General Ebike discussion
Comments
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Just as an aside, be careful to clarify with your bike insurer, usually, but not always, your household contents insurer, what their attitude is for securing them whilst away in the LV. I've come across a couple of insurers who wouldn't accept that the caravan constituted an immovable object. Usually the insurer stipulates that the bike must be locked to an immovable object when not in use.
Fortunately our current and previous insurer both accept that the caravan is immovable if fitted with locks to prevent theft. Sometimes, we just chain and lock them around a tree if we're in a place we feel looks secure.
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Good point WN. OH chained his to a very large tree while we were on a CL at Fowey. It only took a day for the squirrels to eat his saddle, and the front off his bike computer. The air was blue.....😱
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I have a carrera hybrid cost roughly £1000 3 yrs ago, I love it, not an all out off road bike but one which will take on semi rough terrain with ease.
Halifax is a very "uphill, down dale " town, I also use the bike to work a lot, 16 mile round trip where I currently work.
You can use the battery to assist on 4 differing settings and believe me they all help, in the same time it gives the rider a good degree of cycling as normal as you use the gears as normal.
I"m very pleased with my bike.
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As it happens PD we have AS bikes, just got them last week. Still getting to grips with them.
They don't seem to be as easy a peddle as the other folders we had. So they might be more of a work out than the old folders.
The old set were far to easy, no resistance unless on a big hill. The problem we had with them was that when cycling on the flat or in town, even in the highest gear and the lowest speed you were going to fast for the conditions so had to stop peddling every so often. The ride then became a bit disjointed rather than a nice constant smooth peddle. BB once explained it better.
The Beat bikes are a much smoother ride and a more comfy ride as they have the bigger wheels, if we are going for a longer more challenging ride then we will use them. The folders we recently bought are for fun when we go away in the caravan, no need now for them to be the primary mod of transport.
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On a personal note regarding E bikes we purchased 2 foldable bikes 2 years ago with a view to ride the Camel trail at Padstow Cornwall we also have a trailer for our cocker >I can say without doubt they are the best thing we have bought , they give the piece of mind that when you get tired or you come to a hill or you want a little help all the time its there . Ours cost £400.00 each 2 years ago from Ideal World tv,the best for folding and taking anywhere you want we did the Camel and it was fantastic ,at the time we had 2 cockers in the trailer which was a doddle with the electric motor, the views along the Camel l were fantastic we did 2 trips last year. I am 63 and I felt like a 10 year old not having to worry about the journey back.If you are in any doubt please just do it the freedom I had as a boy to go anywhere came flooding back you will not regret it the only difference will be the huge smile on your face.. I use my bike at home all the time and take them when we caravan,you see so much more and the fresh air and exercise can only be good.
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As it happens PD we have AS bikes, just got them last week. Still getting to grips with them.
They don't seem to be as easy a peddle as the other folders we had. So they might be more of a work out than the old folders.
TG, I have put it down to the weight of them. The lighter the bike the more pricer they are and easier to ride whether they are electric or not. My previous folder, non electric, was very easy to ride but it was half the weight of the MK3 AS bike I have. Nevertheless it is still nice to have the power there when you need it.
peedee
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BB has highlighted the difficulty of recharging batteries. My bike has a 9AH battery, so using an inverter would swallow close to 180Ah, assuming the battery was empty. That's four times what is available from my battery before I even think about the OH's bike. Definitely a job for EHU.
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CY, 'tis true, its hard work...which is why its important to understand what it is that makes it so tricky.....otherwise, knackered batteries
mitigation (if there is any...) is that most cyclists wont use more than half a 9-11ah battery each day....we dont and do upto about 40 miles.
so, recharging 5 ah is better but still takes 100ah via an inverter...mad, i know. dont do it.
however, the DC to DC (12v-36v) chargers might make this viable with that same 5ah bike charge 'only' requiring 15ah from the van batteries.
if a 100w solar panel (6 amp max) can produce (say) 4 amps, then 4 hours (16ah) of reasonable sunlight 'should' make that back up....
it may even be possible to do both bike recharges in one good long sunny day
obviously, if spending lots of time on non EHU sites (THS/CL), a larger battery bank gives more 'reserves' and a larger solar bank (say 200w) replenishes those batteries twice as quickly.
additionally, reducing 'demand' by cycling (say) only every other day (perhaps mixed with walking days) that drain can be recovered over a longer period.
also, using the van to visit places will recharge leisure batteries quickly, with bike batteries even being recharged during the trip.
so, there are things that can be done to help manage this issue.
obviously, having a hookup is a simple 'cure' but not everyone wants to be on that type of site all the time.
