I wonder why..

[oldgroaner]

None of the major selling Ebikes have the features that would make them really desirable?
So I put together a list
Front and rear suspension
Wheels that are quick release and leave the drive train and brakes in place
Easy clean wheels rather than spoked nightmares to clean
Integrated crank drive with torque sensing auto varying gears like a scooter.
Shaft drive instead of chain or belt.
Hydraulic Disc brakes.
Full mudguards and automatic lights.
Oh and a price of £1000 or less.
Well I am kidding on that last bit of course!

 

[Artstu]

Close

 

[Emo Rider]

None of the major selling Ebikes have the features that would make them really desirable?
So I put together a list
Front and rear suspension
Wheels that are quick release and leave the drive train and brakes in place
Easy clean wheels rather than spoked nightmares to clean
Integrated crank drive with torque sensing auto varying gears like a scooter.
Shaft drive instead of chain or belt.
Hydraulic Disc brakes.
Full mudguards and automatic lights.
Oh and a price of £1000 or less.
Well I am kidding on that last bit of course!

My wish list as well with the exception of the shaft drive. Too much power to the wheel would be lost. A belt drive would be a good compromise, no oiling.

 

[oldgroaner]

I see what you mean, that design does tick a lot of the boxes, doesn't it?

 

[Mick_Pollock]

Use extreme caution bullshit and nondelivery

 

[oldgroaner]

And no doubt very overpriced too!

 

[trex]

there is no one size fits all.

 

[oldgroaner]

True, yet the majority of models for instance seem to have for instance suspension at only one end, or none at all.

 

[trex]

that's because the rear suspension adds a fair bit of weight and soaks up a bit of energy too. To make a responsive rear frame that does not squeak is very hard, beyond most Chinese bike factories so prices are automatically high.

 

[flecc]

True, yet the majority of models for instance seem to have for instance suspension at only one end, or none at all.

Because that's what the majority of customers want. For example, I would never consider rear suspension and for road use don't want front suspension either.

Many items in your wish list would be part of my hate list, something true for many others too.
.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Kits with a clock on the LCD instead of total time, motor AND ambient temperature, total Wh used instead of current Watts used. Battery voltage on the main screen instead of stupid bars that mean nothing, a single trip reset button. Plugs for brakes and throttle in the LCD and single thin cable through the frame to the controller.

A 10C, 20 Amp output BMS 18650 battery - no sag please - with controller in the battery and pre-wired for lights.

Easy to take apart hub motor for customer maintenance - no special tools or well placed hammer whacks...

I could go on.

flecc we don't ride the same roads (and maybe not the same distances these days). The RST single shock front suspension with 40 mm travel is needed here and a NCX suspension seat post are on my wish list.

Hydraulic rim brakes = many saved grams in unsprung weight and are just as good as disk on the road.

 

[flecc]

flecc we don't ride the same roads (and maybe not the same distances these days). The RST single shock front suspension with 40 mm travel is needed here and a NCX suspension seat post are on my wish list.

Maybe, but even on bridle paths I don't want suspension. I haven't had any suspension all my cycling life and don't like it on bikes I've tried with it. I'd always rather save the weight.
.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I am at the stage where despite ergonomic grips my hands still start to go numb and my forearms pump up at around the 40 km mark. Yes I am using fatter tyres with correct pressure...

I will try suspension on my new build.

 

[Croxden]

I find the rear suspension on my Delite works much more than the front and gives a much more comfortable ride. But then, it's not your usual bike.

 

[oldgroaner]

that's because the rear suspension adds a fair bit of weight and soaks up a bit of energy too. To make a responsive rear frame that does not squeak is very hard, beyond most Chinese bike factories so prices are automatically high.

Strange as my Brompton manages to have just a door stop rubber bung as rear suspension and that weighs very little yet works quite well ( and is silent)

 

[oldgroaner]

Maybe, but even on bridle paths I don't want suspension. I haven't had any suspension all my cycling life and don't like it on bikes I've tried with it. I'd always rather save the weight.
.

It's arguable that while saving weight is great on a normal bike, it's not perhaps as big a priority on an Ebike, and when you are over 70 like me, being jolted on bumpy ground lacks the charm it had in the past.
I must confess that having had Prostate Cancer means I am more vulnerable to damage down there than I was (if you know what I mean)

 

[oldgroaner]

I am at the stage where despite ergonomic grips my hands still start to go numb and my forearms pump up at around the 40 km mark. Yes I am using fatter tyres with correct pressure...

I will try suspension on my new build.

I know exactly what you mean (As Ollie used to say to Stanley)

 

[flecc]

It's arguable that while saving weight is great on a normal bike, it's not perhaps as big a priority on an Ebike, and when you are over 70 like me, being jolted on bumpy ground lacks the charm it had in the past.
I must confess that having had Prostate Cancer means I am more vulnerable to damage down there than I was (if you know what I mean)

I sympathise, my prostate condition is merely BPH which has no seated pain penalty. I think personal weight comes into the suspension issue to a fair degree. I'm well under 70 kilos and am quite happy to raise my weight slightly from the saddle over expected bumps. Being up on my legs seems entirely natural to me after many early years of off-road motorcycle competition in trials.
.

 

[trex]

I found that the SR NCX seat post is pretty good in providing a degree of suspension without the usual drawbacks of a front and/or rear suspension.

 

[oldgroaner]

I sympathise, my prostate condition is merely BPH which has no seated pain penalty. I think personal weight comes into the suspension issue to a fair degree. I'm well under 70 kilos and am quite happy to raise my weight slightly from the saddle over expected bumps. Being up on my legs seems entirely natural to me after many early years of off-road motorcycle competition in trials.
.

Hi flecc I know what you mean it's just that in Hull the good news is that there is a very extensive network of cycle paths, which is good news, the bad news (Apart from an seemingly infinite amount of broken glass everywhere) is that on many sections tree roots have rutted the surface almost continuously, and doing as you quite rightly suggest gets so tiring that many of us have reverted to using the more dangerous main roads, to avoid punctures and damage to the bike wheels! as the City council (despite many protests) refuse to maintain the network of cycle paths. Too expensive! they cry.