How do people get such long range?

Volusia25

Pedelecer
Apr 21, 2017
243
106
33
leicester
I've been reading a lot of reviews on bikes and it seems some people quote very impressive range on bikes with relatively small batteries.
For example a few people state miles of around 40-70 on the Crossfire E which only has an 11ah battery. Are these individuals just very lightweight and fit and only on flat roads?
 

Danidl

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 29, 2016
8,608
12,253
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Ireland
I've been reading a lot of reviews on bikes and it seems some people quote very impressive range on bikes with relatively small batteries.
For example a few people state miles of around 40-70 on the Crossfire E which only has an 11ah battery. Are these individuals just very lightweight and fit and only on flat roads?
.. there are any number of explanations. If they are riding a legal bike above 15mph, they will not be consuming electric power. If they are riding slowly at say 8 mph, they will not have much wind resistance. If the tyres are properly inflated and they are lightweight, then they will have less rolling resistance and finally some may not be truthful.!
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
The only number you want is how many AHs.
You pay for the AHs after all.
 
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Deleted member 4366

Guest
You can get infinite range if you pedal hard enough. You also get good range if you turn down the power, use a lower gear and go slower. I've had ranges of 20 miles and 169 miles from consecutive charges on my bike. It just depends on what I want to achieve from my ride, like whether I want to get to my destination as quickly as possible or get some exercise and enjoy a ride in the country.

Any statement about range is completely meaningless in terms of evaluating a bike. The only thing that matters to you is how many watt-hours are in the battery. The more you have, the further you can go. The more assistance you want, the faster you'll use them up. The rate that you use them up is personal to you and your rides. What anybody else gets is completely irrelevant.

A light bike with a low frontal area, thin tyres and thin forks will be more efficient than an MTB-type bike, especially at speeds above 12 mph. At 20 mph the difference would be massive.
 

Peter Thornton

Pedelecer
Apr 15, 2017
104
67
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Kendal
I was riding my borrowed Scott, with Bosch motor and battery, and noticed that the range seemed to increase for the first few miles. I assume that this is just the battery warming up and then giving a little more voltage? Or is something else going on?
 

fishingpaul

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 24, 2007
871
86
I guess like a car the range is calculated on current usage,i remember filling up my car once and then going downhill,i was getting around 85mpg on the computer, going home uphill it soon came back down to 42mpg,as for long range on an ebike,some people use level 1 assist and even switch off assist at times to extend range, it looks good on paper but its not real fun,there is not much point having a motor if you are not going to use it.
 

JuicyBike

Trade Member
Jan 26, 2009
1,671
527
Derbyshire
I've been reading a lot of reviews on bikes and it seems some people quote very impressive range on bikes with relatively small batteries.
For example a few people state miles of around 40-70 on the Crossfire E which only has an 11ah battery. Are these individuals just very lightweight and fit and only on flat roads?
Are you talking about manufacturer claims? Or their riders' claims?
 

mike killay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 17, 2011
3,012
1,627
Some years ago, I rode my 10ah bike back and fore along the seafront.
Obviously it the path was completely flat and although there was a light wind, going in both directions evened things out.
I did not pedal at all and got about 14 miles before the battery ran out.
 

Danidl

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 29, 2016
8,608
12,253
72
Ireland
I was riding my borrowed Scott, with Bosch motor and battery, and noticed that the range seemed to increase for the first few miles. I assume that this is just the battery warming up and then giving a little more voltage? Or is something else going on?
... No the computer is continuously calculating your power consumption and your current milage and is estimating that at current consumption what your range would be. This is very similar to the range calculation in a modern car where after travelling a number of miles your estimated range can increase...
 

anotherkiwi

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2015
7,845
5,785
The European Union
With a 2752Wh battery :)
Funny you should mention that, I am looking at a 50 Ah battery for my new project. Should get me about 300 km range... :D
 
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danielrlee

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 27, 2012
1,348
688
Westbury, Wiltshire
torquetech.co.uk
Funny you should mention that, I am looking at a 50 Ah battery for my new project. Should get me about 300 km range... :D
Tell us more....

I should be getting that sort of milage, but I'm too much of a power whore. When I'm really hooning around, I struggle to reach 40 miles.
 
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Deleted member 4366

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I've done about 50 miles on my new bike so far. I'm hoping to go through the whole summer without charging it. The battery hasn't gone down at all yet.
 

anotherkiwi

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2015
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I've done about 50 miles on my new bike so far. I'm hoping to go through the whole summer without charging it. The battery hasn't gone down at all yet.
What, not even a pint or two? :rolleyes:
 

anotherkiwi

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2015
7,845
5,785
The European Union
Tell us more....

I should be getting that sort of milage, but I'm too much of a power whore. When I'm really hooning around, I struggle to reach 40 miles.
When the time is right I'll do a whole thread, promise! :)