The eBike thread

Bilbo65

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117044002#Comment_117044002

How did the Cube work out for you now that you have had a few months to enjoy it? I looking at something similar but the wait times are awful now, around mid-November for new stock☹️

irishgrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117735209#Comment_117735209

I'll jump in on this. I got a cube nature one 500 last year and love it. Wonderful bike. Have you called around dealers. This is what I did and found one in stock.

Bilbo65

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117741948#Comment_117741948

Thanks, I have been dealing with the LBS. I'm looking for a Touring Hybrid Exec 625 so maybe it's time I cast the net a little wider.

jon1981

Any Kuma M1 owners in here? Curious what reliability is like as there's not alot of reviews online given they are relatively new. I'm also wondering what parts replacement is like. The battery design looks very bespoke so wondering if replacements would be possible should Kuma seize to exist.

leche solara

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117762006#Comment_117762006

I have a Kuma M1 just over 7 weeks and love it. I've had no trouble whatsoever so far and it's 6 week checkup revealed no problems. I'm getting more than 100km from a battery charge but exactly how many kilometers I'm not sure as I charge the battery when it's down to one bar as I don't want to run out if I'm far from home. To be honest I haven't given a thought to replacement parts, but maybe it's something I should have considered. The quality of the bike is superb and the other Kumas I've seen in the shop also look to be of a high standard. The folding F1 looks really nice. Because of the quality I'm hopeful that the company will thrive and replacement parts won't be a worry.

jon1981

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117764058#Comment_117764058

Sorry, didn't mean to cause any doubt in your mind. I actually test rode one a few weeks back and it felt solid and quality. I'm just thinking down the line because I'll likely be doing 60-70km daily so it will be getting a lot of use!

DaveyDave

Anyone know how to calculate the cost of charging batteries?

My electricity bill this month is huge, last summer was 220kWh now it's 339kWh. The only thing that has changed is using a fan more due to the heat (although I sleep with a fan for 2-3 hours most nights all year with minimal cost), my ebike and a robot mower. Maybe solar generation is down although we only have 1.2kW so it doesn't save much off the bills.

Didn't notice a spike in my bill when I got my ebike back in April when charging 2-3 times a week so I'm narrowing it down to the fan or the mower.

The robot mower is 20v, 2.0Ah. One calculator online says it's 75 cent to charge at my unit rate, which would be about €30 a month when used daily.

stronglikebull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117767475#Comment_117767475

Power * Time * Unit cost.

For a typical scooter, maybe 250Wh battery, that's 1/4 of a unit to charge. Assuming a unit cost of 20c, then it's 5c per charge, and if you charge 4 times a week that would only use 4 units a month. Your bill is up over 120 units, so unless you charge the scooter 10 times a day, it ain't that.

A rotary fan might be 100W, mine is, so running that 10 hours a day would use 1 unit (0.1kW*10h is 1kWh), and if running every day would use 30 units in a month.

A robot mower might have a 30Wh battery, which is 30 charges to use a single unit. How many times a day does it recharge? I can't see it using more than 10kWh a month, so you still need to account for about 90 units.

Any chance you or a household member are working from home? My nephew lives with me for the last few months, working at home half the week, and electricity usage has gone from 10kWh a day to about 13. That's 90 units a month on my bill anyway. My own laptop is about 200W, if running that for 10 hours a day it would make about 60kWh a month.

Bigus

Advice please on converting a Road bike to electric.

I have experience in using a Bosch mid drive motor with a 400 wh battery on a hybrid factory build. I can still get 60 to 90 km out of this , even after 5 years, however I want to go a lot further (and back!)

I like mid drive motors but I don’t think my large bottom bracket carbon frame is suitable, along with the drawback of more drag on mid drive than hub motors when above cut out speed or dead battery.

so I think I need a 700 c Rear , hub drive motor and wheel combination , I’m not bothered that a 500 W motor may not be legal.

long distance is my goal , and I’m not overly bothered about looks, so a 1000 wh battery or a lot larger .

id like to have a range of 200km -250km flat.

im not overly cost conscious ( but I won’t be buying an 8k synapse bike) so , it’d be nice to walk into real shop and pick up components in Ireland (or NI)

I’ll go down the eBay.de route, if necessary but I keep getting USA vendors on .de.

