I bought an electric bike

[Tony C]

In the interests of full disclosure I must admit to this. I'm old (63) not in great shape, I hardly play any tennis now and my arthritic left knee (due for full replacement) means that even the hillwalking I love means two days of pain after a half decent hike. I need to get cycling and the South Lakes where we live now has no shortage of trails.

So, I took the plunge. A Raleigh Motus Crossbar with 300w Bosch battery became, after much research, my bike of choice. I actually found a local bike store who stocked it and we did a deal (my wife bought the low step version) which brought it under internet price. And I felt good about giving my money to a nearby independent business.

Derided by cycling purists, I know, but I'm going to have to take the sneering on the chin and get out there. Picked it up earlier today and can't stop looking at it. When this pouring rain relents we'll give it a go. Yes, we're the fairweather electric cycling type.

[hobbes]

Mate, anything that gets you out there is a good thing. It's not like a motorbike, you do have to put effort in.
Good on you, I say.

[San Bernardhinault]

I'd have an electric bike if I had the money and the storage space. I'd certainly have one if I had a hilly commute. My only objection is the smug look some electric bike riders have when they go past real cyclists on a hill: dude, it's not impressive and we're not in a race.

[Levin]

Motus sounds very Doctor Who. But the bike looks cool, 7 speeds and disk brakes.

How do you control the motor?

[Levin]

Oh I see, it's a power assist thing up to 15.5mph. Wow, a lot of the electric bikes I see in London must be the ones that need licences.

It's interesting that both Raleigh and Peugeot have their electric bikes front and centre. Peugeot have some, innovative, designed bikes in their range. As well as an Ultegra equipped road ebike.

[diggedy derek]

Great stuff. Give us a full report.

[andrew7610]

Hope you and your wife enjoy them Tony.

And well done for sourcing them from your local bike shop.

[Tony C]

I'd have an electric bike if I had the money and the storage space. I'd certainly have one if I had a hilly commute. My only objection is the smug look some electric bike riders have when they go past real cyclists on a hill: dude, it's not impressive and we're not in a race.

Yes, we moved house end of January and we previously had no storage facility for bikes so buying them wasn't an option.

In terms of money it was a decent sized outlay - and we are not the impulsive type and we really thought it through. It something we can do together and is not going to be compromised by my knee problem - either now or post - op. Essentially whether the bikes represent value for money is entirely up to us: if we use them regularly, yes, if they stay in the garage gathering dust, no.

[caja-dglh]

I'd have an electric bike if I had the money and the storage space. I'd certainly have one if I had a hilly commute. My only objection is the smug look some electric bike riders have when they go past real cyclists on a hill: dude, it's not impressive and we're not in a race.

It should be a requirement under such circumstances that they stick both legs out at a 30 degree angle to the frame and grin wildly.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Interesting. Mrs. VT is buying one this weekend - we're doing our research tonight. I'd be interested to know why you chose the one you selected

[Tony C]

Interesting. Mrs. VT is buying one this weekend - we're doing our research tonight. I'd be interested to know why you chose the one you selected

Based on online reviews in the main. Features like the centrally placed battery which offer a little more balance than bikes with rear batteries came up a lot in these reviews and the fact that battery position didn't effect wheel replacement if you had a puncture. The Bosch battery itself was given good feedback by people who had been using the bike for some time in terms of maintaining charge and also the surprising strength of charge when using the higher 'turbo' setting.

[jdsx]

Hope you enjoy it Tony C . I got an e-bike last October and I was (e-)cycling (commuting) most of the winter on it, pre-lockdown, whereas most winters I wimp out if it's really wet/cold. I got a Vanmoof Electrified S2, which has not been without its problems - it had to go back to Amsterdam for a repair (long story), but I don't regret buying it.

[San Bernardhinault]

The Vanmoof is pretty - I like keeping the battery hidden in the frame.

The amazing thing about these bikes is that they're cheaper than the kinds of non-e-bikes that I ride. I think that's because with the battery weight you don't need the most expensive components keeping all the other weight down. There's no point saving an extra gram here or there. And the you don't need trad derailleur gears or anything. It makes it even more tempting to get one.

