New poll: How did you come across e-bikes

[Mark Loveridge]

Hi All

I would like to setup a poll to learn how you the users came across e-bikes. Any suggestions on the multiple choice answers?

Many thanks
Mark

 

[Eaglerider]

For me, I had occasion to try a homebuilt experimental E-Bike that was pretty dangerous, it gashed my leg and tore a lump out of my trousers.
Despite the injury I was hooked on the magic sensation of riding without effort, and immediately went home to Google 'Electric Bicycles', found this forum, and that was that.

I guess you might categorise this as 'misadventure'.

 

[funkylyn]

Hi All

I would like to setup a poll to learn how you the users came across e-bikes. Any suggestions on the multiple choice answers?

Many thanks
Mark

Hi Mark,

I suppose.....when you start with where you first heard of ebikes....friend....newspaper...TV.....forum......saw one on the road..... etc
Then go on to....
when you bought the first one
which model you first bought
what made you choose that model
Why you wanted an e Bike
What your first impressions were
Did you go on to upgrade to a better model
Do you still have your original bike......

Will make interesting reading I think.....Good Luck !

Lynda

 

[johnc461165]

I had seen them on Ebay and deliberated for at least 2 years, then I decided to take the plunge knowing nothing about them. Bought a 24" wheel powabyke got new batteries tyres brakes etc. Then I bought a 26" wheel model and since then I have done many miles on the pbykes and last year upgraded to an Aurora, all I can say is that all the bikes have given me so much pleasure that I am hooked for life. The powabyke may be ancient but for certain situations it's still a good bike.

 

[Blew it]

When retiring four years ago, I wanted to return to the simple pleasures of riding a bicycle, but I knew I would need a little helper.

I often saw a lady who lives across the road from me riding her Powabyke shopper, which prompted me to purchase a cheapo half dead electric bike on Ebay for a hundred quid, the entire electrical control system presented to me in a cardboard box.

Endless searching through the labrinths of this forum produced all the knowledge I needed to rewire the bike and get it going.

And oh boy!, did I have some fun on that old E-bike.

 

[Haku]

I had an initial idea that it would be fun to have one of those electric scooters, but thinking about the practicalities of it I realised I would just be wasting my money - too many hills & not enough flat ground for it to be any real use. Remembering the Sinclair Zike that had come out many years previous I thought ebike technology must've matured a lot since then, so I did some searching & saving and found Urban Mover was based just 15 miles away. I went and tested their UM36 (the exact one shown on The Gadget Show) and subsequently pre-ordered a lithium powered one, had to wait 3 months for it.

That was almost 5 years ago, I still have my UM36 but also added a semi-recumbant UM30 and UM36X (now my primary bike) to the collection. The old UM36 still runs but the UM36X isn't as worn out and is a nicer ride, in the new year I'll put a megarange sprocket on it like I did with the UM36 because it really helps on hills.

 

[Scottyf]

Moved to the City. 1 parking space.
We have two cars. I thought about swapping 2nd car for a motorbike. Then thought I'll get a bike. Then realised to do the 22miles a day was asking a bit much. Hence electric.

Never go back now. People at work still ask why i've not bothered using the car on the coler days.
Simply becasue the money I'm saving is great. Plus its more fun on the bike.

City riding on it makes so much sense and is mega fun.

 

[david1949]

Hi Mark I had been thanking about a E Bike for about 4 years ever since i had my knee operation but as i live in N Ireland i found out that the only dealer over here was a Giant dealer and i did not like the ride of the bike. So this year i was over at my daughters in Cambridge and called into 50 Cycles and tested a Kalkhoff Pro Connect S that was me hooked.
Came back home and thought about it and thought i would need a e bike with a throttle i then came across this forum and after taking advice from it and 50 Cycles i ordered a Oxygen E-mate City from 50 Cycles . I have had a few problems with it but they have been sorted out by Andrew very quickly and am well pleased with the bike and the customer service from Andrew at Oxygen Bikes

 

[Mark Loveridge]

Thanks for all suggestions so far guys!

 

[eddieo]

heres a tip...Motorhome forums and shows and visiting campsites where you see far more e bikes then usual. I even got to try various Swiss flyers at a show.

 

[steveindenmark]

We saw a notice in a local paper for a trade fair at a local disused water mill. We saw there was going to be a bike dealer wher you could have test rides on the electric bikes. We don`t need electric bikes but thought it would be fun trying one.

The mill is in a big dip and any way out is steeply upwards. Jannie went first, I think it was a Batavus electric bike. She went up the cobbled hill like a bat out of hell. It made us laugh so much we knew we had to get a bike each.

