Short Commuter Advice

[gpt]

Hi,

I'm new and having a good mooch around. Thankyou to anyone who opened this thread and can chip in! Reason for being here: after racking up a 1000 miles on my e scooter commuting for 2 years - it finally got seized the other day. Always sensible use I might add, on cycle lane - nobody around - causing no harm - but we know the laws.

So I need a replacement.

My commute is 3 miles each way. I can't ever see me using the bike for more than 5 miles each way. So relatively short!

I will be using the cycle to work scheme as it's a big saving for me. Budget can be up to 3k

I would like to be able to get away with up to 25mph assisted (yes I know the law, no I didn't learn my lesson) - but obviously I need to be able to hide this as best as possible. I noticed in another thread somebody re programmed their display to not read out above 25kph - so I'm assuming there are ways and means?

The bike needs to be wife friendly just in terms of usability. I don't think there's too many restrictions here but I think it needs to look like a traditional bike

A bit of a different discussion - is there any benefits to going the DIY route? If I'm looking for 25mph anyway I'm guessing support/warranty would be limited to none existent, so can this save money and get better parts? And is anyone aware of places that can help in this regard with the cycle to work scheme?

Nope, I have barely any experience with bikes but I'm reasonably handy and happy to learn.

Thanks again for any advice!


Gpt

 

[Bonzo Banana]

The DIY route should be cheaper, easier to repair and customise and also mean later you could move the ebike kit to another bike possibly if you wore out or damaged the original bike. It's probably easier to exceed the 25km/h limit with a kit too I would of thought, easier to hack , set the wheel diameter wrong etc so it thinks its going at 25km/h but is actually considerably faster. I haven't given this much thought but I would of thought if you set a wheel to 20" in the parameters when its actually 26" you will have a significant speed boost. However saying that many kits allow very easy adjustment of top speed anyway without any fuss.

 

[StuartsProjects]

I would like to be able to get away with up to 25mph assisted (yes I know the law, no I didn't learn my lesson) - but obviously I need to be able to hide this as best as possible.

From the outside there can be little indication that a bike has been de-restricted.

But if you have an eBike that you ride at illegal speeds, on UK roads, then that would be fairly obvious to everyone, including the Police.

Bit like using an eScooter on the road really.

 

[jimriley]

Short commuter? Check saddle height, frame size etc or you will struggle.

 

[sneggysteve]

And giving further ammo to the anti cycle lobby !!!

 

[Waspy]

Seriously mate, it's only 3 miles, on a legal e-bike that would take you less than 12 minutes.

Why risk breaking the law? You've already had your scooter seized.

And you certainly would not need to spend 3k.

For that money you could get a very decent used 50cc scooter with tax and insurance, which will do 25mph all day long.

Probably not what you want to hear.

 

[gpt]

Seriously mate, it's only 3 miles, on a legal e-bike that would take you less than 12 minutes.

Why risk breaking the law? You've already had your scooter seized.

And you certainly would not need to spend 3k.

For that money you could get a very decent used 50cc scooter with tax and insurance, which will do 25mph all day long.

Probably not what you want to hear.

The budget was a maximum, not an aim. If there was "value" to be had at 3k, then it's more acceptable. Of course for 3k I could buy, tax and insure a car! But it's not what the thread is about. There are plenty of discussions about the 15mph assist limit, no point in starting another here.

And giving further ammo to the anti cycle lobby !!!

Theres always an anti element. Shall we talk batteries and the environment?

From the outside there can be little indication that a bike has been de-restricted.

But if you have an eBike that you ride at illegal speeds, on UK roads, then that would be fairly obvious to everyone, including the Police.

Bit like using an eScooter on the road really.

Fair point. I was reading on another thread on here that you can only "ghost pedal" with certain motor types. I'm not really looking for anything that is throttle only as that is certainly way too obvious. A lot of cyclists can hit 25mph without any assist easily though so I was hoping this wouldnt draw too much attention

Short commuter? Check saddle height, frame size etc or you will struggle.

Not a regular biker (in the slightest!) so is this written from a comfort perspective? Obviously important to give the desire to keep using it!

The DIY route should be cheaper, easier to repair and customise and also mean later you could move the ebike kit to another bike possibly if you wore out or damaged the original bike. It's probably easier to exceed the 25km/h limit with a kit too I would of thought, easier to hack , set the wheel diameter wrong etc so it thinks its going at 25km/h but is actually considerably faster. I haven't given this much thought but I would of thought if you set a wheel to 20" in the parameters when its actually 26" you will have a significant speed boost. However saying that many kits allow very easy adjustment of top speed anyway without any fuss.

