Electric powered bike.

[Darth Vader]

Time does not seem to matter very much and Li-ion batteries are quite happy at max or near max charge for months on end. The use in gardening tools (I have the Bosch garden battery kit as well) is pretty much ideal as the drain is often not deep and only every couple of weeks even in the summer.

I race RC electric cars with Lipo batteries and they need a little more care than the ones in power tools but the basic rules are the same.

Yes! I used them with my model helicopter and they got so hot that I had to be careful that they didn't burst into flame. For this reason I always used a set of them so that they had time to cool down between charges. Reminds me that I still have this stuff but can no longer fly due to eyesight, arthritis etc.

Cheers,

DV

 

[Dowser]

I still prefer the Stromer solution of building motor into rear wheel itself - this then reduces wear on rest of drivetrain. I bought a barely used 2011 model a couple of years ago - bought a worn out second battery, got it repacked with latest high capacity cells, and have been very happy with it. I found I could maintain 38-40kmh on the flat during a 24km commute,still broke into a sweat, but anything higher and it gets harder (top speed with assistance is supposed to be 45kmh).

 

[stevec67]

Not legal in the UK to assist after 15mph/25kmh. Also not legal to assist without pedalling. That said, the other week I saw a woman on an e bike that looked like a light moped, she just opened the throttle and off it went. I followed on my normal bike, about 15 mph, no bother.

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

Any of you chaps aware of good mid drive kits for converting a standard bike?

 

[fur]

I looked an at e bike the other day, owned and ridden by someone I know - lovely machine. Bosch battery very stylishly added to the frame so it didnt appear out of place, motor next to the cranks, again not at all out of place, all built in, the extra weight all low down and central, looked like a very nice bike. Shame its 5 grand !

 

[fur]

Any of you chaps aware of good mid drive kits for converting a standard bike?

No.
The prat next door has a kit on his - its a front wheel with hub motor, turn the handlebars and fall off.

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

No.
The prat next door has a kit on his - its a front wheel with hub motor, turn the handlebars and fall off.

??
Hence the comment about a mid-drive kit.
The only unit I've seen recommended is from Bafang.

 

[richardg]

I still prefer the Stromer solution of building motor into rear wheel itself - this then reduces wear on rest of drivetrain. I bought a barely used 2011 model a couple of years ago - bought a worn out second battery, got it repacked with latest high capacity cells, and have been very happy with it. I found I could maintain 38-40kmh on the flat during a 24km commute,still broke into a sweat, but anything higher and it gets harder (top speed with assistance is supposed to be 45kmh).

Unlikely to be the future. The balance is all wrong and heavy wheels just get heavier once they start spinning.

 

[Snufkin]

Unlikely to be the future. The balance is all wrong and heavy wheels just get heavier once they start spinning.

Although having little experience of electrically assisted bikes I can see the sense of having the extra weight at the front which tends to be lighter loaded than the rear; the downside is that the front forks need to be stronger. It works really well on the Electric Brompton but the weight is very much to the rear on normal Brompton's to start with.

 

[richardg]

Although having little experience of electrically assisted bikes I can see the sense of having the extra weight at the front which tends to be lighter loaded than the rear; the downside is that the front folks need to be stronger. It works really well on the Electric Brompton but the weight is very much to the rear on normal Brompton's to start with.

The big market in France and Germany is trail bikes, mountain bikes and touring hybrids. Keeping the weight low and in the middle will be preferable for these riders. For town commuters it matters less but I suspect all the R&D will go on making bikes that ride like normal bikes. And the only way to do that is to get the weight low and central

 

[sq225917]

I've built and ridden a few bafang mid drive units, on completed bikes and e-ready versions of our own frames. Perfectly serviceable, not a patch on the Bosch/shimano units though.

 

[JezmondTutu]

If it can't be derestricted I wouldn't get another one. If you are not a law breaking badass like me and just about everyone else on the cycle paths of Strasbourg, you might find the speed limit on them extremely frustrating, kicking in just below the typical cruising speed of 18-20mph for me.

It’s 15.5mph in the UK and that is just too slow for the road. I took it easy this morning on my road bike and still averaged 16.7mph. My old ebike (stolen) was perfect as it was derestricted to 27mph.

