ebikes

[mikeprice]

I have a Powacysle Salisbury - weighs a ton (with battery) but gets me to work without me ending up sweating and smelling all day - al get sme to the canal and up the towpath on nice weekends

 

just wondering if any other Edugeeks have one - and share experiences

 

Mike

[zag]

I've been keeping an eye on these for a while, but the prices are still pretty high and weight is an issue as you mention.

 

Had my eye on this one:

 

Electric Mountain Bike 21 Speed Ultimate Zipper Z6 e-bike - 26" Tyres | eBay

[mikeprice]

Wow - that looks good

 

engaging cynic mode - it looks too good for that price compared with other similar stuff - is it road legal in the UK?

 

having said which I think they are generally too expensive at the moment - most are only a cheap bike with a motor and a battery. I know the batteries are expensive but over £1000 for a good ebike seems a lot

 

I was lucky - I was looking at the concept but rejecting it due to price (this was 5 years ago when mine was over £1000 new) and I saw a second hand one in a local paper for £220 - I grabbed it assuming the battery was finished but it lasted over 3 years.

a new battery last year cost £300 (which seems a lot ) but has improved thing loads!

[pcstru]

I've been looking and am tempted. My commute is now about 15 miles which is OK but after a day at work and still feeling the effects of the journey in, it's a real struggle to motivate myself to cycle back! So I thought as bit of help might be good. I've pretty much decided if I do take the plunge, I'll be looking at crank rather than a hub motor but that drives the price up by a fair chunk ~ £2K for a Cube Reaction with 250W motor seems quite a lot for a bike although if I used it every day (no chance!) it would pay for itself very quickly. However, I'm still not quite sold on it and ... well, it might not be a great time to spend savings. Ho humm.

 

[ETA - might be of interest ]

Edited January 16, 2017 by pcstru

[mikeprice]

Actually - it does look legal!! - cheap chinese import but may be a good buy!

[synaesthesia]

I never see mention of those G-Tech things which are around £900 - anyone have experience of those?

[mikeprice]

I've looked atthose (but never tried one)

 

There are no gears - but you can vary the speed somehow so I'm confused as to how they work - especially when it comes to very low speed and going up hills where gears are useful

[zag]

Electric Bike | Electric Bicycle | eBike - Gtech

 

and a review here

 

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/ebike-vs-road-bike

Edited January 16, 2017 by zag

[MYK-IT]

Don't forget you can get eBikes on Bike2Work, Cycle2Work schemes etc. (Subject to cost <£1000, I see that GTech is £995) Alternatively, you may be able to a converter kit for your existing (mountain) bike.

[flyinghaggis]

That GTech ebike looks fantastic. I really like the idea of having a single speed belt drive electric bike as it looks really minimalist like a regular bike and has no derailleurs/gears to wear out when commuting. The weight is pretty low for an ebike aswell at a claimed 16Kg. The only thing is with having no gears would it struggle up some hills or is the motor going to be capable enough that it wont matter? Also it only seems to come in one size though given I'm average height (5"9) I think it would probably fit me OK.

[MYK-IT]

Coincedently, I found out one of our caretakers has a GTech bike. I was checking it out earlier today. Looks really nice, and as you said a minimalist look. Nice white frame. He bought it via the Bike2Work scheme. Select power/speed mode via function button on water bottle (battery pack).

 

He said the only thing to be aware of, is when you're stopped in traffic (say behind a car) it's quite sensitive with the pedal assistance; so if you're not careful the bike may start to go, before you wanted too!

[flyinghaggis]

I thought I'd resurrect this thread now the weather should hopefully be on the verge of improving with the arrival of spring in a couple of weeks time! I've been struggling with a knee injury this past year so was mulling over the idea of getting an e-bike for my commute to work. I used to cycle to work all the time but with the weather and my health not being great I've not really been out this last year.

 

I was actually thinking of maybe getting a folding electric bike as it would be easier for storing at work and home. I noticed that Halfords do a Carrera Crosscity Electric Bike for £650 which looks ideal for hacking to work and back. It's got full mudguards and a pannier rack which are the main things I'd probably want for a commuting bike. Happy to spend in the £500-1000 as it would save me that in bus fares in a year or so.

 

I noticed someone mentioned kits to convert existing bikes which might be an option as I already have a spare bicycle in the garage. Do electric conversion kits work reliably? The Gtech one looks pretty slick though I'd wondered whether a single speed would be suitable for climbing up steep hills (of which there are a few on my commute home) even with the battery assistance? Also whilst it takes mudguards I'm not sure whether there are mounting points to fit a pannier rack?

 

Any tips, suggestions or bike recommendations from anyone who has used an electric bike for commuting?

 

Edited March 8, 2018 by flyinghaggis

[PotNoodleTech]

Hmm that GTECH looks really good. Gonna read me some reviews methinks.

[unixman_again]

I have an ancient Brompton, and I'd quite like the forthcoming Brompton Electric. https://www.brompton.com/Brompton-Electric

I can't afford (or justify) the £2,595 to £2,755 price tag, especially as my Brommie was £495 when I got it.

[synaesthesia]

Anything G-Tech branded isn't exactly brilliant; their business model is simple. If it usually works manually, stick a battery on it and charge way in excess of what it's worth.

Would be worth holding out for the raft of upgrade kits you can get for any bike where you just change out the front wheel, controllable by bluetooth controller and/or your mobile phone. Cheaper, more convenient, no compromise needed. And not branded by that pillock who seems to think that putting a few 18650 batteries in a hairdryer constitutes a £800 hairjob.