Closest I can find is this wheel ,

I’ve yet to pick a battery.

All help appreciated, and I’m not adverse to paying a boardsie a fee for procurement .

https://www.ebay.de/itm/143647137468?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D233907%26meid%3D9a6e289eed0049a98ae90ea24da46e4e%26pid%3D101195%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D274848975764%26itm%3D143647137468%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv9PairwiseWithPLXWeb&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum%3A1436471374689a6e289eed0049a98ae90ea24da46e4e%7Cenc%3AAQAGAAACADKJeEsB2hSlHe%252Bu4lDHd1%252FRMIPKJ0lK6k9P%252FTz71JZvERA3YY0kUQy7bdq64w79WEHVugbfhJWRW71f3%252FwReunH4EZR1%252BTUlGJEBkWgsr5OKZtg4IRbmEX507X5FjNloxQsxNl7G%252BieTF3hr1By8pbbwtiiSgjIRydxVGUT%252BpkS96E3zzdQrGIbgr33k2Poy2913sRG4ScciYH3FBXACfinjIUsERCzbOvhEpvsUct6r0mIzcXAdau3T9cNzWy91fCrOFYuOO4bwURiDg%252FF%252F9obhLAD43PV0ifeAsHX3qIbJUON2W%252Fagq4oq%252BBcRy89l52DKWHUzsJZMAV%252F7r8ApAlNZLW2Ya%252FD3bE5wEBNy36v4zMJXbm0ovnk%252ByqVJg5Nc1Nba%252BYMekpj8rcBfRDFQp%252BIB8nlvVl%252Fo3tRRrLjnwJ4bBQzZKNt%252BvL%252F3oxcJGpDunIZBWb5g5odRT4q8n%252B7ilFbMEvpfSd91Q71eW25xtBseNuZHYsQrgHR%252B9vgyedLf3Wzhy55YGvXGissZtWL1K6lX7%252B1hA2fGz2%252BwiGcE57zsfL3apHQgNTDNZFvKlS2iVygjK%252BXHkWXk0Ze28y9B1gBvTNMAWIOA2x1EUzRrRXO%252FkPD856Zf%252FRsnHtuBL2YXxCuMg9XxmUJsNGuKyqdX3nuPTOhhiriXLCkVVsDecAr%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2047675

Joe1919

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117788787#Comment_117788787

It can be done. I bought twice from Yosepower (Germany) with no problems, so here's my suggestion.

Motor 350w 32km/hr 700c rear wheel 36 volt. (Casette version I presume but freewheel version also available)

https://yosepower.com/collections/e-bike-conversion-kit/products/36v-350w-26-27-5-28-rear-motor-kit-for-cassette?variant=34417966153863

Battery. Going on your figures, you will need 1400 watts plus. You may have to consider consider buying two batteries and changing mid way or wiring in parallel e.g. example 2 x 740 w below or batteries of your choice. Some wiring and power connectors may be required.

https://yosepower.com/collections/e-bike-battery/products/36v20ah-48v15ah-li-ion-battery

This setup should come in total around 750 euro. The batteries are heavy (4kg each) so including motor, you could well add an additional 12kg weight to bike.

Bigus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117791058#Comment_117791058

Great thanks Joe , Yosepower came up in my search as a likely candidate, thanks for your input it’s so helpful to hear from real experiences and exactly the type of response I was hoping for , and not the usual “why don’t you buy a motorbike if your doing 200km !”

I’ve lost 30 kg of body fat recently so putting 12 kg of electrics back , won’t kill this bike or frame !

