new user looking for advise

[drew -d]

hi i am drew i am thinking of buying a new bike. i have a powabyke euro24 and i have just bought a new bike which is a dud.(from fun2ride.co.uk)
what bike would you sugest that can get to18mph and has a long battery life many thanks from drew

 

[Ian]

Hi Drew,

there's not a lot that will reach 18mph under power as the law considers anything capable of over 15.5 mph to be a motor vehicle so to be sold as a bicycle it has to be limited to that speed. A few bikes will slightly exceed this with a freshly charged battery and favourable conditions, and there is a very small number than can be illegally de-restricted to reach about 21 mph, these bikes are the Ezee Torq & Forza supplied by 50cycles and the soon to be launched Wisper 905se, these bikes can be expected to give 25-30 miles range over moderate terrain with reasonable pedalling in their legally restricted condition but this will be reduced if de-restricted.

There are cheaper bikes available with similar range but not the speed, like most things in life, you mostly get what you pay for.

 

[drew -d]

thanks

hi Ian thanks for your post iwill keep looking and post anything new that i find. drew

 

[Ian]

Good look with your search Drew. Your Powabyke may be a bit cumbersome and heavy but it is one of the most powerful available so you may have a job finding something that compares.

 

[langtry]

Hi Ian,

Interested in your comments to Drew,about speed etc,just a thought for you here?Most of the time on reasonable terrain,I have been happy to achieve an average of 17 mph plus a little bit without peddling,Ok.I know I am but a newbie but none the less felt the need to comment?Three weeks with my Ezee Liv now and could not be more pleased.


Best Regards,


langtry

 

[flecc]

Comment away Langtry, every member's experience is real and of as much value as anyone elses, so a new users contribution is every bit as welcome and useful to all of us.

 

[Ian]

All coments welcome Langtry, I have no personel experience of the Liv but my Sprint will initially manage almost 17 mph on a fresh battery, it quickly falls to the Legal maximum though as the battery becomes depleted though. Its usually only the more powerful bikes that can actually acheive achieve the legal limit.

 

[Brangdon]

I found that on what seemed like a flat road my Liv would do about 17mph in one direction and then about 15mph going the other way. I think the limit of its speed is strongly affected by very slight inclines, wind etc. (I'm not yet sure if having a fresh battery makes a difference; it's hard to tell with other factors.)

I can reach 18 or 19mph by peddling. It's seems easier than it would be with a push-bike because the motor still seems to give some assistance at that speed. Getting to 20mph and above is hard on the Liv, even going downhill, because of its gearing.

 

[flecc]

That's typical of all hub motored bikes, Brangdon. The point of maximum efficiency is just a bit below maximum speed, so a little resistance from a touch of headwind or very slight incline knocks off the difference easily. And of course the battery's state of charge affects the maximum and can make as much as 2 mph difference between it being fresh off the charger and when there's only about a quarter charge left.
.

 

[langtry]

Hi,

As ever,interested in everyones different view?Wondering why motor assist is needed going down hill?Once at the top is it not simpler to just coast down hill?This way I have reached 28mph,just as one could on any bike without power?I managed a three mile flat stretch of road to-day and speed fluctuated between just above 17mph and 19mph without peddling,use the peddles and I go up to close to 22mph,so.?who needs to go any faster?


Regards,


langtry

 

[Ian]

Are you sure your computer is calibrated correctly Langtry as your 18 mph average without pedaling does seem on the high side where as Brangdons 16 mph average with an identical bike is exactly what one would expect. also your 22 mph with pedalling is rather higher that most people can manage on most e-bikes.
With accurate calibration my Torq in it's restricted state will manage about 15-16 mph and the Sprint a touch faster with a fresh charge, both figures verified by GPS.

I think the question of assist downhill only applies to very slight gradients, down any hill worthy of the name speed will quickly exceed that at which power is available.

 

[alex]

Hi. glad Langtry is enjoying the Liv. I am in the honeymoon period with my Carrera Sparc. Re speed, I have been surprised that even 15 mph feels like a comfortable cruising speed, though I am glad to have the legs & gears to reach 28 mph downhill. I test rode the Heinzman Sport in LOndon last week, it is powered up to 23 mph & is frankly alarming & one needs to brake alot in urban riding.

 

[langtry]

Speed of the Liv?????

Hi Ian,

As always I would always bow to the greater experience,and I wondered after your comments that perhaps I had exagerated???So thought I needed to check a few things out? First,about my speedo?This is the Velo 8,and quite happy that this is indeed fitted correctly having taken my guidance on the fitting from Flecc, on this forum.Second,decided to take a better look at this stretch of road I mentioned,off of the bike I looked fom one end of the road to as far as I could see,and yes it does look to be pretty flat,however,riding this stretch again to-day,I feel that it may well be the slightest of decline,hardly noticable,but I certainy take your point,perhaps I am being a little to zealous? On the same road to-day,again speed without peddling was on 17mph plus a touch,when at the end,I turned and rode back and speed this time was about 14.5 so probably proves your point?
I have to finish this by saying that,even though I cannot speak for other Liv owners,my Liv is a little cracker,and chuffed to bits with it.

Regards as always,

langtry

 

[Ian]

I certainly wasn't accusing you of exaggerating langtry, but did feel there may be a slight discrepancy in your speedo calibration which is very common given the difficulties in accurately determining the wheel circumference.

Of course the only thing that really matters is whether you are happy with the bikes performance, which clearly you are, and I hope the bike continues to give you pleasure for years to come.