Cyclo cross vs E-bike

sisubrothers
sisubrothers Posts: 3
edited May 2018 in Road buying advice
Hello everybody,

Trying to get things sorted out as soon as possible. I am currently riding a single-gear/fixed gear bike, old school stuff, but in the same time I am carrying my 3.5 years old daughter with this single-gear. The bike has 17 kg, the child seat around 4 kg and my daughter around 17 kg. Well, I guess you get the picture when it comes to hills.

The dilemma that I am facing right now is the following. Coming from a single-gear/fixed gear bike to a cyclo cross with plenty of gears, will it help enough not to consider buying an electric bike?

The cyclo cross that I am looking at is around 10-11 kg, so basically I have 6-7 kg less from the bike. In the same time the cyclo cross bike costs 1000 euros, while the electric bike 2000 euros. The total weight now with the single-gear bike is around 120 kg (bike,me,kid,stand, without any extras). The total with the new bike would be around 113 kg, but with gears :)

The cyclo cross bike would be either a Merida or a Specialized bike
The e-bike would either be KTM or Trek

Will I manage with the cyclo cross bike?

P.S. I ride mainly around the city 15-20 km per day.

Cheers!

Comments

  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    People managed fine without e bikes for decades. Look at the Dutch cargo bikes.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,108
    The daughter is going to get bigger pretty quickly - would a tagalong be a solution?
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • sisubrothers
    sisubrothers Posts: 3
    DeVlaeminck wrote:
    The daughter is going to get bigger pretty quickly - would a tagalong be a solution?

    That is sure :)
    I was thinking to buy one Hamax Caress which can hold kids up to 22 kg. My worries is not with the kid it's with the difference that I will feel when riding. I have a lot of hill here where I live.
  • perfectmark
    perfectmark Posts: 117
    A cross bike will be noticibly easier, but I guess the question is, why do you take her on the bike? Is it because you like cycling or is it primarily just another form of transport? If it is A, I would get the cross bike.

    Also don’t forget, if you are considering an e-bike, they are harder to cycle when they run out of battery (compared to the cross bike).
  • cgfw201
    cgfw201 Posts: 680
    Ebikes are the future, if you can afford one I'd get one for the purpose you describe.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    not all hills are equal.

    I _can_ ride up 10% gradients with my little one (similar weight) on the kids seat - but it's hard work and I wouldn't want to do it for any length of time - it's bad enough without the additional weight.
    However, anything less than 8% is pretty easy (relative term) and providing you don't rush at it, it's fine for longer/more hills.

    You say you ride 15-20km per day in the City - that suggests a lot of stop/start and busy roads - so whilst I'd normally suggest a separate ride for your daughter with a Tag-along or Follow-me (I prefer the latter) - it may not be completely appropriate for you.
    If you're just doing this for transport and not doing it to enjoy it/keep fit then an e-Bike will certainly make it simpler - although I'd be a bit concerned with the weight distribution - the additional on the rear won't help going up hills when the front wheel lifts! - and anyway, an eBike doesn't remove the option of a tag-along or followme.

    Our son uses a followme for longer/faster rides or anything that's on the road - he loves it and does pedal along, but anything over 8mph is too fast for him to contribute to the effort and going up hill, the contribution is minimal - so I don't count on it.

    If you're just about managing with a single speed now, then I suggest the addition of a few lower gears is likely to make cycling a possibility - if you're having to get off and walk then an e-Bike will give you the edge.
  • mercia_man
    mercia_man Posts: 1,431
    I speak from personal experience. E-bikes are fantastic for carrying heavy loads, children, doing the weekly shopping, towing trailers loaded to the max and so on. They are also great if you have a long hilly commute that is a bit too tough to do daily on a regular bike.

    There would be a massive benefit compared with a single speed or fixed gear for the OP’s desired use.

    One word of warning. Cheap e-bikes are a bad buy. They have a tiny range and bottom end components make them a nightmare to maintain. In contrast, my wife’s belt-drive, hub gear Kalkhoff needs virtually no maintenance and can do 85 miles on full power in the Welsh mountains and 100 miles-plus on the flat. It’s great fun to ride.

    My advice is to get a good quality pedelec with bottom bracket motor from an e-bike specialist offering back-up.

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