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There is one of those stories told about the irish NI customs post where every day a guy on a bike would show up with a suitcase tied to the carrier with a piece of string. Every day the customs man would have him untie the string and open the suitcase.. and it would be empty each time. This ritual continues for a number of months and eventually the customs man says... look I don't know what your up to but today's my last day here so what's going on .. well the cyclist gets back on his bike and calls back over his shoulder.. I'm smuggling suitcases.

.. hey thats exciting.. who would steal a renault?

There are different pricing depending on the model. Base model with one battery module is £269, fully upgraded unit with 3 modules is £369. The modules are made from 18650 cells, good for at least 2-3 years of fair use. Warranty is two years though and replacement only costs £45

We had some wonderful winter days a while. Enjoyed it to the maximum with some quaulity riding.

What do we use to protect our pride and joy from being knicked? I was amazed to see on YouTube just how easy it is for thieves to cut certain kinds of bike lock. So, depending on where I leave my ebike I use one or all three of the following; à Halfords reinforced cable lock, an Oxford Hardcore XL motorbike padlocked chain, and and one of those Abus Bordo Ugrip locks. The motorbike chain weighs a fair bit but is reassuring if in dodgy places. What do others use?

Hi guys ! I've been on this forum a couple of years ago and thought to share some news with you. Not many of you know but I'm the guy who created the Rubbee friction drive And now we are introducing the latest flagship model, the Rubbee X. Regen braking, completely wireless, expandable battery modules. Here it is, what do you think? Would appreciate any feedback, do you like what you see? How about the features? It would be amazing to get the community feedback. Looking forward to hearing from you, thanks ! Gedas.

Nice to hear about your bike, the mods, and your experience. I've ridden mine in 4 hours continuous rain, it performed brilliantly, however I did get a little moisture in the control buttons, and had to take it apart and dry out with a hair dryer. If you are leaving yours outside, I'd recommend getting a cover

Have to agree, the barrel connector on mine is cabled tied securely like yours (always has been), it aint going anywhere, but I still get the occasional cutout. There's no logic to it, I have had it cutout stationary at the lights (bike not moving an inch), on the flat, on smooth tarmac, on bumps, going fast, going slow, there's no pattern to it. It can go for a couple of months without cutting out, and then I get it 3 times in a week. I don't worry about it, as the rest of the bike is great

Tempting....... And he is 40 :-)

Who is riding that? Chris Boardman? It must have been doing 25 on the flat before the hill :-)

Thank you for your fast replies.

To which the Captain's reply was of course, well you didn't complain about it earlier this morning!

One battery module gives about 10miles (16km) of pedal assisted riding. So the fully upgraded unit (with 3 modules) can go for up to 30miles(48km). Yes, base model comes with one battery module and you can buy and install up to two more modules by yourself. Modules are easy to install but are not designed to be "swapped on the go". After additional modules are installed the unit must be charged fully to equal the charge of battery modules. Yes the unit is rechargeable, it takes 45 minutes/module to recharge. Btw great questions guys !

Reminds me of the distraught Viking Ship joke....OH NO,NOT RAPING AND PILLAGING AGAIN!!! KudosDave

ah, that'll be me in a couple of years, but I'll be on a KTM eBike every day

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is sounding out colleagues and donors about a possible leadership bid, the Sunday Times reports. Hunt has publicly switched sides on Brexit after campaigning to remain last year and is lining himself up as an alternative to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson should Theresa May stand down. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-27/brexit-bulletin-final-offer

.. aha the old ways!

We used to have a tradition of that here on the North East Coast, the technical term was "Smuggling" This was a career change for the better for my Ancestors of the Bell Clan after the decline of looting, pillaging, blackmail, extortion and Cattle Raiding.

what if TM is dethroned tomorrow? who do you think will replace her?

No problem, a two part mudguard can easily be stayed with cross links between the front and rear section stays. There are mudguard kit parts available from bike part specialists like St Johns Cycles. The Viking friction drive bikes of a few years back used two part rear mudguards: http://www.atob.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2003/08/viking-electric-bike-295x266.png .

