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Think I am about to be working in the big smoke again. Last time was 2 or 3 days a week and I commuted by pedal cycle.
Lovely route from SW through Bushy, Richmond and Hyde Park's varying between 16 & 25 miles and 1hr 20 mins and 2hr 30min (plus showering) depending on mood, work start time, weather and load.
I remember even at my fittest being tired most of the time, so much so I converted a bike to electric but being legal it was too slow unless there was a head wind or a hill.
I am a couple of years older, less fit and have now passed my motorbike test. I own Ulez compliant motorbike (still liable for Congestion Charge) , should I consider a plus one electric motorbike or man up?
Any recommendations for a very cheap electric motorbike capable of commuting 40 miles of London traffic ?
thanks
If you already have a motorbike, how many years of congestion charge before you reach the cost of a new electric motorbike?
Electric scooter (125cc equivalent) is the way I'd go. Seat Mo, Segway es300, NUI.
It's the way I'll be going when my current Suzuki address is replaced (coming up to 9 years of fault free commuting so it might be a few years yet).
Not just congestion charge - but good question. Servicing, maintenance, fuel, insurance and MOT (maybe no idea)?. Will an ebike be cheaper to run ? Probably wont replace the IC motorbike so maybe not an issue?
thanks
In theory, the electric bike might be more environmentally friendly to run too, though again you need to offset that against the impact of buying another "product". Also there's the logistics of charging to consider.
There is no congestion charge on motorcycles so just use your petrol bike.
"There is no congestion charge on motorcycles so just use your petrol bike."
My thoughts exactly - unless you meant ULEZ charge not congestion charge? Plug in your reg no in the tfl website to check. Motorbikes of all kinds are ace btw.
Oh thanks didn't realise that.
The average speed in cental London when traffic is flowing normally is 27 kph
Id be very surprised if its that high
Id be very surprised if its that high
It's not. These figures are from 2019 so it's probably slower now.
Long term general traffic speeds in London are measured for central, inner and outer London using GPS-based data for key roads. Weekday (07:00 to 19:00) speeds from 2008 to 2018 have changed from:
8.7 mph to 7.1 mph in central London
12.5 mph to 11.6 mph in inner London
20.3 mph to 19.3 mph in outer London
It does depend on your route, but I used to do a 10m commute and the difference between doing it on a lightweight road bike, an mtb with fat tyres (and a load of drag), and a Brompton was minimal. A significant part of the total time was waiting at traffic lights and sprinting from one light to the next often just resulted in a longer time stationary at the next lights.
Motorbikes DONT pay the congestion charge and it's ULEZ compliant. Get something to work then alternate - ride one way/motor bike the other.
If I was in the market, I’d have one of these - dunno how it rides, just looks fab
I do something similar but a little shorter on an ebike. I don't think a motorbike (e or petrol) would get me there much quicker.
"Also there’s the logistics of charging to consider..."
I take my charger in and charge the battery at my desk. So far no-one is bothering me about it.