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Electric bike recomendations


Maryonboard

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Hello again!

 

I'm looking for an electric bike to use when cruising to pop to the shops. I've been having a look around and it's so confusing, I have no idea what is a good deal and what isn't. I like the look of the ones with fat tyres for the muddy bits and it needs to fold up.

 

Does anyone have any recomendations? Thanks.

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14 minutes ago, Maryonboard said:

Hello again!

 

I'm looking for an electric bike to use when cruising to pop to the shops. I've been having a look around and it's so confusing, I have no idea what is a good deal and what isn't. I like the look of the ones with fat tyres for the muddy bits and it needs to fold up.

 

Does anyone have any recomendations? Thanks.

Large wheels with fat tyres and folding frames do not always go together unfortunately.

 

Folding bikes of any type tend to be small wheeled which as you have realised are not good for towpath riding.

 

However I do know someone who has one of these and she loves it.

 

https://images.app.goo.gl/basW9ub2Qxpuewm86

 

She is not a boater though but I think it would suit.

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Mrs waterdog has one of these and mine is the same bike but not electric.

 

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/electric-bikes/carrera-crosscity-folding-electric-bike-750632.html?cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Cycling>Bikes>Electric+Bikes-_-Cycling>Bikes>Electric+Bikes-_-750632&istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istFeedId=62b447cf-331e-4fec-a47a-9985ff72d404&istItemId=wqapawpmq&istBid=tzpr&_$ja=tsid:94971|cid:367490825|agid:1291926483181981|tid:pla-4584345023483356|crid:|nw:o|rnd:|dvc:c|adp:|mt:e|loc:&msclkid=2bd597b4d60a182281d9c8eeb3bdc2e8&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA - AB - Electric Bikes - CSS&utm_term=4584345023483356&utm_content=AB - Bikes - Electric Bikes

 

Sorry for the size of the link.

 

As Happy Nomad says the small wheels are not ideal on rough towpaths but we generally manage ok, the bonus is we can fit both into a roofbox on top of the boat. I'm a bit shocked at the price now though it was just over £500 three years ago.

 

A word of warning, do not leave the battery in the bike for extended periods without use, it will self destruct. Make sure it is fully charged and stored indoors if it's not going to be used for a while, It cost us £250 for a replacement after leaving it over winter.

 

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I doubt that the small wheels of the scooters I have seen would be suitable for rough and/or muddy towpaths, and you would need a rucsac for your shopping. 

 

I guess the comment on self destruction applies to the Lithium batteries that most, if not all, new models seem to be fitted with. We have had electric bikes for almost 15 years. They use sealed lead-acid batteries and can be kept for long periods without suffering damage. I don't know if any models are still available new that use lead-acid batteries.  A replacement set of three 12V 12Ah traction-quality batteries with a specified 5 year life cost about £130 from electrical distributors such as Farnell, CPC and RS. I recently paid nearly £200 for a higher quality set with a 10 year specified life. Buying the same sort of thing from bike shops will probably cost you more. The estimated life times have proved to be realistic: the "5 year" set I have just replaced had lasted 7 years. If you can find a second hand model with worn out lead acid batteries, getting replacements shouldn't be a problem, but you do need to specify traction quality (suitable for golf buggys, electric wheelchairs, disability scooters etc.). Batteries designed for static uses such as emergency lighting, while much cheaper, are less robust and likely to have a short life in a bike. 

 

 I take my more than 30-year-old Bickerton folding bike (aluminium frame, designed for taking on public transport in its carrying bag, not electric) with us when we go on the canals. It only has a 12" front wheel, but that hasn't been a problem on unmetalled towpaths. 

Edited by Ronaldo47
Typos, clarification
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53 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

While we're on the subject can anyone suggest a large wheeled folding bike.  I realise it won't fold nearly as small as a brompton / dahon or similar.

You can actually get a large wheeled folding Dahon, not electric though.

 

https://tinyurl.com/y6qh6fs6

 

I had one for a few years. I did find the frame wasn't as rigid as a non folder and the joint used to creak and knock slightly on very rough terrain. Ok on your average tow path though.

 

Uk supplier

 

https://www.fawkes-cycles.co.uk/2477075/products/dahon-espresso-d24-folding-bike.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by The Happy Nomad
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3 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

While we're on the subject can anyone suggest a large wheeled folding bike.  I realise it won't fold nearly as small as a brompton / dahon or similar.

