long term solution for commuters?

[ajesw]

I am hoping to give up my car and bike to work, but as I live in Brighton, well on the outskirts of Brighton, there are some rather large hills in between.

I have been looking at a range of options, one of which is an electric bike. I had a go on an ezee bike from cyclepoint which was truly amazing. I never realised they were so great! Being sold on the idea of an electric bike however, I am concerned about their viability as a 'permanent' replacement for a car.

I was wondering how many of you have been using electric bikes day in day out over a period of more than a year, and whether it really works as a reliable form of transport?

 

[joab]

I have

I'm using my EZEE kit for 15 months now. My commute is 20km one way. Takes me about 50 minutes. I still enjoy the ride. It is a flat course.
Some minor problems but I always arrived at work and got home in the evening
Regards,
Jo

 

[flecc]

The most important thing is that your journey should be well within the battery range, since batteries lose capacity and range over time and replacement is expensive when the range becomes inadequate.

Otherwise e-bike commuting is completely viable and having the distributor local to you is a big advantage. When assessing the comparative costs it's best to price in a new battery about every two years since this is the major part of the costs, higher than the trifling amount of electricity used.
.

 

[JohnofCambridge]

The bike is well worth contemplating as a car replacement.

Bear in mind that if it develops a fault, you may lose it for a few days, so see if Cyclepoint can offer you a courtesy bike.

Also take into account any children who may go off to uni or aged relatives who may need a carer / transporter. These tend to still place car requirements upon one!!!!!

John

 

[Mussels]

I have been using a Wisper 905se for about 9 months now to commute 40 miles a day over a mixture of surfaces and gradients. It is viable as primary transport but I found that it was not a cheap or easy option, only attempt it if you want to cycle to work and not if you just want cheap travel.
You do need to put in a fair amount of effort, I expect your commute is pretty hilly and that will influence the type of bike you go for.
High mileage requires a fair degree of regular maintenance, things go wrong and if you can't fix them yourself then you will have to wait quite a while for someone else to do it. Fortunately most maintenance is simple once you know what you are doing and it's not expensive to keep a stock of common spares as they aren't always easy to get in a hurry. Mail order bike shops are pretty good and orders usually take 1 to 2 days to arrive.
It will cost you more than you think, on top of the cost of the bike you will need a good lock, clothes, spares and alternative transport when the bike is broken. You get what you pay for in the bikes as well and generally the premium brands have much better support which is essential if you are new to ebikes.
In a town it can replace a car easily, you can fit quite a lot of shopping on the back and use the occasional taxi where required. My car does about 100 miles a month which is just to carry the family around.
In winter it's good to have a hot shower waiting at the other end, cycle clothing is good and keeps me comfortable but it doesn't stop me getting drenched in the rain. In cold weather the battery range and power takes a hit so expect 2/3 of the claimed range.
Wind makes cycling a pain, the motor helps a huge amount with it but you still get blown sideways.

 

[torrent99]

I have been using a Wisper 905se for about 9 months now to commute 40 miles a day over a mixture of surfaces and gradients. It is viable as primary transport but I found that it was not a cheap or easy option, only attempt it if you want to cycle to work and not if you just want cheap travel.
You do need to put in a fair amount of effort, I expect your commute is pretty hilly and that will influence the type of bike you go for.
High mileage requires a fair degree of regular maintenance, things go wrong and if you can't fix them yourself then you will have to wait quite a while for someone else to do it. Fortunately most maintenance is simple once you know what you are doing and it's not expensive to keep a stock of common spares as they aren't always easy to get in a hurry. Mail order bike shops are pretty good and orders usually take 1 to 2 days to arrive.
It will cost you more than you think, on top of the cost of the bike you will need a good lock, clothes, spares and alternative transport when the bike is broken. You get what you pay for in the bikes as well and generally the premium brands have much better support which is essential if you are new to ebikes.
In a town it can replace a car easily, you can fit quite a lot of shopping on the back and use the occasional taxi where required. My car does about 100 miles a month which is just to carry the family around.
In winter it's good to have a hot shower waiting at the other end, cycle clothing is good and keeps me comfortable but it doesn't stop me getting drenched in the rain. In cold weather the battery range and power takes a hit so expect 2/3 of the claimed range.
Wind makes cycling a pain, the motor helps a huge amount with it but you still get blown sideways.