So this is what I wanted to get a bit nearer too. DIY sounds a little more fun and unique. Are their any forum favourites for frames/parts etc worth shouting out about?

Any companies that supply these and take part in the cycle to work scheme?

Or is this going to be particularly difficult?

 

[guerney]

Aside from being fined, another good financial reason for not being involved in an accident travelling over 25km/h, is being sued by insurance companies.

DIY sounds a little more fun and unique.

I was reading on another thread on here that you can only "ghost pedal" with certain motor types. I'm not really looking for anything that is throttle only as that is certainly way too obvious.

My BBS01B kit converted bike doesn't have a throttle, is set up to rapidly get me to 25km/h, and keep me there with as little effort as possible. The miles just fly by.

Or is this going to be particularly difficult?

 

[gpt]

My BBS01B kit converted bike doesn't have a throttle, is set up to rapidly get me to 25km/h, and keep me there with as little effort as possible. The miles just fly by.

Looks a great bike. There are actually benefits to me having a folding/light weight bike which i didnt mention in my original post. Is this the conversion job of your own bike or something you listed for my reference?

How have you got on with reliability over the years? water ingress? anything you would do different? or more recent models you would look out for?

Thanks for the insight!

 

[georgehenry]

There is a huge thread about Yosepower hub kits that look good for what you have in mind to convert a bike.

Otherwise a geared rear hub electric bike like the Woosh Gran-Camino.

You don't mention gradients. Downhill most electric bikes will exceed 25 mph easily.

As the gradient increases even a legal but unrestricted electric bike will not go 25mph. What it will do is take all the effort out of climbing that hill.

Electric bikes are very nickable so you need to think about where you are going to leave it at the end of your commute. Ideally inside a work building or in a non public place where you can lock it up.

I know 15 mph is slow but I also cannot actually see the need to be illegal over such a short distance.

3 miles, just shove it on maximum assist, if a cadence system pedal gently away, smile and enjoy the ride, it will be over in no time.

I commuted for years but had to ride 10 miles home on the road. My bikes could assist above the legal limit and over 10 miles that made for me a significant difference.

Interestingly I used more than one bike, a crank drive bike, and a geared rear hub. The crank drive could go quicker than the geared rear hub but the difference over 10 miles on the road was actually quite small. The crank drive could average 20 mph over an undulating 10 mile road route, but the geared rear hub bike got surprisingly close averaging over 19 mph. I expect a legal bike would have averaged somewhere around the cut off speed of 15.5.

For relaxed commuting on the road my simple cadence sensor geared rear hub bikes were much more relaxing and better suited for road commuting. I bought my crank drive bike specifically to go off road.

Geared rear hub bikes are unlikely to assist at much more than 20mph de restricted.

I was a shift worker so predominantly riding on the road when the roads were very quiet.

 

[guerney]

Looks a great bike.

No mudguards.

Looks a great bike. There are actually benefits to me having a folding/light weight bike which i didnt mention in my original post. Is this the conversion job of your own bike or something you listed for my reference?

There aren't many short videos showing a Bafang mid-drive conversion on Youtube, that one happens to be about a folding bike conversion. I take my folder into shops and workplaces etc, have locks don't use them.

How have you got on with reliability over the years? water ingress?

4:1 self-adhesive heat shrink plus self-amalgamating rubber tape over all the connectors, keeps water out effectively. Thus far (two years) there haven't been any reliability issues that I didn't cause - my shoddy soldering of junk to it, killed a controller... soldering skills much improved since.

anything you would do different?

I would have used Zefal Cyclop end-bar mirrors instead of Zefal Dooback II - more suitable for my particular folding bike. The Dooback IIs did a great job: large clear mirrors which click into position, but they get broken during the folding process.

 

[StuartsProjects]

I'm not really looking for anything that is throttle only as that is certainly way too obvious. A lot of cyclists can hit 25mph without any assist easily though so I was hoping this wouldnt draw too much attention

Most all cyclists\commuters that I enounter in and around the city are doing 15mph, or just a bit less maybe.

Now and again you will get a lycra clad cyclist going past you on a lightweight carbon bike and they may well be doing 25mphish.

When a cyclist who is dressed as a typical city commuter goes whizzing past all the other cyclists on an bulky non lighweight bike, its obvious.

 

[gpt]

No mudguards.




There aren't many short videos showing a Bafang mid-drive conversion on Youtube, that one happens to be about a folding bike conversion. I take my folder into shops and workplaces etc, have locks don't use them.