This 26” one gets good reviews...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08GKKB2TJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Iz7wFbKCJ1J66

 

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On 10/09/2020 at 18:13, The Happy Nomad said:

Large wheels with fat tyres and folding frames do not always go together unfortunately.

 

Folding bikes of any type tend to be small wheeled which as you have realised are not good for towpath riding.

 

However I do know someone who has one of these and she loves it.

 

https://images.app.goo.gl/basW9ub2Qxpuewm86

 

She is not a boater though but I think it would suit.

Thanks, that is exactly the sort of thing I'm after.

On 10/09/2020 at 19:11, Sea Dog said:

Wait for the law to change and get an electric scooter? Cheaper and easier to stow.

I've seen some nice looking scooters that can handle a bit of off road riding, but I think I might be waiting a long time to be able to ride it on the road.

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13 minutes ago, Maryonboard said:

 

I've seen some nice looking scooters that can handle a bit of off road riding, but I think I might be waiting a long time to be able to ride it on the road.

You may not know that there is a pilot scheme in a number of places, Birmingham is one, where they can legally be hired for use. Personally owned electric scooters remain legal only on private land, and you can get points on your driving licence if you transgress, but if the pilot scheme is successful they look likely to be "fast tracked" into law for public use.

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19 hours ago, WotEver said:

This one does at least have mudguards, but those gears look awfully vulnerable. I'm not a fan of multi geared bikes with a combination of multi chain wheels and sprockets. You need a very good understanding of gear ratios to avoid changing up when you want to change down.

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17 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

You may not know that there is a pilot scheme in a number of places, Birmingham is one, where they can legally be hired for use. Personally owned electric scooters remain legal only on private land, and you can get points on your driving licence if you transgress, but if the pilot scheme is successful they look likely to be "fast tracked" into law for public use.

I did see about one rental scheme in Northampton. I don't think it is going to help the case for making private scooters legal, already loads of locals complaining about it by the sounds.. I will keep my fingers crossed though, they look great fun and ideal for boaters with limited space.

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5 minutes ago, Maryonboard said:

I did see about one rental scheme in Northampton. I don't think it is going to help the case for making private scooters legal, already loads of locals complaining about it by the sounds.. I will keep my fingers crossed though, they look great fun and ideal for boaters with limited space.

Plenty of boaters complaining about cycles on towpaths, but it has done nothing to slow the march...

 

Frankly, it seems a bit risky to add to the number of sub 15mph road users with no protection, but there we are - it seems the road is where these things will be ridden. Still, if it can be done safely, a fold up electric scooter would be a tempting "pop to the shop" machine to have on a narrowboat, wouldn't it?

 

Anyway, what do I know - in my instructing days,  I thought it was a stupid idea restricting motorcycles to speeds that meant they can't keep up with the traffic. Anything on the road that impatient drivers are tempted to push past is a daft idea in my view.

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7 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Still, if it can be done safely, a fold up electric scooter would be a tempting "pop to the shop" machine to have on a narrowboat, wouldn't it?

 

I'll get one as soon as they are towpath / road legal - it's not worth losing my driving licence for.

 

7 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Anything on the road that impatient drivers are tempted to push past is a daft idea in my view

 

Some say that letting one person drive around in a tonne and a half of steel is a stupid idea.  Maybe getting rid of the cars and letting the bikes and scooters take over would be a better idea!

 

 

/Dons NOMEX suit and ducks ...

Edited by TheBiscuits
Apostrophe catastrophe
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The Fat Fox looks to have overseas spec (35 - 50 miles @ 20mph). The UK is governed back to 15.5 (25kph). Not that that's a problem?

Just check for yourself but the only weight I can see is 35 kgs which is weighty if your lugging onto your NB roof for example.

 

The YIWOZA bike looks incredibly cheap??

26 inch bike it says. Don't know how tall you are but I'm 5'7" and have ordered a 17" frame after advice from local cycle shop.

 

There are a couple more folders her: https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/advice/buyers-guide/9-of-the-best-e-bikes-under-1000-2020-electric-bikes-on-a-budget-2209

These have 20" wheels too but not as fat as Foxy's.

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8 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

 

Some say that letting one person drive around in a tonne and a half of steel is a stupid idea.  Maybe getting rid of the cars and letting the bikes and scooters take over would be a better idea!

