thewavecry

I'd be more concerned about the bike being a target than stratches etc. Maybe this would be better in a separate "how do you secure your bike when commuting" thread?

That's my other big concern about spending more than £100 on a bike for commuting! The bike racks at the station are as secure as you can get, I guess. They are close to the entrance, there is lighting and CCTV pointed at the rack. Still, it is a quiet, rural station so footfall will be low out of rush hours. How do e-bikers secure their bikes at stations? Is it common to unhook the battery and carry it with you?

Hi all, I have been reading the forum for a few weeks and I thought I would butt in with a few questions that have been lurking around in my head. I am overweight - about 120kg - and out of shape and I want to make a few changes to help lose some of the weight and get a bit fitter. I plan to start cycling and ideally I want to build up to the point where I can commute to the train station on weekdays by bike. Having read a bit, it sounds like an electric bike would help me get to that point sooner and more comfortably. I haven't cycled for years so I am not confident. Worse, I used the cycle-to-work schema a while ago and was badly advised. The bike I got did not suit me and it dented my confidence somewhat, and I am concerned about purchasing another white elephant. I am not really asking you to tell me what bike to buy. I think I am more interested in options and configurations. In particular, if my weight rules out certain kinds of e-bike. Given my weight, do I really need a crank drive for the extra torque? Should I avoid folding bikes? Do I need a frame with a cross bar for strength? Am I likely to have bother with standard forks/suspension? Should I avoid v-brakes? In general, are the sub-£1000 e-bikes likely to be too much of a compromise? Cheers, (Yet another) David