What should i buy? Trike/eped/allseasons emotor/ e scooter moped..

[gareth moses]

Hi all, needless to say im new here but i guess that's usually the case before you have one!

Im 41 years old im relatively fit apart from an on going back problem and i weigh around 12-13 stone. I first seen a E rider ( http://eriderbikes.com/product-2/ ) which i was interested in as i desperately need some transport and i don't own a driving licence. I have also looked at an e moto ( http://www.allseasonselectricbikes.co.uk/shop/ ) and a iped (http://www.eped.co.uk/shop/iped-type-l/ )

Could anyone tell me which of these is best and why?

My second choice apart from a E scooter/moped would be an Electric Tricycle, though if i got one of those i think i would buy a second-hand Trike from E-bay and fit a conversion Kit myself (Or have one fitted) as i would use it for off road use too (bumpy paths) and so would love some advice on the best conversion kit to get in regards to speed/power for hills and distance from one charge (I would like to get the best battery i could).

My spending limit is £500-£900

Soo what shall i get a E scooter/moped? Or a Trike? and which one!!

I would go for a Trike if i was sure i could get allot more miles per charge non assisted especially while carrying fishing gear i think..... esp if fitted with one of these ( http://www.tricyclesales.co.uk/Item/Accessories/Seats_and_Supports/Saddle_with_Backrest.aspx)

Thank you all in Advance!

Gareth.

 

[Geebee]

The linked Scooters would be useless unless on flat ground only, the hub motor will not climb without rider assistance and pedalling one of these is arkward and very low powered.
The drawback with a conventional trikes is a very low speed cornering ability and off road could be interesting although I have not tried that on a conventional trike. It would be a lot better than the scooters in usability though.

Look at a conventional MTB style ebike like Woosh's Big Bear, it has a suspention seat post and run the tyres at lower presure for a softer ride, you can buy much better suspesion seat posts but they are expensive.
If you browes the site and hit up some of the advertisers you will find many good bikes in your price bracket.

http://www.wooshbikes.co.uk/electric-bikes/bigbear/

 

[Emo Rider]

Have you ridden an adult trike? I had a go on one last summer and was suprised at how much more you had to lean and fight for control on uneven surfaces than a bicycle. I was about a mile into my ride before getting use to it. Not something I would consider having to ride unless it was on very even ground. As someone who has had back problems in the past, I would not reccommend a trike for someone currently suffering from back problems.

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Gareth,

Trikes are horrible to ride off road and take some getting used to on smooth tarmac, if you can find any. the other disadvantage is trying to avoid potholes, 3 times harder on a trike.

It sounds like you need a comfortable 2 wheeler and you could do a lot worse than one of these Sprint Primos for £850

Full specification via this link http://cyclezee.com/ezee-sprint-primo.html

​

 

[flecc]

As with the others responding, I'd advise you try a normal e-bike which will give a better riding experience than the options you list. To my knowledge only one of our 7000 plus members, Synthman, has an e-scooter/moped. That surely speaks volumes.

 

[MeldonLeisure]

It's fair to say that with the sort of utter rubbish All Seasons, Dayun and eRider have been churning out, the electric pedal scooter has had some pretty bad press and deservedly so. But things have changed, the iPed S and iPed C will easily climb 1:5 gradients with a 12st rider without the need to pedal assist and have ranges in excess of 45 miles. The iPed L about 1:7 and a range of around 25 miles. All bikes are far superior in terms of build quality and spec and many riders of the S and L models are up around the 6000 mile mark without issue having often used their machines as their sole means of transport, which as you say " speaks volumes "

 

[KirstinS]

I agree with the above posters - for your needs as you describe them a standard 2 wheel pedelec is the way forward.

Woosh and Cyclezee both have decent bikes in your price range. Both have good reputations regarding guarantees and customer service. They are not the only two of course but are a good place to start

I would strongly suggest trying hub and mid drive(crank drive) bikes. Depends where you live as to who is near you

Finally - fishing gear. I live on the south coast and my commute takes me 6 miles along the seafront. I pass loads of guys on bikes with their fishing gear. They use racks/panniers and often a mount for their fishing poles. These go horizontally along the side lengh of the bike. I dont fish but they all seem to get on just fine

 

[Kudoscycles]

Gareth....where are you located,as always the best advice is to go to an e-bike shop and take some bikes out for trial.
We have some current special offers on Kudos bikes,if you want a step thru the Kudos Safari is very good value at £695.00 or the Kudos Tourer,cross bar bike or City model from £765.00,both use the long life and inexpensive Lithium Iron Phosphate battery. The Safari is a tough carry-all bike designed for hire purposes,carrying camping gear,it would be good for your fishing gear.
All models on www.kudoscycles.com
Hope that helps
KudosDave

 

[trex]

If your maximum range is 25-30 miles or less, the Woosh Zephyr-B which has BPM motor, hydraulic brakes and SR NCX seat post, about the best equipped bike for this sort of money. If you need a bigger range, the Big Bear which has BPM motor, 15AH battery and NCX seat post. On the budget side, you can get the Sirocco for £525.

