I am 20kg overweight and I need something to encourage me.
I get put off commuting as it takes me about 25 mins to cycle if I do it flat out and 35 mins when I get knackered. With the getting showered and changed etc it ends up being 50. I drive it in 25.
So to try and lift me out of my lazy funk and make me do it every day, I reckon electric is the way to go. I might lose weight get fit and go back to the actual bike.

So given its a short journey and I can charge at work and at home obvs. I would like something light with a small battery that looks cool.

I like this.

https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/mens-turbo-vado-1-0/p/157804?color=237755-157804

What is out there better than this?

A friend of mine has a Diament Zouma Sport +S. He thinks it’s great. His commute is a similar distance but nearly 1000m climbing.

I was in the same predicament.

Ended up getting the Voodoo E-Bizango as it meant I could have a play on the way home on the local trails and bridleways etc. It offers a half decent spec for the money, especially with discounts.

Having an E-bike has transformed my week from driving to work everyday to riding most days and then the girlfriend rides it at the weekend whilst I’m on the ‘normal’ bike.

15 miles in 25 mins is pretty impressive……

If you can do 15 miles in 25mins an ebike is not going to make you faster!

Do e road bikes have the same max speed limit where the assistance stops or is it higher?

Same. 16mph. So only really going to help if loads of climbing

“Do e road bikes have the same max speed limit where the assistance stops or is it higher?”

Yes. In the EU the assistance has to cut out above 25 km/h or they’re deemed electric motorbikes and need licenses, tax, insurance and MOTs.

Either your map or watch is faulty – when knackered you’re averaging over 25mph and at your fastest you’re averaging 36mph!

Worse than that I am conflating two commutes.
Apologies. I forgot to add in the line “on my old commute its about 8 miles but 500m of climbing”. Bloody kids hassling me for breakfast when there is more important internet to do. The 25 mins is a sprint for me..
I am about to move offices. I haven’t done the 15 mile commute yet. I am in no way fit.

25 mins to do 500m of climbing over 8 miles? Are you sure? Thats just over 19mph. You’re either mistaken or very very fast.

Still doesnt add up, if you are that fast and 20kgs overwei going ght then if you were 10kg lighter you would be looking at cat 3 oor cat 2 race pace. get down to 70kg then cat 1 1500ft of climbing in 8 miles is very hilly , nearly 200ft a mile when anything over 100ft per mile is generally considered ‘hilly’
You are already going faster than the silly 16mph cut off so in answer to your question .- No , an E bike will be slower.
HTH
ps.- better to write to your Euro MP and campaign to get e-bike re-classified to 30kph or 18mph then they become alot more viable to commuters as that is a realistic speed and in reality probably safer than 16mph as you will be keeping up with traffic flow

Haha, I’m hoping for the OP’s sake that he really is faster than he realises, in which case I would just suggest spending the money on decent riding gear for all weathers, second sets of clothes for work so you don’t need to carry much, maybe good mudguards etc. Etc.

Well no, based on your opinions perhaps the numbers are not correct. TBH, that isn’t the point, I’m not really a strava bunny, let me assure you I am slow I promise. Almost everyone I ride with is quicker.
If you have stuff to say about e-bikes I would love to hear it.

I really like the look of the orbea range of ebikes. Only thing that really puts me off is that the motor is in the rear wheel rather than bottom bracket based. I’m considering just buying a kit and bolting it into my roadrat.

Kit? Do they bolt on to any bike then? Like my road bike?

I quite like the look of that Specialized.
Looks kinda cool.
I’d commute on it.

Oh….. and well done for actually thinking about getting fitter and losing weight.

I was browsing on Ribble today (can’t get wanting a Steel CGR off my mind!) and they had a really nice looking road e-bikes: https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bikes/electric-bikes/

No idea if they are any good, but aesthetically somewhat nicer than the first link you posted!

5plusn8

Member
Kit? Do they bolt on to any bike then? Like my road bike?

should do, 68mm bb works best for the bafang, 73mm fits, but you need to use a peddle extender on one side to balance them. only other issue on a road bike is chain stay clearance. the diameter if the motor is 110mm, but it rounds off from about 90mm.

You’ll want middrive for the hills.

quality bullshitting in the OP btw! 😆

em3ev.com is a trust worth shop. (was for me anyhow, but I take no responsibility for other orders!) 😆

That Ribble bike looks good. It doesn’t look like an E bike.

Oi I wasn’t bullshitting. I freely admit I am shite. I wouldn’t be suprised if I timed my route with Strava to find its 4mikes and actually takesme 50 mins. Why do you think I want an electric bike.

Ignoring for now the fact that the op is faster than he thinks!
My real world commute is 13 miles in the car. 45 mins in morning rush hour to arrive at 8.30. 30 coming home as I leave after 6.30pm
I’ve done it in Lycra on a road bike. 50 mins in 1 hour back.
About 1000 feet of climbing on the way in and 1300 on way back.
Need a shower either end so add 10 mins.
Currently got an ebike on loan through Sheffield cycle boost.
It’s a Merida something or other. Shimano steps 6000. Lights. Mudguards. Rack. I weight 92kg and add a pannier with lock and charger not much else.
Shortest commute avoiding worst traffic is 12 miles dead. Same distance either way but more height gain on way back including a 900m 13% average killer. Hagg hill in Sheffield if anyone knows it.
Without fail it’s 48 minutes in 50 minutes home on the eeeb
Arrive feeling awake not sweaty. Ready to just get on with the day.
Basically it just flattens the hills. Average 14.8mph for any journey.
I did flatten the battery just before I got home once. Thankfully after I’d got to the top of hagg hill.
I’ve test ridden a few. Money no object I’d be getting a trek super commuter 9+. But it’s £3800
The one I’ve got on loan is about £2k I think.
Absolutely do it.

