I'm thinking of getting an electric bike

yorkshireman2

I've been thinking of getting an electric bike as it is darned hilly round our neck of the woods (Yorkshire).

If anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated. Thank!

pink_princess

No advice but subscribing as I am busy looking at them also.

dandelionclock30

I wouldnt bother they are very expensive and very heavy. Get a decent lightweight road bike with a triple ring or hybrid and use that instead.
If its very hilly take your time and go up slow or have a few stops if needed. You will soon improve your fitness and be wizzing up them.

Marco_Panettone

Aren't electric bikes cheating? ;-)

What's the journey you're looking to make most regularly (distance/terrain)? What is the furthest you're likely to ride? Electric bikes are expensive, but they have their place. You might be better off with a normal bike and 3 months of riding.

Personally I've never ridden one, so can't be much help with brands, but check possible distances and charging times to make sure the one you get is suitable for the journeys you want to make.

Mids_Costcutter

Having used an electric bicycle for a day, I'd agree with Dandelionclock's reply. If you haven't cycled for a while the hills might seem daunting, but you'll soon build up your fitness and be tackling them with gusto, especially on a good quality lightweight bike.

The question is would you give cycling on an ordinary bike a try? For some people especially pensioners, who might not normally be interested in cycling, e-bikes do offer a solution and of course you still have to pedal so are getting some exercise!

ventureuk

Electric bikes are excellent, great fun, efficient, a good way into increasing your fitness, recover from injury and generally get about.

I do about 5000 miles a year under my own steam but when I had serious back problems and couldn't ride without pain I bought an electric bike. After a year of use I'd recovered and sold it on Ebay but during that time it attracted a great deal of attention, I know four people with electric bikes now, one has an electric trike with a trailer and uses it for shopping, another a home built bike for a 30 mile round trip commute each day (running on electric drill batteries !) and two friends who asked me to recommend an under £1000 on the cycle to work scheme.

There are lots to choose from but both friends bought Dawes Boost Suburbia and are very happy with them. One actually uses the bike whist at work and has done many thousands of miles, backup from Dawes has been excellent, they replaced the display when water got inside, the battery rack when a weld cracked and even swapped an entire wheel when a couple of spokes broke....all at no cost !

If you buy then go with a big name, most are Chinese and if you have problems might have to rely on maybe a one man importer, the Chinese bike also seem to have strange frame geometry and often look a bit long.....

If my back went again and I wanted a quality MSE user approved electric bike I'd buy this.

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/59736/Dawes_Boost_Surburbia_2013_Mens_EBike

Billy-no-Money

I'd been cycling to work for three years when I got my electric bike; it's not hilly where I live but can be very windy (it's on the coast).

On the conventional bike I managed the return trip (20 miles total) anywhere from 2 to 5 times a week, depending on the weather. On the electric it's 5 days most weeks, unless it's particularly wet.

First things first; it's a mode of transport to me, not a sport. An electric bike is therefore NOT cheating, it's just the most efficient way for me to get to work. I still ride the conventional bike some days and at weekends, to keep my fitness up.

Also, unless there's a head wind all the way the electric isn't any faster overall - I cruise just as fast without the motor. For me the big benefit is in rapid acceleration up to its 15/16 mph cut-out; that's great for getting away from traffic lights, and also means I'm not so bothered about conserving momentum - so I'm happy to slow down for a pedestrian, for example, because I can get back up to speed quickly.

My bike's a 'pedelec', with a torque sensor. What this means is that it senses the effort I'm putting in, and adds assistance proportionately. It feels like normal cycling with a tailwind. In terms of exercise I'd describe it as a brisk walk; so I get about 90 minutes brisk walking a day.

Another benefit is that I can carry loads easily, and also the bike itself (a Giant Twist Esprit) is built like a tank - it handles the poor road surfaces brilliantly.

It's a complicated market and there are lots of offerings from brands outside the core cycling market. Some of those new brands are excellent, while the big cycling names might not be so good - I love my Giant, but I expect parts to be expensive if anything goes wrong. Batteries, in particular, need to be replaced every 500 - 1000 charging cycles.

I won't make any recommendations as I don't have enough experience of other bikes; but I think electric bikes are brilliant and they're moving away from the 'old man' image.

Andy_L

Do you mean a push bike with an electric motor (ie push bike speeds) or an electric motorbike (ie dual carriage way speeds)?

I suspect you mean the former but best to check. Since Yorkshire is, as you say, "Damn hilly" the former may not be up to the job

murphyg

Buy a decent 125 motorbike instead.......

sk240

I too am looking for recomendations for a budget electric assisted push bike (£600 ish) anyone else got any real world experiance on one?

sk240

Well looking arround i think im gonna go with the woosh santana @ £625