Which make of electric bike do you own?

[flecc]

That's ok then beeps. The risk of being stopped for anything like this is near to zero anyway, so no need to hide in the bike shed.

The problem might arise at some time in the future when there's been a fatality and the police decide to do their full scale thorough accident investigation. An overweight bike subsequently found to overperform as well could open a whole can of worms, especially if only supplied through ebay direct from outside the European law area.

That could trigger action of a more widespread nature by all forces.

 

[Beeping-Sleauty]

whoops....

yikes

i hope it won't come to that, because if mine is illegal then so are all the Power Cruiser bikes that are used by the 10 police forces around the country, see the ebay advert:

eBay.co.uk: The fantastic Power Cruiser 1 Electric Bike (item 180062758319 end time 14-Dec-06 13:26:49 GMT)

it was the fact that the cops used them, encouraged me to buy one......

doesn't the cop look cute on his checkered cruiser ? ( i reckon i could out-pedal him LOL)

mine is a slightly different frame... plus jewelry.

but, as you point out, it does raise some interesting issues, i believe the laws are different in some European countries, further complicated by 'assisted or not' issues and the use of throttles as well, more so, once the legal compliance of a national limiter is breached by 'tinkering' you are in fact 'with intent'. another whole ball game, would this have ramifications for the Torq users who have disconnected their controllers limitation circuits.

the whole area is a minefield, and i'm sure we're all aware that it needs clarification and adjustment for present day conditions of traffic, in some countries i believe electric bikes are classed as mopeds, not allowed on cycle paths or lanes, in Switzerland the speed limit is 50km/h.

as you say, it is not likely ( i hope) that i will find myself pulled over, i'm hardly doing doughnuts in the car park, but if i were to be, it would be useful to know what the real applicable situation is, re weight, for instance.

has any of our members any experience ?

beeps

That's ok then beeps. The risk of being stopped for anything like this is near to zero anyway, so no need to hide in the bike shed.

The problem might arise at some time in the future when there's been a fatality and the police decide to do their full scale thorough accident investigation. An overweight bike subsequently found to overperform as well could open a whole can of worms, especially if only supplied through ebay direct from outside the European law area.

That could trigger action of a more widespread nature by all forces.

 

[Harry]

My bike

Ezee Sprint, with Li Ion

 

[mrail1982]

My bike

Hello everyone,
I`ve taken delivery this week of a Synergie Shamal folding bike - early impressions are very positive. I wonder if there are many Synergie users out there who regularly read this forum - it would be good to exchange experiences and advice. Cheers.

 

[rsscott]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

There is another forum on Yahoo related to Synergie bikes which you may also want to visit:

synergieusergroup : Synergie User Group


We look forward to hearing more about your bike and what you intend to use it for!

cheers
Russ.

 

[flecc]

Interesting mrail1982. Let us know how you get on with it over time, or enter a review in this site. I recognise some of it's parts as those also used in in some models of some other makes, Powercycle and Urban Raider etc. I think there's a major Chinese manufacturer supplying a variety of assembly companies, so things like spare batteries etc should be easily available in future.

 

[halfmedley]

I'm not exactly a newcomer to this site having posted a few things on it already (and asked a few questions, all answered) but I've now taken the plunge and bought an electric bike! I've decided to go for the Synergie Mistral after all (a standard rear hub job, no doubt manufactured in China). A couple of things swung it, price and styling. The current price represents just ten months bus fare to me and anything that gets me off Birmingham buses has to be a good thing. As for styling, well it is unassuming, meaning it won't attract unwonted attention on the city streets. I haven't had chance to uncrate it yet, so can't comment further but will keep you informed on how it performs over the coming months.

 

[flecc]

Congratulations on your new bike halfmedley. You've probably noticed the warning on the Synergie Ebay page about charging the Li-ion battery every trip, however short, and that's good advice. I don't know how long your commute is, but the less you discharge each time the better for long life.

Judging by the very small size of the battery, it's probably cobalt based and would definitely benefit from minimum discharges with frequent charges.

 

[halfmedley]

Thanks Flecc, I feel like a fully paid up member of the electric bike community now. The learning curve starts here!

My commute is a twelve mile round trip, six miles of mostly downhill into the city centre, and conversely a groan-inducing six miles of mostly uphill on the return home. I won't use up much charge on the way in (hopefully) but plenty on the way back. Should I recharge at both ends of the journey for optimum battery life do you think? I guess it's a bit trial and error to begin with, but I would like to preserve battery life as long as possible. Seeing as it's a Li-ion I won't be able to do a re-cell on it later on. Or maybe when it's gone completely I could rip the innards out and replace with NiMh, but that is a way off yet I trust.

