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Following this thread where I got some great advice, I think I have decided to go for an e-bike rather than a motorbike.
I don't know the first thing, and google throws up loads of brands I have never heard of.
Am I best sticking to an established big player? Any good recommendations? I have no idea about batteries or motors - if there is a good resource I could read to get a flavour.
I am looking for something that is flat bar, able to take rear rack/pannier and mudguards. I'm coming from a Pompetamine which has served me well, but falling apart after years of abuse with no TLC.
Budget wise I guess up to £1500 ish?
Thanks again
Tbh if it was me, and just for the commute, I'd just convert an old hard tail or tourer with a tongsheng tsdz2b for half your budget. Not as pretty but twice as cheap and easy to sort.
At the utilitarian end of things the Specialized Turbo Como at £1750 looks pretty good with mudguards and pannier rack included.
The Lapierre is a hub motor which may be perfectly fine for your use case but tend to be less refined / natural feeling than a mid-motor like the Spec.
I have no experience of them but I'd be looking at Decathlon for this sort of thing.
Only problem with an ebike commuter is if the route is flat you are constantly bumping off the 15.5mph limit and trying to pedal a heavy bike unassisted. They work better when the route is hilly.
I have a Trek Conduit - 1st gen ebike with Shimano Steps motor and battery, deore group with discs, mudguards and built in lights. They don't hold their value 2nd hand so are a good solid reliable bike.
Imo this Raleigh Trace is a v good price on sale for £1800
https://www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/trace-electric-bike/
I've got a similar bike with the same battery and motor. It's been great for nearly 2 years now. If you want the bike to do absolutely all the work, the range is about 15 miles. If you're prepared to pedal a bit, you should get at least double that. Note that the battery is not removable so the bike needs to be charged indoors.
I’d agree with that flat route comment. I bought a Boardman 8.9e for my hilly commute where it works really well.
It’s great up the hills, and it only needs a modest downhill incline to get good speed up, but I do tend to bump along the limiter on the flat bits of my commute.
The Fazua motor supposedly had little or no resistance, but it’s still a heavy bike.
But I love mine. I cycled home yesterday with panniers full of tools, clothes, and a laptop. I barely noticed the weight.
edit: I got my 8.9e in a Halfords sale where it was closer to £2k. Good value at that price.
Why don't you see what your local Halfords have available for a ~6 hour trial?
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/services-advice/free-electric-bike-trials.html
Definitely do a trial first.
If you're bumping up against range, buy an additional charger and charge the battery at work if you can. Your facilities guy will probably not like it.
Can you do Cycle 2 Work scheme?
What was said by Benos.. i have a Boardman ADV 8.9e drop bar thing i bought for my commute..
great up the hills, of which there's a couple of decent ones on my 9.5 mile commute, but i mostly max out at 18mph on the flats, recently taken my gravel bike to work and it was approx the same time, but believe it or not easier (beyond the hills)
If you're after one mine is for sale with about 500-600 miles on it..(Medium)
Cheers all - like the look of that Boardman, and just remembered that our place does C2W.
Looking at Halfords, I can trade the Pompetamine in and get 25% off, with C2W will work out around 120 per month for a year.
My old commute was 14km, mostly flat other tan one short, sharp climb and I used to ride it six days a week.
Get a cargo bike, at least then you can carry stuff and ditch the car for most urban errands.
I bought a Halfords kid’s bike on eBay to use for a similar trade in deal when I bought mine 😆
If you get one, I recommend checking and tightening *everything* before you ride it, and use 242 threadlock and a torque wrench on the fickle bolts that secure the BB/gearbox assembly to the frame.
Looking at Halfords, I can trade the Pompetamine in and get 25% off
Technically I think it needs to be one of Halfords' brand bike which you trade in, and you can't trade in a balance bike or electric bike.
Find a cheap old Boardman/Carrera on your local Facebook group