how far
- Thread starter wayne howarth
- Start date
How big is your battery?
How much do you pedal?
On the flat or in hilly terrain?
Head wind?
Wheel diameter?
Rider and bike weight?
Motor power?
...
ad nauseum.
Many factors to take into account with your question. My answer is between 65 and 100 km depending on the factors above and with the bike in my signature.
How much do you pedal?
On the flat or in hilly terrain?
Head wind?
Wheel diameter?
Rider and bike weight?
Motor power?
...
ad nauseum.
Many factors to take into account with your question. My answer is between 65 and 100 km depending on the factors above and with the bike in my signature.
With a powerfull motor and small battery you could be lucky to get 10 miles,a bike that eats hills or goes fast eats amps,a motor that has a lower power output will go further slowly and with no power uphill.
It’s a nonsensical question really. Like asking a roomful of motorists what they get to the gallon. The answer is that they all get different miles per gallon because they don’t all have the same cars and they don’t all drive them in the same places or at the same speeds. Just like a car if you use the power to go fast, or drive in very hilly terrain, or carry a lot of weight, you will empty the tank or battery quicker than if you go slow on flat ground etc.
As an example I have the same bike as Tomtom above. Or the same make with the same motor and 17ah battery anyway. The actual model may be different but they all perform the same. I get 47-48 miles to battery shutdown when I am resetting the battery parameters using it in max power mode. That’s under half that he gets on towpaths in lowest mode. But I live in very hilly terrain and I like to go uphill as fast as I can. So even though I’m putting in a lot of pedal effort going fast uphill the motor is more than matching it and is using a lot of battery power. If I used a lower power setting on the same hill I would go up it slower with the same effort but use a lot less battery power.
That’s with a torque sensor bike. When I had a speed or rotational sensor bike using it on the same routes I got only 16-17 miles from a 9Ah battery which was why I only had it for a few weeks. In that case I was going at the same speed but the motor was doing almost all the work, and I was turning the pedals without putting in hard effort. It might have felt like I was, but really I was putting in very little except on the steepest parts of hills and the motor was fooling me into thinking I was doing more than I was. So you have to think of the kind of motor control too. TS or PAS. You will get better range with the former because you are putting in more leg power to make it go so contributing more to the journey.
Of course as you turn the power down progressively you can go further, and if you turn it right down to zero then your range becomes as far as you can pedal it. But you might as well have a lighter unassisted bike then.
As an example I have the same bike as Tomtom above. Or the same make with the same motor and 17ah battery anyway. The actual model may be different but they all perform the same. I get 47-48 miles to battery shutdown when I am resetting the battery parameters using it in max power mode. That’s under half that he gets on towpaths in lowest mode. But I live in very hilly terrain and I like to go uphill as fast as I can. So even though I’m putting in a lot of pedal effort going fast uphill the motor is more than matching it and is using a lot of battery power. If I used a lower power setting on the same hill I would go up it slower with the same effort but use a lot less battery power.
That’s with a torque sensor bike. When I had a speed or rotational sensor bike using it on the same routes I got only 16-17 miles from a 9Ah battery which was why I only had it for a few weeks. In that case I was going at the same speed but the motor was doing almost all the work, and I was turning the pedals without putting in hard effort. It might have felt like I was, but really I was putting in very little except on the steepest parts of hills and the motor was fooling me into thinking I was doing more than I was. So you have to think of the kind of motor control too. TS or PAS. You will get better range with the former because you are putting in more leg power to make it go so contributing more to the journey.
Of course as you turn the power down progressively you can go further, and if you turn it right down to zero then your range becomes as far as you can pedal it. But you might as well have a lighter unassisted bike then.
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I gate 30 miles from a TCM woosh santa ana with 15 Ah 36V battery (I weigh 90kg and carry 10 to 15 kg luggage) on mixed terrain (one steep hill, a few gentler ones) at around 10 to 18mph
Big Bear bpm kit with 15ah batt most to date 52 miles. Todays ride with 15ah batt BBS01 mtb 43 miles ( 23 road miles & 20 miles on the S/downs, changed over battery at 43 miles as I carry another 15ah one in my small back pack.
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Good effort, Martin.
In favourable conditions, whirring along slowly on eco setting on my Rose/Bosch, I might get somewhere near it.
At least, it gives some high level idea of range, as we have the same battery capacity, from the same make of bike. Bikes are probably different, with different equipment and weight, and we probably don't have the same weight either, nor the same level of fitness, but it's good enough for a range.
Basically, if you get 47/48 miles on a very hilly route, using maximum assistance most of the time, and I get 100 miles with minimum assistance on a flat route (providing a lot on input), the high level range is about 40 to 100 miles, depending on route, assistance level, input from rider, weather/wind etc.
