Well, they won’t sell me the demo one. 😥

So a shiny new one of these has my name on it. Roll on May 10th! 😀

Where are you getting yours from tomhoward? My lbs are expecting their delivery mid April

Specialized concept store in harrogate. They did say it might be sooner tbf

Not too far from me. My deposit is paid because there is limited stock or so I have been told

Looks good Tom, A nice touch with the integrated battery as it leaves space for a water bottle for quick blasts when you can’t be arsed with the hassle of a hydration pack, the added function of the app for motor control etc is a nice addition, being a natural fettler i like the way you can fiddle with the power outputs.

Mrs M demo’ed Powerfly HT today. I’m dead. Sport mode should be renamed “Humiliate” and Turbo “Crush them”.

Mrs M demo’ed Powerfly HT today. I’m dead. Sport mode should be renamed “Humiliate” and Turbo “Crush them”.

I think that’s probably my only problem with e-bikes. The power assist is fairly brutal, and probably unnecessary. I’d have thought that a more sensible delivery and a smaller, lighter battery would make more sense, or maybe longer battery life. I got less than 50km battery out of the Giant.

She was using Eco and Touring modes most of the time. For uneven fitness couples/groups it’s a great leveller.

I agree. I didn’t understand why the Giant had the turbonutter mode.

Is it possible to get a kit to convert a bike? I have a 16 mile commute, if I averaged 16 mph on my road bike, what could I average with a normal and chipped ebike? Wondering if I can get the commute down to a reasonable time this way?

Lots of reviews of the Levo (and its commuter father, the turbo) say that the ‘Eco’ mode is by far the best mode, nice and smooth power delivery, only using 30% of available power, also saying that ‘trail’ (60%) and ‘turbo’ (guess…) are quite on/off and can take a fair bit of getting used to, and are too powerful for tight switchback climbs. To be honest I’d agree from my three laps of stainburn red, you really have to concentrate on having a consistent power output, as opposed to cadence, otherwise you have very intermittent assistance, which if it kicks in full berries mid way through a tight corner is, err, exciting to say the least… Great if you want to tear the legs off your hyper competitive mates on long fire road drags though 😈

Agree on the fitness disparity leveller too, I’m hoping to get my (overweight, pensioner) dad to swing a leg over one so we can go out together.

Is it possible to get a kit to convert a bike? I have a 16 mile commute, if I averaged 16 mph on my road bike, what could I average with a normal and chipped ebike? Wondering if I can get the commute down to a reasonable time this way?

Don’t take this as anti-ebike, but why not just buy a moped? A legal ebike is going to do the same 16mph one, and a chipped one, well, see above for thoughts on that on the road. A 50cc moped is going to have all the same drawbacks and advantages as an ebike, but it’ll be dirt cheap and you can do 30mph legally.

Just noticed that on the app for the Levo (if you download it, free, it has a demo version) there is a box to input the wheel circumference, now I assume this is for the speed calcs, so I’m pondering if I thought I was running smaller wheels than I actually was, say 20inch rather than 27.5, my top speed would increase to 22mph, rather than 15? Assuming it lets me go so small?

Good stories on here, nice to hear these thigns are getting folks back out on the trails. We’re all just a bad injury (or a few years) removed from being in the same position.

as someone who used a ebike whilst suffering from a heart problem, can I ask, ‘why on earth would a able bodied person who is a cyclist, want to use a ebike’. a 16 mile commute is a hour for most cyclists. grow a pair ffs.

I could not wait to ditch my ebike, and did so as soon as I was able to.
you are supposed to be cyclists or mtbers….. 🙄

grow a pair ffs

Yawn

Popped up to see Kenny on Saturday and the bike was a hoot go visit him and his trails they are looking good! 🙂

grow a pair ffs
Yawn

as you very well know, mine a huge….. 😆

but on a serious note, why would a able bodied or someone not suffering from anything want to use one?

Ton, genuinely, you are the last person I would expect to have that view.

