Author Topic: Electric bikes  (Read 22255 times)

Biggsy

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #50 on: 06 October, 2015, 02:25:03 pm »
Also I'd love one that can do a bit more than 15mph for, <cough>, private roads.
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LEE

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #51 on: 06 October, 2015, 02:38:47 pm »
I'm very interested in an electric hub for this setup.

Long-term it will be my shopping trolley on board a Motorhome.  I don't mind riding the Brompton unassisted but a motor would be a welcome addition when towing the shopping back from the supermarket.

Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

Tigerrr

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #52 on: 06 October, 2015, 05:02:32 pm »
Also I'd love one that can do a bit more than 15mph for, <cough>, private roads.
Then you do want a hub motor kit - you can get them on Ebay up to 1000w which should give you some startling performance (but will eat battery power of course). From what I see these tend to be 26 wheels for MTB conversions. I see a chap round here zooming along at night on the roads on one, presumably to avoid detection. There is also a recumbent trike fitted with one in Ealing who can be seen doing the Uxbridge road at above the speed limit commuting to Canary Wharf - I imagine that is about the range limit.  I hope he is still alive as I have not seen him for a year or so.
Theoretically these illegal motors can cost you your licence, but I think in practice the police are largely unaware of/not bovvered by them. 
I am awaiting a 500w BB motor set from Whoosh, which can be pushed above 15mph by use of a thumber, on private roads, runs through the bikes gears for efficiency, and shouldn't eat too much power. But the old crankset will have to be binned. In this case its a hybrid with a hub gear setup (mrs Tigers old bike she barely rides) so seems ideal to me.
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Kim

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #53 on: 06 October, 2015, 05:22:50 pm »
The 15mph speed limit is about right for optimising battery life, so I reckon high power unrestricted motors are mostly for cheating at mountain biking or for taking the piss on shorter journeys.

I must confess to being interested to see what barakta's trike would be like (the motor's built for 500W[1]) with the 'off-road' firmware, but not to the point of obtaining the gubbins to re-flash it.


[1] This is still advantageous in its restricted form, as it means the thermal design[2] has plenty of headroom when climbing bastard hills.
[2] The drive electronics are integrated in the hub, so there's more heat in one place.

Tigerrr

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #54 on: 06 October, 2015, 05:56:38 pm »
I'm very interested in an electric hub for this setup.

Long-term it will be my shopping trolley on board a Motorhome.  I don't mind riding the Brompton unassisted but a motor would be a welcome addition when towing the shopping back from the supermarket.


What you want is the nano 250w conversion kit, and a 10Ah motor. No point in getting the faster Sparticle motor (more pricey too) as on the brommie 15 mph is about as fast as you want anyway.  You want the 10Ah battery as you will draw a bit more power with a trolley and you need enough range to get from Motorhome to the shops and back. You can still pedal anyway - the motor just makes it miles easier to keep a speed up in top gear.  Dead easy to  do the conversion - no skill or knowledge needed.
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Biggsy

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #55 on: 06 October, 2015, 06:00:07 pm »
Even 17 or 18mph might be enough to satisfy me ...for use on my private country estate, of course.

Excuse me a moment, I need to go and discipline my butler...
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zigzag

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #56 on: 06 October, 2015, 08:53:27 pm »
i'd like a lightweight (up to 3kg) solution with a good range and speed up to 25mph (i wouldn't feel safe at higher speeds without extra protection). might be wishful thinking now, but i'm happy to wait until technology improves.

Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #57 on: 06 October, 2015, 09:12:03 pm »
Even 17 or 18mph might be enough to satisfy me ...for use on my private country estate, of course.

Excuse me a moment, I need to go and discipline my butler...
My Woosh BB-driven commuter was easily tweaked* so the motor would only cut out at 40kmh. Seeing as that's unlikely to happen and I'm anticipating it propelling me along with my input at about ~20mph, I think that's adequate. I'm relying on plod's ignorance/apathy to get away with it.

