Why ebikes are good / bad

softy
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby softy » Tue Jul 22, 2014 7:44 pm

Feedback on the grace easy special order;

The supplier has said it will be $1000 for the freight, this pushes the bike up to 5k. This is getting close to the specialised. A store her in the west have one for 6.4k and a person has a secondhand one for 5.5k which he claims has only been ridden once.

The supplier has a grace easy in the medium which is really to small for me, but he suggested to get a longer seat, not sure if I should do this but itcis attractive to get a quality bike for 4k.

Any comments suggestions.

Even considering a kit again...... bionx??? Any experience with these, people out there??

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silentbutdeadly
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby silentbutdeadly » Wed Jul 23, 2014 10:34 am

Aushiker had a good result with the EM3ev mid drive kit...try Switched On Cycles in Canberra for an Oz option.
Ours is not to reason why...merely to point and giggle

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clackers
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby clackers » Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:09 am

softy wrote:
Some say like the other poster, aluminum is suspect and use a torque bar. I have tried to fit a 8fun torque bar to my neighbours bike, but I found this motor has no flats on the threads so couldn't. This is probably because it is a 200w motor. Still, broke the drop outs.
Sorry, Softly, but if you put that motor on despite not being able to use a torque bar on her alloy forks, you're liable for what happened.

You didn't do your homework!

softy
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby softy » Wed Jul 23, 2014 7:46 pm

clackers wrote:
softy wrote:
Some say like the other poster, aluminum is suspect and use a torque bar. I have tried to fit a 8fun torque bar to my neighbours bike, but I found this motor has no flats on the threads so couldn't. This is probably because it is a 200w motor. Still, broke the drop outs.
Sorry, Softly, but if you put that motor on despite not being able to use a torque bar on her alloy forks, you're liable for what happened.

You didn't do your homework!
Clackers, I think you need to read more carefully.

My neighbour bought a PURPOSE BUILT ebike from a ebike shop. Designed fron the ground up as a ebike, I DID NOT fit the motor. It was how it was purchased. After she had it two years the forks broke. After she had it repaired by the ebike shop (new forks) I told her about the torque bars and said I will purchase one for her to fit ( this torque bar was from the same company that sales the 8fun motors,) as this was what was on the ebike she purchased.

The 8fun motor must of been a 200w motor as it was sold under the old legislation. This particular motor had no flats on the thread to fit the torque bar.

Understand?

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clackers
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby clackers » Fri Jul 25, 2014 3:11 pm

softy wrote:

Understand?
Got it ... then she still has a valid lawsuit ... against the shop/distributor!

softy
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby softy » Fri Jul 25, 2014 6:35 pm

clackers wrote:
softy wrote:

Understand?
Got it ... then she still has a valid lawsuit ... against the shop/distributor!
I do believe they made her pay for a new fork as it fell just out of warranty. Admittedly she does use it alot, but doesn't go fast. It is dissapointing as she is elderly and this bike is her primary form of transport and the shop is some distance away. I help her all I can but she is not very mechanical minded.

The problem is with ebikes is, I see them in transition at the moment, from companies doing glorified custom builds and selling them as production bikes to production bikes coming slowly and getting bigger, but there is still alot of shonky dealers around selling cheapies.

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clackers
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby clackers » Fri Jul 25, 2014 6:45 pm

softy wrote:
I do believe they made her pay for a new fork as it fell just out of warranty.
Disgraceful. They should have been super generous to avoid litigation about the design fault.

In our conversion, the guy did a lot of checking before deciding they weren't necessary on the big steel CX disc brake forks.

Agree that there are so many out there, Softy, it can be hard for an ordinary consumer to know what to get.

Buying from an established bike shop can help, as they would evaluate products before deciding which to stock and support. No one wants to sell lemons.

Ride magazine did a pretty nice review of a selection, too.

Good luck with your search. A good time for e-bikes with the new LiPO4 batteries, etc.

softy
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby softy » Fri Jul 25, 2014 9:02 pm

Cheers,

Over here in west oz there is very few place to buy ebikes, so you don't have much choice. Although it is getting better. I have done considerable reasearch and it is confusing, never mind for the elderly.

About my endeavour to purchase a ebike;
I have pretty much finalised my decision to get a grace easy. Although it does have to come sight unseen from the east coast, as no one sells them here.

Although it is not a cheap bike it is fitted with known proprietary brands and is designed from the ground up as a ebike. The system is the bionx 350 which is arguable one of the best kits, in operation and reliability. I reaslise some other designs have there advantages, but all considered, I believe this is a best fit for me.

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Hamster
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby Hamster » Sat Jul 26, 2014 6:43 pm

Hi Softy,

Looks like a really cool bike :D . I hope that it works out for you. Just curious what type of battery does it have and what capacity is it?
It would not be at all strange if history came to the conclusion that the perfection of the bicycle was the greatest achievement of the nineteenth century.