Was it because your bike was, by your own admission, a bit shit compared to a regular mtb? Things have moved on now the big guys have jumped on the bandwagon, and speccing the bikes more appropriately, rather than just bolting motors to xc bikes with kit that can’t handle the extra weight. The gap is MUCH smaller now. Indeed, now companies are looking into integration, you have to look twice to see that hey aren’t just beefy regular bikes

As for the able bodied bit, the vast majority of owners I’ve spoken to and reviews I’ve read have said that the best bit isn’t that it makes it easier, it’s that you can go out for longer, do that extra lap, see what’s at the top of that hill etc as well as making climbing a doddle, but that just leaves more energy to smash the downs, which because of what I’ve said above, is now possible.

tomhoward – Member
Ton, genuinely, you are the last person I would expect to have that view.

Was it because your bike was, by your own admission, a bit shit compared to a regular mtb?

mate, that is not the reason at all. my bike served a fantastic purpose when i needed it.
it kept me cycling when i otherwise would not have been able to. but the whole purpose of using a ebike was to hopefully keep fit enough to cycle unaided once i got fixed.

people will illness or disability yes, or even people new to cycling maybe, but blokes who i would have thought were already cyclists no.

would you run a marathon, and get the bus round?

A marathon is a race. Most cycling isn’t.

you know what i mean.

I might get the bus to the start and from the finish, and if it wasn’t a race, with no rules about how I covered the route, I might ride a bike instead so I could see more, get about quicker, or just plain not like running. Hell, I might even use an ebi…. Oh, yeah, right.

I’m finding myself agreeing with ton, to be honest. I’ve had this discussion with a (cycling) mate of mine, who’s ten years younger than me – he seems really keen on the idea but I’m still “over my dead body” -ish about it.
It’s riding something with two wheels, that’s true, but so is riding a trials bike and I know which I’d rather do if I couldn’t/didn’t want to ride a push iron.

Remember there isn’t a throttle on these bikes, you are still very much cycling, hey won’t go unless you pedal them, and they stop working totally at 15 mph so if you want to give yourself a workout, you can.

I’d could do with one for a full day riding the quantocks… Half a day there kills me..
Would also make the drive more acceptable..

OK Ton, I’ll bite.

I’m healthy and use an e-bike to do a 20 mile each way commute. I work shifts and I’m on my feet all day. When I finish work, I just can’t face an hour and a half hilly ride which gets me home at around 10pm. I’ve tried it and it knackers me to the point that when I have days off I don’t have the energy to do anything fun. With the e-bike I can get some exercise, not contribute to congestion and pollution, save money and get through the week without feeling destroyed. The e-bike is not a bike replacement, it’s a car replacement.

Paulrockliffe – if your route is flat then it won’t help. The power cuts out at 15.5mph leaving you with just a very heavy bike. If it’s hilly though then it’ll speed you up. You go up the hills at 15mph and with the weight you come down the hills pretty quickly. On my hilly route to work I average 20mph on the e-bike and around 15mph on a road bike.

If it’s chipped be very careful. You are effectively riding an electric moped without registration plates, tax, insurance MOT etc and if you are caught then expect similar penalties to if you were driving a car without any of the above. If you do need to go faster than a legal e-bike then get a moped and be legal.

OK Ton, I’ll bite.

i did not post to get someone to bite, it is what i think..that is all.
if i ever get ill, i will be the first in the queue for a new ebike….until that day comes, i will carry on plugging away using my own motor.

I can see how these can be of interest to people.

For instance when my brother comes with me for a ride. I have to slow right down so he can keep up. He isn’t unhealthy, he just doesn’t cycle the same as I do, something like this would mean he can average double figures easily meaning he can keep up with me, which overall would create a better experience.

There’s no right or wrong answer. So long as people don’t abuse them by tuning them up and riding like ****, which would inevitably see them banned in the uk I see them as just another thing to keep people away from the death box at home.

Thanks, that’s useful. It’s quite a hilly route, but the main issue is I don’t have time to do it, once you factor in getting changed and showered at both ends. Being able to cover the ground faster might be the difference between having to drive part-way or not.

I’m just musing out of interest really, and buying a new bike isn’t a realistic option at the moment anyway, which was why I wondered about add-on kits.

