what ebike for someone with a gammy knee??

[Oxymoron]

Hi All,
I know you are probably fed up with peeps asking for what bike to buy

I need a bit of advice on what Ebike to get for 1k approx?

I used to ride a hybrid cycle to work but my knee started hurting when I pushed down on the pedal, doctors said it's arthritis so I sold up now take the bus or car to work.

Anyway, a couple of years later I have decided to look into getting an Ebike, but don't know what to get.
The one I almost went for stated that if you can't pedal fast you will lose the power to heat.

Are there any decent city commuter Ebikes for around my price point or close to it???

 

[Gaz]

Hello OM

If you go for a hub drive bike with a throttle, that'll probably be easiest on your knee as you could stop putting any pressure on the pedals if need be.

Our Wisper 705SE does this. Amps recently still had some crossbar style Wisper's around which had this set up. They'll be a little over your £1k budget. See their ad in the column on the right of this web page.

Gaz

 

[Nealh]

With a arthritis a step thru seems the best bet for your price range look at Woosh bikes as weel or not so long a go Kudos were offering their Safari bike on a very special 2 for £995 being an older stock model will have a full throttle and apparently quite a good hill climber.

 

[Oxymoron]

Thanks guys
when I say city I mean with mud guards etc, lights etc for commuting to work and would prefer a crossbar one

Although I could add the guards and lights myself.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?bigbear

 

[Danidl]

Thanks guys
when I say city I mean with mud guards etc, lights etc for commuting to work and would prefer a crossbar one

Although I could add the guards and lights myself.

.. maybe you should rethink the crossbar... Stepthrough bikes are much more gentle on the joints.
If comfort is a priority, one of the Dutch style bikes wins every time , and they normally come with mudguards and lights and carrier. There are plenty of brands out there

 

[JuicyBike]

There are a few questions that need asking before any recommendation could possibly be appropriate.
And it is essential to take a test ride on several if possible to check for comfort and fit.
How tall are you? How long is your commute? Apart from your knee issue how would you rate your fitness level?

 

[MG.]

No specific recommendation but as someone who also has a dodgy knee, (in my case it's after a couple of surgeries to repair skateboarding injuries) I'd have to say that an electric bike is a really good idea and a great way to regain strength without overdoing it and causing yourself setbacks.

You can pedal as much as you can when the pain isn't there to build up all the muscles that support your joints but you can also still get where you're going and keep it moving if it gets painful.

I've got the RioFB from Woosh and I love it btw.

 

[Oxymoron]

No specific recommendation but as someone who also has a dodgy knee, (in my case it's after a couple of surgeries to repair skateboarding injuries) I'd have to say that an electric bike is a really good idea and a great way to regain strength without overdoing it and causing yourself setbacks.

You can pedal as much as you can when the pain isn't there to build up all the muscles that support your joints but you can also still get where you're going and keep it moving if it gets painful.

I've got the RioFB from Woosh and I love it btw.

Mmm looks nice that, very tempted.
Can you stop pedalling if you need to?
Does it feel fast enough as I could easily get to 20mph on my old bike on the flat before i stopped cycling

Came across wing bikes who do 1000w 48v bikes for £1200ish, bit worried that im going over the top for power though, and it's illegal still in the uk

 

[MG.]

You can keep going with just the throttle but I never do. It feels fast enough most of the time really. But it depends what you're after I guess.

My commute it still lets me average a comparable time to what I do in the car. Can easily go much faster if I want to do a bit of a sprint on the way back but it's a heavy bike to be pedalling for sure.

 

[Oxymoron]

You can keep going with just the throttle but I never do. It feels fast enough most of the time really. But it depends what you're after I guess.

My commute it still lets me average a comparable time to what I do in the car. Can easily go much faster if I want to do a bit of a sprint on the way back but it's a heavy bike to be pedalling for sure.

Thanks for replying, if I stop pedaling does the assist drop to 4mph ?

 

[MG.]

If you don't have your thumb on the throttle it stops altogether, if you do use the throttle it'll just keep going at whatever speed up to the maximum.

 

[topographer]

Thanks for replying, if I stop pedaling does the assist drop to 4mph ?

In theory, the motor will stop on a Woosh if you stop pedalling and only use the throttle. In reality, I (Zephyr) and Volusia (Rio) have not had the motor cut out yet. I did eleven miles two days ago all on throttle. Of course, I frequently paused for some reason or dethrottled for a while because I was going downhill or just wanted to slow the bike and dawdle. I'm a very stop/start rider, not one of these people who like to push on. I don't know how long I've gone on throttle in one go or when it will actually cut out but I wouldn't worry about it. I was having heel pain riding the bike, but now it's no problem with his method.

If you do ride on throttle, I'd recommend always being in first gear because a). that half rotation of the pedals needed to activate the throttle will be effortless...like pushing a feather through air, and b). if the motor looks like it's not going to have the power to top a hill and you're close to the top, helping it out with a bit of gentle, no strain, slack first gear pedalling will often allow you to crest it.

 

[topographer]

Actually, reading the FB's description on the website, it sounds like the throttle may work from a dead start unlike the Rio and Zephyr. I thought they'd stopped doing that due to a law change...

 

[MG.]

Nah, it won't. You need to have already engaged the motor by pedalling before the throttle does anything.

 

[Oxymoron]

Hmm any thought on this dual power bike, seems nice to have an off road mode??

http://www.electric-bike-factory.co.uk/acatalog/cyclotricity_stealth_500w_dual_electric_bike.html

Also at 5' 8" should i get a 17" frame or 20" ?

 

[Woosh]

Hello OM,
That bike in your link has a direct drive motor. It does not have the same advantage of strong torque like a geared motor at slow speed.
The Bafang SWX02 in the Rio MTB, the BPM in the Big Bear and the G06 in the FB are geared motors, with a 5:1 reduction internal to the motor. That means that these motors spin 5 revolutions while the Cyclotricity's Dual Power spins 1.

 

[flecc]

Actually, reading the FB's description on the website, it sounds like the throttle may work from a dead start unlike the Rio and Zephyr. I thought they'd stopped doing that due to a law change...

Throttles can operate independently from a standstill, but only up to 4 mph (6 kph EU). That corresponds to the law on walk-along powered vehicles like pavement vans etc.
.

 

[Woosh]

the throttle on the FB is activated by pedaling first, for about half a revolution.

 

[Oxymoron]

Ok, why would a crank driven one make much difference, are all hub powered ones not very good then?

I live in Oxford btw which is fairly flat in the centre

Not trying to be argumentive, just trying to understand the tech