Greetings from Essex

Wicky

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2014
2,823
4,011
Colchester, Essex
www.jhepburn.co.uk
Hi

Stumbled across this site while researching into leccy bikes, and look forward to continuing to learn and contribute here.

Currently a motorcyclist (no car licence) and after a heart attack a couple or three years back got into cycling for commuting and leisure which has gone well bar the recent extreme weather esp the wind!

However I noticed a sudden dip in performance even when cycling related to problems in arteries supplying leg which indicates I might need another fem pop bypass op. Want to keep up cycling as its fun, and cheaper to run than my gas guzzling Honda. Most of my routes I can do using cycle paths to get me to a train station for commuting - sometimes on nice days I get off at Wivenhoe and cycle alog the path beside the river - then the fun begins as there's a very steep hill. Also trips to hospital which is across town means having yo drop into a river valley and a steep long climb out - I persevere in a low gear as the only other option is get of and push which due to intermittent claudication gets very painful.

Despite that I still play cricket and cycle to local games with my very kit bag strapped to my back (plus it's handy when having a few jars after a match ;-) Further afield I use the M/C.

So I've been looking at a variety of options starting from getting a kit to give my Giant Escape 2 some ooomph. While I have a ton of tools to work on and maintain my motorcycle and have an O'lever in physics my practical electric knowledge is mostly confined to troubleshooting M/C problems, soldering voltmeters etc.

Then to the other extreme is getting an off the shelf Kalkhoff Pro Connect Xion X27 or a 'naughty' Endeavour. Con to that is that the dealer is a long way away. But even then I work on m/c no problem and get most of my consumables and parts online anyway. By road miles I found a Kalkhoff dealer in Rotterdam nr the Hook of Holland was closer than 50cycles in Surrey and didn't mean getting across London.

Closer to home is an electric bike dealer in Chelmsford, The Cycle Company, which is only 20miles or so away and handily nr the train station. There they have the Roam XR E+ 2014 unfortunately there's little real world reviews on em yet. My plan is to get a test ride here first whatever I finally decide.

Or there's a leap into the unknown and getting something mail-order of fleabay.

Enough of my rambling. Let's listen to you!

Cheers

John
 

lone_ranger

Pedelecer
Jan 19, 2014
85
9
52
A change from motorcycles to bicycles isn't something to be ashamed of in my book - for me it's a wee bit going back to my roots. I started on two wheels without an engine Its not about me. Perhaps there is an opportunity on this website to encourage 40 somethings or there abouts. All second hand bicycles from my big sister, never a new one. Its no shame to go back to that. The big and brave deal is that folks whom have been accepted into this club use less fossil fuel. Wonderful thing, that makes you a beautiful person in some aspect of your life. It's a good one, keep it going. They are a bit pass remarkable though.
 

Alan Quay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Dec 4, 2012
2,351
1,076
Devon
Sounds to me like you have the skills required to modify your existing bike. The electrical/electronic skills required are minimal, its mostly plug n play these days, and we can always help offer help if you get stuck.

The hard part is deciding what you are going fit: front/rear/centre drive, how much power, battery size and location, the list goes on.

If you can give us some idea of:
Your weight, terrain, range and budget I'm sure you will get some good suggestions.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.
 

Wicky

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2014
2,823
4,011
Colchester, Essex
www.jhepburn.co.uk
Cheers everyone

Average height 5'10" 14 stone - Currently cycling on cycleways, road and cycle trails - max range done on current leg powered bike is 22 miles but common everyday journey is about 12 miles averaging 10-13mph, Not looking for outright speed but assistance up hills / against headwinds and extending the range to about 35-40 miles (even if having to carry a spare battery) would be a bonus. Budget approx £1500-£2000.

The scene seems like computers with the pace of incremental developments and whatever you get this year will be improved upon and cheaper next year.
 
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Reactions: trex

trex

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 15, 2011
7,703
2,671
Cheers everyone

Average height 5'10" 14 stone - Currently cycling on cycleways, road and cycle trails - max range done on current leg powered bike is 22 miles but common everyday journey is about 12 miles averaging 10-13mph, Not looking for outright speed but assistance up hills / against headwinds and extending the range to about 35-40 miles (even if having to carry a spare battery) would be a bonus. Budget approx £1500-£2000.

The scene seems like computers with the pace of incremental developments and whatever you get this year will be improved upon and cheaper next year.
pop into woosh in Southend on Sea, they can give you a pretty good idea of what you can get in the region of £800 then scale up from there to your budget range.
 

Alan Quay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Dec 4, 2012
2,351
1,076
Devon
You have a lot of things in your favour here - being average height/weight is a good thing, and that's a healthy budget.

If you are going to build something, you can put something really nice together for c. £700 + donor bike - see www.bmsbattery.com.

If you are looking at buying one ready made, then you could do a lot worse than the Kudos range. They are in Kent, so not a million miles from you.
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
I think that it's not worth putting a kit on your escape. It has a few limitations that make it less than ideal. With your budget, you can get a nice purpose built electric bike. A 10aH battery will get you about 30 miles, so think about one with a 15 aH battery. Carrying a spare battery is a pain.
 

Alan Quay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Dec 4, 2012
2,351
1,076
Devon
I think that it's not worth putting a kit on your escape. It has a few limitations that make it less than ideal. With your budget, you can get a nice purpose built electric bike. A 10aH battery will get you about 30 miles, so think about one with a 15 aH battery. Carrying a spare battery is a pain.
What's the limitation D8veh? I'm not familiar with that bike.
 
C

Cyclezee

Guest
Below is an example of a Giant Seek with an eZee conversion.
The bike is not radically different from an Escape 2.

eZee powered Giant Seek copy.jpg
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
What's the limitation D8veh? I'm not familiar with that bike.
It doesn't have disc brakes. The forks are a bit spindly for a front motor. 8 speed cassette is not so good for a rear motor. None of those points are deal-breakers. Anything can be converted, but, for me, the kit has to match the bike, and that bike's crying out for a lightweight kit, but light-weight doesn't give good hill-climbing.

Reasons to convert are: You want more power or speed than you can get in the shops; you have a bike that you're specially attached to; you want something special that you can't get in the shops; you just like building your own things.

With a budget of £1500 - £2000, there's so many nice ready-made bikes, most of which will be better than a Giant Escape 2 with a kit added. Look at the Mosso on Ebay: Hydraulic disc brakes, Rockshox forks, Shimano M390 groupset, Cassette motor, 12 aH bottle battery. Nearly every feature will upstage the Giant, and it only costs £910 including delivery. You'd struggle to get just the electrical kit for that much money.

Alternatively, you can get a nice Kudos Tornado for £1000 with full dealer backup and warranty.

If Wicky wants to go ahead with the conversion of the Giant, a Bafang crank-drive would probably be the most suitable. 35 - 40 miles is right on the limit for a 10aH bottle battery, but that 12aH one on the Mosso would be perfect.
 

Electrifying Cycles

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 4, 2011
1,005
176
Welcome to the forum. Best advice is to test ride as many bikes as possible. Nice to have someone new from the the East of England on here :)