Looking for advice on a bike that could cover a 50 mile distance with ease

[ghosty]

Hi guys and girls,
What ebikes out there can cover a 50 mile distance give or take 3 to 4 mile with ease?, of course the more distance gain the better.

Also how long on average would it take a fit person (have not rode a bike in a while though) to cover a 50 mile distance with a pedal assist bicycle? Bare in mind i would love to get get from A to B as quickly as possible and i would push myself to get from A to B as quickly as i could.

Interconnecting bus route gives this journey on average 3hr 50min because of the massive detours and the waiting between bus connections which is less than ideal when wasting a total of near 8 hours per week to and from point A and B in one journey and having to abide by the bus times just makes it unrealistic. Car journey wise it only takes on average 1hr 15mins one way.

What should i be looking at that will easily get me the distance in one charge and there as quickly as possible?
I have looked at some of the reviews on here but from what i have read it looks like bikes like the bluelabel nuvinci and similar high end priced tagged bikes are not living up to their 110 mile range promise.
Any help or pointers would be great. I am open to the idea of going for a conversion kit like Oxydrives etc, especially if it works out cheaper, personally distance is king for my situation. Getting from A to B as quickly as possible is the icing on the cake and i will work harder on my fitness to help cut down on travel time if it will make a difference.

Thanks for any an all inputs and advice.

 

[soundwave]

for 50 miles range most bikes will need 2 batts to go that far if you cant put in alot off effort.

 

[RobF]

As Soundwave says, 50+ miles is a two battery job, particularly if you want to press on which will use a lot of extra juice.

Some Kalkhoffs have a 17ah battery which stands a better chance of making it than the Bosch motored bikes which have 13ah max.

Elapsed time is hard gauge without knowledge of the route.

But all legal ebikes stop assisting at about 15mph.

Taking into account the inevitable hills, head winds and junctions, you will do well to average much more than 12mph over the distance, which is about four hours.

 

[flapajack]

For this sort of distance a powered 2-wheelers aka scooter or motorbike would be more appropriate; unless it is a one-off or two but regularly?!

 

[ghosty]

Thank you guys, so a spare battery is the more realistic strategy in this situation. Plenty of hills, nothing over the top in regards to hill climbs but they are there in the mix of the journey.

Soundwave, Rob thank you for the detailed info, i know i didn't give alot to work on. Thinking if i were to pursue this, then an oxydrive and a spare battery would sound about right?
I was secretly hoping a pedal assist could cut the journey down to within 2 and half hours.
I would love a wee eco scooter of some description for this journey flapjack but as it stands i am not allowed under medical grounds, independence has been stripped away from me since having to give up my drivers license but i am trying hard to improvise.

 

[anotherkiwi]

If you are reasonably fit and the road permits you can average 25 kmh/15 mph, I have averaged 26.4 kmh over 72 km (riding not counting time stopped for a rest, food etc.). That was in fair weather and on hilly terrain.

 

[RobF]

T
I was secretly hoping a pedal assist could cut the journey down to within 2 and half hours.

Would you want to average 25mph on a bike, even if you could?

That's pro roadie speed, which is fine on closed roads where everyone is going the same way, and with a support caravan on hand.

You might be able to get the average up a little with an illegal bike which assists above 15mph.

The Oxydrive kit can be derestricted.

One of those with a spare battery could give you a fast distance bike.

Or you could fit a derestriction dongle to a Bosch/Yamaha/Kalkhoff crank bike.

But bear in mind the derestriction doesn't add any power, it just allows the motor to carry on operating above 15mph.

The motors are designed for torque, not speed, so give less assistance the faster you go.

 

[Wicky]

"Also how long on average would it take a fit person (have not rode a bike in a while though) to cover a 50 mile distance with a pedal assist bicycle?"

How often do you plan to do this round journey of approx 100 miles?

 

[oldtom]

Thanks for any an all inputs and advice.

With the greatest of respect, I think you are looking in the wrong place for what, I think, you seek to achieve.

A decent road bike + fit rider with lots of stamina would, almost certainly, be quicker over that kind of distance than any EAPC which might cope with the distance. A good quality road bike can be purchased for a lot less than a decent EAPC.

Motorcycles and scooters would eat that sort of journey and would be pretty economical too, compared to other forms of transport. An appropriate licence is required for those of course, whereas an EAPC can be ridden without such encumbrance. As a bonus, the legislation permits EAPCs to be ridden in many places where other motor vehicles are not permitted.

Tom

 

[ghosty]

Thanks a million, guys and Tom. I realize now what i hope to do can not be done. I am fit but i can't see me putting away a 50 mile journey under 3 hours on a road bike without EAPC. Thats pretty much proffessional level racing. Thanks at least i can maybe forget the idea an save myself a few quid.

