I think I want an ebike but I need some help.

[jarlrmai]

Hi guys,

I don't have a car, yet I often want to travel to local nature reserves for photography reasons (10-15 miles away) this is a short ride for me when I'm cycling on my road bike but I don't want to have to carry my camera gear and ride like it's exercise as I'll be walking around and often carrying/wearing warm clothes and walking shoes for when I'm at the reserve, so it's a transport bike I need.

I won't be going in the rain etc as good cycling weather is also good photography weather, but if it starts when I'm out I need waterproof boxes for my camera bag with 400mm lens.

I was thinking about buying an ebike with racks and boxes to carry my gear in

This bike would replace my commuter bike (the boss has decreed 2 bikes max) I thought about adapting my commuter but it's a Carrera Axle Hybrid from Halfords and I'm not sure if it can be converted easily plus I kind of promised it to my brother after his bike got stolen and I wanted a new commuter anyway.

So I;ve been looking at prebuilt ebikes, came across this one:

https://www.batribike.com/see-the-bikes/alpha

Questions

Is this a crazy idea?
Would the range be enough and would the electric assist get me there quickly enough and without too much effort? The assist limit is 15.5 mph which seems like a speed I might hit even with the extra weight being a decent leisure cyclist, but then with all the gear I assume uphills would just be alot easier?
Are there other options I should be considering? Do I need to spend more?

 

[Pale Rider]

Range is dependent on many factors such as rider/load weight, hills, headwinds, rider input and road speed.

The battery on the Batribike is 10ah which is not the biggest.

In give and take conditions it ought to be good for 30+ miles.

The bike has a rear hub motor, which is fine, but you may want to consider overall load.

A few kilos of luggage and rider who is not significantly overweight ought to be OK.

By the sound of it, you will be able to propel the bike on the flat at close to the 15.5mph cut off.

Climbing will be a mixture of easier and quicker, but don't expect to fly up hills with no effort.

You will find yourself changing down a gear or two and pedalling a bit harder, just like ordinary cycling, although you probably won't want to change down quite as many gears or have to pedal quite as hard.

There are plenty of similar bikes for similar money, but the Batribike looks as good as any and has more branded components than some.

 

[jarlrmai]

Thanks for the reply it's useful as the feel of the ride in terms of effort is the hardest thing to gauge.

Are there other bikes I should consider, I looked at the Motus (a bit more expensive) and the Wisper ones.

i'm 73kg.

 

[Pale Rider]

The Motus has the Bosch crank drive which gives a more natural cycling feel than a hub motor.

Either side of the motor it's identical to a push bike, so stuff like fixing a puncture is simpler - no motor to disconnect, and it uses standard quick release.

The Motus can come with a 500wh battery, the extra 100+ wh over the Batribike could be useful.

Nothing wrong with wispers, closer to the Batribike in that they have a hub motor.

For what it's worth, the Aikema motor in the latest wispers is exceptionally quiet.

Wispers can also be specced with bigger batteries.

Worth thinking about that - batteries inevitably lose capacity over time so it makes sense to have a bit of head room when you buy so there's still enough capacity for your use in two or three years.

I think the wisper you are thinking of will have a carrier mounted battery.

That's not quite so handy if you want to use panniers.

Often, only throw-over panniers will work because the battery casing is too close to the carrier rails to allow the fitting of clip-on single bags.

 

[Turdus philomelos]

I would consider the overall weight of the bike especially if you need to take it up stairs.

I have a Shimano steps 600 system and fly up my 9% gradient brae to my home with panniers with no problem on medium mode.

 

[jarlrmai]

No stairs for me

 

[Salar]

I've experience of Batribikes, but not the one you are looking at. My wife has a Batritrike, which we bought from a forum member.
It's good for transporting all that photo gear with a rear basket!

The build and paint quality is very good, cabling neat and has decent components.

I believe Batribikes are now built in Europe.

Wisper bikes look good too.

From my homework most bikes from approx £1000 and below all tend be generic and use more or less standard components and frames, as @Pale Rider says check out the battery amps, more amps = more miles.

So it might come down to style. If you buy a cheaper bike with low end running components they can be easily changed if you are mechanically competent when worn out.

You might find the same frame and motor on a £1500 bike used on a £900 bike where budget parts have been used.

Good luck!

 

[byegad]

The other factor is that the battery is a consumable item, needing replacement every 3-5 yrs depending on use.

 

[DM23]

Thanks for the reply it's useful as the feel of the ride in terms of effort is the hardest thing to gauge.

Are there other bikes I should consider, I looked at the Motus (a bit more expensive) and the Wisper ones.

i'm 73kg.

I have the step-through Motus and it rides pretty much like a normal bike, except there's a bit of extra oomph from the motor. The motor is pretty quiet but you can definitely hear when it kicks in. Don't really feel it through, its pretty smooth - I guess because the way it works is by multiplying whatever effort you put in.

Mine has a carrier battery - throw over style panniers fit fine and so does my New Looxs bag which just clips on - but there isn't much clearance on the rack. If you're thinking of a bike with a carrier battery and you've got specific panniers in mind for your camera etc. then it'd probably be a good idea to take them along to a shop with some ebikes in stock so you can check whether they're likely to fit.

 

[jann71]

I would consider the overall weight of the bike especially if you need to take it up stairs.

I have a Shimano steps 600 system and fly up my 9% gradient brae to my home with panniers with no problem on medium mode.

Which model of bike do you have?

 

[Turdus philomelos]

Which model of bike do you have?

Whyte