what electric bikes have you ridden at all

[BrizzleBoy]

Tried
UM36
Powacycle Salisbury
Powabyke Commuter

Own a Wisper 905SE

Would love to try more

 

[fishingpaul]

OWNED,s300 sakura,giant suede,giant revive,TRIED powacycle salisbury,yamaha easy,kalkhoff pro connect,wisper 905e,powabyke euro.

 

[frank9755]

• Ezee Torq & Quando - trial, first ones I rode, about a year ago. Was very impressed, but had nothing to compare them too
• Powabyke 21 speed - owned for 6 months. Temporary purchase while I worked out what I wanted. Powerful, reliable, quite quick, not bad to ride but not a looker
• Lafree - bought second hand but battery was shot and charger faulty so returned to dealer. Nice to ride, great hill-climbing, nice looking. Some frame creak when I rode it (crossbar version so should have been rigid)
• Powacycle Windsor - my wife's. Very good bike - well made, reliable, nice looking, excellent value, faster than many give it credit for on anything other than steep hills
• Wisper 905 - trial, was impressed by speed and feel.
• Wisper 905se - German import. Some teething troubles but now goes well with the bugs fixed. Reliable and pleasant to ride. Good looking.
• Tongxin kit bike - far and away the best to ride, but broke down after 200 miles!

 

[keithhazel]

[*]Tongxin kit bike - far and away the best to ride, but broke down after 200 miles!
[/LIST][/QUOTE]

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did you mend it or was in unrepairable ?

 

[frank9755]

No - not fixed it, it's still in the garage!

I suspect it was the controller that failed, but it is possible it was the motor.

Given this was the second time it had broken down, and all the other reliability problems that crept out of the woodwork between me ordering the kit and it failing, I felt it wasn't worth trying to fix it for it to fail again a week later. There seem to have been better reports of Tongxin reliability since then, so I'm tempted to get another controller and give it another go!

 

[keithhazel]

No - not fixed it, it's still in the garage!

I suspect it was the controller that failed, but it is possible it was the motor.

Given this was the second time it had broken down, and all the other reliability problems that crept out of the woodwork between me ordering the kit and it failing, I felt it wasn't worth trying to fix it for it to fail again a week later. There seem to have been better reports of Tongxin reliability since then, so I'm tempted to get another controller and give it another go!

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are controllers expensive items ?..i know so little about the technical side all i have gained in knowledge is that you save money by buying the best there is in the first place...

 

[oldosc]

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is the 20mph in pedalec mode or power only ?..if pedalec have you altered the sprocket thingies they talk about on here ?

talking of thin wheeled bikes i was in a bike shop today with a real snotty owner who when i asked if he ever sold second hand bromtons i got a sarcastic reply "ive never sold a new one let alone a second hand one, i only sell "proper" bikes"....feeling 2 foot tall i looked at the racer in front of me with a price tag reduced right down to £3999 from £5000 ...1k off lol..ok 1k and a pound......

fwiw
I think threads like this often illustrate aspects of biking that won't be discussed any other way, and help clarify what we want..peer acknowledgement is important in our society, and electric bikers don't have too many peers.
If any salesman makes me feel "two foot small", I usually retort " I came for advice Iv'e got a Phd in GBH, if you would like to discuss that we can"

 

[oldosc]

PS
Iv'e got a Agattu AGATTU..
bought with the advise and help of this forum, where else can yoyu go for real advice.
"Free advice is worth what you pay for it" sooo untrue
Although maybe you pay back by trying to add to the knowledge base of the forum..(BUY AGATTU)

 

[Conal]

Ezee Forza

[QUOTE=keithhazel;27977

is the 20mph in pedalec mode or power only ?..if pedalec have you altered the sprocket thingies they talk about on here ?

Keith

Slightly off the thread but...

I have the pedelec version, no throttle so no "power only". I deristricted it soon after purchase but have made no other "improvements". I have settled in to one of two journeys each day. Either 6 miles each way, or 19 miles each way. On the shorter journeys I only charge it once a day. I use the max assist pedelec setting and pedal hard but keep to under 23 miles an hour so I still get assistance. Last Friday I raced a scooter for 4 of the miles through Walstamstow (beginning of Lea Bridge Road to Waterworks Roundabout, NE London) and beat it just at the end by overtaking a Learner Driver (Carefully of course with hand signals!) travelling up a hill at about 15 miles an hour.

6 miles in about 20 minutes in peak traffic in London isn't bad and is much better than I could ever do in a car. Also no problem parking at work.

I feel young again when I am cycling and really enjoy it, even when I am cycling into a thick drizzle and soaking wet!

 

[keithhazel]

[QUOTE=keithhazel;27977

I deristricted it soon after purchase but have made no other "improvements". I use the max assist pedelec setting and pedal hard but keep to under 23 miles an hour so I still get assistance.
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erm its a bit wooly between the ears today, oh yesterday and day befor toooo.....so in deristricted mode the assist still keeps on and the gearing is low enough to be able to pedal it that fast, if you didnt pedal that hard could the rear sprocket thing be altered and get the same speed from pedaling not as hard as you do now, i dont want to break into sweat..

 

[Conal]

Ezee Forza

[QUOTE=keithhazel;27977

I deristricted it soon after purchase but have made no other "improvements". I use the max assist pedelec setting and pedal hard but keep to under 23 miles an hour so I still get assistance.
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erm its a bit wooly between the ears today, oh yesterday and day befor toooo.....so in deristricted mode the assist still keeps on and the gearing is low enough to be able to pedal it that fast, if you didnt pedal that hard could the rear sprocket thing be altered and get the same speed from pedaling not as hard as you do now, i dont want to break into sweat..:

Keith

When travelling on flat terrain the gears easily take me to 20mph with full assist in "8" (top) pedelec mode. I am sure that the bike does most of the work. I am also sure that, with rear sprocket alteration the maximum assist speed would be greater as the bike does not know what speed it is going, but I do not know if the human contribution could be less. I should imagine that, for the same speed the power assist would be the same until 22pmh is reached. Greater minds that me would be able to give a more informed opinion.