I've been using my Wisper about 4 months now, admittedly only commuting a short (4miles) distance. As a London denizen, my bike replaces the Tube rather than the car which sits in it's parking space for weeks on end then drives 400miles for a paddling trip.

As Mussels says, it's not free... but I'd say it is cheap when you compare it to a car. The initial outlay as Mussels says can be higher than you think when you take into account the accessories you need to keep you safe, secure and comfortable. However, after that the "bills" tend to come in small amounts rather than car-like big lumps. You do need to put in regular (much more regular than a car) effort for maintenance, but it's not that onnerous.

(BTW the electric portion of the bike generally seems to look after itself (apart from charging the battery and eventual battery replacement), the bit that requires the work is the mechanical bike bit. This bit is generally pretty much the same as any "normal" bike so it's easy to do or get someone else to do.)

So for commuting a bike is a VERY viable option to replace the car, and depending on the effort you put in pedalling, you might get to ditch the gym membership too! It's also just much more relaxing and enjoyable than car commuting.

 

[jac]

hi i use my lafree every day from seven dials to falmer and never find it to much of a chore and if sun is shining its very nice way to travell only time its not very nice is if its really cold you. You could try action bikes on london road as they sell powabike, giant, and python electric bikes

jim

 

[Straylight]

I'd second torrent99 with regard to relaxation, I now look forward to my commute - about 25miles round trip. I have a couple of hills on my journey, and would seriously reccomend SPD pedals to help with these, as they allow a measure of pull-up on the pedals, and you don't have to worry about your feet slipping off when you're hammering uphill.

My bike is a Wisper 905se, and so has a hub motor which I find can be managed by the sound it makes, when it sounds like it's moaning it's under heavy load, so I prefer to hear it whineing, so using less power. This way you can modulate your effort to maximise range.

 

[WALKERMAN]

I've been using ebikes for 4 years as an alternative to sitting in traffic jams and it is great to go past the stationary traffic and get home or to work in exactly the same time each day.
Ebiking means you can cycle to work without having to shower when you get there as it can be much more leisurely - it's up to you what effort you put in.
The comments previously posted are all helpful and relevant and I would also suggest you have Marathon Plus tyres fitted to avoid any punctures.
You should also take care from a safety point of view when you start as it takes a while to get used to some of the stupid things some motorists tend to do. The ebike goes faster than a normal bike and I think motorists misjudge our speed at times.

 

[Straylight]

True, I find that I often have to brake when being overtaken, as cars cut in way too early for the speed I'm going. Considering wearing a sign on my back - "Use your %^**£&* Mirrors!"

 

[essexman]

I am hoping to give up my car and bike to work, but as I live in Brighton, well on the outskirts of Brighton, there are some rather large hills in between.

I have been looking at a range of options, one of which is an electric bike. I had a go on an ezee bike from cyclepoint which was truly amazing. I never realised they were so great! Being sold on the idea of an electric bike however, I am concerned about their viability as a 'permanent' replacement for a car.

I was wondering how many of you have been using electric bikes day in day out over a period of more than a year, and whether it really works as a reliable form of transport?

I use a bike as my primary commuter and shopping transport, but its supplemented with bus, train, my wifes car and tescos direct for bulk goods. If i didnt have the wifes car, i'd get one as i live in the middle of nowhere. If i lived in town, i'd definetly not have a car, but i'd look to have the following:
-Access to a car club
-A good local cheap rental car place
-A good local cheap long distance car rental place
-A good local cheap transit van rental place (everyone needs one of these!)
-Check out your rail companies policy on bike transportation ( do i recall those are the worst rail lines in the UK?)
-A good reliable taxi firm
-A folding bike for when the big-un wont cut it.

