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Does anyone have an electric bike?

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13

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    #62
    fun loving criminal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,482 ✭✭✭fun loving criminal


    Would I be mad to look at a 27km bike ride to work and 27km home again five days a week?



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    #63
    rolling boh
    Registered Users Posts: 2,028 ✭✭✭rolling boh


    well its a fair distance to be doing each day as you will have to make it because its work not leisure where you can change routes etc if weather conditions are against you . Will you have to change clothes shower etc i presume its an electric bike its still a fair spin each day even if you are fit .



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    #64
    fun loving criminal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,482 ✭✭✭fun loving criminal


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232266#Comment_118232266

    I really don't know what to do. I need to move and rentals are hard to find and cars are expensive and I don't think I can afford the cost of a car and rent at the same time.

    My main priority is to get a roof over my head. I'm looking at mopeds as well but not sure how they will cope with icy winter conditions.



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    #65
    budhabob
    Registered Users Posts: 4,867 ✭✭✭budhabob


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232195#Comment_118232195

    So....around the 26-30minute mark each way. I've a couple of awkward junctions but also fitness levels are building

    I will say this, I know I've exercised with an e-bike. It defo helps alot but you have to do alot of work too.



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    #66
    rolling boh
    Registered Users Posts: 2,028 ✭✭✭rolling boh


    are you a regular cyclist but even if you are its still a trip every day with the pressure of work and we do get a fair bit of wind maybe not very strong every day but a strong enough breeze against you will make the trip seem an awful further than it is i do a lot of cycling but as a hobby but i would not enjoy doing 27k ew every day . Is a bus possible ? if so try the trip and see how you get on .



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    #67
    5uspect
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 10,518 Mod ✭✭✭✭5uspect


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232206#Comment_118232206

    I do 25km each way usually four days a week. It’s grand apart from homicidal motorists.



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    #68
    fun loving criminal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,482 ✭✭✭fun loving criminal


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269377#Comment_118269377

    I need to make a decision soon. I saw a place to rent but it's 13km. I cycled the route and it was tough. It was windy and raining. The roads don't have street lights. Then my biggest worry are country roads in winter with snow and ice.



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    #69
    rolling boh
    Registered Users Posts: 2,028 ✭✭✭rolling boh


    well 13km is well doable a hell of a lot easier than 27km if public transport not available as back up .



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    #70
    DaveyDave
    Registered Users Posts: 6,242 ✭✭✭DaveyDave


    27km each way is a big distance, ebike or not. I think it definitely takes commitment to want to be cycling an hour each way every day. I used to cycle 42km a day on a normal bike and it was an absolute chore. Previously I was cycling 20km, it was a lot more enjoyable and I was big into cycling at the time so it was just extra fitness and a quick way to get to work. If it rained or it was super windy I didn't care because it never took long to get home.

    The 42km commute felt like work just to get to work. It wasn't just the journey itself but the extra time off the bike. More time cleaning and maintaining the bike, going to bed earlier, more time making lunch for more energy etc.

    I have an ebike now and a 35km commute. It takes the sting out of the physical side if things but still a big commitment time wise.



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    #71
    fun loving criminal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,482 ✭✭✭fun loving criminal


    Can anyone recommend a good ebike? I realize they are expensive so maximum budget would be €2000



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    #72
    Fionn
    Registered Users Posts: 2,368 ✭✭✭Fionn


    RadRhino 6 Plus Step-Thru

    https://flic.kr/p/2mPBpfV


    I took the plunge a while back and got delivery of this bike yesterday, brought it out for a spin earlier on, hadn’t ridden a bicycle in 30 years or so, motorcycles ok but not bicycles, so it was a bit strange and I guess it’ll take a little bit of getting used to, must say it really does eat up the road on the hills!