DaveyDave

I was on Fazua's website looking at the guide for adjusting the settings of the assistance levels, max power is 250w by default but it says it will do 300w continuous, I must look into this. That would be a nice bump in power.

spalpeen

Anyone know what the kuma f1 is like to cycle without engaging the motor or throttle? Just pedalling

BoardsMember

Started shopping around for ebike for herself. Local bike shops, Rathgar area.

Are there some min specs people would advise, as in, torque, battery size? Anything else?

She's light and fit, wants help with 20km flattish commute. May do further day trips. I just dont want to make a noob mistake I regret as soon as I know a bit more.

She test drove a few today, likes the hub driven ones. Also keen on hydraulic brakes. Is the Kuma S2 a good option?

DaveyDave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117808736#Comment_117808736

If she's light, fit and it's a flat 20km I'd say she's better off just getting a nice road bike for the money? I think an ebike would be underutilized by someone fit and on a relatively short and flat commute.

I used to commute 20km a day, a few months on a mountain bike then switched to a road bike and I was absolutely flying along. Super agile and quick, effortless to get up to speed and easy up the hills. I was going further and faster without much effort and the road bike was just as comfortable.

Bigus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117809582#Comment_117809582

E-bike makes wind and rain and hills a lot more bearable , and you can wear heavy clothes in the winter without sweating.

DaveyDave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117813119#Comment_117813119

Of course but someone who's cycling 20km who's fit and light won't have any issues with a road bike. Assuming this is a 20km round trip and not 20km each way.

My current commute is 35km with lots of hills and traffic lights and I'm not as fit as I used to be so I have an ebike for that. Just thought it's worth considering a decent road bike.

BoardsMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117814239#Comment_117814239

She's converting to ebike as she's been in and out of town for 30 years on a bike and just wants to make it easier. She'd have panniers full of stuff all the time.

Krusty_Clown

Hoping to EV-up my MTB (Canyon Grand Canyon hardtail) at some stage, as I'm interested in the occasional blast in the trails (which are a good 26k round-trip away). Would I be right in saying that for this kind of use case a mid-drive motor would be the best fit to distribute the weight more evenly? Any suggestions for a motor/battery that would fit this profile - i.e.26-30k round trip + Three Rock type climb?

BoardsMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117808736#Comment_117808736

Interested to hear any observations on the Kuna S2 or specs for what I should be considering as min requirements.

Mousewar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117762006#Comment_117762006

I've an M1 too. Had it a few months now and love it. Took a ride on my normal bike to remind myself just how much the bike is giving you. It's a pleasure to cycle and zero maintainance issues. Essentially, most of the bike can be serviced by normal cycle shops but yes, you might be left high and dry if the battery or motor had a problem should Kuma not exist.

D n G

We're hoping to move from Dublin to the country in the next while and I'm hoping to buy an EBike to get around. Where we are looking at moving to is quite hilly and I am starting my research into the world of eBikes. I was having a deck at these two earlier and was wondering if anyone had any knowledge of them. Bearing in mind that I haven't cycled in about 30 years and am quite unfit.

I can't post links but the bikes are (1) RKS GF25 - 250W Fusion Mid Motor, 13Ah LG Battery e-Touring bike and (2) RKS T7 - 250W 10.4Ah eMTB Electric Bike

Greatful for any help or pointers in what to look for.

Voguementol

I was first thinking of the Pembleton Somerby bike but then thought it might be too heavy. Im now considering a Orbea Optima e50. Ive just realised though it has an integrated battery and i think that will be a problem as i wont be able to take out the battery and charge it at work. I want to use the bike to cycle to work about 3 times a week. its 7 km approx each way. Mostly straight but maybe one biggish hill and one long slow incline. Im really put off by the fact now i cant charge it at work as i can see myself forgetting to charge it at home and then being stuck walking it up the hill.