Your also going to want a trailer to give you luggage capacity. I'm assuming you dont have kids?

To give you an idea of how convoluted trips can be. The other day i rode my big electric bike to the station towing a trailer with my folder in the trailer. I left trailer and electric at the station, took the train to London, cut across on folder etc etc and then on the return journey i picked up my bike again. If i'd had to take my son to nursery it would have been even more convoluted.

 

[ajesw]

Thanks!

Thanks for this.
My commute isn't far - about 15 or 16 miles round trip. The problem is the hills, and at present no shower, although we are hoping to get one installed in September.

I'll have a look in Action bikes, and you're definately right on the safety front. Its amazing the way some motorists behave around bikes...

Brighton council have produced a map just for cyclists showing the safer roads and bridlepaths etc. I have found this really useful.

 

[Patrick]

Thanks for this.
My commute isn't far - about 15 or 16 miles round trip. The problem is the hills, and at present no shower, although we are hoping to get one installed in September.

My commutes a 20 mile round trip with a killer hill. There is a shower available at work but I haven't needed it yet. I wear normal casual clothes on the bike and change into my suit at work if I need to wear it that day, otherwise I just go straight to my desk.

Patrick

 

[Mussels]

Thanks for this.
My commute isn't far - about 15 or 16 miles round trip. The problem is the hills, and at present no shower, although we are hoping to get one installed in September.

I'll have a look in Action bikes, and you're definately right on the safety front. Its amazing the way some motorists behave around bikes...

Brighton council have produced a map just for cyclists showing the safer roads and bridlepaths etc. I have found this really useful.

I initially thought my commute would be difficult and dangerous but after experimenting with routes my journey is mostly pleasant and quiet, there's a lot of alternatives to what I knew as a car driver.

 

[JohnofCambridge]

Thanks for this.
My commute isn't far - about 15 or 16 miles round trip. The problem is the hills, and at present no shower, although we are hoping to get one installed in September.

I'll have a look in Action bikes, and you're definately right on the safety front. Its amazing the way some motorists behave around bikes...

Brighton council have produced a map just for cyclists showing the safer roads and bridlepaths etc. I have found this really useful.

My 12 mile round trip is slightly longer than the direct car route but infinitely more pleasant through cycletracks and safer routes. If you have hills or safety blackspots to avoid, you might consider going round them hills if you can and consider a longer journey.

 

[Caph]

I was wondering how many of you have been using electric bikes day in day out over a period of more than a year, and whether it really works as a reliable form of transport?

I was commuting on bike only through the winter because I got too hot and sweaty in the late spring, summer and early autumn until I got my electric bike. I've had my electric bike for just over a year now and I've commuted every day without fail in that time without a second thought. In Summer I just ease right back on the pedals and let the bike do all the work so I don't get too hot. On the way home, if I'm not feeling too tired after work, I turn the battery off and pedal home under my own steam.

If anything I've found it more reliable than my (now deceased) car. I've had several punctures and a couple of cable breaks but as someone else mentioned I just keep several spares of everything (inner tubes, cables, tyres, etc) and if I do run into problems then I'm safe in the knowledge that I'll have it all fixed that evening in at most a couple of hours, but usually a couple of tens of minutes. Bike maintenance is certainly not rocket science, or car maintenance for that matter (which might as well be rocket science to me!).

 

[JohnInStockie]

I personally think a great deal depends on your route.

I dont think there are that many that do over 10 miles each way on congested roads on dark winter nights, however if you are mostly off road (and they are of a reasonable standard), then its more than feasible.

I do nearly all my commute on busy roads in rush hour traffic (both ways) with no cycle lanes, and they are not big wide roads either. I lose my bottle by December normally (I use REALLY good lights too), except for odd days, and usually dont get it back again fully until about mid March.

So the issue isnt the bikes at all, or even the weather, its the route.

John

 

[UrbanPuma]

So the issue isnt the bikes at all, or even the weather, its the route. John

I would agree with this statement. I would definately ride my bike more often if i wasnt living on a busy route.