Bike recommendations & info for Deliveroo work please

Ghola

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 22, 2018
16
3
53
Exeter
Hi Everyone

I am looking to get an Electric Bike in about 2/3 months for Deliveroo work. I've never had one and am currently using a Specialised TriCross road shape with Disc breaks, etc

Please can you give me some info/advice/pointers, etc on how they work and what would be best for the following conditions & questions:

  1. 60/70% Flat - 30/40% Hills (in a session I tend to hit a hill 4/5 times only, 1 is a 45 Degree slope!!)
  2. Possible long shifts of 7/8 Hours BUT if the bike is good then I will split that into 3/4 hours shifts with a break at home to recharge and I will buy a spare battery soon after so i can stay out longer
  3. I primarily want it to increase my drops/deliveries per hour so to propel me along faster than my silly unfit tired old man 10mph (3 people in the last 3 days have whooshed past me on Pedelecs, lol) and to give me a boost up the hills. I ideally wanna be pootling along at 15mph at all times on a flat road, etc
  4. I read about the two types of bike/motor, can someone explain that to me please, pedal assist, etc?
  5. Does a 50/75nm motor mean more power/torque? it also seems a 500w battery is required by default for this kind of requirement
  6. I have a budget £1000 but if it all points to £1500 then I dont mind hanging on.
  7. With Deliveroo we get 15% off bikes in Halfords, if it helps
  8. Is it worth buying a kit for my current bike and upgrading it?
  9. What about "upgrades" to make it go a bit faster up a hill for example, I read about some bikes/kits that put out a bit more power for a bit of extra speed up a hill, unless I got that wrong
  10. I'd ideally like the least amount of rolling resistance and weight, i.e a Road bike shape if I can or the commuter style with slicks but I dont mind an MTB, i'll just pop some slicks on it
Many thank in aticipation of your help

Regards
Steve
 
Last edited:

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,407
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Good morning Gola,

your project is a tricky one. In normal use, e-bikes need a little more looking after than normal bikes and if used as a work tool, it has to be looked after even more - mile for mile, bikes are generally less reliable than motorbikes.
I would suggest that you choose to buy locally for ease of service. If you can get 15% from Halfords then their Carrera Crossfuse is worth a look:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/carrera-crossfuse-mens-hybrid-electric-bike-17-19-21-frames
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,407
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Is it worth buying a kit for my current bike and upgrading it?
yes, if you can maintain the bike yourself.

What about "upgrades" to make it go a bit faster up a hill for example, I read about some bikes/kits that put out a bit more power for a bit of extra speed up a hill, unless I got that wrong
that will certainly help on hills.
on flat roads, everyone is limited by the same 15.5mph assistance speed When you go faster, the motor is powered off by the speed limiter and comes back when you drop back to under the speed limit. It is certainly easier to ride at higher speed than you currently do. My advice is to fit a small to medium sized front geared hub, they are not prone to breaking spokes and add less weight to your bike.
An XF07 front hub kit with 17AH battery costs about £600 and has a range of about 70-100 miles.
 
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Ghola

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 22, 2018
16
3
53
Exeter
Good morning Gola,

your project is a tricky one. In normal use, e-bikes need a little more looking after than normal bikes and if used as a work tool, it has to be looked after even more - mile for mile, bikes are generally less reliable than motorbikes.
I would suggest that you choose to buy locally for ease of service. If you can get 15% from Halfords then their Carrera Crossfuse is worth a look:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/electric-bikes/carrera-crossfuse-mens-hybrid-electric-bike-17-19-21-frames
Thanks Woosh, I was looking at that Halfords model but then went off reading other things. I will keep it in mind then, the 15% and locality is appealing I must admit.

Yes, I am pretty good with things so can maintain a bike also my housemate is very practical and would love something new like this to pay with, he is also fixing my car and isn’t stuff like this so we’d between us maintain whatever we get

Can you provide links or info on kits either indivulal items to buy, etc?

Thanks you for the recommendation of XF07, if I chose that then, i presume that is not all I buy, what items do I get but perhaps that is answered in my question above

Cheers for your help
Steve
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
Don't be tempted by the Crossfire or the Vulcan E. IMHO, they're not robust enough against salty winter roads. The Cheaper Vengeance would be my choice because it has conventional easy to fix Chinese stuff on it, but the battery is a bit on the small side. It could be good with a spare battery. The batteries are standard too, so you can get them from a number of sources.

