Long commute question

[thegus]

Hiya,

I'm in the process of buying a new flat and it's quite a fair distance from my workplace, 14 miles.

According to cyclestreets, that'll be around 1 hour 45 mins cycle. So my daily commute would be 3 1/2 hours! And in London too!

I have done a 8 mile commute which took 40mins (with some hills) and was fairly tired afterwards.

So I'm wondering what benefits would I get if I bought an ebike for the commute? Would it take less time and be less tiring? Or be less tiring and take the same time?

Thanks

 

[Poolepete]

Hello!

14 miles is very do-able (say I, who only has a four mile commute to work). My average speed on my bike is 13.8 mph and I am far from superman. I visited friends recently (on a fairly hilly, some of them evil, route) who live 20 miles away. I felt absolutely fine when I got home with 45 miles clocked onto my bike that day.

An ebike will do both of what you ask, way less tiring and higher average speed. You are obviously pretty fit to maintain the 12mph you did over 8 miles, so the 14 mile commute should be easy for you on an ebike.

Just make sure you go for comfort over style (I have a Raleigh Motus Grand Tour which is like riding an arm chair)!

There are others, far more learned, on this forum who I am sure will give you more insight into what you should be looking for.

 

[Andy-Mat]

Hiya,

I'm in the process of buying a new flat and it's quite a fair distance from my workplace, 14 miles.

According to cyclestreets, that'll be around 1 hour 45 mins cycle. So my daily commute would be 3 1/2 hours! And in London too!

I have done a 8 mile commute which took 40mins (with some hills) and was fairly tired afterwards.

So I'm wondering what benefits would I get if I bought an ebike for the commute? Would it take less time and be less tiring? Or be less tiring and take the same time?

Thanks

Poolepete said it all really, but I would just like to add that you will never regret buying one, and apparently your "fitness" will also improve.
Make sure that you have a truly secure place at both ends to keep it.
My personal take is two quality bike locks, one for the front wheel to frame and one for the back wheel and if possible, also through something heavy fixed into the ground.
Also, a vibration alarm with a remote control, very cheap nowadays, far less than 20 UK Pounds on ebay!
Learn how to maintain your battery(s), as they are expensive to replace. Its not difficult, "if you know how!"
If you want to buy a secondhand bike, the battery(s) may already be scrap, so be very careful, and expect the worst, as 4there has to be a reason for sellin such a bike....!
Ask on Pedelec for a LBS near to you for purchasing a bike, new or not.
Learning how to do small DIY jobs, will eventually save you a bundle, but a small toolkit and a cheap multi meter are needed for that....Careful shopping and 20-50 UK pounds should get you all you need....
Pedelecers are generally very helpful!
regards
Andy

 

[KirstinS]

I am a year round commuter of over a decade first off.

Whatever you, and I think a Woosh bike or a conversion would both be fine, don't forget to budget for good gear. Decent waterproofs, gloves, pannier or backpack, lights etc

Personally I get an IGH bike to allow for changing when stationary at lights. (lots in London)

But a hub motor will accelerate fast than mid drive which for stop start is great.

My current commuter is alfine 8 rear hub with a front conversion. (whoosh xf07 though plenty others are available) The feel is different and either the two wheel drive feeling works for you or it doesn't.

I would not pair a mid drive with a rear hub gear system for commuting in stop start traffic (but I have this on my hardtail for South downs adventures and love it)

 

[Kizza]

Hiya,

I'm in the process of buying a new flat and it's quite a fair distance from my workplace, 14 miles.

According to cyclestreets, that'll be around 1 hour 45 mins cycle. So my daily commute would be 3 1/2 hours! And in London too!

I have done a 8 mile commute which took 40mins (with some hills) and was fairly tired afterwards.

So I'm wondering what benefits would I get if I bought an ebike for the commute? Would it take less time and be less tiring? Or be less tiring and take the same time?

Thanks

I can do my 8 mile commute in 30 minutes and on a high setting it is not at all tiring. Think: moped but your legs are moving. It really is a breeze. Test ride one and you'll see.

 

[Nosweat]

Interesting thread. I have just bought a Woosh XF07 front kit which I'm pairing with Nexus hub gears for my 30 mile round commute. Toyed with the idea of a crank motor but the need for total reliability got in the way. What don't you like about hub gears plus crank motor on a commuter bike may I ask?