4:1 self-adhesive heat shrink plus self-amalgamating rubber tape over all the connectors, keeps water out effectively. Thus far (two years) there haven't been any reliability issues that I didn't cause - my shoddy soldering of junk to it, killed a controller... soldering skills much improved since.




I would have used Zefal Cyclop end-bar mirrors instead of Zefal Dooback II - more suitable for my particular folding bike. The Dooback IIs did a great job: large clear mirrors which click into position, but they get broken during the folding process.

So I'm doing some searching and have come across your posts in multiple threads from a year or so ago with Helios sl/xx which are obviously older models - but I'm assuming you might know the answer to this...

What have we got in the 20" foldable, currently available bikes that would have a good solid foldable mechanism and compatible with a good conversion kits

 

[guerney]

What have we got in the 20" foldable, currently available bikes that would have a good solid foldable mechanism and compatible with a good conversion kits

Good question, and one I will need to answer for myself someday, as my quite old aluminium frame fatigues with use. It was lockdown and I was in a hurry to beat the Brexit date, so I converted the bike I already had in the loft... and I was lucky because it has a short protective bar over the folding mechanism, which no longer features in Dahon's newer designs. Despite that, when the time comes I'll buy another Dahon, possibly this one (but not from Halfrauds):

Dahon Mariner D8 Folding Bike - 20" Wheel - Blue | Halfords UK

Shop the latest Make your daily commute a breeze with the Dahon Mariner D8 Folding Bike. Discover our full range of folding bikes online. at Halfords UK

www.halfords.com

Older Mariner version:

I mounted my battery onto a plank of pallet wood, bolted through the rear rack, which isn't ideal for weight distribution, but makes folding easy.

Unsure whether the rims on the Dahon Mariner can accommodate 1.75" Marathon Plus tyres or wider, for a more comfortable riding experience - I had to swap mine for a pair of Tern wheels. I would not buy a Tern bike.

The Helios is a better design, IMHO. The newer Jetstreams have disc brakes and suspension front and rear, but no mudguards, often no rear rack.

Spare parts:

C H WHITE & SON

We are a UK cycle shop offering a wide range of bikes, including folding bikes, electric folding bikes and e-bikes. Discover our quality selection and expert service for all your cycling needs.

foldingbike.biz

I'd probably avoid Dahon's narrow front forks, if I wanted a front hub conversion.

Many other folding bikes, ready-electrified and not are available.

 

[jimriley]

Re the 15mph speed limit, a bbs01b can be adjusted on the control panel. With a cable and the speeed phone app the power can be increased to 350w. I have tried both, because you have to, don't you, but only in the grounds of my mansion . Now reset back to legality, I find 250w and 15mph fast enough powerful enough, battery lasts longer too. It's worth doing a few tweaks to the basic settings, especially the Keep Current, there are threads and info about changing the settings.

 

[gpt]

Re the 15mph speed limit, a bbs01b can be adjusted on the control panel. With a cable and the speeed phone app the power can be increased to 350w. I have tried both, because you have to, don't you, but only in the grounds of my mansion . Now reset back to legality, I find 250w and 15mph fast enough powerful enough, battery lasts longer too. It's worth doing a few tweaks to the basic settings, especially the Keep Current, there are threads and info about changing the settings.

My only real reason for mentioning the higher limit is I come down some open cycle lanes that can be very empty and have smooth tarmac. My e scooter did 25mph and it never felt dangerous, it was comfortable and smooth. Obviously it would be a hell of a speed to come off at though!

 

[I893469365902345609348566]

This guy toppled over for no reason I could see -

 

[gpt]

This guy toppled over for no reason I could see -

Of course anyone can fall for a variety of reasons. When I was using the scooter the main dangers were pot holes and sometimes - simply traction! Don't try turning on a wet road and don't hit big pot holes with little wheels. But I personally never encountered anything else

 

[I893469365902345609348566]

Of course anyone can fall for a variety of reasons. When I was using the scooter the main dangers were pot holes and sometimes - simply traction! Don't try turning on a wet road and don't hit big pot holes with little wheels. But I personally never encountered anything else

I do occasionally see them on roads, where many potholes are larger than escooter wheels. If he'd toppled over in front of a vehicle... You'll travel safer by bicycle imho.

 

[soundwave]

Gloucestershire police ridiculed over scooter mum

Police swooped on the mum taking her child to school in the Cotswolds

www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk

 

[I893469365902345609348566]

I've seen that too. It's bonkers.