June 17, 2025Jun 17 Apart from the "can't afford it anymore" but What's wrong (for me) with this one https://www.cube.eu/uk-en/cube-kathmandu-hybrid-c-62-slt-400x-stellar-n-origanogreen/812911 They've tried really hard and succeeded in keeping the weight down. Only 16.5kg, impressive. A lot of that is the carbon fibre, and a little is the use of expensive components that are a bit lighter than lesser versions i.e. Shimano XT. I'd be disappointed with only a 400Wh battery, but that is only a problem if it can't manage the range you need. Small saves weight, but probably only half a kilo compared to 500Wh. You'd have to think about the motor: it is only the 55Nm Performance SX, presumably chosen for lightness. Not as beefy as the CX. Biggest gripe of course is the £4500 price. For me I'd say 'well done guys, impressive weight' and then buy a heavier 625Wh, Performance CX bike for probably not much more than half the cost.
June 17, 2025Jun 17 Author Yeah £4k!! I really need to get something sorted I want a bike shaped bike otherwise I'd be sorted - I'm going to be a long time in a wheelchair/scooter so I want my pretty bike now A trike would be heavy as * so it won't increase my mobility & now I can't even open the sodding car door, so driving will only work if there is someone there to let me out ffs Sorry pity party! Seeing/testing a joni at the beginning of July & spending far too long each evening googling bike weights and arguing with idiots who think showing me a bike picture from a magazine (or even the manufacturer's webpage) will make me believe they are actually selling a physical bike!!
June 18, 2025Jun 18 Yeah £4k!! I really need to get something sorted I want a bike shaped bike otherwise I'd be sorted - I'm going to be a long time in a wheelchair/scooter so I want my pretty bike now A trike would be heavy as * so it won't increase my mobility & now I can't even open the sodding car door, so driving will only work if there is someone there to let me out ffs Sorry pity party! Seeing/testing a joni at the beginning of July & spending far too long each evening googling bike weights and arguing with idiots who think showing me a bike picture from a magazine (or even the manufacturer's webpage) will make me believe they are actually selling a physical bike!! Good luck.
June 20, 2025Jun 20 Apart from the "can't afford it anymore" but What's wrong (for me) with this one https://www.cube.eu/uk-en/cube-kathmandu-hybrid-c-62-slt-400x-stellar-n-origanogreen/812911 I have a horrible feeling this will have exactly same problem as the expensive bike you couldn't ride. This appears to be a bike for people who just want fairly light assistance. The system is torque sensing and fairly low torque. Like the other lightweight systems in its class like Fazua. Based on what you've posted I suspect you want 1/ lots of assistance and 2/ a legal throttle. If possible the bike should be lightweight but most lightweight bikes are light assistance which is no use to you. So you (probably) need to compromise on weight to get heavy duty assistance and legal throttle. But the main thing is try before you buy.
June 20, 2025Jun 20 I have a horrible feeling this will have exactly same problem as the expensive bike you couldn't ride. This appears to be a bike for people who just want fairly light assistance. The system is torque sensing and fairly low torque. Like the other lightweight systems in its class like Fazua. Based on what you've posted I suspect you want 1/ lots of assistance and 2/ a legal throttle. If possible the bike should be lightweight but most lightweight bikes are light assistance which is no use to you. So you (probably) need to compromise on weight to get heavy duty assistance and legal throttle. But the main thing is try before you buy. https://www.facebook.com/share/15gFf7XxyP/ Trek fx3 low step (this one is medium -not sure what size you need) 11.5kg Add akm100 hub motor (2.1kg) and say 36v 15 amp battery (bag battery 2.4 kg, or rack battery 3 -3.5 kg) + KT controller, LCD, PAS and throttle Probably around 18kg in total, maybe a little less if you use a bag battery)
June 20, 2025Jun 20 Apart from the "can't afford it anymore" but What's wrong (for me) with this one https://www.cube.eu/uk-en/cube-kathmandu-hybrid-c-62-slt-400x-stellar-n-origanogreen/812911 Battery range ? 36V 11.1 Amps
June 21, 2025Jun 21 Nowt. I think thats an excellent choice. Yes, for you that might be an excellent choice, but you seem to have forgotten the history in this thread. I would say, "out of the frying pan, into the fire" with that bike.
June 21, 2025Jun 21 People tend to forget that adding a battery and drive system to a bike adds weight, not only that the bike design itself will also in most cases be more sturdier then a push bike. Lightweight bikes are available but these tend to be sportu road type bikes with minimal battery size and small hubs for the fitter rider who usually only wants light assisstance now and then.