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there have been some comments about 'torque sensing' and the relative smoothness (or not) of different types of drive system...
our Bosch bikes are great and definitely dont have that 'on/off' feel that some large hub motors can produce.
our pals have bikes that have these motors and the 'leap forward' feel as soon as the pedal is touched has caused our lady pal to abandon it as 'uncontrollable'.
despite having three 'power settings' i tried it in LOW and it feels little different to HIGH with the rider needing to be 'ready for the off' as soon as the pedal is touched..
cycling it slowly is very difficult and becomes a series of on/off shunts, balanced using the brakes to hold it back.
i can see why it would be quite unnerving for a small/light rider (like my pal) especially if not fully confident.
we often talk about the performance of ebikes at the other end of the scale....how fast, how powerful, how far....yet going slowly, easing through traffic is also an equally important aspect of how the bike drives and should also be tested.
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thats certainly true....Brue
one point i will mention is that ebikes can help you keep up with traffic flow in busier places, perhaps cycling at 10-12mph (rather than 7-10) can avoid those cars having to constantly go around you...
you feel more a part of the flow, rather thsn being 'in the way'.
that, in itself, should generate a more confident feeling.
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Regarding security at home or away, we have these 'Oxford' silver security chains and locks along with an 'Oxford Brute Force' wall clamping unit for inside of the garage.
If insured then its usually insisted upon to use at least a Silver standard, preferably Gold and although heavy we take the chains with us when out and about.
Nothings perfect but at least a deterrent.
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Oh so true brue☹️ And in some places where cycling isn’t done by a lot of commuters and families, other road users, and pedestrians on the shared paths can be a nightmare. Cycling on our town roads isn’t for the faint hearted, and the boy racers love our rural roads. OH comes back every ride with tales of a near miss, not particularly intentional, but just poor judgement by car drivers. Likewise, some cyclists ignore traffic lights and other rules of the road.
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My wife and I chose folding e bikes so they go in the car easily, No!! not easily, they are heavy!, (even with the batteries removed). They only have 20" wheels so could be better on our rubbish road surfaces but apart from that, at about £750 each, they are comfortable and brilliant for exploring from sites.
One feature that I particularly like, which seems to be quite rare, is they are fitted with a motorbike style twist grip throttle so you can select exactly how much assistance you want to use.
Hub mounted motor has always worked well for me, I weigh in excess of 17 stones and I haven't found a hill yet where I have to get off and walk.
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We have two Carrara crossovers with Bosch pedal assist we bought from Halfords absolutely brilliant. We have had them coming upto 2 years this July. Best thing we bought expensive though, £3200 for both bikes, with the accessories came to just over £3500. We use them at home for small shops, we live in a rather hilly area, you no what l mean go down to shop back up hill to home. l bought a Thule XTC2 electric bike carrier for the towbar on the motorhome a lot easier than lifting electric bikes on to the bike rack to high up. Just bought a cover from Bags and Covers expensive but well made and a lot easier to put on. We use the bikes a lot when we are away in the MH, we hardly take the MH out when we are sighted, unless we play golf. They have been a great assistant for motorhoming and at home has well plus they keep you fit, don't think you don't have to work to pedal you do but the assist up the hills makes it more pleasant to cycle for us oldies
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there have been some comments about 'torque sensing' and the relative smoothness (or not) of different types of drive system...
Good post BB. AS bikes have a start function, that is if you want to mount with the power on. I usually mount with power off and only switch on the power when needed. It gets round some of the problems you highlight.
peedee
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Brue
I think that is a well made point. The choice many people make as their initially, and perhaps their only, electric bike are the small wheeled variety, usually folders. Guilty as charged there! To me they never feel as safe, or as comfortable, as a full sized frame. Margaret is very nervous riding on roads with cars which in turn makes me nervous as I feel I have to be constantly keeping and eye on her.
