The eBike thread

HeidiHeidi · 22-07-2022 11:41PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119371477#Comment_119371477

Exactly I have done for the last two years.

eeloe · 25-07-2022 10:29AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119367943#Comment_119367943

Brilliant, i originally wanted a Super73, but just couldn't justify the stretch to it.

The Vanmoof s5 had too much lead time, so i eventually had to settle for the Rad Power.

Was in holland for the last week and i saw so many 73's and Moof's, i'm actually regretting my purchase now.

jill_valentine · 25-07-2022 11:29AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119375177#Comment_119375177

Non runner for me I'm afraid. For now it's bike specific insurance or bust.

So insurance that covers for outside storage seems to be effectively unavailable at the moment, or at least it's not offered online as far as I can find.

Bellie1 · 26-07-2022 08:37AM

Are disc brakes a must on an e bike? Will be cycling in even the most torrential rain . City driving so won't ever be going flat out because of lights, potholes, lack of cycle lanes etc

Also how often do motors have to be serviced? Is it important to see if local bike shop can service motor when considering which bike to buy

magicbastarder · 26-07-2022 09:02AM

discs are good, but if you're not travelling very fast there's not much to choose between rim brake and disc brakes.

bear in mind that if you're doing city centre cycling, disc pads are more likely to get contaminated, by grease and oil etc. kicked up off the road; and this can have a significant detrimental impact on braking performance, especially in the wet. they're not as easy to maintain as 'traditional' brakes.

Bellie1 · 26-07-2022 09:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119387935#Comment_119387935

Thanks for that . Am trying to decide between 2 bikes (2500 difference in price!) so glad the brakes isn't an issue in deciding. Any thoughts on a Forme e bike? There is no info online which makes me suspect

magicbastarder · 26-07-2022 09:52AM

unless there's someone here who has had experience with forme e-bikes, you may not have luck getting feedback.

DaveyDave · 26-07-2022 11:10AM

€2,500 difference in price leads me to believe they're two completely different bikes?

I would highly recommend discs if you're planning on commuting in Winter. Rim brakes work fine in the wet with the right set of brake pads but the grit/dirt from Winter roads will mean regularly cleaning the rim surface every few days and depending on the distance you're doing it's very annoying.

Bellie1 · 26-07-2022 11:16AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388496#Comment_119388496

Yeah one is a tern and the other a Forme. Both are folding e bikes btw. Distance will generally be only 2 journeys of 2 miles a day so nothing significant. I never had to clean rims of regular bike and never had issue braking(except when pads were worn). But faster speed of electric bike may mean need to keep whichever brakes clean. I've had 2 contradictory opinions now, I hate forums 🙂

magicbastarder · 26-07-2022 11:18AM

i used to commute across the city centre on a (non-ebike) with disc brakes, and depending on the pads*, contamination can render them nearly useless in the wet. used to be the back brake which suffered most, thankfully, presumably due to spray from the front wheel which would make its way onto the rear disc.

*i binned a set of barely used BBB branded pads because they were dangerous, and could not be decontaminated.

getoutadodge · 28-07-2022 06:23AM

Mine are traditional rim pads and are fine. No cleaning ever needed just periodic adjustment as they wear in the old fashioned way. The higher speeds overall means this adjustment and pad replacement is more frequent though. Disk brakes just mean more yet unnecessary complications. When they have problems yet more money. Keep it simple.

copeyhagen · 08-08-2022 01:51PM

hey folks, i have a Cannondale treadwell eq 7 speed, thinking of converting to a hub driven setup myself.

i havent much of a clue about e-bikes, just few questions:

is 1000w motor sufficient?

am i better off buying an off the shelf kit? chinese setups are ok?! any recommendations?

the bike has 27.5 wheels, would like to keep my original rim,i could keep my own cassette that way also. would a bike shop respoke it for me? have never respoked a wheel.

thanks folks!

Rob

unkel · 08-08-2022 01:58PM

Some bike shops re-lace a wheel and put your hub motor in it. But a lot of them don't as they are not insured to work on any (non standard) electric bikes. You will have to ring around. Far easier though to just buy a wheel with motor already in it as part of a complete kit. These kits are super easy to fit too.

jimmyjoe951 · 08-08-2022 02:17PM

Anyone know if super73 ebikes can be got through bike2work scheme, it says so here but no further info https://eu.super73.com/en-ie/pages/european-e-bike-subsidy-uk

DaveyDave · 08-08-2022 09:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119444885#Comment_119444885

Are you planning on riding it like a motorbike and doing 60kph? 1,000w is overkill if you're just looking for a pedal assist bike.

copeyhagen · 08-08-2022 10:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119446991#Comment_119446991

most the kits i was looking at today seemed to have both, PA and a throttle. 1000w would be overkill, yeah? i would be more interested in the peddle assist alright, but handy to have the other also.

cheers.

magicbastarder · 08-08-2022 10:39PM

i think 1000W would put it far past even the (i think) upcoming speed pedelec category, so full moped or motorbike category. 250W is the limit for normal pedelecs.

to help visualise what 1000W means:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4O5voOCqAQ

Alkers · 08-08-2022 11:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119387935#Comment_119387935

I would completely disagree with this, I have found disc brakes to be almost maintenance free, perhaps an occasional bleed if they get a little.spongey.

