So long, farewell...

[Rad]

My relationship with e-bikes has regrettably come to an end.
Unfortunately it appears that without a grounding (no pun intended) in electrical engineering and a lack of true support from a dealer network it's very difficult to keep one of these beasts on the road.

My Torq's up the Swannee, and my Powerbyke has reverted to full on power all the time, regardless of what the throttle's telling it. Not ideal.

For the majority of this week I've been riding the powerbyke sans battery. It's bloody hard work but I've done the commute in pretty much the same time as I was doing it under power.

It could be said that using the e-bikes has increased my fitness levels and enabled me to make the journey under my own steam, I think there's an element of truth to that. I certainly didn't have the confidence to try it a couple of years ago which is when I started riding e-bikes. They've been fun. But expensive fun.

Tomorrow I'm heading to my LBS to buy a new commuter hybrid. So cheers chaps. I've appreciated your help and advice over the last couple of years. And cheers to the various suppliers who have also done their best to help me out. I'm sure that if they were more local to me I'd likely still be e-biking but as it is I'm back to shanks and pedals.

The Torq & Powerbyke are available for breaking or as a project to anyone who's interested.

All the best.

 

[Artstu]

Good luck

For me an Ebike is only of benefit on the hills, for the rest of the time I'd say it was a hinderance. But as an introduction to cycling for unfit healthy people I know exactly what you mean. It gets you on a bike and out there getting fitter. Despite being less than 100% wellness myself I even realised I could still ride a bike as long as there weren't too many hills involved.

 

[indalo]

I hope you manage ok on a regular bike Rad. I use my Dawes tourer quite a bit and while I'm ok on the flat, there are are some hills which just age me. Also, headwinds remind me how beneficial my ebike is.

Don't get me wrong; the lightness and better handling of the Dawes provide a really nice ride and it's easier to manhandle in and out of my car but there are times when I do appreciate the benefit of a few amps.

Regards,
Indalo

 

[Xcytronex]

Rad
is the Torq a Mk1---if so would you be willing to part with the front wheel/motor[if running] also the chain + gear mech . Please p.m a price if interested.
Thanks.

 

[Old Timer]

It`s a shame to see you go and I think maybe you`ll be back.

I ride mainly for pleasure now but must admit that after almost 18 months I would think that I`m starting to get part of my investment back(more so now that fuel is so expensive)
For me at my age of 66 and slight ill health and ageing knees it is just so miraculous to be able to get out and about for fresh air and exercise without worrying about the cost of the fuel and the guilty feeling. I`ve tried riding a non powered MTB of late and I`m just not up to it apart from wanting nourishment rather than punishment
I rode to my doctors today to collect my long list of drugs(that I`m wondering if I need them all) 10 mile round trip through country lanes in the winter sun where tractors were ploughing, people were out walking dogs and all love to stop for a chat.
Yes! there is a bit of maintenance and cleaning to do but I get a kick from keeping a £600 18 month old bike on the road that shows no signs of packing up soon.
I suppose it`s horses for courses and I suppose I have stumbled across E bikes at just the right time in my life where I can gain the benefit from a bit of assistance but as far as I`m concerned they are the finest thing since sliced bread(as the saying goes)and I get a chance to listen to my MP3 audio books in one ear at the same time

 

[Rad]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Old Timer, I think I may well be back at some point. I've certainly not become some kind of rabid anti-ebiker. But at this point in my life (especially with a 5 year old to bring up) I don't have the time to really sit and learn about how to keep the electric side of things working. I can just about find my way around a regular pedal cycle though.

Picked up my new bike today. 24 speed hybrid. Got 21mph out of it briefly. Very briefly! And that was while powering through a headwind.

I'm sure at some point I'll be back on an e-bike. Hopefully by then they'll have ironed a few more of the kinks out of them.

Cheers all.

 

[BLACKPANTHER]

Picked up my new bike today. 24 speed hybrid. Got 21mph out of it briefly. Very briefly! And that was while powering through a headwind.

Cheers all.

I have a Dawes Tanami 24 speed Hybrid. I'm a bit of a spring chicken on here, being under 40 and more than capable of doing the 20 mile round trip every day. I only use the Aurora occasionally, mainly for fun/if my knee hurts/if it's really windy/with the trailer for shopping. I don't need an ebike, but I wanted one, so I treated myself.

You sound a lot like me. I am HOPELESS with the technical side of things. Hopefully, as I'll be doing well under 1,000 miles a year on the ebike, it should last a few years before major problems, hopefully just needing a battery replacement.

TBH, the more threads I read on here, the more out of my depth I feel. Everyone else seems to be electronic experts, I can just about change a plug!

Anyway, good luck with just the pedal power. I found that within about 3 or 4 weeks of starting cycling to work on the hybrid, I wasn't even breaking sweat after 10 miles. And now after almost a year of riding it, I have to really be in a 'fast' riding mood to tire myself out. I have hit 30mph downhill, and average 15mph over 10 miles to work. It's certainly better for you exercise wise, than an ebike!

 

[Barnowl]

Farewell Rad. Sorry to hear about the bikes. I think we joined the forum about the same time.

I'm no whizz with the techie stuff either. All the best ..

 

[Caph]

my Powerbyke has reverted to full on power all the time, regardless of what the throttle's telling it.

Rad, have you tried opening the throttle housing and having a look? It sounds like you've may have got exposed wires that are touching. It may not be so simple but it would be a shame to see you give up without at least having a look. You may be lucky and it may take no more effort than wiring a plug! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

 

[Rad]

Thanks Caph, I've already bought myself a regular bike now though, and have found that my travelling time is broadly the same as my assisted time. In fact the homeward journey is considerably quicker and I'm regularly knocking 5 minutes off of my journey.

 

[Mussels]

Thanks Caph, I've already bought myself a regular bike now though, and have found that my travelling time is broadly the same as my assisted time. In fact the homeward journey is considerably quicker and I'm regularly knocking 5 minutes off of my journey.

I found similar when I tried a normal bike, one way was just as quick without really trying, the other was much slower though due to the hills.
My problem is that it's too far for me to ride unassisted 5 days a week, I think 3 is the most I could manage

 

[Streethawk]

I've found the routes with a lot of fast downhill where you can comfortably exceed 20mph are faster on an normal bike, but more hilly routes are faster on an eBike. And the difference is in the eBike's favour, by a large margin for me.