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Ummmm. Still working from home and expecting to do so until the autumn, but thinking about how to travel to work when I go back. The round trip is 60 km with 500-600m climb, and I typically ride in once or twice a week year round, using the train on other days.
Since I really don’t fancy a Northern Rail viral incubator, and riding in 5 days a week would be too much, I’m thinking of going electric. It is road all the way and I have previously ridden in on both a road bike and a lightweight 29er hardtail, but some bits have rubbish surfaces so when I go electric, do I go for a full on road bike, gravel bike or hardtail, and which one?
I do like a fast bike (even though the engine's a bit lacking) and, because I'm a tart, I'm only really interested in a frame-integrated battery. Cost not so much of an issue.
What would you advise, please?
I was going to say exactly the same as eddiebaby. Living in Sheffield with a 48km round trip hilly commute, I'm saving up for one of those Ribbles as it would make me do it most days rather than taking the car a bit over 50% of the time as I kept doing.
3rded - ribble CGR with 650b wheels, for a bit more comfort on the bad roads. I was looking at one for my commute, they're also much lighter than a normal ebike so you'll still be able to sit at 15-20mph on the flat without feeling like you hit a wall when the assistance turns off.
100% drop bars too, better for headwinds, more positions for comfort.
I’ve had a CGR AL e for about 9 months or so now and really like it. I also bought it mainly for commuting, which is about 20km each way. It doesn’t make it a faster journey than on my previous carbon road bike, but it does make it easier, hence I can do it more often or fit in other active hobbies around it.
I’m running 32mm contis, full guards and a rack, it’s about 15-16kg. I’m tempted to put some wider gravel tyres on soon to see what else it can do.
Range depends on your elevation and time above the 25km/h cut off, but I anticipate about 100km from a full battery.
Mine is the entry level version with a double chainset and mechanical disks. The brakes are rubbish and I don’t think I’ve ever used the small chainring. The assistance negates any hill where you would ordinarily need that gearing ... around where I live anyhow.
I've done a year on a Trek Conduit - 29er aluminium flat barred hybrid, Shimano Steps. Coming from a steel gravel bike, commute is a hilly 7mile each way.
My notes are - the 15.5mph cut off limit is unworkable if you are used to cut and thrust keeping up with traffic messenger style commuting. If you are a curb hugging plodder then they are fine.
Regardless of what ebike it is - the weight of a motor and battery means you don't bother peddling much above 15.5mph regardless of tuck/drop bars. You stick at 15.5mph everywhere.
I've had steel frames for years - the aluminium frame and fork of my Trek is harsh and gives me headaches over broken tarmac. It doesn't float over like my light gravel bike did.
Go as wide as possible with tyre widths for comfort - you have a motor and battery helping.
I chipped mine - I had a thread on here about it. Yes it's illegal. I use the extra speed in sections where I would be keeping up with traffic on my gravel bike.
Thanks All. Sounds like the answer is something gravelly
Top end cost, but I do think the new Spesch Vado SL look interesting
I’ll just throw a slight spanner in the works,
If you’re going to sit on the speed limiter for most of your journey, then why not just get a normal Emtb, fit some bar ends and (for example) schwalbe big apple tyres.
It’s a better riding position for dealing with traffic, and you have the option for some rougher terrain (or actual off road with a tyre change)
If you are actually going to go faster than the speed limiter, I wouldn’t bother with the E.
Investigate all options, there’s more than one way to skin a cat etc.
Like RNP above, i had mine chipped, and I could turn it on or off at the flick of a switch.
I’ve removed it, go figure.
Weight matters a lot less with the battery power.
I have a Levo Hardtail Hardtail, I had Schwalbe Super Motos on it for a while and it was great on road and the canal tow paths. I even managed to put a rack on the front for doing beer runs as I live at the bottom of a massive hill! Depending on distance and how much assist you choose it may be wise to take the charger to work or better still just get another one and leave it there.You can input your Journey distance and the bike will make sure you get home on the battery charge you have left. As a side note using the Specialized Mission Control App you tell the bike it has 800mm wheels then the power assist doesn’t cut off at 15.5mph.
It’s a good commuter option, good fun, cheap to run and you won’t turn up to work covered in sweat.
I have a 16 mile each way commute, mixture of road and gravel path. I mostly use a non electric gravel bike which is ideal for the route and it generally takes about an hour.
When buying my E bike I used the same logic as Martymac and Rusty Nissan up there. You have a motor so why limit yourself to a typical commuter style bike. I went full-sus with 2.8 nobblies so I have one bike that does everything from the commute to the weekend MTB ride, it doesn't take me any longer on my normal commute and gives me more options on the way home if I fancy a detour.
Hmmmm! Thanks for the advice so far.
That 25 kph limit could be more of a problem than I'd thought. My average ride in is 25.1 kph and about 24 kph going home (more uphill) with significant periods at 30-35 kph
That 25 kph limit could be more of a problem than I’d thought. My average ride in is 25.1 kph and about 24 kph going home (more uphill) with significant periods at 30-35 kph
With an e-gravel/road bike, where you'll see the benefits are on climbs, and start stop stuff. Basically, if you had a flat commute on the road, you'd see almost zero benefit as you'd always be above the 15mph cut off.
My occasional commute is 45-50 mins, 10 miles/16k, with 250m climbing, I worked out it would have saved me 10 minutes on the commute with the time spent climbing (one large climb which takes 18-20 minutes, plus a couple smaller ones, then the rest of the time spend at 20+mph), so not really worth it for me. If I could get it down to 30 minutes I would probably have done it.
Basically, work out where on your commute you're under 25kph/15mph, from that you can work out how much of it will be assisted. Or, be prepared to stay at 15mph all the way, but you'll be going from an hour and 10 minute ride each way, to 2 hours... Although that extra 1hr 40m per day will be as 'not even sweating' pace, that's a lot of time per day to lose.
Once you go above the speed limiter the bosch ones are more work than a regular bike, you may find that your actual average doesn’t change that much though, as you will stay close to the 25kmh on hills.
My commute was kinda similar speeds - there are a few narrow A road sections with parked cars and no cycle route provision. I used to hammer it on my analogue bike so I wouldn't hold traffic up / could become one with traffic.
No chance on a standard ebike - they are too heavy for sustainable bursts of traffic matching speeds above the 15.5mph cut off.
Off-road the limit is fine - I would never 'chip' a mountain bike, but for daily cut and thrust commuting the limit is a hindrance.
Speedec S 30mph rated bikes are available and are classed as a moped and need to be insured / number plates as such but these are few and far between and pricey.
Ebike manufacturers are clamping down on 'chipping' and they aren't legal - you are effectively riding the bike above but without insurance.
The other alternative is a 50cc moped or a 125cc motorbike via a CBT course.
The other option which I've tended to gravitate towards is to use different hillier traffic free routes routes that I used avoid previously on my analogue bike.
The time spent below the cut off is the crucual thing.
My 10 miles consist of 1 mile at 12mph average
big climb - 3.2 miles/600ft at 8mph average (this is where an ebike would help)
4 miles at 19mph average (descending 600ft)
then a final mile or so at 14mph average.
So, I would only gain on the climb. even if you sat at the 15mph limit for the whole 10 miles, it'd still be 40 mins, only 5-10 mins faster than a non ebike.
Gangnam.