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Buying an electric bike

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Brainaddict

slight system overdrive
I'm interested in getting one as not too healthy at the moment with post-viral fatigue. Weirdly all the threads on these seem to be years old, from before they were common. So, if I were thinking of getting one, what would be the cheapest reasonable price to pay for one? I looked first at doing a conversion on my current bike but due to disk brakes, hydraulics, hollowtech II axle, it seems it would end up pretty expensive, like £600. It might in fact be cheaper to buy a whole new bike then sell it in six months if I've had enough of it. I see bikes out there for £400 but assume they are rubbish, so what would be a reasonable budget bike?
 
If you live in Scotland you can get a four year interest free loan for £3k towards an ebike or £6k for a cargo bike. I believe something similar is coming in England and Wales.

energysavingtrust.org.uk

ebike loan

The ebike Loan is funded by Transport Scotland and can help you purchase a new electric bike, including cargo and adapted cycles.
energysavingtrust.org.uk energysavingtrust.org.uk
 
Everyone I've ever known who knows lots about bikes has always said the same thing about conversion kits: don't do it.

Can you access the cycle to work scheme?

edit: unless you are DownwardDog. I bet he could make an e-bike conversion work really well, reliable and as long lasting as a built-for-it e-bike. But it'd cost twice as much as just buying an e-bike and require some specialist tools that need half a room and cost at least as much as a tour-de-france level e-bike (if such bikes exist).
 
BigTom said:
tour-de-france level e-bike
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure engines are banned from elite racing.

Can't you just get one of those upgrade kits off Amazon that all the Deliveroo riders use? They seem to be able to use the engine without pedals too.
 
quimcunx said:
If brixton is convenient to you I have the cheapest of these E-Go Bikes
you can have a borrow of to see if you like it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the offer, how have you found it?

Also interested to know why so many ebikes are folding bikes when they are super heavy. Do you actually want to lug them onto trains and stuff? And doesn't some of the price going into it being folding mean compromises in other places?

Thanks for suggestions but a loan wouldn't be helpful to me as I have savings and a hard budget limit over the next couple of years - spreading the cost out won't help.
 
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Brainaddict said:
Also interested to know why so many ebikes are folding bikes when they are super heavy. Do you actually want to lug them onto trains and stuff? And doesn't some of the price going into it being folding mean compromises in other places?
Click to expand...
Storage at home.
 
Brainaddict said:
Also interested to know why so many ebikes are folding bikes when they are super heavy. Do you actually want to lug them onto trains and stuff?
Click to expand...
E-bikes are about 20 kilos (folding ones might be marginally lighter, I don't know). So about the same weight as a packed suitcase. People regularly llug suitcases onto trains.
 
maomao said:
E-bikes are about 20 kilos (folding ones might be marginally lighter, I don't know). So about the same weight as a packed suitcase. People regularly llug suitcases onto trains.
Click to expand...
I have a normal folding bike that is about 12kg and it is not at all comfortable carrying it up stairs and the like. It's not just the weight, it's also a cumbersome shape (Bromptons are better obviously but out of my price range).
 
Having said that, I could perhaps be persuaded that I could sell my normal folding bike (would get me about £250) to help fund an electric folding bike. But I'm still wondering what compromises happen in a folding bike of £1k to get it to that price compared to a normal ebike of £1k.
 
beesonthewhatnow said:
I'm still not sure how they get away with this, as afaik ebikes are meant to be pedal asset only :confused:
Click to expand...

Stuff like this is legal to use on private land and therefore to sell.
Neither most people nor police know the rules properly, generally they'll see a bike with pedals and think e-bike, regardless of whether those pedals are turning.
Don't think police would be inclined to enforce this anyway, for the same reasons they prefer to enforce driver behaviour over cyclist behaviour generally.
 
maomao said:
I'm pretty sure engines are banned from elite racing.

Can't you just get one of those upgrade kits off Amazon that all the Deliveroo riders use? They seem to be able to use the engine without pedals too.
Click to expand...

oh yeah, you can't legally use a motor in pro racing, but I was assuming that the kind of bike beesonthewhatnow mentioned - a 10kg carbon fibre road e-bike - essentially a tour-de-france style/level bike but with the electrics. Not legal for racing of course.
 
