Does anyone have an electric bike?

No issues so far. It's good build quality, weighs 20kg with the battery in.

I'd be a decent enough cyclist and own a few road bikes. I bought an eBike for just scooting around the area, dropping the kids off to the creche with a trailer, doing a short commute (8km) into the office ...etc. Basically when I don't want to break a sweat.

I received my new ebike during the week and took her up Howth head in Dublin, inclines up to about 9% in sections. Here's my experience of it.

So firstly the bike is limited to 25km/h, it has a mid drive motor and has levels of assist (eco, normal, high), the top level provides 200% power assistance on top of what you're putting through the pedals, torque of 60nm. The bike weights 17kg which isn't light, but it's light for an ebike. The bike is a 1x crank with 9 gears. The gear range is ok.

Anyway I took it out in high assist mode and along the coast from Clontarf. The moment you start pedalling you can feel the bike accelerating with greater effort than you're putting in. On the flats i got to 25km/h with a 3-4 seconds. The computer on the bike has power bar which indicates how much "help" you're getting at any point in time. The motor does cut out at 25km/h. So when you go above 25km/h you're effectively on your own. This is fine, normally when I'm going above this I was on a slight decline so you're not really working much.

I then took it up Howth, Sutton side up by the graveyard. I was wearing jeans, jumper and a jacket for my sweat test :) ... On a road bike at best on the steepest sections I might average about 16-18kph depending on the day. On the ebike i was consistently around 20-21kph and it felt like I was just riding on a flat surface, so it really does flatten the road. The nice thing about the gears and a mid drive is you have full assistance of the motor across every gear, which you don't get with a van moof or something like it, so you have alot more options. I got to the top of Howth head easily, without sweating or huffing puffing staying well under 25kph. The total trip was 23km and i used about 20% of the battery apparently.

I have to say it's a great bike and it really fills a niche for me. I won't be using it for exercise, still a road bike enthusiast, it's really for the times when I need the convenience. Like hauling a kids trailer up some hills twice a day on the creche drop!

btw this is the bike I got

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/vitus-mach-electric-bike-2021/rp-prod195707

J

Hi All,

Anyone know what is # 1 the best commuting ebike that one can buy ? # 2 What is the best ebike in the 1000 / 1500 bracket ?

Also do you think they are prone to getting robbed more, if left hitched to street furniture ?

Thanks,

6541

1) Is too subjective. The range is vast and varied. Best to look at from point of view of the requirements and research the bikes that fit those requirements. What drive type you require, is torque important to you, what daily km range would you cover, do you need gearing, is the commute hilly, do you want a throttle...etc.

There are options in the 1k-1.5k ... Radbikes seem to be the obvious popular choice from what I see around town.

Regarding theft, any bike is a target in town. Nicer bikes will catch the eye. Make it less attractive to rob, lock it well, take the battery and control computer with you if possible.

Most ebikes have removable batteries, which are locked to the frame with a key, however they do come in different shapes and sizes. So while it might be possible to remove, it might not be practical to carry around with you. This is my battey. It weighs 2.5kg.

The controller clips off like any bike computer.

Yeah the key is just making the bike a pain to rob quickly. I'd favour a decent chain and padlock over a U-Lock. With the latter thieves will wreck the bike trying to get it by using the bike as a lever to snap the U-Lock.

Out of interest what tyres are you running on the Vado?

I think most ebikes should manage 60-100km range, the 250wh battery in my bike is considered 'small' but I get 80-100km in full power mode which ramps up immediately and I'm a big lad which would reduce range.

Depends on your fitness too. Anyone with a base level of fitness should be able to cycle above 25kph so the motor wouldn't be on constantly. If you're not facing lots of hills or regular red lights that range would only increase.

From the Guardian.

Relates to UK but might have some pointers.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/dec/26/how-to-buy-an-electric-bike-e-bike-models-ranges-batteries?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Hi all - I'm thinking about going the ebike route for commuting, and want to get the most bang for my buck. Would I be mental to buy a cheap commuter bike (something like this from Halfords) and a mid-hub conversion kit (like this)?

Wouldn't be as pretty or slick as a dedicated ebike, but would seemingly be quite a bit cheaper......

I have a kuma R1 about 3 weeks now for a 20km round commute to the office, up hill on the way in, downhill but into the wind on the way home. I have a damaged hip so that was the primary driver for an e-bike.

So far loving it, got panier bags so easy to carry everything I need, and getting 100km easily out of th battery.

Had the option of the car a few days but find the cycling enjoyable.

I'm the same, I find myself opting for the bike where before I'd definitely have used the car. This morning it was blowing an absolute hooley against me on the way home from a game of tennis, but the option to just boost the power to take the sting out of the wind meant I got a 10k cycle, plus a free warm-up for the game, in instead of sitting in traffic both ways.

I most definitely wouldn't have taken the ordinary bike today!