Off-Road Bike - Advice Needed

[happy grandad]

I have always enjoyed two wheel transport - whether motor, electric or simply pedal powered. I own three cycles - mountain, tourer and hybrid for general road work - and am looking at buying a specific type of electric /pedelec bike.

I am now over 60 but still enjoy the buzz of speed and especially off-road. My health is not too good and I get very tired going up hills - especially off-road.

My ideal bike would be something strong enough to ride off-road coming downhill but also manage to get me up the hills in the first place.

The bike would also be used to cycle very pleasantly with my wife who has no interest in speed. We are buying a Kalkhoff Tasman (hopefully) for my wife. Comfort is therefore important and I would want not simply a bike for hills but one that can tour in relative comfort.

Has anyone dealt with this company

electric mountain bikes, electric bicycle, electric bike kits, folding bicycles

I look forward to hearing any advice on what to go for.

Happy Grandad

 

[SEATALTEA]

I had a good look at those before I bought last year although they were far too pricey for me.

It does appear to provide excellent off road power and the video shows the bike performing incredibly well up those muddy slopes.

The thing that struck me was the effort the rider was still having to input, he was pedaling like fury spinning at what must have been 120+rpm.

Are you expecting to ride in such conditions ? if not then I'm sure that some of the more mainstream bikes would suffice.

If you are a skilled cycle mechanic you may consider buying a 1000w kit off Ebay and fitting it to a cheap hardtail for off road use, it'd be half the price.

 

[wibble]

I think it depends on how rough the tracks are. In my area I've given up on riding an ebike on rough trails as it's clear to me that it isn't going to last very long. ebikes are just too heavy and aren't rugged enough for the rough stuff.

But this applies to any old cheap mountain bike. ebikes tend to be built on cheaper parts. You take the motor away and you're left with a cheap heavy bike that's probably worth £200.

 

[torrent99]

I think it depends on how rough the tracks are. In my area I've given up on riding an ebike on rough trails as it's clear to me that it isn't going to last very long. ebikes are just too heavy and aren't rugged enough for the rough stuff.

But this applies to any old cheap mountain bike. ebikes tend to be built on cheaper parts. You take the motor away and you're left with a cheap heavy bike that's probably worth £200.

I think if you are going to go off road you might want to:

a) Avoid hub motors. The axles on these are weaker than normal hubs due to the need to be hollow to take the cables. Especially avoid the Tongxin motor which doesn't have a complete axle (it's in two halves), and is prone to breakage on rough ground.

b) That leaves chain driven bikes such as the Panasonic system (used on the Kalkhoff Agattu tu tu push pineapple shake the tree...arrggh ) and for a kit the Cyclone system.

c) Look at a high powered system, e.g. 500W or higher.

The higher powered cyclone kit on a reasonalble mountain bike might be worth a look. (It suffers from water ingress apparently, although one member has had a good result with careful sealing).

 

[Caph]

I've been riding the PoweredBicycles Galileo for just over a year now and I've used it a lot off road. It's a 24V front hub motor full suspension mountain bike with dual disk brakes. It's been great. It copes with 20mph downhill runs on rocky paths no problem and I've never had any trouble with the hub motor. It will climb virtually any hill in the lowest of the 24 gears without much effort.

Mine's the low powered hill climbing version that only assists up to 10mph which probably isn't what you are looking for but I believe the 2009 model assists up to 15mph but I'm not sure if this is at the expense of lower end torque or not.

I know one other member with a different bike had a battery which cracked under off-road stress. The seat post clamp battery doesn't seem to suffer this problem but as far as I'm aware you can only get these as 24V which may not be powerful enough for you.

 

[happy grandad]

Thanks for all the advice - very much appreciated. I am not very mechanical so building my own is out.

We are going to 50 Cycles so that my wife can test their machines. Whilst we are in the Midlands I will have a look at PoweredBicycles Galileo. It looks what I need.

I would love to zoom down hills but am aware that everything is a compromise. I will still need to ride with my wife - relaxing green lanes and cycleways - and ride around off-road/cross country (North York Moors/Dales etc)

What about a Wisper 905se Sport. Would that be a good compromise?

Thanks again

 

[wibble]

What about a Wisper 905se Sport. Would that be a good compromise?

That's the bike I own.

I don't feel comfortable taking it over the rough stuff. I have tried though. The trail in my area can be very rocky in some places.

I suppose it all depends on how rough your trails are.

I know, fill your shirt pocket with marbles and if you can get to the end of your trail without losing your marbles then you're gonna be fine.

I lost all my marbles.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Lost your marbles!

Sorry to hear that Wibble, if I ever find mine again I will share some with you!

All the best David

 

[giguana]

I have tons of experience in this subject,

I started with a dual suspention GT bike from ebay, fixed 1400 watts of electric power on it, and did hundreds of miles of offroad riding.

In the end, the riding posture was bad, and i have a kindof slipped disc called a spondolisthesis.

my back is much less strong, whereas i could easily walk a while with 90kg on my shoulders. I now have a body sling and i do inversion yoga, - hanging upside down held by the hips, every few days, to stretch my 2 verteba that slip horizontally by 3-8 mm. (okay i did 2000 KM offroad on a badly adjusted bike, with assymetric leg posture)

Anyway the bike was fairly fantastic, but wet really is a drag, and i have some brand new controllers, and batteries and motors that i am going to sell on ebay..

Torque arms, cross country rhino rims, matching measured luxury spokes, etc etc.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Presteigne

Hi Happy Granddad,

If you can wait a bit it would be well worth coming to Presteigne at the beginning of May, all the bikes will be in one place and you can test th am all one after the other.

For details see "Next Wisper Event"

Hope to see you there!

Best regards David

 

[wibble]

I have tons of experience in this subject,

I started with a dual suspention GT bike from ebay, fixed 1400 watts of electric power on it, and did hundreds of miles of offroad riding.

In the end, the riding posture was bad, and i have a kindof slipped disc called a spondolisthesis.

my back is much less strong, whereas i could easily walk a while with 90kg on my shoulders. I now have a body sling and i do inversion yoga, - hanging upside down held by the hips, every few days, to stretch my 2 verteba that slip horizontally by 3-8 mm. (okay i did 2000 KM offroad on a badly adjusted bike, with assymetric leg posture)

Anyway the bike was fairly fantastic, but wet really is a drag, and i have some brand new controllers, and batteries and motors that i am going to sell on ebay..

Torque arms, cross country rhino rims, matching measured luxury spokes, etc etc.

Can you post a pic of your bike?.

It sounds like a monster..

 

[giguana]

Can you post a pic of your bike?.

It sounds like a monster..

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/download/file.php?id=8926

there's a pic here, afterwards i placed the battery bar further down near the wheel, and fixed the batteries propped up on top the bar and braced straight by cross lashings. which gave space for the converter, and was very rigid, batteries further forwards and away from the wheel.

Endless-sphere.com • View topic - full suspension rear carrier racks

 

[wibble]

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/download/file.php?id=8926

there's a pic here, afterwards i placed the battery bar further down near the wheel, and fixed the batteries propped up on top the bar and braced straight by cross lashings. which gave space for the converter, and was very rigid, batteries further forwards and away from the wheel.

Endless-sphere.com • View topic - full suspension rear carrier racks

Hardcore!

Why didn't you just get a trial bike?. Was it because you can briefly sneak onto roads with your "ebike" without being pulled over?

and maybe because of less noise and you don't scare the ramblers?

I know dirt bikes can be a little obnoxious on the trails.