Electric bikes or Scooter ?
Should we get electric bikes or a 125cc motor scooter? What do others prefer. We are now getting a motorhome with a large garage. Can hold 250 kg in garage so no probs with weight. Looking at the bikes and for good quality ones with good distance they are
certainly not cheap. Especially x2. Which would be the most useful? Off to France / Germany / Scotland / lake district etc etc. Your experiences with both would be much appreciated.
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We tried electric bikes, now we use a 125cc sccoter.
Many people get on with e-bikes absolutely fine. However management really didn't like any aspect of hers. Apart from the requirement to pedal the not inconsiderable weight uphill, (the bike, not her!), her main issues were a feeling of vulnerability as she wobbled down the road, and always being some distance behind me. Now she's happy as larry on the pillion of the sccoter.
I think your intended use could be a deciding factor. If it's short nip to somewhere down a cycle track, great. If it's getting to somewhere more than a few km away or using busy roads, then the improved performance and presence of the scooter is a big bonus.
We've used the scooter all over the UK and Europe and never had any problem, indeed scooters are mainstream transport in much of the rest of Europe. Easy to cover decent distances (20/30 miles each way), usually free to park, great fun.
You will need a suitable licence to carry a pillion and inform your insurers. (Carole Nash do a good policy including UK & EU breakdown & recovery). And if you're used to riding a motorbike, I found a refresher lesson on scooter technique a real eye opener.
Whichever you choose, enjoy.
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Electric bikes are great for shorter journies but, if you want to do a bit more sightseeing from sites where there is no public transport, a scooter is more flexible.
The weight of two bikes and their associated batteries and chargers go a long way towards the weight of one scooter.
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weve just had a quick dash (15 miles ish) on the bikes for something to do.....got back from walk earlier than expected...
we both thought that the actual riding, in the countryside air, was far better than using a car or scooter....
confidence is a key thing....if youve always ridden bikes (we use ours pretty much every day) then a move to an ebike is a natural move.
if youve never ridden a scooter (or been a pillion) this may seem strange...
i wouldnt mind a scooter when im 30 yrs older, but i wouldnt get OH on the back....just never done it and hates not being in control of the thing.....
ebikes now have ranges up to 200km but are more vulnerable in traffic....part of the fun is to plot a nice safe route on country roads....
good luck in your choice....
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Thank you kindly for your replies so far. Its really helpful. I have full motorcycle licence so no probs there. We are about 60. As new van is 7m. Longer than we are used to. We would like another method of travel. Especially in towns and cities. Country
roads too. Park way out and travel in. Must be able to cope the the hills to.0 -
Converted my Mountain Bike to Electric and SWMBO Halfords road bike as well. Far cheaper than buying electric ones. Bafang do some great kits. Box on the back with the batteries so they can be removed for lifting backs onto rack. We sometimes stop outside a town and get the bikes off and go exploring. Far easier than trying to park a 7m MH in the town and alot cheaper as you can usually park on the road. We took the bikes up the hill in Portland. Got about 3/4 way up and then down again
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Never thought about converting own bike. Was it easy to do and do they function as well as the already built ones? Could be worth trying that route first.
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The Bafang kit from somewhere like http://www.eclipsebikes.com was easy to fit. You do need a selection of bike spanners especially a puller for the cranks. I fitted the Bafang unit as it mean't I could also use the bike gears. Depennds how far you want
to go and how much you want to spend. You can also fit a hub motor to the front wheel. Easier to fiit but they don't have as much power as they work by turning the wheel rather than using the gears.It's also possible to ride the bike normally it's just a bit heavier. Go to Halfords and try one of theirs. The wheel motor ones are ok but the Bosch Powered ones are horrible to ride with the power off.
Also fitted a back rack for the battery box so it is easy to remove the battery for loading on the back and charging at home.
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agree, the Bosch bikes are not designed (due to their concentric gearing which allows for a tiny front sprocket) to be ridden without power....however, there is more than sufficient power in the batteries to ride the bike on its minimum setting, thus overcoming
this issue...without impacting range.if OH chooses a Bosch over the Kalkhoff, this is something that will be a bit different, and to her current Panasonic driven bike.
either way, both our bikes easily took us from Chickerel, up and over the top of Portland and down to the Bill (and back)....a pretty good test of 20 odd miles under load....
for perspective, latest Kalkhoffs we tested have 100nm of torque.....what does this mean?......OH Fiat 500 has 102nm of torque.....
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Never thought about converting own bike. Was it easy to do and do they function as well as the already built ones? Could be worth trying that route first.
in another thread in Parts and Accessories, JayEss had this dilema due to needing a small frame size and is looking at converting her MTB as an alternative solution.
have a look there to swap views....
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Yes my conversion kit is due for delivery today so work will commence as soon as I establish whether I have the right spanners.
Mine's a rear hub kit. The easiest conversion is the front hub but it's not necessarily the best way to do it. It depends on the bike and what you will be using it for.
I'm hoping that if this strengthens my knee to be able to cycle again I can convert the MTB back to non electric and pick up a nice step through tourer or road bike to move the kit on to
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I have a Kalkhoff Agattu which I've had for a couple of years. Lovely made bike but its only power assist, more for those that have some fitness but need a bit of help if going long distances. I've now purchased a Prorider with a twist grip which so far
is great if not so good up the larger hills.0 -
are you hanging on to the Kalkhoff....?
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Thank you all for your experiences and feedback. It is prooving very helpful. I am carrying a leg injury at the moment and too much peddling is agony. Could be a while to heal. A self propelled electric bike is certainly looking more and more appealing.
The ability to switch to pedal assist as and when get fitness back. Like that idea. Makes and models for consideration please. Someone recommended Woosh bikes and of course kits. Any experiences?0 -
are you hanging on to the Kalkhoff....?
Write your comments here...probably not. I was hoping my OH would use it, but he's still happy using a normal mountain bike.
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We worked on the principle of the faster you travel, the more it hurts if you fall off !
It was the thought of carrying helmets, leathers, boots etc as extra clothing In the confined storage of a m/home.
Also there was Quite an additional cost to insuring, maintaining a m/bike. So we ended up carrying electric bikes and hiring through CC a car if we wanted to go further afield.
We can tow 2tons, so do visit (occasionally) the thought of trailering both a car and the elect bikes.
rgds
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Thought I would give an update as to what we eventually decided. After a lot of research we visited Manderin Cycles at Lowestoft and tested Volt bikes. Very well made British bikes. We were able to test them on the prom and we were amazed as to their performance
and quality. One of the deciding factors was the range on one charge of up to 80miles. Impressive. We have ordered them and collect on Sat. Thank you for all your helpful feedback. I will give you more feedback and experiences ourselves when we get to use
them.0 -
Enjoy!
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Enjoy your rides, A couple of ideas; See (quality bike glasses are useful, keeps the flies out of your eyes), and be seen. (Flashy red rear lights seem to work on most motorists intent on pushing you into the bushes as they pass)
There are several types of bump reducing saddle stems, makes riding much smoother and less tiring.
Rgds
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Thanks for that tip. The more comfort the further the distance I reckon. Got to checkout the security issue next.
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