New Powabyke

[Chris_Bike]

When I first got the Cytronex, I thought that the 24 gears were overkill and, wanting to think I could still cycle even though I had hardly touched a bike for 5 years, I never left the big chainring, even on hills. Mark persuaded me to use the gears on hills and I now go much faster up them, keeping the speed fast enough to get maximum torque from the front motor. On the occasions when the battery runs out (and small batteries will sometimes, especially on hills) I have been mightily glad of the gears to get home - and the Cytronex really does pedal without motor resistance. I would hate to have to pedal up hill and against a motor!

 

[Mattyduk]

I don't believe e-bikes need lots of gears and view 24 gears as a huge overkill. Both my modified bikes are 6 speed and easily cope with my very hilly area.

Frank Curran of Powabyke commutes on a 24 speed older model and tells us he only uses the top four gears in that steep hill Bath area, underlining my experience.

My choice would be the £750 6 speed and save the £150 difference towards a second bottle battery to cover longer trips.
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thanks for that. good advice. I'll take a look at the 6 speed one

but then again, see posts after the above I'll keep my options open

 

[flecc]

When I first got the Cytronex, I thought that the 24 gears were overkill ------------------------------- I have been mightily glad of the gears to get home - and the Cytronex really does pedal without motor resistance. I would hate to have to pedal up hill and against a motor!

I'm sure you'll agree the Cytronex is a different case Chris, very much a normal bike and benefitting from a full gear range. The same is true to some extent for the French Cybien. The somewhat heavier Powabyke uses a large quite high powered motor, and Powabyke's market has traditionally not been sports inclined cyclists, so I think it fits into the conventional e-bike arena more, despite it's appearance.

I still believe most e-bikes are best served by a megarange cassette or freewheel. An abomination on normal bikes, on e-bikes it gives the small number of higher gears that they normally use, while leaving a low gear suitable as a "get me home" for breakdown and flat battery situations.
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[fcurran]

I'll risk a guess at a 48 tooth chainwheel Frank.
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As usual Flecc you're correct!! 48 tooth chainwheel on the 6 speed.

Regards

FrankC
Powabyke Ltd

 

[eddieo]

I guess the weight saving must be helped by dispensing with the front suspension which is probably unnecessary in a leisure/road bike anyway?

Getting a bit confused now what was the name of the other new bike with stackable pannier battery's? as I am a little skeptical of bottle battery arrangement.

 

[Saddlesore]

Eddieo,
That'll be the Powacycle Infineum - an MTB based e-bike very much like the powabyke but with the lithium battery(s) housed in a special rear rack. Go on their website - there is a link on there to the new bike plus there have been some posts about it on here.

 

[Mussels]

I still believe most e-bikes are best served by a megarange cassette or freewheel. An abomination on normal bikes, on e-bikes it gives the small number of higher gears that they normally use, while leaving a low gear suitable as a "get me home" for breakdown and flat battery situations.
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I'm finding the megarange cassette is very limited. The large cog is suitable for a certain gradient, slightly below that and I am missing the necessary gear and above it I cannot keep up an efficient cadence even with the motor running. I find I am avoiding certain hills which don't fit into the megarange ratios, it's not enough of a problem to make me change the gearing (yet) as I have a choice of routes but if I had no choice it could be quite a problem.

 

[flecc]

I'm finding the megarange cassette is very limited. The large cog is suitable for a certain gradient, slightly below that and I am missing the necessary gear and above it I cannot keep up an efficient cadence even with the motor running. I find I am avoiding certain hills which don't fit into the megarange ratios, it's not enough of a problem to make me change the gearing (yet) as I have a choice of routes but if I had no choice it could be quite a problem.

Yes, I think it depends on the cycling input and motor power to a fair extent. If the motor has limited power or flexibility and/or the rider input is high, a megarange then starts to have the big disadvantage that an ordinary cyclist experiences with them, hence my calling them an abomination for normal cycling.

I suppose I'm fairly typical of many older e-bikers now in having limits to my cycling input and using two high powered bikes in consequence, so the megarange suits well in my very hilly area with plenty of motor power and flexibility and moderate to low personal input. One of my bikes climbs 1 in 7 unaided and can do a motor only restart up 1 in 8, so on that my input is just a token of charity!
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[Mattyduk]

any more updates on the availability of this bike, especially the 24 gear version ?

 

[fcurran]

any more updates on the availability of this bike, especially the 24 gear version ?

Hi Matty,

The 24 speeds are arriving at Felixstowe over the weekend, the batteries will follow the following week. Once the VAT and duties etc have been paid we will be getting the bikes into our warehouse from circa 22nd Sept onwards. I will post again next week with an update.

Regards

FrankC
Powabyke Ltd

 

[Mattyduk]

cheers for that. should be available to buy beginning of October then, which suits my budget