I was also curious as we have a young child and access to a huge network of cycletracks, I wondered about using a motor to compensate for the weight of the kid and a trailer so both parents can ride together without one being hideously slow.

I also like the idea of covering much more terrain in a given amount of time as it opens up a much bigger area of places to explore by bike when you’re time-limited. The only real counter argument seems to be that because of the power delivery it effectively flattens the hills, which would be a shame, but I presume you can turn the power down until it’s just compensating for the extra weight?

Next question, on a road ride round here I’m averaging about 100ft per mile, how long would a battery last on that sort of terrain?

‘why on earth would a able bodied person who is a cyclist, want to use a ebike’. a 16 mile commute is a hour for most cyclists. grow a pair ffs.

I could not wait to ditch my ebike, and did so as soon as I was able to.
you are supposed to be cyclists or mtbers…..

Whats wrong ton?, did someone not get his fav breakfast cereal this morning?, or perhaps you just crave some forum attention?.

You’re supposed to be a tuff cyclist so ditch your fancy gears and suspension – stop making it easy for yourself – real men ride rigid ss and knit their own horsehair shorts.

You had an ebike a few years ago when you were suffering from heart problems and thankfully you are over that experience now so why the hate and sneering/snobbish attitude for others who choose an ebike?, why shouldn’t fit and able folk be able to ride whatever they like?.

On a more serious note cycling for me has always been about fun – i ride because it makes me happy, never been bothered about racing (although i did agree to do a few races for the 7stanes team back in the 90’s) and if the Scott ebike i am currently riding was available back then i’d have bought one without question, and if that would make me less of a cyclist in your eyes then good – i’m perfectly at ease with that, I don’t feel the need to define myself or look down on others by how they choose to enjoy themselves.

Ebike, road bike, mtb, downhill sled, moped, motorbike. Whatever.

Just a bike and a tool for having fun.

Leave the snobbery and inverse snobbery at the door.

/thread

somafunk….sorry to upset you or anyone. hate is something i do not do.
just a little bit of disagree.
i will repeat again…IF I EVER GET ILL AGAIN I WILL BE THE FIRST IN THE QUEUE FOR A EBIKE…….but while i am able i would rather use my own engine. I feel that this is what a cyclist should do until he/she become unable to do so.

other people may not adhere to my train of thought…..i will not be upset or HATE them for their thoughts.

@ paulrockliffe,
ive done 34 miles with 1400ft of climbing,
i weigh about 20 stone.
battery was half full when i got home, its the bosch 400wh battery.
on another ride, i did 35 miles with the bike fully loaded with all my camping gear, again, battery half full when i got home, although not very much climbing on that run.
i mostly use eco or tour modes, switching to turbo for junctions etc.
hth.
EDIT: i must say i agree with ton, id rather ride a normal bike, it feels a lot more lively.
but bottom line, i have barely been going out as i just feel too tired. i intend to use the ebike for as long as i need, until i can go under my own steam. my main issue is im a biffer.

Next question, on a road ride round here I’m averaging about 100ft per mile, how long would a battery last on that sort of terrain?

It’s impossible to say as all bikes have different batteries and motors. It also depends on how much assistance you use, how heavy you are, whether the hills are short and steep or long and gradual and the weather conditions. If it’s below around 10’c or there are significant head winds the battery life is noticably lower.

To give you an idea though, my round trip is 60km with around 800m of climbing. I use pretty much maximum assistance and in warm still conditions I get home with around 35% battery left. In cold, windy conditions it can be as low as 10%. This is on a Carrera Crossfire e-bike which with staff discount and C2W will cost me around £630.

It would work really well towing a child trailer or child seat and I have taken it off road on land rover tracks and drovers roads without a problem.

Ton, no offence taken, I am still very much a cyclist and MTBer. I’m just less of a driver than I would be without the e-bike…

“I could not wait to ditch my ebike, and did so as soon as I was able to…”

Maisy dog found it this morning:

Paul, e-conversion kits are available on eBay…. What they are actually like in use may need researching…

Ebike vs moped, must be cost advantages, purchase cost + insurance + petrol for instance…

Had a look on eBay, those kits look mental! 30mph and you have to swap your brakes to V-brakes!