 

[shambolic]

The info on the Eped not climbing hills is simply wrong. I am 14 stone and mine quite happily climbs hills without assistance.

 

[Geebee]

The info on the Eped not climbing hills is simply wrong. I am 14 stone and mine quite happily climbs hills without assistance.

2 possibilities, your hills are not steep or your scooter is far more than 250w.
I had a 500w one modified to allow over 1 kw input and it would not climb over 10% grade without assistance and that was done at low speed.

 

[Twangman]

I have been thinking about getting a electric moped and the E peds do seem on the face of it offer some of the better mopeds around at the moment. The Classic and their sport model use a 250w geared BLDC motor as opposed to a hub motor. As well as 48 volt lithium battery 20A for the Classic and a 40A for the sport. I assume they give superior tourqe when it comes to hill climbing? I have also seen a video of the eped lite showing it doing 40kmh so they can be deristricted!
Given the price of e mopeds I wonder how the high end ebike producers can justerfy 2k plus for their bikes

 

[flecc]

I assume they give superior tourqe when it comes to hill climbing?
Given the price of e mopeds I wonder how the high end ebike producers can justerfy 2k plus for their bikes

Yes, the geared motor versions will climb better, albeit at very low speed on the steepest climbs.

As for prices, it's all about volumes. The world market for all forms of moped is very large and includes China and India. For bicycle style e-bikes it's quite small, it doesn't include China, India and most other countries where they are never ridden. Even in the countries where bicycle style e-bikes are ridden, most like the UK have very small sales with only The Netherlands and Germany buying in any quantity
.

 

[trex]

These bikes are cheap because the components are cheap.
the website says 250W motor, 59kgs.
http://www.eped.co.uk/?product=iped-type-s
I don't think they are road legal. The website says the bike is an EAPC, which is wrong because EAPC allowable maximum weight is 40kgs.
These e-peds are not more expensive than your normal Chinese e-bikes after adjusting for the bigger capacity battery, they sell for about $800-$900 from China.
If you want to buy one of those, insist on having a type approval certificate. One of the good thing about bikes with type approval is that you can obtain a copy of the list of parts, so if something goes wrong later, you can get it fixed.

 

[D8ve]

Trex
Ignore the 59 kg as its a tandem so 60kg limit (if my memory is correct)
The motor is classed as 250watt. It will peak at well above that.
Not my choice of bike at all.
An electric recumbent would be mine. A possibility for the op?

 

[Geebee]

Trex
Ignore the 59 kg as its a tandem so 60kg limit (if my memory is correct)
The motor is classed as 250watt. It will peak at well above that.
Not my choice of bike at all.
An electric recumbent would be mine. A possibility for the op?

One set of pedals means not a tandem, 40a at 48v is around 2kw and illegal, I bet there is no certification either.
The scooter style of ebikes got banned in Australia due to the above and a court finding that the pedals were not capable of being used as a viable means of riding.

 

[selrahc1992]

2 possibilities, your hills are not steep or your scooter is far more than 250w.
I had a 500w one modified to allow over 1 kw input and it would not climb over 10% grade without assistance and that was done at low speed.

apologies if this is a bit of a tangent - but if i were in your shoes and had a budget of £500 I'd get a BPM2 kit with an S12SH controller and 48V battery from BMSBattery. I tried on the other day on a significantly steeper than 10% hill and was accelerating - astonishingly quickly - as i was going up.

 

[trex]

Trex
Ignore the 59 kg as its a tandem so 60kg limit (if my memory is correct)
The motor is classed as 250watt. It will peak at well above that.
Not my choice of bike at all.
An electric recumbent would be mine. A possibility for the op?

he's got a back problem. Pushing 60kgs in/out of the house is something I would not recommend. A full-sus lightweight bike with BPM motor like the Zephyr-B is much more sensible, comfortable on the back and wrists. Because the market for e-peds is tiny, if it does not work out, its resale value is very limited by the silly 6000 miles or 1 year non-transferrable warranty.

 

[flecc]

40a at 48v is around 2kw and illegal

They are nothing like that power, the 40 A quoted before is in fact 40 Ah, the battery capacity, not the controller rating.

In Chinas these e-mopeds are typically around 700 watts rating, still illegal here in the UK of course.
.

 

[Twangman]

When it comes to wether you can class a eped moped with only one set of pedals but space for two persons as a tandem I leave that one up to the courts and trading standards to sort out. The eped L is 39kg so it is definitely legal. How well you can pedal one of these if you need to is probulary not very well. Though to be honest my volt metro which weighs 19kg is a pig to ride when the battery runs down. Though like the Zephyr-B it has the same BMP motor and can take on most steep hills no problem.

When it comes to prices its a bit of a chicken an egg situation, unless prices do come down the market for ebikes will remain small. It will take one of the bigger players or a new player with steep pockets and production capacity to take a long term view and build the market. Most car producers have a concept ebike out or on the drawing board if they decide to enter the market
prices I belive will fall.