My first pedelec experience

[skint]

Bikeshed has kindly loan me one of their KTM Macina Cross8 with Bosch Active drive for a week.
Just came back from a quick half hour ride, must admit I am knackered(oh dear!!) My legs are like jelly. But I reckoned I must have covered probably twice the distance of what I would have done in an non assisted bike!
On the flat road, it flies pretty effortlessly, but on one of the very steep road I tried, I have to change down to low gear before I got any assistance from Bosch which means I have to peddle pretty fast but not much forward progress Not exactly how I'd imagined it

With this in mind, is their any other drives that would assist me with relative slow peddling?

I wanted to try riding to work tomorrow, but with one big hill to climb, I have some reservation, may be I should try ride it to work on my day off, at least if I don't make the big hill, I could afford to rest!

 

[RobF]

The Bosch system is designed to replicate ordinary cycling.

Generally the faster you pedal and the more effort you put in, the more effort it provides.

Works well most of the time, but can be frustrating if you run out of steam on a steep hill.

The motor detects your slower cadence and lower torque through the pedals, so reduces its effort - just when you want it to do the opposite.

More experience will enable you to manage this better.

I've done a lot of miles on my Bosch bikes and can tease out nearly full grunt on hills when I need to.

As a new buyer, you may not want to be bothered with all that, so a bike with a proper throttle may be the best option.

That will enable you to call on full gas whenever you want it.

I say 'proper throttle' because apparently some throttles now only work at low speed.

 

[skint]

Thanks for the quick reply Robf, can you point me in the direction of throttle bikes please.
Although if I ride the bike gradually longer distance, I'll be able to build my strength up slowly...

 

[RobF]

Thanks for the quick reply Robf, can you point me in the direction of throttle bikes please.
Although if I ride the bike gradually longer distance, I'll be able to build my strength up slowly...

Your second comment shows you grasp the general idea.

As regards a throttle bike, I am loathe to make any suggestions in case the bike doesn't have what you and I would regard as a proper throttle.

There are still a few about, although I doubt it will come fitted to as nice a quality bike as a KTM.

Probably be cheaper, though.

No doubt you will get suggestions from those in the know.

 

[trex]

you should try the £850 Big Bear and don't let its low price tag bother you.
the marketing spiel said it all 'the Big Bear will suit the definitely not so fit , the truly laid back and the 'stockily built'!'
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?bigbear

 

[Kudoscycles]

Bikeshed has kindly loan me one of their KTM Macina Cross8 with Bosch Active drive for a week.
Just came back from a quick half hour ride, must admit I am knackered(oh dear!!) My legs are like jelly. But I reckoned I must have covered probably twice the distance of what I would have done in an non assisted bike!
On the flat road, it flies pretty effortlessly, but on one of the very steep road I tried, I have to change down to low gear before I got any assistance from Bosch which means I have to peddle pretty fast but not much forward progress Not exactly how I'd imagined it

With this in mind, is their any other drives that would assist me with relative slow peddling?

I wanted to try riding to work tomorrow, but with one big hill to climb, I have some reservation, may be I should try ride it to work on my day off, at least if I don't make the big hill, I could afford to rest!

Skint,you have in one posting emphasised what I and D8veh have been trying to explain over many postings. These crank drive bikes and to a lesser extent torque sensor bikes assist in an intuitive manner,that is they give power out if you put power in,with regard to the Bosch drive you do have to ride it like a normal bike and be in the correct gear for the steepness of the hill.
The BPM and Panasonic hub drive do not care how much effort you put in,they will deliver max power irrespective of the rider input,but obviously any power input the rider can contribute will help in the hill climbing.
Also the torque spread is such that at lower road speed you can get more power from the motor and allow you to 'overcome the hump' and get up to higher speed,at which point the hub motor will work even better,closer to its optimum rotation speed.
Your comment'i have to pedal fast with little forward progress' is the clue that you are using the wrong drive type,you are riding the bike like an unassisted bike-with practice you will learn to get into a higher gear and the Bosch will perform better but it won't be a lot better until you can improve your fitness and put in more rider input.
Go back to the Bikeshed and ask to borrow a KTM e-race Panasonic with the 48v hub drive,you will notice a quantum difference in hill climbing.
It is a shame that there are not Redbridge style bike test days up north,it is the best way of understanding the differences in these bikes.
The Panasonic hub drive are the best hill climbers but our Kudos Performance bikes,Tornado and Typhoon are a close second....you are not that far from Jimod in Scotland ,perhaps he would let you have a ride on his Typhoon.
A throttle is irrelevant,if the grunt is not there,it makes no difference how you try to get the power,I hope you have not been put off because you have the wrong type of drive....no doubt Trex will be along soon to promote the Woosh big bear,to be fair it also has a BPM hub drive.
Hope that helps
KudosDave

 

[trex]

dave, the Bear also has a nice NCX saddle and a big fat 15AH battery, 20A controller, pucture resist tyres (no need to carry a puncture repair kit), lights, horn, mudgards and rear rack. What do yours come with?