*5 seconds to change a setting on the LCD controller.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

LEE

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #58 on: 06 October, 2015, 11:08:57 pm »
I see Nano Bikes are in Burbage ... a shortish ride away from me !!!!

Dangerous.
Some people say I'm self-obsessed but that's enough about them.

Tigerrr

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #59 on: 07 October, 2015, 07:12:29 am »
Even 17 or 18mph might be enough to satisfy me ...for use on my private country estate, of course.

Excuse me a moment, I need to go and discipline my butler...
My Woosh BB-driven commuter was easily tweaked* so the motor would only cut out at 40kmh. Seeing as that's unlikely to happen and I'm anticipating it propelling me along with my input at about ~20mph, I think that's adequate. I'm relying on plod's ignorance/apathy to get away with it.

*5 seconds to change a setting on the LCD controller.
Is that the 500W Bob motor? That is the one I have in mind, as soo as they get stock back in.
Humanists UK Funeral and Wedding Celebrant. Trying for godless goodness.
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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #60 on: 07 October, 2015, 07:43:29 am »
No, it's their standard 250w Scirocco CDL. A heavy beast (which I'm currently upgrading to weigh less), it has a controller that allows you to change the motor cut out speed very easily. It used to cut out at 18.5mph, but I've effectively altered that so it won't cut out till 40km/h. With my pedal power, I think that'll mean I can tootle along at 22-23mph on the flat. It'll use more battery though, but that shouldn't be an issue on my commute. I'm also upgrading the brakes to an Avid BB7 on the front.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

clarion

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #61 on: 07 October, 2015, 11:44:11 am »
I'd be mostly interested in a motor to help with hills, so 15mph would do me nicely (though whether most setups could manage 15mph uphill with a touring load/loaded cargobike, I am not sure) ;)
Getting there...

Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #62 on: 08 October, 2015, 11:36:11 am »
[Musings]
I wonder if these are a practical commuting alternative to a small car for the depths of winter? When it's icy/slushy/snowy* and it's blowing a north-wester and you live 15 miles from work, cycling isn't a practical proposition for the likes of me. But a slightly heavier, more stable electric bike with 45mm spiky tyres may just do the trick? In fact, it may be better than a car, given that traffic happens to other people when you're onna bike?
[/Musings]




*You know the stuff - hard to be sure whether it's ice or slush or snow or just grime and tramps' urine.  :sick:

Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #63 on: 08 October, 2015, 11:44:32 am »
My commute's an undulating 8 miles and I have bought some Marathon Winter Plusses to fit once the frosts arrive. The ride in takes about the same time as the drive in (at busier times it's quicker) and is much more pleasant. On my MTB I arrive quite sweaty. On the e-bike I'm fine. Now the nights are drawing in, and part of the route is on unlit cyclepaths, the Hope Vision One will come into it's own. I'm quite looking forward to it. My all-weather gear has already proved itself.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

Biggsy

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #64 on: 08 October, 2015, 02:35:20 pm »
[Musings]
I wonder if these are a practical commuting alternative to a small car for the depths of winter? When it's icy/slushy/snowy* and it's blowing a north-wester and you live 15 miles from work, cycling isn't a practical proposition for the likes of me. But a slightly heavier, more stable electric bike with 45mm spiky tyres may just do the trick? In fact, it may be better than a car, given that traffic happens to other people when you're onna bike?
[/Musings]

I think yes to some extent because, with electric assist, you should be able to wear completely waterproof cosy clothes without getting over-hot and sweaty.
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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #65 on: 08 October, 2015, 04:55:29 pm »
Well, to a point and depending on the bike. I still do put a fair bit of work on my ride and I'm not fresh as a daisy on arrival, but relatively speaking I'm not half as sweaty. I still use my breathable gear though, and need it.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

Mr Larrington

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #66 on: 08 October, 2015, 06:51:08 pm »
[Musings]
I wonder if these are a practical commuting alternative to a small car for the depths of winter? When it's icy/slushy/snowy* and it's blowing a north-wester and you live 15 miles from work, cycling isn't a practical proposition for the likes of me. But a slightly heavier, more stable electric bike with 45mm spiky tyres may just do the trick? In fact, it may be better than a car, given that traffic happens to other people when you're onna bike?
[/Musings]

In an ideal world this would be velomobile territory but they wouldn't be brilliant in traffic and they ain't easy to park.




