Brangdon

I don't know anyone who isn't category 2 or 3. However, a lot of people seem very sure they help, and a lot seem very sure they don't, so both groups can come across as 1 or 4. Saying, "It is foolish not to wear a helmet" comes across as 4 even if you believe people have a right to be foolish. I'm a bit dubious about the arguments either way. I too would be interested in the answer to rooel's question, but it doesn't look like subevo has visited the site recently.

All the time. If I lift the front wheel off the ground and twist the handle slightly, it catches for a moment, and then cuts out again. So basically no load at all.

Are the codes the same for the Liv? On mine the motor has started cutting out; the ignition LED blinks 6 times, which the Torq list says means the battery needs charging, but it's been charged and the bike's indicator shows green. 50Cycles suggested checking the connections, which I've done, to no avail.

Correct apart from the last one. 100% means rising 1 metre in height over 1 metre horizontally. A vertical brick wall would have an infinite gradient.

I generally use a dual-use track on my commute, but I agree about the drawbacks. You lose right of way at junctions. In general I feel like a 3rd class citizen; cars treat me like a pedestrian rather than as a vehicle because I'm on the pavement. The track is only on one side of the road, so you sometimes have to cross two lanes of traffic to join or leave it. Also, the track ends too early, just a few yards from the industrial estate where I work. The track is shared with pedestrians. My local pedestrians seem to be training as ninjas. They wear dark clothing with no lights or reflective strips, and become all but invisible at night. They don't pay much attention to what's going on around them because they think the pavement is safe. By default they take up all the width of the pavement. When they do move aside, the track is so narrow that there is not a lot of room for error when passing them. The upshot is that you have to work a lot harder. The benefit is that most problems can be solved by slowing down and/or waiting, and if there is a collision it's less likely to be serious.

Does anyone know for sure if the lights included in the eZee Liv satisfy BS 6102/3? I had been presuming they do, but I just went out to check and I as far as I can see they are not marked with the standard, which I gather the standard says they must be.

Would the battery have lasted longer if the bike wasn't derestricted?

I'm a happy Liv owner. I take the battery out to charge mainly for security reasons. My garage is not secure, and if I kept the bike, battery and charger in there someone could nick the lot. (The bike is chained to a wall, but that wouldn't stop a determined thief.) I figure that if the charger is indoors, a knowledgeable thief is less likely to bother as they'd need to acquire a charger from elsewhere, which is expense and risk for them. If the battery is indoors overnight, so much the better. Together they cost £300 which is almost half the value of the bike. Of course an ignorant thief might take the bike despite it being worthless, and crime isn't really a problem in my area anyway so this is probably needless paranoia. But that's my reasoning. Incidentally, I've found that I've spent £100 or more on peripherals on top of the cost of the bike. The Liv comes with lights, bell and rack, but I also needed a lock, rack-pack, pump, tools and wet-weather clothing.

I've not seen the A2B article, but there was a widely reported study by Dr Walker which more or less says the opposite: that cars pass closer if the cyclist is wearing a helmet. This would make sense in terms of risk compensation, especially if the driver also supposes that the helmet means the rider is more experienced. Even if the helmet does offer real protection in an accident (which is doubtful if a car is involved), the safety benefits could well be undone if it also makes accidents more likely.

I did a trip last week on a Liv without pedalling, and although it got me home the battery light was orange after just a few of miles. As if it had 1/3rd the range. Gentle pedalling helps a lot, and I should think one-legged pedalling would help too. The usual advice is to keep the battery charged up, and that is especially true if you might have a bad day and rely on it to get you home. As you are in Derby, it is probably worth arranging to visit 50Cycles in Leicester and trying out a few bikes. (I'm in Nottingham, by the way.) I didn't like the feel of the Quando so wouldn't advise anyone to buy one without trying it.

I found that on what seemed like a flat road my Liv would do about 17mph in one direction and then about 15mph going the other way. I think the limit of its speed is strongly affected by very slight inclines, wind etc. (I'm not yet sure if having a fresh battery makes a difference; it's hard to tell with other factors.) I can reach 18 or 19mph by peddling. It's seems easier than it would be with a push-bike because the motor still seems to give some assistance at that speed. Getting to 20mph and above is hard on the Liv, even going downhill, because of its gearing.

Quite so. When I was running my new battery until it cut out, I had to peddle it up hill, and then I needed the lower gear. On the other hand, now that the battery is run in and my commute is under 5 miles, I shouldn't need to pedal with flat battery ever again. Or at least, it should be rare enough that I can walk up the hills if needed. On saddles, when I tested the Liv I also test-road a Sprint, and that had a much more comfortable seat. However, my commute is short enough that it doesn't really matter. Many decades ago, as a child, I had a mirror on my push-bike, and found it was useless. It was too small, and on a stalk that was too unsteady. So that put me off mirrors generally. However, I do miss the mirrors I have in my cars. Maybe it is just a matter of finding a good one.

Presumable some of the cost is R&D, and risk. Bike batteries may not be as esoteric as plane ones, but they are more esoteric than mobile phone batteries.

I have a new Liv. On the first two charges it did about 17 miles until it cut out. On the third charge it managed about 20. I gather it is normal for the range to increase over the first few charges (the manual mentions it). The amber light seemed to come on at 50% after the second charge, and a bit later for the third. It sounds like I got slightly better than you on my first charge and slightly worse on the later ones. That might be down to the way we use it. I tend to keep it on full throttle all the time, but also peddling moderately hard for speed. I think I was averaging about 15mph, although I've not measured it recently. The roads are mostly gentle slopes. It's been more windy recently than it was when I started. I'm planning to start more frequent charges now, and I'll probably do another range test after a month or so to see how it is doing then.

I've filled in a review form now, but my post here is much fuller.