Sorry for an ebike thread! My mother keeps expressing vague interest in an ebike. She is horrified at the cost (having only got a horrific £99 BSO). She’s not particularly fit - is certainly overweight (has been as long as I can remember and is relatively content that way). She does walk a reasonable amount, and pre lock down was swimming once of twice a week. She doesn’t drive so since lockdown only goes places my dad takes her or she can walk to as she is avoiding the bus (which was her main mode of transport before). My dad cycles 20-30 miles once or twice a week, more in good weather; he has a hybrid we bought him 10 yrs ago for about 400 so not exactly carbon fibre racing machine!
She would be cycling on cycle paths and quiet poorly maintained roads - so we are clearly talking classic “granny” bike here not any racing machine. She wouldn’t want or need anything with a hacked speed limit etc.
What sort of budget (and specific recommendations?) do you need to spend to get half decent ebike rather than an e-BSO?
There are many E-BSOs sadly. And because they still cost >£1K people think they must be good when in fact they are mostly cack.
If there was a fair chance I was going to have to do the spannering a base model step thru Cube would be about as low as I'd want to go. https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/bikes/cube/electric-bikes/female
And with a 74yr old mother who has put 2000km onto her Cube since lockdown started I can attest to the reasonable quality, liberation and grin factor they can bring to the right old bird.
Seems like a fair swap. Send me photos of the bike and I'll raid the local nursing home.
I bought Mrs D a Pendleton electric bike. Picked it up in summer at the height of the covid bike boom for £575 2nd hand.
There are always loads on ebay and Facebook market place so you can usually knock the prices down.
The one we bought was hardly used and all it needed was the gears tuning and the front wicker basket removing 😂
Since then I've changed the tyres and fitted 2 inch hybrid tyres on and fitted new wider and lighter mudguards.
The bike is heavy and the gears are crap but they work. The v brakes are flexy and hard to get set up with a positive feel. I might have to change them at some point.
The rear hub motor is a bafang motor and it's got a really good kick on it. It flies up the hills and it's supposed to have a 50 mile range in it.
Based on the riding she's done on it I'd say it would easily do 40 miles on a full charge with lots of climbing.
You're probably looking for something like this, https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/elops-500-e-low-frame-electric-city-bike/_/R-p-100394?mc=8379379&c=BLACK
Met a French ex school teacher out on the trails 2 years ago outside Olargues, he'd ridden up from Beziers on a Decathlon electric bike, had 2 batteries, he was the same age as me 68 and had a heart bypass op a few months previous, so to get him cycling again his children bought it. At that point he had traveled 64k on it and still to get back to Beziers. At the time it was less than 750 euros.
Islabikes have 2 new ebikes based on their senior bikes, so have features designed for the older rider.
You cant go wrong with a Pendelton e bike from Halfords for around 1k
Ive bought two in the last year, one for the mother in law and one for the sister in law
I'm no newbie when it comes to e bikes (im on my 3rd Specialized and i bought the wife a Moustache Lundi town e bike)
The Pendelton e bike is good value for money, if you do have any issues its easy to drop it back to Halfords and the bafang motor is tried and tested, the mother in law has hit 1000 miles so far and all Ive had to do is pump the tyres up a few times and adjust the gears and brakes slightly and its been spot on
I'll follow this thread too. I bought my mum a Giant e-bike about 15 years ago and she's used it almost every day. However, despite a couple of replacement batteries it's getting a bit outdated and she needs a bit more oomph getting up hills (she's 75, has cancer and a dodgy heart and hip and is tough as nails). So, looking for suggestions. I don't like the bikes with batteries on a rear rack as it's a higher centre of gravity (for an elderly rider). And a step-through frame is essential. Can't find much that is in stock at the moment.
My mum has just bought an Islabike Jimi and she's loving it. She particularly likes the simplicity and light weight.