It does, but you can expect a bit more noise than in the video above

http://ziligy.com/photos/posts/CrossCheckUltralight.jpg

Well yes, the portability and ease of installation has it's drawbacks. Rubbee is designed for people who often park their bikes outside for the whole day/night and want safely disconnect the e-part from the bike. Our customers also appreciate the fact that they can use Rubbee for daily commuting and remove it once they want to get some exercise on weekends the bike becomes a multipurpose vehicle, without adding much weight. Thanks for the feedback !

d8veh, good questions ! Speed and power curves are according to the EN15194 regulations, up to 25km/h/250W. Unless You upgrade the unit to 3 battery modules, then You unlock the 350W/20mph US standard (selectable via app, can work on the EU standard too). The sensor is Bluetooth LowEnergy 4.2. with integrated accelerometer. It uses just two cable ties to clip on the crank. We do send an encrypted signal with double redundancy so no interference was detected in our R&D procedures.

A colleague of mine brought me back a mains powered dremel from the states some 45 years ago. I have replaced the brushes once and it still works. I was so impressed that I bought a few with stands for use with practical classes drilling PCBs in electronic workshop practice.. eventually we replaced them with more conventional mini press drills with more stable chucks. The hand held dremels are fine for grinding and polishing. They also have cutting disks, which work very well but are terribly brittle. Even a little hand shaking and they will snap... I would use them for cutting bolts to size.

very neat! lovely job! well done!

After c.15.5MPH the motor will stop assisting you & you're on your own! Drop back below 15.5MPH and it will kick in again. That's the law.

I've used a mains-powered one from Aldi for years and it cost £14 at the time. It lasted many, many years and was used for many jobs....cutting s/s was one of them and it served to repair a huge number of bikes.

It is indeed. I bought one yesterday from my local Halfords. Take care though if buying in store. They were on the rack marked at £40, but the till person had no problem at all matching their online price of £31.99. Of course one would expect that price match, but you may need to mention it.

Only if you regularly do extended big climbs in max assist. I spend most of my time in eco or tour so it wouldn't bother me. All reviews rate it best motor and extra batteries are about 30% cheaper than bosch.

So, my new Halfords Special, a Carrera Crossfire electrocycle. I have had a non-electric Crossfire 3 for a few years and very much like it as a comfortable hybrid bike; ideal for London commuting and bumping up and down kerbs as well as a bit on off-road paths. It rolls very well and is surprisingly nippy. The electrocycle is similar in specification except it has hydraulic disc brakes. So, I was interested to acquire the electric version when I discovered it. I have had a Cyclamatic electric MTB for 6 years now and enjoyed it immensely. Although heavy and just a 24v motor it has made trudges through muddy paths enjoyable and caused me to bike on such unattractive ways when otherwise I would have driven the car. The Cyclomatic is also a cheap bike, or mine was; a factory returned machine on eBay. It democratised the eBike and made their advantages available to all. A logical development of the bicycle itself which has given freedom to so many billions of people. The old Cyclomatic had some needed some mods - principally better gearing and a triple chainring and it helped me up some steep hills. My main reservation about the e-Crossfire was its gearing. In the modern style - it has a single chainring and a mere 8 gears on the sprocket. The largest is large but I was concerned about hill climbing and wondered if it would need modification to be useful. The steepest hill I know well is in the Lake District - Bank End, just up from Duddon Bridge on the way to Ulpha. On my ordinary road bike I have a triple chainring and a big granny gear. I sweat and pant and that hill is an effort. The sweating is added to by the constant risk of wheelies as the hill is so steep. Proficient lycra'd-up cyclists overtake me standing out of the saddle to do so but they are not going that much faster. Despite its weight, the Cyclamatic with added gears can manage it better but it is still an effort. I wondered whether the Crossfire, although lighter and 36v rather than 24v would make it at all with its denuded gearing. Happy to report that the ascent was fairly easy, neither sweating nor panting and all done on only the "Tour" setting, the next to lowest out of 4 assistance settings. Out of interest I went back down again and used the maximum assistance "Sport" setting. Then, I found that there was no need to select the lowest gear and the ride was again fairly easy. Trying Bank End for fun or information is not something I would do on a non- e-bike … So, the gearing is fine for any route I am likely to take. The bike is nicely balanced for steep hills and the brakes were reassuringly effective on such a steep descent. It has shown me how eBikes have developed in the last 6 years. So far, I have done only 100 miles or so. I thought I had escaped the battery cutting out issue, but no. Left out overnight in heavy rain, I went ut for a run the following day. After a couple of miles, a cut out. Fortunately I had the battery release key. There was a lot of water puddling near the battery connectors. These were dried and off again fine. No issue since, yet. The bikes have come on. An eBike within the reach of all now has the capacity to be a serious mode of transport for the many. An equivalent to the Honda 50 of the 1960's plus environmental and health benefits. It will be interesting to see if the very recent if unfortunately named Carrera Crossfuse takes up that mantle … I have modded my Crossfire. A Topeak Tourist rack and front mudguard move it a bit towards practical commuting. Likewise, a back mudguard made from chopped up bits of an old mudguard cable-tied to the rear rack, But I have also put on puncture resistant Slime inner tubes and 2.25 inch mtb type Schwalbe Smart Sam Plus tyres for off road tracks. These are cleverly designed tyres. They are wide and have an aggressive tread with lots of knobbles. However, they have a double row of diamond shaped knobbles around the centre which, when deformed by a man of my stature, form a narrow slick which contacts the tarmac. There is very little road noise and the bike rolls forward very well. In mud and especially in snow, all of the knobbles cog in to the ground and there is mtb style traction and security. Again, to move it back to a more off-road bike I have fitted a Suntour cantilevered suspension seat post and this makes a better tide in the rough. Incidentally, I have had no grumbles with the Suntour front suspension forks which in my opinion add to the bike. A quick release seat post clamp is handy when there is a change of terrain. These are after all hybrid bikes. In view of its now many eBay led improvements, I may name mine the Carrera Bastardo ...

