Acoustic vs Electric bikes.

[Drago]

Its doesnt seem difficult to me...

Bicycle, as you'd expect.

Ebike, the common name for a legal EPAC.

Anything else with mechanical propulsion, moped or motorcycle, dependent upon weight and performance.

I dan undetstand the car driving public or the Daily Mail getting it wrong, but why do so many cyclists find the concept so difficult to grasp?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Its doesnt seem difficult to me...

Bicycle, as you'd expect.

Ebike, the common name for a legal EPAC.

Anything else with mechanical propulsion, moped or motorcycle, dependent upon weight and performance.

I dan undetstand the car driving public or the Daily Mail getting it wrong, but why do so many cyclists find the concept so difficult to grasp?

Because all the newspaper and otehr "news sources" get it wrong

the lack of knowledge of people should never be underestimated
(just ask N. Farage or D. Trump)

 

[kingrollo]

People are already getting disappointed by the costs.

We get lots of people asking if we sell used Ebikes, which we don't because of the liability issues. People buy used Ebikes on places like Ebay and then find the battery dies after a few kilometres, and a replacement costs hundreds of Euro.

Other people buy cheap Ebikes online for 800€, and we can't help them because it is a no-name motor. Worse, the other components are unknown as well, so often we can't even fix the brakes, gears or even the tyres, so they end up scrapped.

Even people who buy from the likes of Shimano or Bosch are beginning to find there are no more updates for their computer, or the computer itself is broken and can't be replaced any more, or a replacement battery and transport cost more than a good normal bike.

Interest is certainly still there, but I think people are realising how expensive it is to buy and run an Ebike, so they aren't selling as fast as before.

How are you quantify ING "not selling as fast as before" ???

Recently read a report how ebikes are booming across Europe especially in town centres .

I agree that parts / servicing might be a problem as your motor or battery becomes obsolete - but imo I'd say the benefits out weigh the future problems a few years down the line.

I think we are some distance (years) from peak e bike.

 

[Ian H]

Its doesnt seem difficult to me...

Bicycle, as you'd expect.

Ebike, the common name for a legal EPAC.

Anything else with mechanical propulsion, moped or motorcycle, dependent upon weight and performance.

I dan undetstand the car driving public or the Daily Mail getting it wrong, but why do so many cyclists find the concept so difficult to grasp?

I get confused in France where lots of aging cyclists on road bikes have a bottle-cage battery and a front-wheel hub-motor. They still seem to have to pedal, but I'm not aware of any sophisticated link between pedalling and e-power.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Recently read a report how ebikes are booming across Europe

That’ll be the batteries

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

How are you quantify ING "not selling as fast as before" ???

Recently read a report how ebikes are booming across Europe especially in town centres .

I agree that parts / servicing might be a problem as your motor or battery becomes obsolete - but imo I'd say the benefits out weigh the future problems a few years down the line.

I think we are some distance (years) from peak e bike.

They keep changing
when I got my first one it was cool because it was one of the few that didn;t have the battery on the rear rack - it was behind the seat post

when I got my second they normally had the battery on the down tube unless they were step through when it was on the seat post
but still in view and open

nowadays the battery is inside the frame
sometime not even removebale without taking screws/bolts out

so they look very siilar to normal bikes


they have also been developign a lot in terms on on board electronic
again - my first one had an an on off switch on the battery - that was it

my current one has a controller on teh handlebars with speed and showing the current mode - out of 4 plus "Off"

but that was the lowest spec
nowadays even the lowest spec has a more fancy controller and some have a satnav sort of thing

not sure where they will go next except for the controller

but I am not sure much else can change excpet for battery tech

 

[kingrollo]

I get confused in France where lots of aging cyclists on road bikes have a bottle-cage battery and a front-wheel hub-motor. They still seem to have to pedal, but I'm not aware of any sophisticated link between pedalling and e-power.

Surely it would work the same as a rear wheel hub motor ?

There are sensors which detect when the wheel is turning - and provide a bit of assistance? It shouldn't matter whether it's the front wheel or the back ?

 

[Andy in Germany]

How are you quantify ING "not selling as fast as before" ???

Recently read a report how ebikes are booming across Europe especially in town centres .

I agree that parts / servicing might be a problem as your motor or battery becomes obsolete - but imo I'd say the benefits out weigh the future problems a few years down the line.

I think we are some distance (years) from peak e bike.

To answer the specific point: the experience where I work (and remember I'm technically not the bike and sales team) is that sales boomed in Covid, then dropped, and now people are pulling back financially: we can't repair used bikes fast enough, but the Ebikes are just sitting there.

At the same time, a lot of people are disappointed that they can't get spares, & repairs, or how much those spares and repairs cost: not just with batteries but also because other parts have to be E-bike rated. I think many people underestimated what it meant to maintain and run an Ebike and while I see plenty when I'm riding, sales have gone down.

 

[Andy in Germany]

They keep changing
...

... I am not sure much else can change excpet for battery tech

The new heavy-duty Shimano gear system is the next big thing here.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Surely it would work the same as a rear wheel hub motor ?

There are sensors which detect when the wheel is turning - and provide a bit of assistance? It shouldn't matter whether it's the front wheel or the back ?

How does it detect the user is pedalling (amongst other things) to remain legal?

 

[Alex321]

So, is there a reason you can't get registration plates and a license for your moped ?

In Korea what he has may be a moped, but in the UK it isn't. There is a legal definition of what a moped is (see above), and it does not cover an EAPC.

 

[Alex321]

Surely it would work the same as a rear wheel hub motor ?

There are sensors which detect when the wheel is turning - and provide a bit of assistance? It shouldn't matter whether it's the front wheel or the back ?

I don't think it can go on sensors for the wheel turning, for a couple of reasons.

First, legal EAPCs are allowed to operate at up to 4mph without pedaling. And second, once you are in motion, the wheel will always be turning.

In order to detect whether the rider is pedaling, it must use sensors in the cranks/bottom bracket, or in the cassette to determine it isn't freewheeling.

 

[kingrollo]

To answer the specific point: the experience where I work (and remember I'm technically not the bike and sales team) is that sales boomed in Covid, then dropped, and now people are pulling back financially: we can't repair used bikes fast enough, but the Ebikes are just sitting there.

At the same time, a lot of people are disappointed that they can't get spares, & repairs, or how much those spares and repairs cost: not just with batteries but also because other parts have to be E-bike rated. I think many people underestimated what it meant to maintain and run an Ebike and while I see plenty when I'm riding, sales have gone down.

Bikes in general boomed during COVID. Everything was out of stock. Sales of all bikes levelled off post COVID.

My take is that the e bike boom came after COVID or at least towards the end of it.

Sure there are heaps of unrepairable e bikes - personally I don't see this slowing down the growth of e bikes sales . YMMV.

 

[classic33]

Bikes in general boomed during COVID. Everything was out of stock. Sales of all bikes levelled off post COVID.

My take is that the e bike boom came after COVID or at least towards the end of it.

Sure there are heaps of unrepairable e bikes - personally I don't see this slowing down the growth of e bikes sales . YMMV.

Maybe not slow the sale of e-bikes, but what will be done with the old ones being replaced, possibly a few years later?

 

[Baldy]

In Korea what he has may be a moped, but in the UK it isn't. There is a legal definition of what a moped is (see above), and it does not cover an EAPC.

But it should.