Shimano STEPS seems to be the new cool kid in townhttps://shimano-steps.com and when paired with the Di2 electric hub-shifters it can be used in automatic shifting mode as well. Seems to be now a very popular setup on high-end e-bikes.
Time to get an E-Bike - what experience can you offer a novice
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NL-mikkla said:
Interesting that you mention the Gazelle e-bike experience centre. I was planning to go to the original Gazelle Experience Centre but then found the new E-Bike centre mentioned. I found the post code and looked at it in Google Street View but there was no sign of it. I now realise that it has only just been built and so Google has yet to catch up.
Many thanks.
Peter
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Reiska said:
Hi Reiska
There is a lot of very interesting technology going into the bikes now.
Cheers.
Peter
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Hi Terry
I love it - brilliant.
Peter
I love it - brilliant.
Peter
ear3
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Just heard a report on the radio the other day that apparently EBikes are illegal in New York City. This should come as news to all the delivery guys who race down the streets on them. I'm sympathetic to the argument -- New York has become a much more bike friendly city in the past decade, creating dedicated bike lanes on many of its streets, but as you can imagine, those lanes are constantly being traversed by pedestrians. The EBikes can travel almost at the speed of a car (our speed limit is 25mph), and so they come up on you much more quickly than a traditional bike.
There's a legal grey area, however, which is why EBikes continue to be used in the city. Apparently when lawmakers/regulators first developed the restriction, they defined EBike as a bicycle that relied solely on motor power to drive. That left EBikes that also had a pedal option technically still legal. But in practice there is not much of a difference in terms of the speeds they can reach. My sense is that there's going to be a revisiting of the regulations pretty soon.
http://www.wnyc.org/story/peoples-guide-power-regulating-e-bikes/
There's a legal grey area, however, which is why EBikes continue to be used in the city. Apparently when lawmakers/regulators first developed the restriction, they defined EBike as a bicycle that relied solely on motor power to drive. That left EBikes that also had a pedal option technically still legal. But in practice there is not much of a difference in terms of the speeds they can reach. My sense is that there's going to be a revisiting of the regulations pretty soon.
http://www.wnyc.org/story/peoples-guide-power-regulating-e-bikes/
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ear3 said:
There is also the limit to a max 20 MPH speed (by Federal law) for eBikes to be classified as bicycles and not as a Moped or electric motorcycle, at least that what I remember when I was researching my purchase. State or municipal laws can modify or override that though.
I have had my RadRover for almost a year now and never once been stopped and questioned by Police or anyone, but I am not in NYC nor have I ridden in any big city for that matter.
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Peter Parfitt said:
Advice? Wear a helmet. Avoid the underside of lorries, Jeeps & Volvos.
An E-bike has a "throttle assist" power transfer: usually a twistgrip, throttle lever or the like. Twist the throttle & off you go. No pedalling required, except for hills etc.
Pedelecs have torque-sensors within the drivetrain. The level of extra energy delivered is determined by either pedalling effort or cadence. Pedelecs basically turn any mug cyclist such as myself instantly into a hill-conquering champ.
There's also a variety of assist levels available. Each legal class (Road, Speed & Race) of bike has differing Max speeds @ which assist will be cutoff, & legal statuses in different jurisdictions.
Speed pedelecs have mandatory helmet, registration & licence plate status in Germany, for instance, & as far as I'm aware Race pedelecs (with up to 80 km/hour or 50 MPH assist) are illegal to use on public roads everywhere.
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The 20 mph limit in the US is greater than that allowed in Europe. We have a 25 kph or 15 mph limit on the street legal Pedelec category. There are some off road Ebikes which have a greater top speed but these are not street legal.
The way the Pedelec has to work to be legal is that the rider must be pedalling and making a contribution to the motion of the vehicle in order for the motor to make any contribution at all. The only exception to this is what is known as "walk assist" which is designed to help push an Ebike up a hill. Then the speed is limited (not sure but probably 2 or 3 mph).
A street legal Ebike in Europe demands that the rider is working all the time that the motor is operating. Once 15 mph is reached only the rider is making the machine move forward. The rider does get a decent amount of exercise but hills feel as though they are only half as steep.
