Looking at getting a kit for a Larger Rider.

[BeefcakeTony]

Hi all,

First of all thanks for reading.

I was looking for comments and sugestions regarding getting a kit as I am about to move office and the new commute to work has potential regarding cycling it. Its now 7 miles each way aposed to 20+

The Problem for me is I doubt I would be able to manage the hills, It has a variety of different teraine some slight hills, some flat and some steep slopes. I think some are in the area of 1:5 or 1:4? thankfully those are faily short!

i currenly have a Bike, its a bit old, Its a Ralagh Amazon purchased in 1993 but I've used it for little trips every now and again. I was considering installing a kit on it aposed to purchasing a new bike. : I guess the reasons are partley sentimental, partly financal and partly storage.


however as the name sugests I'm a larger rider, Over 25 stone, hence why I'm looking into this as a way to leave behind some of those stones! Speed isn't important for me, the thing i'm more interested in is Torque (or shall i say grunt) as I wouldn't want to buy something only to burn the motor out a few weeks later as it cant handle the workload.

As for budget I don't know if it will be enough but I guess I could get about £1k together, but perhasps a bit more with a bit of saving.

Can anybody give my any sugestions regarding what I should be looking at weather it be a kit or if a new bike is more suitable for my needs, or indeed if an pedelec is not suitable for me at all.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Alan Quay]

You might be better off getting something a bit more modern to put a kit on. That raleigh is over 20 years old!

The good news is that when it comes to a kit based e-bike, the bike is the cheap bit. A bit of e-baying and £100-200 should get you something half decent for a starter.

Look out for something from a medium range manufacturer, like Carerra, Specialized, Trek, etc.

Just be aware that you can get a ready made bike for about the same money as you can build one for these days (Whoosh big bear for example), but the diy build is a good move if you want something a bit different.

Let us know your thoughts, I'm sure others will have different opinions.

 

[BeefcakeTony]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the comments, Perhaps your right It might be time for My trusted Steed and I to part company! ...

As I'm not going to be using it for anything unsusual i guess I dont need to worry about highly customizing it, perhaps a new one the way forward.

 

[NZgeek]

I built my commuter on a 1996 Diamond back.

We don't have the range of E-bikes over here though, and they are pretty expensive (compared to what I can get bits for online anyway - NZ could be very different to the UK though!)

If you start with a bike you alrady ahve, you can upgrade it over time (it's much easier to spend money over time!)

The thing with 90's bikes (if they're tidy - do bikes suffer from rot over there, like cars do?) is that they are usually quite solid... and heavy!

When I started on my Ebike, I was 140KG (nearly 22 stone). I'm now a bit under 19 stone now (120KG) ( I eat a bit less too though). I do about 6.5 miles each way (very hilly at one end though!)

I fitted a kit on my bike, and then upgraded components as I went, new brakes, then decent tyres (Marathon Pluses), then new chain and gears when they wore out etc.

The problem with a standard bike is having to mount things - especially the battery, though there are some good ways to do it.

Be careful though... you might become an addict - I have another project coming along now

 

[peerjay56]

Having tested the concept of e-bikes on my wife's rickety old Hawk cycle, I built my bike using a cyclotricity kit and my commuter hybrid - a 1995 claud butler. I took advantage of the build to refurbish the bike, because I knew it was one I was comfortable riding.

Having used it now for the best part of 12 months, my only regret is the fact that it's not so comfortable or capable on rough bike tracks, but is good on road, and well maintained cycle tracks. If you have a comfortable mtb, that would probably be the best bike to convert - but that would depend on the type of cycling you intend to do.

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi all,

First of all thanks for reading.

I was looking for comments and sugestions regarding getting a kit as I am about to move office and the new commute to work has potential regarding cycling it. Its now 7 miles each way aposed to 20+

The Problem for me is I doubt I would be able to manage the hills, It has a variety of different teraine some slight hills, some flat and some steep slopes. I think some are in the area of 1:5 or 1:4? thankfully those are faily short!

i currenly have a Bike, its a bit old, Its a Ralagh Amazon purchased in 1993 but I've used it for little trips every now and again. I was considering installing a kit on it aposed to purchasing a new bike. : I guess the reasons are partley sentimental, partly financal and partly storage.


however as the name sugests I'm a larger rider, Over 25 stone, hence why I'm looking into this as a way to leave behind some of those stones! Speed isn't important for me, the thing i'm more interested in is Torque (or shall i say grunt) as I wouldn't want to buy something only to burn the motor out a few weeks later as it cant handle the workload.

As for budget I don't know if it will be enough but I guess I could get about £1k together, but perhasps a bit more with a bit of saving.

Can anybody give my any sugestions regarding what I should be looking at weather it be a kit or if a new bike is more suitable for my needs, or indeed if an pedelec is not suitable for me at all.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Beefcake Tony,

Welcome to the forum.

An eZee conversion kit would give the torque performance that you are looking for and you read about them via this link to our website http://cyclezee.com/ezee-conversion-kits.html

But I think you might want to consider a newer strong bike to fit it to.

One of our eZee bike customers also weighs 25 stone.

 

[jackhandy]

If you start with a bike you alrady ahve, you can upgrade it over time (it's much easier to spend money over time!)

Too true - Banknotes aquire all the handling characteristics of a slippery fish once you start modding ebikes

 

[Alan Quay]

My fear with upgrading that old Raleigh is that it could cost more to do than buying something else. For a start, I would want to put on a pair of quality V brakes at the very least. That's £30 spent, and while you are at it you may as well change the cables, another £5.

Then, how is the remaining rim looking? If its not 100% then I would be looking at new wheel. Most Raleigh's I've seen had pretty low quality rims. So there's another £15.

If you need to take of the rear freewheel, then you'l probably destroy the rear wheel in the process, as it will be well and truly seized on after 20 years.

How are the tires? Again, quite possibly perished with age. If you put cheap ones on that's another £20.

So now, you'v spent £70, and you still have a 20 year old Raleigh.

Alternatively, buy something from Ebay. So many mid range bikes are purchased, used once then chucked in a shed. I picked up a Trek Bruiser the other day for £58. All it needed was a little tweak to stop the chain falling off. Its an awesome thing!

Of course, if you are sentimental about the bike, that's different. But you will still need to ensure that those old cantilever brakes are working tip-top.