Steep commute to work

[drandyhills]

Hi!

I would like to cycle to work but it's a steep commute (10 miles, and multiple hills of 5-10% incline) there. I cycled on a Carrera CrossFire Hybrid on trial from Halfords and on the steep sections I had to put some effort in, which is an issue as I cannot shower when I arrive.

I had presumed due to the 250W limit, that all Pedelecs/Ebikes would give the same power up hills, and the only way I can make it easier is to go for a lighter bike. Is this correct? My route includes cycle paths so couldn't get something >250W.

If indeed there are ebikes better at hills than others please let me know.
Budget probably <£1500.

Thanks!

 

[Woosh]

I had presumed due to the 250W limit, that all Pedelecs/Ebikes would give the same power up hills, and the only way I can make it easier is to go for a lighter bike. Is this correct? My route includes cycle paths so couldn't get something >250W.

no, the 250W is the minimum that the e-bikes that say so on the label are capable of.
The real maximum output is set by the controller, I have for example 36V 15A, 36V 17A, 36V 20A and 48V 17A to suit different riders' weight and how hilly where they live.
A more powerful controller needs to be paired with a larger motor which adds weight and the kit consumes a little more battery Watt Hours per mile than a smaller motor. However, if you are heavy and live at the top of a hill then the extra power is useful.

 

[drandyhills]

Do you mean live at the bottom of a hill?
So essentially yeah I'd be more keen on a bike that can get me up hills easily, appreciating battery life may suffer. Is it a case of multiplying the voltage and current and going for whatever is highest?

 

[Woosh]

Do you mean live at the bottom of a hill?
So essentially yeah I'd be more keen on a bike that can get me up hills easily, appreciating battery life may suffer. Is it a case of multiplying the voltage and current and going for whatever is highest?

there is often no need to go for the highest, as all motors are limited by law to 15.5mph. You want a trade off between power and weight to suit your requirements.
I ussually recommend 36V 15AH for lightweight road bikes with 700C x 25C tyres, 36V 17AH for MTBs with 26" or 27.5" x 1.95" tyres, 36V 20A for people who weigh more than 20st.

 

[Bobbish]

I ride 8 miles to work most of it uphill. Some quite steep. I wear a big yellow builders jacket in the winter and never break a sweat. I have a Cube Reaction Pro Hybrid 500 - 29" wheels
Bosch Drive Unit Performance CX (75Nm) Cruise (250Watt)

The 75Nm maybe the difference to what you have tested.

 

[drandyhills]

there is often no need to go for the highest, as all motors are limited by law to 15.5mph. You want a trade off between power and weight to suit your requirements.
I ussually recommend 36V 15AH for lightweight road bikes with 700C x 25C tyres, 36V 17AH for MTBs with 26" or 27.5" x 1.95" tyres, 36V 20A for people who weigh more than 20st.

Thanks for this.

I still don't understand how you can have a e.g 36V 20A bike without it being taxed etc. As that equates to 720W and https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules says max output 250W.

Thanks for bearing with me, a novice!

 

[Nealh]

The 250w is a nominal rating figure for drives under certain test criteria, if it doesn't get hot it passes the rating test and is labelled 250w. There is no ruling setting the amps you can put through drives but there comes a limit at which they fry, not all drives are equal. 48v is the max nominal voltage allowed.

The 720w you mentioned is theoretical and is the max watts that can leave he controller, due to motor inefficacy and wiring etc,etc at least 20% of that figure is wasted and a drives output would be < 576w and more likely 540w.

 

[sjpt]

The rules talk about max continuous rated output. Rating is a bit arbitrary; I'm pretty sure that power is often underrated just to fit in. So yes, 250w rated motors can give short term power output well over 500w. You wouldn't get 720w with that combination because of inefficiencies; motors are typically 80% efficient at their best.

 

[drandyhills]

Thanks for all this.

So I trialled a Carrera Crossfire e-Bike which 36V and current 11.58Ah. On the spectrum of hybrid bikes is this particularly powerful or not? Thanks

 

[Woosh]

Thanks for all this.

So I trialled a Carrera Crossfire e-Bike which 36V and current 11.58Ah. On the spectrum of hybrid bikes is this particularly powerful or not? Thanks

the Carrera Crossfire's controller is roughly 36V 16A. The Bosch CX 36V 18A.

 

[drandyhills]

So about middle of the range?

 

[soundwave]

So about middle of the range?

depends how far and fast you want to go lol

 

[drandyhills]

Well practically speaking I wish to go my local Halfords and get an electric bike that is best at getting me up steep hills. Not too bothered by range as commute just 10 miles. Has to be road legal. What would you get?

 

[soundwave]

bosch cx and dongle =gone

 

[Andy McNish]

If you have £1500 and if you really want to buy from Halfords I'd go to their Cycle Republic branded shops and try to get an end of season (2018) Haibike or Lapierre (MTB or Cross) that fits you for around that figure. It will either have a Yamaha PW or Bosch CX motor, each of which will eat 10% hills (and higher) for breakfast.

Such as:
Lapierre Overvolt
Haibike 2019 (this is 2019 model at £1750 but you may be able to find a discounted 2018 model or get a 10% off trade in deal etc.)

As for Halfords own branded e bikes:
The Crossfire has serious cut-out issues. I would avoid.
Their Crossfuse (which is within your budget) has the new 3rd Gen Activeline Plus motor but that is for quiet touring and extended range really and doesn't have quite the uphill punch of the CX or PW motors. It will cope with 10% gradients without any issues to be fair but anything over that and you might end up working up a sweat.

 

[sjpt]

Don't forget that if you are buying from Halfords you should be able to get a 10% Cycling UK (nearly said CTC) discount. Not sure if that applies to Cycle Republic. Worth joining just for that if you are making a significant purchase. I think some other clubs have similar discounts.

 

[Nefarious]

I'd say don't worry about weight, unless you need to lift your bike over your head. I went for an electric mountain bike for my very hilly commute. I worried about weight but completely needlessly. Even with an extra battery fitted and full backpack, it still flies up the hills with only a moderate amount of effort. The mountain bike motors have the most torque, whether that be Bosch CX or, in my case, Shimano E8000. There are others too, of course. Possibly less heavy duty motors might struggle more with your terrain - I couldn't say, but I made the right decision for me...