Brainaddict said:
And how have you found it?

Also interested to know why so many ebikes are folding bikes when they are super heavy. Do you actually want to lug them onto trains and stuff? And doesn't some of the price going into it being folding mean compromises in other places?

Thanks for suggestions but a loan wouldn't be helpful to me as I have savings and a hard budget limit over the next couple of years - spreading the cost out won't help.
Click to expand...

I bought it when concerned I would have to attend the office regularly last year. I didn't have to in the end and have barely used it. It was useful the one time I used it to travel 4 miles and back including some steep hills. Getting it up and down stairs and folding unfolding is a pain ime but you could chain the frame up and just bring in the battery I suppose.
 
beesonthewhatnow said:
I'm still not sure how they get away with this, as afaik ebikes are meant to be pedal asset only :confused:
Click to expand...
I'm sure law abiding bike shops are selling compliant bikes but there are tons of conversion kits on Amazon from 200 quid up. Pedal assist is great for certain riders but if you're an Uber Eats or Deliveroo rider you're hardly likely to want to restrict the motor. The police are neither trained or willing to do anything about it and consequently there are wankers on mopeds all over the place.
 
quimcunx said:
I bought it when concerned I would have to attend the office regularly last year. I didn't have to in the end and have barely used it. It was useful the one time I used it to travel 4 miles and back including some steep hills. Getting it up and down stairs and folding unfolding is a pain ime but you could chain the frame up and just bring in the battery I suppose.
Click to expand...
Don't spose you want to sell it...?
 
Brainaddict I have a folding e-bike which I was thinking of selling for £300. It’s currently locked up in my office bike basement near Bank.

I got it (used) nearly four years ago but apart from the first 3 months I needed it to ride to a job I was doing and back it’s had little use. But it’s in great condition, comes with a spare battery, had a full service history with a 3 year service plan from Halfords (with documents), and I made sure it got its last service.

It’s not a flashy Brompton by any means and is a lot heavier to carry (I wouldn’t recommend carrying it!) but it’s lovely and smooth when the electric motor kicks in and you’ll never break a sweat and it’ll do around 8 miles per charge IME.

1D5992B1-9206-46C8-ADFD-FFF603B2326C.jpeg
 
£50 bike from the tip; 300 quid kit off amazon; the whole thing cost about 500.

ed42d540-15f5-4c5f-8379-5359a0144772.jpg
beesonthewhatnow said:
I'm still not sure how they get away with this, as afaik ebikes are meant to be pedal asset only :confused:
Click to expand...
You just don't connect that bit. Then you unplug/deactivate the restrictor which keeps it to 15mph. I let off at about 30mph as it was all a bit shaky; it was still accelerating though.

BigTom said:
Stuff like this is legal to use on private land and therefore to sell.
Neither most people nor police know the rules properly, generally they'll see a bike with pedals and think e-bike, regardless of whether those pedals are turning.
Don't think police would be inclined to enforce this anyway, for the same reasons they prefer to enforce driver behaviour over cyclist behaviour generally.
Click to expand...

The bloke who owns the one above has been pulled a couple of times but for overtaking cars etc. It's clearly electric and it's got pedals so they've never asked further than that.
 
If you ride a dodgy one and have a driving licence that you value, that is not a good idea, as the moment you move away from pedal assist to motor your licence is up for points/bans.

An e road bike of any worth starts around £1500, mtb £3000.

The conversation kits are crap.

An e-assist bike will change your life, see a hill and just ride up it and arrive at your destination less sweaty than the grand old duke of york.
 
I rented this on holiday last week - it was incredible on hills - If I was commuting on an e-bike I'd want something as good as this because it made the experience really pleasurable and easy

Edd's Eco Bikes - Explore Jersey by electric bike - Hire, Tours & Sales

Edd's Eco Bikes offer Electric Mountain Bikes and Family Cargo Bikes for hire for the day or weekend. Looking for a Group day out? ....
eddsecobikes.com eddsecobikes.com
 
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