will you buy an e bike to use

Posted by: daddz2

27th Jul 2010 10:36am

with the advances of battery technology combined with brushless electric motors, would you consider buying one to use for every day errands or transport to work?
bear in mind that with the batteries able to supply up to 60 kilometers of assistance or 20-30 kilometers with none or very little pedaling. they can be recharged over 1000 times and can be recharged in a few hours.
you could build your own from scratch from around $200 even less if you have bits and pieces already, you can buy a kit from, i have seen them as low as $200 and up to around the $2k mark, for the very best of them. complete bikes can be brought new from around $600 and again up to what ever you wish to spend. the batteries are the same, you get what you pay for, a cheap battery arrangement could be done for around $150 even less on ebay, or the better quality starts at around the $300 mark up to $1500.
a link to a cheaper wheel
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/200watt-motor-kit-convert-bicycle-electric-bicycle-/370168385744?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Sport_Cycling_Bikes&hash=item562fc150d0
add$3-400 worth of batteries and its a good setup
and a link to what is regarded as one of the best
http://www.elationebikes.com.au/200%20Watt.htm
add a bike and batteries and its moving for about $1700 a bit more if you buy the bike from them. it also uses the bikes own gearing which means hills slow it very little.
so would you use one?

lpullman

17th Oct 2010 10:21am

I've looked at a few and they've all been rubbish - except the things a local Chinese guy sells which are basically a pushbike frame with an electric motor fitted and batteries slung like saddlebags. There is a thumb throttle, otherwise everything is normal pushbike

The batteries appear to be the same Li cell packs used in laptop batteries. I don't know if it does any regenerative charging 'cause the guy's English isn't good enough to tell me and my Chinese isn't good enough to even ask. I can't tell you how long they run 'cause it depends how much you pedal and whether you go up hill much.

They cost between $120 and $300.

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