difference between these two bikes please?

[mynydd]

Well....... wow! That was fun.
I’ve an eight mile commute and live at 1300 feet and work at sea level. The way in, all downhill apart from a couple of small hills, without the motor switched on was great, felt solid and safe with fantastic braking.
the way home as something else! It cut my commute from an hour (in good weather) to 35 minutes (with a strong headwind).... flying up hills at 15 miles an hour is something I could get quite used to. Got home feeling much fresher than normal, but still feel I’ve had a fairly decent workout.
I think I’m going to enjoy this, the plan is to mix it up and use this bike in the worst weather..... but will probably just use this for the next few weeks as it’s such good fun.
will prob change the saddle at some point as it’s a bit wide..... other than that..... Brilliant!

 

[confusedcyclist]

Yes, it always surprises me how much work you put in, you've got to to keep the pace going on the climbs, I know I'm doing it because of the power meter, but you just feel energised and ready to go again. It's got to be the endorphins.

Also need to swap my saddle, but despite it's lack of suitability, because you're not hammering the pedals, it feels like pretty much anything would do

 

[cookieZ]

mynydd, please could you say which level of assistance you selected for the uphill climb home and approx how much battery life was left?, also, do you think this bike is suitable for off road gravel tracks?, many thanks.

 

[mynydd]

Hi cookieZ it was an experimental ride home, so I was playing around with all settings etc...... I used tour most of the way then cranked it up to sport and turbo for the last, very hilly bit. Used about a third of the battery. Bike would be great for basic off road and gravel tracks I’d imagine.... it’s very solid. But definitely not a mountain bike.

 

[Pale Rider]

Used about a third of the battery.

Worth bearing in mind battery use according to the indicator is not linear, it will accelerate as the battery declines.

There's also battery 'sag' which means you need to draw more from a depleted battery to feel the same level of assistance.

Hills sap the battery faster than anything.

In mixed terrain on Tour setting I would expect a range of between 40 and 50 miles, which looks like where you are heading.

You may get a little more out of the battery after a handful of charge cycles.

 

[mynydd]

You may get a little more out of the battery after a handful of charge cycles.

any advice on battery charging? advice online is mixed..... some saying fully charge after each ride.... others saying only recharge to 80 percent..... some saying don't let it run right down.... others saying you should...

 

[Pale Rider]

The Bosch motor has fairly advanced battery management electronics which will largely keep you out of trouble.

Leaving the battery full charged for a prolonged period - months - is to be avoided.

Battery management will prevent you over charging it, and also prevent you over discharging it.

The motor will cut out a little while before the battery is dead flat, because being run dead flat is another thing batteries don't like.

That's also done to preserve some power for the lights to enable you to cycle home, unassisted but safely, in the dark.

In your case, you may as well charge for a couple of hours or so every day on commuting days, but not worry too much about charging brim full.

Neither is there any need to worry if you forget and leave it charging overnight - battery management will look after it.

 

[mynydd]

Brilliant, thanks for the reply. Much appreciated

 

[CXRAndy]

Its also recommended not to go below 20% very often. So Keep battery in between 20-85% will double to triple the amount of charges it will take.

 

[Notafettler]

@Pale Rider
As you are clearly very knowledgeable I was wondering if you have any recommendations.
I am looking for decent quality bike with the best Bosch motor. Hub gears but preferably not shimano 8. A real pain to get the gears reconnected after taking the wheel of. Large battery easily removed. Prefer it to take wide tyres for off road use. Will need to pull trailer. With coffee holder, the latter is not a deal breaker!
Ta

 

[CXRAndy]

Riese and Mueller Supercharger with Rohloff hub. Expensive

An option is to get wide tyre, Rohloff or Alfine 11. standard bike and retro fit a Bafang motor. Much much cheaper

 

[Pale Rider]

I was just bashing out a reply to say Riese and Muller.

Lots of models, all lots of money.

They offer Rohloff hub bikes and the cheaper, unusual, continuously variable Enviolo.

Other than that, I suspect it may have to be a Shimano hub.

https://www.r-m.de/en-gb/

 

[Notafettler]

This is pinion or is it the Enviola as says continuously variable?

https://www.r-m.de/en-gb/models/swing3/swing3-vario-urban/#F00283_042907

Rohloff is I think overkill.
Another problem I have with shimano 8 is spin out (that's what I call it) when I change gear on a hill I loose momentum. I think the gap between gears is not normal.
I was hoping for an 11 speed shimano if if I recall right it was easy to reconnect the gears.

The riese & Muller are certainly quality bikes. I will have to do a search and save on Ebay.

A quick check on there site
https://www.r-m.de/en-gb/models/swing3/swing3-vario-urban/#F00283_042907
Thank you for your time

 

[Notafettler]

Riese and Mueller Supercharger with Rohloff hub. Expensive

Supercharger GX rohloff £6,339.00 expensive, you think!!

An option is to get wide tyre, Rohloff or Alfine 11. standard bike and retro fit a Bafang motor. Much much cheaper

Not off hand fan of retro fit. But worth looking at. Thanks

 

[Pale Rider]

Pinion is a gearbox that sits under the bottom bracket.

There are a couple of expensive ebikes that have it, but of course it can usually only work with a hub motor.

Enviolo is a stepless hub gear.

It looks the same as any other hub gear, but is continuously variable.

Different riding experience which I wasn't too keen on, but might get used to if I had one.

There are ebikes with the Shimano Alfine 11 which does have better ratios then the seven and eight speeds.

I had one.

Connecting the cable was simple, but only just possible with fingers.

To be sure, you would need to carry a small pair of pin nose pliers.