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righto..basically looking to cut my commuting costs down so considering an e bike....or if anyone knows how(and can detail) I can make my own around an old road bike i'd be grateful.
I know half of sod all about what i'd need so dont worry about teaching me to suck eggs etc 🙂
The commute is 62 miles round trip so i'd need something substantial
thanks in advance
electric bike companies worth looking at are,
kalkhoff
cytronix
most electric bikes do not have the range to do what you want.
my kalkhoff pro connect has a range of 140 kilometers on a single charge.
this is your fault ton 😀
you've got me all excited about being able to ride to work and back everyday....been thinking about quads..parabikng(as you've seen) and now you spring e bikes on me 😛
just trying to find out whether it;d be better doing it your way or to buy the stuff and build it all myself to get the spec i'd need/want
i looked imto converting one of my own bikes.
the hub and battery kit is £700. it still only has a range of 25 miles.
very quick and nice if you want it just for local riding.
the kalkhoff i bought has a 18ah battery, which is double the power of all the others.
to do what you want with a electric bike, you will need a battery of this nature.
i know the bikes look terrible, but needs must.
http://www.50cycles.com/product.htm?product=kalkhoff-pro-connect-s
a 60 mile round trip's a hell of journey by e-bike - you'd be looking at a couple of hours each way, I reckon.
You might be better with a moped type thing?
wwaswas.....trying to stop spending on fuel as much as i can..how much does it cost to run a moped?
the commute time wouldn't be too much of a problem if it could save me £200 a month
ton...the bike looks ok actually....a lot5 better than i was expecting...just is a LOT of money to spend to save on fuel....if i could get one on the bike to work scheme then i'd have it today i reckon
Been looking at youtube and the americans seem to have the right idea
mate
i posted the wrong picture.
this is mine.
http://www.50cycles.com/product.htm?product=kalkhoff-pro-connect-disc
same but with discs? 😕
I'm no expert but you can get 125cc scooters for a lot less than that electric bike and they'll do 100mpg.
Is moving closer to work an option? Or a lift share scheme?
wwaswas....sorry mate..know sod all about mopeds either.
moving closer to work is a no go as the mrs likes where we are and the kids are settled at school...plus, i'm the last to get called in if its quiet 😀
lift share is also a no go as no-one else lives anywhere near me.
dont i need to do tests and the like for a moped?.....would rather cycle and have a little help than become one of those biker types 8)
fair enough - I'd look at keeping a second battery on charge at work so you can have a fresh one in each direction, though 🙂
My commute is 30 miles each way and I currently pay £2800 a year for my train ticket.
I've been considering whether an e-bike would be usable for 9 months of the year or so. I dont think I'd fancy it in mid winter.
But I would nt really want to commute for much more than say 1 hour 15 mins. My current commute is one hour if everything goes right.
I reckon you'd need to have an selfconverted bike for a commute of 30 miles. The legal ones like ton points out above are limited to about 15 - 20 miles an hour.
I reckon you need it to get up to 30mph or slightly more for it to be useful.
The BMC V3 motor you link to on you tube seems the best motor. Lightish and apparently the gear mechanism (rather than direct drive) allows reasonable efficiency if you need to just pedal.
[url= http://www.electric-bikes.com/betterbikes/bmc.html ]KitHere[/url]
Regenerative braking and all that is apparently pointless at the moment and as it will shorten the expensive battery life.
Another problem is most of the motors use a screw on freewheel. If you stick a 9 speed screw on the axle width ends up about 139mm. So you need a steel frame with a bit of bend.
I reckon an on-one 29er might be good frame to try to convert.
For a 30mph commute I reckon a 48v14-18ah battery might do it with a bit of pedalling (assuming you can recharge at work)
Endless Sphere is the best forum I've read.
Second battery is obviously a great idea but I think its the most expensive bit of kit.
dont i need to do tests and the like for a moped?.....would rather cycle and have a little help than become one of those biker types
If you passed your car test pre-2001 you can ride a moped (50cc) without doing any kind of test.
One of the issues with electric bikes is they are limited to electric assist below 15 mph only - on a commute like that you need to fiddle that to get a higher average speed. some you can alter simply by a gearing change.
Mopeds are not as cheap and easy as folk think - especially for a 60 mile round trip.
anything above 15mph under motor power needs tax and insurance ......
Something like a Honda CG125 would be a good call, I reckon rather than an electric bike.
I don't reckon the batteries in an electric bike would last long when forced to do 62 miles of propulsion/day.
honda cg125 - 85mpg suzuki van van 125 ;d 83mpg or a xt 125 - 90mpg - still does 60mph
what we need in the uk are road legal step through 80cc mopeds like they have here in holland - only they have teh infrastructure in place to safely implement it - they share the cycle paths !
id use one - for those journeys that are too long to go by bicycle sensibly - but not long enough or carrying anything to justify a car ....
btw what car do you have that can do a 62 mile round trip commute for 200 quid a month!
...
terry...its a new(well, 57 plate) ford galaxy 1.8tdci...had a 51 plate 2 litre diesel mondeo estate before that cost the same.
my commute is 16 miles by dual carriageway and 15m via back roads. I could easily change my direction to accomodate a bike so as not to suffer on the dual carriageways mind.
The galaxy has a 15.4 gallon tank and costs almost £90 quid to fill up...which lasts 2 weeks commuting.
[i]anything above 15mph under motor power needs tax and insurance ...... [/i]
what's the law with regards helmets and an electric bike exceeding 15mph ? Pedaling along in a Motorcycle helmet is not much fun.
[i]what's the law with regards helmets and an electric bike exceeding 15mph ? Pedaling along in a Motorcycle helmet is not much fun. [/i]
eBikes have only a pedal assisted motor so when you stop pedaling so does the motor. If it wasn't like this then you would have to have a license and pay road tax. This also means that you don't need to wear a helmet at all (legally speaking) whatever speed you manage.
I'm talking about, if under electric power they exceed 15 mph, not if you pedal faster.
aye so its fuel only for yer 200 quid costs.
true cost nearer 250/275 a month.