Yeah I am going in knowing the chain will probably give out at some point with a mid drive but then you just replace it with something heavy duty right? Want to start with a decent set of hydraulics and decent shifters.
Which ebike to choose?!
- Thread starter mtjnr
- Start date
If it is good components you are after, then maybe you would consider mtb? For some reason retailers offer better discounts on mountain bikes. For example:
www.chainreactioncycles.com
or
www.chainreactioncycles.com
Vitus Nucleus 27 VRS Mountain Bike | Chain Reaction
Buy your Vitus Nucleus 27 VRS Mountain Bike from our Hardtail Mountain Bikes range at CRC. £449.99. Free delivery available.
or
Vitus Sentier 27 VR Mountain Bike | Chain Reaction
Buy your Vitus Sentier 27 VR Mountain Bike from our Hardtail Mountain Bikes range at CRC. £649.99. Free delivery available.
I don't find mountain bike very good for long rides on road which is why I was looking at the rigid fork hybrid range.If it is good components you are after, then maybe you would consider mtb? For some reason retailers offer better discounts on mountain bikes. For example:
Vitus Nucleus 27 VRS Mountain Bike | Chain Reaction
Buy your Vitus Nucleus 27 VRS Mountain Bike from our Hardtail Mountain Bikes range at CRC. £449.99. Free delivery available.
or
Vitus Sentier 27 VR Mountain Bike | Chain Reaction
Buy your Vitus Sentier 27 VR Mountain Bike from our Hardtail Mountain Bikes range at CRC. £649.99. Free delivery available.
It depends what you want to do with the bike. For basic transport a triangle framed catalogue bike with disc brakes and 1 1/8" steerer suspension forks works extremely well. For longer commutes, say more than 10 miles each way, a bike with air suspension at both ends becomes increasingly more desirable. These take some beating for that and they can be had from about £250:
Rocky Mountain Element Mountain Bike | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Rocky Mountain Element Mountain Bike at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.
www.ebay.co.uk
If you're already a keen cyclist or live in an upstairs flat, then a lightwight hybrid type with rigid forks is nice, but you need a lightweight kit to go with it, otherwise it's wasted and you only get the disadvantage of a rougher ride.
As you say, when it comes to crank motors, you're much better off sticking with older bikes that have 9-speed cassettes. 10, 11, 12 speed offers no advantage when you have a motor. They just cost more when they break or wear out, which happens faster than with the more rugged 9-speed ones. Even 8- speed would be OK.
A decision shouldn't hang on whether it has hydraulic brakes or not. If you can find a cheap enough bike with cable discs, it's very cheap, quick and easy to upgrade them to hydraulics.
If you want a front motor for whatever reason, you should look for a bike with steel forks and sizeable drop-outs. The rest doesn't really matter. If you're the type of guy that chooses a front motor, you probably don't know or care too much about bikes, anyway. Still, it should have disc brakes and a suitable place to put the battery. Definitely don't choose a bike with expensive suspension forks because the motor will stop the forks from working properly and they rarely have strong drop-outs.
That was my thinking anyway!
Yeah that seems to be the general narrative. I do wonder though. They sell vastly more bikes than everyone else so you would expect to see more negative experiences. Be interesting to see if the ratio of positive to negative is actually worse than other providers/manufacturers. I've seen a lot of really good reviews of boardmans as well. On balance I don't think boardman have the right combination for me anyway as I'm looking for a 1x and they tend to be 2x.
That Rocky Mountain Element + Bafang BBS01 would make an excellent e-bike with some cash to spare.For basic transport a triangle framed catalogue bike with disc brakes and 1 1/8" steerer suspension forks works extremely well. For longer commutes, say more than 10 miles each way, a bike with air suspension at both ends becomes increasingly more desirable. These take some beating for that and they can be had from about £250:
Rocky Mountain Element Mountain Bike | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Rocky Mountain Element Mountain Bike at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.www.ebay.co.uk
They nearly always have top-spec parts on them as standard, and often those have been upgraded with even better parts. I have two of them. I've never found a better bike for touring and commuting, though the high spec chainrings wear quite quickly, so probably a good idea to downgrade that to a cheaper steel one. My main one has a Q128C motor. If I could find a better motor, I'd fit it, but this one has given stirling service and all the power necessary to get me up the steepest hills without any maintenance for 8 years (around 7000 miles). I can't think of any reason to use anything else.