My wife and I have now bought our Ebikes and use them quite often. For us we are now taking on more challenging terrain and certainly going a lot further than before.
If anyone is visiting The Netherlands then do try and find an Ebike Experience Centre. We went to the Gazelle Ebike Experience Centre in Waalwijt. It is free to get in, you can try every Ebike that Gazelle make and you get free coffee.
[attachimg=1]
We spent 3 hours there and rode about 6 difference machines each. We were so impressed that we then drove to a dealer and ordered a pair of Ebikes. They were ready before we had to start our return journey home.
Peter
The way the Pedelec has to work to be legal is that the rider must be pedalling and making a contribution to the motion of the vehicle in order for the motor to make any contribution at all. The only exception to this is what is known as "walk assist" which is designed to help push an Ebike up a hill. Then the speed is limited (not sure but probably 2 or 3 mph).
A street legal Ebike in Europe demands that the rider is working all the time that the motor is operating. Once 15 mph is reached only the rider is making the machine move forward. The rider does get a decent amount of exercise but hills feel as though they are only half as steep.
My wife and I have now bought our Ebikes and use them quite often. For us we are now taking on more challenging terrain and certainly going a lot further than before.
If anyone is visiting The Netherlands then do try and find an Ebike Experience Centre. We went to the Gazelle Ebike Experience Centre in Waalwijt. It is free to get in, you can try every Ebike that Gazelle make and you get free coffee.
[attachimg=1]
We spent 3 hours there and rode about 6 difference machines each. We were so impressed that we then drove to a dealer and ordered a pair of Ebikes. They were ready before we had to start our return journey home.
Peter
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AlexThePalex
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Peter Parfitt said:
I don't know exactly about the rules and international nomenclature of Ebikes these days, because here in Holland we basically call everything Ebikes.
But I've noticed the last year or so there's a new category of Ebikes that require a license plate and a helmet, and I believe you can go up to 50 kph max. Happens often enough to me I ride on my standard touring bike at 40 kph and such an electric bike passes me like I'm not even moving.
Just saw this thread. I've had an Optibike for 3 years. They are on the pricier side but it has been awesome.
Built like a tank and can be driven in two different modes. Eco which is plenty fast and fun even with a bigger rider.
The other mode is fast, very fast. Like 40 MPH but feels under control because the frame and suspension are
built so well. Not sure if they are available everywhere, the company is located in Colorado.
Built like a tank and can be driven in two different modes. Eco which is plenty fast and fun even with a bigger rider.
The other mode is fast, very fast. Like 40 MPH but feels under control because the frame and suspension are
built so well. Not sure if they are available everywhere, the company is located in Colorado.
Kev
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Stuck for a present for our son for Christmas .. we ended up getting him a Giant Dirt-E. I wasn't a fan of a motor located in the bottom bracket area and the extra stress on the chain drive but I'm a convert (at least for this class of bike). The pedelec sensitivity is very smooth and natural .. and the Yamaha motor seems to have excellent torque - very obviously tuned down to the local restrictions.
We'll probably get a couple more of these (one for the wife and I, only hers in the Liv format).
Christmas actually turned out to be bikes all round ... Jane got a Liv Langma with Ultegra and I treated myself to a new Giant TCR with Dura-Ace and the new integrated power meters (without pedals it was under 7kgs - and that's for a bike with disc brakes!)
I've dismantled my dodgy kitted e-bike experiment and put the old CFM1 back to "normal" ... I rate the experiment as a success, but determined the trick is to buy a quality production e-bike [big grin]
We'll probably get a couple more of these (one for the wife and I, only hers in the Liv format).
Christmas actually turned out to be bikes all round ... Jane got a Liv Langma with Ultegra and I treated myself to a new Giant TCR with Dura-Ace and the new integrated power meters (without pedals it was under 7kgs - and that's for a bike with disc brakes!)
