# halfords e bikes



## gazza19 (8 Jul 2020)

hi has anyone had any experience of the assists bikes from halfords looking for advise on them


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## ebikeerwidnes (8 Jul 2020)

Just had a look at the web site
They look, at first glance, to be old technology - front hub drive and battery on a rear rack
But the main worry is the battery size - and range
My wife's folder has the same size battery (8.7Ah ish) but the Assist has a declared range of 20 miles - while my wife's bike would do double that
and they never reach the declared range anyway - and then it reduces over time

overall - I suspect it may be low quality - hence the price

having said which it is damn cheap


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## gazza19 (8 Jul 2020)

ebikeerwidnes said:


> Just had a look at the web site
> They look, at first glance, to be old technology - front hub drive and battery on a rear rack
> But the main worry is the battery size - and range
> My wife's folder has the same size battery (8.7Ah ish) but the Assist has a declared range of 20 miles - while my wife's bike would do double that
> ...


what sort of bike has your wife got and do you have any pics please


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## Mike_P (8 Jul 2020)

Front wheel drive ones have unusual handling qualities. If your in a location where it's going to encounter some hills a mid drive is best, less hilly a rear wheel drive. Bosch motors are regarded as being better than most. Halfords seem to have all varieties not just front wheel drive.


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## Notafettler (8 Jul 2020)

Avoid front wheel drive. Think of it this way nobody pulls a heavy object if they can push it. It's a hell of lot easier for the motor to push the bike than pull it which is what front wheel drive is.


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## ebikeerwidnes (9 Jul 2020)

gazza19 said:


> what sort of bike has your wife got and do you have any pics please


Carrera Cross city-e - just look on the Halfords web site
It claims to be able to do 30 miles - but when I take it out I normally do it out of pity as she doesn;t cycle much - therefore I am aiming to just exercise the battery in high assist - but I can generally do 20 miles on that - so in low assist I could go way further

generally a nice bike for a folder - but as it is the only folding ebike I have tried I have no idea about others
but generally I would avoid Halfords myself

also - we got it on a special off at £650 a few years ago - same bike (I think) is now £999 - I think there are probably better similar bikes out there now at that sort of price


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## Mike_P (9 Jul 2020)

Pretty certain quoted ebike range is a bit like a cars mpg, only in perfect conditions that never exist in reality. A few hills and the range of my ebike plummets.


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## ebikeerwidnes (9 Jul 2020)

A car mpg is (I think) decided in ideal conditions - but the tests are conducted in a specified manner - so they all have the same basis

I have never, however, seen anything showing a standardised testing method for determining the range of an ebike - so I don;t even know if they all do the same thing - or maybe the big ones use something standard but others are free to do something else

It could all make a huge difference - e.g. if the rider is a small pro cyclist they could easily keep the speed over the cutoff speed (15.5 mph in the UK) so the motor uses no battery - hence a huge range

Anyone ever seen a testing standard??


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## dodgy (9 Jul 2020)

Notafettler said:


> Avoid front wheel drive. Think of it this way nobody pulls a heavy object if they can push it. It's a hell of lot easier for the motor to push the bike than pull it which is what front wheel drive is.



This is a mind bender, a bit like the aircraft trying to take off from a conveyor belt.

I think the only real difference between front or rear wheel drive is traction.


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## TheDoctor (10 Jul 2020)

Notafettler said:


> Avoid front wheel drive. Think of it this way nobody pulls a heavy object if they can push it. It's a hell of lot easier for the motor to push the bike than pull it which is what front wheel drive is.


Yes, that'll be why you don't get front wheel drive cars.
Hang on...


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## Pale Rider (10 Jul 2020)

Front wheel drive is fine.

Only snag might be on a really steep climb when you tend to yank back on the bars which might cause the front wheel to skip.

The cheapest Halfords ebikes are excellent for the money.

The technology may be old, but it's proven and reliable.

After all, all you really want is the bike to yank itself forwards when you tell it to.


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## Mike_P (10 Jul 2020)

TheDoctor said:


> Yes, that'll be why you don't get front wheel drive cars.