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ColinOldnCranky
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby ColinOldnCranky » Sun Jul 27, 2014 11:55 am

softy wrote: I do believe they made her pay for a new fork as it fell just out of warranty. Admittedly she does use it alot, but doesn't go fast.
Two years and a fork breaks?

Assuming that she was only using it in a way fit for purpose and unmodified - ie not using it as an MTB, street jumping and general hooning and tricks - then she would have easily had it attended to under WA consumer protection laws at no cost to her. A bit surprised that the shop would even try it on.

No-one buys a bike expecting it to last only two years. London to a brick that that is exactly as the Department for Commerce would see it. They may even be tempted to slap a recall notice on the product if that is what anyone along the supply chain thinks is reasonable and, by implication, not uncommon.
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Aushiker
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby Aushiker » Sun Jul 27, 2014 4:49 pm

There is a BH Neo 650B (2014) listed in Gumtree. The seller is asking $1,800. Might be worth a look.

Image

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Mububban
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby Mububban » Mon Jul 28, 2014 5:04 pm

softy wrote: I have pretty much finalised my decision to get a grace easy.
That''s a pretty cool set of wheels softy. Be sure to share your opinion of it once it arrives!

The seller of the BH bike also has a Specialized Turbo for $5000.
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/tuart-hi ... 1044279726" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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softy
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby softy » Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:54 pm

Thanks for pointing me to the ads;
Not really interested in the bh brand, although I was considering one a little while ago.

As for the specialised, I tried to negotiate with the seller, but he wouldn't budge below 5000. A store here has one for 6400 brand new in a box. I have sold a lot of gear on gumtree. 5000 is just to much for a secondhand spec turbo, I bought a cervelo s5 vwd brand new over 3000 off, just because it was last years model. So I won't pay 5000 for the spec turbo when it is used.



The grace easy is a very similar bike to the turbo. Direct drive hub, similar peak watts, built in battery in the frame, lights standard and regen. I like the grace better, it is cheaper, lighter and has the bionX 350 kit which is a known quantity. It is a 48volt 6.3 Ah battery just over 300w capacity (only negative). I think the turbo is 36v although just over 500w capacity.
Both are supposed to be dead silent, I like the stealth factor of both these bikes.

I have selected the grace easy with the sram x9 and derailleur. To me this is a drive system that is familiar to bike shops and myself, so no internal hub drive (3 speed) with the gates belt drive.

Thats it! The shop is supposed to be getting it in today and setting up the hieght for me. Just waiting for him to get back to me to organise payment and shipping.

human909
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby human909 » Fri Feb 20, 2015 3:28 pm

*Pedant alert*

It is going to be Watt-hours (Whr), not Watts(W) as a measure of battery capacity.

Lurkin
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby Lurkin » Mon Mar 02, 2015 7:49 pm

As part of recovering from an injury, I recently converted my mountain bike to an ebike with a 250w bafang mid drive motor.

Given it's an 80km commute each day, just couldn't have realistically gotten back to cycling without it. Driving everyday was life threatening/driving me insane.

Going from being unable to walk to 320 - 400km a week of ebiking... success.

Such a pity the laws based on 25km/h (unrealistic for long distances) and 250w (350w is more like it for someone whos unfitish). It really needs to change. The more people getting out of cars and giving it a go, the less pollution/health effects/ financial effects etc etc.

ebikes definitely have their place. Now that I've somewhat recovered, I still prefer to commute on it. I genuinely believe I take less risks on the ebike - I don't need to, it's about the same speed as taking the roady (and taking risks, like yellow lights, gap selection, other slightly idiotic strava infused activities). Definitely the way to to get to work unstressed and good to go.

Considering building a sweet full suspension ebike next... frame hunting currently.. likely to switch to either a bosch mid drive (which is a 350w motor 'detuned' to 250w) or a decent hub motor with variable regen....

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Gordonhooker
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby Gordonhooker » Tue Mar 24, 2015 9:48 am

I went to the Reid site yesterday to look at what they had on their clearance page and found a new category of product 'EBikes'. It looks like Reid are about to import the German "Corratec" which have a Bosch mid mounted motor, I like the look of this one for ease of maintenance:
8-SPEED COASTER 400WH DIAMOND FRAME

Australia, you're ready for a world-class electric city bike. Supremely comfortable and convenient, the Corratec range is a mature and sophisticated option. Features a standard diamond-shaped frame for maximum strength and power transfer.

The Bosch Active mid-mount motor system features an 11 amp-hour battery, good for over 90 kilometres range under standard conditions
The Shimano Nexus 8-Speed hub keeps things simple and maintenance to the minimum
Hydraulic brakes, adjustable handlebars and integrated LED lights make for safety and convenience!

