New e-bike owner

[egroover]

Hello all

Just picked up my first e-bike from Halfords, the Carrera Crossfire-e. Managed to get a great deal on it, £720 after British Cycling membership discount on top of current Halfords 20% off all bikes.
I'm a long time cyclist, own road and hybrid bikes already, the e-bike purchased for the short commute to work, which involves a monster hill that goes on and on, so currently arrived at work if cycling hot and a sweaty mess. Hoping with the crossfire, I'll arrive cool and ready for work without needing to change and shower.

The bike's battery is currently on charge, I'm itching to get out on the bike ! Any tips on first few charges, do I need to charge 24 hours in advance or just the regular 5-6 hrs needed from flat ?

Any other tips welcome for a newbie -looking forward to being part of the community and going great distances on the bike, perhaps some touring in Europe
Cheers all
Paul

 

[KeithMac]

There's quite a few on here with the crossfire, it is very well thought of!.

Should come with charging instructions, on my Gtech all the lights on the battery go out, on my Samsung pack the led on charger goes green..

 

[STEVEMANFA]

Some say to run flat a few times and then do a full charge, not sure if this makes any odds, I did this on my kit but I now have a new bike and it don't say anything about letting it run flat 2 or 3 times first
So I just use it then charge back up.
Keep the battery inside and never leave it on your bike in the shed or garage, if you get a break in they may not take the bike without the battery on there.

 

[Brynric]

Egroover, I too have a new Crossfire. Just bought it this week, still smiling. When I drove it home it had 60% battery and a couple of hours charge topped it up. A green light comes on when complete. It is suggested that you run it flat a couple of times to optimise the battery then, "it is recommended to always discharge the battery completely then fully recharge it" I'm not sure how practical that is.
Anyway, onto a brief analysis of the first week. I so far done 90Km and there's 40% battery left. That's useless information unless you know a little more: I'm 60+, fairly overweight, (a gentleman with the fuller figure) and my cycling is purely for leisure. We've recently retired to a new location that deserves exploring. That location however is the foot of the Cotswolds where we have either flatish cycling along the Vale of Evesham, often with murderous winds or some punishing ascents into the hills.
I tend to use the assist as insurance. that is I usually cycle with the power off but go onto eco mode when the slopes or headwinds become a burden, hence the fairly good figures so far.
I've been inpressed with the first week. Its a comfortable bike (I put my old saddle on it) and suits my 6ft 2ins. Its easy to ride without power, and all the key bits (gears, brakes, ride quality etc) have so far been friendly and trouble free. I
Negatives? ts a weight for lifting onto the motorhome rack...I'll try that next week. The trip monitor in Kms is confusing at times. I'd like more places to fit bottle, pump etc.
But on the whole, so far so good.

 

[egroover]

Thanks guys for the welcome and advice. I caved in and nipped out earlier on the bike. I did my commute run with the monster long uphill. I was laughing out loud all the way up the hill. Arrived quickly at my workplace cool and not a drop of sweat despite it being a hot day today. Been smiling ever since.
Really happy with the bike. Only thing I will change is a different saddle and some more puncture proof tyres. I was thinking Schwalbe Marathon Plus or Energizers, any thoughts guys ?
Cheers

 

[Deleted member 17694]

Welcome egroover. It's a wonderful experience isn't it.

Enjoy!

p.s. I can certainly sympathize regarding the saddle, but you might need a few weeks to accustomize. I'm no expert, but I have read the gurus here commenting that saddle discomfort is often more to do with position and posture. In my case, I switched to a gel saddle only because I needed a shock absorber (because every bump felt like I was being walloped with a mallet).

 

[RobF]

Thanks guys for the welcome and advice. I caved in and nipped out earlier on the bike. I did my commute run with the monster long uphill. I was laughing out loud all the way up the hill. Arrived quickly at my workplace cool and not a drop of sweat despite it being a hot day today. Been smiling ever since.
Really happy with the bike. Only thing I will change is a different saddle and some more puncture proof tyres. I was thinking Schwalbe Marathon Plus or Energizers, any thoughts guys ?
Cheers

Marathon Pluses or Energisers are a good bet, both are sturdy, long lasting tyres which are well-suited to an ebike.

Marathon Pluses are famously heavy - not so important on an ebike - and they have a harsh ride, an inevitable payback for the puncture protection and longevity.

Changing a tube on an ebike is more of a faff, so I would go for maximum puncture protection which is Marathon Plus.

You probably know, but get them with a shallow trekking tread, rather than an mtb knobbly tread.

Another alternative would be Marathon Mondial.

 

[egroover]

Thanks Grey and Rob for the tips.
Did about 40 miles today on the new bike, still got that boyish smile on my face, similar to the one I had when I bought my first moped at the age of 16 back in the 80's, lol.
Decided to go with the energizers in the end, £11 each plus p&p at SJS cycles, at that price thought I'd give them a go, as they are similar to the standard marathons which I've had no punctures with in the last 2 years on my other bike, but the energizers are supposed to grip a bit better. If I start getting flats, I'll move to the marathon pluses.

Saddle wise, will stick with the stock saddle at the moment, but can see myself swapping it out at some point. I've got a Brooks B17 on my other (hybrid) bike...a nightmare to break in, but so comfy once it has been, a bit extravagent to have the same on the ebike, I can always swap out the saddle/seat post with the Brooks if I do long trips/touring on the ebike.

However, sad to report, had the power cut off late today, was only a mile from home, the battery was showing 22%, but just dropped out while waiting to cross the road..pressed the battery button, it came back on the display and started working again, only for it to stop again a few minutes later. No amount of fiddling could get it going, and as I'd left the batter lock key at home, couldn;t try that either. Once home removed the battery, popped back and display works again....will see how I get on, hopefully just a glitch. Apart from that well please, it really is a nice design,and such a steal at about £630 all in (BC discount, gift card trick and quidco)

 

[RobF]

Thanks Grey and Rob for the tips.
Did about 40 miles today on the new bike, still got that boyish smile on my face, similar to the one I had when I bought my first moped at the age of 16 back in the 80's, lol.
Decided to go with the energizers in the end, £11 each plus p&p at SJS cycles, at that price thought I'd give them a go, as they are similar to the standard marathons which I've had no punctures with in the last 2 years on my other bike, but the energizers are supposed to grip a bit better. If I start getting flats, I'll move to the marathon pluses.

Saddle wise, will stick with the stock saddle at the moment, but can see myself swapping it out at some point. I've got a Brooks B17 on my other (hybrid) bike...a nightmare to break in, but so comfy once it has been, a bit extravagent to have the same on the ebike, I can always swap out the saddle/seat post with the Brooks if I do long trips/touring on the ebike.

However, sad to report, had the power cut off late today, was only a mile from home, the battery was showing 22%, but just dropped out while waiting to cross the road..pressed the battery button, it came back on the display and started working again, only for it to stop again a few minutes later. No amount of fiddling could get it going, and as I'd left the batter lock key at home, couldn;t try that either. Once home removed the battery, popped back and display works again....will see how I get on, hopefully just a glitch. Apart from that well please, it really is a nice design,and such a steal at about £630 all in (BC discount, gift card trick and quidco)

Carreras do seem to suffer from electrical glitches.

You did about all you can do, a so-called hard reset - turn off and unplug everything.

Actually, my super duper Rose/Bosch bike has done something similar.

Removing the display and dry wiping the contacts did the trick.

Not bad, given it's done thousands of miles.

The Energisers should be fine.

By the sound of it, you have no problems taking tyres off and putting them back on, so if you get the occasional puncture it won't be such a big deal.

As you probably know, punctures will be more likely as the tyres wear.