Advice needed on my first e-bike

[This Wreckage]

I am 60 years old, reasonably fit and ride a conventional bike for utility and leisure in my moderately hilly town here in north-east England as well as further afield on days out. I often take my bike on trains; mainline trains require cyclists to hang bikes on hooks (see photo).

I'm considering my first e-bike to make cycling easier. I've looked at many models both mid-drive and rear hub drive. Given that weight needs to be minimised to enable me to take an e-bike on those trains (max permitted weight is 25kg), would a lighter, rear-hub e-bike (e.g. Tenways CGO800S with Mivice M070 rear hub motor, 250W power, 40 Nm max. torque, 460Wh battery, 23kg) be at least adequate and allow a day's light riding including a few minor hills - mostly to get to where I want to be? I know a heavier mid-drive bike with a higher capacity battery would be better but I'd then be restricted in where I could take it. I'm looking at a compromise. Advice from experienced e-bike riders needed, please!

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

If you get a bike where the battery can be removed easily then it can go in a backpack - and hence reduce the weight lot

You could also get a folder so on trains it just counts as luggage and the limitations go away

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

My GT eGrade Bolt was a fraction under 15Kg as supplied, with a 40Nm Mahle X35 motor and 250Wh integrated battery. Longest rides last year were a couple of 50 mile, ~3100 feet, where I used turbo @250W up ~250+ feet hills combined with max effort by ~95Kg me and stuck to 75W eco everywhere else when under 15.5mph.
I recently bought a Mahle SP1 208Wh battery entender, to see if I and the ebike can manage some 60-80 mile rides this year (used to do them most spring/summer months on my road bike pre- long covid).

Best bargains I'm aware of on sub 20Kg ebikes are...
£1049 https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Raleigh-Tr...36.htm?variations=colour:Midnight Black Gloss

£799 (but only single speed and very low torque) https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Momentum-V...-Hybrid-Bike_271237.htm?variations=colour:Ink

£789 with code (same bike as above) https://www.balfesbikes.co.uk/bikes...electric-hybrid-bike-2025-in-ink-blue__112762

£699 (missing front light/guard, rear light not functioning, but Mahle X35) https://www.rmcycles.co.uk/bikes/el...e-city-electric-bike-beige-medium-2022__22001

 

[Punkawallah]

I know little about e-bikes, but if I was going that route I’d look at Woosh and Swytch. Both offer ‘conversion kits’, that could be used on your existing bike - and if you’re not needing the electrics, you can swap back to its original form.
Also in the NE - you have my sympathy (such as it is) with the hills :-) I’m running a 48/34 front and 14-32 back and still have to get off and walk some.

 

[Drago]

I know a heavier mid-drive bike with a higher capacity battery would be better

Unless youre going off road where unsprung mass, mass centralisation, etc, become important, theyre not automatically any better, although a bigger battery capacity is nice if you ont mind the weight penalty.

Forgive me asking, a genuine consideration and not intended to be sexist. Are you tall and strong enough to hoik a heavy and unwieldy ebike up onto the hooks on a train? Im 6 four and 20 stone and can domit just fine, but even im grunting a bit to hang it up in my spacious un uncluttered garage.

Remember also to take bike weights with a pinch of salt. There is no universal standard and actual weights can vary considerably either way over quoted figures. Unless you've been able to have a look round and handle one already be very wary of buying one on the strength of manufacturers claims.

Id be looking the folder way myself, so thing along these lines...

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/elec....ds&gbraid=0AAAAADrJx6wIErd4-e3_pzCRGxgg5a5TN

Reviews are reasonable. Or of your budget is great you could go the Brompton ebike way.

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

Get a brand name bike. Cheap department store or internet purchases are of poor quality and have little or no parts and service back up. Off brands run software that can’t be serviced by most shops.

really bargain basement stuff makes good bonfires… just not where you want them.

 

[Dogtrousers]

it is a belt drive which I'm aways a bit suspicious of.

Out of interest, why?

(Relax, I'm not a belt drive fanatic looking for a fight. I know nothing about them, and have no experience of them. I'm just curious. I always thought they were nice for utility bikes because they are clean and quiet, but do require some funny shenanigans in the frame to allow replacement.)

 

[Mike_P]

Where will you keep it? If it is an unheated out building then you really need one which you can easilly remove the battery
Really low temperatures at night will affect the battery meaning it maybe sometime well into the following day before you get a correct inducation of the battery level.