If OP wants to ride on a flat route for 70 miles, while pedaling a bit, then he will probably be fine. If he wants to ride in a hilly area for 20 miles, he will probably be fine too.
But that range is so wide as to be meaningless; and the more pedal input you put in using high assist on hills or into wind with a TS bike the more battery power you will use. Because the motor works harder to multiply your effort. The only thing you can say is you will go further if you turn the power down. But that’s just stating the obvious.
It was a question asked and everyone can make a reply.
It doesn't matter thats its meaningless.
I can get 150 miles out of my batteries and I can also get 50 miles out of the very same ones if I use throttle only.
So you accept that it’s a meaningless question but you answer anyway? That’s ridiculous.
Okay. What does coffee taste like? That’s a meaningless question for you. The answer coffee, which is at least accurate is equally meaningless.
It is a meaningless question, and one that has in the past made me wonder about just how truthful that people are being when they state the battery range that they are regularly achieving.
On one ride alone this year in the Swiss alps, I pretty much flattened the Bosch performance line's 400wh battery in ten miles, without even venturing into the sport or turbo setting.
I can do the same with little effort off road over here in 20 miles, and again without using the highest two power settings.
I weigh 75kg, and consider myself pretty fit, so the low range can only be attributed to riding terrain, bike type and bike set up. There are too many variables, for anyone to be able to quantify any meaningful and real world, across the board range calculation. It is not remotely possible, and I take many claims with a large pinch of salt.
The most that I have achieved though, was 675 miles. The bike was on the back of the car at the time.
On one ride alone this year in the Swiss alps, I pretty much flattened the Bosch performance line's 400wh battery in ten miles, without even venturing into the sport or turbo setting.
I can do the same with little effort off road over here in 20 miles, and again without using the highest two power settings.
I weigh 75kg, and consider myself pretty fit, so the low range can only be attributed to riding terrain, bike type and bike set up. There are too many variables, for anyone to be able to quantify any meaningful and real world, across the board range calculation. It is not remotely possible, and I take many claims with a large pinch of salt.
The most that I have achieved though, was 675 miles. The bike was on the back of the car at the time.
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OK, how about this then.
Bosch Classic with my Mickey Mouse 300W (allegedly) spare on 2 runs this week.
1/ .. 19 miles 2500ft in Tour. Hills were long low gradient but the downs were steep and fast so using power a lot.. 1 segment left (probably 3 miles if I am lucky).
2/... 30 miles till flat in Turbo .About 2000 ft but generally flatish with equal ups and downs.
I find that on the road without a headwind Turbo seems the most economical as it keeps pushing me past the cutoff, whereas in Tour I have to work much harder to get past the cut off and tend to ride in a lower gear.
In conclusion..36 inches of string is only a yard long if you dont tie a knot in it!!
Bosch Classic with my Mickey Mouse 300W (allegedly) spare on 2 runs this week.
1/ .. 19 miles 2500ft in Tour. Hills were long low gradient but the downs were steep and fast so using power a lot.. 1 segment left (probably 3 miles if I am lucky).
2/... 30 miles till flat in Turbo .About 2000 ft but generally flatish with equal ups and downs.
I find that on the road without a headwind Turbo seems the most economical as it keeps pushing me past the cutoff, whereas in Tour I have to work much harder to get past the cut off and tend to ride in a lower gear.
In conclusion..36 inches of string is only a yard long if you dont tie a knot in it!!
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I get asked this question by almost every single new customer that comes into the shop...
I always tell them that the best that I personally have achieved is 64 miles on Bosch performance in Eco mode, and TRYING to be as frugal as possible whilst using the assistance as continually as possible. ie. not really normal cycling situation.
I point out that It's unlikely that they will get this if they are bigger than me-most blokes are (i'm a bit of a short arse)...
Essentially I let them know it's impossible to say, but very likely to get between 15 worse case scenario, and 64 if they try hard.
On that system.
On a similar bike.
With similar tyres. On a cool , but sunny day.
I always tell them that the best that I personally have achieved is 64 miles on Bosch performance in Eco mode, and TRYING to be as frugal as possible whilst using the assistance as continually as possible. ie. not really normal cycling situation.
I point out that It's unlikely that they will get this if they are bigger than me-most blokes are (i'm a bit of a short arse)...
Essentially I let them know it's impossible to say, but very likely to get between 15 worse case scenario, and 64 if they try hard.
On that system.
On a similar bike.
With similar tyres. On a cool , but sunny day.
I think it's quite expected for people to ask about battery range, when they buy something like an ebike.
Agreed, it will depend on many parameters (and no journey will be the same), but it's good to have some real life scenarios ("when I went to...") to give a rough idea.
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