror on your fork?