    The specs; - 250W rear hub motor (EU imposed, in the USA it’s a 750 W), Battery is a 672 W Li Samsung / Panasonic unit, theres 5 levels of pedal assist and it has a throttle like a motorcycle but it only outputs about 5 KPH. The brakes which are hydraulic disc brakes when applied disconnect power from the motor and it has a rear light that doubles as a brake light too. The battery is semi integrated into the frame and the controller is fully integrated.

    They claim a top speed of 25 KPH although I was doing 30 on the spin and a range of between 40 to 72 Km.

    I got it with free shipping because there was delays in delivery, still a little pricy at €1900 but you need to factor in helmet clothing etc. into the overall price.

    Anyway so far so good! Early days yet tho and the weather isn’t conducive to bike riding.



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    #73
    TaurenDruid
    Registered Users Posts: 4,043 ✭✭✭TaurenDruid


    I got a Kuma F1 folding ebike for the work commute a few weeks ago. Like others here, I hadn't cycled in 30+ years and wouldn't have contemplated an ordinary bike - I've lost a lot of fitness and put on a lot of weight over COVID, following a knee injury. It's a 10k commute each way, mostly downhill on the way in to work, mostly uphill on the way back. I spent a week or so "working up" to 10k cycles and started commuting when the weather is any way decent. It's taking me roughly the same time as the car would have, but it's a lot less frustrating sailing past traffic stuck on the quays. My fitness is increasing and I'm turning down the assist a bit the last few days. When I'm working from home, I'm taking the bike out for a 10k spin around lunchtimes, too. There's a couple of steep hills on this route and my commute, but I can put the assistance up to 4 (out of 5) for those, and that's that. I've never needed to use level 5!

    Gotta say, I love the bike, and I'll be using it a lot more coming into spring/summer. It was expensive, but the bike-to-work scheme helps a lot! Range hasn't been a problem at all - the 20k round trip leaves me with at least 80% power, still. My one and only worry is theft anxiety - I'd be wary of locking it up outside a shopping centre or in the city centre, but the office has a gate and CCTV, so is fine.

    The only problem with the bike is the gearing - it's 8-speed, and I've never used anything less than 6th gear. I'm usually in 8th, 95% of the time. The gears all seem tuned a bit "low", if that makes sense. I know nothing about the workings of bikes, and I'm wondering if the gears can be adjusted so 8th is a bit more "higher"?



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    #74
    DaveyDave
    Registered Users Posts: 6,242 ✭✭✭DaveyDave


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118295540#Comment_118295540

    Google shows me the 8 speed Atlus is 32-11, you won't get harder gears than 11 tooth sprocket so it's down to the chainring on the front. Bigger chainring will make it harder with the same gears on the back, if it can be replaced you'll also need a longer chain.



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    #75
    El Tarangu
    Registered Users Posts: 1,618 ✭✭✭El Tarangu


    I don't know how much of an effect this would have on the Irish market, but new EU-wide rules might see a drop on the VAT charged on e-bikes


    https://www.bike-eu.com/laws-regulations/nieuws/2021/12/eu-finance-ministers-decide-on-regulation-to-reduce-vat-on-bicycles-and-e-bikes-10141870



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    #76
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 49,391 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    when you say low, do you mean easy fast pedalling, or slow harder pedalling?

    on an unassisted bike, it's best to maintain a cadence of about 80-90rpm without straining your knees. i suspect this might apply to e-bikes also, but there will be less strain on your knees at slower cadences.



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    #77
    TaurenDruid
    Registered Users Posts: 4,043 ✭✭✭TaurenDruid


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118296436#Comment_118296436

    Um... low as in I have to pedal a lot to make progress, so easy fast pedalling. Like, on a steep downhill, if I was to keep pedalling, it'd be hard to keep up and actually apply force. So if I was in 1st or 2nd gear on the flat, my legs would be a blur and I'd be going along at 3 or 4kmh. 😂



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    #78
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 29,200 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118296692#Comment_118296692

    I have the same problem with my bike - there's only 7 hub gears, and you'd want to be going up a vertical slope to need 1st or 2nd! I don't think I've I've gone below 4th.