 

[albion]

460wh battery is big, for comparision my Raleigh Motus is 24kg with Mid Drive and 400wh. I hang that at work by its front wheel in a similar stand and (touch wood) the front hasn't fallen off yet. At my best I'll do 50 miles on it with some pretty major hills. I will say it is a big bike, it's a large frame and would not fit in the space you've shown me.

I like that Tenways CGO800s but it is a belt drive which I'm aways a bit suspicious of. What are your mileage/key features you need from the bike?

Only big for a lightweight bike. I consider 400Wh low.

 

[SteveH80]

I was in a similar position last spring.
I spent a lot of time looking at the pros and cons of the various types and deciding what I wanted to use it for. Then it was a balance of power vs range vs weight vs costs.
I decided I wanted a flat bared road bike, relatively light weight (I ride manually most of the time) and a mid motor for the hills.
I ended up choosing a Specialized SL4, the motor isn't powerful 35Nm but it's plenty for me and bike weights 16Kg which is similar to my mountain bike. The other contender in my price range was the Boardman, but Halfords couldn't get one that worked, and the colour was boring grey!
If I was town riding or commuting I would have chosen something else entirely

 

[CXRAndy]

I would convert your bike or something similar. You can get either a Tongscheng TSDZ2B or Z8 if you want a bit more grunt.

Motors weigh 3-4.5kg. Battery 5-8kg size dependant

The hybrid is my wife's bike, it's got her original motor from her shopper ebike I converted 6 years ago. I transplanted the motor amd orignal battery last summer onto the folding Raliegh

These are two I've converted

I'll be converting another this summer with pannier rack battery kit

 

[Mike Ayling]

Belt drive. My Bafang mid drive conversion wears chains a lot faster than my non powered bikes and I have seen ads for special ebike chains so if your ebike of choice has an IGH definitely consider the belt drive option..

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Forgive me asking, a genuine consideration and not intended to be sexist. Are you tall and strong enough to hoik a heavy and unwieldy ebike up onto the hooks on a train? Im 6 four and 20 stone and can domit just fine, but even im grunting a bit to hang it up in my spacious un uncluttered garage.

This is the issue. Remember, getting an e-bike on that hook will be a stuggle. Especially if it has a full rear mudguard, which means you can't just pull the rear brake, lift the front wheel until the bike is vertical and then lift. You'll have to lift it clear from about 20 degrees or the mudguard will break off. Have a look at the Kona bike that CDRAndy posted above and you'll see what I mean.

If that is an issue, a rear hub motor with battery on the rear carrier, will be your easiest option and a down-tube mounted battery paired with a mid motor, your worst option.

 

[CXRAndy]

Belt drive. My Bafang mid drive conversion wears chains a lot faster than my non powered bikes and I have seen ads for special ebike chains so if your ebike of choice has an IGH definitely consider the belt drive option..

I've not experienced that myself. I have over 3000 miles on my Bafang motor.

Its how people ride e bikes I guess. I dont hammer the power, cycle at low cadences up steep hills.

 

[Gwylan]

Been using an E-Bike for the last 6 years, this is my second E-Bike . The first one got nicked. That's a warning too.

Buy a bike from the LBS that you trust. Also need to know that they know what they are doing
Need confidence in the manufacturer. Not least that they will last longer than the warranty.
Look for simplicity. Understand what the electronics do and don't do.

Range is a personal thing, gearing too. I've found 70km works for me. I have a second battery but that complicates life.

My second bike is a Cowboy. A Belgian brand that has had its fair share of challenges
My bike is a good, comfortable every day bike. At 16 kg you don't want to carry it far.
The killer is that the material of some of the components are under specced. Either to save weight or cost. Or the supplier was a bit tricky.

The whole bike needs your mobile phone to manage it. Repeated iterations of the App have generally been for the better.
But when you want to leave home and catch a train it can be a pain to suddenly have to fight to avoid an upgrade just then.

The consumption of the App can be a big challenge when the signal is bad, or your phone battery is running flat
There is a way of hot booting it. But that requires the keys and a degree of luck.
Also when the battery is flat it is a complete dead weight to propel, without the relief of gears.

I find the geometry comfortable to ride. Other plusses, for me, are a belt drive and no gears. Disc brakes are good too.
I added removable pedals, great for the train and small hotel rooms. A Slimstem simplifies life in compact spaces too.

Or you can buy the cheapest bike possible and hope...