Motorhoming & Electric Bikes

[paul10june]

I wonder if anyone would be so kind as to help me decide which, if any, electric bikes would be good for motorhomers who want to use them to explore. Key criteria are:
- range - the greater the range the better as its not always possible to charge up each night
- weight
- dimensions - needs to be fairly compact but not looking for folding types. one is for a lady who is only 5ft, the other for a man 5ft8 - both short legs!
- style - conventional
- speed of recharge - not more than say 4-6 hours max ideally
- reliability and life of battery and motor
- ride comfort - nice sprung saddle and not too much shock through the body
- on-road use mostly, although possibly some track riding but nothing rough - cycle route quality
- fair weather only - we won't be out in the mud or rain if we can help it.

We don't want to spend silly money, but up to £3500 or so max for the 2.

Any suggestions readily received.

Many thanks in anticipation.

Paul

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Paul,

Any of the current generation Panasonic or Yamaha powered bikes will fulfill your needs. There are many brands to choose from, Kalkhoff, Raleigh, E-Motion, Gepida, Helkama, Monark, etc.

Someone I know bought a pair of Kalkhoffs for this very purpose.

J hn

 

[flecc]

I second what John has recommended. Look out for the weights of the various Panasonic motored bikes though, there are some quite large variations as they range from under 17 kilos for sport models to 29 kilo de luxe roadsters. Conventional bikes with mudguards, carriers etc start at about 21 kilos.
.

 

[paul10june]

Thanks John. In your opinion, is one better than the other in terms of power and reliability?
Also, I should have mentioned we are "fair weather" cyclists - so we would probably not need full mudguards etc. I suspect we would even use a back pack rather than panniers too.

Cheers.

Paul

 

[paul10june]

Thanks for that. I guess I should have added a few more "ideals" - not too complex in terms of gearing, fair weather cycling. I will go back and adjust the post.

Paul

 

[JamesC]

The range of sizes of the Kalkhoff Agattu-C (crank drive) includes a small 45cm frame which would suit a lady of 5ft.

The 49cm is probably right for 5'8" gent.

Lloyd at 50cycles would be able to arrange a test ride for you in Loughborough.

James

 

[flecc]

The one Panasonic motored bike make that comes without mudguards and carriers on some models are the BH emotion bikes. They are also among the lightest. Here's the link to the agent's site:

Onbike
.

 

[eddieo]

Fair weather cyclists as well!

we have 2 wispers and are very happy with them, I like the large capacity battery and a throttle.

Have only been away for one long weekend and one week to France so far. Burt are heading to Switzerland and Italy for a month this summer. you can always try charging via an inverter while touring between stops.We have two leisure batteries so we can charge when watching a movie in the evening as well.

 

[paul10june]

Thanks. Took a look, but on balance I think I prefer the Kalkhoff. I hear much of the Wisper 905se - looks good - but any views?

Paul

 

[paul10june]

I do like the look of the Wisper - what else did you consider before deciding on these?

Paul

 

[david101]

Hi Paul

I have just been through this process and bought 2 Kalkhoff's. Delighted with the.

Will provide more info later for you

Regards

David

 

[Phil [OnBike]]

Hi Paul,

Phil from OnBike here.

We sell quite a lot of bikes to people with motor homes and they have decided on a variety of eBikes depending on what they have found most comfortable for them and their riding style and level.
People have taken E-motions, Wispers, eZees and various folders from us for their motor homes.

I really do recommend trying out several bikes and seeing which suits you best, especially regarding the Panasonic Pedelec bikes compared with a direct hub drive - very different systems and you should see which one suits you when spending this much money.

You'd be more than welcome to come and try out all the 15+ demo electric bikes at OnBike at Kidderminster or Presteigne. You can try hub drives from Wisper (905, 705 etc), eZee, Powabyke etc and also Panasonic pedelecs from E-motion and Monark all in one place, one after the other.

Our electric bikes weigh from 16.5kg upwards, so you could always bring your motor home and try them for size and weight people often do!

If you have any questions, just let me know...

