Raleigh Electric Bikes

[summerdays]

I'm seeking information for my friend as mentioned on the other thread.

She did find the loan bike was very useful to get her to and from work and so she has been to a couple of shops locally and is now asking my advice but I don't really know much about electric bikes.

The loan bike was an Oxygen Diva, (that was the one I had a play on), and then she has tried a Gazelle and a Raleigh Captus. Of all of those she really liked the Raleigh which felt very similar in riding style to her current bike. The online reviews of the bike seemed to suggest that the battery was small, only V brakes and no lights. There is a more expensive model which does have those but she isn't sure she wants to spend that much (£2K).

Has anyone any advice or comments on the particular models she has looked at?

 

[Pale Rider]

I'm seeking information for my friend as mentioned on the other thread.

She did find the loan bike was very useful to get her to and from work and so she has been to a couple of shops locally and is now asking my advice but I don't really know much about electric bikes.

The loan bike was an Oxygen Diva, (that was the one I had a play on), and then she has tried a Gazelle and a Raleigh Captus. Of all of those she really liked the Raleigh which felt very similar in riding style to her current bike. The online reviews of the bike seemed to suggest that the battery was small, only V brakes and no lights. There is a more expensive model which does have those but she isn't sure she wants to spend that much (£2K).

Has anyone any advice or comments on the particular models she has looked at?

The Raleigh Captus has the Bosch crank drive - same as my ebikes.

As your friend found, they ride like an ordinary bike so are very easy to live with.

The power cuts in and out nice and smoothly, which means there's none of the unnerving 'running away with me' experience you found with the bike you tried.

You are correct the Captus has the smaller capacity battery, which limits the range.

The next model up, the Motus, is a better specced bike and has the 11ah (amp/hour) battery, compared to 8ah on the Captus.

Each amp hour equates to about three or four miles of range, so the Captus will have a range of up to 30 miles, but the Motus will go for 40+.

I could suggest other Bosch powered bikes, but to get one in trekking spec - lights, carrier, mudguards etc - with the bigger battery will cost best part of £2k, whatever the make.

 

[summerdays]

Thanks for the information, I really don't know enough to be helping her. Her daily trip is probably 10 miles at a guess with a hill in the middle. But she needs to take tha battery up to her flat to charge, though the bike would be stored in a bike store outside. So the longer distance would represent maybe an extra day before charging.

If you have other suggestions of bikes I would pass it on to her. I'm hoping to persuade her that it might be worth spending the extra couple of hundred pounds, it probably replaces a £4 bus journey so it is only a few extra months in up front cost for a better bike. And I think her health would benefit from the regular exercise but without the exertion of her existing bike.

 

[steveindenmark]

Pedelecs uk is a great forum to ask about Electric bikes. I would certainly ask any of these questions on there.

 

[Pale Rider]

Thanks for the information, I really don't know enough to be helping her. Her daily trip is probably 10 miles at a guess with a hill in the middle. But she needs to take tha battery up to her flat to charge, though the bike would be stored in a bike store outside. So the longer distance would represent maybe an extra day before charging.

If you have other suggestions of bikes I would pass it on to her. I'm hoping to persuade her that it might be worth spending the extra couple of hundred pounds, it probably replaces a £4 bus journey so it is only a few extra months in up front cost for a better bike. And I think her health would benefit from the regular exercise but without the exertion of her existing bike.

All ebike batteries work best from full charge, so for a 10 mile journey the best battery management would be to charge each day.

Although she would get away with a 'day two' if she forgot to charge one evening.

Looks like the Captus would suit her well enough.

Only thing against that is many new ebikers find they want to do longer leisure journeys because, basically, they now can.

I take it you've been to the likes of Atmosphere and The Electric Transport Shop in Bristol.

Both are decent retailers, there aren't that many shops about which keep a good range of ebikes, so a purchaser in Bristol is in a better position than many in other parts of the country.

Realistically, you are not going to find anything significantly better - or even different - if you chase around the country/internet than what the two shops can offer.

And you will be well aware of the benefits of buying a bike locally.

Ebikes are no different to ordinary bikes as regards the sale process, so your friend could reasonably expect a discount off whatever she buys, if she's paying cash.

 

[summerdays]

She's definitely been to atmosphere, not sure if she has been to the other one, I'll pass the name on.

 

[steveindenmark]

I always used to recharge after every trip. The battery is now 4 years old and still as good as ever.

 

[summerdays]

Ok I've passed on the information and had a chat. She is desperate to buy one as after she returned the loan bike she used her bike the following week, and exhausted herself, and injured herself so that even getting to the bus is now difficult.

She has been to both those two shops, and I've suggested she try's a couple more bikes and then if the Captus is still her favourite then I think she will buy it in the extremely near future.

I comes with quick release wheels, is it worth replacing the QR with a locking skewer? And what sort of precautions does she need to take against theft? Obviously D-lock, but do you take the battery with you when you lock it up? Are they harder to steal because you don't have a key?

And do they take anything more in the way of maintenance? Will she go through chains quicker due to more force through the chain or is it actually better for chains if it's a more even spread of the load?

Sorry that's a lot of questions.

 

[steveindenmark]

It depends on what type of battery is fitted. Some are very slimline and could possibly be carried but I used to leave mine on and loosen the connection at the battery, in the hope a thief could not work out the problem.

