Am i kidding myself? Advice please?

[River Ecologist]

Hi Everyone,

I've just joined pedelecs after trying out a Wisper 905 at a demo. I want an electric bike!! Problem is though I’m a 20 stone women that will have to commute 25 miles (50 mile round trip) from 1st April. I used to cycle 26 miles a day from Fareham to near to Winchester and back, but then I moved further away, to Portsmouth, and started to car share a work van with a colleague. That is now being taken away and I need to find an alternative.

I think biking a 50 mile round trip in my current state (or lack thereof) of fitness, is out of the question. I still cycle regularly, around 5 miles for food shopping and jaunts out, but nothing that counteracts my natural greediness.

So my options are

1) 3 ½ hours a day on public transport, costing £200 a month (OMG!! Nooooooo)
2) Biking part of the way and then bus, but this can be done on my normal Ridgeback (but seems so dull after trying an e-bike),
3) or I was thinking e-biking all the way. (I don’t have a car nor even a parking space so the car option is out)

I quite like the Wisper 905 City for the attached lights and better mudguards, but is the Wisper up to the challenge? Will I have to recharge the battery after every single way trip of 25 miles? There are a few hills but mainly long undulating roads with some manic traffic to be dealt with. It will all be road, no cycle paths and there will be quite a few sets of traffic lights on the first half of the journey. Are there any other bikes I should consider, or is this all a pipe dream for me?

I'd appreciate any advice, even if it's to wake up and smell the car fumes!

Thanks
Emma

 

[Vikki]

Hi.

The distance pretty much excludes Powabyke as, at 15 rocks and 7 pebbles, 15-20 is about as much as I could get from it before the batteries could no longer cope - and that was with light pedalling (newer models might correct that as my old bike used lead-acid batteries).

The Wisper I've run for 2 days without charge and still had power left. Distance would have been about 30 miles. You will need to recharge at work, though. I think 50 miles would be pushing it and your battery would be constantly experiencing deep levels of discharge.

I don't know about the weight issue but either David or Douglas has said that the Wisper has easily shifted 21st. The Wisper also encourages pedalling simply because it's light(ish) and the tyres give a moderately low rolling resistance so you get the feeling that that little extra effort will net a bit of extra speed, and it does.

15 mile a day cheeses me off (only 'cause it's winter) but 50 miles a day, you're one brave woman. Mind you, public transport would be out with me at those prices (I also get travel sick and can start to feel ill just between Fratton and Havant - on the train ) 25 miles probably take an hour and forty minutes to two hours.

Mustn't forget the Kalkhoffs but they've just had a massive price hike, (£300 extra for this years model takes it way out of the range I could pay or justify). At £200 a month public transport it would pay for itself before the year was out.

Hope that helps and I'm sure others will offer help as well.

Best regards.

Vikki.

 

[Fecn]

I think that you would have to recharge the batteries each way for that amount of commuting. Your level of fitness would rapidly increase on that length of commute.

I'd also recommend giving a Crank-motor Kalkhoff bike a test-ride before you make your final decision as it's very much a personal preference whether hub or crank motor is better for you.

 

[keithhazel]

Hi Everyone,



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hello Emma, you will have all the technical info from experienced bikers soon, so my two pennies worth of my thoughts are.....is your aim to get fit,get to work or both ?.....if its just to get to work then a new e-bike of the sort you are talking,a years maintainence and bits and bobs,panniers water proofs ect is going to total about £1500..(maybe more).thats of course a one off as apart from maintainence and the odd wear and tear the only other expense in the future will be a new battery which usually will be anywhere from 12 months to 30 months....but they only come with 6 months warranty i believe although the kalkhoff range i think is 2 years warranty.....time factor wont be a saving as 25 miles will take about 2 hours each way....weather permitting....you may like me not really like riding a bike in zero tempretures in winter either so there will be spells back on public transport...however if you are wanting this for the fitness factor then many on here will tell you how they ride to work, have lost pounds even stones and love every minute of it....other considerations also are what are the roads on your route for bikers like ?... i think the benifits of bike riding if you keep it up are good,health,finance,"the feel good factor"......im sure you will get loads of good advice on here if you keep reading.
good wishes..keith

