Is an electric bike for me?

[CaptainDan]

I've been very tempted to buy one, but I have not seen anyone my age use one :\

I am only 30 years old, weigh 18 stone at 5'5. I started cycling 2 months ago in an attempt to get into shape. If my way to work was flat, I could easily manage FLAT 20 mile round trips, but there are hills on the way. Nothing spectacular, the gradients are only 5%. I would like to be able to cycle every day but I can't because my legs seem sore even though I take it easy on the hills using the easy gear. At the moment I'm doing 2-3 days a week when I'd like to be independent of the car.

A round trip on bike would take me 2.5 hours (average 10mph), or 2 hours by car. I really want to cycle to work instead as the 0.5 hour is not a big cost if I lose weight and save money on fuel. Spending £70 a month on fuel, I am willing to divert that to a shiny new bike if it cuts down my journey time on bike and allows me to travel everyday without a car.

Am I a candidate for an e-bike or should I wait a while for a few months for my weight to shift? I really appreciate your input.

~CD

 

[Wander]

Been out riding with plenty of people your age & younger.

Get the e-bike, if anything like most of the owners I know you'll go out on it far more than an analogue bike & the pounds will start to fall off

 

[Nealh]

That's a dedicated commute every day of the week in all weather.
Firstly you need some where under cover and secure for your bike even if you lock it up.
Invest in decent protective clothing.
As with pedal bikes E- bikes are for everyone, the ones who will remark or comment are those not willing to cycle or get out of their cars.
Go for it, with only 5% gradients most decent bikes will cope.

 

[egroover]

Dan, just get one, you'd be getting loads of exercise, but will be able to moderate how much, and increase the work out when you wany, plus you'll want to do it 5 days a week. It's a great stress buster too, and you will choose the bike over the car. You should be able to average 13-15 mph no problem on high

 

[JuicyBike]

Your 10 mile commute should take around 45 mins by electric bike and will be a perfect start to your days work.

If you lived in Derbyshire you could hire one for a few days to test out your route, but I guess there must be some other advantage to living in the south.

Definitely try one! Much more fun and quicker than a car in city traffic.

 

[DBye]

Hi @CaptainDan
I am 30, 18st, 5'11.
I started cycling to work (18 mile round trip) around 3 years ago and 17st on a non-ebike (apparently cycling makes you hungry!).
After not loosing much weight, a couple of near misses, and a small child later, I came on here and after receiving good advice obtained an Oxygen S-Cross.
I'd recommend getting an ebike, you don't sweat as much so can wear regular clothing (though I recommend synthetics which are quick drying), and I think it is safer as you can concentrate more on the other idiots on the road rather than peddling up a nasty hill.

 

[Nealh]

Ebike will help to get a bit of weight off but really you need to cut out chocs, cakes and puds, generally eat less stodgy food.
By doing the above and no crisps I have lost 10lb since September and now just have a little small treat every now and then, now at 12st 9 but am aiming for 12st 2.

 

[Trevormonty]

For commuter bike, mudguards, pannier rack, lights would be a must. There are few options for drive systems, rear hub, middrive and front hub motors, plus torque and cadence sensing. Most kits and cheaper bikes are cadence sensing.

Test ride of few ebikes with different drive systems and frame styles would be good idea, should narrow down what you want in a bike.

 

[0omo0]

Hi Captain Dan

im a bit late to this conversation though thought i would add my thoughts, im age 32, 15 stone (though im trying to loose a bit honest!) and cycle 13 miles to and from work on an ebike I highly recommend it. plus its saving me £156 a month on my train ticket. meaning that for me after a year and a half the bike will have paid for itself. I go out in sun, heavy rain and most recently light snow nothing stops me.

As Juicy suggested above its worth going and giving different types of bikes a try, hub motors have a feeling of being pushed along where as crank motors feel more like your peddling, personally i like the hub but its worth checking both out. If your near Juicy go and try a bike, i had a Juicy Roller for a while and it was a lovely bike to ride, makes the hills nice and easy on full assistance and they have a good range. there are loads of bikes out there to choose from and plenty of ebike shops will let you take there bikes out for a little spin.

 

[Warwick]

Choose the right bike and you'll be cycling for pleasure as well as the commute. My experience of my commute is that I bought a cheap bike secondhand off eBay. It basically fell to pieces around me. Since then I've converted a couple of bikes with different degrees of success.

My current stable is a converted Orbit Orion with a Panda front hub kit. It's reliable and steady, with a great range, but not very exciting. My Oxygen eMate is much more fun and is my bike of choice on winter commutes, although I have customised it quite a bit.

My commute ranges from 17 - 25 miles round trip depending on the weather and how hard I've had to work! The trip takes roughly the same as if I drive in, but is much more fun, cheaper & healthier too. I'm lucky in that I can vary my route to one of half a dozen alternatives. The Oxygen handles bridleways and towpaths with aplomb and with the Ice Spiker tyres I have on it at the moment, it can handle almost anything the British weather can throw at it.

As someone else mentioned, good clothing is essential. I know I can set out in the rain and arrive bone dry and warm. Make sure you budget for good quality, breathable clothing.

So, do some research, ask loads of questions, try some bikes, but set your budget as high as you possibly can afford. There are plenty of cheaper ebikes out there, but quality seems to kick in >£1K, IMHO.

 

[BornAgainCyclist]

Yes one would be and a cycle to work scheme is likely to be your best friend.

 

[Danidl]

You have come to the wrong place for a critical appraisal of the demerits for e biking. A 10 mile undulating trip should take 45 to 50 minutes at the legal 15 miles per hour. You will get up to that speed and be able to maintain it even going up hill, down hill you can maybe double it... I would not recommend that though.
The advice you have been given is all sound. While not strictly necessary, on a 20 mile round trip, you would be getting close to full battery discharge, and the battery will have a longer lifetime if you charged it at work. But the main problem is that a nice shiney bike is not just attractive to magpies, and having a secure location to put it will be important.
You might assume that you will go through at least one and maybe two sets of tyres per year.
But against that, the two hours you spend will be time you will look forward to...