Best wishes

 

[Tiberius]

Hi Paul,

Welcome to the forum. I think you'll find e-bikes and motorhomes go well together.

Nick

 

[paul10june]

Hi Paul,

Welcome to the forum. I think you'll find e-bikes and motorhomes go well together.

Nick

Thanks Nick - I had considered a scooter but so much hassle to load up. People have been really helpful so far and I am glad I joined up.

Paul

 

[paul10june]

Hi Paul,

Phil from OnBike here.

We sell quite a lot of bikes to people with motor homes and they have decided on a variety of eBikes depending on what they have found most comfortable for them and their riding style and level.
People have taken E-motions, Wispers, eZees and various folders from us for their motor homes.

I really do recommend trying out several bikes and seeing which suits you best, especially regarding the Panasonic Pedelec bikes compared with a direct hub drive - very different systems and you should see which one suits you when spending this much money.

You'd be more than welcome to come and try out all the 15+ demo electric bikes at OnBike at Kidderminster or Presteigne. You can try hub drives from Wisper (905, 705 etc), eZee, Powabyke etc and also Panasonic pedelecs from E-motion and Monark all in one place, one after the other.

Our electric bikes weigh from 16.5kg upwards, so you could always bring your motor home and try them for size and weight people often do!

If you have any questions, just let me know...

Best wishes

Phil, thanks for this. I think this makes good sense. I am off (on a cruise!) for a couple of weeks in a couple of weeks, so perhaps I can arrange to come and see you and try things out in early August. Thanks for your help.
Paul

 

[eddieo]

Thanks Nick - I had considered a scooter but so much hassle to load up. People have been really helpful so far and I am glad I joined up.

Paul

E Bikes are the least hassle solution, I had even bought a small car to tow on an A Frame before I discovered E bikes. Its early days for us but so far its been fine. But weight is a problem as restricted to 3500kg....what van have you?

Onbike looks like a good place to make a decision as to what you prefer

 

[paul10june]

E Bikes are the least hassle solution, I had even bought a small car to tow on an A Frame before I discovered E bikes. Its early days for us but so far its been fine. But weight is a problem as restricted to 3500kg....what van have you?

Onbike looks like a good place to make a decision as to what you prefer

We have a Hobby plated at 4500kg so weight is no problem. we tend to run very light and so this sounds ideal for us. We don't tend to park up miles from anywhere, so we are lookig to be able to explore locally, maybe 20-30 miles or so at a time - without moving the Van.

Paul

 

[summers]

Similar Dilemma!

I also have the same decision to make regarding the choice of electric bike. We have just returned from 8 weeks motor-homing in Europe. We took a small Honda 125 on a rack and a couple of 'hybrid' bikes in the garage. The bikes didn't see the light of day although we did use the Honda quite a bit.

We have now decided that a pair of electric bikes would be ideal as we would only be looking to travel no more than 15 or 20 k (return) from the motor home. The motor bike rack could be altered to take the electric bikes.

I think a trip to Kidderminster would be the sensible option giving us the opportunity to try various styles etc.

Peter

 

[Phil [OnBike]]

Come on Over

Hi Paul,

A cruise sounds lovely!

It would be great to see you in August - We can have a cup of tea, try out all the bikes and answer all your questions.

Drop me an e-mail anytime at: phil@onbike.co.uk or call 01299 25 15 14 Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm.
Directions to OnBike can be found on our website OnBike Electric Bikes UK - The Electric Bicycle Specialist and clicking on the 'How to Find us' link on the left.

Any problems, just let me know...

Best Wishes

 

[Phil [OnBike]]

The more the merrier

Hi Peter,

Again, you're more than welcome to come over and try out the various bikes and technologies - we'll hopefully have many that will suit your criteria

Drop me an e-mail anytime at: phil@onbike.co.uk or call 01299 25 15 14 Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm.
Directions to OnBike can be found on our website OnBike Electric Bikes UK - The Electric Bicycle Specialist and clicking on the 'How to Find us' link on the left.

Any problems, just let me know...

Best Wishes