New to all this! About to get an e-bike and insurance

[OutRun]

Hi everyone!!

Been a mountain biker for years but I'm thinking about geting my first e-bike that I can use for commuting and general journeys instead of using Uber or my car etc. What's the score with insurance? Is it likely to rocket in the future etc? Has everyone got it and is it essential?

I found this site that has the main insurers grouped which is useful: https://www.e-bikeinsurance.co.uk/

Regarding my e-bike, is it better to buy it from a store or online? Any recommendations for online stores and for local ones in the north of England?

Plus is servicing an issue or are they reliable?

Thanks everyone for your replies in advance!

 

[sjpt]

A legal pedalec must satisfy 250w rated max power, 15.5mh max assisted speed, must pedal to get assistance.

If you have one of those it counts as a regular bike, you can ride it where you would ride a bike (bridleways etc), no need for insurance, registration, helmet, license. etc. CTC or similar insurance will cover you for third party.
You may want additional insurance for theft etc; may be a bit more than for a regular bike but similar.

Once you leave the legal pedalec territory you do need the same things as for a moped; helmet, tax, insurance, registration etc. The big difference from a normal moped is that the insurance is almost impossible to come by.
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Generally, ebikes service is the same as for bikes; very little to do on the electrics. Most are very reliable.
If you go for many branded bikes they will have proprietary electric systems; parts if needed, servicing and spare batteries will all have premium prices. Also there is a risk of non-availability, especially for more custom items such as batteries to fit in the downtube.

Woosh (https://wooshbikes.co.uk/) and Wisper (https://wisperbikes.com/) are two highly recommended suppliers. Woosh are mail order or Southend only, Wisper have local dealers. Their bikes mostly have quality generic Chinese parts so that any replacement needed is relatively cheap. You may have difficulty getting service, a lot of shops won't touch ebikes at all, or at least not ones they haven't sold you, even for the servicing aspects that have nothing to do with the electrics. Not a problem if you do your own servicing anyway.

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Our personal experience. We have a solo Raleigh (Motus step through hub gears) with Bosch system. We got it 2nd hand 6 years ago, so it's 8 years total. We just replaced the battery which wasn't too exorbitant in a Merlin deal. It's never had any servicing of the electric bits and is still going fine. Some irritations with badly designed Bosch connections to the battery and to the display. The main irritation is that the Magura rim brakes are really awkward to deal with. I still probably wouldn't replace it with another Bosch system bike, because of the cost it would have if it ever did go wrong.

Also a tandem with a front wheel conversion from Woosh. No issues over 6 years. The motor is a bit weak for a tandem but still very helpful on the hills; there weren't any more powerful legal ones available when we bought it.

We've got third party insurance through Cycling UK membership, and taken the risk of no theft or damage insurance.

 

[thelarkbox]

Insurers care if the motor is rated 250w or less and if the speed is limited to 15.5mph.

Best VFM is a diy conversion kit on a suitable donor cycle, Comfy to ride with GOOD BRAKES.

fitting a kit is basically the same as a long winded rear tyre exchange.. the long winded is the cable tidying and sensor fitting (pedals/brakes) not a difficult job if changing a tyre is do-able.

Off the shelf bikes mainly come with closed proprietary control systems, meaning either a reliance on regular services at a cost to maintain warranties or little or no after sales/service options or Super expensive prices for spares..

The standard generic 'amazon special £500 ebike' is probably better equipped than your 2-3k branded bike as if/when anything needs replacing (pas sensor/battery etc..) its a no hassle ebay, etc purchase and not a dealer giving you the sharp intake of breath and head shake..

Some sellers Woosh Wisper, for example do sell ebikes with longevity and after sales service at a reasonable cost in mind.


And be mindful that any bike you look at that has battery communication as a 'feature' DONT TOUCH IT!! thats manufacturer speak for captive market and is only thgere to stop you using quality communication free batteries with your bike and keep you buying 'special batteries at 2x 3x or more than reasonable. ..

So if at all diy.. look at conversion kits, fwiw my yosepower kit well over a year old now still brings a smile to my face when crowning a hill i would be crawling if not walking up without the motor..

but if want an off the shelf bike Woosh and Wisper are 2 sellers of quality bikes with long life/service expectation.