OT: eBikes

[John Rumm]

Given part of the expectation of riding a bike is that you can coast freely, I am note sure that would even be a desirable thing... (plus it adds complexity cost and weight)

[John Rumm]

What about if I suggest the wife wears a bridle? :-)

[Tim Streater]

Well no reason that couldn't be switchable. But I see no reason for it to be an undesireable feature. You run out of battery, and then you're not just cycling a bike home, you're having to lug a battery as well.

[Robin]

I can see that with the "twist and go" ebikes but wonder if it so simple with the ebikes which are legally treated like ordinary bikes because they only supply motor power when the pedals are turning. With the latter I'd have thought it was more complicated to use regeneration 'cos the bike doesn't know if you have stopped pedalling in order to coast or because you want to slow down. So does the motor have then to be on the hub - on t'other side of the freewheel mechanism, activated by the brake lever, but with the mean to do more to apply the friction brakes?

I ask from total ignorance as my only close sightings of ebikes have been as they whizzed past me at pedestrian crossings.

[PeterP]

I've seen a couple on the maker forums where people have converted bicycles and made battery carriers to accept power tool batteries. That idea appeals to me as I have quite a few large capacity power tool batteries and I had wondered why none of the big power tool manufacturers has moved into producing e-bikes.

[Theo]

which is quite similar to the folding China e-bike I have, that has a 36V battery pack. The only thing is the Makita battery carrier is a bit unwieldy compared to the slimmer 36V pack mine has (parts as ever available on Aliexpress).

Theo

[Murmansk]

I had an Urban Mover ebike some years ago and now my friend has one which has a Shimano setup

One thing that I noticed on both is that once you are going, if you want more help on hill you actually have to pedal less strongly and then the motor gives more assistance - possibly a bit counter-intuitive - my friend was thinking "ooh, a hill, better pedal harder to give the motor a bit more help to get up the hill" but it came as a bit of a revelation when I told her to just pedal slightly and the motor kicked in and she was amazed!

[Theo]

This is because assistance is legally mandated to taper off with speed and stop at 15mph. If you go slower you get more assistance.

Theo

[Murmansk]

Seems to me for the two bikes I've got experience of that it gives more power if you press less hard on the pedals. I guess less pressure on the pedals does tend to equal less speed but it's a marginal change in speed and the motor definitely kicks in quite significantly as soon as you apply less pressure - well before there's been much if any reduction in speed.

[Martin Brown]

A few friends have got them and are very pleased with them. Particularly when going up hills of which there are a fair number round me.

They tend to be a lot heavier than a conventional lightweight bike frame since the batteries and motor have to go somewhere. Some of them are seriously heavy as in hard work to pick up from a horizontal position. That was my friends only criticism of his.

The other non eBike form that is popular for recreational and commuter use is the Brompton which folds down to a very small size. We have conventional touring bikes with Shimano gears. Some of our friends have eBikes and don't have to work anything like as hard to go up the hills.

They are very pleased with them and cycle much more as a result. Definitely try them for size and handling in person if you are at either extreme of the size distribution.