.. Tommie do I note a shrillness in this posting? . It certainly would solve the immediate problems as far as a specific grouping in stormont and Westminster are concerned... But think to the future. I am surprised that you hadn't suggested that the entire RoI population would not make a pilgrimage to the giants causeway and lemming like throw themselves off the cliffs. It is equally as probable!

The Irish EU commissioner has stated that May could cure the Irish problem, by the UK or at least Northern Ireland staying in the single market and the customs union. Foster immediately reacted that NI would not be customs separated from the rest of the UK,as the DUP are holding up the Tories in Westminster then that is not an option. Staying in the single market is politically unacceptable to Liam Fox and the 35 Tory bastards (that seems the number Anna Soubry thinks) because we won't be able to do deals with China etc,the mention of staying in the single market causes Fox to start chucking his toys around. Anyway,if we stay in the customs union we might as well stay in the EU. There was an Irish lady MP having a battle with Owen Paterson (Brexiter) on the politics show,they were discussing the Irish border,she was much more convincing than Paterson,she couldn't see any way of avoiding a hard border,which nobody wants....Paterson mumbled about it being a minor problem,minimal trade and could be policed by electronics.....she rightfully pointed out that the EU/Ireland wouldn't accept that,especially if tariff free goods could be shipped directly into Belfast. Seems to me that this border problem is not solvable unless the UK agrees to staying in the single market and contributes financially to it. I feel for Theresa May,every week brings another obstacle,she wanted the PM job but not the hassle,and the House of Lords hasn't started yet. KudosDave

They stop with overheat alarm if pushed to hard on high assist level but OK after it cools down. Not fatal like CX bearing issues.

I must admit that I very rarely ever use the light at it's max. There are three modes, diffused beam, spot beam, and combined beam. I tend to use the diffused beam, set to maximum power setting. Using this combination, I only charge the light every other night ride, with each ride lasting 2.5hrs-3hrs as an average. Sometimes less, sometimes more.

Only posting this purely for interest, not making any points or starting an argument. I think any bike could be registered eventually through the SVA system( MVSA) It would not be possible to do so as an S class pedelec simply because as yet that catagory does not exist in UK. There is one for light moped...so even without certificate of conformity you could get details required to pass the MSVA for the particular class required but when you have anything to do with what was SVA you do question the sense of EU/ UK law.. For example.. The emission standards for a motorbike are different to those of cars. If you take a brand new engine from a bike ( which must have passed equivalent of SVA) and stick it in a car, hey presto it fails emissions.. Cure fit power commander and a catylitic converter. Result pass SVA but engine well down on power..OK remove cat and up mixture on power commander. Car fine for future MOT but you,ve now got a £400 hand built cat unused. Answer...rent it out to folk wanting to pass SVA...believe it or not all legal ! Once spoke to examiner whilst waiting for a car I was having SVA,d. He was testing Mitsubishi FTO Grey Import. " Look here, I marked these wheels last week , seen them 6 times now." The standard wheels fail SVA ( on radius of corners) Firm bringing cars in from Japan had one set of compliant wheels. They went on every car ! At one point firms were hiring out an SVA kit. Including nut covers, compliant wheels, emission equipment,seats...whatever you needed. Pass SVA , remove and return kit...car still passes less stringent mot !! All legal. All crazy .. But you get your bit of paper to prove how legal you are !!!

