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I've been getting out loads with little mini D on the mac ride. Possibly the best £200 I've ever spent on a bike accessory.
Now, when we go away I don't get that look when I pack my bike. Now, she encourages me to bring the bike so she can have a bit of peace and quiet.
However, when we get back from a macride and little D is buzzing with excitement she's been asking if I can get her an ebike so she can come with us.
I have absolutely no idea about ebikes. I've been watching ebay but they seem to go for more money than i think they are worth and the majority of them seem to be collection only as I'm guessing the sellers can't be bothered to post and in my budget they are all very heavy.
So, budget, I guess for the right bike upto £750. As light as possible as she would struggle with a heavy bike. She's not heavy so I dont have a problem with v brakes. I'd like a range of at least 25 miles.
I'm kind of leaning to a wheel motor so it's easily fixed or replaced. I'd even consider an ebike conversion if I knew what I needed to buy!
Are the g tech bikes any good? She will only use it on quiet roads or gravel tracks. Nothing extreme.
Any suggestions welcomed and please consider this a stealth ad for an ebike. She's 5ft8.
Thanks
No idea if it applies to your circumstances, but Ride to Work scheme was increased to enable people to buy eBikes. Limits depend on employers, but might be worth looking into?
So, budget, I guess for the right bike up to £750.
I’d like a range of at least 25 miles.
These two things are incompatible.
Are the g tech bikes any good?
I think the realistic range is about 10 miles.
I have a tongsheng bb mount kit. £700. Its a good call to use a kit if she already has a bike
the problem with cheaper kits including most add on wheel motors is the lack of torque sensing which makes the bikes much less intuitive to ride. Its OK for old hand ( trail rat!) but for newbs IMO the torque sensing is a must
Unfortunately you get what you pay for and the cheapest ebike I have seen that i would consider worth riding is around £1200 and a decent add on kit £700+
Maybe contact one of the specialist dealers to seewhat they say.
Buying secondhand its hard to know how much use it has had and the batteries do degrade and reliablity is not always what it could be.
Want to know more specifics about the tongsheng ask away
I’ve bought the Swytch conversion kit. Arrived next month (apparently) and going too add it to my wife’s old hybrid.
About £400 all in I reckon...will report back when it arrives!
These two things are incompatible.
I'm looking at 2nd hand bikes. I must be able to find something 2nd hand for my budget.
I’ve bought the Swytch conversion kit
I really like this, I've been looking at it too. I think a decent bike with an ebike kit is better than the heavy frames that come on cheap ebikes.
On a similar thread the suggestion was for a Pendleton ebike. Not sure why that was better than the other Halford offers
Cheapest I've seen is from Evans, about £1100 I think it was. Couldn't tell you anything about it though
Just get her a nice light decent hardtail,does she really need an E bike?
The swytch has a small batter and a not very powerful motor. Adequate for short distances on the flat. Most of the cost saving will be in the small battery less than half what most bikes have
Its also cadence sensing not torque sensing so not as intuitive to ride
Just get her a nice light decent hardtail,does she really need an E bike?
I'm thinking about getting my other half an ebike because we rented one as a trial and she doesn't feel like she is holding me back, gets to ride and have fun instead of breathing out her arse and she also grins for up to 5 hours when on one.
I would lose fitness, she doesn't have it to lose, or the will to spend that much time to get fit enough.
Just get her a nice light decent hardtail,does she really need an E bike?
She already has a bike that she doesn't use. It was painful riding with her. She's just slow, not a very good rider and has no real interest in cycling or becoming better. That's always been fine with me. Cycling is my thing and she just slowed me down. (harsh but fair)
Ebike solves a lot of issues. She can ride as quick as me without the fitness. I'm happy, she's happy.
I just don't want to spend a load of money on one if it ends up not being used like the last one!
Sounds like you need a tandem OP 🙂
Can you wait while the changes announced yesterday filter through as there's a plan to allow 30% subsidy for e-bike purchases. Your £750 budget should then get a bike that will do what you need it to do for range.
What about one of Decathlon's efforts?
I've got no experience of them but they are usually a good place to start for entry level value when it comes comes to bikes.
They're excellent with warranties, etc, which would be important to me with an ebike.
Good luck!
Edit: just seen your budget, but they have cheaper ones...
For similar reasons we got a year old one of these found locally for certain lady's of the house, with the bigger 16ah battery.
https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/brands/freego/freego-eagle-crossbar
Not the prettiest bike that's for sure but was well under your budget OP as second hand, and it does go really well, c. 50-60 miles on a charge if used appropriately between modes. The frame and components whilst budget aren't too bad e.g. Tektro brakes, Shimano gears and ours had Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. I have used it for shopping as it has big panniers too, although hat/shades on so not recognised.
I was going to say decathlon too.no experience but I imagine they would be good enough.
Sounds like you need a tandem OP 🙂
No, no, no, no, no! 🤣
I always worry when men say their missus' doesn't have the inclination to improve their fitness - so get them an ebike.
What they're doing is storing up a health inequality that's going to severely impinge on their quality of a shared life together in later years.
