Mattrm the Vivax is 2800 quid kit.

Not tried that

I’ve fitted a bafang bbs to my cargo bike though.

There are some mean light things being done with might cube battery packs slung under seat packs doing 20km range on MTBs over at pedelecs.

Ii overspecd my battery somewhat and have ended up with a 200mile range utility bike……I’m tempted to go on tour with it for a laugh

Trek have gone in bigstyle for 2017, including 150mm travel trail/enduro type stuff. Looks great.

http://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/mountain-bikes/electric-mountain-bikes/powerfly-fs/powerfly-9-lt-plus/p/2936600-2017/

A different magazine might have a few options on test, so keep an eye out for write ups soon.

@trail_rat,
Am I right in thinking your running a 48v battery then. and if so who did you buy from

trail_rat : What bafang motor kit/battery did you fit?, I’m looking at the 750w kit for my tripster along with this flat panasonic 14ah battery that will be mounted to the rear rack so i can get a genuine 50miles+ range out of it.

Em3ev I bought from 17.9ah @48v

Powering a bbs02

47miles of mixed riding still saw me only use 1/5th of the battery on a 40lb unmotorised/60lb motorized + load on my xtracycle long tail.

So long as you stick to 15.5mph Kenny you’ll get 50miles per change no bother from that set up.

I’m looking at adding a sturmey archer 3 speed cassette hub so I can get my 3/9 back as even 42/36 isn’t enough for some hills locally.

awesome will i be able to ride like this with one

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7OG9c7N3B4[/video]

Great video that trout.
Could open up all kinds of techy climbs that would otherwise be not on the radar.

That vid is great!

Had an uphill blast on TH’s Levo Fattie. Ace fun uphill – just need a demo on one downhill now

Fancy getting one for mrs467 with the caveat that I’ll borrow it sometimes – e.g. cutgate

Why are there no electric gravel bikes or super commuters or whatever you want to call them.

All the on road ebikes seem to be horrible diy conversions or folding bikes.

The mrs is seriously considering one to reduce car use and for joining me on longer stints but we cant find anything we like the look of.

Just buy an electric hardtail/rigid and stick slicks on?

I did consider this but thought there must be something out there closer to what we wanted

That video does seem to make certain aspects of riding VERY simplistic… in a good way i may add. Although the terrain seems far more complex/steep than most things you’d find in certainly the southern UK.

Moustache Dimache 28 thePodge?
Local ebike shop guy seemed pretty enthusicastic about this (for himself)

Not all diy conversions are horrible.

Cheap shit poorly fitted conversions are horrible.

But then a set of cheap forks fitted by a mech who doesnt know what he is doing is also shit …..

I’m sure that bike above rides well but my goodness its ugly

Something like the Aerobike X-Ride would be about right if it had discs.

All the on road ebikes seem to be horrible diy conversions or folding bikes.

Really?

[url=https://flic.kr/p/xgbbCr]Lovely morning for a commute![/url] by Simon Barnes, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/wGzvfA]New bike :-)[/url] by Simon Barnes, on Flickr

Hey you didn’t specify it had to be pretty, just a more specific e-road bike.

simondbarnes – Really?

I said seem to be

If that had drops… I think we’d be in the right area.

an interesting read here

ebike commuting data

Just had a go on a Specialized Turbo Levo HT fattie 27.5, had brilliant fun, loved it. I like the way Specialized has designed it with the battery/frame as one (fat) tube rather than a battery sitting on top.

I’ve been having a look at the specialised turbo hybrid as Simon Barnes as a commuter,

How does gearing compare on e-bikes? theres no way i’d look at a 48t for my commute. would you look at the same ratios as you would for a normal bike?

I have a 25% climb to deal with, has anyone tackled similar whats the difference? did you do it in the same gear as you would on normal bike or otherwise?

Simon Barnes how would the spec deal with forest fire roads?

How does gearing compare on e-bikes? theres no way i’d look at a 48t for my commute. would you look at the same ratios as you would for a normal bike?

I’d never run a 1x groupset on a normal bike. To be honest, I’m not even sure what gearing I’ve got on the e-bike! Guessing it’s probably an 11/36 10spd on the back.

I have a 25% climb to deal with, has anyone tackled similar whats the difference? did you do it in the same gear as you would on normal bike or otherwise?

Got nothing anywhere near 25% on my commute so can’t help you there, sorry.

Simon Barnes how would the spec deal with forest fire roads?

Smooth ones would be fine. The bike is quite harsh though so probably not much fun on bumpy stuff. I use mine on local canals & the Trans Pennine Trail and it’s fine there.

My dad rides an ebike, but hes pushing 70 and has health/mobility issues.

Do it properly, for utility only or buy a proper motorbike. You’re not impressing anyone.

Do it properly, for utility only or buy a proper motorbike. You’re not impressing anyone.

Huh? Wtf would I buy a motorbike? I like pedalling. And I certainly don’t give a **** about impressing anyone, I just want to get to work without using my car and getting some exercise.

Here come the idiots and there goes a useful thread

The Specialized bikes do look good, they seem to be one of the few brands that don’t look like adding the battery was an after thought

I’ve commuted on a cube reaction pro hybrid. Felt guilty climbing up a local steep hill with a naturally aspirated guy trying to keep up behind me. Gearing needs to be ebike specific,gaps on the 11-36 cassette were too large & i mostly only used the 11-13. One part of the route goes down a steep hill & i got up to 28mph losing pedal assistance for the immediate uphill that follows it, pedalling a 40lb+ bike isn’t fun & moderating your speed to keep the assistance going feels weird. It definitely needs a different riding style to get the most of it.
It also needs to sound less like the whone of a milk float too ( albeit a quiet one)

Here come the idiots and there goes a useful thread

Yes my thoughts as well but we can keep the thread real and ignore the trolls .

