# Electric bicycles



## Wupert (Aug 6, 2007)

As the joints age I'm thinking of buying an electric bike 

Has anyone info on how good/bad they are and suppliers.

Thanks in advance


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## Telbell (May 1, 2005)

Wupert

I must admity I was impressed by the electric bikes on the ASbikes stand at NEC. I had a "test drive" .The good thing about them is you can still use them as a conventional 6-speed bike and (if you have battetry switched on) just touch the nthrottle to activate the battery power.

Battery can be easili unclipped from behind saddle.

See www.asbikes.co.uk

Once my Icesave account is sorted I'll be tempted! :lol:


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## TinaGlenn (Jul 7, 2006)

We have got a couple of the electric bikes from A S Bikes, we got ours at the Stratford show after seeing them at Newbury and being very tempted.

I have arthritus in my hips and knees and cannot ride an ordinary bike if there is even the slightest slope. We have done many miles uphill and down on roads, tracks and rally fields on ours and they are great. The bike weighs 17 kg and the battery 4kgs so 21kg in total, so they easily fit the weight allowance on our bike rack although we also have bags for ours so we could fold them up and take them in the boot of the car too.
We have charged them up while away using an inverter on our solar panels.

There are many types of electric bikes out there, all prices, sizes, weights and using different battery types.

Tina


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## Telbell (May 1, 2005)

Thanks Tina-that's helped me anyway!

One other point about the price-you can get cheaper but as always it's a case of "you get what you pay for"


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## Patchworkqueen (Dec 7, 2007)

Hi We use electric bikes and find them very good.
We have Powacycle Windsor with LPX batteries which give a range of about 37 miles using pedal assist less if using just the motor with no pedalling.
I recommend that you try out bikes with different size wheels. We did not like the ones with 20" wheels, didn't feel stable. The Powacycle has full size 26" wheels.

I bought from e-bikes-direct. Got a better price than listed because I was buying 2 bikes.
The bikes are listed on their website at £554 delivered but you will get a better price by phoning.
The same company sell on Ebay but I cannot remember the name they use, a search might show it.
Regards Chris


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## snoopy (Mar 23, 2006)

We have #2 electric bikes.

One is a folding bike and the other is more of a mountain bike. Both run on 36v lithium ion batteries and have proven to be fun, reliable and surprisingly fast!

We use them in preference to a scooter as there is no fuel smell in the garage.

They make longer distances less daunting (particularly if there are hills, wind, shopping to carry etc.) but you can easily resort to manual pedal power for a bit of normal exercise (the motors are brushless thereby reducing the drag if not on power).

We bought ours from http://www.electricbikesales.co.uk

Probably best to decide on your budget and work from there as pricing and quality varies widely.

Definitely recommended - go for it and burn up the young 'uns!


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## Wupert (Aug 6, 2007)

Great stuff guys 

Really helpful

Wups


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## CliveMott (Mar 10, 2008)

If you want to do "real" slopes then you need one with a little engine and gearbox. Much more range and speed as well.??

C.


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## Wupert (Aug 6, 2007)

CliveMott said:


> If you want to do "real" slopes then you need one with a little engine and gearbox. Much more range and speed as well.??
> 
> C.


Done real slopes etc

Hips hurt

Need Help

Anyone know about the Giant elctric thingys


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi Wupert

No personal experience of them . . . . yet!! :roll: 

Talking to someone we met (on our recent Mosel trip) and she swore by the "assisted" type, where you have to pedal all the time, though never very hard.

She reckons their range is much greater than the ones which have a throttle control and don't have to be pedalled except on steep hills.

Hers also re-charged the battery (to some extent) if she was going downhill and therefore could put the momentum to good use.

Sounded good to me - wish I had quizzed her a bit more thoroughly now, but it will lead you in if it also sounds good to you.

Hope this helps


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## Briarose (Oct 9, 2007)

Patchworkqueen said:


> Hi We use electric bikes and find them very good.
> We have Powacycle Windsor with LPX batteries which give a range of about 37 miles using pedal assist less if using just the motor with no pedalling.
> I recommend that you try out bikes with different size wheels. We did not like the ones with 20" wheels, didn't feel stable. The Powacycle has full size 26" wheels.
> 
> ...


 Hi we have the ladies and gents too, and I really think you would be happy with the bikes they do we are really happy and I don't thnk you would go far wrong with them.

We got a good deal too with two bikes.............ours are pedal assist or you can just use the throttle and it is a godsend at times. We did prev have just pedal assist.


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Hi Dave,

Lithium batteries, light weight, must have gears and for guys of our small weight you need at least a 200/250w motor otherwise you will suffer like I did and they don't go up even the smallest of hills. Ours had 180w motors and for me they were pretty useless without peddling like mad


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## lafree (Dec 31, 2007)

Hi Wupert, Look at www.atob.org.uk they review electric bikes,for serious cycling look at the Kalkhoff range at 50cycles.com, We have two old model Giant Lafree's ideal for hill climbing as the motor is in the crank.


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## kenp (Sep 8, 2006)

*electric bikes*

I agree with Lafree

We tried, and then bought, a Kalkhoff Agattu. They are made in Germany using a Panasonic motor & battery with two year warranty.

