Can Anyone Give Me Advice on Electric Bikes?
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I am looking to purchase an electric bike but don’t where to start. Has anyone got experience with these and advise the best ones to look at?
I don't have a bike but I do have an electric scooter, best purchase ever, I go all over on it, nip to the supermarket quite often if we just need milk or bread, i could drive there but I prefer the scooter
martinlufc5637 I have thought about an electric but the laws for where you can ride are very confusing. I just hired one in Lisbon and really enjoyed it.
eyeballkerry I've been all over on mine and never had any problems, as long as you are sensible on it, i took mine to Bridlington recently to get from south shore holiday park so I could get to the town centre, again no issues from anyone
BonzoBanana Thank you for everyones advice. I have seen one I like that folds up which will be ideal for travelling with. I will only charge it up in the day time and only in my closed in car port where it will also be stored.
eyeballkerry Something like this one? If its a suspension model worth cleaning the stanchions regularly and smearing a little bit of petroleum jelly/vaseline just to lubricate the forks and protect the seals. It's the seals you want to protect from perishing as then water gets in and they seize. Looks a kick ass battery on it.
BonzoBanana At the moment it is hanging up in the car port but if I get a chance tomorrow I will add a photo of it.
I dont have one myself E but have read quite a bit about them
The laws are quite complex so i found this link for you to read
Its better not to buy cheap, the chinese ones have caused a few house fires when on charge, although some have been caused by people buying cheap chargers also
telmel A lot of the house fires have been ebike kits and home made batteries. Also use of the wrong chargers. However I'm not saying it isn't cheap Chinese ebikes as well just the vast majority is caused by the owners themselves. The best way to charge an ebike battery is when you are present so you can monitor it and therefore not overnight and also use a timer. So if the battery needs a maximum 4hrs charging then set a socket timer for 4 hours so the charger is switched off as soon as charged.
BonzoBanana Good advice B, also where possible i would charge outside and not in, of course this is not always possible if you live in a flat for example
telmel There are some temperature restrictions with ebike batteries so as we get into winter temperatures you may need to charge indoors and typically in cold weather ebike batteries don't perform as well you get less range. However with that said charging outdoors is definitely better for most months of the year. Some people charge their batteries in a metal bucket so if there is a fire it is contained. Ebike batteries vary in capacity a lot so the small ebike batteries are not quite as much a fire risk as the larger batteries. I.e. smaller batteries are easier to contain in a metal bucket.
Bosch batteries are very good for fire safety they fill them with glue to deny the cells air and if there are any abnormalities they fuse and it makes them safer. However they are extremely expensive batteries which are far more likely to self-brick and be useless paperweights. They can be £500-600 for the battery alone and can be 2-3x as expensive as other ebike batteries with the same capacity. So improved safety is a very costly option and being mid-drive the batteries get a real hammering, A Bosch mid-drive motor with 95Nm of torque for hill climbing is pulling 800W or more climbing hills despite the fake 250W rating. Such high torque requires much higher current which means there is an increased safety issue with Bosch batteries due to the high discharge rate which you wouldn't have with less powerful ebikes which often only have 30-40Nm of torque. So many factors to consider.
Also some work places have schemes where you can get discounts on e bikes and bikes so make sure you check with your employer
When thinking about an ebike you need to factor in your budget, your health, your weight, how you are going to use it, your level of skill to maintain it. Also what journeys you are going to make and where it will be stored when you are not using it. Also how much assistance do you need?
Like any normal bike keeping it simple can keep it reliable and factor in how much you are going to use it. Someone using it for 100 miles of commuting a week is going to have different needs to someone who only uses it occasionally.
The most common type of ebike sold in the world with about 95% market share is the hub motor ebikes, they are more reliable as more simple and they don't put the motor power through the drivetrain so the drivetrain can last much longer, up to 10x as long as a mid-drive ebike and they are also much more reliable. However mid-drive ebikes are the standard for e-mountain bikes where their higher torque output and more balanced design gives them a competitive advantage. However they are less reliable, more expensive and there are more maintenance issues. They are often proprietary too so you have to use a Bosch battery with a Bosch motor and they can only be repaired by Bosch themselves which adds to expense and delays. Lastly mid-drive are more throwaway products despite their higher pricing, the motor's require a specific frame, so if the battery, motor or frame fails it is often uneconomic to repair them unless you are willing to pay a huge amount.
I personally think hub motors are the best option for general road use and very light off road use but mid-drive is the best option for a true off-road ebikes.
However if you are an exceptionally weak person or have a lot of steep hills in your area the higher torque output of a mid-drive motor may be necessary even for road use. This is typical of the elderly or people who are partially disabled.
There are a lot of bargains about at the moment, as there is a lot of overstock about.
Normally it is not recommended to buy secondhand ebikes as the battery is a consumable which typically only gives full power for about 500 charges and then starts getting lower capacity or fails. So secondhand ebikes can be a false economy unless you get them very cheap.
Just a heads up E, apologies i did not reply you in my post about bedbugs as it was removed for 'not being a genuine offer'
I have asked moderation to look into it for me
I didnt want you to think i was being ignorant
cheers
I guess we are moving close to Black Friday now so might be the best time to look for a bargain. You need to know what you are looking for though. I.e. decide the type of ebike you want. Six weeks away I think.
We are starting to see a few ebike reductions in the run up to Black Friday. Nothing amazing so far as far as I can tell.
Also worth checking for auctions on ebay for new ebikes from established brands who might have a few auctions as a Black Friday deal.
www.blacks.co.uk/16007756/compass-comp-electric-folding-bike-16007756
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09VLGZTMD
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225869357450
This is also a good black friday offer if you have stock available.
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