Electric bikes. Is it just me?

[redcogs]

i have installed an electric hub kit on to my bike only recently.

Verdict?

Fantastic. i should have done it long ago. Its ability to 'level out the hills' and to enable a slightly faster average has meant that i can cover more distance in the same period of cycling, and do it with a greater degree of comfort and satisfaction. Previously, i was in the habit of a daily 10 miler, after which i was absolutely sweat soaked and in need of a recouperative sit down. Now, with the thumb throttle used intelligently, i easily cover 20 miles, and remain comparitively sweat free, and can still stand up when the ride is over.

i cycle to try to retain a degree of physical fitness (i've a cardiac condition and a knee disability), so its important that i aerobically exercise to keep the old cardio pulmonary in good fettle, but without over exertion. The electric option enables just that.

i'd caution against a 500 watt job though Domtyler. They are apparently capable of really high speeds in excess of 30 mph on the flat. The legal limitation is i think 15 mph without pedal assistance, which seems quite reasonable under most circumstances.

i've yet to hear a complaint from anyone who has properly experienced the leccy option.

 

[redcogs]

Leccy bikes often have brake levers that cut off the power via a microswitch - but if yer pissed, i suppose the brake's can feel to be less important.

 

[BobWales]

I happen to think Electric Bikes have an excellent future for a number of reasons - cheap, affordable transport, no emissions, good for the less fit and great in hilly areas.

I loved cycling as a teenager and needed to cycle when I first started work. But since moving to the Peak District and spending so much time in a car, cycling is now something I do when I have the time and I have become much less fit. In particular I have "bad knees"...

I have an electric bike now and find the joy has come back to cycling. I can cycle with half the effort - still enjoying the wind in my hair and the contact with the world, and gradually build my fitness level again.

The bike I have is a pedal assist, meaning I can add as much effort as I want, but still cope easily with the hills around me.

I chose the bike through a recommendation from a friend who has one and found it reliable. He imported his from Holland for a small fortune, but I tracked down the European importer and have paid only £600 for mine. I know the bike, called Juicy Bike has recently become on sale in the UK and compares well to bikes costing £900 or more. If you can find it I can thoroughly recommend!

 

[BobWales]

Update: Found Juicy Bikes at www.juicybike.co.uk - they also supply electric bicycle kits, a wheel with hub motor, electric control, throttle and a lithium battery. 36V, 250W 10Ah £410

 

[LLB]

I went to the pub last night, and a chap pitched up on of those electric bikes from a sunday supplement. He was already pretty pissed, and he rode past the back door and straight into the wall

There are 2 people in my work who own electric bikes.

The 1st got his because a lower back problem meant he couldn't sit in a car for any length of time.

The 2nd got his because he lost his license through drink driving.

The 3rd (the company Yoghurt knitter) who is waiting for delivery of an electric bike from a company in Oxfordshire, is getting it because he is now up to 9 points on his license for speeding, and wants to reduce this risk further until the existing points are spent.

 

[tyred]

I don't need an electric bike but I think they are a brilliant idea. I was the LBS on Saturday and they were building one for a customer. I'm not sure what brand but it had a step through frame similar to a Raleigh 20 with the battery pack under the saddle and a hub motor. It looked a decent quality piece of kit and shop owner was telling me they sell quite a few nowadays, mostly to people who have lost their licence through drink driving! It can do about 20MPH and has a range of 25 -35 miles depending on how much you use the battery but it is purely electric assist and you need to pedal to make it move. Apparently, because the sensor to tell it that you're pedalling is in the bottom bracket, you can take the chain of and use it as a purely electric bike, just turn the pedals gently! An impressive piece of kit I thought (it is heavy though) and the shop owner says that he has been selling bikes for over twenty years and he has never had a product which can put a smile on the face of everyone who takes one out for a test ride before.

For now, I want to work on my fitness on a normal bike but if I lived in a town, I think I would definitely get one.

 

[another_dave_b]

A few years ago I used to regularly get passed by a elderly guy on an electric bike when I commuted to work .

He's keeping well, he passed me last Monday morning.

 

[stevew]

Good place for e-bike info is over on this forum:-
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/
Most threads seem to attract sensible debate.

 

[LLB]

The guy who has 9 points on his license for speeding turned up on this today.

He seemed dead keen on it and reckoned it took him 35 minutes to cover 11 miles which is fairly respectable. The question for me is how long will the Li-Ion batteries last given the diminishing life which my laptop and phone batteries give after a year of use, and how much for replacements

 

[bonk man]

One of my friends is a windmill generator designer and has dabbled in electric motors and possibilities for as long as I can remember.

He turned up at my house one afternoon with this bmx type thing with a car battery lashed to the rack and one of his motors driving the rear wheel.... With the right gearing it would have done 80 mph, it was lethal. I was used to riding liquid cooled Yamaha 350s and the like but this thing was truly terrifying. Wheelying was its thing with the gearing it had on it, 0-30 in about 4 seconds. I wonder if he still has the thing...... I do hope so

 

[LLB]

One of my friends is a windmill generator designer and has dabbled in electric motors and possibilities for as long as I can remember.

He turned up at my house one afternoon with this bmx type thing with a car battery lashed to the rack and one of his motors driving the rear wheel.... With the right gearing it would have done 80 mph, it was lethal. I was used to riding liquid cooled Yamaha 350s and the like but this thing was truly terrifying. Wheelying was its thing with the gearing it had on it, 0-30 in about 4 seconds. I wonder if he still has the thing...... I do hope so

350LC, proper hooligans bike

 

[bonk man]

lets not get started on those deathtraps....

 

[LLB]

lets not get started on those deathtraps....

The throttle goes both ways. Whilst not up top modern standards on brakes (or emissions ) , they are still very capable machines

 

[Arch]

For now, I want to work on my fitness on a normal bike but if I lived in a town, I think I would definitely get one.

I'm not sure why living in a town would justify an electric bike, if you don't need one otherwise?

They can be a great aid for all sorts of reasons, I agree. I don't get the 'town' bit?

 

[tyred]

I'm not sure why living in a town would justify an electric bike, if you don't need one otherwise?

They can be a great aid for all sorts of reasons, I agree. I don't get the 'town' bit?

It would surely make all the starting and stopping much easier.