Fischer E-bikes

[Rickshaw Phil]

I've had the pleasure of setting up (after a lot of googling to find out what the German instructions said) and testing one of these during the last week as the boss got hold of one for his wife to try out.

I thought it was pretty good but I'm curious as to what our more knowledgeable members think of them. This was the one that he got: LINK

 

[welsh dragon]

It looks very similar to kalkhoff bikes and I believe they are the number 1 ebike. What mileage does it do. I thought it said around 140km ? Per charge?. My german is rubbish. If that's right, then the mileage is similar to a kalkhoff as well.

I do wonder. Though, if you sacrifice power for the mileage they can do. IE. Less power means greater miles per charge can be achieved. But the bike does look quite nice. Have a look at the kalkhoffs and you will see how similar they appear to be.

German made bikes to tend to be well made though. Good engineering. Made to last. Of course they are not cheap, but you tend to get what you pay for.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

From what I could see, 140km is with everything turned right down. 50 to 80km under power seemed to be what it was claiming at the mid to high power settings. Something I quite liked was that despite the weight it didn't feel like a heavy bike to ride with the motor turned off.

The Kalkhoff bikes look interesting. They all seem to have the motor built into the bottom bracket though which is a little more sophisticated and substantially more expensive from the pricing I could find.

Fischers website shows this one at 1249 Euros. Probably nearer cost price for the boss though, buying through his business contacts.

 

[welsh dragon]

The mileage you can get depends very much on the weight of the cyclist, how much of the available power they use, how many hills they encounter etc, but 30 to 50 miles average would be about right I think. I do like the fact that the battery is housed in the rear rack instead of having a great lump of a battery wedged behind the seat post.

And these days, they are trying to make the bikes a bit lighter. That has always been the bug bear with them up to now that they weighed a ton. Ebikes are getting better and better, and better looking as well.

 

[Roadrider48]

The mileage you can get depends very much on the weight of the cyclist, how much of the available power they use, how many hills they encounter etc, but 30 to 50 miles average would be about right I think. I do like the fact that the battery is housed in the rear rack instead of having a great lump of a battery wedged behind the seat post.

And these days, they are trying to make the bikes a bit lighter. That has always been the bug bear with them up to now that they weighed a ton. Ebikes are getting better and better, and better looking as well.

Hello Welshy, where you bin? Haven't seen you for a while.
Hope all is well.

 

[welsh dragon]

Hello Welshy, where you bin? Haven't seen you for a while.
Hope all is well.

Hi there roadrider. I've been around. Hope you are well.

 

[Roadrider48]

Hi there roadrider. I've been around. Hope you are well.

I am, thanks for asking.
Keep well.

 

[Pale Rider]

From what I could see, 140km is with everything turned right down. 50 to 80km under power seemed to be what it was claiming at the mid to high power settings. Something I quite liked was that despite the weight it didn't feel like a heavy bike to ride with the motor turned off.

The Kalkhoff bikes look interesting. They all seem to have the motor built into the bottom bracket though which is a little more sophisticated and substantially more expensive from the pricing I could find.

Fischers website shows this one at 1249 Euros. Probably nearer cost price for the boss though, buying through his business contacts.

The Fischer bike has a rear hub motor, which are relatively cheap - under a £100 retail - and usually reliable.

Inevitably, there's more strain on the spokes, so breakages can be a problem on poorly built wheels.

The bike has a large capacity 15 amp/hour battery with Panasonic cells, which are as good as any.

The rear motor and carrier battery will make the bike rear-heavy, and I could bang on about crank drive ebikes like mine being better balanced and offering a nicer cycling experience.

But, quite reasonably, all many new ebikers are bothered about is the bike is easier to pedal, particularly up hills.

A hub motor bike ticks those boxes, so the new owner will likely be pleased with the Fischer.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

The Fischer bike has a rear hub motor, which are relatively cheap - under a £100 retail - and usually reliable.

Inevitably, there's more strain on the spokes, so breakages can be a problem on poorly built wheels.

The bike has a large capacity 15 amp/hour battery with Panasonic cells, which are as good as any.

The rear motor and carrier battery will make the bike rear-heavy, and I could bang on about crank drive ebikes like mine being better balanced and offering a nicer cycling experience.

But, quite reasonably, all many new ebikers are bothered about is the bike is easier to pedal, particularly up hills.

A hub motor bike ticks those boxes, so the new owner will likely be pleased with the Fischer.

That's the kind of thing that prompted me to ask the question. Being the cyclist in a company full of petrolheads I'm seen as the fount of all knowledge when it comes to pushbikes so when asked "Is it any good?" it's easy enough to make a judgement on the cycle components but I don't have experience of what's good and bad about the electric bits.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Inevitably, there's more strain on the spokes, so breakages can be a problem on poorly built wheels.