[Uncle Ethan]

We had one for three years. It was great - I could ride in to my office from my partner's workplace on a low setting and back on a high setting into the afternoon sea breeze. We sold it about two years ago when my wife was made redundant. The biggest negative was the weight. You had to have a big SUV, a trailer or a specific bike rack to take it anywhere so, for example, coastal rides where you take bike in/on car to start of bike path, ride 30 minutes each way or whatever and then come home, were impossible.

[hobbes]

If I got one it’d have to have a removable battery so I could charge it in the office. That rules out a lot of them like the Van Moof etc.
only Cowboy and Analogue Motion AMX1 have caught my eye.

[Ginger Yellow]

The amazing thing about these bikes is that they're cheaper than the kinds of non-e-bikes that I ride. I think that's because with the battery weight you don't need the most expensive components keeping all the other weight down. There's no point saving an extra gram here or there. And the you don't need trad derailleur gears or anything. It makes it even more tempting to get one.

The flip side of that is they're fucking heavy. My one, which admittedly is on the heavy side even for an e-bike, is 27 kilos. Like I say, that's a lot for an e-bike, but it's pretty hard to find one less than 20kg unless it's explicitly a portable one. And one of the most popular foldable e-bikes, the Vektron, is 22kg. The Gocycle is a bit more reasonable at 16kg, but that's still half again as heavy as a Brompton,

[slackster]

I’ve been toying with the idea of an e-bike for the last couple of years but not taken the plunge. It’s pretty undulating where we live and I don’t enjoy slogging up hills on a normal bike anymore. The alternative would be a cheap moped/scooter (actually cheaper than the e-bike), but I’m not sure I can be bothered with all the protective clothing/full helmet with that option.

[Ginger Yellow]

If I got one it’d have to have a removable battery so I could charge it in the office. That rules out a lot of them like the Van Moof etc.
only Cowboy and Analogue Motion AMX1 have caught my eye.

Yeah, I'd definitely go removable. Too many situations where you might not be able to charge otherwise. Also it makes it easy, albeit expensive, to extend the range. If like SB you prefer the aesthetics of a concealed battery, a lot of manufacturers do removable ones in the frame too.

[Tony C]

If I got one it’d have to have a removable battery so I could charge it in the office. That rules out a lot of them like the Van Moof etc.
only Cowboy and Analogue Motion AMX1 have caught my eye.

Yes, another plus for the Raleigh is the removable battery. We were also told that the battery also has a 'trickle charge' feature - it takes around four hours for a full charge from empty but 50% of the charge is completed in the first hour for a quick turnaround if you need it. The weight can be an issue and we do intend to travel with them and we don't have an SUV - but that's for the future. We are very lucky that where we live there are a lot of potentially great trails and rides within rideable distance, even for beginners so that's fine for now.

[Tony C]

Well four months on and I'm out on my Motus maybe five times a week for rides of around 30k. However that's 30k with some pretty steep ascents so it's a credible workout. I've lost a fair bit of weight and feel noticeably fitter but that's a secondary issue: I just like riding my bike. The battery element is important of course but, as the cycle shop guy told us, the bike doesn't go into engine mode when you put the battery on. Think of it as a gentle push. He was right, those hills still hurt, but at least I can get up them.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Yeah. I'm enjoying the Cannondale too. I rarely go past the 'Eco' setting as it's so flat around here, though the headwinds can get pretty stiff at times. The 'Touring,' 'Sport,' and 'Turbo,' speeds have rarely been touched. Also, I find I never use the gears at all, I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing.

[hobbes]

I actually ended up going for the AMX although 4 months later is still in a container outside Felixstowe (Indigogo - natch.)
14kg, removable battery and they've just released the specs for the controller so you can turn down the boost from full burn to something less agro.
I sorta wish I'd got the Cowboy as it's a bit more accomplished and I'd have had it 3 months ago. But then the AMX was half the price even with the sneaky 20% they added on after you could change your mind.

[Tony C]

Presumably it will be delivered in flat pack form?

[Levin]

Is the controller spec thing a commitment to open source or a way to allow people to go at illegal speeds? I still can't get used to disk brakes on bikes.

It does look smart.

[hobbes]

Presumably it will be delivered in flat pack form?

It's 80% built. You just have to fit the brakes, front wheel pedals and handlebars.

I have new bars and pedals for it anyway - it ships with stupid hipster moustache bars, so I've got some straight ones to go on. Might see if I can get some hydraulic brakes too.