A Little Help RE E Bikes

brianregan09 · 04-08-2021 6:53pm #1

Hi all

I'm a cystic fibrosis sufferer and I'm thinking about getting a E-Bicycle , because I need to do exercise and I absolutely abhor walking , so Cycling would suit me better , but alas I'm terrible fitness wise so most inclines would do me in fairly fast (at 1st) but I want to get an ebike which will help me slowly build back up my leg muscles and chest aswell

I have seen the prices and some of them are absolutely mad upwards 1K , I'm just wondering can someone point me in the direction of a budget alternative or give me some advice on the subject I'm living in Limerick

magicbastarder · 04-08-2021 10:26pm

decathlon would probably be as cheap as you'd get one where you've some sort of support in case of issues - albeit quite a distance from you in case you do need support. they're not cheap, this is true, anything under 1k is not going to be particularly high quality.

the great thing about cycling though is you're free to set your own pace, lest you wanted to try a normal bike and stick it in an easy gear so you don't tax yourself?

brianregan09 · 04-08-2021 10:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117707565#Comment_117707565

Thanks checked out decathlon , will keep an eye out though I'm mostly doing a bit of research first , Had a regular bicycle and where I live is surrounded by hills so find it very hard to go anywhere unfortunately

AndrewJRenko · 05-08-2021 1:06pm

Not sure that you're going to have much luck finding anything half decent below €1k. If you have access to the Bike to Work scheme, that can ease the pain.

Is there any way you could get up to the Bike Hub at Dun laoghaire harbour and check out the options there? You could try to Moby hire eBike too.

Jonesy101 · 06-08-2021 9:01am

For some reason e bikes are madly expensive, way more than 1k from what ive seen, more like 3k which is more expensive than a moped or e moped. A eScooter is only 3-400 so why are bikes nearly 10x that price!? You could go down the fold up chinese brand e bike that are for sale on adverts etc. I think theyre more like 1k.

homer911 · 06-08-2021 9:26am

Halfords are also an option for budget ebikes, other than that you are looking at donedeals or adverts. Are you able to avail of the bike to work scheme, or perhaps someone in your family can on your behalf.

There are many companies such as Axa that offer 10% discount in halfords which could help

As a reluctant exerciser I can definitely recommend an ebike

smacl · 06-08-2021 3:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117713869#Comment_117713869

Got my daughter a Pendleton Sommerby e-bike a few weeks ago, primarily intended as a school commuter for when they go back. She's loving it so far. Big heavy Dutch style step through bike with panniers, very stable and stylish but functional. Cost ~ €1.2k which seems reasonable for what it is. Only quibble is it has rim brakes where I'd prefer disc in this setup. The sub €1k e-bikes seem to have a relatively short range by comparison (max 20 miles versus max 50 miles) and I'd guess that would drop further as battery wears out over time.

brianregan09 · 06-08-2021 4:19pm

Was on another forum and a lot of people seem to be recommending the Samebike l206 and it's going for around 800 euro , think in the next few weeks I'm going to look at it closely seems to fit what I'm looking for

alot pointing me towards Aliexpress for it too

smacl · 06-08-2021 4:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117716244#Comment_117716244

Top speed of 45kph in unassisted mode makes this an electric moped rather than e-bike so legally would require a driving license, tax and insurance. Folding MTB with suspension forks is also a lot to ask for the money, so I'd wonder about the quality. Looks like great craic for all that, but when the price seems too good to be true, it usually is. Be interested to hear how you get on with it if you go for it. Edit, see it's also listed on Amazon.co.uk with mixed reviews, https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/reviews/B084FD3PX1

brianregan09 · 06-08-2021 10:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117716351#Comment_117716351

That wouldn't really bother me , as I'm living in the middle of nowhere and I'm only going to be taking it out 3 or 4 times a week out local and I definitely don't plan to be going those speeds at all

Have watched tonnes of reviews in the last few days on youtube on it and it looks good , i'm still not 100% what to get yet , but that one is certainly standing out to me at the moment , as I said budget is a massive issue more than most things

smacl · 07-08-2021 8:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117717713#Comment_117717713

Cool, keep us posted on how you get on. I've seen a few fatbike versions of an ebike similar to this locally and they do seem like great fun.

Rechuchote · 07-08-2021 10:14am

Most ebikes are awfully heavy - it's all very well to have pedal assist, but you're going to be heaving along a 20kg+ bike during the times you're on the flat and otherwise unassisted.

magicbastarder · 07-08-2021 10:20am

i'd be very wary about buying an e-bike over the internet if there are concerns about reliability and no bike shops nearby who might be able to service it for you. i know that doesn't help you, OP, but it seems you're kinda stuck otherwise?

Rechuchote · 07-08-2021 10:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117718977#Comment_117718977

Yes. Met a woman in the park who'd bought an ebike and the company (in Ireland) went out of business. It later started having battery problems. She said she brought it to the main ebike shop in the city and they said that they hadn't sold it and so wouldn't mend it.

