I have been pondering over an electric bike. My 13 mile each way commute is getting a bit much for my ageing knees and body, especially the ride home which is uphill (Manchester to the edge of the Pennines in Bolton) and usually with a headwind (or thats what it feels like). As usual in this modern age the choice is bewildering: from the Rolls Royce (or rather the Mercedes) option of very nice looking German Kalkhoff bikes with motors in bottom bracket, hub gears, belt drives, more computing power than Apollo 11 etc etc. I am sure they are great but £3,000 is a lot of cash and as I do around 4000 miles a year, how easy (and costly) are they to maintain when parts wear out. At the other end of the spectrum there are bikes for less than £1,000, presumably Chinese, with hub motors, cheap derailleurs and small capacity batteries. But these might do, upgrades to components wouldn't be too costly. Given that my commute in is downhill and I usually average 15-16 mph, I need something that rides nicely without the electric assist (that cuts out at 15 mph). I am a fan of disc brakes, need mudguards and a rack. Integrated lights would be nice to have. I keen to hear any suggestions or other members' experiences of the dark side.

https://wisperbikes.com/e-bikes/905-torque-crossbar/

 

Gaz

one that rides well without assist and without costing a four figure sum?

the Woosh Karoo.

 

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?karoo

 

ridgid fork, lightweight, 700 x 28C kevlar tyres, 8-speed GXP crankset, 13AH battery, can go between 40 miles to 80 miles depending on your pedaling. You can choose higher capacity battery if you so wish, 15AH or 17AH.

The Karoo has 6 levels of assist, plus level 0 that lets you ride unpowered but keep your throttle active.

 

for a bit more fun, the Rio MTB or the crank drive Krieger.

I have been pondering over an electric bike. My 13 mile each way commute is getting a bit much for my ageing knees and body, especially the ride home which is uphill (Manchester to the edge of the Pennines in Bolton) and usually with a headwind (or thats what it feels like). As usual in this modern age the choice is bewildering: from the Rolls Royce (or rather the Mercedes) option of very nice looking German Kalkhoff bikes with motors in bottom bracket, hub gears, belt drives, more computing power than Apollo 11 etc etc. I am sure they are great but £3,000 is a lot of cash and as I do around 4000 miles a year, how easy (and costly) are they to maintain when parts wear out. At the other end of the spectrum there are bikes for less than £1,000, presumably Chinese, with hub motors, cheap derailleurs and small capacity batteries. But these might do, upgrades to components wouldn't be too costly. Given that my commute in is downhill and I usually average 15-16 mph, I need something that rides nicely without the electric assist (that cuts out at 15 mph). I am a fan of disc brakes, need mudguards and a rack. Integrated lights would be nice to have. I keen to hear any suggestions or other members' experiences of the dark side.

... Look at the Raleigh range particularly the Motus and Captus. I have been pleasantly surprised by how frictionless the Bosch central drive motor is when in the off power mode.. they are at the 1500 to 1700 pound price point. I am pretty sure that they would handle a 4000 yearly workload, and 40 mile duration . My experience over 1000 miles is all positive. They are also fully featured with mudguards, lights, lock , pump .. very comfortable riding position.not saying there maybe better value elsewhere, but these are good quality

For middrives look at Shimano Steps or Bosch. Hub gears have longer lasting chains and allow gear changes when stationary. My STEPs with 9spd deore derailleur gives about 1500miles per chain.

What is your budget?

Just about all the bikes ride nicely without power as long as you don't get one that's too heavy - say 22kg max.

 

There's no economical case for buying a more expensive bike. The cheaper the bike, the less it costs to own and run. Buy a more expensive bike when you have money that you don't need for anything else.

 

For commuting, I always recommend a hub-motor. For sporting riding a crank-motor. The hub-motor is just so much more convenient for that type of riding. It doesn't care what gear you're in or when you get stuck in too high a gear at traffic lights. You're much more likely to be able to get power on demand. They can keep you going when you have any problem with your drive train or anything that affects your ability to pedal. On a long journey, all the gear-changing that you have to do on a crank-drive bike can become very tedious, especially when you have cold hands in the winter, while as, with a hub motor, you can leave the bike in a high gear and let the motor bail you out in the low gears, while you warm up your hand in your pocket.

What is your budget?

That is the key question.

Any electric bike will meet your prime requirement ... 26 miles per day at 15 mph over undulating terrain. The question then is for how long, how reliable , how comfortable, how repairable.

The majority of an electric bike is old standard mechanical engineering and uses the same parts as comparable bikes. Only the motor, the battery, the controller and often the brake handles are special. And in some cases these are also generic.

Hi....our Kudos Stealth or Alamo is the lowest rolling resistance of any e-bike I have ridden and feels nice without power.

Its a sports style bike with electrical assist.

More details on our website...

KudosDave