Trying ebikes

[Paul Warner]

Hi Guys and Gals,

Not sure if an ebike is for me or not but looking to buy a bike to commute, about 20-25 mile round trip everyday. I've read the pro's and cons and can see mainly pros for my needs. I'm going to visit a number of dealers today and tomorrow, haven't set a budget as though as the prices seem to be all over the place. I'm fairly fit, weigh 76kgs, 5.10 in height. Any advice would be appreciated,

Regards

Paul

 

[trex]

Not many e-bikes can face a tough job like commuting 20-25 miles a day, 5,000 miles a year.
Shops sell mainly pretty bikes, with the accent on saving weight rather than sturdy machines with simple layout and fitted for all weather riding.
You'll need to take into account battery, hill climbing ability, maintenance and depreciation. Best solution is a conversion of a bike that you know will do the job.

 

[JohnCade]

Prices for e bikes are like prices for normal bikes. That is dependent mostly on the quality and material of the components and frame. With e bikes you have to add in the quality or expense of the motor too.

It does depend on how much you are prepared to pay for the extra quality and what kind of rider you are. Best to try different kinds of bike like torque sensor and speed sensor, and to go to a proper e bike dealer rather than a local bike shop who might have just one.

 

[Cyclezee]

Not many e-bikes can face a tough job like commuting 20-25 miles a day, 5,000 miles a year.
Shops sell mainly pretty bikes, with the accent on saving weight rather than sturdy machines with simple layout and fitted for all weather riding.
You'll need to take into account battery, hill climbing ability, maintenance and depreciation. Best solution is a conversion of a bike that you know will do the job.

My son does that sort of commute on an eZee Sprint clocking up several thousand miles a year in all types of weather and they have the option of several battery capacities to suit the range requirements.

No they are not flashy, but they are strong, reliable with great performance.

 

[D8ve]

Hub gears are more reliable and maintance free.
Disk brakes ditto. Rim can be rubbish in the wet.
Ride the bike without power as well. If it's hard work with the power off the motor has to work against that too.
20 miles is easy once or twice. But continusley you need comfort too.
Look for a comfortable bike where you can change your position or handgrip a bit.

 

[Croxden]

I have done over 5000 miles on my Delite, the Rohloff hub gears are worth considering if you can stand the cost. No adjustments required, no oiling the chain (just keep it clean) no chain suck, no slipping off the cogs.

The extra cost of this bike has given me a quality, comfortable and reliable ride over the year on road, track and trails. It is streets ahead of any other bike I have had over the years. I read on this forum that few others have trouble free use of their bikes, maybe they like fiddling but if you need something to get you reliably to work each day go for a quality machine. It just cost a bit more, worth it to me.

 

[patpatbut]

My boardman hybrid ebike is on its 8000miles soon on my 30 mile round trip commute. Comfort is one of main important parts you need to consider. Suspension seatpost is a must and a pair of nice bar grips would be ideal

 

[Cyclezee]

I have done over 5000 miles on my Delite, the Rohloff hub gears are worth considering if you can stand the cost. No adjustments required, no oiling the chain (just keep it clean) no chain suck, no slipping off the cogs.

The extra cost of this bike has given me a quality, comfortable and reliable ride over the year on road, track and trails. It is streets ahead of any other bike I have had over the years. I read on this forum that few others have trouble free use of their bikes, maybe they like fiddling but if you need something to get you reliably to work each day go for a quality machine. It just cost a bit more, worth it to me.

Hi Croxden,

With respect, I'm quite sure Paul can find a bike that is eminently suitable for a lot less than five grand.

 

[RobF]

A hub gear makes a lot of sense for a commuter, not least because of longer chain life.

The Rohloff is a lot of pennies, so I would look at a Shimano Alfine bike, probably with a Bosch motor.

I think the eight speed Alfine is more reliable than the 11 I have.

This KTM should do it, give or take the odd mudguard and rack.

http://www.shop.flidistribution.co.uk/p/2015-ktm-macina-cross-8?pp=12

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The idea that you need to spend money to get quality and reliability is a complete falacy. I managed 1000 miles on the cheapest supermarket bike without doing any maintenance at all - not even any adjustments or lubrication. It had been very well used before I had it too. Also I did another 1000 miles in January on another bike with nothing more than the odd squirt of 3-in-One oil on the chain and derailleurs because they kept getting covered in salt from the road. For a commute of more than 10 miles a day (each way), I'd recommend a bike with a high torque hub-motor like an Ezee, Kudos, Oxygen, Volt (X model) and others. If you want low maintenace, you need hydraulic disc brakes. Make sure it has a nice relaxed pedal speed at 18 mph, which means something like 11/44 or 14/52 top gear.

Don't worry if the bike doesn't have lights and mudguards. They're a doddle to fit, and only cost about £20. Also, you'll probably end up changing the seat, so don't worry too much about that either.

 

[trex]

I believe that Chinese crank drives (BBS01/02) are best for long commutes.
Take for example a Genesis Croix de fer and fit a BBS02 36V 25A 500W, 15AH bottle battery, you get the idea of how cheap you can make your own low maintenance quality bike for. Chinese crank drives are flexible and simply the best for the job.
If you have a long commute days in days out, every aspect of cycling counts. Reliability, comfort, speed, ease of maintenance, running cost. Hub motors are easy to ride but does not let you pedal as fast as crank drives and let's face it, you will at some stage face motor maintenance because of the high mileage. Chinese crank drive motors are the easiest to open and service.

 

[Croxden]

He

Hi Croxden,

With respect, I'm quite sure Paul can find a bike that is eminently suitable for a lot less than five grand.

He says he hasn't set a budget, if he had I would have taken notice of it.
Most posts are for self builds or the lower cost bikes, to make the best decision one needs as much information as possible.

