Electric Bikes (1 Viewer)

anjer

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Does anyone have an electric bicycle?. Thinking about one for my wife - bad back and difficult to us her normal bike. So I am after some info on the makes, types, ease of use ,lifting onto cycle rack, charging battery from inverters, anything etc
Thanks
Anthony
PS not sure if this is the best section but it'll do. TA
 

Judge Mental

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E bikes

a good place to start is on the dedicated E Bike forum

Electric Bicycles - Pedelec Forums - Electric Bike Forum

Like everything else there are e bikes and e bikes.....the cheaper Chinese generic variety that you see on ebay and at shows are a bit risky. Good bikes start at well over £1000 but there are some reasonable ones around 500-700 (powercycle Salisbury/Izip/greenedge/urban mover/Alien/synergie mistral.

But NO e bike is light! even if you take the battery of..... so be sure you can lift it on to a rack before you go ahead.

E bikes fall into 2 distinct categories. the more European pedal assist only, like the Kalkhoff/ E Motion bikes with Panasonic battery's and drives. These are expensive and regarded as the best hill climbers...

the Chinese Hub motor bikes like the Ezee and Wisper brand ( we have 2 wispers) these have large capacity batteries and rear or front hub motors. for the time being (EU regs:Sad:) UK bikes still have a throttle. so when you are winded or need a break you can just twist and go......I prefer this style

Just back from a month in Switzerland/Italy and the E Bikes made all the difference to the trip.
 

hilldweller

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Does anyone have an electric bicycle?. Thinking about one for my wife - bad back and difficult

You've got to be joking. Now if she was young, blond, athletic and a bit on the insatiable side someone would do a trade.

E bikes are great - make sure you go for LiPo battery and as light a frame as possible.

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wkdtroll

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Electric bikes? - What next!!!! They will be slicing bread and selling it in packs.:ROFLMAO:

.....surely you wouldn't get very far though (unless you had a very long lead?::bigsmile:
 

scotjimland

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I'm a keen cyclists and have never considered a leccy bike but I can see why they are attractive .. until I saw this on the Pedelec forum ..


Your battery was made on 22nd January 2007, and it will have had it now since they only last around two years or a little over, however lightly used, since the electrolyte chemically decays throughout their life.

I'm afraid all makes of battery are very expensive now due to current exchange rates. Here's the current prices of some leading battery types on a watt/hour capacity basis, and you'll see the eZee one is favourable, only the very big Wisper battery better priced:

Powabyke 36V 6Ah battery = £265 216Wh/265 = £1.22/Wh
Ezee 37V 10Ah battery = £395 370Wh/395 = £1.06/Wh
Kalkhoff 26V 10Ah battery = £395 260Wh/395 = £1.51/Wh
Wisper 36V 14Ah battery = £515 504Wh/515 = £1.02/Wh
Wisper 36V 8Ah battery = £315 288Wh/315 = £1.09/Wh

There isn't any readily used cheaper alternative unless you lash up three very heavy lead acid batteries and mount them on the carrier somehow.


Looks like an expensive replacement battery every couple of years or so .. think I'll pass until the battery technology gets better ..
 
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Tinyk

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Yep we have 3 in the family, two fold ups for the garage at the back and was so impressed with the damn things bought myself a mountain bike for home.

PowaRider - Electric Bikes

Thats who we dealt with and have to say service and backup service was excellent, they guy even opened out of hours to sort a warranty fault cause we couldn't get to him by closing time.

On a recent trip to Holland they really excelled so much so we cancelled the hire car and if you knew how much I rely on the fuel driven motors you would be surprised.

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Snowbird

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Hi, We have the Dutch Spartamets, I know they are not battery operated. They are the same weight as an ordinary bike, but they have a small 2 stroke motor in the back wheel. You can ride them just like a push bike if you want or pull a string like a strimmer and sit back in comfort. Only problem is you would nead a crashhat in UK and allsorts of regs that we dont have here. For this reason we leave them in Europe. I used to have a Solex, great fun,dont think theres many in UK but every French peasant used to have one years ago.
 

Judge Mental

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Yep Lithium Polymer batteries are not Cheap! but its all relative is it not........And if you are a strong & healthy cyclist, fair enough an e bike is probably unnecessary

I use mine instead of the car for most local trips......no fuel costs/no parking fees etc... (I paid £5 today to park at a local hospital for 2 hours) So all in all considering the range and power these batteries offer it still make them a worthwhile means of transport IMO

I can get up hills now that would normally have me in tears::bigsmile: and they are just great fun! flattening out them hills! its just the danger of riding on UK roads that takes the enjoyment away to some extent (someone nearly had me of last week)

there were hills I was dreading in Italy from last year, and I managed them easily. There was absolutely nothing to worry about and best of all no sweat:Smile:
 

Tinyk

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Hi, We have the Dutch Spartamets, I know they are not battery operated. They are the same weight as an ordinary bike, but they have a small 2 stroke motor in the back wheel. You can ride them just like a push bike if you want or pull a string like a strimmer and sit back in comfort. Only problem is you would nead a crashhat in UK and allsorts of regs that we dont have here. For this reason we leave them in Europe. I used to have a Solex, great fun,dont think theres many in UK but every French peasant used to have one years ago.


I liked the look of them over in Holland, I also thought the little cars that could also use certain cycle paths were excellent, just a tad smaller and I reckon I could have got one in my garage LOL save me the hassle of trying to pick up a second hand aframe and tow car.

