[Closed] Too old (and fat) for a "normal" commuter bike - so tell me about eBikes.

The 15 mp/h is not a limit it is when you lose electric assistance (though you probably would struggle to go much faster than that most of the time) I would consider a 50 cc scooter tbh.

I’m looking at the Trek Super Commuter or a Scott eSilence – so any opinions on those would be very welcome.

I'd pay a bit more and get a proper eMTB for hooning around the trails at the weekend. Appreciate you'd need to sort out guards/rack somehow.

My commute has been less hassle the more 'commuterised' my bike becomes. Thick tyres, rack/ bag with tools left in it. dynamo/ lights etc.

EDIT: i'd add to that get some commuting kit too. easier if it doesn't overlap with 'other' cycling gear.

not much experiencxe with e bikes - the one test ride convinced me they are great and not the devilspawn that some would have you believe. I'd think an hours cycle would be ideal for an E-bike.

As others have said the more commuterised the better. You can pedal above the max speed, and I reckon for a commute if you're not sure about your fitness it'd be a great option - it'll make stop/start riding in congestion a lot less tiring.

One thing I've learned from a similar length of commute - spend decent money on tyres, speed might be less of an issue on an ebike, but puncture resistance is obviously a good thing particularly if there's any extra electrics in the back wheel.

Obviously you are after a commuter, so get one, it'll pay for itself in no time even if it's quite a pricey ebike. Edit - against a cost of £180/month which represents the fuel and parking savings alone for me (no insurance/depreciation/maintenance costs for the car) even a £4k ebike will pay for itself in under 2 years.

I recently tested my brother's ebike....
[quote=thomthumb]
not much experiencxe with e bikes - the one test ride convinced me they are great and not the devilspawn that some would have you believe.

I wasn't quite @Devils Spawn 😀 due to thinking I'll need one to go out with the kid and keep up in a few years - more reluctant and convinced I'd not really like it but end up having to use one if I want to keep up with the kid.

What I actually found was similar to my e-book (Kindle)
Being a real fan of paper books that you feel and smell and already having Kindle on the iPad I was convinced my Christmas present from my Mum was a waste of time/money.

It turned out that for me the advantages vastly outweighed the loss of smell/touch and that reading on a kindle is closer to a book than reading on an iPad.

The trial on the e-bike was like that. It felt much closer to a real bike than a moped/motorbike.... really pleasantly surprised and glad to be proven wrong.

I'm in a similar position. I start a new job in September and have been thinking about an e-bike. It's a 10.5 mile journey each way, without showering facilities at the office. it's along a main road, but with a back road option that raises the journey to 14 miles or so.

I've looked at ebikes, the Volt range, better than they looked on the web, but my eye was really taken by a Trek Conduit+. A dedicated commuter bike. Built in lights, rack, of sorts and with the motor in the bottom bracket rather than the rear wheel hub at least punctures are repairable by the side of the road.

They cost £2,250 which is a fair chunk and I keep thinking that I could get a half decent motorbike for the commute. Don't fancy relegating one of my sports bikes to commuting duties.

The bus is a 30-35 minute journey and with stops outside the office and a 5 minute walk from home I'm wondering if the bus might be the best option. I'd certainly use it in the depths of winter. Don't really want to run a 2nd car just for my commute. Although something sporty with a soft top might be nice.

Too many choices.

Wow, neither of those are cheap! I'd pay a bit more and get a proper eMTB for hooning around the trails at the weekend.

words fail me ...

For a 26 mile daily commute I'd be looking at an ebike.

Think they are questionable out on the trails when ridden by some 40-something with more money than skills, but in as far as getting people out of their cars, giving mobility to the oldies and infirm I think they are a great concept.

The bus is a 30-35 minute journey and with stops outside the office and a 5 minute walk from home I'm wondering if the bus might be the best option.

By the time you've added in showering/changing time your bike commute (e-bike or not) will likely be a little longer than that but you'll be getting 80-90 minutes of decent exercise 5 days a week rather than 60-70 minutes a day wasted on the bus. You'll likely save a little cash in the long run and probably start and finish your day more energised than if you got the bus. Then if some days you really don't feel like it, or it's lashing down, or you've just spotted puncture as your getting the bike out of the shed you can always get the bus guilt free.

Trek Super Commuter looks the absolute dogs danglies. I would have one in a flash.

Trek Super Commuter looks the absolute dogs danglies. I would have one in a flash.

I dont like banning stuff so would just shoot anyone riding a emtb but on the road they're perfect.

I'm relying too much on the car to do a 40 mile round-trip commute so I ordered a Kalkhoff Pro Connect i10 today. Not as stylish as the bikes you mention but look like much better value to me (603Wh battery, decent dynamo lights, reasonable Shimano gears and brakes, might upgrade to a Rokshox Paragon when the fork wears out). The Integrale range is worth a look if you fancy something a bit less European-looking and have a bit more money to spend than me.

The plan is to ride the normal bike 2 or 3 days (which I have been doing anyway) and replace the car journeys with the Kalkhoff. At about 10p per charge and 80-mile range on full power (as confirmed by the demo bike I tried) it gives a payback period of around 1 year 9 months if used 3 days a week.

What I found with a hilly commute was that I was much quicker uphill but it was unnoticeable everywhere else. On the flat you soon hit the 15 mph cut off than suddenly it becomes much harder to accelerate so on the flat you tend to stick at 15 mph going on and off boost. I also found I was working as hard just for less time.

Its also much better in stop start traffic - accelerating away from lights is good and you suprise cars how quickly you can pull away

I'd look at a Kalkhoff Agattu. With rack, guards, bombproof tyres and the best designed electrical assist in the business.

Good for you, 150 miles a week from no base would be tough. An E bike would make it doable. Your fitness will improve and you may get to the stage where you no longer need the assistance.

Can't comment on the e-bike, but based on your name and description, are you thinking of commuting Cheddar-Weston on the 126 bus? Nightmare, frequently up to 45 minutes late - every day on it would be soul destroying. There's a back route to Weston that avoids almost all the traffic and takes me 50 minutes on a bike. PM if I can advise on route.

There's one Voodoo Wazoo converted e-bike left here...
http://wing-ebikes.co.uk/?page_id=5160 (other e-bikes listed)

Motor assist limit can be overridden for off-road use.

What concerns me most about these currently rather expensive off the peg e-bikes is the unknown of how the motors and batteries will fair long term, I imagine a lot of improvements will be made over the next ~10 years.