And not much use when there's snow on a hill


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## dodgy (10 Jul 2020)

But we're talking e-bicycles here  An e-bike with an electrically powered front wheel drive will always have 2 wheel drive into the bargain, in snow that would be an advantage. Not that I go out in snow or ice 🤷‍♂️


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## Notafettler (10 Jul 2020)

dodgy said:


> I think the only real difference between front or rear wheel drive is traction.


Exactly you have your weight on the rear wheel. You are just leaning on the front no where near the same weight. I could just imagine going up a muddy hill with the motor on the front wheel. Pity not everyone understands that. 


TheDoctor said:


> Yes, that'll be why you don't get front wheel drive cars.
> Hang on...


Surprisingly there's a fair amount of weight on the front wheels of a car. 
There is difference between a car and a bicycle.....honest


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## Notafettler (10 Jul 2020)

dodgy said:


> But we're talking e-bicycles here  An e-bike with an electrically powered front wheel drive will always have 2 wheel drive into the bargain, in snow that would be an advantage. Not that I go out in snow or ice 🤷‍♂️


I do go out in ice and snow on a kalkhoff mostly pulling a trailer. Obviously with ice tyres on. I see no benefit at all in having a front wheel motor. I would not want to even think about doing it with a front wheel motor. On the hills (or even on the flat) front wheel would be junk, unless I liked go sideways!


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## Notafettler (10 Jul 2020)

gazza19 said:


> hi has anyone had any experience of the assists bikes from halfords looking for advise on them


A view on electric bikes

https://electrek.co/2018/06/07/electric-bicycle-hub-motors-vs-mid-drive/


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## dodgy (10 Jul 2020)

Notafettler said:


> Exactly you have your weight on the rear wheel. You are just leaning on the front no where near the same weight. I could just imagine going up a muddy hill with the motor on the front wheel. *Pity not everyone understands tha*t.
> 
> Surprisingly there's a fair amount of weight on the front wheels of a car.
> There is difference between a car and a bicycle.....honest



Not sure why the combative tone. Chill out, you might actually be wrong. Because this that you posted is absolute weapons grade bolleaux 



> Think of it this way nobody pulls a heavy object if they can push it. It's a hell of lot easier for the motor to push the bike than pull it which is what front wheel drive is.


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## CXRAndy (10 Jul 2020)

Mike_P said:


> And not much use when there's snow on a hill


Eh? FWD is far superior than RWD in snow. AWD being the bees knees


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## Mike_P (10 Jul 2020)

CXRAndy said:


> Eh? FWD is far superior than RWD in snow. AWD being the bees knees


Early hours and not fully awake when I posted that rubbish, yes front wheel drive fine in snow, RWD hopeless


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## 179club (15 Jul 2020)

Hi.
I have e-bike crossfire. 10000 miles plus. Yes, the cutouts a fecking continuous pain. Make sure to use WD 40 or similar on the motor connector. Cable tie tight when connectors are in place. The display unit connection needs to be kept dirt/dust free. Press reset button on battery after charging. I found battery ok but when gets to 20% it likes to go dead. Great brakes. Spokes do come lose way and snap easy. Stay on smooth roads. Hope this helps.


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## gbb (17 Jul 2020)

179club said:


> Hi.
> I have e-bike crossfire. 10000 miles plus. Yes, the cutouts a fecking continuous pain. Make sure to use WD 40 or similar on the motor connector. Cable tie tight when connectors are in place. The display unit connection needs to be kept dirt/dust free. Press reset button on battery after charging. I found battery ok but when gets to 20% it likes to go dead. Great brakes. Spokes do come lose way and snap easy. Stay on smooth roads. Hope this helps.


10,000 miles is nice to hear.
Mines at 3000 and works fine, i sense the battery capacity may drop a bit quicker nowadays but generally a good solid buy (despite the occasional, almost inevitable cutouts the motor suffers with)
At 3000 miles i sense the motor is a tiny bit noisier than when it was new....to hear its capable of 10K is reassuring.


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## 179club (17 Jul 2020)

Yes 10376 miles and 27 mile cycle on eco mode battery still 51% showing. It is still holding good charge.


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## Drago (8 Aug 2020)

Mike_P said:


> Early hours and not fully awake when I posted that rubbish, yes front wheel drive fine in snow, RWD hopeless


That's a function of the location of the engine, not the driven wheels. The original Beetle - RWD and rear engined - is to this day regarded as one of the best performing 2wd cars in proper snow conditions.


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