What Type of E-bike?

[OTH]

Good afternoon. I am completely new to electric bikes and would appreciate some help choosing the best type for me.

Rider: Life-long cyclist with recent heart problem that requires me to limit my heart rate. Otherwise reasonably fit. Can cycle on the flat, but need assistance on inclines. Would like to be able to switch off assistance when not needed - and be left with minimal drag - so that I can get as much exercise as I can manage.

Typical riding: Commute 19 mile round trip; steepish hill for first half mile; moderate inclines on the return journey.

Because I need to limit the effort I put in, I imagine that systems that feed in assistance proportional to effort would not be appropriate.

I would like my cycling to be as normal as possible.

Research shows that there are a number of different approaches to electric power for bikes. If any of the above points to a particular type (or even make), I would be most grateful for any suggestions.

 

[Pedalo]

How steep is the hill?

IA cytronex might be right for you as it's relatively lightweight and has low rolling resistance - hence pretty similar to riding a normal bike.

 

[OTH]

Over 5% for over half a mile, rising to 12.5% max.

Cytronex certainly look one of the most attractive options: relatively light weight, and discreet. Would you recommend them for regular use?

 

[Pedalo]

Mine bike has been used almost every day for the last year without any problems and has now done nearly 3000 miles.

I am 'gentle' with it though and only use the motor power to help a bit on the steeper hills. Most of the time the motor is switched off.

Other commuters have reported various issues with controller or motor failure and the Tongxin motors used are renowned for being unreliable.

 

[flecc]

I'd strongly recommend you try out a few OTH, there's no substitute for that.

I agree with Pedalo that the Cytronex fits the bill for normal bike riding quality in a way that very few do, but some others may get close enough for you. I'd say try a short spin with both a hub motor and a chain drive motor e-bike and see how you get on with them when the power is switched off.
.

 

[trickletreat]

Hello and welcome,

My wife has bad asthma, so we have had a Gruber Assist installed by steve at Electricmountainbikes.com. It is a very light system and the bike retains it's normal handling.

It is not a cheap system, but gives a fair amount assistance when you want it...the only trouble is that it takes forever to flatten the battery!

If you want more info then happy to help.
nigel

 

[OTH]

Many thanks for your replies.

Pedalo - Your style/amount of use sounds very similar to what I'd hope to achieve, so Cytronex may well be the thing. However, the other commuters' experience is what I feared.

Flecc - As you say, test rides would be a good idea - not so easy to arrange though . I'm hoping this will help me focus on the most appropriate test(s) to travel to. I briefly tried a Raleigh chain drive and found it very sluggish with the power off. Also chain driven bikes have a limited spread of gears. Does this matter, or is the assistance sufficient to overcome this? (I'm used to low gears for hilly country.)

Trickletreat - I looked at the Gruber Assist early on in my research. Very tempting. But is it suitable for daily use, I wonder - or is it a high quality, luxury item for less frequent fun?

 

[flecc]

I briefly tried a Raleigh chain drive and found it very sluggish with the power off. Also chain driven bikes have a limited spread of gears. Does this matter, or is the assistance sufficient to overcome this? (I'm used to low gears for hilly country.)

In that case you are likely to find most mainstream e-bikes sluggish, since the Panasonic system in that Raleigh is very free running with power off. Most of the problem of course is the combination of weight over a normal bike and the fatter tyres usually found on e-bikes.

The Panasonic system as with most chain drive systems generally limits power assistance to under about 15 mph, and the top gear is therefore set by that on the low side to keep to that limit. Therefore the low gears tend to be low in consequence on the 300% range 8 speed hub gears common on these bikes. A change to a smaller rear sprocket ups the ratios but also the low gear too of course.

Of course the hub motor bikes can have any cyclist gearing, though most tend to be geared a bit on the low side.
.

 

[overlander]

I also looked at the Cytronex they looked good but i just got a feeling that they were work in progress. Plus i sent them an e-mail on numerous occasions and received no reply, they must be selling shed loads . Based on the fact that i received no reply I did not want to take a chance with customer service as i live up North.

So that lead me to Treks bikes(FX +), they ride just like normal bikes. In fact out of the 250 miles i have done the motor has only been on a maximum of 50 miles. The bike rides fine with no motor, easily keep up above 20 mph with no motor. BUT it does have limited battery life, on its maximum assist 4 on all the time you would struggle to get 19 miles. To be honest if you needed the Trek on level four for 19 miles i would look at a scooter, as the pedaling effort would be minimal. On level 3 you would get the 19 miles easily, and a reasonable workout on the hills unless you kept 4 for the hills.

Downside, they are pretty expensive, i certainly will be getting lots of use out of it, but if its only a weekend toy, i think there are cheaper options. But i would also agree you need to try all types. I thought i would love throttle only bikes but they done nothing for me, the wisper i tried could hardly move me using the throttle only and on hills forget it. So try a few out.

