Any eBike love here?

[d8mok]

Re:

Of who enforces? Police ? Yeh I can just see them patrolling local canal paths with a device to measure a bikes output/speed.

I’ve not seen one article or example of someone being charged with using a ebike which doesn’t meet the criteria. Happy to be corrected.

However ride a Motorbike down there and I’d get a visit from the plod without doubt.

If it’s powered by a human then it’s a pushbike. Anything else that has a motor should be licensed with a number plate and insurance.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re: Re:

Of who enforces? Police ? Yeh I can just see them patrolling local canal paths with a device to measure a bikes output/speed.

...

exactly, absolutely didly squat is done about them. And that why a lot of people are not liking the idea of e-bikes, then can to easily be electric motorbikes.
(a lot being, not a lot as in the same sort that moan about stuff on twitter's and in the pubs)

I guess, give it ten years to see how things progress and see the laws change to all cyclists over 14 need registration, CBT and properly defined insurance.

 

[dyna-ti]

I'm still deciding :?
Little wheels, or big wheels. Cargo bike type or trail bike :?
Each have their plus points.
I for one would prefer to commute/shop on an E trail bike rather than an E commuter.

Anyone know if it is possible just to buy frame/motor/batt' on these more MTB Ebikes ?. Certainly I dont fancy paying 3 -4 thousand for inhouse branded parts and bottom end brakes and hubs. We al have tons of high end kit. Be nice just to be able to swop it onto an Ebike.

I think you need to go test them out, from people riding them. Crank motors are the better, as they integrate nicer for a better feel with pedalling. Smoother and easer to control. Hubs are not a smooth transition, which may be fine for commuting.

Don't think of them like equipping a normal bike. gears are different etc to get the best out of a power assisted motor, at least for a crank powering one.

But remember your £1000 price increase is paying for a battery and motor (and profit for a trend) so they are never going to start cheap.

I understand that theres a premium to begin with, and its likely the main manufacturers arent going to be using the cheapest hub motor or bolt on, as they'll not be wanting too many returns, but im not looking in that bracket just because I can afford not to, and as an experienced cyclist I know what is a good bike and what is not a good bike, but agree that a try out is a must, especially to be able to judge the different types, add on or built in :?

I understand the principle, its not a motorbike im to buy.

Hows this for a premium mark up -
Halfords bog standard Carrera Vengeance - £325
Same bike in E format with some minor component changes, and not for the better, pretty much still along the lines of the cheapest parts - £1099

Even buying the best available motor/battery(in bulk) it still looks like an extra 300 quid has been added on :?
Theres a forum, 'pedelectic' im going to join, seems to be the best to get the run down on these.


There is one add on system from a company called Whoosh, and they could be something I might look at for the shopping bike, rather than have the do it all :?

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

well they have to get near the top end of the cycle to work scheme somehow ;-)

I'd be interested how you get on, I fancy one myself, but i'm wanting it to power a bike to pull a disability tag along trike.
A simple powered rear wheel (with internal gears) sounds the best in my head (read affordable, I assume you can get internal gears like Alfine etc).

Must look and see what thee is now , I've stayed away from add on wheels, but hat should be quite mature as they've been around for ages.

 

[dyna-ti]

Not sure how much help I can offer in this new minefield :? theres just too many parts to the equation, and then its different for everyone and different depending on use.
For example theres the motor, its wattage and importantly its torque and the battery, its wattage and amp hour drain. So maybe for every day use a minimum sized motor of lower torque and larger battery and you're away all day. As opposed to more torque on the same battery and its 1/2 a day.
So maybe to draw a trailer a small torque with bigger battery .

The hub gear/rear mech, I can see both benefits, I'd personally opt for hub gear, unless its purely trail, but ive no experience of that. That said Im sure maybe Kaiser in macretro has a trail set up with hub gear.

Theres a rider Ive met a couple of times at the market and he rides a rat kona, with a motor front hub, but its not like the usual and from talking its quite an old one and more a motor than an assist he confessed. #I can certainly now see the benefits of that system to make lugging shopping easier, but again its a bi of a minefield with which bolt on style to choose, although I like the look of the BB mounted affair ?

 

[dyna-ti]

Blown away by this .

