Any electric bike users out there?

Catrua

Hello cyclists!

I have been researching e-bikes and so far have been very impressed with them. I am writing a series of articles on them. I've talked to shops already, but want to talk to users too.

Do you have any stories, views or opinions on e-bikes? Do you use one to commute or as a hobby? If so please get in touch! Tell me your story below!

A sample of what I'd like to know: where in Ireland are you based? Do you live in the country or the city? What do you use your e-bike for? Have you had any unexpected problems with them? How long have you had your bike? Anything else you want to tell me at all! I want to hear about everything!

Thank you!

tomasrojo

I don't have any electric bikes, but I have some friends with an electric cargo bike (e-Bullitt). Last I heard, they loved it. One doesn't drive, and the other is unable to drive at present on medical grounds, so it's very handy for school run, shopping and the like.

I think e-bikes, and e-cargo bikes in particular, have great potential in cities and their outskirts. From what I know, which isn't much, you can't get any financial relief on buying electric bikes the way you can when you buy an electric car. This might be profitably addressed.

Hungrycol

I'm busting a gut on my manual bike and this is the look I get by electrical motorised bicycle drivers and public alike:


(driver of electrical bike for illustration purposes only, not the bike)

Catrua

@tomasrojo

I think buying an electric car might be a bit of a trap though. From what I've heard recently they are beginning to charge astronomical amounts for using the charging stations around Dublin, when they used to be free. I imagine they'll start to raise prices for other costs regarding them along the lines too. (I don't know much about them, just what I gather from a few articles I read.)

You can get a lot of bikes on the 'cycle to work' scheme though, making them even cheaper!

Catrua

@Hungrycol that's the same look I've been seeing lately too!

Jimmy Garlic

What kind of range can be expected from e-bikes? And are they a pain to pedal if they run out of battery? I presume they are useless on anything but flat roads and have very little torque.

tomasrojo

Catrua wrote: »

I think buying an electric car might be a bit of a trap though.

I have to say that I don't know anything about the costs of buying and running either a car or an electric bike, but there have been financial incentives to encourage uptake (on top of the free charging). I do assume, even if these incentives are genuinely advantageous, they'll be withdrawn once electric cars become commonplace.

As you say, you can get somewhat of a discount on an electric cargo bike if you're eligible for the Cycle to Work scheme. Good point.

ted1

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

What kind of range can be expected from e-bikes? And are they a pain to pedal if they run out of battery? I presume they are useless on anything but flat roads and have very little torque.

Range=about 80km
They are 25kg so yes painful to cycle
Plenty of torque , they sail up hills

ted1

Catrua wrote: »

@tomasrojo

I think buying an electric car might be a bit of a trap though. From what I've heard recently they are beginning to charge astronomical amounts for using the charging stations around Dublin, when they used to be free.

They have not started to charge yet, the prices they plan to charge are not to bad, they have to recover the costs of providing the service and are still much cheaper than a tank of petrol.

You can always charge at home for free.

secman

I rode one about 2 weeks ago in an underground car park, the harder you pedal the quicker it goes, gets up to 25 kph very quickly and levels out. The guy who owns it lives up past Ballinascorney, out at back of waterworks. It weighs close on 30 kg, very very noticeable. A bosch motor. Cost him close to 3k. He works in town and says it saves him a fortune on juice, parking and in heavy peak traffic it's a lot faster than car or bus.
It's rather fugly though, you could get a nice bike for 3k

ted1

The one I'm looking at goes to 45kmh with a Yamaha engine and 500W battery, around the same price

marvin80

Electric bikes are a great idea.
If you're on holidays and want to do a bit of cycling you could rent an electric bike for your partner and bring them along on your cycle.
Planning on doing this in the summer!!

tomasrojo

ted1 wrote: »

Range=about 80km
They are 25kg so yes painful to cycle
Plenty of torque , they sail up hills

My main bike at the moment is a bakfiets, which I think is 35kg, even without cargo. I wouldn't describe it as painful to cycle.

Mind you, I wouldn't say it sails uphill either.

cdaly_

Catrua wrote: »

electric car ...

ted1 wrote: »

They have not started to charge yet, the prices they plan to charge are not to bad, they have to recover the costs of providing the service and are still much cheaper than a tank of petrol.

You can always charge at home for free.

It's hardly for free at home unless the charging point bypasses the ESB meter.

Beasty

cdaly_ wrote: »

It's hardly for free at home unless the charging point bypasses the ESB meter.

Maybe they meant at work;)

Still don't get this claimed eco-friendliness of electricity powered vehicles. How do they (typically) make the electricity (unless you are fortunate enough to have a windmill in your garden, or on the back of your bike:pac:)?

ht9zni1gs28crp

I did a 24hr race in Germany last year, one of the divisions was E-Bikes. All divisions sharing the same track.

Some craic a 20man line out behind a fat bloke sat on an electric bike trundling along at 40km/hr, a derny style fresh air line out

ted1

cdaly_ wrote: »

It's hardly for free at home unless the charging point bypasses the ESB meter.

No need to be pedantic, you can charge at home using your free charge point that's applies your regularly rate as oppose to the enhanced rate at public charge stations.

cdaly_

Beasty wrote: »

Maybe they meant at work;)

Still don't get this claimed eco-friendliness of electricity powered vehicles. How do they (typically) make the electricity (unless you are fortunate enough to have a windmill in your garden, or on the back of your bike:pac:)?

It's about the Power Station to Wheels efficiency. SEAI claim diesel burning car is 25% efficient while EV is more like >34% efficient based on Power station: 49%, Transmission grid 92%, Battery 75%.

You also confine pollution to the power generating station where it can be more closely monitored/controlled.

cdaly_

ted1 wrote: »

No need to be pedantic, you can charge at home using your free charge point that's applies your regularly rate as oppose to the enhanced rate at public charge stations.

Not pedantic at all. Look at your next ESB bill after you charge your car "for free"...

privateBeavis

I'm on my second electric bike. First one was cheapish (less than 1k) model which I had for about 5 years, in that time I had to replace different parts that failed including main controller board and then the battery lasted about 3 years before it wouldn't hold enough charge to get to work and back (about 20km round trip).
The battery was about €450 to replace and other bits probably added up to couple of hundred over the years. But still if I was on the bus it would cost me about €800 / yr.

My new one I only have about 6 months but it's one of the better models (~3k) so time will tell whether its more reliable or not. If I only get the same 3/4 years out of the battery that will be expensive I believe around €700 (could be wrong).

Before I bought my second one I was close to switching over to getting a motorbike but cost of getting licence + bike + cost of running it + dangers of getting killed I decided to stick with the e-bike.
By the way the reason I don't get regular bike is mostly laziness, the thoughts of having to cycle up a hill .. against the wind .. in the rain.. there's just no going back now!

tomasrojo

Beasty wrote: »

Still don't get this claimed eco-friendliness of electricity powered vehicles.

They probably are a large net benefit to public health in cities, since you don't get all those concentrated PM10 and NOx emissions. They still pose all the other problems that traditional cars pose in cities, and as you imply, they may not be any better in terms of net CO2 emissions, depending on what the electricity generating strategies in the network are. But renewables are really falling steeply in cost, so that will probably be much less of an issue, if current trends continue.

beaner92

I am in the process of getting a used zero s bike delivered from germany. Really pumped to get it!

ForestFire

Thinking of getting the Taga 2.0 e- Bike for 3km school run if anyone has any taught suggestions