# Bought the Mrs an electric bike



## The Brewer (14 Feb 2015)

A second hand (ebay) TGA electric bike, one similar 







Plan is to head off with flasks and a packed lunch and do a bit of photography as well. Slower pace, get a bit of nature down me


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## screenman (14 Feb 2015)

I am thinking of a CBR600 for the wife so that she can keep up with me on a good day. Only kidding.

Why electric? I encourage my wife to excersise, not that she needs it now as it has become a habit. I do understand if there is a medical reason, where I think electric bikes are a good idea.


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## The Brewer (14 Feb 2015)

Mrs has hip problems so limited in what she can do, she uses the home gym and does a little on the turbo. She's a photographer and gets a bit jealous when I tell where I've been and what I've seen, so this should do the trick and earn a few brownie points


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## screenman (14 Feb 2015)

Have fun, it seems a great idea.


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## Mrs M (14 Feb 2015)

The Brewer said:


> A second hand (ebay) TGA electric bike, one similar
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Great idea, hope you have fun and share pics with us


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## steveindenmark (14 Feb 2015)

Some people the idea that Electric bikes are only for people with disabilities or the elderly, they reallyshould try one and see what they are like.

Jannie and I have recently sold ours after owning them for three years. We are both fit and Healthy and ride miles every week on our normal bikes

We enjoyed our Electric bikes and made lots of trips on them as they had a range of over 60 km. They made a nice change from slogging up hills.

I hope your wife enjoys the bike.


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## downfader (14 Feb 2015)

I love electric bikes. There are some clangers about but they all basically do the job - cheap travel for pennies without the sweat, and cut through the traffic where needed.


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## The Brewer (14 Feb 2015)

Might lend it myself for a lazy  experimental trip


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## nickyboy (14 Feb 2015)

The Brewer said:


> A second hand (ebay) TGA electric bike, one similar
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> 
> 
> ...



Great idea and one I'm trying to persuade Mrs N of. It's stupid hilly around here and whilst I can just about hack it, no way she could. Idea would be that she has an electric bike that could give a good boost uphill, coast downhill. I would try to keep up. Out to some nice pub or other. I wonder if that could work with a leccy bike?


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## Pale Rider (14 Feb 2015)

nickyboy said:


> Idea would be that she has an electric bike that could give a good boost uphill, coast downhill. I would try to keep up. Out to some nice pub or other. I wonder if that could work with a leccy bike?



An electric bike rider on their own would tend to operate in a narrower speed range than you on your roadie.

They would climb a bit faster, but not go as fast as you on the level and, in particular, on descents.

So you could ride together, but some effort will be required by both riders to keep together.


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## Racing roadkill (14 Feb 2015)

Nope, it burns, it burns, I need an old priest and a young priest. The power of Christ compels you.


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## steveindenmark (15 Feb 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> An electric bike rider on their own would tend to operate in a narrower speed range than you on your roadie.
> 
> They would climb a bit faster, but not go as fast as you on the level and, in particular, on descents.
> 
> So you could ride together, but some effort will be required by both riders to keep together.




You are correct in what you say but it is very little effort needed. Most of the effort would be for the Electric bike rider not to leave the roadie behind, especially into a headwind.

Here is a clip of Jannie riding up from behind on my Enduro without power on. I struggled to catch her up and then she flicks the power on and slows her pedalling down and i cant keep up with her. I am not Froome and I am riding one handed, but that bike runs at about 27 km Per hour with almost no effort in pedalling.

Riding an Electric bike and road bike together is not a problem, especially if you are not racing.



View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RXTFHMKJMHE


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## raleighnut (15 Feb 2015)

I fitted a conversion kit to Maz's Dawes Geneva (Step-thru hybrid with 7 speed shimano hub gears) as she has arthritis in both knees and was so impressed that I wanted one for dragging the trailer up the hill/ridge we live on (the trailer sometimes carries over a hundredweight when I'm doing some 'landscaping' or fencing)
That plan got put on the backburner when I broke my femur but I expected to be back on a bike in 4-5 months unfortunately I needed a second op (remove the pin then drill out the bone and fit a bigger pin) and as part of the physiotherapy I was put onto an exercise bike at the hospital and the guy said "its a shame you have'nt got one at home" so I toyed with that idea and also getting a 'turbo trainer' and bolting one of my bikes to that but then got my trike. Only problem was that I then couldn't get up the stupid () hill on it limiting me to cycling along the ridge and back so the Trike got modified so that I could fit a 26inch electric front wheel kit to that (the standard front wheel was 24 inch but if I'd got a kit that size it would not have gone onto the MTB later, plus I'd have had to change the forks anyway as the dropout wasn't thick enough to accept the anti-rotation widget on the electric wheel with the standard forks)
The only snag now is I'm starting to like the trike as it is so I may need to modify the trailer hitch so that it can be pulled by the trike (the hitch clamps on to the chainstay and the trike has an axle in the way )

The only downside to electric bikes is the cost of the battery pack, I looked into getting a second one and they are £240 so if anyone thinks of getting a secondhand e-bike that cost needs to be figured in as they have a lifespan of 3-4 years and there does not yet seem to be a standard so most are specific to one particular brand.


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## steveindenmark (15 Feb 2015)

You are right about the batteries. Ours were 3 years old but were as good as the day we bought them when we sold them on.


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## Twinks (15 Feb 2015)

A lady comes to my place of work in Glossop everyday from Ashton on an electric bike. She says she had an accident which left her with a brain injury (you would never, ever know it) and had her licence withdrawn. She loves it and says as well as having given her back her indepencence she just loves riding it and would now prefer it to a car anyway.


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## downfader (15 Feb 2015)

Lilmo said:


> A lady comes to my place of work in Glossop everyday from Ashton on an electric bike. She says she had an accident which left her with a brain injury (you would never, ever know it) and had her licence withdrawn. She loves it and says as well as having given her back her indepencence she just loves riding it and would now prefer it to a car anyway.


One of our customers at the restaurant had epilepsy. Wasnt allowed to drive either and so used to get around on a bike like that. Never found out if it was electric though was told it made his condition slightly better


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## Pale Rider (16 Feb 2015)

steveindenmark said:


> You are right about the batteries. Ours were 3 years old but were as good as the day we bought them when we sold them on.



Batteries are a problem.

Spares for the Bosch crank drive equipped bikes are anything between £500 and £700.

As Steve says, some batteries appear to be able to last three or more years, but it's still a lot to pull out when the time comes.


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## biking_fox (7 May 2015)

Mrs' ebike arrived today - Ferber A2B. She's delighted and been waiting for the delivery as you do. I've got to put he pedals on etc tonight.... wish me luck.


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## raleighnut (7 May 2015)

biking_fox said:


> Mrs' ebike arrived today - Ferber A2B. She's delighted and been waiting for the delivery as you do. I've got to put he pedals on etc tonight.... wish me luck.


Get the battery on charge ASAP (they arrive with only minimal charge in them for safety in transit.)


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## Tojo (14 May 2015)

I wish I had thought of buying my ex an electric bike with a really powerful battery and sending her on her way and hoping she would be totally lost when the battery ran out.....


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