Hello all, some advice please

[Rach1]

What a lucky find to chance upon this forum.

Mature lady (60's)

Considering ebike. Love cycling up hill and down dale. Health issues would benefit from less strenuous exercise (hills). Reading lots of helpful posts and I have a query arising from some of those. I think I would like the crank drive. My concern is, as I would mostly like to cycle normally, using eco mode only on hills, would it be very hard to cycle over 15.5mph on the flat. Is it even possible to use it like a pedal bike? Due to the weight of the bike would I be able to cycle without any mode activated? I understand they can also be difficult to push if walking alongside. I have a weak hand. Many thanks for any advice given.

 

[scott gaza]

Hi Rach, It would not be very hard to cycle over 15.5mph on the flat and it is possible to use it like a heavy bike with no assist. They have a walk assist function so not difficult to push if walking alongside maybe difficult to keep up tho.

 

[Eagle]

Depending on the severity of your local hills, I suspect that you may well need Standard or High assist on the steeper ones. Eco will only help you slightly up a slight incline.
Here is another thread which may help you:
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/lost-in-a-sea-of-options-looking-for-good-bike-for-hills.34206/page-2#post-494318
Use the Search function at the top of the page for more results.

Any bike with the Bosch Active Line Plus motor will have zero resistance above the 15.5 mph cutoff point.

You really need to narrow down your list of probables and then take some test rides. You can then try riding the bikes in different assist modes and also unaided.
TRY before you buy!

 

[Fat Rat]

Hi welcome
Hope you find the bike you need and want soon

 

[Rach1]

Thank you for advice.
Scott-that's good to know that it may not be that much more difficult to pedal in no mode.
You may well be right Eagle. My plan would be eco, if needed, but should circumstances require, it would be good to get more help.
Thank you Fat Rat I am doing more research as stated above. Presently I am taken with the Cube and the Raleigh Motus. This is based on reading reviews on here and another forum. Hope to try some in next month or so.

 

[Andy McNish]

This is exactly how I use my Cube Touring Bike with its Active Line Plus (ALP) motor.

I just use the ALP when I want a speed boost up to 25kph or my heart rate is getting over threshold (which is usually when going up a hill).

The answer is that, on my Touring bike, which with full panniers comes in at around 30kg I only tend to exceed 25kph with the motor off if (a) it's downhill (obviously) or (b) it's flat and (i) good tarmac or (ii) I am putting in a fair amount of effort.

 

[Eagle]

Andy,
Thanks for the video. You are fortunate to have so many lovely off-road trails near you.
Your video should show prospective purchasers that the Bosch Active Line Plus motor can cope with hills in the mid-teen percentages, assuming the rider is not extremely heavy and/or very unfit.

 

[Eagle]

Rach1,
You have to remember that when cycling up a hill, however gentle, gravity is always acting against you in the form of mg sin θ, where mg is the total weight of bike and rider and θ is the angle of inclination.
http://www.webassign.net/question_assets/tamucolphysmechl1/lab_2/manual.html
Science lesson over!

Even a gentle slope will probably require you to select higher assistance than Eco. That is why a test ride is essential on your local hills.

These two Cube Touring bikes use the Bosch Active Line Plus (ALP) motor:
https://www.wheelbase.co.uk/product/electric-bikes/cube-touring-hybrid-one-500-easy-entry-2019-19cubetouringhybridone500ee/

https://www.evanscycles.com/cube-touring-hybrid-pro-500-easy-entry-2019-electric-hybrid-bike-EV351084

You may find Andy’s post #6 helpful since he has a Cube Touring with the ALP motor.

I guess you have probably seen this thread already:
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/cube-touring-hybrid-one-500-2019-or-cube-touring-hybrid-500-2019.34234/

 

[Rach1]

Good video, thank you and some lovely views to take in enroute. To be fair Andy I probably only exceed 15 mph on my present bike under those same circumstances.
No wonder it's difficult for me to get up hills Eagle!! Thank you for links.