IKEA electric bike 679 Euro

kyeev

I had a go on one yesterday.
Its like being on a motorbike.
Foldable too so you can throw it in the boot.
Seriously thinking of getting one for my 8 mile commute.
Anyone else tried it?

homer911

Not on the Ikea Ireland website but seems to have been around in other geographies for a while


http://www.greenlaunches.com/transport/ikea-introduces-lush-green-folkvanlig-electric-bike.php
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=87106

magicbastarder

kyeev wrote: »

Its like being on a motorbike.

usual question - does it work without you needing to pedal it?

Tenzor07

magicbastarder wrote: »

usual question - does it work without you needing to pedal it?

With a little 250w motor(not engine) it will offer a pedal-assisted range of up to 72km..

homer911

magicbastarder wrote: »

usual question - does it work without you needing to pedal it?

Its a street-legal spec so no, you will need to pedal it

tomasrojo

Seems very cheap, but they are a good company for making adequate (and hackable) products at low prices.

I was wondering yesterday whether sales of electric bikes in Europe will ever rival sales of conventional bikes. I suspect they will.

(For adults. Not sure about market for electric bikes for children!)

schemingbohemia

tomasrojo wrote: »

Seems very cheap, but they are a good company for making adequate (and hackable) products at low prices.

I was wondering yesterday whether sales of electric bikes in Europe will ever rival sales of conventional bikes. I suspect they will.

(For adults. Not sure about market for electric bikes for children!)

1/3 of bikes sold in Netherlands last year were electric bikes.

tomasrojo

Yeah, I'd heard that sales were very high in the Netherlands and Germany. Didn't know they were that high. I saw some stats that suggested that electric bikes have devoured the market for what we call mopeds.

Of course, there's a huge pre-existing pool of conventional bikes in the Netherlands anyway, so the proportion of bikes in circulation might be pretty different. But that's very healthy sales, especially considering how many bike are bought in the Netherlands.

harringtonp

I laugh when I read

"Weighing in at just 60 pounds"

There would be a huge market for light road bikes with a small motor that would help equalize levels in group spins

737max

You're not looking at it right.
The weight that is important is the weight that can be lifted on and off a car boot mounted carrier i.e. the weight the car boot will support and the weight which a senior citizen can lift.

the big problem with electric bikes is that they have attracted a whole new demographic who no longer have springy bones and they are doing themselves serious injury when they fall off their bikes.

beauf

737max wrote: »

You're not looking at it right.
The weight that is important is the weight that can be lifted on and off a car boot mounted carrier i.e. the weight the car boot will support and the weight which a senior citizen can lift.

the big problem with electric bikes is that they have attracted a whole new demographic who no longer have springy bones and they are doing themselves serious injury when they fall off their bikes.

I think you are imaging problems what aren't actually there.

I'm not entirely sure why someone would transport an electric bike by car. There are better options like folding bikes, (even electric ones) and such.

Electric bikes IMO are mainly used by commuters who want to take some of the effort out of the commute or make a longer commute more doable on a daily basis.

Some more detail on the bike here..
http://www.vienna.at/folkvaenlig-das-e-bike-von-ikea-im-test/4068908

http://www.vienna.at/folkvaenlig-das-e-bike-von-ikea-im-test/4068908

mcgratheoin

harringtonp wrote: »

There would be a huge market for light road bikes with a small motor that would help equalize levels in group spins

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/reviews/this-is-what-its-like-to-ride-a-bike-with-a-hidden-motor

737max

beauf wrote: »

I think you are imaging problems what aren't actually there.

I'm not entirely sure why someone would transport an electric bike by car. There are better options like folding bikes, (even electric ones) and such.

Electric bikes IMO are mainly used by commuters who want to take some of the effort out of the commute or make a longer commute more doable on a daily basis.

Some more detail on the bike here..
http://www.vienna.at/folkvaenlig-das-e-bike-von-ikea-im-test/4068908

http://www.vienna.at/folkvaenlig-das-e-bike-von-ikea-im-test/4068908

No, my Colleagues and Neighbours are buying them here and they are using them for leisure, not everyday transport.
All the students in the city are zooming around on tatty unassisted bikes and the working public generally only take public transport with a bike locked up at the train station for the last KM.

beauf

737max wrote: »

No, my Colleagues and Neighbours are buying them here and they are using them for leisure, not everyday transport.
All the students in the city are zooming around on tatty unassisted bikes and the working public generally only take public transport with a bike locked up at the train station for the last KM.

