Regular vs Electric Bike 23 August 2017 at 9:44AM in Public transport & cycling 48 replies 11.2K views

Cezzy

Just looking at treating myself to a new bike. My partner and I love trail biking but I do struggle a bit on some of the uphill bits. As I looked around I also had a go on some electric bikes. I always thought they were really heavy and they were not. Also they look better now. Quite taken by them and it would certainly help me on the difficult bits ! Booked to take one out tomorrow on a proper trail to test.


Has anyone got one ? Any words of wisdom ?


Cezzy

AnotherJoe

I dont have one but have been looking, I've been advised by a few people that ones with the motor at the crank rather than in the rear hub wheel, are preferable, for several reasons including efficiency, (apparently a smaller motor at the crank is equivalent to a larger at the rear wheel), easier fixing punctures and better balance.
See what the folks you rent from say tomorrow.

RichardD1970

I've got one, a basic Freego Hawk which I use for commuting.

It is heavier than my other "normal bike" but is much better for using to and from work as I am not knackered before I start and if it is a hard shift I don't dread the long hard ride home.

KeithP

Have you seen the Pedelecs website?

There's reviews and a very active forum with lots of knowledgeable people willing to offer advice.

House_Martin

If you get one, make sure its got a Lithium battery rather than the old Lead acid type.All electric bikes weigh a ton, and they are an absolute pain to pedal if they go flat on a journey..Any hills and you will be pushing the thing and cursing.
In my view you should forget it and just get the lightest bike you can afford.You will have all the gears you need to get up all hills anyway..
Electric bikes are very expensive and if you buy a used one factor in the price of a new battery..Lithium batteries are also very expensive..Just google the price of a new one .They do not last forever.
Do not buy an electric bike..you have given up on life if you sit back and twist a throttle.You may as well drive the car.
Everyone struggles a bit on the uphill bits, you have at least a dozen gears. If you are healthy do not succumb to the easy way. I m 67 and just did a 20 miler fairly fast yesterday evening and felt great doing it.
I admit my bike is a dream to ride, all carbon fibre frame weighing only 8kg with narrow tyres but was nt expensive.Planet X special

Johnmcl7

I don't agree at all with the recommendation for a light bike over an e-bike as they're simply not even remotely comparable as the boost from the motor is far more than shaving some weight off the bike. I have a lightweight road bike and go out with my Mum on her e-bike and even with a decent level of fitness and being a good hill climber, I can't match the e-bike on hills which my Mum just cruises up with the electric assist. 15mph doesn't sound like much but it's a decent speed when it can do that up hills, into headwinds etc.

Also my bike makes a lot of compromises to be light and fast, it's a very stiff rigid frame running on narrow 25mm slicks with drop bars and a hunched over position. My Mum's ebike doesn't have to make such compromises since the motor will help so she has slight suspension in the front fork and the seatpost, larger 42mm semi-slick tyres, a flat bar with a comfortable upright riding position, integrated lighting system and she can take a pannier with her.

The bike isn't doing all the work either, you still pedal an ebike it's just for the same effort you can go further and faster plus you don't need to worry about headwinds and hills. You can also dial down the power if you're feeling stronger to extend the range and gradually improve fitness. It's great for me as well as I would go at whatever speed is needed but this way it gives me a decent paced ride and I have the freedom to choose any route I want without worrying about my Mum struggling on the hills.

There's no getting away from the fact ebikes are expensive and particularly as that expense isn't a one off, the batteries have a limited life and the cost to replace them is huge at around £600 for my Mum's ebike. However if the bike is going to get used regularly then I think it's well worth it, my Mum had tried normal cycling on and off but never really got into it however she's on her ebike pretty much every day - she loves riding it and finds it so handy being able to pop into town and similar without worrying about traffic.

I also know a couple of mountain bikers with them, one who has a heart condition and can't manage on his own and another who doesn't feel fit enough for proper trail riding. Both really like their bikes unsurprisingly.

John

Richard53

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

I don't agree at all with the recommendation for a light bike over an e-bike as they're simply not even remotely comparable as the boost from the motor is far more than shaving some weight off the bike.

Totally agree (and with the rest of the post as well). I got an ebike three years ago (a Wisper 905 Classic) and I love it. It made commuting by bike possible rather than impossible (hills and journey length) and I had an amazing year commuting by bike and losing 3 stone in the process. It also gave me back some fitness so I could start riding my old MTB again - I live in a very hilly area. Unfortunately a change in working hours put a stop to the commute. Mine is a heavy old lump, but comfy and very stable. However, there are many e-mountain bikes now which are much lighter and more nimble.


A test ride will probably convince you

Richard53

AnotherJoe wrote: »

I've been advised by a few people that ones with the motor at the crank rather than in the rear hub wheel, are preferable, for several reasons including efficiency, (apparently a smaller motor at the crank is equivalent to a larger at the rear wheel), easier fixing punctures and better balance.
See what the folks you rent from say tomorrow.

There are advantages and disadvantages.


Good: crank motor can take advantage of gearing, so stays in more efficient speed range (a hub motor can run very slowly up a steep hill, which isn't good long-term), less obtrusive, easier rear wheel changing


Bad: more expensive to buy and repair; much harsher on the transmission - basically the motor's power is applied to the crank and therefore goes through the chain and gears, whereas the hub motor acts on the hub only. You will need to be very precise and mechanically sympathetic when changing gear if you don't want the motor to chew up your chain and cluster.


My bike has a rear hub motor, my wife's had a Bosch crank drive. I rode both. If I buy another ebike, it will have a hub motor, but probably on the front wheel as apparently the 2WD effect is noticeably more stable in poor conditions.

Crystal_Pixie

Absolutely love my ebike. It has a crank motor but I disagree they are particularly expensive to repair. Yes you have to change the chain and the rear groupset more often than a standard bike, but a chain is around £10.


Compare that to servicing and putting petrol in a car then I think its quite cost effective.


Also, if you get the right bike with a good motor and the right battery you can have over 5 years of use (my battery has a potential of 1100 charging cycles).

Richard53

Crystal_Pixie wrote: »

Absolutely love my ebike. It has a crank motor but I disagree they are particularly expensive to repair. Yes you have to change the chain and the rear groupset more often than a standard bike, but a chain is around £10.

I was talking about repairing/replacing the crank motor if it went wrong, not the drive train components. They are seriously complicated bits of kit.

Crystal_Pixie wrote: »

Compare that to servicing and putting petrol in a car then I think its quite cost effective.

No disagreement with this. I reckon my commute was costing me about 7p per day in electricity, compared with £5 in the car. Not too long before the bike has paid for itself, if you use it enough.

Cezzy

Thank you so much for all your comments which I have read with interest.


After reading up as much as I could I decided to have a trial on some and was extremely impressed. When I used my standard bike at the weekend on a old railway trail I really noticed the difference and it was back to getting off on the difficult bits. Think I will go for one ..... and my partner fancies one also !