I didnt have any more maintenence than a normal bike but keep the chain well oiled. The only problem with my bike is that it did not like very cold winters and the brake wires would freeze up. But we do go down to -20.

The website pedelecs uk has an excellent forum for Electric bikes.

 

[Pale Rider]

Ok I've passed on the information and had a chat. She is desperate to buy one as after she returned the loan bike she used her bike the following week, and exhausted herself, and injured herself so that even getting to the bus is now difficult.

She has been to both those two shops, and I've suggested she try's a couple more bikes and then if the Captus is still her favourite then I think she will buy it in the extremely near future.

I comes with quick release wheels, is it worth replacing the QR with a locking skewer? And what sort of precautions does she need to take against theft? Obviously D-lock, but do you take the battery with you when you lock it up? Are they harder to steal because you don't have a key?

And do they take anything more in the way of maintenance? Will she go through chains quicker due to more force through the chain or is it actually better for chains if it's a more even spread of the load?

Sorry that's a lot of questions.

Starting at the end, maintenance is the same as an ordinary bike.

There is no evidence of extra chain wear on the Bosch bike she is thinking of buying.

The combination of her modest input and the modest input from the motor means the chain takes no more load than it would from a relatively fit cyclist.

If the bike has a hub gear - some do - the chain will last longer because there's no wear from scraping it across a cassette, and it always runs in perfect alignment.

Wheels are exactly the same as an ordinary bike, so quick release or locking skewer depends on what she would normally want on a push bike.

Theft precaution is also largely the same as an ordinary bike.

The battery locks on with a key, and I've never heard of one being wrenched off to be stolen.

The ebike market is tiny, so the market for a stolen battery that will only fit a certain type of ebike which is owned by someone prepared to receive stolen goods is tinier still.

There is no other key on Bosch bikes, although the fag packet sized display is removable.

Without that, the motor will not work.

They are universal, so if someone nicked the bike without the display console, they could buy/steal a console to make it work.

But they would still have the battery locked to the bike, so couldn't charge it without smashing the lock and also buying a charger.

I've seen ebikes advertised on ebay with 'broken battery lock' or 'lost charger' which are almost certainly stolen.

A Bosch ebike is not a good candidate for a savvy thief, but the risk is there from the type of thief who will nick anything just because they can - which is a lot of them.

Thus the ebike needs to be locked in the same way as an ordinary bike.

 

[summerdays]

Starting at the end, maintenance is the same as an ordinary bike.

There is no evidence of extra chain wear on the Bosch bike she is thinking of buying.

The combination of her modest input and the modest input from the motor means the chain takes no more load than it would from a relatively fit cyclist.

If the bike has a hub gear - some do - the chain will last longer because there's no wear from scraping it across a cassette, and it always runs in perfect alignment.

Wheels are exactly the same as an ordinary bike, so quick release or locking skewer depends on what she would normally want on a push bike.

Theft precaution is also largely the same as an ordinary bike.

The battery locks on with a key, and I've never heard of one being wrenched off to be stolen.

The ebike market is tiny, so the market for a stolen battery that will only fit a certain type of ebike which is owned by someone prepared to receive stolen goods is tinier still.

There is no other key on Bosch bikes, although the fag packet sized display is removable.

Without that, the motor will not work.

They are universal, so if someone nicked the bike without the display console, they could buy/steal a console to make it work.

But they would still have the battery locked to the bike, so couldn't charge it without smashing the lock and also buying a charger.

I've seen ebikes advertised on ebay with 'broken battery lock' or 'lost charger' which are almost certainly stolen.

A Bosch ebike is not a good candidate for a savvy thief, but the risk is there from the type of thief who will nick anything just because they can - which is a lot of them.

Thus the ebike needs to be locked in the same way as an ordinary bike.

Thanks that's a comprehensive reply...

I'm assuming I'm going to get a go on it once she has purchased it! It's one of those bikes I'd like to have as a back up but not ride daily, there for when I needed it!

 

[summerdays]

I had an excited phone call yesterday.... She has bought the first one after trying a couple more and then taking that one out again.

 

[Pale Rider]

I had an excited phone call yesterday.... She has bought the first one after trying a couple more and then taking that one out again.

I take it that's the Raleigh Captus.

Decent quality ebike which should do what your friend wants it to do.

In a way I hope she does become frustrated with the smaller capacity battery, because that would mean she's enjoying the bike and wanting to do longer rides than just to and from work.

 

[summerdays]

She does have her original bike as well, and I expect she will use that for any of the short local journeys when she will be locking it up on the street and leaving it, as she is worried about theft (at least at first). For her it is going to make a difference as she will be able to use it each day for her commute (which she can't with her bike/health), and when she can't use her bike she is struggling to get to the bus stop as walking is difficult due to injury.

I'm hoping that it will improve her health in the long run, and she has mentioned that she might try to going for a ride using her original bike if she can persuade her husband to use the electric bike. So that would be another plus if she does.

 

[summerdays]

Met my friend last night and she is loving the new bike, I asked her how many times she used it the last week expecting her to have cried off on both Tuesday and Wednesday due to appalling weather, only to find she had commuted every day! She was physically unable to do that on her old bike, and she hadn't used the maximum setting during the week either!

In the past when she has been really tired from the week she has cried off social events on the grounds of being too tired, but she looked fine! So I'd call that a successful purchase.