81 years old and the time has come.

[steveindenmark]

I do not know if it is because I am in Denmark, or what the reason is. But I appear to be far more accepting of e bikes than the UK guys. They are very common on mainland europe. If we did not have e bikes, I doubt if there would be a bike trade left over here.

I am still riding 250km a week on non powered bikes. But its good fun to go out for an effort free ride every now and again. It makes a nice change. Its a different experience.

I have a Moustache Dimanche 28.7 and it has proved to be an excellent choice. Moustache dealers are a bit thin on the ground. But it is a Bosch motor and so my local bike shop can maintain it.

It has a working distance of about 100km and charges up in a couple of hours. Its ideal.

 

[Drago]

Worth an honourable mention.

My Carrera Subway E is 5 years old next month and in over 90000 miles hasn't missed a beat. It's needed a chain and a new rear tyre in that time.

It's quite a grunty level of assist - I'm best part of 20 stones and it handles my Adonnis like form aplomb. The spec is eminently sensible, and the price is frankly unbeatable, probably the least expensive proper ebike out there.

It's not Bosch, but at then price that's to be expected. Nevertheless, it doesn't suffer for it, and by ebike standards it is fairly svelte on the scales. Currently over £200 off in the Easter sale, pushing it back down under a grand again.

 

[wiggydiggy]

I do not know if it is because I am in Denmark, or what the reason is. But I appear to be far more accepting of e bikes than the UK guys. They are very common on mainland europe. If we did not have e bikes, I doubt if there would be a bike trade left over here.

......

I have a Moustache Dimanche 28.7 and it has proved to be an excellent choice. Moustache dealers are a bit thin on the ground. But it is a Bosch motor and so my local bike shop can maintain it.

I think its a combination of 'your not riding a proper bike' if you go electric and the use of illegal use of electric vehicles* that has given people a negative view of EAPCs. I do see plenty of EAPCs though on my commute so thats a good thing. Also always liked that Moustache bike, keep forgetting about the brand so saved it now.

My own ride is a chonky Raleigh Motus Tour, with accessories added I reckon it gets up to about 27.5kg but its still good for 50 mile rides on a 400Wh battery. I like that it came with built in rack, mudguards and lights, and the Bosch system is upgradeable if I wanted to go down that route. The more modern Bosch systems have some good features on their mobile app, but retain the on bike controls. I think its important as if you have an EAPC, it has full controls and displays on the bike, an app can stop working or be withdrawn.

@Saracenlad Do check your local bike shops for service needs and maybe buy there too, I fortunately have Bosch dealers near me who are happy to service bikes they didn't sell and I'll be going to one of them for the new bike next time.

Heres the beast:


* Using the term electric vehicle to catch anything being used in the UK that is not a legal EAPC

 

[Mike_P]

The proper term for a legal motor assisted bicycle is a pedelec. Maybe if that was widely used the difference with illegal ebikes might be more readily noticed.

 

[Espresso vecchio]

The main principles are that price generally equals quality, and that there are plenty of (more than adequate for most purposes) bikes including conversions of an existing bike for under £1k, though not Bosch. Weight is a factor if you need you get it up stairs but not a factor on the move. I would definitely add that buying from a shop specialising only in ebikes would mean that you should get a much wider range of bikes to choose from, ie price,weight and intended use, and try properly first. Electricbikeshop in Nottingham for example; you may not get that experience and knowledge at Halfords or Evans. Prices rocketed in Covid but manufacturers realised they were overpriced, so prices have dropped nicely and there are real bargains around.

I am a road biker in early mid 70s, and in Covid bought my wife a new Raleigh Motus because of her leg weakness on one side. It was so great that I bought myself one from Gumtree, hardly used and a steal on price. They are definitely heavy but that heaviness helps give a reassuringly stable and smooth ride. Three years on we still smile at how good they are.

We bought from a local independent ebike shop and got really excellent service. My neighbours went there last week and bought a pair of Tenways bikes for £1800 each. Tenways are a Dutch firm, have a belt rather than a chain and are quite a lot lighter than Raleighs but aren't Bosch; very well-liked in reviews for quality and value.

Finally, just about everyone here loves their bike whatever the brand...just as it should be.

Let us know what you decide.

 

[FrankCrank]

A question for leccy fans if I may.
If I were to dabble, it would be for approx 3 months of my UK vacation each year.
Was wondering what effect there would be on the battery for an extended period (9 months) of not being used.
Also, the battery would be stored in a shed during this period, for safety reasons.
I also wouldn't want to burden a family member with incremental charging during my absence.
Am I barking up the wrong tree here? - is this too far outside of their intended usage parameters?
As I mentioned upstream, sounds like solid state batteries will soon be the new kid on the block, so maybe I ought to wait till then.
Just thinking aloud really - any comments most welcome as usual

 

[wiggydiggy]

A question for leccy fans if I may.
If I were to dabble, it would be for approx 3 months of my UK vacation each year.
Was wondering what effect there would be on the battery for an extended period (9 months) of not being used.
Also, the battery would be stored in a shed during this period, for safety reasons.
I also wouldn't want to burden a family member with incremental charging during my absence.
Am I barking up the wrong tree here? - is this too far outside of their intended usage parameters?
As I mentioned upstream, sounds like solid state batteries will soon be the new kid on the block, so maybe I ought to wait till then.
Just thinking aloud really - any comments most welcome as usual

I'll just link the Bosch advice to start: https://www.bosch-ebike.com/en/service/battery-safety#c434283 which is what I follow.

My battery was stored for over 12 months without use once, I charged it and it has been fine since. Performing as expected. I think with regular 9 month breaks I'd be tempted to have a ride on it every 3 months or so charging it after to keep it line with the recomended storage level, and keep it stored in line with the advice e.g. not fully charged/discharged and at an ambient temperature.

 

[Saracenlad]

The thread title had me worried. Sounded like the Grim Reaper was stood over you!

Not yet I hope. Given it 2 years thought. 25 years down a coal mine did not help my breathing.

 

[Saracenlad]

Bought the Specialised Vado this morning from my Local Dealer in Retford. Get it early next week. Thank you for all the help.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Bought the Specialised Vado this morning from my Local Dealer in Retford. Get it early next week. Thank you for all the help.

I think that's one of the quickest results for 'what bike should I buy' I've seen on CC lol.

 

[Espresso vecchio]

Well done. Very pleased for you. Not only will you not regret it but you'll love it. Local dealer is good too

 

[CXRAndy]

We enjoyed a recent trip in the Peak District. Plenty of hills to negotiate, which is vastly made easier with Ebikes. We decided to venture off road using several bridleways. Came across a lovely old house, whilst others caught up.

For family use, they are excellent transport, most don't regularly ride, so steep hills would destroy their enthusiasm. We are here to see the sights between café stops