My missus was brought occasionally kicking and screaming from obesity to MTB and now is the correct weight, of good fitness (10 hour days out in Welsh mountains) and loves life, instead of apple strudel and TV.
Some of her friends moan at their husbands that they spend all day out on their bikes and "don't spend any time" with them. - and they don't look at themselves and realise it's *their* fault.
Get her a bike. Suffer a short term fitness drop but gradually increase the range/difficulty. A shared healthy lifestyle is way better than one being fit and nagged, the other being unfit (and eventually more prone to illness) and lonely.
What worked in your relationship won't be true for everyone. For some people, constantly feeling like they're holding up a ride whilst simultaneously blowing out of their arse is demotivating enough for them to give it up and not try at all. If an e-bike can be used to get someone interested and enjoying cycling, then as their base fitness rises they can work their way to an unassisted bike. Or you all get e-bikes and go for miles further!
Back on topic, a friend of ours has the £1700 Decathlon hardtail and it's a great bit of kit - I see no reason the cheaper offerings wouldn't also be good.
An ebike was a good start to spark the interest again though for them, enjoy being out and regain basic fitness, now they are riding regular bikes too which must be a good thing.
OP - another one a lady near us has is one of those Halfords Carrera rear wheel drive Crossfires, she got when on dealfor £999, more now though. Maybe a good used one of them is worth a look. She says she's pleased with it apart from the crap tyres with no end of punctures, so forked out on Marathons and no problems since.
Here comes the anti Ebike police.🤣
What they’re doing is storing up a health inequality that’s going to severely impinge on their quality of a shared life together in later years.
Nope.
People are finding a solution that allows everyone to enjoy riding bikes.
People have different abilities and level of training. Expecting typical female (yes, men are taller and stronger naturally) casual rider to be at the same level as a typical male STW forum member is unlikely.
E-bikes are a perfect for this.
Argos have cheap e bikes with 30 day returns available if you dont like it.
I always worry when men say their missus’ doesn’t have the inclination to improve their fitness – so get them an ebike.
Mrs D is very fit, she just doesn't have bike fitness. She doesn't want bike fitness. She wants to ride with her husband and 2 year old son occasionally. She has a bike shes hardly ever used.
What they’re doing is storing up a health inequality that’s going to severely impinge on their quality of a shared life together in later years.
She does her own exercise, she's into walking. We have a great shared life together
My missus was brought occasionally kicking and screaming from obesity to MTB and now is the correct weight, of good fitness (10 hour days out in Welsh mountains) and loves life, instead of apple strudel and TV.
Mrs D is not obese and she makes her own mind up!
Some of her friends moan at their husbands that they spend all day out on their bikes and “don’t spend any time” with them. – and they don’t look at themselves and realise it’s *their* fault.
Mrs D encourages me to ride my bike and do things I love. She also looks after herself.
Get her a bike. Suffer a short term fitness drop but gradually increase the range/difficulty. A shared healthy lifestyle is way better than one being fit and nagged, the other being unfit (and eventually more prone to illness) and lonely.
Read my opening statement and subsequent comments again.
Right, any other suggestions to keep an eye out got 2nd hand ebikes are much appreciated.
Just a point about used bikes being collection only - this is because shipping e-bike batteries requires a specialist shipper with the necessary controls and approvals due to their capacity (i.e. you can't just send them with Parcel force or the like), hence why they're collection only.
Unless you're happy taking the risk on an out-of-warranty motor or battery failing (I was), I'd say buy new or buy a new conversion kit. I wouldn't consider anything other than a mid-drive, or the Tongshen torque sensing kit myself, but your budget may have other ideas.
Is her existing bike decent? A TSDZ2 kit with battery is about £660 and looks like it fits in a couple of hours. https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?cdkit#tsdz2
I'd get a tongsheng tsdz2 kit from pswpower or similar
http://www.pswpower.com/ven.php?cargo
Stick it on the bike you've already got, they are easy to fit. Doesn't have to cost £700.
Couple of years down the line your child will want to ride their own bike. Then you will be back to square one.
Just back from a ride with my 70 year old mum on her Pendleton ebike.it cost less than 700 quid, has a range of 30 miles, and my mum absolutely loves it.
For today's ride on a hilly route garmin tells me I had a normalised power of 260 watts cycling alongside her on my giant defy..so it's plenty powerful enough. Obviously it would be no use off-road.
I've followed your advice. Went for the pendleton with the bafang motor. Picked it up today for £575, used 4 times and stored in doors. Thanks for everyones help
Mrs D loves it as "it's proper girly" I had a quick go and it really pulls. Going to take it for a test family ride tomorrow.
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Nice
That's the one my mum has! You are right, it really does pull. Going cycling with my mum is a good interval workout, as you are either freewheeling (on flat or downhill), or putting out 400 odd watts every time road points uphill.
There is a short sharp climb near where she lives and I challenged her to see how fast she could get up it. If she was on strava, her time would have been 5th fastest this year, out of 320!!! Basically, unless you are fit she's going to kick your ass on the climbs!!