 

[RoadieRoger]

thegus look at the WOOSH range of Ebikes . They are at Southend and would give test rides and advice . If you are to live in a Flat how about a Folder ? If you have to climb stairs or use a narrow corridor something that is compact/manageable and folds would cover all bases . Their new Rambletta at £849 would be perfect . The Owner of WOOSH is often on this Forum answering queries or offering help .

 

[sjpt]

I think you'll save a little time, but not much; but certainly less tiring (unless you have to carry it upstairs at either end; a bit like carrying an arm chair upstairs). I enjoy our Motus and it's very comfortable, but you may want something a bit lighter for commuting.

 

[thegus]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the advice!

I have a feeling I'll probably get a conversion kit instead of a full bike.

Woosh seem to be the most talked about one here. I did want to check out Swytch and also wanted to ask if anyone had experience with Analog Motion.

The only experience I have with an ebike is when I rode an Uber Jump bike. Passive assist was fun!

 

[KirstinS]

Interesting thread. I have just bought a Woosh XF07 front kit which I'm pairing with Nexus hub gears for my 30 mile round commute. Toyed with the idea of a crank motor but the need for total reliability got in the way. What don't you like about hub gears plus crank motor on a commuter bike may I ask?

The constant gear changing! With a hub motor you can get up to speed much faster without going through the gears. For stop start I prefer them

And, similar to you, wanted reliability. My hybrid has a shaft drive and alfine hub with xf07 front

 

[scott gaza]

Hi Thegus, i had a panda kit the predecessor to swytch It cost £300 and at that price i would recommend to anyone, but the swytch equivalent is £750. Unless you are going for a super neat finish, i would recommend a woosh kit mainly because of the battery used over the other two.

 

[Tutchy]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the advice!

I have a feeling I'll probably get a conversion kit instead of a full bike.

Woosh seem to be the most talked about one here. I did want to check out Swytch and also wanted to ask if anyone had experience with Analog Motion.

The only experience I have with an ebike is when I rode an Uber Jump bike. Passive assist was fun!

Hi thegus
I have an Analog Motion AMX LE
happy to answer any questions

 

[WheezyRider]

Whatever kit you get, make sure you have a decent size battery. I would not go less than 15Ah.

 

[Nealh]

Capacity isn't a deal breaker if you only do low miles every day, for instance on my town bike 36v 14.5ah is replaced with much smaller and lighter 12s 2p 6ah 40a home made bottle battery.
On another bike the 208wh battery does me for 25miles approx., so my 264wh 6ah one will get me a bit more. Importantly it depends on the cells used rather then just outright capacity.

 

[WheezyRider]

Capacity isn't a deal breaker if you only do low miles every day, for instance on my town bike 36v 14.5ah is replaced with much smaller and lighter 12s 2p 6ah 40a home made bottle battery.
On another bike the 208wh battery does me for 25miles approx., so my 264wh 6ah one will get me a bit more. Importantly it depends on the cells used rather then just outright capacity.

Yes, if you have good levels of fitness you can get away with smaller packs. 20 years ago I would not have blinked at doing a 14 mile commute without any assist at all. But nowadays, I would not like to have to ride 14 miles to get home into the wind, maybe uphill too with only a 6Ah pack which has already done 14 miles. If you do rely on the assist a lot, you will also take a lot out of the pack and it won't last very long if you have to deep cycle it.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

Hiya,

I'm in the process of buying a new flat and it's quite a fair distance from my workplace, 14 miles.

According to cyclestreets, that'll be around 1 hour 45 mins cycle. So my daily commute would be 3 1/2 hours! And in London too!

I have done a 8 mile commute which took 40mins (with some hills) and was fairly tired afterwards.

So I'm wondering what benefits would I get if I bought an ebike for the commute? Would it take less time and be less tiring? Or be less tiring and take the same time?

Thanks

I couldn't even manage 4 miles on a normal bike without feeling knackered, now I comfortably and regularly do an electricaly assisted 24 without much effort at all. If you're a bit tired after 8 miles, you'll feel invigorated and ready for work after 14 miles on an ebike with a big battery, or even 28. A week of commuting 28 miles a day will be shattering, without an ebike. Get the biggest battery you can manage, because capacity will reduce over time, and finding that you have chosen a smaller capacity than you need would be highly disappointing and troublesome - also in the winter, range reduces in the cold. You might be a bit faster, but probably not by much, especially in London. I think that a lot of the members of this forum are fitter than they think they are, and can manage comfortably with very little assistance from smaller capacity battery packs. Get a 19ah+. I did.

