Does the bike I need exist at the right price...

[Andy Bluenoes]

Looking for some help to get the right bike next time round, if one actually exists.



My mileage will be 160 a week on average, 4 days at 40 miles.

I weigh around 80kg, and carry a bag with tools etc which weighs about 5-6kg. I consider myself to be reasonably fit for 49.


Commuting bike, mostly tarmac roads/cycle paths with a half mile stretch on unpaved road. No major hills, but the odd long gentle uphill length.

The bike needs to have at least a 25 mile range as I can charge the battery at work for the return leg.

For anyone who wants to have a look, here is the garmin route:


https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/14834940



I would prefer decent full length mudgaurds, but Ive worked out how to get some to work if they are not included.


Mountain bike style preferred.

Hydraulic disc brakes ideally.

Tyres would ideally be puncture resistant, but would probably fit my own anyway.

Wires and controllers etc hidden in the frame sounds good as they will be more protected from the elements?

I am used to the throttle being usable up to the limit of the bike, but rarely sue it, so that isn't really a necessity.


Speed. Well, I would like to be able to hit 18 to 19 before assist cuts out, but Ive learned that speed isnt everything. As long as I could average 15 mph overall, I would be happy with that, without arriving at work dripping with sweat. I intend to ride in all weathers, having already spent a small fortune on waterproof gear!


Reliability. An absolute must. I can accept parts need replacing, and I think Im actually quite good at mainlining the bike now. Gears, chain, tyres, brakes etc wont be a problem for me, but reasonable life length of these parts would be a bonus.


If the worse did happen on the way home, it would still be rideable without feeling like you are towing a trailer, unlike the stealth!


Customer service:

Ideally with local (ish) support when needed.

Its really no fun having a commuting bike that breaks down and you have to wait over a week for parts to go back and forward in the post to diagnose a problem.


Price

It would be great to get one on the C2W scheme which limits me to £1000, and is due in June for my employer. I would be happy to pay the extra if that was possible, up to 1500, or alternativley get some sort of credit option and buy it outright.


Maybe if I had written this post last year, I wouldnt have wasted so much money on bikes that just dont fit the bill for me.


Or, maybe I expect too much from these bikes, and they just arent up to the job I need and I should stick to the car or tram?!




So far, my favourite option is the Oxyegn S Cross MTB.

Then there is the Woosh Rio MTB


Big difference in price; is the Oxygen worth the extra, or both of them going to let me down at some point anyway?


Not really looked at Whisper as yet.


50 cycles open a store in Altrincham soon which is fairly close to me, so hope to go and have a look there although they seem to only sell the bikes which are honestly out of my price range.


Thanks for any ideas and suggestions.

 

[Woosh]

have you looked at the Greenway? They still sell the cross with Bafang Max Drive for £1,000 on their website. It's easy enough to upgrade the tyres to Marathon Plus tour.
It will do easily 25 miles on a single charge, more if you upgrade the battery.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

have you looked at the Greenway? They still sell the cross with Bafang Max Drive for £1,000 on their website. It's easy enough to upgrade the tyres to Marathon Plus tour.
It will do easily 25 miles on a single charge, more if you upgrade the battery.

I hadnt considered that one....just tried to look at it, but it appears they dont stock it anymore

http://greenwaycycles.co.uk/electric/14-greenway.html

 

[soundwave]

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube-reaction-hybrid-hpa-pro-400-e-bike-2017/rp-prod154559

with my bike i can still get about 25 miles from the 400w batt from 2014 there built to last and cost a fkn fortune tho

 

[Woosh]

this one of theirs is not bad, £870, I know the motor's manufacturer well:
http://greenwaycycles.co.uk/electric/157-electric-mountain-bike-7426818350541.html
Again, it's easy to upgrade tyres and maintain.
Range is about the same for this motor.
From my range of bikes, the Rio MTB is the nearest to your wish list.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube-reaction-hybrid-hpa-pro-400-e-bike-2017/rp-prod154559

with my bike i can still get about 25 miles from the 400w batt from 2014 there built to last and cost a fkn fortune tho
View attachment 18631

Thats a good price....and impressive strava stats...have you modified the bike, or is that standard?

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

this one of theirs is not bad, £870, I know the motor's manufacturer well:
http://greenwaycycles.co.uk/electric/157-electric-mountain-bike-7426818350541.html
Again, it's easy to upgrade tyres and maintain.
Range is about the same for this motor.
From my range of bikes, the Rio MTB is the nearest to your wish list.

Thanks for that....is an 11ah battery enough though?
The Rio does seem pretty good. I guess as its not even out yet, there are no review yet.

Definitely one for the short list though.

 

[soundwave]

i have a dongle so the speed limit is 35mph

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

i have a dongle so the speed limit is 35mph
View attachment 18632

SHould have guessed that

Does it cut out at 15.5 without or go any higher?

 

[Woosh]

Thanks for that....is an 11ah battery enough though?
.

the motor is similar to Bafang BBS01, you get about 30-35 miles from an 11AH batttery.
The main thing is Chinese hubs are not very good, the ball bearings go at around 3,000 miles. You need better wheels for 8,000 miles a year. CD motors also need greasing more than small geared hubs.