Does anyone have any views on this bike and if the integrated battery is a hassle? Is it expensive to run an ebike? I read the Pembleton can do 60 miles but it seems the Orbea is only around 30 miles. I want a bike that is step through, easy to charge, and will get me up the hill without too much of a struggle, speed is not important, upright sitting bike would be good and comfortable too. I really want to make the right decision on this. My budget could stretch to over 2200 or so. Also anyone try the orbea e40 is that any better? Its just the integrated battery that is really putting me off Orbea. Any advice appreciated. Reposting this as i posted it elsewhere and no response :(

druss

This is almost certainly a repeat question, but searching "in thread" has become very problematic on "new" boards.

I inherited a cargo ebike from a friend and ended up not using it much or taking care of battery maintenance. Basically, battery has been tested and can't be salvaged or rebuilt.

Is there any easy website to check battery compatability?

It's a Troy, which probably means no direct replacements in Ireland. Like this one. My hope is just to restore it to full working order and move it on.

tinner777

lads who have kuma bikes, don't laugh!!. Did you get an instruction book? What buttons do what? When you start the power, lights etc.. Plus service intervals.

Thanks,

Tinner

leche solara

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117907812#Comment_117907812

No I didn't get an instruction manual which was a bit disappointing and not very professional. A long press of the power button turns it on/off. A long press of the up arrow turns the lights on/off. Holding the up and down arrows at the same time brings you into another screen where the trip distance can be reset to zero. Don't think there's much else. In the shop I bought my M1 I was told to bring it back for a check-up after 6 weeks. When I did they made some minor adjustments and told me too bring it back again when it was 6 months old. That will be December.

garson001

Hello lads.

I need an advice for affordable ebike (up to lets say 1300e). I live in Dublin, and would use it to bike to work couple of times per week.

Also, I plan to use bike to work scheme. What's really important for me is possibility to normally pedal without assistance (and no resistance from motor).

I tested Kuma bike R1 several days ago, it's really nice but figured out it's expensive for how much I would use it.

So these are some models I found available in Ireland:

1.RadMission

Pros: Good price, solid brand, good quality, not too heave (22kg)

Cons(Concerns): single speed, non hydraulic disc brakes, accessories (mudguards etc) bought separately

2.Carrera Subway E

Pros: Good price, hydraulic brakes, light (18 kg), 9 gears

Cons(Concerns): no mudguards etc, probably sold separately

3.Samebike L026

Pros: Good price, a lot of features (foldable, suspension etc.)

Cons(Concerns): heavy (~28kg), not sure if possible to buy with bike to work scheme (is it EU legal?)

Also, I've came across Apache ebikes (Czech brand) with good price (for example Tuwan E5) but not sure if possible to buy with bike to work scheme, and no reviews.

Thanks in advance! 😇

DaveyDave

Don't bother with suspension. It will just make the bike heavier than it needs to be and cheaper suspension forks tend to crap out after a few years. Nothing wrong with a rigid fork, if you could get a carbon fork that would smoothen some vibrations a little or save some budget for wider tyres for more comfort.

garson001

Thanks DaveyDave.

So, Samebike goes out of the list, and I am down to RadMission vs Carrera.

Carrera is 4kg lighter than RadMission, but Rad has better battery.

Any thoughts on RadMission vs Carrera? 😊

Krusty_Clown

So, I've decided to go with a CYC X1 Stealth motor, on my MTB. It's 10-12 weeks delivery time, so that's how long I've got to source a battery. Suggested specs are 52v and 17+Ah. Any suggestions on where to source this kind of battery? CYC do sell 52V batteries, but they are massive (I'd be worried about attaching them to the frame mount points) and are 8-12Ah. Fasterbikes.eu sells a 52v 17Ah, but it's crazy money (€780) and crazy delivery fee (€150).

The various Amazon sites have a number of options of decent ergonomic profile 52v 17Ah batteries, in the €300-€600 price region, but while they claim to use Samsung cells, they don't really have any reviews to speak of, so could be dodgy. Are there any other recommended options for sourcing this kind of spec battery? I'm not in the build-your-own battery category at this stage, but perhaps in the future.