The Corratec Diamond frame is the perfect bike for cruising, commuting and touring. It has all the modern conveniences that you'd expect from a sophisticated electric vehicle. It's been built from the ground up to make riding safer, easier, smoother and more comfortable. Large diameter wheels and tyres soak up bumps and vibrations, ably supported by the suspension fork.

The suspension seatpost, handlebars and headstem are fully adjustable to ensure a perfect rider position.

The finer details are also taken care of, with full-length mudguards, anti-vibration dampeners in the handlebars, ergonomic grips and a very comfortable saddle.

From a technical perspective, it features hydraulic rim brakes which are smooth, powerful and reliable. It also features integrated front and rear lights, so you never need to worry about batteries or dynamos.

The Bosch Active electrical assistance system has variable support modes. 'Eco' mode is good for as much as 140 kilometres of rider support under normal conditions. Using full 'Turbo' mode, even very difficult conditions will give over 40 kilometres of boost. You can vary it according to your needs."
OI onya bike!!!

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Classikbike
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby Classikbike » Tue Mar 24, 2015 7:04 pm

I testrode some Corratech Roadbikes, MTB's and E-MTB's great stuff and top quality.

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Gordonhooker
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby Gordonhooker » Fri Mar 27, 2015 1:46 pm

Good to know thanks for that...
OI onya bike!!!

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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby AUbicycles » Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:26 am

Corratech is a quality German brand and can vouch for the reputation of the brand.
Cycling is in my BNA

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Aushiker
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby Aushiker » Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:58 pm

I was poking around Reid Bicycles website today and took a peak at the Corratec 29er Trekking Diamond. The price does not seem to bad given it is a Bosch mid drive engine.

I couldn't find the battery specification but and would like to know which Bosch motor it actually is and if the limit can be easily removed. Anyone have any information?

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Andrew
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Aushiker
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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby Aushiker » Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:09 pm

Also any other suggestions on road style e-bikes with non-suspension forks (besides the Specialized Turbo models)?

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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby eldavo » Thu Apr 30, 2015 4:08 pm

With electric commuting I'd take the comfort of suspension fork, and if you want to be gritty and efficient there's remote lockout.
Watching commuter bike footage between rigid or suspension fork electric is a good visual for comfort you get without vibrations.
This one would be my pick:
http://www.reidcycles.com.au/corratec-x-vert-29er.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'd expect the Bosch motor is supplied with controller programmed for pedelec or speed-pedelec, and good plausible deniability to disable user hacking.
Some EU markets have the "offroad" momentary button which I don't know much about.

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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby cj7hawk » Mon May 04, 2015 11:14 pm

eldavo wrote:With electric commuting I'd take the comfort of suspension fork, and if you want to be gritty and efficient there's remote lockout.
Watching commuter bike footage between rigid or suspension fork electric is a good visual for comfort you get without vibrations.
This one would be my pick:
http://www.reidcycles.com.au/corratec-x-vert-29er.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'd expect the Bosch motor is supplied with controller programmed for pedelec or speed-pedelec, and good plausible deniability to disable user hacking.
Some EU markets have the "offroad" momentary button which I don't know much about.
http://www.corratec.com/en/bosch-active" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From how it's placed ( Mid drive ) and what it says, I'd guess that it uses wheel sensors to control motor power - so it's probably quite accurate and compliant with EN15194.

So... User hacking would probably be easiest through the speed sensor - make the engine think it's going slower than it really is, and theoretically it should drive it up to top power at higher speed...

Off road, of course - ;)

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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby Comedian » Tue May 05, 2015 1:33 pm

So, we've had our electric bike for two and a bit years now. My wife uses it to ride to work two days a week (about 25k return), and it does some occasional errands around the neighbourhood that probably total about 20k a week. It's one of those very expensive european ones.

So now we're starting to question the decision. The battery is playing up (can no longer make it to and from work), it munches motors periodically although the importer graciously replaces them, and various other bits have broken. So, what's the wife asking for? She just wants a nice flat bar ... hold all the electric hassles...

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Re: Why ebikes are good / bad

Postby eldavo » Tue May 05, 2015 1:58 pm

Probably an expensive way to do it in hindsight, but if result is mental confidence to ride without car for those trips, it's a good ending. I'd just suggest revisiting the state of mind when purchasing the bike to begin with, whatever was holding her back from riding a regular bike for those trips, is now gone? Electric assist seems to be a good way to lower the threshold. It's a good time with the gremlins and with some bike fitness to then jump on a nice lighter non-electric, with 'shiny new thing' appeal, she'll leap over the threshold and write-down the electric as a gateway to a better place. Belt drive, hub gear, solid tyres, pedal only is my current favourite urban invincible combination, it's a liberating freedom feeling like free-love without the children or STD's =D

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