Research Project: Where is the British e-Bike boom?

[t_savez]

It's quite simple with the bits I used (TSDZ2 motor), and should take the average home bike mechanic just a couple of hours using basic bike tools.

• The battery fixes to the down tube using the bottle cage bosses - 2 bolts.
• The motor assembly replaces the bottom bracket (standard 68/73 British thread)
• Then put the display on the handlebars and put the speed sensor on the chain stay and magnet on the spokes
• Finally connect the three cables to the battery unit - 1 to the motor, one to the display and one to the speed sensor

And apart from normal bike fettling, that is all there is to it

The motor I used has a torque sensor so doesn't need to have the motor cutoff switches wired into the brake levers, so that's 2 less cables to play with, so it's a simpler/tidier job.

Cost was £295 delivered for the motor kit from China (via Germany) to my door. The battery (36v 14Ah with Panasonic cells) was sourced in the UK for £275.

Thanks for this!

 

[t_savez]

Seems very odd way of doing it (although I suppose if you put a new option in it spoils your existing results). It kind of implies that self-employed people are not actually working. As I said, I work at home (bashing a keyboard), but I could equally well be a self-employed plumber with a van, travelling to various places to work each day.

Done

My apologies, yes it would have muddled my exisiting results ;(

 

[t_savez]

There will be no e-bike boom so long as government suppresses it by imposing new restrictions on them, and giving huge grants to electric car buyers while giving only limited interest-free loans for e-bike buyers. Not to mention the free fuel given away to electric car owners.

Ah how did I miss this, THANK YOU for this, I was waiting for such a comment!

 

[steveindenmark]

You appear to have fallen into the trap that is preventing e bikes becoming as popular as they are where I live. Denmark. You associate e bikes with the elderly and the infirm. In Denmark they dont. They associate e bikes with everyone. As long as people in the UK, especially those companies that sell ebikes, associte e bikes with the aged and the infirm. They will not become as popular as on mainland europe.

 

[Drago]

Here a thought. Cycling isn't as popular or as integrated into the daily lifestyle here in Blighty as it is in other countries - maybe ebikes aren't so popular simply because cycling isn't?

I too hold some bias towards ebikes being for the Elderly. They're a good for the young too, but a regular bike is better for you. There has to be some stop line to mechanical assistance with everything if we're not to pork out and implode by age 12. For the long term fitness of the individual and the good of the species long term those young, fit and able enough to do so should eschew mechanical assistance with everything. After all, I don't see no weights with mechanical assistande helping me with the lifting at the gym. The excellent animated film Wall-E shows how we will end up if we carry on down that road.

I'm not against ebikes at all, but I am against the increasingly obese population and the strain on the economy, society, and the health service.

 

[keithmac]

I have a TSDZ2 bike as well with Nuvinci rear hub, not done many miles on it yet though. Have you still got the original internal plastic drive gear?.

I also habe my Gtech ebike work hack that's done 2 years and 3000 faultless mile with only brake pad replacement. I bought it due to simplicity and it's nearly service free carbon drivebelt (a godsend!).

Will have a look at the questionnaire tomorrow and fill it in.

It's quite simple with the bits I used (TSDZ2 motor), and should take the average home bike mechanic just a couple of hours using basic bike tools.

• The battery fixes to the down tube using the bottle cage bosses - 2 bolts.
• The motor assembly replaces the bottom bracket (standard 68/73 British thread)
• Then put the display on the handlebars and put the speed sensor on the chain stay and magnet on the spokes
• Finally connect the three cables to the battery unit - 1 to the motor, one to the display and one to the speed sensor

And apart from normal bike fettling, that is all there is to it

The motor I used has a torque sensor so doesn't need to have the motor cutoff switches wired into the brake levers, so that's 2 less cables to play with, so it's a simpler/tidier job.

Cost was £295 delivered for the motor kit from China (via Germany) to my door. The battery (36v 14Ah with Panasonic cells) was sourced in the UK for £275.

 

[Milkfloat]

In addition to some of the excellent comments, I think that one of the problems is the perception of cycling in the UK in general. Outside of London, commuting and local journeys are really not that popular, if you add on the fact that the average Brit rides a £150 supermarket/Sports Direct pile of crap, there is no way someone is going to spend £1500 or more on an ebike. Countries like Netherlands and Germany see cycling in general as normalised, plus spend significantly more in general on their utility bikes, the jump to an ebike is not so huge.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

I have a TSDZ2 bike as well with Nuvinci rear hub, not done many miles on it yet though. Have you still got the original internal plastic drive gear?..