 

[Nealh]

You can't base your usage on suggestions without knowing the other persons ability or bike used. A good or even average fit rider may be using a lightweight bike or wants a light weight bike to commute on, no use doing so and then adding a 7 to 10lb lump to it.
My ability is quite good albeit I have asthma the low power I mainly use about 90 - 120w in PAS1 is more then enough for my needs to make life so much easier, if someone can happily toot along at u to 18/19mph in PAS1 then the battery capacity doesn't need to be massive.

The replies of recent are about a thread from a year ago so the guy in question is or will probably be sorted.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

I have done a 8 mile commute which took 40mins (with some hills) and was fairly tired afterwards.

The OP (who has probably bought an ebike by now) was "fairly tired" after cycling 8 miles for 40 minutes (12mph)...

if someone can happily toot along at u to 18/19mph in PAS1 then the battery capacity doesn't need to be massive.

It's safe to assume I think, that you're in quite a different fitness league to the OP. Suggesting that riders like that choose small battery packs, is probably going to lead to buyer's remorse. As a commuter, my priority is my energy levels once I get to work - I'd really rather not be exhausted, or as the OP stated "fairly tired". If a few extra pounds of battery helps me avoid that, plus adds a little future-proofing (lithium-ion batteries inevitably degrade) into the bargain - great - I'd opt for the larger battery. For a long distance cyclist, the journey is the destination - how exhausted he/she is by the time he/she gets home is largely immaterial.

BTW Isn't pollen bad for asthma? Or is that only if it lodges in the lungs, not ingested as honey? Some pollen is bound to make it into your lungs through the sinuses as you're eating or sniffing it. Wearing a KN95 mask while near your hives would help.

As a long distance cyclist, do you have any tips for avoiding foot cramps? I get horrible cramping feet after about 20 miles. It's probably my lack of fitness and plantar fasciitis:

Plantar fasciitis

Find out about plantar fasciitis, including the causes, the symptoms and how to ease them, when to get medical help and treatments from a specialist.

www.nhs.uk

...it started when I went out for a jog in the snow.

 

[georgehenry]

I ride either a 20 mile on road round trip commute to work and back on my old 2011 Oxygen second hand Emate rear hub cadence road bike that came with rudimentary lights, mudguards and a rear rack, or a 24 mile round trip on my Haibike Yamaha crank drive hard tail mountain bike, where the 14 miles to work are off road ones and the ride home is 10 miles on the road.

Of the two bikes The old Oxygen is the least tiring and most relaxing to ride and by a country mile cheaper to maintain and run. They have both been very reliable, but The Haibike being crank drive needs much more attention to the drive train, wearing out chains and cassettes at roughly 4 times the rate of the rear hub bike.

However, the off road route is such brilliant fun that the extra cost of maintaining and fettling the Haibike more than make up for it.

I think riding in London with lots of stopping and starting I would go with a hub drive bike for the reasons other hardy commuters like me have stated.

 

[WheezyRider]

The OP (who has probably bought an ebike by now) was "fairly tired" after cycling 8 miles for 40 minutes (12mph)...






It's safe to assume I think, that you're in quite a different fitness league to the OP. Suggesting that riders like that choose small battery packs, is probably going to lead to buyer's remorse. As a commuter, my priority is my energy levels once I get to work - I'd really rather not be exhausted, or as the OP stated "fairly tired". If a few extra pounds of battery helps me avoid that, plus adds a little future-proofing (lithium-ion batteries inevitably degrade) into the bargain - great - I'd opt for the larger battery. For a long distance cyclist, the journey is the destination - how exhausted he/she is by the time he/she gets home is largely immaterial.

BTW Isn't pollen bad for asthma? Or is that only if it lodges in the lungs, not ingested as honey? Some pollen is bound to make it into your lungs through the sinuses as you're eating or sniffing it. Wearing a KN95 mask while near your hives would help.

As a long distance cyclist, do you have any tips for avoiding foot cramps? I get horrible cramping feet after about 20 miles. It's probably my lack of fitness and plantar fasciitis:

Plantar fasciitis

Find out about plantar fasciitis, including the causes, the symptoms and how to ease them, when to get medical help and treatments from a specialist.

www.nhs.uk

...it started when I went out for a jog in the snow.

All sorts of things can set asthma off, not necessarily pollen. Usually it's things like house dust, smoke, exercise etc, but it could be just taking a breath of cold air, or even someone's perfume.

But having asthma doesn't mean you won't be any good on a bike. If it is well controlled, it shouldn't make a lot of difference if you are not having to exert yourself too much.