I do like that ribble, and I hadn’t seen the trek either cheers.

I’ve been commuting on a 6” full-sus for a few years (I often take in some DH runs on the way in). The mostly uphill tarmac homeward leg used to take 20-25 minutes. On the eMTB it takes 10-12 minutes.

Re the ribble.
I tested the orbea version of the same system. Flat barred but otherwise same. It definitely lacks some oomph on hills compared even to a cheap Raleigh job with Shimano motor I rode on same day. Felt more like riding a normal bike but for my purposes of taking as much pain out of the commute as possible it’s not the right tool for the job.
I should add that I’ve worn a hrm a couple of times for the commute. Average 120 bpm max 155ish. Normally on a road ride I’d be average 140 max 170 so whilst less effort still not a complete rest!

you’re 10 minutes slower by bike on a bad day. you’re adding on a shower you ( presumably ) have at home when you drive anyway. if you want an e bike just go and buy one. you don’t need to justify spending money you have on something you just want. TBH though, you just need to ride the bike you have more, and sort your diet out. sorry.

I had a demo of the Specialized that the OP is referring to. Commute is about 17 miles on the bike, and took about 1h20 on the (very) few occasions I did it on the gravel bike – plus a shower at each end. Car can be 45 minutes in traffic, and the route is slightly longer.

Turbo Vado was well under an hour, as you can do 16mph on whatever gradient you encounter. Big advantages were that it was 1) huge fun (and really novel) and 2) not at all hard work, meaning I just changed and was straight into work. If I did it regularly I could get the bike commute to within 10 minutes of the car commute, which would make it a realistic alternative.

I haven’t bought one as I often drop the little chap at Nursery on the way to work (opposite direction to my bike commute) and we are on the cusp of moving house to be within 5 miles of work. I’d still like to buy one for my wife so we can cycle together without me having to wait forever and risk her being put off forever.

No I get it, I don’t need to justify it to myself or anyone, I’ve decided I want one, the advice I am after is which one.

Get one, this is exactly what they’re best suited for IMO (apart from the speed cutoff).

I would have one for my 20 mile commute into the city if they went a bit quicker with assistance.

Orbea @ Tredz for super stealth E-bikes that you would have to have intimate knowleadge to know they are not just std road bikes with slightly oversized downtubes
250w motor is alot, thats what a fast club cyclist runs at ( ish , general sweeping generalisation ) and with added stomping the average speed should be nearer 20mph as you can use the motor as a slingshot device then once at speed its easy to stay there

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Orbea-Gain-D50-2019-Electric-Road-Bike_127315.htm

The 15.5mph limit can be circumnavigated (legally) by buying an spedelec.

You’ll need insurance,mot and safety gear – you won’t be allowed on cycle paths either (which is why 15.5mph is the limit for those deemed to be bicycle)

The legal processes are available for higher speeds they just come with their own disadvantages and people feel it’s beneath them.

I have a cargo bike with a 15.5mph limited motor. Door to desk it’s quicker than my commuter bike due to not having to shower at other end. It also means I don’t need to drive on days I’m knackered from racing or hard sessions.

Driving can be 30 minutes or it can be 1hr 30 minutes do to the disaster that is Aberdeen people’s driving.

5plusn8

Member
No I get it, I don’t need to justify it to myself or anyone, I’ve decided I want one, the advice I am after is which one.

On the bolt on v dedicated ebike, that’s really just a price consideration, if you want to do it cheaper, and have a bike to convert, you are good to go. But I wouldn’t ever go out and buy a bike and do a conversion.

Just a thought,but, if you’re going to be buying an ebike wouldn’t it be worthwhile buying a mountain bike version which you could use on trails as well? After all,a road/commuter type ebike isn’t going to be much faster than a full suspension ebike is it?
I suppose a road bike would be lighter and maybe accelerate a bit quicker but the motors would both cut out at about 15mph.

So these bolt on kits….
They have some sort of brake sensor? (Come with levers with wires attached)
Is this standard on all ebikes? Presumably switches off the motor when you hit the brakes- in case you try and pedal with the brakes on? I hadn’t noticed electrics going to the levers on the bike I’ve got. (Which has Shimano hydraulic discs- I see you can buy levers for these with wiring attached…)
Are they as easy to fit as they look? I’ve got a donor bike in the shed that could be converted.
What’s the typical cost of full kit to convert. (I’ll have to give the loan bike back at some point)

In the EU the assistance has to cut out above 25 km/h or they’re deemed electric motorbikes and need licenses, tax, insurance and MOTs.

so does this mean that after the 29th of March we can go unrestricted 😉

an E-CX/gravel/road bike would make more sense in that it would be faster when not on power but an E-mtb would be a lot more usable in shite weather with mud on the road etc and up to the limit not really nay different in speed/effort.

As for conversion definitely consider this if you have a bike to use already. You can always take it off and won’t lose much money selling it on vs selling a used bought from new e-bike.

Docrobster. Have a look over on Pedelecs forum. There is loads of advice on conversion using kits, best value for money etc.

How about riding the commute a few trips per week, driving the rest and building it up?

Much more satisfying, and the weight will fall off with a reasonable diet.

If your ebike gets you to work sweat free then it’s not going to help your fitness.

It does also have an environmental benefit over using your normal bike a few trips a week and driving the rest, plus self esteem for getting to work having already done some exercise.

You don’t necessarily have to sweat for it to be beneficial, sweating is the body’s way of regulating temperature.

Riding to work in Z2 will be more beneficial to to both fitness and self estime than knocking your pan in once or twice a week….and allow a routine to be built up.