I have just booked a demo day of a Cube Nutrail Hybrid to see how far it will get me in the dales at the weekend

I’ve also ridden a (regular customers) German spec fast pedalec, and that’s the way to go if you want speed. very smooth, but it does require more effort.

PP: you forgot the ICE trike, surely? 😉 Now that really is a blast, even powered by only one leg (I know the owner).

Still early technology, but by the time I need one, they will be truly excellent. At the moment, I would avoid hub motors.

Agreed re hub motors if your doing hills.

On the flat a geared hub motor is fine. Just gets overwhelmed on steep/prolonged hills

A non geared one drags like a bitch when off power

My bafangs midmount has gone up anything I’ve pointed it at so far Inc some pretty steep stuff. I’ve a 44up front and a 12-36out back. Going to fit a sturmey archer 3 speed cassette hub to the rear I feel I could use a lower gear when winching loads up hills. Although it didn’t mind me. Carrying my mate up the hill from the pub I don’t think it was super happy in the low gear doing it.

Just a question, and I’m not trolling, what happens with an e-bike if your battery runs out or the motor fails? Presumably it then just functions as a refreshingly heavy conventional bike? Presumably the motor disengages if something seizes up?

How long does it take to recharge a typical e-bike battery? Is it an hour or two or hook it up all day? I’m guessing the former.

I’m dreading the gf reading the comments about levelling the field. I can foresee a future where I toil helplessly in her wake as she speeds up climbs giggling to herself while I hyperventilate trying to keep up 😐

I cant honestly see myself buying one until I’m very old, because I like pedalling up hills, but the potential to use it as a leveller does have some attractions.

BWD, my bike is a bosch equipped one, if the battery goes flat you can just pedal it like a normal bike, although there is a little drag from the motor. (The bosch motor is effectively a single speed hub gear, the front sprocket rotates at 2.5 times the crank speed)
Also, my bike weighs almost 20kg, so its not exactly gonna fly if the battery is flat.
Charging takes about 4.5 hours from flat.
However, unless you are really heavy and tackling steep terrain the battery lasts absolutely ages, ive managed 35 miles, fully loaded with camping gear and only used half the battery. I weigh 20 stone, although the terrain that day was relatively flat.
My mate (a cube dealer) has ridden one with 3000 miles on it, he reckoned it was slightly noisier but worked just fine, it had the original motor and battery. All the other cycle parts on bosch equipped bikes are standard the same as any other bike. HTH

Same here. Tbh a fit lad shouldn’t struggle too much unless it’s a steep climb.

I find my assist rarely kicks in on flat as my natural speed is more than 15.5mph.

It’s when climbing it comes to the fore.

My battery is so big that I reckon a combination of the above and massive battery means I’ll run out of awakeness before the bike runs out of power. Half tempted to take it round the snow roads audax for the banter.

Mines 60lbs :/

[Img]https://s4.postimg.org/a0fx91ad9/IMG_20161009_214631.jpg[/img]

I should also add, my wife has one too, the last time we went out together she set off down a cycle path and tried to catch a guy on a hybrid bike (non E) but she couldn’t, he was doing around 17mph and she just couldn’t catch him.

Trail rat, yes exactly, its climbs where you notice the assist.

I don’t get some of the negative comments above. I’m looking at getting one now having tried a few, probably the Specialized I tried recently. I’m not out to impress anyone, just as I’m getting on a bit and not as fit as I was plus with a knackered ankle and shoulder I can’t ride like I used to and these seem to bring back the fun and access (at a cost I accept). The other plus point for me, and with reference to why not get a proper motorbike, I have been a trail bike rider for years and did a lot of green laning plus using it for commutes. With an e-bike I can still do both if I want to and although I was always courteous, there’s less likelihood of pissing off other users like horseriders and walkers when I used to green lane on the motorbike, plus access to far more routes. I know we all have different views but for me now I can only see the postives, apart from the cost, did I say that…

I like the retro fit of the bafang, its looks could do with a bit of refining and that battery is massive but otherwise it has potential.

Battery is waaaaaaay over specs that’s a 17.9ah @48v

13-14 ah @36v would have been more than sufficient knowing what I know now

Trouble was I was taking advice from a bunch of folk who try to build electric mopeds so was convinced I needed more than 13-14ah @36v to complete my most often done journey.

As it happened I did ,47miles on that and used 1/5th of battery

Just a question, and I’m not trolling, what happens with an e-bike if your battery runs out or the motor fails? Presumably it then just functions as a refreshingly heavy conventional bike?

Yup. Not much fun on mine but doable. The Spesh Turbo Levo FSR I rode last week was much easier to ride than mine with the battery turned off, I think down to the zero drag mid-drive motor. At the end of the day a 50lb+ bike is never going to be great to pedal, especially uphill.

How long does it take to recharge a typical e-bike battery? Is it an hour or two or hook it up all day? I’m guessing the former.

About 3 hours for mine

Oh and re refining of fitting.

That was a 45 minute first fit to prove the concept.

Going to strip it all off and spray the frame and rebuild. I’ll shorten all the wires/route them through the battery bag and do a professional install of it.

The head tube areas a mess….

I’m also installing dynamo lighting and an led “headlight” running off the main battery for the last 3 miles outside of the city limits where the street lights stop

Good to know that a smaller battery would be more than suited.

I’m thinking something like a Genesis Day One Alfine and a retro fit kit might be what I’m after.

I wasn’t really meaning fitting on your bike, more that it’d be nice if it ran normal bcd chainrings and if the fixing plate was ISCG spacing