Anyone know much about electric bicycles?

[BonApp]

I’d like one for my commute...

Home to work is all downhill, work to home is all uphill. According to google maps it would be 20 mins there on a bike and 40 mins back.

I thought an e-bike would be a good way to still ride but get a bit of help with the hills.

Plus it’s bloody hot at 5:30pm here at the moment, and will be until about the first week of October (I live abroad). When winter kicks in it will be cold and snowy so I’ll want to get home quickly.

I’ve seen a discounted one but I don’t really know where to start with it all! Some are stupidly expensive and I don’t want to get one and find the ride is too hard and I’ll never use it.

Any tips or experiences to share please? Thanks!

I have one - I live near the mountains (not in the UK) and some of the hills would be impossible without a bit of a motor. I love mine, it was expensive though. Iirc the chap said you need to make sure you get a sturdy frame, but I pull a child trailer too.
40 minutes is an OK bike commute, around 6 miles or so? Maybe less if it is only 20 minutes there. It being downhill to work means you won't be sweaty when you get to work so that's also a bonus 😊

That’s it violet some bits would be impossible I’m sure.

It’s 5km so not far at all. 10 mins by car each way. I love my short commute but need to fit in some exercise. And yes, I’m glad it’s downhill on the way to work and not vice versa.

I’ve never actually ridden an e-bike before so no idea how they work or what they are like on hills but really hoping it could help me get fitter.

What make is yours violet?

I have one. It's amazing, one of the best things I've ever bought. Been riding for 15 years and it's a game changer. Mine was very expensive but that's a choice rather than necessity. Mine is a mountain bike so would normally cost more anyway. My commute is 8 miles off road each way, and I can get 2 in a week without recharge.

E bikes are much heavier than normal bikes, so this is a factor if you need to lift it. From what I can see, the cheaper ones have a motor in the rear wheel, more expensive ones in the frame. Mine is the latter, think this type will handle better but that may not be relevant to you.

Most bike shops allow for test rides, definitely do that before you buy. Halfords do 48hrs so you could try different ones to see if spending 2k rather than 1k is worth it. If your employer does the cycle to work scheme, you can pay in instalments before tax and ni.

Personally I love off road, as it gives you loads more options for routes and you can relax away from the traffic. I have other bikes, but wasn't fit enough to enjoy them as it's very hilly here. E bikes make riding possible again, plus you have to pedal still so am getting fitter fast. It means you can choose your effort but know you won't run out of puff.

Mine is a Specialized. Let me know your budget and I could look a few up for you.

Thanks ina.

I’m not in the UK so can’t go to Halfords sadly. I guess my budget is the lower end (prob £1k).

Might be a silly question but are they suitable for family bike rides too? Oldest DC is just getting into using the bike and youngest would enjoy being in a child seat so would like to use it for leisurely rides on weekends too.

What country are you in? I can probably find something. The bigger bike chains in the U.K. look like they're also doing longer test rides. Fit on the bike is really important.

I take my 7 yo out, she is pretty fit so can do 6-7 miles until she runs out of steam. They often have walk assist mode, so without pedalling the bike will do 3mph. This will help you push up the hills if your eldest is also pushing. Other modes won't assist unless you pedal.

On the bike seat, can't see any real problem. I think an in front seat (where child is between you and the bars) would be much better than a rear seat, because of weight distribution.

That’s v kind of you, thanks. I’ve pm’d you my location.

Interesting on the walk assist mode, I didn’t realize you had to be pedalling. It feels too much to get a normal bike plus an e-bike so would be good to have one that is good for family bike rides too. Though also I’m not adverse to picking up a second hand normal one as I won’t use it that much... Maybe DH can have the child seat.

The pedalling thing is due to laws, I think it would be classed differently if you didn't have to pedal, like a moped. They're also limited to 15mph. At this point, the motor cuts out and you're on your own. Will have a look at pm now.

I don’t have one BUT I recently worked on a project involving them. The suppliers I talked to all said the same thing - do not economise. There are cheaper bikes but you really get what you pay for. Spend at least 1500, or you’ll pay in other ways down the line.

pint that’s interesting.

Thing is, it feels like a big investment and then I’m worried I’ll be a bit of a fairweather cyclist and it’ll sit in the garage. It’s expensive to run a car here too and I won’t be getting rid of the car so I need to strike a balance between using the bike and the car and getting good value from having them both.

Bikes are amazing things, open up a ton of outdoor places that you wouldn't get to on foot. We like to go for picnics and spot wildlife.

I've never bought a cheap bike, but they've always cost me less than 50p a mile in the end, and provided some of my best life experiences.

I get what you mean about risk. I would still recommend finding the local bike shop and getting a test ride. Every single person who's had a go on mine has either said I'm getting one or I wish I could afford one!