 

[River Ecologist]

Thanks guys,
I do want/need to get fit and i've always been a foul weather rider (grew up in Scotland!). The money issue is of concern but my work does the Cycle to work scheme, which will help immensely.
Thanks for the advice, i'll check out the Kalkhoff and will relook over the finances bit.
My main concern was that it wouldn't be possible at all but by your replies, it doesn't sound like the lost cause i though it was going to be!
Thanks again
Emma

 

[keithhazel]

Thanks guys,
I do want/need to get fit and i've always been a foul weather rider (grew up in Scotland!). The money issue is of concern but my work does the Cycle to work scheme, which will help immensely.
Thanks for the advice, i'll check out the Kalkhoff and will relook over the finances bit.
My main concern was that it wouldn't be possible at all but by your replies, it doesn't sound like the lost cause i though it was going to be!
Thanks again
Emma

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wish i had cycle to work scheme cos Kalkhoff would be immediate purchace as seems you get it by 30-50% off with that scheme...that makes the bike a very good buy....

 

[Mussels]

I have a Wisper and commute 40+ miles a day. It can do the trip on 1 charge in the summer but I always take the charger with me as riding with a flat battery is no fun at all.
If i'm not feeling good then the Wisper can get me to work with almost no effort from me, that keeps me from finding excuses to take the train.
You don't have much in the way of hills to contend with there (I've lived in Fareham and Portsmouth) so I don't think your weight will be a huge issue, I'm 15 stone but get up much steeper hills than you'll need to deal with*. I reckon if you used to cycle 25 miles on a normal bike then you'll find 50 easy on a Wisper.
As you have ridden quite a bit before you may find your cadence is too high for a Panasonic powered bike, they stop giving assistance at 50rpm IIRC. I was suprised when I measured mine and found it was 90 at normal cruising speed, going up to 130 to put in effort so the only normal option for me was a hub motor.
* I changed the chainring for this.

 

[torrent99]

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wish i had cycle to work scheme cos Kalkhoff would be immediate purchace as seems you get it by 30-50% off with that scheme...that makes the bike a very good buy....

Unfortunately though Cycle to work schemes are usually capped at £1000 as above that your company would have to get an FSA Credit license thingy....

 

[tillson]

The Kalkhoffs would be worth a look especially with the sort of distances that you will be cycling. The two year guarantee and 50 Cycles backup is also very good and may be worth factoring into your decision.

I have been using one since July for my daily commute and have only missed about six days on the bike, when I had a cold, since then. Fitness is definitely a by-product of riding this type of bike too!

I am basing this on my limited experience of other ebike types. I have only a front hub motored Giant Twist 2.0 to compare it against and this was a ghastly contraption.

 

[Mussels]

The Kalkhoffs would be worth a look especially with the sort of distances that you will be cycling.

If she wants to use it on high power then the best range is 26 miles, in winter and with age the battery may not be able to manage a 1 way trip.

 

[flecc]

I agree with Mussels. Although I very much like the Panasonic power unit on the Kalkhoffs, to do the trip in a reasonable time would need both gearing up and high power mode at times, dropping the range considerably.

I think a 50 mile round commuting trip is really a bit beyond practicality for an e-bike, but if it has to be, the Wisper 905 is the only standard bike I'd entertain for those 25 mile each way trips. That's well within the range of the 14 Ah battery so giving better battery life than on a bike where the battery is emptied every trip.

Regardless of bike, the other thing for Emma to consider is time. Does she really want to cycle for around one and three quarter hours twice daily in all weathers? It's a tough addition to a working day.
.

 

[keithhazel]

Unfortunately though Cycle to work schemes are usually capped at £1000 as above that your company would have to get an FSA Credit license thingy....

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being employeed/self employed as a market researcher i ended up with 17 p60's last year....some only 1 days employement others much more...but no company would dare include you in their "staff" scheme as you are not permanent...............as for the £1000 cap, even 30-50% of that is a great start.......

 

[Wisper Bikes]

25 miles

Hi Emma

I was 21 stone and my Wisper SE City is absolutely fine for me, I am 19.7 now after making the effort to use the bike every day! I absolutely agree with the others on this thread that you should take your charger with you or even consider buying a second to keep at the office.