Helen,you were wrong to move this to the S-pedelecs part of the forum. The whole reason for my posting is that we want to use these bikes legally on UK roads,both 50 cycles and just e-bikes in their advertising suggest that these bikes can be readily registered as light moped classification and therefore used on UK roads once registered. You,by moving this to the S-class section have made the decision that despite these bikes having type approval they cannot be legally registered ,by any method,on UK roads. Why is this important? There is a big growth on e-MTB in Germany at present,which it appears we are being excluded from in the UK. I want 50 cycles and/or just e-bikes to reveal how these S-class bikes can be registered in the UK.....by moving it to the illegals section of the forum you have made your decision that they cannot be registered. Please move it back KudosDave

if an s-pedelec were built to L1eA and type approved as such then I think you should be able to register it. The danger is they may be derestricted. 1KW power can let you exceed 28mph leave alone 16mph. I may have read somewhere that S-pedelecs have many concessions with regard to type of helmets, brakes, lights, tyres, frame, speedo etc - that's why not every country will want to have them on their roads.

Another well written piece Vennwood. Thank you for sharing.

Yes I've noticed recently there are good deals to be had at home but at the time I was looking to buy there was utter derision at the thought with the best offer was to throw in a bell or something. I find it very amusing that one sentence in a review should cause so many comments when the review is about the bike and MY PERSONAL findings and not a crusade to persuade everyone to buy from Germany.. I suspect the discounts are now being offered are to "clear out 2015 stock" in preparation for the new models coming out as the German dealers are offering up to 50% in some cases. By the way the bike is doing really well and I'm loving every minute of it.

I agree, I'm dreading the next six months of dreary obsession with a royal couple. I'm sure Theresa May is absolutely delighted with both the news items you mention, anything that gets the media off her as a subject is welcome from her point of view. .

If cycling with other techs, no problem. The gearing without battery makes it more difficult. As a commuter bike or for solo rides I think it is ideal. I have a 8 mile round trip commute with hills and it is great. The bike does climb a decent gradient hill without a problem, but steep ones do take their toll on the battery. But, I still need to invest in mudguards, a decent saddle and a suspension seat post, so I am wondering if there is a better value for money out there which is as good. The gtech is good and easy to ride. It just works. I only have a week to make up my mind.

it is curious, I didn't think I had the capacity to feel sorry for her, but she is beginning to permanently have that gripped rigor mortis Munch's the scream expression I associate with particularly grim Monday mornings.

My Guess would be "The one who was last in the race to the Exits?"

she wont be, the tories are desperate to avoid a leadership contest (it will be a very public tearing apart between hard and soft brexitters, and hand the next election on a plate to corbyn, and they know it). and wonderful that is, I relish the more slow tearing apart that will happen instead.

They are where they are because "scum rises to the top" and can be bought cheaply.