    Given there's power assistance by definition, I wish they'd gauged the gears a bit higher.



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    #79
    6541
    Registered Users Posts: 1,946 ✭✭✭6541


    A cheeky bump of this thread. Any one any advice on a general electric bike. One for knocking around the place on. Under 2000 K.



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    #80
    Duckjob
    Registered Users Posts: 2,859 ✭✭✭Duckjob


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232206#Comment_118232206

    I was doing 23+23km commute on an eBike 5 days a week a couple of years back and found it very doable. In fact i loved the feeling of arriving into work feeling envigorated with heart and lungs pumping.



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    #81
    DaveyDave
    Registered Users Posts: 6,242 ✭✭✭DaveyDave


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118427725#Comment_118427725

    Decathlon, Kuma and Rad Power all have bikes €2,000 and less.



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    #82
    TaurenDruid
    Registered Users Posts: 4,043 ✭✭✭TaurenDruid


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118427725#Comment_118427725

    kumabikes.com - Irish company and a couple of models under €2k.



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    #83
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118293916#Comment_118293916

    Any update on how you're finding the Rhino?

    Nearly all the rad reviews online are from US users with 750W motors. Was worried that a lot of the 250W would be used up carrying the weight of the bike itself..?



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    #84
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 49,391 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    it's something like 33kg, which is a bit much, even for manouevering around the shed or wherever; my wife's bike is the cube touring 400 and it's about 7kg lighter and is still a beast; i don't see what extra you're going to get from those unfeasibly large wheels?



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    #85
    DaveyDave
    Registered Users Posts: 6,242 ✭✭✭DaveyDave


    Something to keep in mind, at least in my experience, the weight of an ebike is towards the bottom making it a bit tricky to flip over when taking wheels off or fixing a puncture. My ebike is 'only' 15kg but noticeably more awkward to move around than my other bikes as it's bottom heavy.

    If you're concerned about the motor power I recommend something lighter, particularly with regular sized wheels and tyres. Even the Radcity 5 is 29.5kg which is still quite heavy. Fat bike wheels don't make sense on the road and are just going to slow you down.



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    #86
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118487796#Comment_118487796

    Yeah leaning towards the RadCity actually. It's not light either but looks like a nice bit of kit.



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    #87
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 2,827 ✭ [Deleted User]


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118111864#Comment_118111864

    Any updates? Is this proving to be reliable and sturdy?



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    #88
    Ush1
    Registered Users Posts: 11,469 ✭✭✭✭Ush1


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118493832#Comment_118493832

    Yep not a bother. I have noticed some creaking recently, not sure if it's the extra Xmas lbs but might need a bit of oil somewhere. No punctures or issues at all. I've even started cycling with my son on the dodder Greenway at the weekends. It would be nice if it could go a bit faster but it's fine really.



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    #89
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 2,827 ✭ [Deleted User]


    I want something with a low profile. It might just be perfect for me. Well wear!



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    #90
    Thelonious Monk
    Registered Users Posts: 14,128 ✭✭✭✭Thelonious Monk


    Just got the paperwork done for this one through cycle to work scheme, I've taken a job with a longer commute that would be a bit of a mare in bad conditions so this should do the job

    https://www.decathlon.ie/hybrid-trekking/169143-121079-electric-hybrid-bike-riverside-500-e-greyslashred.html

    Anyone used one of these? Didn't do much research but it sounds good from reviews I read.



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    #91
    DaveyDave
    Registered Users Posts: 6,242 ✭✭✭DaveyDave


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118506889#Comment_118506889

    Seems decent enough for the money. Not overly heavy like a lot of ebikes, hydraulic discs are nice to have at that price, 40c tyres for more comfort. No front derailleur to maintain. Even better price with the bike to work scheme.



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