# Toying with the thought of an E Bike



## Amac (26 Jun 2022)

Hi guys,
I was looking for a bit of advice and thoughts if possible please.
I am thinking of starting the "approval" process  with my wife to get her an E Bike.

I do a fair bit more cycling than see does, she is busy doing most the looking after our 3 year grandson.
I ride with the local cycling club in the week, and we go out at the weekend together. 
She is good for 30-35 miles at a very steady av 8-10mph, but the hills take out any enjoyment after a while.

We have had a good weeks cycling in Norfolk, which I picked for obvious reasons 
We would like to try some more cycling holidays, of course I want her to enjoy it and not dread the hills or head winds.
She currently rides a Ridgeback hybrid.

Sorry that's a lot of background.

I was going to try and persuade her on to an E Bike, for her the following criteria:

Hybrid
Ladies step through
Not too wacky looking
Nice colour 
Comfortable 
Mud guards - rack - stand
Be able to ride in very low assistance mode, until hills or head wind
We dont need to go fast av 12-14mph (so I can keep up)
Not too heavy, as I have to lift it onto a roof rack

Looking around only on the internet at this stage this looks to fit the bill, just a bit more money than I had in mind:
https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/s...-electric-hybrid-bike-706387#colcode=70638769

Is there any points that I may have missed, that you think I should have in mind?
I would like to buy from a local bike shop at that sort of money, to try an make sure we get the right bike.

Well I have drivelled on for long enough 
Thanks for any comments, tips or advice,
Alex


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## ColinJ (26 Jun 2022)

Amac said:


> Not too heavy, as I have to lift it onto a roof rack



It looks lighter than a lot of e-bikes, but I bet it still weighs close to 15 kg. Would that be light enough?


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## classic33 (26 Jun 2022)

ColinJ said:


> It looks lighter than a lot of e-bikes, but I bet it still weighs close to 15 kg. Would that be light enough?


Close, _"It only weighs 14.9kg"._


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## glasgowcyclist (26 Jun 2022)

A colleague at work had his & hers Raleigh Motuses and wouldn’t shut up about how good they were.
Might be worth a look.

https://www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/motus/low-step/


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## ColinJ (26 Jun 2022)

classic33 said:


> Close, _"It only weighs 14.9kg"._



I didn't spot that info. Where did you find it?


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## ColinJ (26 Jun 2022)

glasgowcyclist said:


> A colleague at work had his & hers Raleigh Motuses and wouldn’t shut up about how good they were.
> Might be worth a look.
> 
> https://www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/motus/low-step/



That one weighs 24.5 kg, which would be a real lump to hoist up onto the roof of the car!


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## All uphill (26 Jun 2022)

Amac said:


> Hi guys,
> I was looking for a bit of advice and thoughts if possible please.
> I am thinking of starting the "approval" process  with my wife to get her an E Bike.
> 
> ...



You talk about what you want and trying to persuade your wife to buy an ebike.

What does she want?


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## youngoldbloke (26 Jun 2022)

Ribble Hybrid ALe Step Through 13.75Kg?







ALe - available with guards, rack etc, Mahle X35 system. Motor in rear hub.


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## wiggydiggy (26 Jun 2022)

glasgowcyclist said:


> A colleague at work had his & hers Raleigh Motuses and wouldn’t shut up about how good they were.
> Might be worth a look.
> 
> https://www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/motus/low-step/





ColinJ said:


> That one weighs 24.5 kg, which would be a real lump to hoist up onto the roof of the car!



I know a couple with the same his/hers. They are heavier sure but the batteries are detacheable to lighten it for lifting, they also use a low loader towbar mounted carrier so no lifting onto roof.


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## classic33 (26 Jun 2022)

ColinJ said:


> I didn't spot that info. Where did you find it?


Another site, checking the price.
https://www.onbike.co.uk/electric-bikes/specialized/turbo-vado-SL-4.0.html

Although one review, on another site, says it weighs 30kg.


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## roubaixtuesday (26 Jun 2022)

ColinJ said:


> It looks lighter than a lot of e-bikes, but I bet it still weighs close to 15 kg. Would that be light enough?