 

[richardg]

It’s 15.5mph in the UK and that is just too slow for the road. I took it easy this morning on my road bike and still averaged 16.7mph. My old ebike (stolen) was perfect as it was derestricted to 27mph.

Yeah same all over the EU. Mine has no limit. 27 would be fine too, though

 

[Tony Lockhart]

It’s 15.5mph in the UK and that is just too slow for the road. I took it easy this morning on my road bike and still averaged 16.7mph. My old ebike (stolen) was perfect as it was derestricted to 27mph.

So a restricted ebike isn’t for you? As is mentioned many times on these threads, ebikes help those who struggle with the hills but still want to ride.

Want to go faster? Perhaps derestrict one and do it legally.

 

[tones]

ebikes help those who struggle with the hills but still want to ride.

Exactly my problem. We live in the Baselland Jura, on top of what appears to be a cliff (even the racers are up dancing on their pedals), and I can no longer get up it (a knee problem doesn't help).

In Swizzieland, one can buy one of two types, a 25kph type and a 45kph type. The latter has to be licensed like a moped and carry a small licence plate. I want a 25kph, and hopefully I'll see something suitable in Belfast this week.

Greetings from somewhere in the middle of the Irish Sea.

 

[JezmondTutu]

So a restricted ebike isn’t for you? As is mentioned many times on these threads, ebikes help those who struggle with the hills but still want to ride.

Want to go faster? Perhaps derestrict one and do it legally.

20 mile each way commute to work without showers - it was perfect. Yes I’m a cyclist, but I still see significant value in ebikes.

Is it actually possible to derestrict and ‘do it legally’? Even if it was, it would invalidate your warranty.

If they had set max speed to something like 18-20mph I’d not have so much of an issue. But 15.5mph is ridiculous.

 

[cctaylor]

The problem I see with raising the speed is the idiots who will barrel down the pavements at silly speeds.

 

[glancaster]

20 mile each way commute to work without showers - it was perfect. Yes I’m a cyclist, but I still see significant value in ebikes.

Is it actually possible to derestrict and ‘do it legally’? Even if it was, it would invalidate your warranty.

If they had set max speed to something like 18-20mph I’d not have so much of an issue. But 15.5mph is ridiculous.

Well, 15.5 mph is faster than an average utility cyclist, especially on a bike that isn't built for speed, just slower than a good cyclist on a fast bike. So, it depends on your expectations.

In reality, there seems to be some wiggle room: my old e-bike was supposedly legal, but could go 1 to 2 mph faster than this at times under motor power, especially with a full battery, slight descent, etc. Perhaps it wasn't strictly legal, but I can't see a prosecution happening for such a small excess. I have been going around 15.5 mph on my road bike sometimes, and been overtaken by more modern e-bikes going just slightly faster than I was: I assume these weren't derestricted otherwise they'd be going a lot faster, so I think this is commonplace.

Perhaps the more annoying restriction is to 250W max motor power. This means your UK road legal e-bike will not take you up decent hills at 15.5 mph. It will be slower then.

Some manufacturers do sell and support derestricted or easily derestrictable e-bikes, but make it clear that it is illegal to use them (derestricted) on UK roads. A bit like selling a car for track use only, or one of those hoverboard things.

Kind regards

- Garry

 

[glancaster]

P.S. If you want a UK road legal electric bike that goes significantly faster than 15.5mph, electric mopeds are a thing, but the rules are similar to petrol powered ones e.g. age 16+, must be insured, no using cycle paths or cycle tracks, etc.

 

[stevec67]

15.5mph as Garry says above is pretty good for a normal cyclist. When I was in France cycling to and from work on quiet roads, 10k each way, my global average was about 14mph. This included toodling into town etc. Most of the time, once under way, I was at about 15mph. If I really went for it on a road bike I could average nearly 20mph, but I'd have to try pretty hard to do that.

The whole point of these things is that they *assist* a cyclist to get to a normal bike speed. Beyond that it's up to the cyclist's legs. This can all be done within the existing laws around bicycles. The aim is not to generate an electric moped, if you want to do this then buy an electric moped and observe the relevant laws.