Yes and there’s some lovely places here we’d like to explore.

Thanks for the pm and recommendations, I will check them out.

Actually I popped into a few bike shops today, some are beautiful, but the price tags were over the equivalent of £5k - I saw some Specialized ones, v nice indeed.

I’m still pre-beginner so can’t justify that right now but am determined to give it a go!

ha! I find up hill to work in mornings the best; warms me up at cold part of the day. What is the elevation difference from work to home (how much of a climb)?
I just looked my commute difference up... only 40' net difference in elevation but I can definitely feel that difference in the commutes each way.

My commute is 120m vertical ascent each way. The beauty of the e-bike is you can choose a mode to suit how knackered you want to get up the hills.

Bon, you definitely don't need a posh one. For me, the motor and battery add say 600 to 1k to the price, and you can definitely get a good normal mtb for £500. Economy of scale makes it cost more now, but my shop said about 50% of new bike sales were electric! Have a look on ebay too, might be some bargains on there.

I don’t know much about them but funnily enough read a review of an electric bike yesterday. The tester was saying the battery/motor thing was at the entry level/low point of being useful and therefore the bike was really only suited to flattish rides....that for hills you’d need something with more power. I think the figure he said was either 70 or 700.

When buying second hand, check the battery retains charge - they are the expensive bit of the kit

I’m in Canada and have an electric assist bike. I live on top of a hill, it’s a 1200ft decent to flat ground. The idea of driving my bicycle downhill to enjoy a ride seemed silly.
So I bought a Trek Lift.
I’m very pleased with the level of assist; none then 3 different options. The battery seems to last several bike rides.
I’m not lifting it often, it is heavy but far from the heaviest on the market.
It was pricy and going downhill (weight and starting from a faster point) it can pick up speed quickly and I can imaging any crashes at a faster speed would hurt more.

For us in the UK, curious about net elevation differences in your A-B journeys, this website is super cool!

I was wondering what kind of power I’d need.

It’s about 300m difference in altitude between work and home.

A friend here reckons it’s doable on a normal bike in 30 mins once I was used to it.

We're looking at getting one but feel a bit clueless about going about it.

We were randomly eating outside a cafe recently and a couple with e bikes stopped so we asked them abiut their bike.

It was eco voltz and came well recommended. Weve contacted the company and you can test ride at home... but it just seems a huge leap toi spend over a grand on something you know nothing about or if the brand is okay!

Does anyone have an eco voltz....

We basically want a folding one so it can fit in the car to go for rides on trails further away.

Have you tried the ride on a normal bike not commuting? I.e give it a go on a Saturday morning. At just 5k that should be doable very quickly on a normal bike. My commute is 13k and am trying to get it in under the 30 minutesbut struggling to shave off the last minute. You should be able to get there on a bike in 15 or less mins if it’s only 5k.

Is it a continuous gradient uphill or one steep hill in the middle type profile? You don’t mention the type of surface but a mountain bike will be geared more for the uphill but harder work on fat tyres so maybe fit slick ones if it’s a bit tow path like, or get a road bike with a triple and a big gear range on the back and fit slightly chunkier tyres if it’s road or cycle path. You could possibly even buy one of each for the cost of an e-bike.

Someone has actually given me a decent road bike!! The tyres are very skinny which was a bit daunting but overall it’s a light bike in good condition so I plan to use that.

I did try the journey the other day. Down was fine, took me 25 mins as I was taking it easy as it’d been a while since I was even on a bike, let alone one with skinny tyres! Back up was hard. It’s pretty much all uphill with an flat bit of about 200m and that’s it. I didn’t go out as early as if wanted and I was so hot by the time I got in and had a killer headache the rest of the day and had to have a nap, so it was perhaps a bit too much as a first go

I am keen though and reckon with practice it’ll be ok and good exercise, but not a good idea in this heat... It’s about 32 degrees here when I finish work and at my current weight and fitness levels I am concerned at overdoing it.

It’s on roads the whole way lampy

Im still dithering. Im v.obese but used to love cycling. I don't want to spend a lot and not use it! I think i might overheat or get headaches from exertion currently too :(

Im scared of spending 1k and not using it though! Either way ive seen halfords do extra comfy extra big saddles which i will get+

If you loved cycling, you should definitely get one, particularly if you live somewhere hilly. You still have to put effort in, but you get to choose how much! Which means you can get better exercise as you're not straight up to your max heart rate.

Headaches could likely be from dehydration, you do sweat a lot in this heat.

Get thee to Halfords or your local bike shop and sort out a trial. Nothing to stop you doing it a few times. I don't think I'd advise getting a folder unless you were planning to take it away often. Mine is enormous and still goes in the back with seats folded down, only have a large hatchback.