The only downside I find to the electric bikes is when we all go out and chain the bikes up I'm always a little concerned at coming back and finding them gone :Eeek: that would ruin a holiday and leave us strnaded. I know its a risk you take and they dont serve any purpose locked up safe and sound in the garage but its always on my mind and it stops me from straying to far from them and for two long.

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Randonneur

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I bought a secondhand Powabyke Shopper 6 weeks ago with a brand new battery pack and I LOVE it. We live in an area that has a few hills and when our Grandson was over for the 5 weeks holidays it was no problem for me to go with him. The lady that sold it to me suggested that each time I went out on the bike to put 10p in a pot therefore when it came to buy a replacement battery the money is there.

This bike weighs 35 kgs with the battery so we put the bike in the motorhome garage and the battery inside the van when we brought it back to France. We have not had chance to go anywhere since we came back but will charge the battery via the inverter when we do go if we are not on hookup. We do have 240v/12v sockets in the garage so we could use those.

::bigsmile:::bigsmile:::bigsmile:::bigsmile:::bigsmile:
 

hilldweller

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but will charge the battery via the inverter when we do go if we are not on hookup.

Ah now there's the problem !

Mine is 24V 10Ah so about 25Ah out of your 12v leisure battery for a full charge, that could be over a quarter of your capacity, and we have 2 bikes.

BIG problem if no hookup.
 

scotjimland

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Ah now there's the problem !

Mine is 24V 10Ah so about 25Ah out of your 12v leisure battery for a full charge, that could be over a quarter of your capacity, and we have 2 bikes.

BIG problem if no hookup.

Hi Brian ..

whether 24v or 12v its still 10ah, .. so the problem isn't as bad as you thought .. but still a fair whack for two bikes .. and not sustainable ..

A 40watt solar panel would do the trick .. either that or a solar panel on the bike rack charging as you go along .. :winky:



jim

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Randonneur

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Forgot to say that we have a 120 watt solar panel so that should work okay charging the bike battery.
 

Judge Mental

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is it not OK to charge from the inverter while driving? would this stop the batteries draining?
 

hilldweller

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is it not OK to charge from the inverter while driving? would this stop the batteries draining?

That *should* work though some of the charging stories we hear here it means it cannot be guaranteed for all vans.

You've shot down McDyson from multimillionaire to pauper. Life's hard like that, let's hop he didn't spend it all this morning.

I have a crappy cheap 150W inverter that refused to power one charger when I tried it last weekend. Time to rectify that !
 

chrisboyo

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Hi
We have had 2 power bikes for 3 seasons now, use them lots and love them!
I charge them up useing a 150 watt inverter no prob, we have an 85 watt solar panel
Just got back from a month in france where we used them nearly every day.
We used aires all the time so no hook up

Got them off ebay £300 each

Happy Daze
Chrisboyo

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defitz

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Feb 25, 2010
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Does anyone have an electric bicycle?. Thinking about one for my wife - bad back and difficult to us her normal bike. So I am after some info on the makes, types, ease of use ,lifting onto cycle rack, charging battery from inverters, anything etc
Thanks
Anthony
PS not sure if this is the best section but it'll do. TA
somewhere I wrote a comphrensive advisor to someone asking about bikes- it would answer your question too: so I summary best you can afford and particularly step thru' of sit'n beg type (most folders are too far and too low forward bend ( but not all-need to try) and best is 36 v motor! I use ( see other replies) Freego "Hawk" -very top of range, in -house design, powerful and long distance motor cost circa £750 but as good-maybe better( and yes, I have ridden all) as the £1500 Dutch and £2000 japanese models.
One word-if you live upstairfs, be sure you can detach the battery to charge- or charge at stree-level most bikes are a bit too heavy for the third floor!
and yes- I charge from my 36 yr old Hymer camper-any cheap charger at £60 will do the job but being complicated I charge through battery and inverter! Beware poor battery powered cheaper versions if you really want to bicycle!. And there is a folding trike-even an electric folding trike available these days...... great for when i can't balance any longer and heck- much better than an invalid scooter if you can sit a trike!
Oh yes- near forgot- get a trailer like a Carry Freedom and the world's -well the hypermarket- is your oyster! :thumb:
 

defitz

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defitz

=Snowbird;183350]Hi, We have the Dutch Spartamets, I know they are not battery operated. They are the same weight as an ordinary bike, but they have a small 2 stroke motor in the back wheel. You can ride them just like a push bike if you want or pull a string like a strimmer and sit back in comfort. Only problem is you would nead a crashhat in UK and allsorts of regs that we dont have here. For this reason we leave them in Europe. I used to have a Solex, great fun,dont think theres many in UK but every French peasant used to have one years ago.[/quote]
:RollEyes:Spartamets? yerra man--- rare as whatever these days..... I have the german version-Saxonette and like you, leave 'em abroadx because of thr stupid silly grasping gestapo Stalinist attitudes in the UK- treating these small motorised bicycles as though they were big motorcyles oR four wheeled vehicles-and all to get control and more control and more control and more tax cash!.
But that is why all my stuff-motorhomes, boat, everything mostly - is abroad: I hate the dirty grey suited Stalinists who control the uk!
ps be careful 'coc the Sparta now is an electric bike quite pricey circa 2600 , very electronic and you cannot remove the bttery or charging
 
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