This article taken from the irish times of today may help provide background. For those in the UK, who have not seen the film of the same name Michael Collins was a leading member of the first Irish parliament in 1922 and was the leader of the delegation which negotiated the irish treaty of independence with Lloyd Georges government. A faction in the first Dail disputed the conclusions, and started a brutal civil war . Towards the end of which Michael Collins was killed. CHRIS JOHNS I’d heard of Michael Collins before I moved to Ireland through my Irish grandmother who, with a father from Clonakilty, was convinced she was related to someone who played a major role in the formation of modern Ireland. Hence, I was amused to learn of a family legend that claimed we were linked to a long-dead figure from Ireland’s revolutionary past. It’s only through living here for the past three decades that I began to know anything of the reality of Collins in particular and Ireland in general. One of the many things I learned is that Irish interest in Britain is not reciprocated. I was ignorant before I came here and most of my countrymen remain so today. It is to the discredit of the British government that they continue a baleful tradition of assuming things about foreigners that have few roots in fact. It’s partly about history. The fiction that Britain joined an economic union in 1973 and was subsequently shocked by the discovery of a political heart beating at Europe’s core is maintained in every discussion of Brexit. There is no awareness either of history or the deeply held continental view that politics comes first. It’s not a belief in politics versus economics but more that unless the politics are right, prosperity is always under threat. The political primacy of ever-closer union has always been visible and readily apparent to anyone who has ever read the first chapter of any European history book. Every British negotiator in the run-up to 1973 knew about Europe’s politics. They were confronted with reality every time they met their counterparts at the negotiating table. And they were properly briefed by the British civil service. Many high-profile British politicians, including (Tory) prime minister Ted Heath and (Labour, ex-communist) chancellor Denis Healey had distinguished second World War records and experiences that meant they had views wholly aligned with Europe’s federalists. But too many of them, aware of the visceral hostility to Europe running through many members of the two main political parties, played down the political truth and spoke only of the economics. Left also ignores facts The British public was told, repeatedly, that Europe in practice meant only a free trade zone. All the rest, it was asserted, was continental waffling. The Tory right has campaigned against Europe for the subsequent 40-plus years, sinking ever deeper into an empire-centric nostalgia as rooted in historical fact as my grandmother’s blood links to Michael Collins. Parts of the Labour Party have been as deluded, but from a different perspective: the EU is a capitalist conspiracy against workers. This thinking leads directly to the sight, this week, of Jeremy Corbyn voting alongside David Davis for departure from the customs union. The left also ignores facts: workers’ rights enshrined in EU law and the awesome gift of freedom of movement (not least to where the jobs are). An awareness of Irish history – even a nodding acquaintance – would help British politicians appreciate what happened to Collins, the first and last Irish politician to sign up to a hard Border. The idea that Leo Varadkar, or anybody else in this State, would under any circumstances sign up to another hard Border displays so much ignorance, so much arrogance, so much stupidity that I am left wondering about all those stereotypes of my fellow Brits – stereotypes that I have wearily tried to reject and counter over the past 30 years. Brexit has poisoned British political life and it now threatens something similar for relations between the UK and Ireland. Being a Brit in Ireland has mostly been a smooth experience for this immigrant. The cultural differences between the two islands run deeper than many of us care to admit, but Ireland does a terrific job of assimilation. First time ever It may be coincidence but I was, for the first time ever, the other day told to “F*** off back to where you come from” (I never lost the accent). Was this a small Brexit effect? Ignorance of history and zero appetite for the details of European law have combined to produce the current chaos. How can the British not realise that a customs union logically and legally necessitates a hard Border between those inside and outside that union? It really is as simple as that. And how can they not realise what the re-emergence of such a Border actually means? There is a solution involving recognition of the economic union that currently exists between North and South. There already are regulatory differences between the North and Britain. This logic could be extended to include the North in a sort-of customs union with the Republic. Imagination and goodwill are needed, however. We have heard so much in recent days about how the British have been taken by surprise by the supposed hard line taken by the Irish. Similar expressions of astonishment and disbelief are heard whenever the EU reiterates it’s negotiating principles. Somebody should explain to UK politicians about EU law and Irish history. There is no other option open to Varadkar other than the line he is taking. Explain to Davis and May what happened after Collins signed up to a hard border. This isn’t going to end well

David,good luck with the e-bike build facility....don't forget we all had a bad time with the e-bikes built elsewhere in Spain,not in Barcelona,the builder was well known to you....at the end we realised they were actually built in Shanghai. The EBMA have been very clever in leaving the implementation date open but also 3 months retrospective,It makes ordering bikes from China so risky,I thought the first possible date was April 2018,3 months before July 2018 but you say it could be December 2017. The thought of possibly being hit by a 74% duty incl vat has put me off buying any more bikes. I have enough stock to last 12 months if they trickle out,by then this Brexit stupidity and anti dumping duty thing should have a conclusion,good or bad. I had my boat in Barcelona for a few years,loved the city....there is a restaurant named 'La Gavina' opposite Marina Port Vell,great for seafood paella,everyone eats late. Apologies for not joining in with this battle but I have a big project elsewhere that is occupying my time,fortunately it is low tariff so not affected by the EU protectionism....I am still a Remainer but I must say the EU is showing that it only looks after their club,just can't imagine what we are going to come out of Brexit with. Good luck. KudosDave

Whoosh bikes at their current price would offer an alternative, with better range from what I can see. I have a Reise and Muller roadster which is pretty good.