PaulW123

Loads more to think about, thanks. In short, the consensus seems to be that there's not much off-the-shelf that will glide along up to 25 km/h and ride like a non e-bike above that. The discussion on battery life was useful, although I hope that's not the norm. Whilst I'd like a longer battery life than 3 years, I'd not be devastated if it gave up at that point--by then I'd know if I was going to use the bike regularly and what I really wanted from one. I'm reluctant to go down the conversion route due to the time and knowledge required as this would turn it into much more of A Project and I'm sure to get something that didn't fit or wasn't compatible. Whilst I'm reasonably good at technical stuff, I have pretty much no experience of modern bike maintenance--I had a good look at my current bike, and the some of the teeth on the chainring look quite worn--so it probably needs replaced. Furthermore, it's always made a slight clunking sound in top gear--the front derailer seems to rub against the chain when I put push down (but not when turning the pedals by hand off the ground), and fiddling with the indexing doesn't seem to fix it. The chain's never been replaced either and the bikes about 6 years old (though seldom used). In short--maybe 15 years ago before I had kids, I'd have taken this on, but I don't want to add another project to my list of things I'll never get round to... I think I need to take some test rides to see how things feel--the nearest dedicated ebike shop is about 50 miles from me, but I'll try and nip up over the next few weeks. Also gives me time to see if I can get work to sign up to a cycle to work scheme. Faro and Metroneer look good, I'll keep them in mind. I'm also reconsidering the Camino--anyone any experience of its motor drag? Also, is it really legal for it to have a throttle that works without continuously pedalling?

Thanks for all your replies, I truly appreciate your generosity and expertise. @Az, I looked at conversio but don't think my current bike is great quality, plus it would be more time consuming and I'd have concerns about compatibility, so am not keen (though maybe a front wheel hub could be easy). [mention=6823]Matthew[/mention], fair point. I've not experienced many different types of bike but will take that into account and might need to see if I can get some local test rides. [mention=378]Peter[/mention], I'd seen that but had been put off a bit by the small battery. I'll take another look as maybe its fine fit my use case.

Thanks. UK road legal is essential for me. I meant one that would bring me up to and keep me at 25kph on electric, but could be pedals faster without elective assistance.

I'm thinking of getting an ebike and have found loads of great advice on this site. I've just re-started occasionally cycling to work and am investigating upgrading to an ebike in the hope it will encourage me to use it more often. My aim is to reduce travel time when I commute, and to be able to have an easy journey on days when I can't be bothered putting in much effort. I'm looking for something that I can pedal quickly (>25 km/h) when I feel like it, but can also get me to / keep me at 25 km/h on inclines or when I can't be bothered to put in the effort. I currently use a fairly cheap gravel bike. The vast majority of the 10 mile commute is cycle path, some of which is quite rough (i.e. I don't fancy a road bike) but relatively flat. On the way home, the last section is a sustained mile long ascent averaging 5% that I can find tough at the end of the day. According to Strava, I can reach 30 km/h on some sections of the cycle path. The bike has 30/48T chainring and 11T-34T cassette (700c wheels). I spend most of my time in top gear on the commute and don't think I'd want a bike that had lower gearing than this. Woosh gets a lot of good press here, and their Camino / Gran Camino looks great. However, I'm concerned its gearing will be too low at 40T/11T. Wisper also seem highly recommended, but it's trickier to find exact gearing on their website, though the 905 looks nice (but there might be better, cheaper alternatives). Other points: 1. A rack for panniers is essential 2. Slight preference for straight handlebars rather than drops, though my current bike has drops. 3. Option to add a child seat would be a bonus. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I appreciate any help or advice.