Suitable e bike

Electrically assisted bikes, trikes, etc. that are legal in the UK
djnotts
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Re: Suitable e bike

Post by djnotts »

al_yrpal wrote: 2 Dec 2022, 9:12am I only know about the ebike I have had for 2 years. Its this.... https://www.bikester.co.uk/ortler-bozen ... #cgid=b446
I paid £1500 and my bike has the Bosch Performance line motor and 500wh battery. On Tour setting I can get 50 miles out of the battery. Its fairly heavy but absolutely solid and very comfortable indeed. I havent toured on it yet for personal reasons but I would have no hesitation in doing so. The quality of all the components is superb and the only problem I have had was buckling the front wheel by riding into a kerb. I straightened the wheel myself. Its a clunker but would make a superb commuter.

Al
Current offer price looks to be a bargain!
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al_yrpal
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Re: Suitable e bike

Post by al_yrpal »

Audax67 wrote: 2 Dec 2022, 10:53am I find front-wheel motors a bit scary - I can imagine that they would oversteer on bends, though maybe not if you stop pedalling.
A pal of mine fitted a conversion kit with a front wheel motor. He found it skidded on steep hills and interfered dangerously with the steering

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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6.5_lives_left
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Re: Suitable e bike

Post by 6.5_lives_left »

Audax67 wrote: 30 Nov 2022, 10:57am That said, the bike is still nimble enough to have fun, and allows me to do things I haven't done for years. The controller also makes full use of the 25 kph + 10% tolerance EU regs allow, whereas a chum's Bosch-motored panzerbike is limited to an anally-precise Ordnung-muß-sein 25 kph. To the untutored eye my bike also looks like a normal bike so the police are less likely to take an interest when I'm scudding along at 28 kph (rounding error, m'lud).
My bold.
:)
I recognise that description. It appears to be what I am riding, a Bosch powered Trek Dristrict 1+

To the OP, I use this for commuting and it does cope with the hills (chilterns) but I wouldn't want to ride it if the battery ran down. The battery is removable. It has hub gears and a chain case so it is low maintenance. But it was not cheap.
Last edited by 6.5_lives_left on 3 Dec 2022, 10:20am, edited 2 times in total.
stodd
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Re: Suitable e bike

Post by stodd »

We've got front wheel motor on our tandem and it works well. One especial benefit is the two wheel drive, we are powering the back and the motor the front. That has often helped us out on slippery (wet grass) slight uphills where the back wheel has slipped but the motor has kept traction on the front wheel.

Various buts, front wheel drive is certainly not for everyone ...

There is more even weight distribution between front and back on a tandem, so the risk of skidding on steep hills is less. It also depends on the controller; you need the thrust ramped up quickly, but not too quickly.

We tend not to ride that fast. We only pedal round corners if an uphill corner requires it; and that was the same before we fitted the motor. So the motor does interfere a tiny bit with the steering; not dangerously for our usage, but could be for others.
mclarescott
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Joined: 10 Dec 2022, 10:04am

Re: Suitable e bike

Post by mclarescott »

One thing to think about is whether it has a suitable rack for the kind of panniers you use.

I've just bought an Ampere ebike via the Cycle 2 Work scheme. As the position of the battery under the rack doesn't give enough clearance for my Altura panniers, I bought some 20L Oxford double panniers which can take my laptop bag, clothes and other bits and pieces. However, the position of the rack means that my heels hit the panniers on the up stroke and I end up having to place my foot with the arch on the pedals rather than the ball. If anyone has a solution to this, I'd be grateful.

(I will post this separately sometime but as I've only just joined the forum, apparently I have to 'engage' a little first before I can post my own message. This seemed the best post to engage with as a starting point.)
Biospace
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Re: Suitable e bike

Post by Biospace »

Audax67 wrote: 2 Dec 2022, 10:53am I find front-wheel motors a bit scary - I can imagine that they would oversteer on bends, though maybe not if you stop pedalling.

I tried a trio of electric bikes a few years ago, mostly to satisfy my curiosity. I too imagined that front wheel drive could adversely affect steering, some comments online said it was a nightmare, others the opposite. It was something of a surprise that you could barely feel when the front wheel was pulling hard through the steering - it was fine whether setting off or at speed, whether cornering or in a straight line.

No way could I get the wheel to slip under full power on wet tarmac, I'd be a little concerned how little downwards force there was on a steered wheel were traction so easily broken (unless the motor was a lot more powerful than the norm).

The two bikes which followed both had rear drive, one from a motor powering through the chain and the other through the hub. Batteries were rack-mounted as most were at the time, combined with the mass of the hub motor the Giant was a bit light on the front end, on both I had to make sure I didn't power through wet corners.

