New Bike

[gkilner]

Hello, I am looking for a bike that will meet my requirements below. It will be replacing a 125 scooter. Main reason is to try and loose some weight and get fit - I'm type 2 diabetic.

- Daily commute from Pudsey to Dewsbury 25mile round trip.
- A couple of hills are between 10 and 15% gradient
- Low maintenance
- Reliable

I'm 6'2" and 17 Stone, Age 40, I have commuted by bike previously but this was over 6 years ago. Was doing a 20 round trip commute on a Powabike Commuter 24, then changed to a normal Ridgeback Tourer bike when my fitness improved - I'm not sure I'm up to that again though. I only stopped due to a job move that was 30 miles away.

Cost - Ideally no more than the £1000 cycle to work limit but would be willing to put an extra £500 to this if absolutely necessary.

I like the look / sound of the Woosh Sunbear - powerful motor, high capacity battery, low maintenance hub gears, under £1000. Only negative is step through styling.

http://www.wooshbikes.co.uk/?sunbear&log=which

What should I get? Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Gavin.

 

[soundwave]

http://www.syebc.co.uk/bikes/oxygen-13ah-mtb

 

[trex]

woosh Big Bear (front BPM) or Krieger (crank drive).
Don't worry too much about your height and weight.
Both have chunky frame, 15AH battery and throttle.

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?krieger
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?bigbear

Crank drive Krieger:

 

[RobF]

I reckon 25 miles - an hour+ in the saddle each way - is too long for a year-round commute.

You've done 20, so it may be OK for you.

If the main aim is to lose weight and get fit, you would be better off keeping the scooter and buying an ordinary bike.

Ebiking is great, but you have to do many miles to gain any fitness.

Just a few miles, regularly, on an ordinary bike would get you fit and help shift the weight.

In any case, the key to weight loss is diet, not exercise.

You would have to do 50 miles+ on an ordinary bike to burn off a pizza.

So the answer is not have the pizza in the first place.

 

[gkilner]

I reckon 25 miles - an hour+ in the saddle each way - is too long for a year-round commute.

You've done 20, so it may be OK for you.

If the main aim is to lose weight and get fit, you would be better off keeping the scooter and buying an ordinary bike.

Ebiking is great, but you have to do many miles to gain any fitness.

Just a few miles, regularly, on an ordinary bike would get you fit and help shift the weight.

In any case, the key to weight loss is diet, not exercise.

You would have to do 50 miles+ on an ordinary bike to burn off a pizza.

So the answer is not have the pizza in the first place.

Hi All - Thanks for the feedback so far. RobF, I don't think I could do it on an ordinary bike to be honest, there are a few hills that I would struggle a lot with, the idea being on an electric bike I won't be as worn out when I get to work. I don't want to loose loads of weight 1.5 stone would be good - I've already lost 4 stones over the last few years. Work is 12 miles there and 12 miles back - I thought this would be perfect for an electric bike (around 50mins) - not so much for a normal bike.

 

[RobF]

Hi All - Thanks for the feedback so far. RobF, I don't think I could do it on an ordinary bike to be honest, there are a few hills that I would struggle a lot with, the idea being on an electric bike I won't be as worn out when I get to work. I don't want to loose loads of weight 1.5 stone would be good - I've already lost 4 stones over the last few years. Work is 12 miles there and 12 miles back - I thought this would be perfect for an electric bike (around 50mins) - not so much for a normal bike.

I agree about an ordinary bike - my idea was to use that for leisure/getting fit rides, not to ride too work.

You are already losing weight steadily, so an ebike would improve that a little.

With that in mind, a crank drive with no throttle encourages you to put in some effort.

Your budget will nearly stretch to a Bosch powered bike, which is also likely to be more reliable than a woosh.

Of course, it's twice the price, so ought to be.

If you are happy to buy from Germany, one of these Ghosts for £1,500 is excellent value.

http://www.mhw-bike.com/ebikes/?sPage=1&sSort=3

 

[JohnCade]

The idea that you have to do so much exercise to burn off an item of food is a bit of a misnomer. In practise if you exercise you will lose weight, and there are not many fat runners or cyclists.

The reason has been discovered fairly recently, and is that when you exercise regularly your body goes into fat burning mode all the time. Not just when you are actually exercising. So you are burning fat as you go about your daily routine and even as you sleep. When you stop exercise that physiological effect stops again after a little bit. So regular exercise is the key. If you eat like a pig you will not lose weight of course.

 

[flecc]

I reckon 25 miles - an hour+ in the saddle each way - is too long for a year-round commute.

You've done 20, so it may be OK for you.

If the main aim is to lose weight and get fit, you would be better off keeping the scooter and buying an ordinary bike.

Ebiking is great, but you have to do many miles to gain any fitness.

Just a few miles, regularly, on an ordinary bike would get you fit and help shift the weight.

In any case, the key to weight loss is diet, not exercise.

You would have to do 50 miles+ on an ordinary bike to burn off a pizza.

So the answer is not have the pizza in the first place.

I agree with every point you make on weight loss Rob, said as someone whose weight is exactly what it should be according to recommendations.

The key to that is control of what I eat plus the regular but not extreme exercise that you and John recommend above. I've shown in the past that either one alone is not enough, both are necessary.
.

 

[Croxden]

I do around 25 miles each day on one journey, I get back knackered. It does keep my weight down so I can indulge in the whisky and cheese.

I had a go on a Freego the other day, the throttle is great for the hills but would for sure make me lazy.

Therefore, like RobF I would recommend something like the Bosch powered machines where you have to put in some effort.

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Gavin,

Obviously any electric bike is going to give you more exercise than a scooter.

Basically any eZee bike will do the job and give you exercise at the same time.
http://www.cyclezee.com/ezee-e-bikes--pedelecs.html

 

[Chris.mitu]

To add to what has already been said moderate exercise plus some diet control works much better than too much exercise.
I find that when I do my leg powered 33 mile round commute I get uncontrolable appetite every evening which is counter intuitive to weight management.

Likewise with jogging - 10-12km 2 times per week is OK hunger wise but any more and I loose all food appetite control.