The e-bike that does everything

[tomoufc]

Hi everyone

New to the forum and to the world of e-bikes!

I’m moving from a flat city (Manchester) to a hilly rural area (Todmorden), and this has prompted me to look into buying an e-bike. I wonder if I could please get some recommendations on some of my very specific requirements. I would need a mountain bike:

* with wide wheels to deal with muddy tracks and towpaths
*that is capable of carrying a heavy child seat at the back (I currently have a Hamax)
*that is capable of carrying rear pannier racks for two large bags full of shopping (not necessarily at the same time as the child seat, or possibly with front pannier option)
*that is an excellent hill climber
*that has decent range before recharge
*that does not have any problems with rain, puddles or wet weather
*that is reliable and is supported in case of any issues

I realise I’m asking a lot here, especially as my budget is limited (say £2kish), and I may need to compromise on one or more aspects.

Any tips appreciated! Thank you

 

[saneagle]

I can help with the problem of needing a child seat and panniers. I found that panniers are a waste of time on an ebike. It's much easier and more convenient to use a bag like this.

You just carry it over your shoulder. Put all your shopping in it, throw it over your shoulder and ride home. If it's really heavy, you have to place it on something fairly high, like a Tesco trolly, so that you can get the strap over your head. You'd be surprised at how much weight you can carry like that.

 

[tomoufc]

I can help with the problem of needing a child seat and panniers. I found that panniers are a waste of time on an ebike. It's much easier and more convenient to use a bag like this.
View attachment 58871
You just carry it over your shoulder. Put all your shopping in it, throw it over your shoulder and ride home. If it's really heavy, you have to place it on something fairly high, like a Tesco trolly, so that you can get the strap over your head. You'd be surprised at how much weight you can carry like that.

thanks for this. Unfortunately I suffer from back pain, so I don’t think that works. My current solution to luggage with child is a front basket, which works ok

 

[Raboa]

There are cargo bikes that have small wheels and built in racks such Tern, Yuba, Fildo T2, Elops and many more. It depends on whether you are prepared to buy ready made electric or self convert.
I have used the Tortec expedition rack on my bike, the biggest weight so far is 70 used wall sockets to take to the scrap yard .
The bike was powered by a BBS02 motor and used all year in the wonderful Scottish weather.
One advance of cargo bikes is you can use long panniers and fit boxes easily to carry more stuff.

 

[Nealh]

The ideal bike likely would be 650b tyred Kona UTE or Kona Minute.
Electric bosh ones are expensive but my one is a converted std model with TSDZ2 and is rather very good. they stopped producing the std version in 2020 /21 but sometimes come up for sale.
They are now fairly rare as owners often don't let them go.

I bought a mint used 2020 model for £900 three years ago and spent £300 and fitted a TSDZ2.

For 2K one is going to be pushed to find a suitable bike , a conversion of a std used bike will be the cheapest route which opens up wider field for bike choice.

 

[Nealh]

My main commute/errand / load shopping bike is a swb Cotic Roadrat, I utilise rear QR panniers and front touring rack with a pair of cheap QR panniers.
Any panniers needs to be fairly lowly slung .
For huge shops I use a large trailer on both bikes.

 

[Raboa]

My mistake about the Fildo, sorry.

This is £999, non electric, they are charging another £999 to fit a BBS02. You can buy the kit cheaper than £999, Woosh also do the BBS01ET kit.

Yuba Kombi Cargo Bike - Optional Bafang Mid-Drive eBike Kit

The best value for experiencing the cargo bike lifestyle. Discover the Kombi, the most affordable longtail of the Yuba range with a 440 lbs payload capacity!

eco-move.co.uk

 

[Nealh]

My mistake about the Fildo, sorry.

This is £999, non electric, they are charging another £999 to fit a BBS02. You can buy the kit cheaper than £999, Woosh also do the BBS01ET kit.

Yuba Kombi Cargo Bike - Optional Bafang Mid-Drive eBike Kit

The best value for experiencing the cargo bike lifestyle. Discover the Kombi, the most affordable longtail of the Yuba range with a 440 lbs payload capacity!

eco-move.co.uk

Seems strange they opt to fit an illegal kit to a bike .
The £900 at first look seems very dear but factor in the kit/ battery and they will warranty the bike still should it go wrong !!!

 

[Nealh]

My ute 's panniers are huge , one can fit a kitchen sink in each side plus a bit more.