I've got a 20kg tandem and lift that into the roof ok. I'm no hercules either. 15kg for a normal bike would be ok, albeit not ideal I think.


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## KnittyNorah (26 Jun 2022)

Amac said:


> Is there any points that I may have missed, that you think I should have in mind?


The height and reach of your wife. 

I found when looking intensively last year, that there is not as much 'adjustability' - for want of a better word - with e-bikes as with non-e-bikes. Especially if she uses a small frame size, she needs to try the thing _comprehensively_ for comfort. Bearing in mind that the idea with an e-bike is to go out for longer, and ride further, comfort is even more important than on a non-e-bike. 
If she is 'hard to fit' but comfortable on the conventional bike she uses now, you might want to consider a conversion kit.


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## Jenkins (26 Jun 2022)

One of the girls ar work has just got a Pendleton Somerby-E which looks rather nice and could fit the bill, but it's around 22kg

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Pendleton-Somerby-E-Mint-2021-Electric-Hybrid-Bike_237864.htm


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## Espresso vecchio (26 Jun 2022)

I am the same sort of cyclist as the OP, happy at 16-17mph average on my road bike for 30-40 miles on a typical run. I am 71. But unlike the OP we live in Norfolk! My wife's hip and back began to play up so last year I felt it was time for an ebike for her. I recce'd the options and the local market, and I was smitten by the Raleigh Motus Gran Tour (low step version) after a few hundred yards and the first hill. She liked it, I bought it. As she is small we got the small frame and 26" wheels, but it's fine for me, 5' 10", over 20+ miles.

It is heavyish, but that doesn't matter in the least as it has a motor! Brilliant range, beautifully finished. It rides like a dream, smoothly like a magic carpet. Effortless on hills, so I struggle to keep up with her then. It has a very upright ride which has solved her back problem, and allows me to enjoy the view when I ride it. The stem is adjustable for reach and height, and the saddle post is secured by a QR... all very simple. I got the hub version rather than the derailleur. It's not cheap at £2500 but is worth every penny. It is very undergeared, especially for Norfolk, though strangely the derailleur version is higher geared. I changed the rear sprocket from 22T to 18T and it is transformed for the better. It took me 20 minutes to change the sprocket and take out one link... and all for the princely sum of £7.

As someone said already a towbar bike carrier would solve the transport question. My son lifts his tandem onto his SUV.

I've just looked at eBay and Gumtree... Plenty of examples, often with very low mileage, and most under 2 years old. One or two are suspect... For example being described as 2019 when the shape is clearly much older, or "missing the key" (which often means stolen). Most look great to me.

Good luck. Let us know what you get please.


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## Amac (26 Jun 2022)

Yea, I am not sure, I couldn't find the weight of it anywhere, that worries me a bit.


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## Amac (26 Jun 2022)

Hey guys, thanks for getting back to me, I will have a slow read through and look at all the links, for some reason I didn’t think of 2nd hand, I will have a look around.


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## ColinJ (26 Jun 2022)

youngoldbloke said:


> Ribble Hybrid ALe Step Through 13.75Kg?
> 
> 
> View attachment 650629
> ...



I like those. A friend of mine would love one but she can't afford it.


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## cougie uk (26 Jun 2022)

Weight really isn't much of an issue unless you're carrying the bike places. Uphill you have the motor to help you and on the flat it's negligible and you have the motor too.


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## ColinJ (27 Jun 2022)

cougie uk said:


> Weight really isn't much of an issue unless you're carrying the bike places. Uphill you have the motor to help you and on the flat it's negligible and you have the motor too.



You need to read _all _of the original post!



Amac said:


> _*Not too heavy, as I have to lift it onto a roof rack*_


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## CXRAndy (27 Jun 2022)

Or make her one of these with a motor kit

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/ebike-conversion.251127/


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## ebikeerwidnes (27 Jun 2022)

I would make sure you look at ones where the battery is easy to remove - it is a lot of the extra weight

Someone mentioned send hand - just be aware that the battery has a limited life and need to be stored and charged properly. Clearly a used ebike has a used battery so you don't know how well it has been looked after.
This may be overcome to some extent with some where a dealer can link the bike to a computer system that will produce a report of the status including, possibly, charge cycles. I know Bosch dealers (includign Raleigh dealers) can do this but I can't remember exactly what is on the report.

