Commuting on an Electric Hybrid.

seataltea

I do it, I like it, it's quick, easy and useful on my Pennine commute.

7.5 miles 24 minutes, I commute at various times from 6am to 11pm due to shifts, sometimes in heavy traffic, sometimes on Sunday morning with only me on the road.

In the morning and if I really don't feel like it I can take it easy and let the power do the work, on the way home and to release frustration I can turn it off or run the motor on burst mode with pedal assistance and fly past queues of traffic (23mph).

I can arrive at work with a sweat or with a glow, I get funny looks, some people suggest it is 'cheating' but to cheat you have to' play' and all I'm doing is riding to work and home again.

Thanks to cycle2work the bike cost less than £400, the cost of my diesel for three months, electric is about £3 per 1000 miles so they say.

Your going to see more people like me so say hello, we're just getting to work and we're cyclists too.

STEFANOS4784

Not really, ya cheat :P

moonio

I commute 24 miles per day on a Wisper electric mountain bike, I would never have been able to do the journey on a normal bike as its far too hilly and I'd just be knackered all the time.

They really are great as yo still get lots of excersise in pedelec mode and a quick burst of speed in throttle mode.

http://www.wisper-bikes.co.uk/

seataltea

and then there were two.....

redvee

These people don't have to carry their 'bikes' up any stairs then.

spasypaddy

why not just get a moped?

moonio

I used to ride a vespa, but it kept get vandalised and was costing around £1000 for all the maintenance, repairs and licencing etc.

Also I wanted to get more exercise and fit.

I've been riding the electric bike since june and have lost about a stone and am really toned so am very happy.

the motor mainly kicks in on hils and when your pedal speed drops to below 15 miles per hr.

The throttle only mode is good for short journeys to the supermarket when u are laden with shopping and its hard to pedal, its also good for plling away at the lights as the bikes are quite heavy (23kg) and can be difficult to get moving. However the throttle only mode really drains the battery.

I can get about 40 miles per 10p charge in pedelec mode but a lighter person should get arounst 60.

the top speed in derestricted (off road) throttle only mode is around 20 miles per hr.

I am determined to get every car user in London onto one of these bikes!!!!

grayo59

I see one or two around where I live.

What's the 3rd party insurance position? Voluntary or what?

seataltea

redvee wrote:

These people don't have to carry their 'bikes' up any stairs then.

I could if it were needed, lithium polymer has replaced lead acid so weight is not such a big deal, interesting use of 'these people' in the response and a little stereotypical of a small number of the cyclists I've encountered over the last few months.

I've ridden 200mph superbikes, ancient 4wds, techno jap pocket rockets and luxury German barges to work and back over the last 22yrs years but never have I looked forward to travelling to work as much as I do on the 'leccy bike.

Electric bikes require no tax, insurance or MOT, they should travel at no more than 15mph with powered assistance but a number of riders know which wires to cut to get around this.

ansbaradigeidfran

I have to admit that I look at electrics with a sort of bemused indifference. I guess they're useful to some people with long/uphill journeys to attack, but electricity wasn't on my shopping list when I went looking for a new bike. The price is way out of my current range, too.

AndyManc

My commute is 6 ( each way ) miles so I wouldn't think about getting one .

If I had a commute of 12 ( each way ) or maybe I lived in a hilly area .. then I would consider buying one, if it's the only way of getting another car off the roads then why not.

They aren't proper cyclists though :P

redvee

Do you still need to pedal for the throttle to operate? Rode one where you could pedal backwards and go forwards :?

downfader

I think they're pretty cool, my mate at work rides one (she hates hills) and another is looking to buy one (progressing from a superbike).

Sadly they aint for me, even for long journies.

moonio

little video here to encourage more people to get out of their cars

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/videos ... bike-work/

moonio

And heres a longer one 28mins

http://cyclesantamonica.blogspot.com/20 ... -tips.html

timsnaith

To clarify the law, no insurance is needed, nor will you need a licence, registration, , etc. Riders must be over the age of the 14 years though.

We've been selling electric bikes for five years now to all sorts of people - young, old, fit, unfit, commuters, leisure riders, people who are serious about their cycling but also need to commute 20+ miles a day and want to save their legs and avoid getting hot and bothered.

Anyway - here are some reports from our customers Electric bike customer reviews

They should help illuminate why people buy, use and enjoy riding these bikes. The message we're getting is that we're encouraging a lot of people to cycle who would not otherwise think of getting on a bike again, which is surely a good thing?

We used to import Chinese electric bikes, but there were reliability and consistency issues, which have given electric bikes a bad name for years, especially among IBDs. But now we've found a good supplier, based in Germany, which means our workshop is busy doing pre-delivery inspections and not much else these days.

2tired2ride

I think its ok, there are easier to overtake than the kids who ride mopeds on the cyclepath. Plus it gives me something to try and beat on the hills, personally I wounldn't get one because I like the hills it makes it fun but for older, less fit people who just want a relaxing bike ride it must be good.