 

[tomoufc]

My mistake about the Fildo, sorry.

This is £999, non electric, they are charging another £999 to fit a BBS02. You can buy the kit cheaper than £999, Woosh also do the BBS01ET kit.

Yuba Kombi Cargo Bike - Optional Bafang Mid-Drive eBike Kit

The best value for experiencing the cargo bike lifestyle. Discover the Kombi, the most affordable longtail of the Yuba range with a 440 lbs payload capacity!

eco-move.co.uk

Thanks very much. How well do you think it would cope with a poorly surfaced canal towpath, for example?

 

[Az.]

I would need a mountain bike:

What you need is a cargo bike and you will have to accept some compromises.

 

[tomoufc]

What you need is a cargo bike and you will have to accept some compromises.

Yes, I'm prepared to accept some compromises. However, where I', moving to, if you're bike can't deal with muddy canal towpaths, you're not going to get very far

 

[Az.]

Yes, I'm prepared to accept some compromises.

If I were you I would consider Fiido T2. Yes, it is illegal, but price is very tempting. It also has all accessories you need.

 

[tomoufc]

If I were you I would consider Fiido T2. Yes, it is illegal, but price is very tempting. It also has all accessories you need.

Thank you. Do you know if it's possible to buy them through dealerships. And what are the chances of getting into trouble- I guess low because they are not obviously illegal? Cheers

 

[Az.]

Thank you. Do you know if it's possible to buy them through dealerships. And what are the chances of getting into trouble- I guess low because they are not obviously illegal? Cheers

Chances of getting into trouble are very low unless you find yourself in an accident.
You can always replace motor to make it legal, but personally wouldn't bother. Problem is there are almost no available cargo bikes on the market to convert. You would have to hunt for a long time to find something decent and at good price.

 

[saneagle]

Those big ute bikes are not going to be very pleasant on muddy trails!!

I think you'd be better off with a 250w fatbike with 20" wheels, of which there are loads on Amazon and Ebay.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ENGWE-Electric-Adults-Step-Through-Bike/dp/B0C7818373?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A2ZYRBV1GGSW5K&th=1

Listed here as 250w in case of doubt:

ENGWE L20 Affordable Utility E-bike 250W 140Km Range Front And Rear Cargo Racks | UK Stock Fast Free 3-5 Days shipping

ENGWE L20 Electric Bike 20*4.0 Fat Tyre 250W Motor 15.5mph Max Speed 48V 13Ah Removable Battery with Front and Rear Racks, 87 mi Mileage, Shimano 7-Speed

st3ike.com

 

[guerney]

Thanks very much. How well do you think it would cope with a poorly surfaced canal towpath, for example?

Depends on how badly surfaced - some are comprised of well surfaced big broken planes of concrete jagged up at random troubling angles, worse than some downhill mountain runs.

I'd imagine their wide...

Kenda 24”x 2.4”

...tyres would fare better comfortwise than my 20" 1.75", which make traversing the aforementioned crevasse riddled jagged angled broken concrete canal path blocks very uncomfortable. I wouldn't touch canal paths with a barge pole - safer faster and more comfy by road.

 

[Saracen]

Hi everyone

New to the forum and to the world of e-bikes!

I’m moving from a flat city (Manchester) to a hilly rural area (Todmorden), and this has prompted me to look into buying an e-bike. I wonder if I could please get some recommendations on some of my very specific requirements. I would need a mountain bike:

* with wide wheels to deal with muddy tracks and towpaths
*that is capable of carrying a heavy child seat at the back (I currently have a Hamax)
*that is capable of carrying rear pannier racks for two large bags full of shopping (not necessarily at the same time as the child seat, or possibly with front pannier option)
*that is an excellent hill climber
*that has decent range before recharge
*that does not have any problems with rain, puddles or wet weather
*that is reliable and is supported in case of any issues

I realise I’m asking a lot here, especially as my budget is limited (say £2kish), and I may need to compromise on one or more aspects.

Any tips appreciated! Thank you

GOOGLE MID drive or Hub drive, get a mid drive

 

[Saracen]

As a single father of three I would NEVER have put a child on the back of a bike.

 

[tomoufc]

As a single father of three I would NEVER have put a child on the back of a bike.

Hope you're not passing judgement here: we can't all afford a car

 

[saneagle]

Hope you're not passing judgement here: we can't all afford a car

You have to understand his frame of reference. He rides a crank-drive bike, which unsurprisingly scares him to death.