Other than that, just about any Cinese Origin ebike should be OK.

Personally, I wouldn't use a crank-drive bike for that type of use. There's too many disadvantages compared with advantages. Also, the Bosch one in the Crossfuse can't be fixed by yourself. Like the Crossfire, and many other non-Chinese ebikes, they have to go back to the dealer to have even minor problems fixed. That's OK if you don't want to mess with things yourself.
 
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Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,407
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Thanks you for the recommendation of XF07, if I chose that then, i presume that is not all I buy, what items do I get but perhaps that is answered in my question above
you'll need a drill, 7mm drill bit to fit the two M5 rivnuts, 8mm allen key for the crank bolt, a crank puller.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bike-Bicyle-Shimano-Crank-Extractor-Bottom-Bracket-Remover-Removal-Tool-Set/361374447894

The rest comes with the kit. More info here:

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?hubkits#xf07kit
 

Emo Rider

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 10, 2014
659
414
Hi Everyone

I am looking to get an Electric Bike in about 2/3 months for Deliveroo work. I've never had one and am currently using a Specialised TriCross road shape with Disc breaks, etc

Please can you give me some info/advice/pointers, etc on how they work and what would be best for the following conditions & questions:

  1. 60/70% Flat - 30/40% Hills (in a session I tend to hit a hill 4/5 times only, 1 is a 45 Degree slope!!)
  2. Possible long shifts of 7/8 Hours BUT if the bike is good then I will split that into 3/4 hours shifts with a break at home to recharge and I will buy a spare battery soon after so i can stay out longer
  3. I primarily want it to increase my drops/deliveries per hour so to propel me along faster than my silly unfit tired old man 10mph (3 people in the last 3 days have whooshed past me on Pedelecs, lol) and to give me a boost up the hills. I ideally wanna be pootling along at 15mph at all times on a flat road, etc
  4. I read about the two types of bike/motor, can someone explain that to me please, pedal assist, etc?
  5. Does a 50/75nm motor mean more power/torque? it also seems a 500w battery is required by default for this kind of requirement
  6. I have a budget £1000 but if it all points to £1500 then I dont mind hanging on.
  7. With Deliveroo we get 15% off bikes in Halfords, if it helps
  8. Is it worth buying a kit for my current bike and upgrading it?
  9. What about "upgrades" to make it go a bit faster up a hill for example, I read about some bikes/kits that put out a bit more power for a bit of extra speed up a hill, unless I got that wrong
  10. I'd ideally like the least amount of rolling resistance and weight, i.e a Road bike shape if I can or the commuter style with slicks but I dont mind an MTB, i'll just pop some slicks on it
Many thank in aticipation of your help

Regards
Steve
Firstly, I am probably going to get rocks and other missles hurled my way but here we go. I have always talked delivery riders out of an ebike. Why?
- Because of the cost of purchase against wages earned.
- The extra work required if the battery dies mid shift.
- Cost of spare battery
- Warranties cover normal use, delivery use is not.
- If you buy an inexpensive bike, dependability is an issue.
- The more you spend, the longer it will take to work it off.
I usually recommend a good quality, light weight cyclocross type bike with puncture resistant 25 or 28c tyres fitted with slime. The only way I see this as profitable is to find a good quality ebike used. But then you are taking a gamble unless there is a warranty.

Please, don't hurt me :)
 
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Reactions: rower

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,407
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Please, don't hurt me :)
I am not going to hurt you.
I agree with the reasons you gave, but for practical considerations, the OP can get 15% off from Halfords and Halfords won't likely know that the OP uses his bike for his work. So it's up to the OP to work out whether it's cost effective to write off the bike after two years.
If he has been looking after his bike himself until now, then a 250W front hub kit is about as reliable as you can get because the kit and the bike do not get as much punishment and wear as a rear hub kit or a mid drive kit. Also, it can be written off much more easily after 2 years.
 

anotherkiwi

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2015
7,845
5,785
The European Union
If I went into the delivery business I would do it seriously and buy a cargo bike (trike), assisted of course:

- I would be able to deliver larger and/or more items than competitors
- I would be able to deliver fragile goods that are harder to carry safely on a bicycle
- a lockable box (and bike) means more security when off the bike delivering, and a large cargo bike, especially a trike, is harder to steal - you can't just pick it up and walk away
- you are more visible in traffic
- a trike is less tiring to ride hours on end, it stays upright on its own at the lights for example
- you can carry a whole days battery power without needing to charge during the day
- can become an advertising revenue generator (ads on box)

negatives:

- cost of course, but you should be able to amortise over a longer period and it will have a higher resale value
- can't slip through narrow gaps in traffic
- needs a dedicated parking spot after the days work

Remember: "A Good Craftsman Never Blames His Tools", usually because (s)he has the ones best suited for the job at hand...
 

Emo Rider

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 10, 2014
659
414
I am not going to hurt you.
I agree with the reasons you gave, but for practical considerations, the OP can get 15% off from Halfords and Halfords won't likely know that the OP uses his bike for his work. So it's up to the OP to work out whether it's cost effective to write off the bike after two years.
If he has been looking after his bike himself until now, then a 250W front hub kit is about as reliable as you can get because the kit and the bike do not get as much punishment and wear as a rear hub kit or a mid drive kit. Also, it can be written off much more easily after 2 years.
Thanks for that I do agree with you on the warranty aspect. The maintence advantages only apply to those that are able. In a delivery persons world, you'd learn quickly but then down time, regardless, is money in that profession. The other thing is the genuine savings against your earnings with the tax man. With an £11,000 tax free base, how much more a year does a delivery person make? Would the deductions for purchase, parts and repair make it worth it. Do these people understand the tax system well enough to take advantage? All questions and statements I make when dealing with potential delivery rider customers. I alway do my best to steer the customer to a decision that is mutually benificial.

Hope this helps
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,407
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Would the deductions for purchase, parts and repair make it worth it.
I suppose it would easily if the OP went for a front hub kit. The front motor wheel wouldn't need any maintenance for 2 years. That works out about £300 a year less tax.
The rest of the bike is unaltered and would need to be looked after as before.
 

Ghola

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 22, 2018
16
3
53
Exeter
Hi Everyone, thank you for the feedback and comments, it is mch appreciated and I have read them all and taken on board most.

I understand what you say Emo, valid points off course and I am very mindful of risk/reward and the cost effectiveness of it all, hence not really wanting buy a new bike, its just too much. it seems like a conversion kit is a good compromise tbh as I dont like the risks of buying a secondhand bike too

Since I originally posted, read comments, I have thought some more..

I have a spare Kona Fire Mountain (with slicks and heavily hybrid-ised) in the shed, just needs a few bits on it. I think it probably will be a good idea to use that and convert it with a Woosh kit.

£600 is fine as I get a bit of money soon from my Gran passing away and £600 is easily written & paid off with the Deliveroo earnings (I am training as Bookkeeper/Accountant atm and have been doing books for a few years now, at the moment earnings are £500 easy a week and have the potential to be more (people are earning £3000 or more form Deliveroo, honestly)

I think with a kit too that pieces failures can be replaced easier than a sealed unit that has tro go back to ta shop to be done (i guess)

My housemate, luckily, worked in Richards Bikes here in Exeter for years and knows everything still, builds wheels, etc about builds. He can competently fit a kit and maintain it, not to mention love the challenge of doig something new. He is technically minded as he is a Kitchen Fitter and regularly fixes my car, he just knows everything, annoying git! lol

I cant really see any major downsides to this except the "possible" £600 loss if it fails, I think the chances of that are low, Woosh seems very confident in his comments, he better be, lol

It also allows me to keep my Spec TriCross as a back up in case

i strongly believe this (if it works) will allow me to ge about a bit quicker and hopefully make but more money but also allow me to stay out a bit longer too

Few more questions, if I may?

How much are the spare batteries Woosh? edit: Website works on PC not on iPad, I can now see everything on ya site, ;)
I am assuming the kits can be taken off easily and the wheel swapped?
How much weight does the kit add to the bike?

thanks
Steve
 
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