You keep on repeating this myth.

Whether the torque is supplied via the chain or directly to the hub, the spokes receive the same strain for the same torque. There is no more torture involved in the one system over the other. Poorly built wheels are just that, poorly built wheels and spokes will break equally whether they are on a hub drive or crank drive.

You keep on repeating this unsubstantiated story, I see it is even in the FAQ at the top.

Explain your position or put the myth to rest.

 

[Pale Rider]

You keep on repeating this myth.

Whether the torque is supplied via the chain or directly to the hub, the spokes receive the same strain for the same torque. There is no more torture involved in the one system over the other. Poorly built wheels are just that, poorly built wheels and spokes will break equally whether they are on a hub drive or crank drive.

You keep on repeating this unsubstantiated story, I see it is even in the FAQ at the top.

Explain your position or put the myth to rest.

Look, I don't need to justify myself to the likes of you, but just in case anyone else is taken in by your attempt to pursue a vendetta against me due to the locking of the tyre pressure thread...

Lots of owners of cheap rear hub drive ebikes have problems with spokes breaking.

The owner of woosh bikes - who sell about 20 such bikes a week - told me it's a common problem, illustrated by a bike they lent me which broke several spokes.

Of course, a properly built quality wheel will be bombproof whether it has a motor or not, but a sub-£1,000 ebike is unlikely to have the best quality wheel or build.

So in answer to @Rickshaw Phil's question, it's correct to point out that one of the most likely problems with a budget rear hub motor ebike will be spoke breakages.

One could examine why, maybe the motor torque snatches more than just pedal only torque.

A legal 250w hub motor peaks at more than twice that, add some hard pedalling, and the total number of watts is relatively high.

Rider weight may come into it, a lot of people who buy ebikes do so because they hope to shift a bit of timber.

But does it matter?

The fact of spoke breaks being common on cheap rear hub bikes remains that, a fact.

Oxygen bikes, who also sell a lot of budget rear hub ebikes, reckon keeping the spokes taut helps alleviate the problem.

The arcane art of wheelbuilding is beyond me, but that's their experience.

Spoke breakages on front wheel motor ebikes are almost unknown, which may give credence to the notion the total torque applied to a rear hub bike and/or lardy riders is the problem.

 

[steveindenmark]

Did I miss something there?

I cannot see anyone having a pop, only making valid comments.

 

[Hill Wimp]

I think they are referring to another thread.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Look, I don't need to justify myself to the likes of you, but just in case anyone else is taken in by your attempt to pursue a vendetta against me due to the locking of the tyre pressure thread...

Lots of owners of cheap rear hub drive ebikes have problems with spokes breaking.

The owner of woosh bikes - who sell about 20 such bikes a week - told me it's a common problem, illustrated by a bike they lent me which broke several spokes.

Of course, a properly built quality wheel will be bombproof whether it has a motor or not, but a sub-£1,000 ebike is unlikely to have the best quality wheel or build.

So in answer to @Rickshaw Phil's question, it's correct to point out that one of the most likely problems with a budget rear hub motor ebike will be spoke breakages.

One could examine why, maybe the motor torque snatches more than just pedal only torque.

A legal 250w hub motor peaks at more than twice that, add some hard pedalling, and the total number of watts is relatively high.

Rider weight may come into it, a lot of people who buy ebikes do so because they hope to shift a bit of timber.

But does it matter?

The fact of spoke breaks being common on cheap rear hub bikes remains that, a fact.

Oxygen bikes, who also sell a lot of budget rear hub ebikes, reckon keeping the spokes taut helps alleviate the problem.

The arcane art of wheelbuilding is beyond me, but that's their experience.

Spoke breakages on front wheel motor ebikes are almost unknown, which may give credence to the notion the total torque applied to a rear hub bike and/or lardy riders is the problem.

You made the claim that hub motors break more spokes than crank motors. No matter how you phrase it, it is wrong. You made the claim in two posts. Repeating it will not make it true, nor will a belated rider of "cheap rear hubs" fix the statement.

If something is beyond you as you say, and you are out of your depth on a particular subject, it is better that you not offer advice on that subject.

 

[keithmac]

I have a 250w Gtech rear hub drive and a 350w Mid drive conversion Carrera.

I would say out of the two the 350w mid drive would be more likely to brake a spoke due to higher torque transferred through the rear wheel.

Saying that I've broken a few rear wheel spokes on leg power alone so blaming the e-assist for me wouldn't be fair..