 

[soundwave]

it is as fast as the gearing you have on it so with my 18t at front and 10t on the rear can hit 30mph on the flat.

the dongle just slides over the speed sensor ans yes with out it will cut out at 15.5mph.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

the motor is similar to Bafang BBS01, you get about 30-35 miles from an 11AH batttery.
The main thing is Chinese hubs are not very good, the ball bearings go at around 3,000 miles. You need better wheels for 8,000 miles a year. CD motors also need greasing more than small geared hubs.

the motor is similar to Bafang BBS01, you get about 30-35 miles from an 11AH batttery.
The main thing is Chinese hubs are not very good, the ball bearings go at around 3,000 miles. You need better wheels for 8,000 miles a year. CD motors also need greasing more than small geared hubs.

By Chinese...do you mean the one on my stealth? and I need a better bike to do my mileage? No offence taken if it is, because im rapidly beginning to feel that way.

Out of interest...how is that 30 -35 miles estimated?
Say I weigh 90kg with my baggae, on a fairly level run and little wind, how far would that battery take me if i had it on highest assitance?

Probably hard to answer becasue everybody is different I know.

 

[Woosh]

I use the motor simulator at ebikes.ca. The battery consumption is mainly a function of speed, weight and the percentage of pedaling you put in. You can select all the parameters yourself. I use the Bafang BPM with 20A controller to simulate the BBS01/BBS02. Your range will drop very sharply with speed. With an 11AH battery, you get about 30-35 miles range at low assist (you do half the work), a little over legal limit now and then to average 15mph. If you increase the average speed to 20mph, you'd get 17-20 miles.

 

[Andy Bluenoes]

I use the motor simulator at ebikes.ca. The battery consumption is mainly a function of speed, weight and the percentage of pedaling you put in. You can select all the parameters yourself. I use the Bafang BPM with 20A controller to simulate the BBS01/BBS02. Your range will drop very sharply with speed. With an 11AH battery, you get about 30-35 miles range at low assist (you do half the work), a little over legal limit now and then to average 15mph. If you increase the average speed to 20mph, you'd get 17-20 miles.

Thanks, useful site

If only I knew what all the motors are, I could do more comparisons. Be interesting to comapre the stealth with the woosh and oxygen.
Is the 8 fun motor the same as the BPM?

 

[Danidl]

I use the motor simulator at ebikes.ca. The battery consumption is mainly a function of speed, weight and the percentage of pedaling you put in. You can select all the parameters yourself. I use the Bafang BPM with 20A controller to simulate the BBS01/BBS02. Your range will drop very sharply with speed. With an 11AH battery, you get about 30-35 miles range at low assist (you do half the work), a little over legal limit now and then to average 15mph. If you increase the average speed to 20mph, you'd get 17-20 miles.

... Very informative, even a minor increase in speed cuts dramatically into range. Bosch also have a simulator... Without graphics, but this allows one to play with terrain, weights speeds etc and in my limited experience send to be giving fair results for their system. The same result speed cuts down dramatically on range.

 

[Woosh]

Thanks, useful site

If only I knew what all the motors are, I could do more comparisons. Be interesting to comapre the stealth with the woosh and oxygen.
Is the 8 fun motor the same as the BPM?

You can use the Crystalyte 404 with Ezee 48V 11AH battery, 25A controller to simulate your Stealth. Select the Bafang BPM with 36V 14AH battery, 20A controller for the Big Bear, For the Oxygen and Rio, the motor is SWX02, the BPM is a pretty good approximation for SWX02. The maximum torque is a bit lower. The main difference is the controller. Select custom controller and specify max Amps. I think the Oxygen has 15A controller, the Rio has 17A while the Big Bear has 20A.

 

[soundwave]

that ride just used over 1 bar from my 500w batt

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

Hi Woosh. I thought all the Hubs were chinese. 8 fun is chinese right?

the motor is similar to Bafang BBS01, you get about 30-35 miles from an 11AH batttery.
The main thing is Chinese hubs are not very good, the ball bearings go at around 3,000 miles. You need better wheels for 8,000 miles a year. CD motors also need greasing more than small geared hubs.

 

[Danidl]

By Chinese...do you mean the one on my stealth? and I need a better bike to do my mileage? No offence taken if it is, because im rapidly beginning to feel that way.

Out of interest...how is that 30 -35 miles estimated?
Say I weigh 90kg with my baggae, on a fairly level run and little wind, how far would that battery take me if i had it on highest assitance?

Probably hard to answer becasue everybody is different I know.

... Although it is for a different system the Bosch simulator , allows you to play with different bike stances, terrain, weights, road surfaces and speeds so you can get an idea how they interact. Google Bosch simulator and play around.

 

[Nealh]

Andy when new my Oxydrive 11ah battery would get me 40-45 miles, now older it manages 30 on full assist and 38 if I[m a bit more conservative with assistance. West Sx and Surrey hills where I ride is up and down and can include about 2k of ascent. My all up weight with back pack/spare battery is about 90kg. The controller is 15amp rated.