Prepare yourself :shock: its a Decathlon :shock: but probably the best looking bike they've ever made.
My price too, so I'll be looking into this.


https://www.decathlon.co.uk/stilus-full ... 81581.html

 

[Supratada]

Re: Re:

Ebikes definitely have their place.

Elderly , disabled (or people who have conditions which prevent normal bikes , commuters etc I’m fine with.

But the 40 something mid life crisis brigade in yellow/orange gear and 6ks worth of Specialized are really starting to pee me off on them. Most are actually slower on trails as they have no skill and end up in your way on everything but long climbs.

Personally I’d like to see some sort of license needed and more regulation on where they can be ridden as some are nearer to a motorbike than a pushbike. A bloke near me has a stealth bomber and comes past me on local gravel canal (I average 16-17mph) at around 30-40 I’d guess. It’s pretty cool thing to own but not the place as I’m sure I couldn’t ride my Motorbike along their at same speed without legal issue

Illegally modified e-bikes are irrelevant in that argument. Its like saying vans should be regulated more because of the ISIS attacks in London.
However, the 40-something comment is IMO just another form of road captaincy. Everyone slower than me shouldn't be here, everyone faster than me (on climbs) is an idiot.

 

[Supratada]

Re: Re:

For what it's worth as well, I'd like to see the speed cap lifted to 20-25mph, as I think a lot of cyclists can attain that sort of speed anyway, so it's not like cyclists are going to be zooming around much faster than they were before. This would stop so much disappointment and make the ebike more useful to more people, without being excessively dangerous or giving rise to a nation of hoodlums.

I kinda think that should be the case for road e-bikes. As you said, once the 15.5mph limit is reached, the motor drops out and you're left pedalling an overly heavy road-bike. On a big heavy full sus e-mtb, 15mph is fine on the road (the only time I exceed that off road is going DH), but I can't help feeling that it would affect the enjoyability of a proper road bike. 15mph is an amble on the road, plus proper road version are in the high cost bracket so less likely to attract the sort of idiot who would be causing a danger on a shared cycle path, i.e. proper roadies only who need a bit of assistance to carry on enjoying their rides.

 

[d8mok]

Re: Re:

Ebikes definitely have their place.

Elderly , disabled (or people who have conditions which prevent normal bikes , commuters etc I’m fine with.

But the 40 something mid life crisis brigade in yellow/orange gear and 6ks worth of Specialized are really starting to pee me off on them. Most are actually slower on trails as they have no skill and end up in your way on everything but long climbs.

Personally I’d like to see some sort of license needed and more regulation on where they can be ridden as some are nearer to a motorbike than a pushbike. A bloke near me has a stealth bomber and comes past me on local gravel canal (I average 16-17mph) at around 30-40 I’d guess. It’s pretty cool thing to own but not the place as I’m sure I couldn’t ride my Motorbike along their at same speed without legal issue

Illegally modified e-bikes are irrelevant in that argument. Its like saying vans should be regulated more because of the ISIS attacks in London.
However, the 40-something comment is IMO just another form of road captaincy. Everyone slower than me shouldn't be here, everyone faster than me (on climbs) is an idiot.

I’ve no idea what you are talking about ISIS for. The crime in which you are talking about was dealt with. Illegally modded ebikes or even one’s that you can buy that do those speeds aren’t regulated in reality. Find me a example of someone being prosecuted for the crime of having a too powerful ebike.

I’ve no issue people being slower or faster. As long as it’s under their own steam.

I’m guessing you’ve not been stuck behind the group of mid life crisis yellow/orange gang before that enjoy blasting past you on the gravel climb but are in your way on every good bit. Or you are in that gang....

 

[Supratada]

What I'm saying is, by using the ISIS argument, is that society can't regulate errant people by introducing new laws that cover the vehicles they might use. eg terrorists using vans and shed-tinkerers who might override the limits on their e-bikes and go zooming about at 30mph on footways.

Though you say you've no issue people being slower or faster. "As long as it’s under their own steam." you clearly do have an issue with people using e-bikes. Its a bit churlish to say that only people with certain disabilities or restricted abilities should use them. Do I not count because I got fat by eating too much food and being lazy? Should I therefore stay at home rather than get in the way of "real" cyclists?