What bike for a 20 mile each way daily commute

[Andyj77]

I’ve got a 20 mile commute from Kent to central london which I do 4 days a week. Currently I commute by train but a new timetable means door to door journey will be 1hr 20. I reckon I can match that on an electric bike. So am looking at options.

Think the basic requirement is a bike that’s going to give at least 50 mile range (to be sure and not have to worry about battery degradation), is suitable for year round commuting and doesn’t need to have off road capability. Given the cost of a season ticket (nearly £3k per year) I’m not too worried about cost as I figure any bike will pay for itself relatively quickly.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Are you already a regular cyclist? There are quite a few bikes that would be able to keep a modal speed of around 15mph, which would give you an average of about 14 mph. How much battery you use depends on how hard you pedal. It's not good to keep taking the battery off for charging because it wears the connector terminals, so it would be best to get a battery of at least 14Ah.

Rear hub-motors are about the most reliable and give you the most comfortable ride. They take strain off the drive-train, so gears and chain will remain problem free and last much longer.

The high miles will eventually take their toll on something. Some bikes give error codes and the user is more or less locked out of the system by the software. Only the dealer can change parts and deal with the software, so be very careful. They never tell you that. For that reason, I would stick to brands that use standard, well-known parts.

Some bikes have a speed restriction that can be reset to above the legal limit. Obviously, long journey times would be considerably reduced if the average speed increased to say 20 mph.

A throttle is very useful on a commuter bike because it can bail you out if for some reason you can't pedal, but it's hard to find a bike with them these date, though there are options on some bikes. Oxygen supply an easy-fit throttle with the bike, bikes with a 4mph throttle have secret settings that can convert it to full-range and many dealers would help you out with one if you tell them that it's an essential feature.

You can fit mudguards, puncture resistant tyres and a rack to any bike, so don't worry about those fitted as standard.

Putting that all together, the bikes at the top of my list would be from Oxygen and Whisper. Close behind would be Woosh and Freego.

 

[Ravener]

Riese and Muller (link below), dual battery, full suspension (if comfort is important to you) with rohloff gearing albeit index gears are excellent. I have a R&M Charger (£3k) and wish I had got this bike for a similar commute distance. Have you got somewhere safe to lock it up. Buy two locks recognised by an insurance company. Plan for 12 week delivery if not in stock.

https://www.r-m.de/en-gb/ebik-e/delite/delite-touring/#18D01_05020709
.

 

[Andyj77]

Thanks.

Putting that all together, the bikes at the top of my list would be from Oxygen and Whisper. Close behind would be Woosh and Freego.

That’s really helpful. I used to do a 18 mile round trip daily on a road bike. But haven’t done that for a couple of years. I now use a brompton for getting round London but only short distances. So my fitness isn’t what it used to be. As someone who's only just started looking in this area, I'd seen a few 'familiar' names - trek specialised etc - but don't see them being recommended many places. Best to avoid and go for decidacted elctric bike manufacturer ? (I had my eye on a whyte electric bike, simply because every I have an awesome hard tail mtb from them).

Riese and Muller (link below), dual battery, full suspension (if comfort is important to you) with rohloff gearing albeit index gears are excellent. I have a R&M Charger (£3k) and wish I had got this bike for a similar commute distance. Have you got somewhere safe to lock it up. Buy two locks recognised by an insurance company. Plan for 12 week delivery if not in stock.

https://www.r-m.de/en-gb/ebik-e/delite/delite-touring/#18D01_05020709
.

They look great but have a pretty high end price tag! I've got secure parking at work so security should be ok with decent locks. What sort of time do you do the commute in ?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The brand name for the bike isn't that important. It's the electrical system that you need to look at. The Chinese ones are all pretty standard - tried and tested, but Companies like Trek and Cannondale fitted some systems that were OK when they worked, but left their owners completely stranded or fleeced when they didn't, though, generally, they are now tending to use more mainstream systems. Whatever you choose, check it out here before committing.

Be very careful about advice and opinions from dealers. they're always biased towards what they're selling.