June 21, 2025Jun 21 Author "Lightweight bikes are available but these tend to be sportu road type bikes with minimal battery size and small hubs for the fitter rider who usually only wants light assisstance now and then" this is a missed market, the disabled rider, the older rider, the smaller rider even the pregnant rider need light weight bike - it's about wasting energy for the rider with a chronic illness My daughter riders everywhere, but when she was pregnant, when she is travelling home from a performance/dance show she just wants to whizz home (not speed just ease/lack of effort)
June 21, 2025Jun 21 "Lightweight bikes are available but these tend to be sportu road type bikes with minimal battery size and small hubs for the fitter rider who usually only wants light assisstance now and then" this is a missed market, the disabled rider, the older rider, the smaller rider even the pregnant rider need light weight bike - it's about wasting energy for the rider with a chronic illness My daughter riders everywhere, but when she was pregnant, when she is travelling home from a performance/dance show she just wants to whizz home (not speed just ease/lack of effort) Your needs are more niche than hers. In addition: more even weight distribution and larger wheels than your Cruza, and it must be step through. I can't find a reasonably priced lightweight step through bike or bike frame (custom built titanium would be too expensive) which can have a middle-ish mounted large capacity battery easily fitted, for an overall lightweight rear/front hub cadence sensored conversion, which would be lighter tham mid-drive. Edited June 21, 2025Jun 21 by guerney
June 21, 2025Jun 21 "Lightweight bikes are available but these tend to be sportu road type bikes with minimal battery size and small hubs for the fitter rider who usually only wants light assisstance now and then" this is a missed market, the disabled rider, the older rider, the smaller rider even the pregnant rider need light weight bike - it's about wasting energy for the rider with a chronic illness My daughter riders everywhere, but when she was pregnant, when she is travelling home from a performance/dance show she just wants to whizz home (not speed just ease/lack of effort) More powerful bikes have heavier motors. Longer range bikes have heavier batteries. Beyond a certain point (10-11 kg ) reducing the weight of the non e-bike specific components is chasing diminishing returns. The lightest conversion kit I've fitted had a 1.6kg AKM 75 motor and a 1.8 kg 36v 10Ah bag battery but isn't massively powerful and doesn't have a huge range if you use all the power. That's the beauty of building a bespoke bike, you can choose what's important to you and fit a conversion kit to suit, but if you want lots of power and lots of range using that power it's not going to be light
June 21, 2025Jun 21 A trike would be heavy as * so it won't increase my mobility & now I can't even open the sodding car door, so driving will only work if there is someone there to let me out ffs This is worrying - are you sure you're still strong enough to control a bike? If you're no longer safe cycling, perhaps it's time to start a thread asking which mobility scooters are easiest to hotrod? Increasingly popular with able-bodied people. At times I'm tempted to hotrod one myself, usually when swiftly overtaken walking on the pavement by one whizzing past at who knows what speed, and annoyingly they never ring a bell or beep. Looks fun. Edited June 21, 2025Jun 21 by guerney
June 21, 2025Jun 21 "Lightweight bikes are available but these tend to be sportu road type bikes with minimal battery size and small hubs for the fitter rider who usually only wants light assisstance now and then" this is a missed market, the disabled rider, the older rider, the smaller rider even the pregnant rider need light weight bike - it's about wasting energy for the rider with a chronic illness My daughter riders everywhere, but when she was pregnant, when she is travelling home from a performance/dance show she just wants to whizz home (not speed just ease/lack of effort) The two requirements of high power and lightweight are conflicting characteristics. It's not that somebody's missing a market, it's that physics prevents it.
June 21, 2025Jun 21 A bit like building a house. You can have a good house, a cheap house and a quick house. But only two of those three.
June 22, 2025Jun 22 This thread has been going for over a year now plus the previous thread of the bike her brother built for her with the specs to suit himself. Cat is looking for the nirvana of ebikes wihich doesn't exsist for a rider with debilitaing health issues or a movement disability. Typically one has to accept there will be constraints and not think of being in one's prime when these health issues may not have exsisted or been so prominent. A trike or legal twist and go seem the probable route It has all been said . One can't have power , long range in a light weight bike. The focus does seem to be a tunnel vision view all etched on an unsuitable style of bike system of a torque sensing mid drive bike . Which all in all has all been drawn out and discussed now many times , to which the answer from most is that this is just the wrong bike system for said such use with the underlying health /mobility issues. Edited June 22, 2025Jun 22 by Nealh
June 22, 2025Jun 22 It has all been said . One can't have power , long range in a light weight bike. it's can be done. You start with a 10kg full sus for comfort. That's the key to build a good bike because the components are very good to start with. You add a tongsheng 85TS kit with a bag battery for 40 mile or 60 miles or HL downtube battery for 80 miles range. Total weight 14kgs with 36V 10Ah. Mine is like that. I can ride it on any trail and have a throttle if needed.