We did some research and decided on a Tonaro Enduro for me and a Tonaro Compy for Jannie. We have had e really good summer on the bikes and have covered hundreds of miles on the Tonaros over all terrain and surfaces. Really great bikes and Phil at Powerpedals provides excellent customer care.

Steve

 

[electric_avenue]

I saw them on ebay before I knew what they were, and eventually bought a £200 jalopy on there. The whole family enjoyed using that, and some problems with it lead me to find this forum. Someone here pointed out the Cyclamatic bargain which came in a £360 and I got £190 back for the first one. Still have the cylcamatic although the battery range seems to have dropped a lot in this cold weather - is that normal?

 

[flecc]

Yes, it's a common problem, battery performance can drop off quite sharply at low temperatures. Batteries are chemical devices, and chemical reactions generally need some heat for efficiency. The range recovers when the weather is warmer.

 

[emjaiuk]

heres a tip...Motorhome forums and shows and visiting campsites where you see far more e bikes then usual. I even got to try various Swiss flyers at a show.

A motorhome show is where I first saw them. There must be thousands of small summer shows where enterprising importers/dealers could economically bring their products to the publics attention.

Malcolm

 

[tonyishuk]

Motorhome Me two (me and the good wife !) and got to an age where a little help is useful.

Basically, Tow a car or a M/scooter or bikes.

All have advantages and otherwise.

Ebikes won out for Ease of use, parking and packing,

No crash hats and leathers ( Falling off can hurt !) and phaffing about with licences, insurance and maintenace.

Retains the fun of biking, using Bike ways,

Rgds

 

[Salad Dodger]

My wife and I are both in our 50's and returned to "normal" cycle riding a couple of years ago, as an add-on to our much loved camper van. Cycles enabled us to sometimes leave the van on site, and explore the local area on bikes. As long as there were no hills.....

My wife is having a bit of trouble with her knees and I guess we are both at the age where we must be a bit careful not to bite off more then we can chew....

So a pair of electric bikes permits us both to cycle further than we would on normal bikes, for less effort (or perhaps that should be with less wear and tear to ourselves), and also enables us to carry significant quantities of shopping. We use the bikes for weekend running around near home as well as for camping, and we love them.

 

[hoppy]

It's so long ago I can only just remember! 20 years ago, or more, there was a tiny ad in a weekend mag for the TGA Electrobikes and I sent off for details. I bought their cheapest kit, really just the motor and chain drive to a front wheel. I fitted it to a 27 gear Rudge folding mountain bike with a car battery on a rear carrier and an on/off push button. It worked ok but I soon fitted a 3 speed hub to the front wheel so that the motor drove through it . That was much better! Some years later I met a gipsy on a Powabyke who challenged me to a race which he won easily! Over the years I have tried 30 or more ebikes and still own 5 of which easily the best is the Tonaro Compy.

 

[morphix]

Hi All

I would like to setup a poll to learn how you the users came across e-bikes. Any suggestions on the multiple choice answers?

Many thanks
Mark

I think it would be an interesting poll to gage general awareness. I'm trying to think back to when I first discovered e-bikes.. As I recall, I was looking on eBay and saw an electric moped (quite by accident) but on looking closer I noticed it had pedals and said "no license or insurance" and that got my attention. Initially thought that can't be legal, and just assumed it was some Chinese gimmick to get around UK laws! Even at that point, I had no clue that conventional pedelecs existed. I just assumed all e-bikes were moped-style looking things, heavy and clunky with lead acid car batteries.

When I did a more general search I started to see bicycle e-bikes on eBay too and then soon discovered this forum from Google while researching specific makes.

It was like this entire industry had existed and it was completely unknown to me for years. No mainstream advertising and lack of seeing any e-bikes in the street had kept it hidden from me.

Some suggestions for questions:

Did you actually see an e-bike in the street or in a shop before you knew about them?
Did someone you know tell you about them?
Did you hear about them from advertising?
Or by chance from a website while looking for something else?
When did you first discover e-bikes? (year)
Was your discovery related to commuting or leisurely pursuits?

 

[avronb]

It was while on holiday in Luxemburg early this year that the e.bike fuse was lit,sitting at a cafe by the Moselle river there were dozens of bikes in use along the river paths, which were almost as wide as roads,and a lot of these were rental e.bikes with numbers on them,i thought that would be great to do back home,the rest is history.
There is a place in Church Sretton Shropshire by the railway station that hires out e.cycles,a good place to test one,they dont call it little Switzerland for nothing.

 

[jasono]

I was introduced to ebikes via a to b magazine. Must admit I had a preconception of them being frumpy, but the magazine changed this