 

 

/Dons NOMEX suit and ducks ...

Indeed. Just imagine for a moment a world where everyone rode around on pedal and electric assist machines and someone proposed introducing to the roads machines that weighed a ton and a half and could go over a hundred miles an hour, to be driven by anyone after a short test. Just bonkers! Would never be allowed.

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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On 11/09/2020 at 15:05, doratheexplorer said:

While we're on the subject can anyone suggest a large wheeled folding bike.  I realise it won't fold nearly as small as a brompton / dahon or similar.

I've got one of these. Never use and downsizing boat so not required now so will be selling (hope this doesn't contravene the rules but reading this post, I spontaneously thought about it!) 

 

https://www.montaguebikes.com/swissbike-x50-mountain-folding-bikes/#:~:text=Description,or a rugged commuter bike.

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Apparently we (Brentwood and Shenfield) are to be one of the places to trial electric scooters. The proposed hire charge seems expensive, about £7  for 30 mins is one suggestion. The trial would include the provision of cycle lanes on key routes, something positive for us as we usually use our electric bikes for local shopping to avoid traffic and /or parking problems. 

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20 minutes ago, Ronaldo47 said:

Apparently we (Brentwood and Shenfield) are to be one of the places to trial electric scooters. The proposed hire charge seems expensive, about £7  for 30 mins is one suggestion. The trial would include the provision of cycle lanes on key routes, something positive for us as we usually use our electric bikes for local shopping to avoid traffic and /or parking problems. 

They are trialling them here in Milton Keynes; apparently they are priced by the minute, so when people reach their destination it seems they just jump off and leave them. After just a few days I have seen them littered around at random on streets, footpaths, fields, the towpath, etc. Presumably the next hirer is supposed to collect the nearest one from wherever it has been left, but I don't know quite how that is supposed to work. All I do know is that it isn't many hours before each abandoned scooter is thrown into the nearest garden/hedge/canal or whatever.

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There are similar baseless bike hire companies where the bike is horses then abandoned by the user, it has a gps locator and the company goes round in a van to collect them to recharge and rehire. They don't get them all and it can be a big problem, there are images on the web of mountains of uncollected bikes piled up by the council, one mountain it suggested contained nearly a million bike (it was in China), the authorities scrap them because the companies say it is cheaper to buy a new bike than pay the fine for littering the city. So much for green bike hire how much energy and pollution in building the thing.  London has at least one company doing this and I have seen bikes abandoned well into parks which probably never get collected, presumably the hirer loses an excess/deposit but this is the modern world, scooters will be worse because they are smaller and cheaper.

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10 hours ago, Detling said:

There are similar baseless bike hire companies where the bike is horses then abandoned by the user, it has a gps locator and the company goes round in a van to collect them to recharge and rehire. They don't get them all and it can be a big problem, there are images on the web of mountains of uncollected bikes piled up by the council, one mountain it suggested contained nearly a million bike (it was in China), the authorities scrap them because the companies say it is cheaper to buy a new bike than pay the fine for littering the city. So much for green bike hire how much energy and pollution in building the thing.  London has at least one company doing this and I have seen bikes abandoned well into parks which probably never get collected, presumably the hirer loses an excess/deposit but this is the modern world, scooters will be worse because they are smaller and cheaper.

Think of all them Lithium batteries?

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12 hours ago, Keeping Up said:

They are trialling them here in Milton Keynes; apparently they are priced by the minute, so when people reach their destination it seems they just jump off and leave them. After just a few days I have seen them littered around at random on streets, footpaths, fields, the towpath, etc. Presumably the next hirer is supposed to collect the nearest one from wherever it has been left, but I don't know quite how that is supposed to work. All I do know is that it isn't many hours before each abandoned scooter is thrown into the nearest garden/hedge/canal or whatever.

We've seen dozens in Wolverton. As "Keeping Up" says, only a short while before thrown in the canal and it's a matter of time before one is thrown off a road bridge or into the West Coast Main line overhead.

 

When the idea of "dockless cycle hire" was first put forward our Town Council objected as we could see this coming. But the Planning Authority (Milton Keynes) were swayed by the promise of low cost (no infrastructure to install or maintain) and convenience (finish your journey where you want and the next user see's all the nearby locations on the "App"). Such is progress...

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