Conal

 

[keithhazel]

thank you, food for thought..

 

[frank9755]

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are controllers expensive items ?..i know so little about the technical side all i have gained in knowledge is that you save money by buying the best there is in the first place...

No, they cost about £12. Then there is postage - probably as much again.
But if I got one and a) it was the motor or b) the new controller blew again after a week, I would be no better off - so I haven;t bothered!

 

[Blew it]

A four horse stable

Hi Keith,

Owned and ridden (not all at the same time)

Reclaimed 24 volt unbranded full susser, Stable name "ChinaBlue"

Reclaimed 36 volt Synergie Bayamo full susser

36 volt Eurocycle. New, but requires a lot of work before regular use

A sweet little Alien Lynx folder

Cheers and beers

Bob

 

[keithhazel]

Hi Keith,

Owned and ridden (not all at the same time)

Reclaimed 24 volt unbranded full susser, Stable name "ChinaBlue"

Reclaimed 36 volt Synergie Bayamo full susser

36 volt Eurocycle. New, but requires a lot of work before regular use

A sweet little Alien Lynx folder

Cheers and beers

Bob

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is that the folder with a battery in the back wheel or was that just the "lapland" from them ?

 

[Blew it]

No Keith

I think you have already owned one similar to the Lynx, didn't you once have a Vivace with the battery behind the seat. I seem to recall it didn't meet your needs to well

Cheers and beers

Bob

 

[keithhazel]

I think you have already owned one similar to the Lynx, didn't you once have a Vivace with the battery behind the seat. I seem to recall it didn't meet your needs to well

Cheers and beers

Bob

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i did have a synergy Vivace, which didnt meet my needs as you say, really was a beautiful bike to ride if you wasnt wanting to go faster then 14mph, and it wasnt windy or no gradients and happy with no aceleration...other then that is was fab fun...far more fun then my Quando..but you cant always have efficient and fun....im not sure what the lynx folder was, i did have two 36 volt laplands which if had worked i reckon they would have been a beast full of power...if cheap and crappy design...cant always have style and effient as well..lol...

 

[coops]

Hi Keith, hope this helps feed your thoughts:

(from another thread)

..the quando fits the bill for me as far as hopping on and off the train and sticking it in the car boot but ive got right out of condition and fancy doing the 40 miles on a e-bike ....the range mentioned on the bikes at 40-60 miles would be ideal if i can keep up the 19mph as the jpurney would be only 30 minutes longer then my present bike/train/bike journey but the key point will be getting the fitness back as i want to pedal with assistance when the roads worse then level or windy...
..

The quoted ranges for batteries is usually for cycling at speeds at or below legal assist maximum of ~15mph, often including a degree of pedal-assist from the rider and almost always in flat, ideal conditions.

Even without hills, going much above 15mph uses considerably more power due to much higher air resistance (unless you're very aerodynamic ), 20mph can use around twice the power or more and hence about half the range or less, so if a battery (such as the bigger 13Ah Wisper battery - is that the one you referred to?) lasts say 45 miles (on the flat) at 15mph with easy pedalling, then you should only expect about half that range at 20mph with same pedalling... and even then the prolonged high power drain might stress the battery & shorten its useful life (depending on the type of battery). The harder you pedal of course, the greater the assisted range, but even then there is a limit and the higher your speed the less increase in range the same assistance will make...

Seems we need either extra or higher energy batteries, or higher energy leg muscles to get more range Keith!

It is very easy to pedal assist as much or as little as you want at those speeds, so long as the bikes gears allow and if the motor goes that fast obviously. For derestricted Ezee bikes the top motor speed is independent of the bike gears, though the top pedal-assisted speed and range can be increased by pedalling.

Hope that helps.

Stuart.

PS I've also only ridden a Torq1 (NiMH), though I've test-ridden some other Ezee bikes including the Liv, Forza (nice! ) and Cadence aswell as a Currie Izip (bleugh! bleugh!). Should I get my coat too?

 

[Blew it]

One and the same

Hi Keith,
Yes, the Alien Lynx is identicle to the Vivace with the 24 volt Phylion battery behind the seat

It was after reading your extensive report on your experiences with the "Vivace" that prompted me to buy the Alien Lynx. It was a good bit cheaper than the Synergie, but the eighteen speeds are a complete waste of weight, the front mech and indexer removed soon after the first run. As has been said before, it simply added more lower gears.

It's a useful little machine for shooting round to the shops, also, when going to steam rallies, airshows and classic car rallies I take it with me in the boot of the car.
The old knee's get a bit sore after walking around these shows for a couple of hours, but stick me on a leccy bike and I can pootle about all day.

Of course, it's always best to test ride to ensure the machine is right for the job, however, in this case I was quite happy to buy online purely on the basis of your report. And I have no regrets on that decision.

Cheers and beers

Bob

 

[keithhazel]

Should I get my coat too? [/QUOTE]

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you only need get your coat if your not pedaling at all and therfor will not perspire

thanks for your info and views,i think by the time ive asked all the questions possible , with all the varients,either a super new battery, a super new highly geared bike bike bike with 20-24mph pedal assist where i dont have to strain and sweat too much,i just want a casual sunday style pedal pace,will have been developed but that might be 3 years and then by that time i will have been seeing my g/f for 6 and a half years and she might like me by then and we move in together then i will be asking about electric assist tandems........................incidently i have never read any mention of them...are there any ?....