These bikes require you to pedal, however the harder you push the pedal the more motor assist you get. The 7 or 8 gears are in the hub like a Sturmey Archer and the motor drives the chain. This means that both your legs and the motor benefit from the gears.

You can see the bikes at Loughborough, various shows or rent one at Richmond Park. This website www.50cycles.com gives details and independent reviews.

My wife, who has a dickey-ticker, loves hers. The broad saddle, front suspension, seat post spring and 28 inch wheels all meld to make a very comfortable ride.

Kenp


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## BIGLAD (Oct 8, 2007)

*bike*

We have powacycles, very good well made, went 25km on flat Monday.Some pedaling but not loads.Im 18st.
Bought them through dealer in Barrow but you can buy direct.Spoke to bloak from co.They will give name of nearest dealer.Good luck


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi again Wupert

The ones I was drivelling on about are the same as Kenp mentions above.

The owner said the Panasonic batteries were excellent, and she could easily get 30 to 35 miles out of a single charge if there were not too many hills.


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## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

Hi

This site will tell you all about electric bikes in abundance.

Pedelec Forum

steve


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## sideways (Jun 2, 2008)

We have had Powabyke for a few years, they have a good dealer network and importantly you can buy spares for them. having said that ,only ever bought a throttle and that was cos it fell over. They are a bit front end heavy but are ever so solid and reliable. We have spoken to many people over the years who have an electric bike sat idle at home because they cant get a spare part.


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## GerryD (Sep 20, 2007)

We have 2 from AS Bikes. They are excellent and when we had an issue with the original one, Peter was brilliant to the point of exchanging it with no quibble. They will easily do a 22mile round trip with battery to spare.
Had two before from CV Leisure who also exhibit at the outdoor shows, not at all impressed with the quality after a bit of use.
Gerry


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## impala666 (Oct 26, 2007)

We are both over 60 and have had 2 electric bikes for 3 years. 

We regularly cycle over 30 miles and out of the UK the cycle routes are good and the roads usually quieter and safer in France, Germany & Spain.

A major downside is the weight. Without the batteries our bikes weigh 45 kg. This is near the limit of most cycle racks and they are not easy to lift up onto a rack screwed to the back of a van

We solved this problem by fitting a Thule flat rack with cycle tracks on to the towbar. This takes a weight of over 50 kg . The bikes are easy to lift on to it and the system is firm a does not rattle.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi Impala

Only slightly off topic, but which year is your Nuevo?

We have the Thule (for use with the car) but no towbar on the truck.

I've been told that fitting a towbar to the latest Nuevo is not as easy as the previous model. Have you any info please?


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

How about a Koga Tesla, possibly the Rolls Royce of leccy bikes....

http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/koga_tesla_bikes.shtml

a snip at £2,175 8O

..or theres a powerbike for sale in the >O&A Cashmart< going for £250 - about 1/2 way down the page in the link.

Pete


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## 104014 (Apr 20, 2007)

*Electric/Battery powered assisted bikes.*

Hi, we have been down the electric bike route - oops, you have to look at the whole problem not just the bike itself, if you are needing a bike because of joint, breathing or mobility issues yoy must try one 1st, after all they are not insignificant in terms of weight, they tend to have a higher centre of gravity than ordinary bikes, the battery pack weight can be a problem in terms of handling, and easily stolen if the bike is on a rack, one of our bikes weighs about 28kg with the battery seemed ok when bought, but now nether of us can handle the weight or balance it alone. The high "step through" is amajor issue, The bike is now unused.
The other bike is a very simple affair, its a "Decathlon" ladies/universal model bike very very low step through, [£99] with a Sinclair front wheel mounted motor, which drives via a rubber belt on the front tyre, the battery is a sealed lead acid one easily bought anywhere. The Sinclair unit was bought used off ebay for about £15. The issue of "payload" on a motorhome is never far from my mind


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## 96706 (Nov 13, 2005)

We have 2 bikes from ASbikes. Can only reinforce earlier comments about Pete's service. 
Truly an outstanding chap and nothing is too much trouble. If you are kind and courteous to him. A real pleasure to deal with someone who is devoted to his trade.

We bought ours at the Detling show in May. 
All up including Suspension saddles, front bag, rear paniers and knobbly tyres. £450 each. 
Mrs. D uses hers daily, back & forth to work and raves about the bike 
I don't use mine as much, but having taken them on our trip to Germany in September, mine developed an intermittant power fault. Sent it back for a service. Collected it from Pete at the NEC last week.

Every thing was fixed, plus a few extra bits that he thought needed attention. 

He does attend all the Motorhome shows, so if there is one coming up near you, it's certainly worth your while going along. 

Interesting conversation we had. Lets just say that his best customers come from Narrow boats owners & Motorhome owners :wink:


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## Wupert (Aug 6, 2007)

**** said:


> We have 2 bikes from ASbikes. Can only reinforce earlier comments about Pete's service.
> Truly an outstanding chap and nothing is too much trouble. If you are kind and courteous to him. A real pleasure to deal with someone who is devoted to his trade.
> 
> We bought ours at the Detling show in May.
> ...


Top stuff guys

Thanks to you all

I'll keep you updated

Athritic Wups


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