That's very interesting, what size battery do you use with it and where did you mount it ?
I started with a 48v 14Ah, now I have two 20Ah ones (one at a time) because I'm planning some long rides next year. They all fit easily in the triangle.
Then
Now
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Does 2* 48v 20ah batteries affect the handling or the suspension? Where do you mount them both?
That must give a huge range
I only have one ftted at a time. I'll be using a single-wheeled trailer for the second one on my long journey.
You could go on a 100+mile 5 day camping trip somewhere scenic, covering a leisurely 20 miles a day. Hope there'll be a @matthewslack-style photo thread. I was thinking of doing something similar sometime between a series of comfy, cheap, tick-free (but bedbug infested) AirBnBs.
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15mph on slightly bumpy uneven roads can be SCARY on a rigid bike with no suspension. and having to moderate your speed to 8-10mph or take an active stance on your bike just to potter along local side streets will make you want suspension let me tell ya
I've done both and hasn't been my experience.15mph on slightly bumpy uneven roads can be SCARY on a rigid bike with no suspension. and having to moderate your speed to 8-10mph or take an active stance on your bike just to potter along local side streets will make you want suspension let me tell ya
Depends a lot on tyre style, size and pressure, but I don't feel I've benefited much from suspension.15mph on slightly bumpy uneven roads can be SCARY on a rigid bike with no suspension. and having to moderate your speed to 8-10mph or take an active stance on your bike just to potter along local side streets will make you want suspension let me tell ya
I can ride my road bike for about 4 hrs without suffering too bad as long as I wear padded knickers. I think the reason for that long is the riding position and hard pedalling lifts a lot of weight off the seat, plus frequent standing on the pedals gives your bum a chance to recover. It's a different story on a commuter bike. I tried various types, but they all became uncomfortable after about an hour until I got air suspension. Without it, every small bump becomes increasingly more painful with every minute. The idea of the motor is to make easier pedalling so that you're not knackered and sweaty when you get to work, but that means sitting in the saddle for a long time., which is what gets your bum.
Well it came as a HUGE surprise to me when i first turned off the nice smooth cycle track onto the local roads at circa 15mph (totally unpopulated track n road Vast visibility too thankfully) Under ebike power,
with my full mass sat firmly and comfortably in the saddle, my legs adding little to movement. hey 1st trip out on my ebike..
Totally different experience from gaining similar momentum under my own steam, as it turns out 15-16 mph is a full out pedal in top gear on my ol boneshaker something i have often achieved on these roads, but am taking a much more active role when doing so most if not all my mass supported by my legs to build up the required speed. like this the bumps and cracks in the rd are absorbed by my legs..
But when sat firmly in the saddle all the force is directed right up the spine and its sure enough to lift me clear of both pedals.. And that came as a HUGE shock. Not to mention watching all the shopping launch itself out of boxes front and rear Tins of pop bursting on the rd .. not fun..
Now granted my inexperience on an e-bike played a major factor, And Ive been significantly more cautious since, but this was a route i had ridden on a cycle on and off for over 50 yrs .
with my full mass sat firmly and comfortably in the saddle, my legs adding little to movement. hey 1st trip out on my ebike..
Totally different experience from gaining similar momentum under my own steam, as it turns out 15-16 mph is a full out pedal in top gear on my ol boneshaker something i have often achieved on these roads, but am taking a much more active role when doing so most if not all my mass supported by my legs to build up the required speed. like this the bumps and cracks in the rd are absorbed by my legs..
But when sat firmly in the saddle all the force is directed right up the spine and its sure enough to lift me clear of both pedals.. And that came as a HUGE shock. Not to mention watching all the shopping launch itself out of boxes front and rear Tins of pop bursting on the rd .. not fun..
Now granted my inexperience on an e-bike played a major factor, And Ive been significantly more cautious since, but this was a route i had ridden on a cycle on and off for over 50 yrs .
Do you know if the bottom bracket on those Rocky Mountain Elements is compatible with a BBS01 / 02 ? As @saneagle says, for a mid drive it's probably worth finding a steel replacement cassette (and maybe ebike grade chain)
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