125cc moped for alternative days...

prawny · March 2020

Ooh hello! I missed this (haven’t been in BR for a while) yes I did swap pedals for a putput last summer and I don’t regret it.

I’ve changed jobs now to somewhere without PT links so it was lucky timing that I did my CBT, can’t say I love the scooter too much, I’m trying to get a proper motorbike signed off by swmbo. The seating position is quite alien to a cyclist but it’s the quickest way I’ve found of getting to work, my commute is a 16 mile round trip and it costs me a quid a day in petrol parking is free and insurance is cheap about £100 first year.

Helmet jacket and trousers cost about £150, still looking for some decent gloves and boots, I’ve been wearing mtb gloves for now.

It’s a great way of getting to work, took a bit of time to get used to the speed, CBT scared me to be honest but I’m ok now, once this 3 month test ban is done I’ll be getting my full license as soon as possible and I’m looking to get the sort of crap commuter that bikers hate like a NC750 😬

Edit - forgot to mention time saved. My 20 mile bike commute took between 70-95 minutes depending on the weather and tiredness. The scooter takes less than an hour to do the same difference every day. My new commute takes 20 minutes and there’s almost no getting changed to worry about.

The only issue is trying to figure out how to fit more exercise into my routine.

Cargobike · April 2020

First post, so take it easy on me

I do a similar daily commute from the edge of the Peak District into Derby, 6 days a week and have looked at various options, especially during the winter months when travelling down dark country lanes can be problematic in inclement weather.

For your money, £700-1000 for a 125 isn't going to go far, certainly not for buying anything half decent. Yes, you can get a Lexmoto or other branded Chinese crap, but it's cheap for a reason and if you value your life you should stick well clear. If a small bike is the answer then look at Hondas, especially the CB, CG or CBR models. The build quality is better than anything else out there, but you'll be buying a bike over 10 years old with 20,000+ miles on the clock at that kind of money, so ongoing maintenance will be an issue.

Personally, I do my commute on a Larry vs Harry Cargobike weighing in at 25kg before I've added any gear I'm carrying too, but the Shimano Steps motor handles it with ease including the steeper climbs on the ride home. With the ability to toggle between the various levels of assist it is quite possible to have a good workout when you need it, but stick it in maximum assist when you need to get to your destination asap or the legs don't want to respond to what you ask of them. Bar the odd bits of general maintenance and budgeting to replace the battery every 2-3 years, based on my 10,000 miles a year, ongoing costs are minimal, roughly £350 if you shop around.

If your employer does Cycle to Work or similar it's now possible to purchase an e-bike under a similar scheme, enabling you to spread the cost over time while saving your employer a bit of tax and buy bikes over the £1000 limit.

https://greencommuteinitiative.uk/

If I was in the market for a decent all weather e-bike I'd be looking at Dutch or German brands, something like a Reisse and Muller or a Kalkhoff who've been in the market longer than almost anyone and have a wide range of bikes to buy. Stick with Bosch or Shimano Steps motors and you won't go far wrong.

Alternatively, you could buy a conversion kit, I've had a few in the past. By far and away the best engineered are made by Suntour, not the cheapest, but pound for pound the best quality.

Lastly, we all have to travel, whether it's a couple of miles or 20+. Riding your bike a few days is better than driving everyday, so if continuing to drive the van is the most sensible option for you right now, then that's all you can do.

Good luck.

cheesemonkey · April 2020

Thanks both, very valuable advice.

I managed to pre-order Swytch ebike kit to retrofit on my single speed (front hub motor, claims 50miles battery range and the kit weighing only 3KG). Around £650 for the whole kit + shipping & VAT. Probably the cheapest option so far to increase my bike commute capabililty.

Today, I tried out an eBike as part of workplace sustainability campaign. It’s a EZEGO Commute Gents 19-inch, straight bar, 8 gear, rear hub motor, and 40mile range battery. my first time trying out an eBike. I rode it home.

Going uphill is effortless and fantastic! I smashed all the big hills on Strava. It was a breeze and pleasant.

BUT (!!), everything else was a disappointment. Other than uphill, I constantly felt the motor's resistance (or heaviness?) and it was actually more effortful to cycle on flat and downhill. It was certainly much slower than on my single speed (no medals on my Strava). The journey time was no different from my usual single speed (average speed 16.6mph, just over 60min journey).