I echo the comments above about two driven wheels being better than one. I too will be fitting a powered front hub to the tandem as it's increasingly used to drop my daughter off for various after school activities, I'm tempted to fit a kit to one of the 90s mountain bikes, both for fun and to allow for satisfying rides when time is tight.
hemo
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Re: Suitable e bike

Post by hemo »

How a front hub affects steering or peceived traction pull is down to the power of the hub and size.
I had a bafang bpm 4.4kg of it in a 700c hybrid , the hub being high torque though very good both torque steer and wheel scrabble were noticable.
My latest front hub is the bafang g370 at a mere 1.7kg and is no heavier then a dynamo hub or my alfine 8 on the rear, it thus far of all hubs I have fitted (front or rear) has been the best hub I have used.
Last edited by hemo on 12 Dec 2022, 12:16pm, edited 1 time in total.
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squeaker
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Re: Suitable e bike

Post by squeaker »

hemo wrote: 11 Dec 2022, 10:33am... at a mere 1.7kg and is no heavier then a dynamo hub ...
Really :?: :roll:
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dragonrider
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Re: Suitable e bike - beware Fazua.

Post by dragonrider »

Some favourable comments on this thread about the Fazua motor remind me of my not so favourable experience a few years ago. Be aware this battery combined with the motor and connecting drive system needs to be removed in one hefty great lump from under the down tube to be able to charge it.
In trying to cure a fault on a friend’s bike I was getting the battery/motor in and out. There are no grips to hold it and the inevitable happened - I dropped it on my foot. It was winter and if I hadn’t been wearing walking boots for outside work I am sure a few broken bones would have resulted. As it was I had a great big bruise and a painful couple of weeks trying to walk.
This is an unpleasant and negligent design in H&S terms. People rave about them but I note most comments are not first hand. I wouldn’t dream of buying one.
jags
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Re: Suitable e bike

Post by jags »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSwNlGRCFBA&t=1705s
that's the system i i have works spot on longest i got from battery was 40 miles taking in one mega climb.
but i use low settings 30% for most of my spin but 70% on hills .
doesn't make me ride faster but does take the strain out of peddling,
does that make sense.
there a new battery out now twice the distance but its £350 or there abouts.

if your cycling short distance like 20 30 miles this is great adds couple kg to weight but at least your not buying a new ebike that more than likely wrong size 4 times the price and weighs a ton. :lol:


jags.
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Cugel
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Re: Suitable e bike - beware Fazua.

Post by Cugel »

dragonrider wrote: 23 Dec 2022, 10:42pm Some favourable comments on this thread about the Fazua motor remind me of my not so favourable experience a few years ago. Be aware this battery combined with the motor and connecting drive system needs to be removed in one hefty great lump from under the down tube to be able to charge it.
In trying to cure a fault on a friend’s bike I was getting the battery/motor in and out. There are no grips to hold it and the inevitable happened - I dropped it on my foot. It was winter and if I hadn’t been wearing walking boots for outside work I am sure a few broken bones would have resulted. As it was I had a great big bruise and a painful couple of weeks trying to walk.
This is an unpleasant and negligent design in H&S terms. People rave about them but I note most comments are not first hand. I wouldn’t dream of buying one.
We have three of those in wor hoose. I must have removed and put back the Fazua motor/battery module hundreds of times by now and haven't ever dropped it, fumbled it or otherwise found it any more difficult than putting the pans away in the cupboard after cooking dinner.

Perhaps you have the fumble fingers; or just a weak gripper? :-)

Cugel
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bikes4two
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Re: Suitable e bike

Post by bikes4two »

RC wrote: 23 Nov 2022, 1:46pm
There seems to be two broad options.
1. Less torque/smaller battery. Similar to an Audax? A bit lighter, aerodynamic etc. But concern about battery life power to get up my 15% hill...but aesthetically pleasing. Ribble, Orbea road gravel type bike.

2. High torque big battery, something like the Giant Fast Road (the one I'm thinking of is flat bar but has a rack, lights, etc included)
Just to contribute to the good information already posted and that is to say that the torque from a given motor is not dependant on the battery size.

The battery size (usually described in Ah (amp hours) or Wh (Watt hours) where Wh = Ah x battery nominal voltage) determines the assisted range of the bike.
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stodd
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Re: Suitable e bike

Post by stodd »

It is the current delivery capacity (and voltage) of the battery that matters for power/torque. A bigger (in Ah or Wh) battery made with the same cells at the same voltage will have more parallel strings, and thus be able to deliver more current if the controller asks for it. It is also less likely to suffer from significant voltage sag as the battery nears empty. If the bigger capacity battery is made with different cells it obviously depends on the cells, but is still likely to be able to deliver more current.

Sadly, batteries specs often don't include the max continuous and peak current delivery.
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