 

[soundwave]

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/road.e.2/24987/90636/

500w
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/road.e.1/24987/90635/

 

[stumpy150]

Now that looks good......

 

[EddiePJ]

Giant really know how to screw a bike up with shell suit colours.

 

[trex]

the Giant Road E Plus is the most likely bike that will do the job for you long term but at £2750, it's a bit of a risk to lose a large chunk of cash if you later find out that 50 miles on the saddle is too much for your back.
In fact, the power consumption of most e-bikes depend not on the brand of the motor but on the speed and how much you pedal. At 12mph, you use about 6WH per mile on flat roads without headwinds, at 15mph, 10WH/mile, at 20mph, 20WH/mile.
I would suggest that you convert your bike with a Bafang BBS01 and a 15AH battery.It will give you the same economy in time but with a much lower iniitial outlay.

 

[oldtom]

I would suggest that you convert your bike with a Bafang BBS01 and a 15AH battery.It will give you the same economy in time but with a much lower iniitial outlay.

Trex, really!

What the OP would like to do requires some real, hair-shirt cycling at the kind of sustained speed only a top amateur rider could manage.

Just in big, round numbers, 50 miles requires pretty well 3 hours at an average 17 mph to accomplish and that's without stopping. If it's a daily commute, I have to imagine that a return journey would be required, necessitating a freshly charged battery - 3 hours again.

I would suggest, as I have already to the OP, that an EAPC is not the most sensible choice of vehicle for such a requirement. How many people, even the most well-intentioned of us could really cope with 6 hours a day commuting by bicycle in all weathers? Even if the OP were only prepared to tackle the journey by bike on good days, in 3 hours, the British weather can change considerably.

Spending shedloads of money for something like the Giant machine that 'soundwave' has linked to is just crazy when for a lot less money, a little ic-engined scooter or light motorcycle would facilitate the commute far more easily without the dispiriting, muscle-wearying pedalling. Even trying to do it on the cheap, as I think you are suggesting, doesn't change the fact that 100 miles a day isn't really a viable proposition on any bicycle.

I am not saying it can't be done as I'm sure it's possible, though perhaps on the extreme edge of what is feasible. What I am saying is that commuting journeys of such length as the OP has inquired about, are far better undertaken by other forms of transport.

To suggest that someone who has openly admitted to not having done any serious cycling for 'a while' might be best suited by this or that EAPC is misleading. I'm sure the vast majority of readers here would be unable to successfully undertake such a repeated journey, regardless of the chosen bike.

Just the other day, I read an advert for cyclists wishing to join a cycling club somewhere in the north. The ad referred to a typical average speed of 18mph over a range of distances in excess of 50 miles. That's a pretty good pace as it's unlikely to be a flat ride for 50 miles. Sadly, it seems quite a lot of people imagine that the electrical assistance provided by EAPCs somehow endows them with the kind of ability required of those who populate cycling clubs. Allowing those people who inquire in this forum to believe such a thing is possible is why I use the word misleading.

Tom

 

[Artstu]

Something like the Giant stands the best chance, but then an ordinary racing bike may even be better.
I changed the tyres on my KTM Macina coss hybrid bike last week. I've gone from a chunky 40 mm Schwalbe to a 32 mm Continental - nothing fancy just a treaded Reflex city tyre. It has made a significant difference to how the bike rolls.
Yesterday I managed to ride 29 miles in eco, including some hills, with about an 11 mile range left, granted the average speed was only 10.6 mph, it was a family ride. That raises the question about why bother with the EPAC though.

 

[D C]

I would love a wee eco scooter of some description for this journey flapjack but as it stands i am not allowed under medical grounds, independence has been stripped away from me since having to give up my drivers license but i am trying hard to improvise.

I think this rules out anything other than a bike.
Dave.

 

[flecc]

Giant really know how to screw a bike up with shell suit colours.

I've long thought they have their eye more on the US market in this respect Eddie, judging by some of their more outlandish colour schemes.
.

 

[oldtom]

I think this rules out anything other than a bike.
Dave.

I missed that bit Dave but that changes the perspective rather awkwardly.

It seems therefore that some are suggesting that someone who has been deemed medically unfit or unsuitable to possess a driving licence, is perfectly ok to ride a bike on road.

I'm not comfortable with that notion at all, I'm afraid, as loss of licence on medical grounds isn't simply about driving a car; it's also those two-wheeled machines covered by the licence. I can't see how riding a bike in the same place as one might drive a car or ride a motorcycle makes someone medically prohibited from motorised personal transport any less of a risk and consequently, a risk to others. I'm very conscious here of the bin lorry driver in the Glasgow incident.

Tom

 

[trex]

Tom, the OP's choice is between bus and EAPC. He said he is fit but did not say that he has to do 110 miles on the same day. He could however, choose one leg by bus and the other by bike.