Electric Bikes - Considering an e-bike

Hi,

I'm about to start a new job that will involve a 13 mile each way (at least) commute and currently plan to get the train.

However, there is a good cycle path that goes the whole way between my house and the new job. I therefore considered cycling, but think that 13 miles each way might be a bit too far for me.

I also don't want the hassle of showering when I get into work.

So I have a few questions:

1. Do you think such a journey would be do-able with an electric bike? (If I charged it overnight and at work ready for the journey home)

2. How easy would the electric bike make it? I would want to travel as quickly as possible and have heard that e-bikes can reach about 15mph, but would this be a lot of work? (ie. would I still likely be sweaty and in need of a shower when I get to work).

3. If the answer to question 1 is that it is possible, and the answer to question 2 is that it wouldn't be TOO much effort - what would you do? Pay £1200 per year on train fares and take about 30 minutes to commute each way? Or pay the one-off fee (plus new batteries) for an e-bike but take longer to commute?

Thanks for any responses. :)

1. I don't see why not. I currently ride 12 miles to work most days without electric assistance and take the bus home.

2. Can't answer this directly, but I average around 16 mph under my own power and make the ride in about 50 min. I'd think that if the electric motor would allow me to climb the hills at more than 8-10mph it'd raise my average mph.

3. I worked out that where I live (Denver) that if I rode 50%-75% of the time to and from work, an electric bike would pay for itself in a year just in bus fare.

Since you reference prices in pounds, are you living in England? If so, I'm not sure what speeds you'll get since no motor over 200w can be legally sold there. You shouldn't have problems doing 13 miles, depending on battery technology that comes with your bike. If you really don't want to pedal, you'll probably deplete enough energy in your battery on the ride in that you will need to recharge your battery at work. Stormsteed provided an excellent link to a European buyers guide in anther post, you may want to check it out since it has reviews and prices. Here it is and you should thank Stormsteed if you find it helpful.
http://www.atob.org.uk/Electric_Buyers'_Guide.html
Good luck.

You can also carry a 2nd battery to extend your distance.

1) Definitely yes, with a little pedalling.
2) Sweaty? Depends on how hot it is. If it's 80, you'll still be a little sweaty, but you shouldn't need a shower if you just pedalled leisurely.
3) I would mix it up between train and ebike. The train will definitely save you a lot of time while still being environmentally friendly. You get there faster and you can do something else during the commute. However, you should get an ebike just to bike back and forth on days you want a little exercise.

In the U.S., there are some MU paths that you can't use electric bikes on, might want to check that in your location.

Having an ebike is the best.. the best I tells ya! :D

I was just gonna make that one comment, then kept writing and writing... therefore, sorry in advance for the blablabla... if you're a novice, you'll appreciate the info, otherwise, just skip.



As for helpful comments, here's what I can contribute from my own experience:


decide what type of motor you'll get
from there, find out what voltage and amps it can handle
from there choose your battery pack



use a kit, don't buy premade. Making your own gives you flexibility (a big one is you get to choose your own ride, and if you're gonna ride 26 miles round tip, you need to be happy with that ride.)

Making your own also means you'll need to get dirty. If you're ok with doing things yourself, then this is for you.


invest in a good LifePo4 battery. Based on your distance I would go for a 15ah 48 volt.

This is because the more ah and voltage you have the less deep of a discharge you're likely to make and the longer your battery pack will last. I have a 72 volt 15ah setup and I barely use 3.5/4ah to get to work (13.5 km). If i'm going up a hill or against strong head wind, no problem. Now, I am not advocating that you go for a 72 volt system, but the concept that I've learnt by experimenting is that the more ah and voltage you have.. well, i said it :p

The motor will dictate what type of controller and battery you can get, so do your homework first.