Hopefully this will be a rather more pleasant commute than by bus, which seems to get scummier by the day. Unbelievably last year the underground car park below my place of work installed parking meters for bikes/motorbikes too, however they've yet to be activated after the uproar it caused.

On a final note, for now, I recently subscribed to the electronic edition of A to B: it's a good read.

 

[rsscott]

Welcome to the club, i'm amazed at the restraint you've shown in posting details here of your new purchase before unpacking it first

As for charging both ends you might want to find out what your maximum range is before the battery gives out. If your commute both ways is approaching the max figure then I would probably charge each leg of your commute. If you've plenty of steam left then you have both options!

 

[flecc]

Definitely best to charge at each end halfmedley, since twelve miles is quite a substantial discharge. By doing it at each end, you'll minimise the capacity lost in each year.

You won't be able to recell with NiMh in that battery casing, since the 30 x D size cells for NiMh 36 volt wouldn't fit in there. Have a look at the larger eZee battery, that just takes them.

 

[nigel]

nigel

Hi halfmedley
well done another electric biker just think of all that energy you will still have after work?NO MORE HILLS PS did you consider the new ezee Liv very good price.Nigel.

 

[halfmedley]

Managed to get the Mistral out of its box last night, it's all trussed up with heavy duty elastic bands and bubble wrap! Still they seem to have done their job, initial inspection reveals no damage to the frame or components.

The paintwork looks splendid, a real deep burgundy colour. Now I've just got to assemble it: doesn't look too difficult, attach the front wheel, handlebars, pedals that sort of thing. Was puzzled by some wires hanging loose, but realised (eventually) that they're for the dynamo/lights that it came with. The tyres are very knobbly so replacement with some puncture resistant road-treaded Conti's or Schwalbes might be in order.

The charger is very light so it will be no problem carrying it around and charging the battery at both ends of my commute; correct Li-ion technique it seems.

As for the Ezee Liv, that machine was unveiled after I'd already placed my order. Interesting machine, but still over £140 more than what I paid, excluding the cost of new tyres, I'm operating on quite a tight budget!

Finally, I think it's worth mentioning that Synergie's customer service has been good too.

 

[Fordnutz]

New to electric cycling

I have just bought an eZee Torq and I am very impressed. Not been on a 'long' run yet (due to the weather recently!) but have used in locally and I love it - I actually look forward to not using the car!

 

[flecc]

Congratulations on your new bike Fordnutz, as you say, much more fun than a car these days. With some better weather it will be even more rewarding.

With the rain persisting at the moment, hopefully the weekend will bring you some better weather to get out for a decent run.

 

[rsscott]

Hi Fordnutz and welcome to the forum!

You will hopefully find your Torq is more than capable in this changeable weather. With the newer Torq's you also have the benefit of full mudguards too. Some decent waterproofs and you can easily commute a fair distance and get there dry

cheers
Rus.

 

[Fordnutz]

Thanx for your warm welcome

 

[mrail1982]

Interesting mrail1982. Let us know how you get on with it over time, or enter a review in this site. I recognise some of it's parts as those also used in in some models of some other makes, Powercycle and Urban Raider etc. I think there's a major Chinese manufacturer supplying a variety of assembly companies, so things like spare batteries etc should be easily available in future.

Thanks for your welcome. I`ve had my Synergie Shamal for nearly two months and am delighted with it. I intend to write a full review for this website shortly, if that`s alright. I think you are right about the generic components used on Chinese-manufactured bikes, eg the Shamal`s 24V NiMH battery looks very similar to that used on most of the Powacycle range, but is even cheaper to replace if purchased in exchange for the old battery from the UK distributor.
Cheers, and I`ll keep you posted on the Shamal`s progress.

 

[flecc]

Many thanks for the information mrail1982, and we'd be delighted to have your review of the Synergie Shamal in due course. Short of a personal test ride, there's nothing better than others experiences when choosing a bike.

There's no substitute for the way a user winkles out the strengths and weaknesses of consumer products, as many a manufacturer knows to their cost.
.

 

[nigel]

Nigel

Hi all
had my torq a couple of weeks now and i love it i have removed mudgards and rack put a more streamlined saddle on and a mirror and removed tyres for marathon plus and it looks the part even my son who is 21 likes it i will have to keep my eye on him in case he fancys a ride a fantastic ezee machine nigel