My mum has a Trek Verve+ that she loves, has a nice low stepthru and battery on the frame, so no issues with COG. Also has built in light so a pretty tidy package. Think you're looking about £2k for those, hers seemed a bargain at the time, but she lives in Aus so think the ER works in their favour.
We run a scheme locally with help from Sustrans to get people trials of ebikes and help with skills for getting them on the road.
We have had several people come through recently in similar age range who have bought an ebike and then really struggled to manage it due to weight or compromises in bike build. Each case is personal but a few observations from this are:
- If you can avoid one with a battery on the rear rack, this puts more weight higher up and so can struggle when slowing and stopping
- rear hub motors seem to also put people off when cornering slowly, hard to describe but feel more like being pushed than with mid drive so less in control and so less likely to enjoy and then more nervous when manouvering
- less universal but the handlebars also seem to make a difference when needing to hold the weight of an ebike and steer, have had a few owners with very upright or swept bars which look really cool but were just not feeling confident with handling which then led to not nerves when cornering or on rough surface. moving to a more conventional bike for sessions made a big difference
We use a few style for lessons ourselves but the step through cubes are generally a favourite. They have a good weight distribution and a well chosen and low faff build e.g. tyres, brakes, bars are all confidence inspiring and come with a rack and guards standard
We have one with automatic gears which are a bit marmite but can also make a difference for non cyclists as removing a barrier to getting on a bike.
https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/pinnacle/mercury-step-through-2021-electric-hybrid-bike-917707
Bafang hub and a decent integrated battery spec, 8s Shimano and hydro brakes plus cushy tyres - £1100?
My mum has a decathlon-it’s the Riverside hybrid rather than the one above. She seems to get on great with it and able to get out and ride with my significantly fitter dad. Without it, she just wouldn’t be riding a bike anymore.
Thanks all, some interesting thoughts there. I can’t see her paying four figures - so the decathlon options @robertpb and @MrPotatoHead point to are probably more likely... at least I can probably go and take a look at them.
Heard a story today on just this where the nephew got his grandad an ebike and from that stopped using the zimmer frame and became far fitter because of it.
I looked at commuters as a possible and was quite taken by the Van Moof style. Too small for me but best with average height folk it would be ideal. Light, nothing fancy whatsoever. Hub motor and quite unobtrusive.
was quite taken by the Van Moof style
Rode one recently and was impressed by it. Stable, neutral feel, nicely balanced. The SA auto hub was a bit clunky but not sure if it was set up properly to be fair.
Flatmate got one of those £1K belt drive single speed ones, Gtech? Quality seems ok and it's light. Battery is wee and no gears but for casual unfit rider it seems reasonable
My mum who is 74 has the Pendleton ebike. Absolutely loves it. She's had it 4 years and in all that time only issue was the free hub stopped engaging. Not an issue to do with the motor, and halfords replaced for free after 2.5 years.
I know someone with one of those. They really like it but not sure if they do smaller sizes or step through frames. Which maybe a consideration.
My wife as a Nakamura , 500 euros from Intersport .
Perfect for going into town and a bit of shopping . She even managed a 50km ride .
A Cube was suggested higher up, and that's what I told my mum in her mid sixties to get as they are incredible value. But, in hindsight, it's difficult to recommend to older people because the step through isn't actually very low and she finds it no easier to get on or off that a regular bike as a result.
For her budget I would look for something with a hub motor (rather than a crank motor) and a properly low frame from somewhere you've heard of like those suggested above from Decathlon or Halfords.
I’m still looking for an e-bike for a 68 year old man - one that he can afford, that is.....
But, in hindsight, it’s difficult to recommend to older people because the step through isn’t actually very low and she finds it no easier to get on or off that a regular bike as a result.
You must be talking about their 'Trapeze' frame configuration rather than their true step through 'easy entry' configuration. They do both in some of their models. The easy entry really is just that. Trapeze not so much. Not quite sure when the point of those is - maybe for men who need an easier bike to mount but can't face a full on 'ladies bike'?