Oh - and another vote for the Raleigh Motus - mine has been fine and the battery is easy to detatch


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## wiggydiggy (27 Jun 2022)

ColinJ said:


> You need to read _all _of the original post!



Ah in that case I am correcting myself - the Raleigh Motus range could too be heavy to put on and off a roof all the time. The battery is only a maximum of 5kg so that's still nearly 20kg of bike to be lifting.


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## youngoldbloke (27 Jun 2022)

The latest Motus range appear to have integrated batteries https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/brands/raleigh/raleigh-motus-tour-hub-low-700c


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## Espresso vecchio (27 Jun 2022)

Yes, this year's Motus batteries are integrated, ie situated inside the frame tubing, but easily and quickly removable for charging off the bike or for reducing the weight quickly if you need to lift the bike.


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## youngoldbloke (27 Jun 2022)

Espresso vecchio said:


> Yes, this year's Motus batteries are integrated, ie situated inside the frame tubing, but easily and quickly removable for charging off the bike or for reducing the weight quickly if you need to lift the bike.



How heavy is the battery - 3kg? - so the bike without the battery is still 20 - 25Kg. Too heavy for me.


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## bonzobanana (27 Jun 2022)

If she already has a bike she likes why not fit a ebike kit to that. It can be relatively cheap and many kits use standard non-proprietary components so you can upgrade and customise later as you desire plus of course it makes repair easy. If her existing bike is a perfect fit then you know it will fit her perfectly with an ebike kit. 

Ebike kits can actually be more reliable and save money in use. A hub motor based ebike kit means massively extended drivetrain life because the motor works independently of the drivetrain and hub motors are quite simple engineering compared to mid-drive, a geared hub motor provides decent torque and zero drag when unpowered due to its freewheeling clutch mechanism. 

Yosepower do some good kits with batteries for less than £450 plus if she ever gets bored of her current bike just move the kit to a new bike and sell on the old bike, less waste, less cost. Pretty easy to fit and if you aren't competent yourself maybe the wife can do it or a more technical friend or relative. It's really not hard to fit.

https://yosepower.com/collections/uk-shipping

I'm not a fan of pre-built big brand ebikes myself, they are full of proprietary components that are both unreliable and expensive to replace and the bikes are so proprietary they are often destined for landfill and become uneconomic to repair, its just seems hugely damaging to the environment and consumer's pockets. Some of the Bosch batteries self-brick if left too long without charging because they don't want people re-celling batteries or re-using the BMS so they are designed to self-brick if the charge level gets too low. That is horrible anti-consumer and anti-environment behaviour. Specialized use Brose motors which have been known to self-destruct and can only be replaced not repaired which could be £1000 or more. Specialized had to extend motor warranties I think to 4 years because of the huge failure rate. Bike shops love them because of huge margins and lots of servicing and repairs to make money on, either from the manufacturer during warranty or you after warranty. Yes they are a convenient pre-built solution and while they work can be very nice to ride with a bit of extra torque for hills on some models but its a very expensive high maintenance solution.


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## BoldonLad (27 Jun 2022)

Amac said:


> Hi guys,
> I was looking for a bit of advice and thoughts if possible please.
> I am thinking of starting the "approval" process  with my wife to get her an E Bike.
> 
> ...



I have recently bought a Specialized Turbo Vado 4 SL, Step thru, for my wife.

We did consider the Ribble Hybrid, but, were put off by uncertainty over delivery lead times, and, the distance we would have to travel to actually try one (IMHO, if spending £2,000+, I would want to actually see and try what I was buying).

She wanted the EQ model, which comes complete with mudguards, rack, and kickstand. Unfortunately, I could not find anyone with that model in stock (size S), so, I bought the "base" model, as you showed, and, added the Mudguards, kickstand and rack (yet to come) myself.

