Electric bikes...?

themightyw

Hi all

My mum's looking to get a retirement present for my father, who used to be a relatively enthusiastic cyclist but who now suffers from heart problems, so can't get back in the saddle the way he'd like to.

She's interested in getting him an electric bike (I know nothing about them) so that he can do a bit of gentle touring around when he moves to the south of France.

Are they a total waste of time? Anyone know what to look out for when buying one?

Any advice much appreciated!

TMW

nicklouse

http://www.all-about-the-bike.co.uk/kal ... -112-c.asp

We have one of these at the shop.

Electric assist, if you dont pedal the motor does no work.

great fun and worth a look at.

incog24

Sparta Ion? A little pricey at the moment compared due to the exchange rates, but a great bike. They sell tons on the continent. The pedal assist has a torque sensor in the rear hub, so you get a smoother pedalling motion than you do on the Giant for example which has it in the BB area.

skinson

At the risk of being flamed I wouldn't touch one with a roach pole! Bought me and the wife one a couple of years back because she suffers from R.A. Decent spec/make £500 apiece, wife's weighed in at over 40lbs and mine about 30. Battery life was almost half what was quoted, they went flat very quickly when not being used, so when you wanted to ride you had to wait till they recharged. Very hard to manoeuvre when off them due to their weight. All in all a very bad experience and a complete waste of money.....IMHO of course.
dave

alan_sherman

Have a dog around this other site:
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/

My mum has one which she uses mainly when away in the campervan in France. She has had a heart attack and asthma so it gets her around ona bike when she otherwise wouldn't ride - so great in that respect. She has an Urban Mover which was about 700 quid I think. It is great for general use but we seemed to overwhelm it in the forest of Dean the other week up a steep hill when it didn't have enough power to keep going up it! it was a steep hill and I don't think mum is capable of putting too much power through the pedals herself. The probelm is that the bike is quite heavy to then push up the hill.

The bike itself has some cheap suspension forks that are a waste of time, and cheap shimano 6 speed derailleur which is functional. The clever bit is that the power comes in with a torque sensor so is only used when needed.

In my opinion look for a bike which is based on a good basic hybrid bike. No suspension and functional gears and brakes with a durable but not too heavyweight frame. A lot of the electric bikes seem to be overengineered in the frame and use really heavy components. I think the pedla assist / torque controlled delivery is better than just having a throttle (it removes the temptation to just use it as a motorbike). Definately see if he can have a test ride first though as they are far from cheap.

themightyw

Thanks a lot for the excellent advice! Will start my research!

Mark1962a

Check out the Go Cycle - http://www.gocycle.com/ - Have seen a few of these around and they look superb - quite light compared to many other electric bikes and very cool........

Reviews read well - Not cheap but appear well engineered and not just an afterthought

...

DubaiNeil

I spend a lot of time in France, mainly due to having a French wife...

These "electric assist" bikes are becoming very popular there, with places such as Decathalon selling reasonable quality own label versions.

A cousin of my wife bought one for himself and another for his 9 year old son (ladies model for the kiddie) and they had a great time all summer. They were getting at least 60km's range on the battery, more if you reduced the motor assistance level.

This is in the South of France which is fairly hilly, and therefore uses the battery quite a lot.

I had a quick spin, and it was funny, but quite effective.

There will probably be more choice and better prices in France than the UK IMO

Only issue we found is that the wheels are not quick release, have large & awkward nuts and weird valves. Not so great when you try and fix a puncture after a classic South of France lunch

Neil

richara3

My dads just got himself a wisper 905se sport. Now, I am by no means a fast rider but he can easily out pace me up the hills..

He chose the wisper as its got a 36 volt 14 Ahr battery giving a decent range ,. its got a pedal sensor that gives you power within one pedal revolution and has a hand throttle so it can also be used like an electric scooter.This is what my dad liked best as he really is quite weak at the moment. The assistance it gives you on the hills is fantastic. I think some police force somewhere is / has ordered a load of these so they hopefully are not that bad a bike.

Have a test ride of some if you can .. my dad also rode a Giant that was torqu sensitive... it could tell how hard you were pedaling and increased the level of electric assistance. It ment you had to pedal harder on the flats but on the hills it could really be felt to kick in.

hope this helps...

Andy

Mister W

The website did a review of an electric conversion http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/product/36v-electric-conversion-kit-34011 which would allow your father to pick a bike he likes then fit the powered wheel to it.

Bob_Wales

There are some very expensive and over-priced electric bikes out there!
Check motor power, measured in watts, voltage, and the capacity of the battery, measured in Amp Hours (AH).
There are two common battery technologies: lead acid (to be avoided) and Lithium which are preferable. Lead acid are heavy and short-lived, rechargeable 300 times, or so. Lithium are good for 2000+ re-charges, are much lighter and more cost effective. Other types exist but many are to become out-lawed in Europe because of re-cycling and polution issues.
Juicy Bikes have been getting good reviews and are very reasonably priced. They all have light weight frames and distinctive looks.
I have one and I love it!
One other thing to check - the cost of replacement parts, particularly batterys. Some companies like to charge way over the fair price for these specialist parts.
Good luck with your search! (http://www.juicybike.co.uk)
Bob

themightyw

Fantastic feedback! Thank you all very much.