Electric Bikes

thescouselander

Yeah, I just ride a normal bike but I have seen plenty of people riding electric bikes - they do look quite good if you don't want to exert yourself too much. It will obviously take longer to get a return on your investment though. Also, with lithium polymer batteries you're probably looking a getting a new one after about 300 charges - this could be expensive.

uptomyeyeballs

No pics of me on the bike unfortunately. The bike did that mileage last year whilst I was cycling to work and back, between May and October. The battery was replaced under warranty, free of charge, because a fault had developed on it (great after-sales at Wisper!).

On the subject of cost, the alternative is the bus (don't have a car). This would currently cost £5.40 per day, so the bike is much cheaper for me once I'd bought it. Once i've used it this year, it'll be 50p per mile, and so on. The bike frame will last years, and replacing the battery will only really need to be done every 2-3 years on current usage, although a new high capacity battery can be £500, so best to budget for it. No V.E.D. to pay though.

I lost 20 lbs in weight over the period last year, so the bike is still doing good in terms of fitness for me. I have dodgy knees and the area where I live is very hilly, hence the choice of an electric bike. I only tend to use pedal assist where I need it, otherwise motor is turned off. It still gives you a workout, believe me!

The range per charge is about 40 miles, but it depends on wind, road surface, weight carried, etc. Overall, i'm pleased with it. As I say, it gets me to work and back without much problem, and also gets me outside into the fresh air. I'm not really interested in being a lycra clad speed merchant, so that's why I chose it over a conventional model.

Arg

What's the range without using the pedals?
I had a look at electric bikes not so long ago but the problems I found were,

• High price.
• Batteries that need replacing.
• Poor information on batteries and range.
• Hardly any I saw had regenerative braking.

forgotmyname

I dont think they are legal without having to pedal to some degree? Fully electric non assisted power required
a licence and tax/insurance etc. Red tape all the way.

Regenerative braking would be a gimmick, I tried running a 20w bulb from a car alternator to test it. I tried spinning
the alternator from a 350w electric drill, As soon as i put the bulb across the terminals the drill stalled dead.
Less than 2 amps. Imagine that in a bike, You would need to velcro yourself to the seat in case it tried to put some
charge into the battery.

Arg

forgotmyname wrote: »

I dont think they are legal without having to pedal to some degree? Fully electric non assisted power required
a licence and tax/insurance etc. Red tape all the way.

Some european countries have that as a rule but it doesn't apply here.

Regenerative braking would be a gimmick, I tried running a 20w bulb from a car alternator to test it. I tried spinning
the alternator from a 350w electric drill, As soon as i put the bulb across the terminals the drill stalled dead.
Less than 2 amps. Imagine that in a bike, You would need to velcro yourself to the seat in case it tried to put some
charge into the battery.

I'm not sure you could compare it to a car alternator.

uptomyeyeballs

Don't know what the range is without pedalling, as I always do, but obviously less than 40 miles.

They (Wispers) are restricted by speed (14mph?). Above this speed, pedal assist cuts out to keep them legal for on-road use (in the uk). They are perfectly legal without pedalling.

MsHoarder

Arg wrote: »

What's the range without using the pedals?
I had a look at electric bikes not so long ago but the problems I found were,

• High price.
• Batteries that need replacing.
• Poor information on batteries and range.
• Hardly any I saw had regenerative braking.

Regenerative braking is heavy and prone to failure for a very small return in power. Better to have a lighter and simpler bike. Its worth it for something the size of a train, but not really otherwise until the technology improves.

no_more_cards_for_me

uptomyeyeballs wrote: »

They (Wispers) are restricted by speed (14mph?). Above this speed, pedal assist cuts out to keep them legal for on-road use (in the uk). They are perfectly legal without pedalling.

15.5 mph is the legal limit for pedal assisted bikes. Not a bad speed but I'd be more worried about battery duration on hills. 40 mile range seems optimistic if you have a lot of hills to climb.

I'll stick to normal pedals, my average speed this morning was 17mph without need of heavy batteries

uptomyeyeballs

no_more_cards_for_me wrote: »

15.5 mph is the legal limit for pedal assisted bikes. Not a bad speed but I'd be more worried about battery duration on hills. 40 mile range seems optimistic if you have a lot of hills to climb.

I'll stick to normal pedals, my average speed this morning was 17mph without need of heavy batteries

40 mile range is what i've measured for the conditions and terrain I regularly cycle in. It will be different for each user.

You stick to your regular cycle, you're obviously happy with it.

Derivative

Electric bikes are nice for those in old age that can't actually make it up the hills.

Seeing a regular old 20-40 something on one makes me a bit sad really.

7 miles doesn't get you all "sweaty" unless you're pedalling in too high a gear or using a £90 rust bucket.

Better than using a car or motorbike and deserves applause for that, but I find it strange the fear people seem to have of cycling, on a real bike, at a proper cadence.