It's also far more likely your wheel rim gets wet or contaminated than your disk rotor and I would expect disc brakes to outperform rim brakes in all conditions.

Motorcycles, mountain bikes all use discs and most road bikes going that way also. I'd take a rim brake on the rear wheel but front wheel disc needed if it were my choice.

Alkers · 08-08-2022 11:16PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119371613#Comment_119371613

I had a 5,500e electric mountain bike stolen and covered on the house insurance policy and it was only an extra 100e to include on the policy, which then went up by less than 150e following renewal after the claim

magicbastarder · 09-08-2022 08:31AM

where was it stolen from?

unkel · 09-08-2022 09:32AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119447878#Comment_119447878

Doesn't matter if it was a named all risk item on the house insurance. If he was cycling in Spain and the bike fell off a cliff into the sea, it would be covered. I do the same with watches. A luxury watch adds about €0.50 per €100 value to the annual premium.

eeloe · 09-08-2022 09:32AM

Is it possible to upgrade the 250w Motor in my Rad Rhino 6 plus?

The us model comes with a 750w, which seems to be much more suitable.

magicbastarder · 09-08-2022 09:33AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119448094#Comment_119448094

interesting, would be curious as to which insurance company that was; as mentioned, i've been quoted eye watering premiums in the past for a bike under all risks.

magicbastarder · 09-08-2022 09:35AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119448095#Comment_119448095

suitable for what? my wife's bike has a 250W motor and it is *more* than adequate.

i suspect upgrading the motor would be more difficult than replacing the bike.

DaveyDave · 09-08-2022 04:01PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119447264#Comment_119447264

People in this thread will tell you that you need 750-1,000w.

I'm not sure if ebike kits just aren't as good as Shimano or Bosch motors or what but my bike is a Canyon Endurace with a 250w Fazua mid drive motor with 60Nm torque. I'm 110kg, the bike is 15.2kg and I usually have a backpack with a bit of weight. It has zero issue pushing me along with impressive force and gets me up steep hills easily. There's a short hill in Phoenix Park I take get gets up to 10% grade, that's a pretty steep hill and the bike gets up no problem. Even in my 75kg days I'd be cursing going up that hill.

Don't forget the ebike power of 250w will be in addition to your own power which will easily be 100w. After over a year on my bike I'm still impressed with its ability to push me along. At the same time I still get a good workout, assistance from every red light and hill gives me more energy to push on once above the 25kph limit so I ride it like a normal bike.

unkel · 09-08-2022 04:08PM

@DaveyDave - those Shimano and Bosch motors typically output far more than 250W. We've covered that in this thread before, it's a bit of a hush hush area as that would make them illegal on EU roads - but it would be pretty impossible to check for a Garda at a roadside checkpoint 😂

copeyhagen · 09-08-2022 05:04PM

is there a middle ground, like 500w?!

Schorpio · 09-08-2022 10:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119448095#Comment_119448095

About a year ago (when I was considering purchasing a Rad) I remember reading some forums where it was said that the hardware (a Bafang hub motor) was the same between the US and EU models. It was only the software on the controller which was different. Plenty were speculating as to whether it would be possible to flash US firmware onto an EU controller, but I don't think anyone had done it (for a variety of reasons).

I never got a Rad, so I can't say for sure if the above is accurate, but it would seem likely to me Especially, as unkel says, the EU models are unlikely to actually be 250W peak.

mailforkev · 09-08-2022 10:49PM

Lots of the listed ratings are for regulation only as Unkel said.

My Vanmoof says 250w on the EU website and 350w on the US website. Exact same hardware sold in both regions. Not difficult to change your region in the software should you be so inclined.

magicbastarder · 09-08-2022 10:49PM

Don't forget the ebike power of 250w will be in addition to your own power which will easily be 100w

not so sure on that 'easily' - i would be sceptical that a beginner cyclist could sustain 100W but that would just increase the relative utility of the motor, in that the multiplication factor would increase.

one issue with increasing the motor power is it will significantly reduce range with a given battery.

The eBike thread

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