[NotSoFast]

I was wondering about getting a GTECH so went to the local bike shop to try any old electric bike just to get a feel for it. I had a ride on a Volt Pulse and fell in love. It was stupidly expensive but it's brilliant. I now make everyone have a go and badger them to get one. It's made me enjoy cycling and not worry if I'll feel too tired to get home.

[flyinghaggis]

How have people with ebikes found them in terms of maintenance and getting spare parts? Would most shops that sell them (Halfords, Edinburgh Bicycle,etc) also be able to service and repair them?

 

It's obviously easy enough to get support for the regular mechanical parts but I'd wondered how easy it would be to replace the motor/battery/controller/etc in the event one failed a year or two down the line. Are parts fairly standard or would it require contacting the manufacturer? Would a regular bike tech in a store be able to replace/repair a faulty motor on an ebike?

 

This is the main reason I'm somewhat wary of spending more than £500-ish as I could write that off if it failed irreparably after a years warranty however anymore expensive (£1000+) and I'd want to be sure it could be used daily for several years without major costs or the risk of not being able to find replacement parts.

Edited March 15, 2018 by flyinghaggis

[NotSoFast]

How have people with ebikes found them in terms of maintenance and getting spare parts? Would most shops that sell them (Halfords, Edinburgh Bicycle,etc) also be able to service and repair them?

 

It's obviously easy enough to get support for the regular mechanical parts but I'd wondered how easy it would be to replace the motor/battery/controller/etc in the event one failed a year or two down the line. Are parts fairly standard or would it require contacting the manufacturer? Would a regular bike tech in a store be able to replace/repair a faulty motor on an ebike?

 

This is the main reason I'm somewhat wary of spending more than £500-ish as I could write that off if it failed irreparably after a years warranty however anymore expensive and I'd need to be sure it could be used daily for several years without major costs or the risk of not being able to find replacement parts.

 

I asked that question. Basically, 95% of it is just a normal bike (brakes, gears etc) and a normal bike shop can service it. The motor is a sealed unit and "doesn't go wrong". The battery is specific to the manufacturer, and quite expensive to replace, but it's not a specialist job, it just slides in and out.

[mikeprice]

How have people with ebikes found them in terms of maintenance and getting spare parts? Would most shops that sell them (Halfords, Edinburgh Bicycle,etc) also be able to service and repair them?

 

It's obviously easy enough to get support for the regular mechanical parts but I'd wondered how easy it would be to replace the motor/battery/controller/etc in the event one failed a year or two down the line. Are parts fairly standard or would it require contacting the manufacturer? Would a regular bike tech in a store be able to replace/repair a faulty motor on an ebike?

 

This is the main reason I'm somewhat wary of spending more than £500-ish as I could write that off if it failed irreparably after a years warranty however anymore expensive and I'd need to be sure it could be used daily for several years without major costs or the risk of not being able to find replacement parts.

 

I have taken my Powacycle Salisbury to the local bike shop a few times and they have had no problems with it. They did comment that if I need any serious work done to it then they would probably put in a simpler way of disconnecting the power supply to the rear wheel motor - but that would take them 2 minutes!.

 

As far as maintaining it yourself - most of it is just a bike - so I use the same skill set and knowledge that my Dad taught me 50 years ago! If one of the ebike specific parts went wrong I have seen them for sale on ebay or the Powacycle web site for very reasonable prices. Obviously the motor and battery are more expensive. I had to get a new battery a year or so ago and that cost £300 or so - but that applies to anything using Lithium batteries. As the bike is 7-8 years old that wasn't bad - I wish my laptop battery lasted that long.

 

As far as difficulty in replacing the ebike parts it all seems fairly simple from looking at it so overall there doesn't seem to be a problem

 

obviously this only applies to mine - which is quite old. YMMV

 

Mike

[DCUK6]

After months of waiting for a deal to come up i picked up a Cyclamatic Power Plus for £50,

Read about how much it can be modded and how illegal it can be made and it takes it.

Expected the battery to have had it but its fine.

 

Have only soldered the shunt a tad to give a bit more torque.

Get about 9 miles with lazy pedaling just to keep the motor going. Good for the shops etc in the summer.

 

Went for a bit of a unplanned mud ride so its currently caked in mud. Didnt know if it would harm it but thought i would go for it.

 

Replacing parts on non big brand bikes can be tricky though, had to buy universal everything and make it fit.

[Sensei]

My husband and I both had our existing Brompton bikes converted to electric bikes by this company in Cambridge http://www.ElectricBikeSales.co.uk. Fantastic and, although a bit pricey, cheaper than buying an electric Brompton. I just love whizzing up the hills now!

[synaesthesia]

My god those prices are absolutely bonkers!

[mikeprice]

My god those prices are absolutely bonkers!

 

There is that

 

I got mine from a local paper for £220 - but there is one like mine on ebay form £195 at the moment

 

normally a second hand one may need a battery which is around £300 (for mine) so the final price is still expensive

 

on reflection getting a half decent normal bike and converting it would seem to be a good option if you know your way around allen keys, spanner and pliers. The only problem with this is where the battery goes - I have seen some pretty dorky solutions to this that look rubbish but maybe there are better solution around now

[synaesthesia]

Those aren't bad prices. The off the shelf ones for £1500-£2000 though; you can buy a ruddy scooter for that!

[NotSoFast]

I do think there's an argument for decent brakes, so if you convert a bike that's a consideration. I've been glad of my disc brakes a couple of times.