EZEGO is one of the cheapest eBikes out there (£990.00), it had 42C Kenda tyre, much heavier, flat bar and upright hybrid type geometry compared to my usual bike. So I realise that there are lots of variables to consider before blaming on motor resistance slowing me down.

Are all eBikes feels like a resistant training if pedalling above the assisted speed? Swytch kit claims that it’s “brushless motor,” so I took that as a resistant free, freewheel motion if I go faster than the 15.5mph motor speed. But maybe I shouldn’t expect that.

I’m noting that the benefit of eBike is not time-saving, but effort-saving, hence able to cycle everyday by preserving my energy. Very interesting experience, indeed. I’m using the eBike to ride back to work tomorrow.

Cargobike · April 2020

Hmmm......

You get what you pay for whether it's a sleek carbon fibre race bike or a ulilitarian e-bike.

At £990 for the Ezego what did you expect?

Hub motors will always feel like you are pushing or pulling the extra mass of the motor when you are above the limits of the assist. A crank assist motor offers a far more realistic pedalling feel, but will invariably cost more.

If you are seriously considering an e-bike buy one that has been specifically designed to be an e-bike rather than something cobbled together to fit the notion of what an e-bike is.

Realistically, you need to double your budget whether for a 125 or an e-bike to gain the reliability and/or the ride quality that you desire.

Sad, but true unless you are happy with an ebay special

mercia_man · April 2020

Cargobike says it all. Cheap hub-drive machines and bolt-on kits are not in the same league as a crank-drive e-bike specifically designed as such, particularly a quality bike from Germany where e-bikes are so popular. But you are looking at £2,500-plus.

prawny · April 2020

You can get a half decent scoot for small money if you look around.

My Yamaha is ugly as sin, but it only cost me about £600 with some MOT left (didn’t cost much to get it through the next one either) it’s a 2011 plate and had only done 6500 miles when I got it. Done nearly 10k now.

There are training school that will do a taster session for not much money to see if motorcycles are for you before to commit £100+ to a CBT. I’d look at one of them before you commit to anything.

I know this is a cycling forum, but there are some commutes that just aren’t conducive to cycling every day. And a motorbike or scooter makes more sense.

shimanobottombracket · April 2020

cheesemonkey said:
My commute is 16miles each way, 1100ft elevation gain, average 15-16mph, 60-65min journey. I can do every other day (3x week) at max, but also time is of essence with a young family... I don't think it's realistic to cycle aim every day. I’m still going to carry on 3x week bike commute to keep my fitness and for my sanity.

The current alternative is my vehicle, which is a dirty diesel van ('98, 2.5TDi, 40mpg…). I REALLY hate driving the empty van just to commute. The environment, fuel, rush hour traffic, battle of parking space at work (they're going to implement £28/month charge for staff parking soon!)... I just can't find a good reason.

So I’m gearing towards getting a 125cc moped / small bike. The cost I calculated so far:

125cc Moped £700-1,000
CBT £130
VED £20
MOT £30
Insurance? No idea.
Gear? Full helmet, hard shell + trousers, boots, gloves

I’m sure others have gone through this sort of decisions with commuting (there’s one interesting thread about e-bike for 50mile commute). What do others do, in particular the running cost of moped / small bike commute as alternative to bike commuting?

Check out something called S-Pedelecs. They are like normal E-bikes but a bit faster. Nearly 30mph I think. Due to this they do require insurance and license to operate, but I wouldn't bother on that part personally. Just ride it like a normal bike on the cycle paths and ride fast on the roads. Assuming such bikes look like normal bikes or ebikes then you would be very very unlikely to be arsed around by pedantic coppers.

Something worth considering because I ride a motorcycle, and they are also a fracking pain in the bollux. S-pedelec sounds like an ideal middle ground if you ignore all the legal requirements.

prawny · May 2020

Had my first renewal invite came from my scooter insurer this week. It was £140 last year, down to £83 this year with 1 year NCD, happy days!

Will be doing my direct access when the riding schools reopen though, want something a bit more grown up but still sensible.

125cc moped for alternative days...

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