Looking for good supplier? There are lots of threads in this forum that can help point you in the right direction. In fact, there is one right now that's in discussion: --> Help getting a LiFePO4 battery
(http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?threadid=573126)


get two sets of chargers. One for home and one for work. This way you won't have to carry them back and forth. The less you need to carry the charger, the longer that charger will last and less hassle you'll have in making space for it in your backpack. Keep your battery topped off always, this extends the life of your battery pack.


if you're going with a hub motor, like I have, order a full set of spokes for that wheel, and get a spoke wrench and a tensiometer. You're bound to break spokes and you don't want to be riding too long in that condition for more than one trip, as this will affect the rim. A set of spokes will cost ya about 40 bucks. I got mine custom made from peter white, you can get yours from a local bike shop or order them online. You'll need to measure your existing spokes and give exact specs if you're going to go with peter white.

Spokes and tension is a tricky business. I don't want to open that can of worm here, there are threads that discuss it. In brief, the better balanced your spokes are, and the more the wheel is true and round, the less frequently you'll experience spoke breakage. If you're doing things yourself, trust me, get a set of spokes etc...

overtighten your spokes, crack your rim
undertighten your spokes, end up having flat by spoke puncturing the tube from inside.

hence.. get a tensiometer


13 miles you say? you don't want flats. invest in good flatless tires and flat resistance tubes. carry one spare tube and flat kit and tools with ya. i use marthon plus tires, and nice thick flat resistance tubes. works for me. The only time I've had a flat was 1) my spokes were too loose and ended up puncturing the tire from inside. b) i had stupid pin sticking out of my break pad, punctured my tire from the side, i changed the types of pads after, not going there anymore (stupid break pads, that got me so angry :mad:)

carry a spare flashlight or a removable headlights on your bike that you can use as flashlight in case you need to make repaires in the dark.



two sets of clothes. I wear travelling clothes when I ride and change into my work clothes when I get to the office. Works for me.



If you break of fry a component, don't worry too much. the experience is well worth it at the end.

sorry if i've overshot some of your questions. your title says "Considering an e-bike", that brought back lots of fond memories and I just had to share. peace. :)

oh one more thing, why did MJ have to go. I was looking forward to his comeback tour, it's just too sad :(

Thank you very much for all of your replies. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all of this to me and I'm sure this information will be very useful when making my decision.

I think I will still have to consider it a bit more and do some more research. As someone who doesn't even cycle a 'normal' bike at the moment even things like punctures and having to carry repair kits worry me a bit! :) However, e-bikes do sound like a lot of fun!

I would have to save up for one anyway, so maybe I will keep researching, try the train for a while and then get an e-bike after I've saved up (plus it might be getting towards spring/summer again by then, and I think I'm more likely to stick with it when it's still light after work rather than buying one as we head towards Autumn and Winter!)

Thanks again for all of your advice.

For a 13 mile commute round trip you are going to realisticly need a 48v/1000w kit. You can do it with a 450w kit and a 20ah battery but you will be running at near the limits of the hub.

The reason I suggest the 48v/1000w kit(doji888 on ebay) is several reasons. You can cruise at 20mph for near 30 miles on decent ground without pedeling at all. With a 1000w kit the motor is much larger. Its made to take a continued 1000w not peak. At your cruising speed under 25mph you are going to get much better range and a ton of hill climbing power and acceleration more then you can hope for. Paired with a 20ah battery is a must. Your battery will run you about 600$ with airmail. The hub kit around 300$.

Not everyone can recharge at work. The above should be more then you need. 13 miles each way is a bit much for most. The way I look at it is I can pedal and do 25-30mph or bust my rump and only do 15mph realisticly and show up to work like I just left the gym.

I recomend a bike with a 700c wheel for your ride. Its the best for resistance and distance.

I have a Giant Freedom DX with 2 batteries. Each battery gives me anywhere from 18-22 miles in range, depending on effort. I currently have a 9 mile round trip commute with fairly substantial hills. I wear cycling clothing but do not get particularly sweaty unless I *really* pedal hard - still I do get warm and get some exercise on my commute - especially when it's warm out.

The tires are self-sealing (Slime) with puncture resistant tires - so far (900 miles), no flats. I'm not looking forward to my first flat, but I do carry a patch kit. No tools to remove the wheel though - I'll leave that to the bike shop unless it starts occuring regularly.