If you want to be able to sort things out for yourself, get a bike with a Chinese electrical system. If you want to be tied to a dealer for fixing things, then there's a lot more choice.

Think about how you're going to get the bike fixed when the warranty has expired.

You can get a lot of advice from ebike owners, but not many of them have done a large mileage from regular longish commutes, like you plan, so be careful of what they say.

 

[Woosh]

Be very careful about advice and opinions from dealers. they're always biased towards what they're selling.

of course they are but for good reasons: they know that their recommended product or products will do the job. Otherwise, they are going to get crucified by customers.
If cost is not an imperative consideration, a kit would be best. The weak points in an e-bike are not so much the electrical bits, things like punctures, damaged rims, broken spokes, squealing brakes, loose cranks, broken chain, poorly indexed gears, poor suspension, poor lights, uncomfortable riding position etc that you have to live with while 4 out of 5 customers never have experienced a problem with the electrics! That does not mean that your kit will be free of electrical problems, a little planning will help in the long run. First thing first, you need a plug and play cabling. The connectors have O-rings to stop water getting in at the junctions. If possible, go for a rear rack battery because the controller box is well placed away from water, Also, prefer a geared hub motors, they are less prone to water ingress than crank drives because they are placed a little higher and also protected from splashes by the wheel. I made the Woosh Sundowner/Sunbear a bit like that.

 

[Ravener]

Thanks.



That’s really helpful. I used to do a 18 mile round trip daily on a road bike. But haven’t done that for a couple of years. I now use a brompton for getting round London but only short distances. So my fitness isn’t what it used to be. As someone who's only just started looking in this area, I'd seen a few 'familiar' names - trek specialised etc - but don't see them being recommended many places. Best to avoid and go for decidacted elctric bike manufacturer ? (I had my eye on a whyte electric bike, simply because every I have an awesome hard tail mtb from them).



They look great but have a pretty high end price tag! I've got secure parking at work so security should be ok with decent locks. What sort of time do you do the commute in ?

I thought money was not important. It takes me just over an hour for 19 miles, +/-10 mins with I think about 1000 ft elevation and some sections have no protection from the wind or I have to stop for big tractors. You can build and/or maintain your own if you have the time and the interest. I do the minimum maintenance, anything serious will be a job for the shop or my mate. Think about the road surface and how often you want to spend getting wheels trued. The grips on the bike will need changing for comfort ones.

 

[Andyj77]

I thought money was not important.

Didn’t realise the price went that far up . Really helpful advice. The dual battery pack is definitely interesting given the range I’m looking at.

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

Where ate you Andy? Im in Bexley. I have an oxygen mtb younzre welcome to have a go on if your nearby.

 

[Trevormonty]

There have been couple other members doing similar distances, find their threads and see what bikes they choose and why. Hopefully they will reply to PM with how they are getting on.

In mean time get out there a do some test rides on different drive systems and bike styles.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/oxygen-scross-mtb-ongoing-review.28142/

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I’ve got a 20 mile commute from Kent to central london which I do 4 days a week. Currently I commute by train but a new timetable means door to door journey will be 1hr 20. I reckon I can match that on an electric bike. So am looking at options.

Think the basic requirement is a bike that’s going to give at least 50 mile range (to be sure and not have to worry about battery degradation), is suitable for year round commuting and doesn’t need to have off road capability. Given the cost of a season ticket (nearly £3k per year) I’m not too worried about cost as I figure any bike will pay for itself relatively quickly.

Thanks for the recommendation Dave.

Hi Andy, where are you in Kent? We are in Kemsing near Sevenoaks. If you would like to try any of our bikes you would be most welcome to visit our warehouse.

It may be worth noting that we will have our new LG celled 700Wh battery option in stock in about 6 weeks, that will easily cover the 40 miles a day at full power. It will fit any of our models.

All the best, David

 

[John Cee]

From my experience I would suggest taking manufacturers' range specs with a large pinch of salt and getting the biggest battery available.