30 Mile commute - How fast on an electric bike?

[gzoom]

I'd buy a motorbike - sorted

Or just stick to driving. Sounds like a commute on some NSL roads, which means getting passed by drivers who thinks they are Hamilton, or people still drunk the night before etc.

On my last commute on the bike I counted two BUSES running red lights, and a stopped car that decided to than just go through a red light for no reasons??!

I've not commuted to work on the bike now for 2 weeks, risks aren't worth it for me, driving standards are getting worse these days not better

 

[cyberknight]

As said above its going to be a good slog even on an e bike , i commute only 10 miles each way on a "normal" bike and with the extras i carry my average speed is nowhere near what i would consider a good pace.
Coming home the other night i could have done with an e bike though as i was directly into the strong winds all the way home and managed 12 mph avg

 

[Jameshow]

As said above its going to be a good slog even on an e bike , i commute only 10 miles each way on a "normal" bike and with the extras i carry my average speed is nowhere near what i would consider a good pace.
Coming home the other night i could have done with an e bike though as i was directly into the strong winds all the way home and managed 12 mph avg

Just remember it's training on the sligh!, you get to keep fit whilst us weekend warriors have to purposefully go out (or not) and train!!

 

[cyberknight]

Just remember it's training on the sligh!, you get to keep fit whilst us weekend warriors have to purposefully go out (or not) and train!!

cant beat changing a flat about 12.30 am when its pishing it down

 

[Dadam]

You may not agree, and for you it may not be the case.

However the general rule is that a typical rider on any halfway decent normal bike will easily maintain a higher average. In my case at 19.5 stones with a knackered hip can average 16+ on my best roadie, 13 at the best on my ebikes.

I can also climb quicker, although doing it slower and letting the motor do some of the work does indeed take less effort, but last time I checked going slower was, er, slower than going quicker.

As with any rule there will be exceptions, but their existence does not alter the reality of the average or the typical.

I'm disagreeing with the generalisation, not your experience. Different riders, different bikes, different terrain.

A heavy ebike and a light normal bike will skew the results towards a normal bike having a higher average speed. A heavyish normal bike and a light ebike will skew it toward the ebike. A ride with a lot of steep climbs will favour the ebike, and a flat ride will favour the normal bike. My ebike and normal bike are pretty close in weight and I live in a relatively hilly area, so it's hardly surprising I see significantly faster averages. My guess is your ebikes are a fair bit heavier than your normal bikes, and you live in a flatter area.

So, "it depends".

 

[CXRAndy]

Any hills will favour an ebike. I was on a cycling holiday in Tenerife. An old guy passed up on the first climb of the day, it was a 10 min climb. Then downhill for a mile and rolling for next 10miles. It tools us a further 6 miles after the first climb to catch the old fella. That's how much advantage an ebike gets over a standard bike.

Even UK 2-5 min climbs will give the ebike rider a big lead which will need a fair bit of effort to recoup, until the next hill.

I on the other hand, you won't see me again 😉

 

[gbb]

Reference the comparisons between ebikes and roadbikes...and their respective weights.
Former commuter, 14 miles each way, at the time I could choose either.
Lightweight roadbike, full carbon, average 15 mph, arrive at work sweaty but ok...but sweaty, not the best way to arrive facing a days work.
Heavy ish ebike, easily sustain 15 mph , arrive at work in the same time, not sweaty, ready for the days work with little or no discomfort.

To achieve 15 mph (which is a brisk pace for the average cyclist imo) , no problem on an ebike. No problem physically on a roadbike either, but you'll arrive a sight hotter and sweater on the roadbike.

Thats on a fairly flat fenland route where the wind is ALWAYS there.

 

[gzoom]

^Don't forget to add in nice fat, comfy, but punctures proof tires weigh plenty - 700-800grams for EACH of the Marathon+ tires on my commuter bike. Pannier racks - who wants a sweaty back at work, normal clothes to cycle in versus need to change, multiple lights in winter, decent weight D-lock.

All of the above will turn the most light weight road bike into a unwieldy lump. On an eBike the only time you notice the weight is when trying to pick the bike up.

I find is hard to justify buying an analogue pedal bike ever again.

 

[united4ever]

Tagging onto this thread. Am looking at an 18 mile each way commute and thinking of getting an ebike. It's 40% canal towpath, 30% shared cyclepath, then 30% a mix of major roads with traffic and cutting through residential streets. Middle part has some climbs but nothing too extreme

Looking at 1 hour 25 on a hybrid with panniers. Wonder what it would be for an ebike? Maybe I could rent one for a day and try both.

 

[CXRAndy]

Tagging onto this thread. Am looking at an 18 mile each way commute and thinking of getting an ebike. It's 40% canal towpath, 30% shared cyclepath, then 30% a mix of major roads with traffic and cutting through residential streets. Middle part has some climbs but nothing too extreme

Looking at 1 hour 25 on a hybrid with panniers. Wonder what it would be for an ebike? Maybe I could rent one for a day and try both.

Depends on the surface on the canal section. A good compacted surface will allow you to cover the ground pretty quickly.

Your average is currently 12mph. You could easily attain 15mph for most sections

 

[fossyant]

The canal section might batter you, depends on the surface. You could possibly expect 14 plus mph. I was doing a mainly canal commute of 13 miles in less than an hour on an old MTB. Depends on surface, and how busy.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I commuted for 12 months on an ebike, rain or shine. Factor in getting your kit on, locking/unlocking either end, showering/changing. It's sweatier than you might think. Motor cuts out at 15mph but if like me you're pushing it on a much heavier machine, I reckon I was putting in 70-80% as much work as when I did it on my Roady, and I wasn't much quicker. it was 4.5miles all slight uphill with some short, steep ascents.

If you can afford it, I'd definitely look at a CBT and scooter, 50 or 125cc. Or they do 50cc equivalent electric scooters. Cheap to run once you've bought it. Very quick if you filter and don't need to go above 30 or 40

 

[Ridgeway]

Here’s one of my faster commutes: (slight assistance from the wind that day)

Half the distance than your 30 miler but i can at a push do it in the same time as it would take in a car, that of course means i then need a shower so all in all it’s technically longer but much more fun 😂

Pedelec is the only solution what your request. My overall average is around 36 - 37kmh and my route isn’t too flat. I also carry a ton of gear with extra clothes, extra this and that.

Just swapped this weekend back to summer tyres as it’s been cold here in the mornings and frost on the ground until 2wks back. So on the summer tyres and tyre pressure the speed should pick up again although whilst a i hated the cold Northerly winds it was a nice push along in the mornings😂

 

[Gwylan]

Recent experience with my ebike. Legal and all that.
I have clocked up 1400km and managed an average of 18kph - that's 10mph.

The info is burried inside the bike management app.
Seems I have also burned 18000 ckcals and saved 180kg of CO2

A decent bike and relatively fit rider should be able to beat that without trying too hard.
Also budget for a spare charger and battery if you want to be sure of a ride home.

Looks like an illegal ebike or some sort of pedelec jobie.

 

[Ridgeway]

2nd charger is a good idea, I have one in my panniers and some times use it if I go off on a jaunt after work, or if I forgot to charge the night before.