More than 12,000 cyclists a day commute into Dublin city

If you look at electric bikes, MTB and Fast light bikes are very much the minority. Most are heavy duty commuters. What they are selling
(I assume) reflects what people are buying.

brocbrocach

beauf wrote: »

I think you are imaging problems what aren't actually there.

I'm not entirely sure why someone would transport an electric bike by car. There are better options like folding bikes, (even electric ones) and such.

Electric bikes IMO are mainly used by commuters who want to take some of the effort out of the commute or make a longer commute more doable on a daily basis.

Some more detail on the bike here..
http://www.vienna.at/folkvaenlig-das-e-bike-von-ikea-im-test/4068908

http://www.vienna.at/folkvaenlig-das-e-bike-von-ikea-im-test/4068908

Almost every 'grey nomad' camper van you see tootling around the country has an electric bike on a carrier on the back. Drive your house to a beautiful part of the country and then do a cycle your old bones can handle around said beauty spot. The continent is hopping with them.

737max

You are arguing that what I'm seeing is not what I'm seeing.
well-to-do people and especially older well-to-do older people here are returning to biking on pedelecs.
The reports I've seen on German TV shows they are causing unexpected visits to hospitals becuase the old people keep falling off and breaking themselves.
Most pedelecs here are 1200 to 1400 euro and nasty chinese 2-stroke mopeds can be bought for 800 in the same supermarkets.

Wheety

How fast do these go with the motor? Sorry if it's answered on one of the linked websites.

beauf

Wheety wrote: »

How fast do these go with the motor? Sorry if it's answered on one of the linked websites.

25

beauf

brocbrocach wrote: »

Almost every 'grey nomad' camper van you see tootling around the country has an electric bike on a carrier on the back. Drive your house to a beautiful part of the country and then do a cycle your old bones can handle around said beauty spot. The continent is hopping with them.

I've never done an anecdotal visual study of camper vans across Europe.

The Ikea non-electric bike might reflect cycling trends across Europe, I've never only ever seen one on the road here.

I reckon thats because its expensive for so basic a bike.

737max wrote: »

You are arguing that what I'm seeing is not what I'm seeing.
well-to-do people and especially older well-to-do older people here are returning to biking on pedelecs.
The reports I've seen on German TV shows they are causing unexpected visits to hospitals becuase the old people keep falling off and breaking themselves.
Most pedelecs here are 1200 to 1400 euro and nasty chinese 2-stroke mopeds can be bought for 800 in the same supermarkets.

I dunno what other experience, I should use. I've been window shopping for one for a long time. I've just never seen what you're describing here in the shops. So if its big here I dunno where they are selling them. I've seen one electric Dutch bike, but it was imported.

Perhaps there are some stats on eBike sales.

brocbrocach

beauf wrote: »

I've never done an anecdotal visual study of camper vans across Europe.

I have, and the answer is 1.29

recedite

737max wrote: »

The reports I've seen on German TV shows they are causing unexpected visits to hospitals becuase the old people keep falling off and breaking themselves.

Cycling is not just for young people, and electric bikes are not any more dangerous than standard bikes.
Lots of people only get into cycling in middle age because they have had to give up on other sports after wrecking their joints during their youth.

petethedrummer

tomasrojo wrote: »

Yeah, I'd heard that sales were very high in the Netherlands and Germany. Didn't know they were that high. I saw some stats that suggested that electric bikes have devoured the market for what we call mopeds.

I'm in Switzerland and electric bikes are very popular, I was kinda surprised. It is very warm here in the summer and it means people can get to work with less sweating. Lots of people cycle them to work here on non-mountainous routes.

gaffmaster

A friend of mine has Swiss relatives in their 60's. His auntie and uncle ride up hills together. Him on his road bike, her on her electric bike. He's an experienced rider, she isn't, but they get to ride together and I think that's great.

737max

recedite wrote: »

Cycling is not just for young people, and electric bikes are not any more dangerous than standard bikes.
Lots of people only get into cycling in middle age because they have had to give up on other sports after wrecking their joints during their youth.

This report which is in German disagrees.

peasant

737max wrote: »

This report which is in German disagrees.