If was giving my experience with this quality of bike, he may discount it or look into it. He has bit more info to help with his decision making.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Paul,some of the Kudos employees do a 25 mile round trip to work on either a KTM Revelator Elite or Kudos Rapide. Interestingly they do the 12 miles in about 40 mins,irrelevant whether using the non assisted or assisted bike,however when using the KTM they do need a shower before work.
The journey is probably average terrain,some hills but mainly on the flat,they are young 40's but very fit. The Kudos always has spare battery capacity but they are able to charge at work.
I personally,and several others think the Kudos Sonata,the most comfortable riding stance....the Sonata has a unisex appearance and that old chestnut .....'step thru is a ladies bike' seems to be almost finished.
I strongly suggest that you try a step thru for daily commuting,the slightly more upright riding stance is easier on the back and the vision is better.
The Kudos Sonata at its price level is quite a unique bike,it has the BPM motor,Tektro hydraulic brakes,Deore gears,Samsung slimline battery,yet it gets ignored on Pedelecs members radar....the KTM Macina Bold offers similar spec but at a considerable price increase.
Both the Sonata and Rapide are available for testing at Kudos warehouse in Kent or the London Electric Bike Company in Hampton Wick,West London.
You posting headed 'trying bikes' but the options to try are diminishing,nobody on this forum reported that they attended the London Bike Show to test e-bikes. The last 2 Redbridge events were poorly attended and the green fairs/ gadget shows all reported lack of serious interest. It seems that some dealers like On-Bike,LEBC,50 Cycles....who have good stocks of demo bikes are the best bet to try a number of bikes.
There was recently a posting from a forum member who one day said he knew nothing about e-bikes and next day bought a bike cheap off the Internet without testing any bikes at all. I find that very strange (suspiciously strange!!!!!),we so often get a bike ready for someone who is adamant he knows exactly what he wants and after testing buys a completely different bike. Buying a bike without riding one is like getting married to a girl( or guy) you have never met,so often ends in divorce and painful on the way....hehe
KudosDave

 

[JohnCade]

Generally speaking the cheaper the components the less wear you will get from them. Cheap mechs will need constant adjustment and cheap brakes the same. While cheap ally frames can crack. Not to say the some might go on a for a long time if they are the sort of bikes which Americans used to call gas pipe bikes that weigh a ton but are durable. There is a cross over point where parts don’t get a lot better though, they just get lighter. That cross over point for normal road use with an e bike IMO is about the Deore with the Shimano range, and if using anything better diminishing returns tend to kick in.

As for the best bike to use it depends so much on the individual. There was a very good blog that a German put up and linked to that was posted here last year. He chronicled his day to day twenty miles or so commute on a Victoria Bosch - I think it was - over two year period. I would try a few bikes, but a good German or Austrian road going bike like a Kalkhoff or KTM or something along those lines would be my choice for comfort and durability without going overboard with the credit card.

 

[trex]

..
The Kudos Sonata at its price level is quite a unique bike,it has the BPM motor,Tektro hydraulic brakes,Deore gears,Samsung slimline battery,yet it gets ignored on Pedelecs members radar....
KudosDave

I think your Sonata will get noticed a lot more if you fit a 15AH battery to it.

 

[Kudoscycles]

One of the problems in the UK is there are too many e-bike sellers relative to the size of the market, I heard it mentioned that there are now 140 sellers supplying an annual market of 20,000. Some would say that is good for the consumer,but so many of these sellers are on-line only,so many have only one bike,so many list many bike brands but have little or no stock to demo. The result is that the number who do a good job of offering test bikes is probably very few,maybe only 10 sellers.
The result is the sales are now so thinly spread that few sellers or suppliers has enough sales to generate profits to pay for test days. When I entered the e-bike market 5 years ago Kudos,Wisper,Freego,GoCycle,plus others all had their own events to promote their brand but also the e-bike market,remember the excellent Tour de Presteigne!! I just don't see as many upcoming events at which customers can test the bikes.
I apologise if I have missed some events but nothing appears to be happening excepting the London Electric Bike Company test day on March 29,KTM and Kudos are pleased to support that dealers pro-activity. I would be pleased to hear about others???
KudosDave

 

[Kudoscycles]

I think your Sonata will get noticed a lot more if you fit a 15AH battery to it.

Trex....how many forum members really do more than 30-35 mile trips. It would be easy to fit a 15 Ah battery but it means additional weight for rare usage.
The exception,of course,is those who use full speed throttles,they absolutely eat battery capacity,our testing reveals the mileage halved.
KudosDave

 

[Cyclezee]

There was recently a posting from a forum member who one day said he knew nothing about e-bikes and next day bought a bike cheap off the Internet without testing any bikes at all.
KudosDave

You couldn't possibly be referring to this thread Dave, he made his mind up the same day http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/first-electric-bike-few-to-compare-up-to-£2000.20267/

 

[4bound]

Trex....how many forum members really do more than 30-35 mile trips. It would be easy to fit a 15 Ah battery but it means additional weight for rare usage.

KudosDave

I know this was a rhetorical question, but I feel bound to answer. One of the main reasons I bought my E bike was so that I can more easily make the 45 mile trip over a very hilly route, from home to my caravan in North Wales. SO that is at least one!

 

[flecc]

There was recently a posting from a forum member who one day said he knew nothing about e-bikes and next day bought a bike cheap off the Internet without testing any bikes at all.

While trying first is always advisable, that buyer was hardly buying blind. A fair number of forum members have bought the model in question and been very happy with it. In addition, some of this forums most experienced members have recommended this model on many occasions from knowing it and it's capabilities well. Those greatly reduce the risk of error.
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