*You know the stuff - hard to be sure whether it's ice or slush or snow or just grime and tramps' urine.  :sick:
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Adam

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #67 on: 08 October, 2015, 07:22:12 pm »
I'd be mostly interested in a motor to help with hills, so 15mph would do me nicely (though whether most setups could manage 15mph uphill with a touring load/loaded cargobike, I am not sure) ;)

I've fitted the Sparticle kit onto our Helios, replacing the front wheel.  Unladen, it does more than 15 mph on the flat.  With 30 kg of shopping you don't have to pedal on the flat, but anything more than about 6% slope, you still need to pedal to keep moving. Although it's obviously much easier than before.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

Tigerrr

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #68 on: 10 October, 2015, 10:25:10 pm »
Now that I am interested in electric bikes I visited a dealer on the Isle of Wight as we happen to be there. He specialises in MTB electrics. I tried one out, top of the range job. Quite portable, with the batt in. Entirely torque based response system, and it was a bit of an eye opener. Silent, light, and responsive, just like riding but very little effort. Costs £2300 though. The motor was built into the BB very neatly and batt likewise. He also had a road bike with batt in the down tube and rear hub motor almost invisible. Awesome kit, really.
Apparently about 60 miles range.
Humanists UK Funeral and Wedding Celebrant. Trying for godless goodness.
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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #69 on: 13 October, 2015, 06:38:07 pm »
Hmmm, range. I'm supposed to get 60-70 miles on a charge. However, when using maximum assistance on a lumpy commute, I think 30-35 is more like it. Even less now I've upped the cut out speed. I've yet to run the battery flat, but I'll do so one day just to check.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #70 on: 17 October, 2015, 03:22:03 pm »
Right, the Woosh has been tweaked. Thanks to Biggsy's generous donation of some strong magnets, the speedo now works again and I'm trundling along at 21-22 MPH on the flat without much effort. I've fitted better wheels with a cassette-hubbed rear and that means I can pump up the tyres to 60+ PSI. Lighter weight, better handling and lower rolling resistance a triple win for not much investment. On the old wheel rims, Marathon Plusses slipped on very easily - a worrying sign - and I had a blow out at 55 PSI. The BB7 is already better than the original, crap brake and will be needed.

The only mod-in-waiting is to fit better front suspension forks. The current ones are heavy BSO trash and are crying out to be replaced. If I can get my undulating, 8.1-mile commute to below 30 mins, I'll be happy.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

Tigerrr

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #71 on: 03 November, 2015, 06:56:49 am »
I have enjoyed my nano assist Brompton so much that I have just purchased a 500w bb kit with a 15 ah battery to convert Mrs tigers hybrid. The rough terrain was killing the brommie and some bigger wheels and more power will be handy. Building it up next week.
Humanists UK Funeral and Wedding Celebrant. Trying for godless goodness.
http://humanist.org.uk/michaellaird

Kim

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #72 on: 03 November, 2015, 01:30:57 pm »
I have enjoyed my nano assist Brompton so much that I have just purchased a 500w bb kit with a 15 ah battery to convert Mrs tigers hybrid. The rough terrain was killing the brommie and some bigger wheels and more power will be handy. Building it up next week.

The e+1 rule?   :thumbsup:

Auntie Helen

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #73 on: 03 November, 2015, 01:55:55 pm »
I am very close to pressing 'buy' on a Bafang 8fun motor for my ICE Sprint.
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Auntie Helen

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Re: Electric bikes
« Reply #74 on: 03 November, 2015, 02:46:25 pm »
I just pressed 'buy'... it's coming from China so I'll have a week or so to wait.

And, in the meantime, I need to sort out a bottom bracket removal tool but have no idea which one I need. Sigh.
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk