Trek electric

[funder]

Hi all, I am looking to dip my toe into Electric bikes but have a limited budget would this bike be any good as a starter I think its a few years old now.

im struggling to upload a pic sorry. it is an Trek fx.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It depends how much it is. Let's say it's £500. You could take the motor wheel, LCD and battery off, install a nice Chinese kit for about £600, then you'd have a nice electric bike for about £1100.

Seriously, that's the second time that it's appeared here in the last few days. It's a nice Trek bike with a Bionx kit added. When the Bionx works, it's not bad, except that it's a direct drive motor, so it doesn't freewheel like a geared motor, which some people don't like. The main problem is that you're locked out of fixing anything by the software, so you can only get it fixed and buy spare parts from a Bionx dealer if you can find one. If the bike has been used, the battery would be worn down a bit. who know how far? You'd have to pay the price of a complete e-bike for a replacement battery, though it's possible that BGA Reworking could re-cell the battery. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to test it without the rest of the bike.

For me, it would be too risky, but for £500, you'd have the option of what I wrote in para.1 when it packs up. Any more, and you're gambling on how long it's going to last. I'd need a lot more information before I could say how long it's likely to last.

 

[funder]

so are you saying it rides like a fixed wheel?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

No, the bike has gears. The Motor drives the wheel directly and doesn't disengage when you pedal without power or when you freewheel down a hill.

 

[funder]

so would that act as a sort of brake?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You get a slight resistance from the motor until you use the brakes. It has regeneration, so it can be set so that when you pull the brake lever, the motor becomes a brake and a generator to put a bit back in the battery.

 

[funder]

so would you say that as a bike its any good?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's great if it's somebody else's bike, not your own. You have to ask the question, how long will it last until you have to fork out a load of cash to get it going again when something needs fixing? It's your money: Gamble if you want. I'd rather bet on a certainty.

 

[funder]

what sort of thing do you think second hand maker wise I should keep an eye out for? As I can in no way stretch to a new electric bike.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Stick with the nomal Chinese bikes. Everything is modular and easy to repair. Obviously, the main thing you need to be sure about is the battery because a typical replacement or repair is £250.

 

[Woosh]

I'd rather bet on a certainty.

would that be against your golden rules?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

would that be against your golden rules?

It can't be. The only golden rule is that there are no golden rules.

 

[funder]

I have an oldish Claude Butler m/bike which I love. Would i be better off buying an electric kit for it?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It would be logical to convert a bike if:
You really like the way that bike fits you;
You like making stuff;
You want performance characteristics that you can't easily get in an OEM e-bike;
You have soldering and wiring skills.

Fitting a kit is not a cheap way to get an e-bike. You can buy a complete new e-bike on Ebay for the same cost as most kits, though there's some very cheap kits on E-bay too.

There's no answer to what you want. you have to decide what you want to achieve, then find a way to work around each constraint. There's a lot of choice now.