Elise Electric Explorer from bicycles4u

[Fleetingcrows]

I'm looking at the moment for an affordable ebike to use for my 5mile (fairly hilly) commute to and from work 4x a week.
I can't afford anything too expensive at the moment, but I also don't want anything that will fall to pieces after a month.
I've just seen the Elise Electric Explorer bike on bicycle4u for £599, which seem to look pretty good for me. (It's foldable, but the wheels aren't really small and it's not too heavy.)

I know I've read on some other forums that bikes from there aren't great because of their 6.6Ah battery, but I was wondering if anyone could tell that if I find that it isn't powerful enough for me after a few months/year of usage would it be possible to replace the battery with a 10Ah one, or would it not be compatible with the bike?

 

[mw1]

Hi Fc,
The Ah(Amp hours) rating of a battery has nothing to do with power, it is a measurement of capacity, ie Range. Not sure about the cost /practicality of improving this with a concealed battery, but another alternative would be a separate auxiliary battery such as a frog type or rack mounted. However, bear in mind that any wiring mods required to fit one would no doubt invalidate any warranty.
Mark

 

[Nealh]

The 10ah battery if offered as an upgrade from the seller should be compatiable, best to check with them first.

 

[mw1]

If a 10ah option is available it would definitely be worth the extra cost I feel.

 

[Nealh]

As an aside the hill climbing ability of the bike will depend on the hub used, your weight and fitness.

 

[RoadieRoger]

Go for a higher capacity battery for better range , 10Ah is the best compromise for range and cost . Batteries deteriorate over time and if you start off with a small range it only gets smaller . The Woosh range is good value as well , my Brother has the Santana and it`s been excellent over three and a half years , still with plenty of range and faster than my small wheeled Batribike Folder which has also been excellent over 6 years , apart from a re-cell to get the range back to 35 miles . The re-cell with Samsung batteries lifted my capacity from the original 8 Ah to 11 Ah . Unless you want the folding ability which comes with smaller wheels , go for the bigger wheel . Telescopic front forks and seat post help to give a nicer ride too !

 

[Scott clarke]

I'm looking at the moment for an affordable ebike to use for my 5mile (fairly hilly) commute to and from work 4x a week.
I can't afford anything too expensive at the moment, but I also don't want anything that will fall to pieces after a month.
I've just seen the Elise Electric Explorer bike on bicycle4u for £599, which seem to look pretty good for me. (It's foldable, but the wheels aren't really small and it's not too heavy.)

I know I've read on some other forums that bikes from there aren't great because of their 6.6Ah battery, but I was wondering if anyone could tell that if I find that it isn't powerful enough for me after a few months/year of usage would it be possible to replace the battery with a 10Ah one, or would it not be compatible with the bike?

http://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/Item/Brands/Cyclotricity/Cyclotricity_Revolver_Hybrid_Electric_Bike.aspx.............a little bit more expensive but they have a selection of battery upgrades

 

[Scott clarke]

Not sure why that link won't work but it's from ebikes direct.....

 

[Fleetingcrows]

Not sure why that link won't work but it's from ebikes direct.....View attachment 14524

Thanks, I was looking at it before so might consider it more in depth!

 

[Fleetingcrows]

Hi Fc,
The Ah(Amp hours) rating of a battery has nothing to do with power, it is a measurement of capacity, ie Range. Not sure about the cost /practicality of improving this with a concealed battery, but another alternative would be a separate auxiliary battery such as a frog type or rack mounted. However, bear in mind that any wiring mods required to fit one would no doubt invalidate any warranty.
Mark

Ah thanks for clearing that up! I've just been looking at this http://www.decathlon.co.uk/bebike-500-electric-bike-250w-24v-id_8300084.html bike and it says it's an 8A battery, presumably the same as Ah, which the quote they give for distance I think is good enough for me. I'll keep looking around though.

 

[Alan Quay]

Ah thanks for clearing that up! I've just been looking at this http://www.decathlon.co.uk/bebike-500-electric-bike-250w-24v-id_8300084.html bike and it says it's an 8A battery, presumably the same as Ah, which the quote they give for distance I think is good enough for me. I'll keep looking around though.

To compare batteries, and get a real word range, multiply V x Ah to get Watt-hours (Wh). Divide that by 12 to get range.

So, that decathlon has a 192Wh battery, and an aprox range of 16 miles.

It probably won't pull the skin off a rice pudding though.



Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[Fleetingcrows]

Go for a higher capacity battery for better range , 10Ah is the best compromise for range and cost . Batteries deteriorate over time and if you start off with a small range it only gets smaller . The Woosh range is good value as well , my Brother has the Santana and it`s been excellent over three and a half years , still with plenty of range and faster than my small wheeled Batribike Folder which has also been excellent over 6 years , apart from a re-cell to get the range back to 35 miles . The re-cell with Samsung batteries lifted my capacity from the original 8 Ah to 11 Ah . Unless you want the folding ability which comes with smaller wheels , go for the bigger wheel . Telescopic front forks and seat post help to give a nicer ride too !

