E bikes

A friend was thinking of one and did a test-drive scheme with Halfords. She has RA and found the bike very heavy. She dismounted to let children past and next thing the weight of the bike over-balanced her and she ended up in A&E with an ankle injury. After several hours, her DD drove her and the bike back to Halfords (she’s not going to get one) and found she had a ticket for overstaying in the car park. (Arnison Centre - 4 hour limit).

Oh crike! Sorry to hear that Georgesgran.

I belong to several cycling groups and many members now have e-bikes. As with most things, the more you pay, the better you will get. The newer models are not much heavier than traditional bikes. You need to think about how far you are likely to cycle and how many miles the battery will take you. Bear in mind that you will probably only need to use the battery power on hills and most of the time you will either not have it on at all, or be in eco mode. Find a place where you can look at different models and try before you buy - maybe hire one to try first.

That's a great idea GrandmaKT I think a shop in the town where I live hires them. I'll go in and find out more this week. Thank you for all your good advice.

I have a folding hybrid e-bike, and I love it to bits. I live in the fairly flat midlands at present, and find I rarely need the motor, but it’s bliss to have it when I do need it. And, of course, it’s good to know it’s there when I am away somewhere hillier.

I go much further, and use it more often, than I did on my old bike, mainly because I know I don’t need to worry about hills, or getting too tired

It is a few kg heavier than my previous non-electric bike, but not that heavy. I can lift it in and out of my car, but I probably wouldn’t want to carry it any distance (so not through a station, up and down stairs to get on a train, for example).

The great thing about the extra weight is that it coasts much much further that a standard bike!

I second the advice to try a few, and don’t be pressured into buying one you’re not happy with. Because you do have hills, get one with the best motor and battery you can afford. Do buy a helmet, and a really strong lock, and think about what you might want to carry and whether the bike is suitable/you can fit the right luggage racks or panniers.

Thank you Zonne, such great experience to share and advice..

You’re welcome. I hope you find something that suits, and have loads of fun!

I should have said, you may find padded shorts/leggings and/or a gel saddle cover make for more comfortable riding.

I am also looking at an e bike but I thought the fold up ones were more for commuters
Is it the Brompton type,? they do have small wheels but I think the fact you can fold it up and put it in your car sounds good

I love my e-bike. I purchased it in the spring of 2020 and use it to commute to work on non-rainy days. We have a lot of hills in our town, so I most likely would not be riding at all if I didn't have the battery assistance.

Mine is quite heavy; 65 lbs, so I do have a time of it getting it up stairs.

By all means, go to a shop to try out the different models, and perhaps rent one for an afternoon to get the hang of it.

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My son just bought one, it weighs 39lbs, he loves it.

We love ours - my OH is an engineer and has converted two regular bikes to E bikes. They are a bit on the heavy side, but it is so nice to look at a hill and not be fazed! We can put as much or as little effort into it as we want. I tend to prefer smoother surfaces than bumpy bridleways which usually end in me wobbling off!
We take them all over the country and abroad with our campervan, and I must say that OH, at 79, leaves me standing!

I bought and bike nearly w years ago as we also cycle in hilly Wales and live up near the to; of a hill. I was looking for light weight one but I ended up buying one that does 70 miles on a full charge, it’s an excellent battery, Bosch, and has a Good long life.. if you are cycling in mainly hilly areas it is also a good idea to have one with several gears as you still need to use them, mine has 12. These bikes are pedal assist and you will need to pedal, not just get on them and go so you still have to put some effort into uphill bits and use gears but it is a lot easier. The other point is we put ours on a bike rack and go to different places, we have a low platform rack attached to a towbar that will take the weight of and bike. We also bought an attachment that allows us to wheel the bike up onto the rack rather than lift them. A great help for me. Do your research and try different bikes, Cube are an excellent bike make.

Also I have now reached 3000 miles on mine

Do ebikes require insurance, and do you have to pass a test?

No but I have insurance to protect myself and the bike

I have a light collapsible ebike which is great on the flat,but beware it is not possible to get them going on a hill... mine will go up a hill as long as I don't need to stop. it cost nearly £2.000 so I guess middle range.. but I'm able to put it in the back of my Berlingo if I go away. I would ask around your neighbours or maybe a local cycling club for recommendations if you live in the mountains..

Chardy

Do ebikes require insurance, and do you have to pass a test?

So as a pedestrian and (thanks to the increasing price of petrol) and occasional motorist, if I/my car are damaged by an ebike, there's no financial redress, and if they disappear immediately, no way of identifying them.
Doesn't this seem ridiculous? Actually it's the escooters that make me really cross, they're illegal round here; no identification, no insurance, no test of competence.

I use to find the same going up hill but I have cracked it now, you stop, to start you put it in the top fastest mode and the easiest gear for going up a hill. Then sit on saddle, peddle up for strongest leg and just push down and start cycling, your motor should help, it just needs confidence and practice. Mind you my bike is a sit up and beg type bike so it might be a bit easier on a bigger bike. Cost nearly £3,000

I have 3 bikes, an e bike, a kona coco and an islabikes janis road bike, which is superb and sporty. They now make a janis ebike which is only 13.5kg in weight

I have had my ebike since 2008, a kalkhoff, was expensive and has the original yamaha motor. Superb construction and very frictionless for cycling without power on. I have maintained it since new, so it still functions as new. I love that bike and use it for longer trips, when the hills can be too much.

It was used a lot in hilly wales, no problems. It weighs 26kg, so I cannot lift that into my car. If a solo person, then weight should be taken into account as you may not want to remain on home ground.

Battery power can take me about 40 miles on one charge, with varied modes, obviously highest mode (push power) on very steep long hills. I bought a battery with a bigger capacity, which can do 80 miles. I only bought it in case spares became difficult to source

To be frank, you get what you pay for and my most important tip would be to get it from somewhere where they will service it for you. My husband did mine and after being widowed, it was a steep learning curve when I learnt to service it, including changing tyres, tweaking gearing, changing brake cables etc. I am fully competent btw and carry a small tool kit

My ebike is a pedelec, it senses when I need that extra push

re insurance. Of course I have insurance, to protect myself and my bike and it also includes third party. We always had insurance, in fact mine is due for renewal in 2 weeks. Common sense to have it