June 22, 2025Jun 22 it's can be done. You start with a 10kg full sus for comfort. That's the key to build a good bike because the components are very good to start with. You add a tongsheng 85TS kit with a bag battery for 40 mile or 60 miles or HL downtube battery for 80 miles range. Total weight 14kgs with 36V 10Ah. Mine is like that. I can ride it on any trail and have a throttle if needed. I thought we already established that a a system with torque multiplication was unsuitable for her. Why do we keep going round and round in circles, with people keep recommending what's suitable for themselves instead of for Katy? She wants lightweight, power without much pedal effort and enough range.
June 22, 2025Jun 22 I thought we already established that a a system with torque multiplication was unsuitable for her. We go in circles because you are looking at factory made bikes which are always less flexible than kits. I think she only has to dial up assist level to 3, 4 and 5 instead of 2 o3 that I am on most of the time. She can always fall back on the throttle if 4 or 5 are insufficient. The 85TS has 'instant start' like Mechaniker has on his bike. The main difficulty with fitting the 85TS kit to a high performance bike is most of them have tubeless tyres. The 85TS comes with normal double wall rim, not tubeless. Edited June 22, 2025Jun 22 by Woosh
June 22, 2025Jun 22 Problem is with any twist and go use is !!! The risk of plod confiscating said bike and a conviction for motoring offences. Tbh the only solution to be compliant is one with full twist and go that is lawfully legal and complies with the 250wLPM certification. Edited June 22, 2025Jun 22 by Nealh
June 22, 2025Jun 22 Most of us are regular riders with maybe minor issues but once we start talking about major fatique issues with lack of leg power /muscle /stamina then I can't believe TS systems are being promoted.
June 22, 2025Jun 22 Most of us are regular riders with maybe minor issues but once we start talking about major fatique issues with lack of leg power /muscle /stamina then I can't believe TS systems are being promoted. ...causing Rapid Fatsos to conclude incorrectly all legal bikes are inadequate and only Sur-Rons or escooters will do. Edited June 22, 2025Jun 22 by guerney
June 22, 2025Jun 22 it's can be done. You start with a 10kg full sus for comfort. That's the key to build a good bike because the components are very good to start with. The lightest conversion kit I've fitted had a 1.6kg AKM 75 motor and a 1.8 kg 36v 10Ah bag battery but isn't massively powerful and doesn't have a huge range if you use all the power. Is there a large wheeled (larger wheeled than [mention=16595]Katymac[/mention]'s Cruza) <10kg step through which can be fitted with a 20Ah mid-ish mounted battery and 22A controller, for a <17kg cadence sensored bike with legalised throttle? Or would that be too heavy? 22A X 48V = 1056W legal throttle would make nearly all hilly roads seem flattish. My cadence sensored bike enables me to ascend most roaded hills at 25kph, largely effortlessly, and this is with just a legal 662W (on 20" wheels [18.4A, because I forgot to increase level to 20A and 720W, which would have been even easier to pedal]). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCBYMm-Vvk8:72 Edited June 22, 2025Jun 22 by guerney
June 22, 2025Jun 22 Is there a large wheeled (larger wheeled than [mention=16595]Katymac[/mention]'s Cruza) <10kg step through which can be fitted with a 20Ah mid-ish mounted battery and 22A controller, for a <17kg cadence sensored bike with legalised throttle? Or would that be too heavy? 22A X 48V = 1056W legal throttle would make nearly all hilly roads seem flattish. My cadence sensored bike enables me to ascend most roaded hills at 25kph, largely effortlessly, and this is with just a legal 662W (on 20" wheels [18.4A, because I forgot to increase level to 20A and 720W, which would have been even easier to pedal]). I have 26inch wheels, 85TS max torque is 45nm. The controller is set for 17A. I weigh 75kgs. Most of the time I am on assist level 2, occasionally on 3. I get up Pier Hill in Southend-On-Sea ok. Peter has the lighter and smaller 75 motor. You don't need more power unless you weigh 100kgs or live in Cornwall.
June 22, 2025Jun 22 I have 26inch wheels, 85TS max torque is 45nm. The controller is set for 17A. I weigh 75kgs. Most of the time I am on assist level 2, occasionally on 3. I get up Pier Hill in Southend-On-Sea ok. Peter has the lighter and smaller 75 motor. You don't need more power unless you weigh 100kgs or live in Cornwall. Big fat French people tend to grow stronger leg muscle than those of the the small and disabled, because the fat needs to be heaved about. Leg muscles grow stronger gradually as fat accumulates with heavy consumption of cheesy baguettes and wine. Bike manufacturers/integrators must like the lower continuous discharge rate required by torque sensored bikes, because of course there's less stress on batteries and other components, but I suspect this push towards TS is leaving oodles of people thinking legal bikes are all crap and unsufficient for their use cases, thus leading to the roads filled with Rapid Fatsos on illegal Sur-rons and escooters situation illustrated above. It isn't easy imagining being weak, and one imaginngs are almost always wrong.
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