This has been an interesting thread (thanks BB). I am not sure where our cycling future lies as I can't see us ever using bikes a lot which probably rules out buying new "better" bikes. I have yet to sort out any means of carrying the bikes on our new motorhome although I do have an eye on a chassis mounted rack as the Fiamma Pro racks are even higher on this model which rules it out.
Currently awaiting a new battery for one of the bikes so when that comes we will have to get out on the Redways of Milton Keynes to rekindle our enthusiasm!
David
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For anyone who might want a bit more stability, but all the fun, don’t forget you can get e-trikes as well!
https://jorviktricycles.com/tricycles?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzuXk75696QIVQWHmCh2zyw9rEAAYASABEgIAfPD_BwE
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Regarding locks, even sold secure gold standard lock can be broken somehow but (like caravans) all you're buying is time and/or making the thief go onto an easier target.
the best advice is to mount a D lock low down as possible (to give less leverage with bolt cutters) at the back of your bike filling the space as much as possible within the D and use a second one for the front again low down and filling the space. Obviously this might change for city centres v idyllic villages.
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The three main loves in his life are me, the dog, and his Cannondale. Only one is insured.
Quite right too, my OH stills remembers the time, about a month after we married that she found me drying my bike in the kitchen with one of her best tea towels. I mean it got wet, what else was I supposed to do?
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I use exactly the same system for safeguarding our bikes in the garage at home and use the Oxford chain attached to the caravan hitch whilst away.
I do however find the Oxford chain too heavy and cumbersome to use whilst out for the day and use a heavy duty Abus D Lock instead.
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We find the chain coils into a few loops, put in a carrier bag and sits on the rear pannier under the spring loaded 'thingy'
, so no extra weight in our rucksacks. But take your point and may look into something of the same or better security standard that makes life a bit easier when out and about.👍🏻0 -
Made me think of this which I sent to my cousin who is never quite sure how many bikes he has at any one time.
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I decided to be kind one Winter......”it’s cold in garage, isn’t there somewhere else you can work on your bike........?”
The attic is now his “bike cave”, although if it’s my Cube he’s working on, it’s a two person lift up two lots of stairs.....all good exercise😂
Ground anchor in garage, motorbike quality security chains! We never leave our bikes if out on them.
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Security wise we have D shackles made by On Guard, they come with a locking cable as well, these are Gold standard locks. The D shackle has a bracket that you can fit to an upright on your bike frame. The bike also has a horseshoe type lock on it as well.
Edit, We leave our bikes pretty much every time we go out when over there, never give it a thought. Parked up outside a supermarket, chained up against a railing in a town while we have a walk around, most times on site they are just sat outside the van. If we go out for the day in the car without the bikes, we do lock them to the caravan though.
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There’s an equation so I am informed...........the perfect number is whatever you have at the moment, plus one......
Only two bike parcels this morning........some new riding kit, and some new wires to do up my old Claud Butler MTB.
Its 1-1 though, I have just done a raid on local nursery. But that’s for a different thread........
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Yes, that's the way - Mrs C bought a new shredder last week for £150 so guess how much I spend on bike stuff last night.
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All this talk of e-Bikes made me think I ought to check our two over. Thinking back, I'm not sure we have ridden them for more than a mile or so since Friedrichshafen at the back end of last May. Both batteries dead as the proverbial dodo.
Did find a Southampton phone number on the web that do refurbs, so will investigate that unless anyone knows a trick to kickstart them back into life. They haven't had a lot of use since new which makes it all the more irritating.0 -
The kit was Endura but because it’s via Fire Brigades Union, I’m reliably informed “it was a good price” 😂
So was my Ginkgo Tree!🤣
Back on topic, couple of other decent bike shops for when folks are out and about again, Rutland Cycles near Ferry Meadows is very good, and just down the big hill from Exeter Racecourse there is another in Kennford Village. I can’t recall name at the moment.
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