How many electric bikes do you see out on the roads?

[rsscott]

Recently I've started to see a few electric bikes out on the road. Some of them are e-bikes but i've also seen a few of the 'shopper' type bikes. I've yet to see anyone else out on one away from the built up areas. It appears most of the initial buyers are using them for short journeys i.e. to the local supermarket.

 

[flecc]

I've lived on my electric bikes for the last three and a half years, and on normal bikes for the ten years before that, all day and seven days a week since I'm retired. Amazingly I've never seen another electric bike of any sort on the road, despite being on the edge of a large urban area. This despite my ceaselessly promoting their use.

 

[Tony Youens]

I've only seen one other bike, a Powerbyke, which was chained up outside our local supermarket.

Tony

 

[flecc]

Copied extract from another thread

There must be a few Giant electrics around since BikePlus of Brighton Road, South Croydon sold around one or two a year for about the last four years, but as posted above, I've never seen one. They're probably mainly operating in the flattish valley area along the Brighton Road corridor into Croydon central. Cycle King, the Croydon discounters, have the Powerbike range in stock always, so I assume they must sell some, but again those seem to have vanished. I can't help feeling that, like most of the two million ordinary bikes sold every year, some electric bikes bought get used a few times and then get thrown into the back of a garage and forgotten.

 

[aroncox]

I've seen two others, one is often locked up outside my local supermarket, and I was once overtaken by someone who looked as if they had attached a motor to the back wheel.

I have to say they don't seem particularly popular. People at work are always asking why I don't just get a nice lightwieght racing bike, and my wife thinks I have completely wasted a ton of money when I could catch the tube or cycle on a regular bike.

I love it, it's so much better than the tube, which leaves me depressed and dizzy (travel sickness), and as long as it keeps working for a few more years I'll be happy.

 

[flecc]

Was it a mirage?

After reporting above that I'd never seen another electric bike on the road after years of riding one, today I saw a Giant Lafree Lite outside Sainsburys! No pannier bags on it though, so no serious shopping being done by whoever the owner was. Still, it was good to see it, since I've been ceaselessly promoting that model to all enquirers, mainly outside Sainsburys, for over three and a half years now. It's sad that the Lafree models have been discontinued since they're still the best load carrying and large load towing electrics for hilly areas by a huge margin.

 

[flecc]

That motor attached to the back wheel might have been the Currie Electro-Drive Aron. Attaches alongside the back wheel, is very fast hence the overtaking, but short range and needs lots of regular adjustment. Early models were ridiculously powerful but overheated and blew up, they're more sane now, but different gearsets can still be bought to get high speeds. On the net at about £345 for the kit to fit on single speed or derailleur, but not hub gear bikes. Made in the USA.

 

[oobs]

I used to have an electro drive and some friend have tried hiring electro drive modde dbikes for short breaks in the Surrey Hills. I went out on a trial with them on my Torq and I have to say, the electro drive was much better at coping with REAL hills than the Torq. The Torq is a communter bike, not a hill chomper in my opinion.

But back to the thread subject, I have seen quite a few electric bikes round here (Farnborough, Hants). Mainly Powerbikes but a few others, too. I would say maybe 10 over two years. Is that quite a few or is that pitiful? Actually, that is pitiful, isn't it?

 

[rsscott]

Hi oobs, welcome aboard from Powerswitch (another great site there folks)!

What wattage motors were fitted to the other bikes ?

 

[oobs]

I confess, I wasn't looking too hard, so I didn't notice how big they were!! One doesn't like to stare!! It was just nice to see fellow electro bikers.

 

[rsscott]

I saw a couple on the road last night although they were styled a little more towards mopeds. I also passed a number of non-electric cyclists pedalling furiously into the wind last night (20mph+ headwind - ouch)

 

[flecc]

You're rignt there oobs, the Electro Drive is a much better hill climber, quite a weakness in the overgeared Torq. By the standards of round here in the North Downs, seeing 10 electrics in 2 years is positively swarming with them! But as you say, it's pathetic really, as it is all over Britain.

I understand there's loads of them commuting in the inner London area now, to get free entry into the Congestion Charge zone without the sweat of manual cycling. Perhaps we need those zones in all our cities and towns to get things rolling, an extra £40 a week to commute with a car focusses the mind wonderfully and pays for a Torq in 7 months.

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

itspeteinit

I have seen one electric bike on the road - that was in Scotland. No wonder pedestrians look in amazement. They are like Barn Owls (not the pedestrians): they float along effortlessly, noiselessly - the captivating thing is the rider appears to be putting in no effort (as in battling along against a headwind - the whole apparatus including the rider is in serious motion).
There will be others: I know of one not 800 metres from my house that was delivered on the same day as mine from 50 Cycles. And I have heard reports of others seen in the vicinity.
itspeteinit

 

[andrewelectricbike1]

Giant twisty looking bike travelling into Derby near Pektron Island

Couldn`t stop I was late for a meeting. This guy was wrapped up in his dayglo waterproofs sedately cruising past the queing traffic (on the pave/cycle path). Looked like a giant twist from a distance. Not very fast though.. do these have throttles?
Andrew

 

[flecc]

No Andrew, they're pedelec only as they comply with European law. Also in compliance with that, power phases down as it nears 15 mph and cuts out at that speed. They're very easy to pedal faster, but many don't bother and just drift along at 15. Mine's geared up and assists to 17 mph, and US ones were geared for up to 20.

 

[Beeping-Sleauty]

local sightings

there are 3 iv'e seen in Colchester, one quite old, extremely rusty ebike shopper type, quite disreputable, but obviously still working with over 12,000 miles on the mileometer, the other being driven by a rather elderly gentleman, it was dark so i couldn't see well enough to get the make, he was bolt upright, trilby hat, long overcoat and went past silently at quite a lick. i thought he cut quite a dash, hope i'm that elegant if i reach that age.

a chum of mine runs a local bike shop, he always has a couple in stock, but says he has only sold two in two years, but he thinks the influx of cheap bikes from the far east ( selling new from £79, or buy one get one free ) has altered the market forever.

beeps

Recently I've started to see a few electric bikes out on the road. Some of them are e-bikes but i've also seen a few of the 'shopper' type bikes. I've yet to see anyone else out on one away from the built up areas. It appears most of the initial buyers are using them for short journeys i.e. to the local supermarket.

 

[rsscott]

Yesterday I had to use the car for work and on the way home I was just leaving a village and saw a chap moving rather swiftly. It was only when I passed him that I recognised the bike - a Torq!

 

[MaryinScotland]

There are a few electric bikes around Oxford. Someone living a few doors along from me has had a Powabyke for at least the last 3 years. Where I work (large hospital) there's a man with a road bike with Heinzmann motor. And I regularly see a Thompson Euro Classic parked outside. At the nearby shops, there's another electric bike regularly parked - I think it might be another Thompson, maybe the Euro Tourer. And I see the occasional one passing on the streets.

Still, not a big percentage, given the number of bikes in Oxford.

Mary

 

[allotmenteer]

I've seen two in the Aldershot area. A guy on a powabyke passes my road at about 5.15 most evenings and I saw one in Crondall during the summer. They do look extremely heavy beasts. They must be a pig to ride when the battery runs out.

 

[flecc]

They certainly are, weighing 40 kilos! Some Powabyke models have a monster inner sprocket on the derailleur's cassette to give an extremely low gear. I've never ridden one of those, but would think balance a big problem at the speed of that very low gear.

They have a huge range though, so never any need to run out of charge.