Yup still got the blue gear and it's doing fine.

There's some good info on French and German ebikes forums regarding the blue gear - one chap identified that burrs on the steel motor pinion slowly mash up the plastic through normal usage.

He suggests that deburring the pinion solves the problem. I've done this along with packing some more grease around the internal gears, and after 1200 miles all is well.

TS now produce a metal gear which should make the motor even more resilient, if a little noisier ... should you feel the need.

 

[keithmac]

Yep I have seen they do the metal gear, might open mine up and repack it with decent grease as well.

 

[steveindenmark]

Drago. I see your point of getting young people on bikes. But you cannot force them if they dont want to. An e bike may be more acceptable to them. Something is better than nothing.

 

[t_savez]

You appear to have fallen into the trap that is preventing e bikes becoming as popular as they are where I live. Denmark. You associate e bikes with the elderly and the infirm. In Denmark they dont. They associate e bikes with everyone. As long as people in the UK, especially those companies that sell ebikes, associte e bikes with the aged and the infirm. They will not become as popular as on mainland europe.

It is not only intention to associates e-Bikes with the elderly, but the UK itself appears to go that way. Most e-Bike sales, at least over 50%, are for people of a older age.

I do agree that e-Bikes have the potential for younger people, with the fun and enjoyment of greater speeds at less effort (based on research carried out on Dutch students).

Thanks for your analysis

 

[t_savez]

Here a thought. Cycling isn't as popular or as integrated into the daily lifestyle here in Blighty as it is in other countries - maybe ebikes aren't so popular simply because cycling isn't?

I too hold some bias towards ebikes being for the Elderly. They're a good for the young too, but a regular bike is better for you. There has to be some stop line to mechanical assistance with everything if we're not to pork out and implode by age 12. For the long term fitness of the individual and the good of the species long term those young, fit and able enough to do so should eschew mechanical assistance with everything. After all, I don't see no weights with mechanical assistande helping me with the lifting at the gym. The excellent animated film Wall-E shows how we will end up if we carry on down that road.

I'm not against ebikes at all, but I am against the increasingly obese population and the strain on the economy, society, and the health service.

Hello, I agree to some extent with the first passage. e-Bikes are popular in the NL, Denmark, and Germany but these are also very popular places for cycling in general. Therefore, when they do need assistance, the transition to e-Bikes is much easier than, for example an older car commuter in UK transitioning to an e-Bike.

However, would you not agree e-Bikes are better than the medium of an automobile where you just sit?

 

[t_savez]

[QUOTE 5361829, member: 43827"]I wonder how many people are aware they can get e-bikes on the cycle-to-work scheme. I would have loved to have had one for commuting when I was working. I never did commute by bike because changing facilities were non-existent and I had to wear tidy clothes so arriving sweaty was not an option.

I would have thought there is a lot of potential for increasing use of e-bikes with greater publicity of this scheme.[/QUOTE]

I was not aware of this applying to e-Bikes. I guess I am an example of this

Unfortunately the government is pushing the electric vehicle far more than cycling methods in this car dependent nation to know about such things. Will include this in my research, many thanks.

 

[t_savez]

In addition to some of the excellent comments, I think that one of the problems is the perception of cycling in the UK in general. Outside of London, commuting and local journeys are really not that popular, if you add on the fact that the average Brit rides a £150 supermarket/Sports Direct pile of crap, there is no way someone is going to spend £1500 or more on an ebike. Countries like Netherlands and Germany see cycling in general as normalised, plus spend significantly more in general on their utility bikes, the jump to an ebike is not so huge.

As one Dutch person put it, saying you are cyclist is like saying you are a shoe wearer, it doesn't make sense for them. Cycling is not seen as a leisurely mode of transport like in the NL, it is much more competitive hence the sporty gears and lycra.

Good comment!

 

[steveindenmark]

It is not only intention to associates e-Bikes with the elderly, but the UK itself appears to go that way. Most e-Bike sales, at least over 50%, are for people of a older age.

I do agree that e-Bikes have the potential for younger people, with the fun and enjoyment of greater speeds at less effort (based on research carried out on Dutch students).

Thanks for your analysis

It would appear the idea that electric bikes are for everyonehas not really sunk in with you yet. You say "there is a potential" In Denmark its not a potential It a fact. We have moved on from just e bikes being popular to e cargo bikes being popular. They are used for all sorts of deliveries. They are vey popular with child minders who ride round with thd children in them.
Maybe you should visit Denmark and see it for yourself.