I imagine as I, you will be using the pedelec mode with the throttle full open for your journeys, and even with the 518Ah battery on the SE city 50 miles every day would be pushing it.

I would certainly try the Kalkhoff and others before you buy but consider the battery size very carefully before you part with your cash.

Good luck!

Best regards David

 

[frank9755]

It's not out of the question but it is a long journey - twice my daily commute. For that reason, if it were me, I would want the fastest bike possible.

A Wisper is not a bad option. You would need to charge at either end.

As Mussels points out, the Panasonic system might not be ideal for you as an experienced cyclist.

There is another option that you should consider, which has had rave reviews from experienced cyclists, which is the Cytronex. Read the posts by Chris Bike and you'll see what I mean! This uses the ultra-light Tongxin motor, which is different from all other motors in that it makes virtually no impact on the cycling qualities of your bike.

Whether it is right for you depends on the terrain. Like most motors, Tongxins come in a variety of speeds which trade off between maximum speed and hill-climbing ability. The one in the Cytronex is designed to assist up to about 15-16mph and give good hill-climbing assistance. This means that you would use the motor going up hill, not use it down hill and use it sometimes on the flat, depending on wind, your energy levels, etc. It comes into its own in undulating country, where you go up the hills at 15mph, and down the other side as fast as on your normal bike. But if you are going to be mainly on the flat then you might not get so much benefit from it - the people who have reported dissatisfaction have ridden it in flatter areas.

There is a higher speed motor, which can give assistance up to about 23mph and has only moderate hill-climbing abilities. It's ideal for flat terrain where it allows a normal cyclist to cruise at club rider speeds on the flat for extended periods, and can still climb moderate hills. It's what I have on my bike. It's not legal for on-road use, but I believe Cytronex may be willing to sell it to off-road customers, and AtoB reviewed it, finding it significantly faster than anything else they'd reviewed.

Battery range would be an issue with the Cytronex (especially a high speed option). The supplied battery is very small so you'd need more than one, even though people do report high ranges (20 miles) from it. However you don't have to get a second Cytronex one - you could get something like a Ping LiFePO4, which could give you lots of range.

 

[torrent99]

The other thing to consider, especially in the beginning, is to only cycle one way, and use some other form of transport (cheap moped/scooter?) for the other direction. Then when you've got your fitness up you can switch to full time cycling. Of course this assumes you've got somewhere safe to lock up the bike/scooter at each end.

Cheers

Steve

 

[essexman]

Basically its too far.
Your journey time will be enourmous. even if you mod a bike, get extra batteries and get xtra fit the best you will be looking at it ~20mph.

Is there a way you can get public transport to take some of the strain? Can a train do part of the journey for you? Thats what i do on a similar commute, when the trains break i cycle the full distance, but thats 1 in 20 of my trips.

I suspect trains may suck in that part of the world.

 

[eddieo]

I know this may seem like heresy....But why not buy a cheapish scooter and an E Bike for leisure

 

[Vikki]

Hi, David.

It's a 14Ah battery. A 518Ah battery would be like two or more truck batteries

I think you mean Wh with that figure (37V x 14A = 518Wh).

Your batteries will deliver a juicy and slurpsome 14A for 1 hour

Best regards.

Vikki.

 

[flecc]

Hi, David.

I think you mean Wh with that figure (37V x 14A = 518W).

Or 518 Wh.

David knows this actually, I've teased him about it before, but he mainly concentrates on getting the number right, knowing as he does that we are such a clever lot that we know the rest.
.

 

[stokepa31_mk2]

Hi Emma

i have a 26 mile training loop I used to do on my kalkoff and I could make the battery last the full trip with good effort on my part. The kalkhoff will easily allow the unfittest of people to go long distances on reasonably flat terrain. my bike has a geared up rear sprocket that will let me cruise at about 17-18mph on the flat with ease. Im a similar weight to you and the bike takes it fine. I would recommend going for a diamond (gents) frame though as they are stronger.

my only concern as others have pointed out is the time the journey would take.

good luck in your hunt