 

[Jonah]

Sounds to me like a kit fitted to a regular bike would be best bet. Do you have an existing bike? I have fitted a 'nano' kit from The Electric Wheel Company to a regular hybrid bike and commute over hilly terrain. Using the motor (throttle only) only for the uphill bits the 6ah battery can manage about 19 miles. When the motor isn't needed it rides like an ordinary bike (which of course it is). Of course other kits are also available.

 

[OTH]

Thanks for your replies. It looks as though both the Trek and Electric Wheel Company kit would be very good options to consider. Any further feedback on the Trek would be welcome, as this is one bike I thought might suit me well.

Two further thoughts:

I like the look of the Nano for the hub, but is it man enough? If I went this route, should I spend twice the money on a Heinzmann system - for the extra power and reliability?

Has anyone any knowledge of the Pedalix kit? It looks easy to fit to a standard bike and, for what it's worth, has won a Eurobike 2010 award.

 

[tangent]

Have you looked at the Infineum Extreme? Fairly normal looking bike with quality 24 speed gears and a stackable battery system, so if the range is not what you want you just add another battery.

I have no experience of them but I do like the look of the bike and the battery concept.

 

[OTH]

Thank you, tangent. I agree, the Infineum looks good. Unfortunately, it appears to only come in one size. As I'm shorter than average, this would probably not be a good fit.

I'd appreciate comment on my Nano v. Heinzmann question above, if anyone has any thoughts on this.

 

[Tim]

Have you considered a centre-motor bike like Kalkhoff? They are great hill climbers and very well-integrated electric bikes.

 

[OTH]

Good evening, Tim.

I'm afraid I had paid more attention to other forms of e-bike.

This was partly due to the aesthetics of centre motor bikes: the stretched rear triangle looks odd, and the chain case might look "uncool" to my sons, perhaps? .

More importantly, I was not sure that this type of bike would give me the help I needed. I currently ride a conventional bike with a triple chainset and a wide spread of gears. The lowest gear is 1:1. For medical reasons I now have to limit the effort I put in. I assumed what I should get would be a similar set up, but with motor assistance - e.g. Trek FX+; or add hub motor to current bike; or similar. The crank motor style of bike, with its apparently narrower range of gears, was not so obviously appropriate. However, reading around on this forum I have discovered that the Panasonic system's assistance is related to an optimum cadence, so ease of climbing is not dependant on the conventional low gear/high cadence - if I've understood correctly . Am I right?

In short, a Kalkhoff Sahel or Pro Connect may be just the thing. In spite of my rude comments above, I agree that they look very well sorted pieces of kit and have the high quality of components that I would like my bike to be equipped with.

What size would be appropriate for ~5' 6" tall?

 

[eddieo]

You need to try a Panasonic bike first before deciding. I have been a throttle jockey for two and a half years now and I have recently seen the light. But it was a very expensive Swiss flyer X series (S sport model) that I have become fixated with

 

[flecc]

However, reading around on this forum I have discovered that the Panasonic system's assistance is related to an optimum cadence, so ease of climbing is not dependant on the conventional low gear/high cadence - if I've understood correctly . Am I right?

Absolutely right, even the opposite in fact, the maximum assist power is applied from a zero cadence upwards and starts to tail off at higher cadences.

A small pedal thrust from a standstill results in good take off power, so all in all I think this type of drive might suit your circumstance well.

Gear range on the 8 speed hub gears is typically around 300% which is usually enough given the motor power being available as well.
.

 

[Tim]

What size would be appropriate for ~5' 6" tall?

I'd recommend the 45cm frame size in either model - the Sahel has 26" wheels but a well-sprung seatpost while the Pro Connect has 28" wheels and a rigid seatpost. However, the Pro Connect Alfine has recently sold out in that size - a 50cm may be suitable if you're relatively long-legged. We do have one remaining 45cm Pro Connect S though, it's on test ride duty in our London shop at the moment.

 

[gonyosoma]

Hi there,

Have you tried one of the giant e bikes? I have a twist freedom cs lite which I've been v happy with...takes thempain out of the big hills but still gets me fitter!

C

 

[' ELECTRIC TRANSPORT SHOP]

OTH what part of the country do you live in?
We have shops in London, Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol.

We have a kit which weighs 5KG and has a very low rolling resistance. I would recommend trying one of these kits to see if it gives you the level of assistance that you want on the hills.

You should try a crank drive bike - the way it works is - difficult to describe - luxurious? Intuitive? Basically it works very well. They react to the pressure you put on the pedals. Want to go faster - push harder - bike delivers more power. Raleigh electric bikes are good examples of the breed.

Chris - The Electric Transport Shop