Baaah...Germans ...they like to be alarmist and they like something to worry about (and possibly create new rules for) I am German...I'm allowed saying that

Yes, e-bikes enable people who wouldn't/couldn't ride a regular bike to keep on or to re-pick up cycling.
Yes, some of them are going to have an accident with their bike and the frailer/more unfit they are the worse the consequences are going to be.

But ...e-bikes enable people who wouldn't / couldn't ride a regular bike to cycle ...and for the vast majority of them that's a very positive thing, keeping them fitter and more active for longer.
And I'm not just talking about old(er) people ...lots of unfit young(er) people out there as well.


and to come back tho the IKEA bike:
The OP mentioned something about it being foldable ...so I don't think that's the same bike as linked to in the second post, or is it?

737max

My neighbour who will be married to his darling wife for 50 years next year has had his wrist bandaged for the last few weeks after a bicycle accident.
The bike is wrecked.
Old people take longer to heal.

tomasrojo

Speaking of which, Brompton's electric folder due out shortly. Very cleverly engineered, very expensive.

Patser

Would this/IKEA be available under bike to work scheme?

tomasrojo

I think the risks involved with pedelecs are maybe overstated. I'm sure there has been a large increase in older people being injured on them, because there's been a large increase in older people using pedelecs. Being active carries a risk of injury. Being inactive carries a much greater risk of earlier death.

If older people are being injured non-trivially because they're travelling at 25km/h when their reactions aren't up to it, that needs to be looked at, rather than lamenting the increase in use of pedelecs. Maybe just advise them to keep speeds to 15km/h or something.

737max

tomasrojo wrote: »

Maybe just advise them to keep speeds to 15km/h or something.

Getting my neighbour to dismount before crossing a zebra crossing would be a good start.

peasant

737max wrote: »

My neighbour who will be married to his darling wife for 50 years next year has had his wrist bandaged for the last few weeks after a bicycle accident.
The bike is wrecked.
Old people take longer to heal.

My dad, who had his golden wedding anniversary three years ago, overcame cancer two years ago, had a sore arse for three days
.... because he cycled 80 km to visit my brother and back home the next day on his e-bike.

He is in his late 70's, fitter than me and my inspiration to get an e-bike myself.

See a man of a mature vintage regularly enough heading for Tesco high vis and helmet and all on a route I take with the dog and wee one for a walk. Never paid any mind apart from fair play to him and chapeau never got a good look at what he was on . It was only the other day when I clocked him coming towards us at a fair tilt did I realise he actually had a very nice ebike.

Said before on here, if they get people like that or keep people like that on a bike they are a wonderful thing.

GreyEagle

I'm in my seventies and still managing my 5k+ every year. I see a time coming when an ebike would be just the thing for me. It would make climbing up to Bellewstown a little easier 😀

beauf

737max wrote: »

My neighbour who will be married to his darling wife for 50 years next year has had his wrist bandaged for the last few weeks after a bicycle accident.
The bike is wrecked.
Old people take longer to heal.

Bones and skin take longer to heal after about 30.

kyeev

This is the new bike.
Foldable which is very handy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBXGb7vR0Vc

kyeev

(This is the bike I tried out a couple of days ago in IKEA)

beauf

I think that might be an earlier concept. The one in the other video doesn't look fold-able. I could be wrong.

Any one spot many at sportive's ???? I've only rode one so can't say. Be great for participation on the 50-60km routes. Though you'd surely get a few who'd view them as motor doping :rolleyes:

shawnee

737max wrote: »

You're not looking at it right.
The weight that is important is the weight that can be lifted on and off a car boot mounted carrier i.e. the weight the car boot will support and the weight which a senior citizen can lift.

the big problem with electric bikes is that they have attracted a whole new demographic who no longer have springy bones and they are doing themselves serious injury when they fall off their bikes.

They are doing themselves a hell of a lot of good when they stay on them as of course most will do. Excercise fresh air etc

shawnee

737max wrote: »

My neighbour who will be married to his darling wife for 50 years next year has had his wrist bandaged for the last few weeks after a bicycle accident.
The bike is wrecked.
Old people take longer to heal.

A friend of mine tripped over the hoover and broke several bones, hoover is fine though.

plodder

737max wrote: »

You are arguing that what I'm seeing is not what I'm seeing.
well-to-do people and especially older well-to-do older people here are returning to biking on pedelecs.
The reports I've seen on German TV shows they are causing unexpected visits to hospitals becuase the old people keep falling off and breaking themselves.
Most pedelecs here are 1200 to 1400 euro and nasty chinese 2-stroke mopeds can be bought for 800 in the same supermarkets.

