Thinking of electrification..

[Bobchatt]

The old legs are still just about working,
but 2 of our group have already taken the plunge and gone electric, i am gathering as much info as I can before deciding. No rush..

 

[flecc]

The old legs are still just about working,
but 2 of our group have already taken the plunge and gone electric, i am gathering as much info as I can before deciding. No rush..

Welcome to the forum. You're wise to take your time before deciding, there's lots to take in. Grab any opportunity you can get to try out various e-bikes since it will help you to find the system that suits you best.
.

 

[sjpt]

What sort of riding? I'd suggest a step-though; even if you don't need it now you may really welcome it within the lifetime of the bike.

 

[richtea99]

If your group are a friendly bunch, they'll probably let you have a go, Bob - if only to confirm their own excellent decision-making!

 

[Bobchatt]

What sort of riding, in the past, Audax , mtb, light touring. Now mainly canal towpath, quiet lanes etc not many trips over 50 miles this year.
And yes I have ridden electric, but only for a few minutes,I am thinking of hiring for a couple of weeks to get a true feel of it.

 

[sjpt]

Better somehow to arrange different bikes as flecc suggested. The most important features will be whether you find crank or hub drive motors best, and whether you prefer torque or cadence sensors.

I'd suggest rear hub for your suggested riding unless there are big hills around. I get on fine with our Bosch crank drive Raleigh Motus for the kind of riding you mention, but if it suddenly disappeared I don't think I'd replace it with similar. Any repairs or battery replacements with propriety systems found in most mid-range and above bikes are likely to come in very expensive. I'd probably go for something from Woosh, depending what was available at the time. With luck our Motus will keep going for another 10 years with battery replacement as the only problem. Sadly, expected life of e-bikes is well below that of regular bikes for various reasons. Much easier to keep one on the road that uses fairly standard parts.

 

[Bobchatt]

Thanks for that sjpt . The sensor issue is an extra item I was not aware of ,I’ll add it my reading list.