That was very helpful, thank you! I'd looked at the Woosh bikes before, but unfortunately are a little out of my price range at the moment. I know I won't get a fantastic bike for a low price but some of them don't look to be too bad.
At the moment I'm considering the B'twin Bebike 500, the Bycycle Ibex bike and the Cyclotricity Revolver Hybrid as I'm going off the Elise with such a low Ah compared to others in a similar price bracket.

 

[Alan Quay]

That was very helpful, thank you! I'd looked at the Woosh bikes before, but unfortunately are a little out of my price range at the moment. I know I won't get a fantastic bike for a low price but some of them don't look to be too bad.
At the moment I'm considering the B'twin Bebike 500, the Bycycle Ibex bike and the Cyclotricity Revolver Hybrid as I'm going off the Elise with such a low Ah compared to others in a similar price bracket.

See previous comment. The Elise has a larger capacity battery than the B'twin

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[Fleetingcrows]

To compare batteries, and get a real word range, multiply V x Ah to get Watt-hours (Wh). Divide that by 12 to get range.

So, that decathlon has a 192Wh battery, and an aprox range of 16 miles.

It probably won't pull the skin off a rice pudding though.



Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Well that sounds pretty disappointing. A useful equation though, thanks.
That distance would be enough to suit me, but considering what people have said about over time the range decreases it might not be enough after a while.

 

[Alan Quay]

Well that sounds pretty disappointing. A useful equation though, thanks.
That distance would be enough to suit me, but considering what people have said about over time the range decreases it might not be enough after a while.

You may get more if you are light/fit. I'm basing it on 12Wh/mile which is considered 'average'. I have been up at 20 and am now down to about 6.5 Wh/mile. But, frankly if you can do 6.5Wh/mile then an ebike is a bit isn't a waste of time. (I have some specific challenges that make it worthwhile in my case)

Just don't ever believe the nonsense range figures that the manufacturers quote.

 

[Chainring]

I'm looking at the moment for an affordable ebike to use for my 5mile (fairly hilly) commute to and from work 4x a week.
I can't afford anything too expensive at the moment, but I also don't want anything that will fall to pieces after a month.
I've just seen the Elise Electric Explorer bike on bicycle4u for £599, which seem to look pretty good for me. (It's foldable, but the wheels aren't really small and it's not too heavy.)

I know I've read on some other forums that bikes from there aren't great because of their 6.6Ah battery, but I was wondering if anyone could tell that if I find that it isn't powerful enough for me after a few months/year of usage would it be possible to replace the battery with a 10Ah one, or would it not be compatible with the bike?

Have you considered the Ezee Sprint?
http://cyclezee.com/ezee-sprint-primo.html
I realise you are working to a budget and it's not easy. In fact, that's something I've just been spouting off about on here on another thread! If you consider it over a couple of years for your transport, it doesn't look so bad plus, you have a better bike to ride for those two years. Once you start using it, you'll find all sorts of places to go which you might not have considered before. I started with a Woosh Santana for £625, which was great, and a good price, but that was three years ago, and prices have crept up, and the design has changed. The Bebike is only 24 volt, steel frame and battery hanging off the back, which makes it a bit unbalanced. I bought something similar for my wife, so I know! She hardly rides it now. Hope this helps.

 

[Chainring]

There is this Smarta bike on EBay, which is a good make, and worth keeping your eye on:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Smarta-36-volt-electric-bike-with-brand-new-battery-and-charger-/182193804661?hash=item2a6b98d575:g:6fkAAOSwRQlXeWlz
I have no connection with it, but it's the sort of bike I have built for myself.

 

[Fleetingcrows]

Have you considered the Ezee Sprint?
http://cyclezee.com/ezee-sprint-primo.html
I realise you are working to a budget and it's not easy. In fact, that's something I've just been spouting off about on here on another thread! If you consider it over a couple of years for your transport, it doesn't look so bad plus, you have a better bike to ride for those two years. Once you start using it, you'll find all sorts of places to go which you might not have considered before. I started with a Woosh Santana for £625, which was great, and a good price, but that was three years ago, and prices have crept up, and the design has changed. The Bebike is only 24 volt, steel frame and battery hanging off the back, which makes it a bit unbalanced. I bought something similar for my wife, so I know! She hardly rides it now. Hope this helps.

Thanks for those refs, the Ezee Sprint sounds quite good at a quick glance. They also offer exdemo bikes with a new battery and charger for £200 pounds less (more my budget)!

 

[Fleetingcrows]

You may get more if you are light/fit. I'm basing it on 12Wh/mile which is considered 'average'. I have been up at 20 and am now down to about 6.5 Wh/mile. But, frankly if you can do 6.5Wh/mile then an ebike is a bit isn't a waste of time. (I have some specific challenges that make it worthwhile in my case)

Just don't ever believe the nonsense range figures that the manufacturers quote.

I wouldn't say I was particularly heavy, but I'm definitely not the definition of fit (which is why I want to take up cycling.) I'm mainly wanting it as an aid for hills that I'm hopeless at climbing, and making my journey to/from work quicker and less sweaty than what it would be on a normal bike.

 

[Zack @ Byocycles]

Have you seen the Byocycles Boxer exclusively available from Ebikes direct?

http://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/Item/Brands/Byocycle/Byocycle_Boxer_24_Electric_Folding_Bike.aspx