In summary, my wife is very, very pleased with her new bike.

Background... we are 75yo, my wife previously rode a Liv Alight City. Typical rides were 15-25 miles.

The Specialized has 3 levels of assist, plus, "no-assist". There is no noticeable “drag” with the assist “off”, indeed, my wife says it is easier riding the Vado with assist off, than riding her Liv.

Thus far, my wife uses the bike on "no-assist" unless:
- there is a significant hill
- there is a significant headwind

The weight even with the mudguards, kickstand, is approx 15kg. My wife can "manhandle" it around obstacles (eg gates etc) no problem. We take the bikes with us in our motorhome, and, I can quite readily life them (did I mention, I bought one too?), into the garage storage area of the motorhome.

Since we are not using the assist all of the time, I cannot definitively comment on the range, except to say I have every reason to think it will more than adequate for our typical rides.

Finally, I would shop around, I obtained £300 discount, per bike, when I bought two of them.


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## mustang1 (27 Jun 2022)

ColinJ said:


> That one weighs 24.5 kg, which would be a real lump to hoist up onto the roof of the car!



Also OP should check weight that the roof rack can hold.


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## mustang1 (27 Jun 2022)

wiggydiggy said:


> I know a couple with the same his/hers. They are heavier sure but the batteries are detacheable to lighten it for lifting, they also use a low loader towbar mounted carrier so no lifting onto roof.



I might be stuck with my kind of roof rack: if I detach the battery (which forms part of the structure of the downtube), then th roof rack which grips onto the downtube may damage it. So just double check your roof rack is compatible.


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## BoldonLad (27 Jun 2022)

mustang1 said:


> Also OP should check weight that the roof rack can hold.



Good point, cycle carriers are limited in the weight they can take. Two 25kg eBikes would come close on many. This is also potentially a challenge for those planning to transport eBike on a Motorhome/campervan/caravan, the all up weight, including battery, needs to be taken into account for payload purposes.


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## wiggydiggy (27 Jun 2022)

BoldonLad said:


> Good point, cycle carriers are limited in the weight they can take. Two 25kg eBikes would come close on many. This is also potentially a challenge for those planning to transport eBike on a Motorhome/campervan/caravan, the all up weight, including battery, needs to be taken into account for payload purposes.



I've just looked up my roof rack (Thule) and it can't take more than 17kg. Their towbar carriers though are rated much higher (60kg, max 30kg per bike).


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## steveindenmark (27 Jun 2022)

I ride about 200km a week on my road bike. A lot of that is commuting. I decided that taking a break occasionally would be good and ordered a Moustache Friday 28.7 electric bike. I have ridden about 300km on it inthe past 2 weeks and it is excellent. It has a range of over 100km. What is impressive is that it rides really well when the power is off. That really extends the distance. We have now ordered one for Jannie and we will be touring on them in the summer. We have ordered the drop bar version but they also do a straight bar. They are great bikes and well below your budget and are worth a look.


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## Gubbins (28 Jun 2022)

One thing to consider with e-bikes is charging. Massively simplified if you can remove the battery and take that indoors, otherwise you need to have the bike near a power source for 2-4 hours it needs to recharge.
Mid-drives tend to be more powerful and heavier while (rear) hub motors like the Mahle ebikemotion make for a lighter bike but can struggle up really steep hills.
As you probably know e-bikes are limited to 25kmh (15.5 mph) which isn't normally a problem for your use case, but can be if and when you want to get a wriggle on, because above that speed it's just your legs vs the extra 3-5kg of battery and motor weight that is no longer providing any assistance


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## gbb (28 Jun 2022)

glasgowcyclist said:


> A colleague at work had his & hers Raleigh Motuses and wouldn’t shut up about how good they were.
> Might be worth a look.
> 
> https://www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/motus/low-step/



My wife loves hers....but they are heavy unfortunately.


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## Amac (30 Jun 2022)

Hi guys,
Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply, I have been busy working, all the comments and advice have been very helpful, there were a lot of brands I had not thought of.


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