 

[Kudoscycles]

dave, the Bear also has a nice NCX saddle and a big fat 15AH battery, 20A controller, pucture resist tyres (no need to carry a puncture repair kit), lights, horn, mudgards and rear rack. What do yours come with?

Trex.....but where can this guy go and test one?.....that is the whole problem with internet only sales.....Skint has been to his local bike shop and found that the bike is unsuitable for him,if he had bought the Bosch bike over the internet he would now be thinking how he can return it?
Internet only sales are always something of a gamble,but I suppose if the bike is cheap enough then the gamble is justified!
KudosDave

 

[trex]

no gamble. He's got 15 days statutory rights to return the bike.

 

[Kudoscycles]

no gamble. He's got 15 days statutory rights to return the bike.

Trex.....his rights of return are not relevant,you can hardly expect a customer to order up a number of bikes,returning each one,until he hits the right one.
There is no substitute for a good knowledgeable local dealer with a good stock of test bikes. Sadly there are pockets around the country where there is not much choice,but the situation is improving.
KudosDave

 

[trex]

Buying by mail order gives customers better protection.
I know Hatti has a couple of mail order returns every month, so customers do excercise their rights.

 

[denwyn]

Trex.....but where can this guy go and test one?.....that is the whole problem with internet only sales.....Skint has been to his local bike shop and found that the bike is unsuitable for him,if he had bought the Bosch bike over the internet he would now be thinking how he can return it?
Internet only sales are always something of a gamble,but I suppose if the bike is cheap enough then the gamble is justified!
KudosDave

Internet sales are a minefield, but in lots of cases a necessity, dealers dont always carry a big range, as you know I made a mistake last year with the Kudos City, my own fault, not doing enough research, thats why im taking my time getting a new bike, tried all I can in local dealers, limited choice again, so its back to the internet, lots of research and lots of questions on here. Yes I can return a bike should I not like it, hopefully I shall get it right this time. This forum is helping a great deal.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

With this in mind, is their any other drives that would assist me with relative slow peddling?

I explained all that to you in post#6 of your other thread, where I listed the bikes with strong motors and throttles. If you want to spend a bit more, I forgot to mention the new Oxygen MTB, which is an absolute stormer. It can be derestricted to go very fast and it will give all of its considerable torque with whatever pedal effort you want to give. If you're quick, you can get one mail order from the South Yorkshire Electric Bike Centre.

 

[skint]

Thanks for all the advises guys, your comments greatly appreciated! And I realised I spelt pedal wrong, LOL!
Glad I joined this forum, or else I might have simply order a £3-£4k bike online, and might ended up in the garage barely used.
I was going to try the KTM hubdrive today as the salesman told me they had one for me to test, upon on my arrival, he apologised and said they didn' t have it? hence I took the Bosch instead. I will certainly want to test the Panasonic before I make my decision.

Must admit I am slightly swayed by the Whoosh with throttle, I guess it would encourage me to get out more on the bike and not afraid of running out of breath, and its cheap. One question I need to know is would it have enough torque to power a 17 stonesman up a hill? Or do I need to pedal to assist with wide open throttle?

 

[trex]

yes, kin. no sweat, no need to pedal. The Oxygen can do same.

 

[denwyn]

yes, kin. no sweat, no need to pedal. The Oxygen can do same.

I must admit im leaning towards the big bear, but at the moment they have no stock, makes me think maybe they have a newer model waiting in the wings.

 

[skint]

I explained all that to you in post#6 of your other thread, where I listed the bikes with strong motors and throttles. If you want to spend a bit more, I forgot to mention the new Oxygen MTB, which is an absolute stormer. It can be derestricted to go very fast and it will give all of its considerable torque with whatever pedal effort you want to give. If you're quick, you can get one mail order from the South Yorkshire Electric Bike Centre.

Thanks I re read your post 6, at the time I had no concept of what you meant by strong motor, I just thought the Bosch must be equally as good??
I now of course understand what you mean after today's ride
Could not see the Oxgen MTB, can you find me a link?

 

[Kudoscycles]

Skint.....with no ulterior motive....a throttle makes no difference to the hill climbing ability of these bikes, it is a very convenient take off device and if you feel lazy you can use a throttle to ride the bike without pedalling,like a mini moped,but if the power is not there you can't tap into it....something about blood n stones!
The KTM Panasonic bike has the most power of any of these bikes and delivers that power just by turning the pedals,a throttle would make no difference to the power available.
There is so much misinformation about pedelecs by people who have never ridden these KTM type bikes
I am 17 stone and ride up hills that I would struggle to walk up,I have ridden dozens of these bikes but have not yet found a legal e-bike that can ride up a steep hill without some rider input,some say that the Tonaro will achieve that,albeit very slowly.
If the KTM Panasonic will not do what you want,then your expectations are not what pedelecs are about and you should look at a motorbike,there is no better hill climbing bike available from local dealers.
KudosDave

 

[dmsims]

You need to define "hill"

 

[trex]

I must admit im leaning towards the big bear, but at the moment they have no stock, makes me think maybe they have a newer model waiting in the wings.

Big Bear is in stock, there was a little pile of back order for a little while but it's ok now. There will be a full sus Bear in October with rear hub drive and Tektro hydraulic brakes.