Large bottle small glass · 07-08-2021 10:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117717713#Comment_117717713

I'm not sure AliExpress price of €800 will end up being just €800. Do your research on customs charges etc.

That price for a bike with fork and frame suspension along with motor/battery couldn't be great quality.

Do a bit of research on replacement parts also before you buy.

brianregan09 · 07-08-2021 1:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117719073#Comment_117719073

There sold through the EU (afaik there coming from poland) as I said I've watched tonnes of reviews on youtube , from people in ireland aswell , but yeah either way I won't be rushing into anything that's why I'm making posts like this to gather as much advice as possible from as many sources

I think the internet argument is a bit moot though , as an above poster said even if you buy something from a shop , a shop can go out of business and your taking a chance on anything really , most of the stuff I've looked up you can buy loads of spares etc

also thank you everyone for all your advice so far :)

Flinty997 · 09-08-2021 11:53am

If it were me I'd just buy something in Halfords that they can service. I'd stick to the Carrera brand as its much better than the Apollo one. Best one is meant to be the Crossfuse but its 2k.

Most decent eBikes are over 1K. Buying something cheaper I would concern that if it breaks you might struggle to get it fixed.

Ferris · 09-08-2021 9:48pm

As you want to exercise you would probably be best off with a bike with torque rather than cadence sensing. Torque sensing means that the motor takes your torque input and multiplies it. Advantages are that the bike will behave more like a traditional pushbike, just with more power. Generally these bike have a mid drive motor around the bottom bracket so they utilise the gears meaning they can climb pretty much anything. Disadvantage is that they are generally more expensive. Bosch / Yamaha / Shimano are the most popular drive systems. I have a bosch. The latest bosch active line plus motors are supposed to be excellent.

Cadence sensing in normally a feature of hub drive bikes. Many people are happy with these but I didn't like the feel of the ones I've ridden - personal preference really. Cadence sensing just matches the rotations put in at the pedals. This means that they will provide assistance if you just spin the pedals not putting any pressure through the cranks. They are generally the cheaper ebikes that are available but as always there are exceptions.

I would trial a few different types and see what you like. Greenaer in Athlone or Dublin are excellent. Ebikes are great, so good I sold the car.

Darkglasses · 10-08-2021 3:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117718977#Comment_117718977

Yeah +1 for me on that. There was a video doing the rounds a while ago of a Deliveroo guy who's e-Bike battery went on fire on the street. Slightly terrifying thought to have such a thing happen in your house. I'm sure there's deals out there, but if it were me I'd stay within reputable sellers.

https://www.facebook.com/102360858434772/videos/524732312256100

brianregan09 · 11-09-2021 9:46pm

Okay so finally an update on this

A bit of a story so in my hunt for knowledge about these, I came across a grant scheme being run by Cystic Fibrosis Ireland worth 1500 euro's towards an E-bike with 20 places , so sent in an application and lo and behold I got selected as one of the 20 getting it , Bikes were supplied by E-bikes in Ireland in Kilkenny including a free lock and a helmet , so all you had to do was front up the rest and answer questions about my experience with it every month so that hopefully by the end of the 12 months they can extend the scheme and a bigger scale to more CF sufferers in Ireland

Sooooo today on our 2nd trip to E-bikes Ireland in Kilkenny who were absolutely brilliant I picked up a Gepida Reptilla 1000 E-bike worth 2.400 and only spent 900.00 and it's a fantastic bicycle brand new and tomorrow I'm going out for the 1st time so yeah absolutely buzzing with how everything turned out :)

brianregan09 · 13-09-2021 6:50pm

Thanks :)

Went out for the 1st time yesterday and did the local loop of the villiage about 2/3 miles maybe not 100% sure but it was great , we're up on a hill so the leaving the village was easy but coming back was tough , but in no hurry so took breaks when needed and hopefully build my self up to get better

Ferris · 14-09-2021 11:40am

Well done for getting out! Have to say I'm impressed with the sound of that scheme from CF Irl.

You probably need to get accustomed to gears etc. on the bike. Just a quick note about cadence, most mid-motors have an ideal cadence range. Too low and they get bogged down and you'll struggle and too high and you'll just spin away and get breathless. My bike likes a steady cadence - probably about 75-85 RPM - where the motor isn't struggling and I'm not spinning too quickly. Like all bikes - if you get tired, drop the gears and stay in the comfortable cadence range. That bike will climb like a goat, its just a question of speed and where you feel comfortable.

brianregan09 · 14-09-2021 8:48pm

Yeah it's a pilot scheme they're giving to 20 people and if it's a success they hope to extend it , I have to do monthly surveys on usage and such but I've no problem doing that at all

and yeah the bike is excellent for going up the hills it's more like you said finding the sweet spot , i find on a straight I'm flying it so far and getting used to the inclines it's only the really steep ones i'm finding troublesome but that's more my own fitness (lack of ) which i'm sure will come in time

A Little Help RE E Bikes

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