I noticed both of that in Germany last year, ie large number of older people on pedelecs, and one case of a woman falling off. I think the media are always going to emphasise the downsides though, and most of the elderly users that I saw, looked well fit enough to use them and were probably active enough all their lives.

rubadub

Patser wrote: »

Would this/IKEA be available under bike to work scheme?

more than likely. This is the irish law on pedelecs that qualify for the scheme.

‘ pedelec ’ means a bicycle or tricycle which is equipped with an auxiliary electric motor having a maximum continuous rated power of 0.25 kilowatts, of which output is progressively reduced and finally cut off as the vehicle reaches a speed of 25 kilometres per hour, or sooner if the cyclist stops pedalling;

I am still not sure if that is a legal requirement for all pedelecs on the road. I saw some article suggesting there might be no explicit speed limit in Irish law -but that the 25km/h is EU regulation.

tomasrojo wrote: »

If older people are being injured non-trivially because they're travelling at 25km/h when their reactions aren't up to it, that needs to be looked at, rather than lamenting the increase in use of pedelecs. Maybe just advise them to keep speeds to 15km/h or something.

It would be good if you could set the limit lower as to when assistance stops.

People go on about people whizzing around on ebikes, if it is the usual one restricted to 25km/hr then it is sort of self regulating, once higher than that speed the power cuts out and you are left with a heavy bike which is hard to build up any more speed on.

homer911

rubadub wrote: »

It would be good if you could set the limit lower as to when assistance stops.

Effectively you can by choosing a lower level of assistance - yes its not the same thing, but it does require you to work harder

peasant

kyeev wrote: »

(This is the bike I tried out a couple of days ago in IKEA)

Looks like a pretty decent piece of kit for the money. A bike that folds without being dinky like pretty much every other folding bike I've ever seen...worth a second look.

The battery, both size and position is something I'd like to know more about though.
First of all, it seems to make it impossible to put a rack on this bike...no biggie...but some people likes their racks.
Secondly, it looks a bit small, so capacity (and therefore range) might not be all that much.

Personally, I'd like to take it for a test drive before committing to an opinion.
Hub motors can be a bit weak on hills. Now, lots of hub motors comply with the 250 W nominal power regulation while still putting out enough peak power to get you up a hill comfortably and without overheating.
This one though (just going by optics) looks a bit small and might lack the ooomph.

direstraits

Anyone have a link for the bike on IKEA website? I had a quick browse but I couldn't see the folding bike

peasant

In this video you can get a pretty good look at the writing on the battery.

It says 36V, 8.7Ah, 313Wh.

That's pretty low... most entry level batteries these days have 10.4Ah /370 Wh, good ones have 13 Ah/ ~500 Wh or more ...but then again, a replacement battery there costs as much as the whole Ikea bike:D

I'd say (I'd guess..could be wrong) the Ikea bike battery would give a range of roundabout 30+ km on average...probably enough for a folding bike.
Perhaps there will be an option for a bigger battery...but then again, it's awkwardly placed...this battery might be all there is room for

magicbastarder

Patser wrote: »

Would this/IKEA be available under bike to work scheme?

i think this might have come up before, and iirc there was scepticism as ikea might not issue invoices to enable the btw transaction? i probably remember that incorrectly.

recedite

peasant wrote: »

In this video you can get a pretty good look at the writing on the battery.

It says 36V, 8.7Ah, 313Wh.

Also it says 10A "continuous discharge" and 13a for short bursts or "pulse discharge".
As watts = amps x volts, that indicates 468W as the maximum theoretical power for the first 10 minutes of your spin (36V x 13A) .
360W for continous discharge.
The stated 313Wh on the battery corresponds to the 8.7A at 36V so I think that means it should be able to average 313 watts over the hour.

The Nissan Leaf car uses a lithium ion battery too, so they are a good battery.

By way of comparison, Chris Froome's max power output has been rated at 525W. So combined with your own measly power output, that extra 313W from the battery should help bridge the gap. Although his bike is a good bit lighter than the Ikea pedelec, which means he will still beat you on a hill

Mr. Grieves

homer911 wrote: »

Effectively you can by choosing a lower level of assistance - yes its not the same thing, but it does require you to work harder

There's no artificial limit on how fast you can go down a hill...