I've dismantled my dodgy kitted e-bike experiment and put the old CFM1 back to "normal" ... I rate the experiment as a success, but determined the trick is to buy a quality production e-bike [big grin]
southrider
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Y'all might want to check out a couple of US sites. There is a ton of information available.
http://www.electricbike.com
This site is perfect if you want to do a DIY build of an existing bike you treasure (or just have). Lots of info on components types and quality, many examples of builds from really crude to rather sublime.
Lunacycle is a US bike builder who buys bikes wholesale from the manufacturers and then "builds them" for you - often at prices significantly cheaper than if you buy an ebike from an ebike manufacturer, and even cheaper than if you bought the bike and components separately. Probably wouldn't make sense to ship from them to Europe, but again - a lot of bike info there.
https://lunacycle.com/
KTM recently announce that they are "all in" on ebikes, and that the distinction between bicycles, ebikes, and electric motorcycles is going to blur very quickly. They have had an excellent electric dirt bike in testing for a few years now.
Apparently in Europe the proliferation of bikes and scooters has caused regulators to have a significant advance or lead in developing rules of the road regarding ebikes. There are several classes developed based around pedal only, pedal assist, pedal assist with throttle, or full throttle bikes.
In the US it's mostly still the wild west - with only a few jurisdictions even knowing this stuff exists. Generally if it still looks like a bicycle and you don't act like a fool you can ride most places. This will change over the next several years as bad actors cause problems that get noticed by authorities.
I've been lusting after one for a year or so - but the one that I want costs so much I really have to justify that I'll use it enough for it to make sense to buy.
Best of luck
http://www.electricbike.com
This site is perfect if you want to do a DIY build of an existing bike you treasure (or just have). Lots of info on components types and quality, many examples of builds from really crude to rather sublime.
Lunacycle is a US bike builder who buys bikes wholesale from the manufacturers and then "builds them" for you - often at prices significantly cheaper than if you buy an ebike from an ebike manufacturer, and even cheaper than if you bought the bike and components separately. Probably wouldn't make sense to ship from them to Europe, but again - a lot of bike info there.
https://lunacycle.com/
KTM recently announce that they are "all in" on ebikes, and that the distinction between bicycles, ebikes, and electric motorcycles is going to blur very quickly. They have had an excellent electric dirt bike in testing for a few years now.
Apparently in Europe the proliferation of bikes and scooters has caused regulators to have a significant advance or lead in developing rules of the road regarding ebikes. There are several classes developed based around pedal only, pedal assist, pedal assist with throttle, or full throttle bikes.
In the US it's mostly still the wild west - with only a few jurisdictions even knowing this stuff exists. Generally if it still looks like a bicycle and you don't act like a fool you can ride most places. This will change over the next several years as bad actors cause problems that get noticed by authorities.
I've been lusting after one for a year or so - but the one that I want costs so much I really have to justify that I'll use it enough for it to make sense to buy.
Best of luck
sassyinpink
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i got an ebike a few years ago.
long story short- make sure the battery is of high quality, and don't plug and go to sleep!
poor quality battery can catch fire if left for long hours of charging
long story short- make sure the battery is of high quality, and don't plug and go to sleep!
poor quality battery can catch fire if left for long hours of charging
jmbfestool
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Best E-bike is a converted Regular bike. Still stand by this to this day.
Done mine years ago and it still going strong no issues.
Best thing about converting is you have more torque, you have a bike you want or already have which also means its alot cheaper. If something goes wrong it’s cheaper easier to replace/fix.
This street legal side meh! Just don’t be silly ride the bike like you should and your fine riding a non street legal bike.
Avoid rear or front motor ebikes you best getting mid drive motors they offer much higher torque to the rear wheel, less strain on the motor so a more reliable motor.
Done mine years ago and it still going strong no issues.
Best thing about converting is you have more torque, you have a bike you want or already have which also means its alot cheaper. If something goes wrong it’s cheaper easier to replace/fix.
This street legal side meh! Just don’t be silly ride the bike like you should and your fine riding a non street legal bike.
Avoid rear or front motor ebikes you best getting mid drive motors they offer much higher torque to the rear wheel, less strain on the motor so a more reliable motor.
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