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?
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?
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Comments 12
Anonymous
No, I would not use one. Technology has it's advantages but I think the good old fashioned treadly is hard to beat. Riding a bike for the enjoyment of exercise is what I would prefer, with mimimal cost. On the other hand, if you lived and/or worked in a city area, this type of bike would probably be of benefit in regards to efficiency in getting where you wanted to go.
DickBill
As long as I can do without motors, I prefer physical exercise. The motor is a good option, when my body can't cope with it anymore.
bigal
I have thought about buying one of these bikes. One or two drawbacks as far as I am concerned.
1) Not much use for doing shopping.
2) I can't imagine when I would use one
3) No protection from the weather
4) No protection from other road users ( cars)
daddz2
everything has drawbacks.
my ride is a 3 wheeled setup, so i have room for storage behind me, i also built a trailer for it ( around $40 in materials) that can safely hold my 4 nephews so around 80 kilo of weight i can tow, making it a cheap shopping vehicle for me.
i use mine almost daily( due to medical conditions i cannot drive) for doctors appts, trips to the shop or just to go out for the day.
the weather is a annoying but bearable, its not as fast as a motor bike
and thats one no one can get regardless of what ya drive, but with due diligence its as safe as taking a bike ride, you just need to be aware that drivers do not always expect a pushbike to maintain highish speeds so some have turned in front of me, but i was alert to them so all was good.
the biggest advantage is not paying for petrol, rego etc.
maddog
Avoid the cheap chinese junk,its poorly made of sub standard materials..The japanese and Americans are coming up with superior products and each year their products are becoming more efficient and the batteries have become more effective.I would definately consider them as round town transportation.Electric cars have become better though look toward hydrogen powered large vehicles as they may become more practical as fuel stations become more widely avalable, as the are becoming in the states
codge
Just buy a conventional motorbike if you want to be greener or save money or both. They're cheaper to make,cheaper to run,solve congestion issues and you can park just about anywhere for free. They make so much more sense than cars or pushbikes for commuting. Thankfully our State and Federal Gumbyments are finally waking up to that fact.
PukPuk
The ebike seems a lot cheaper than the all electric cars I was quoted. Had hoped for an economical delivery vehicle but quoted $240,000 v the $21,000 petrol version. Get to use a lot of fossil fuel before the electric version gets to break even.
daddz2
just make sure you research the battery quality, its china, so there are good ones and there are poor quality copies. lifepo4 is my choice in battery. http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/StoreFront have a look well worth the extra $$
lpullman
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.
lpullman
A couple of clarifications:
the guy I talked about is Chinese - not he's selling Chinese bikes although I suspect that's where his parts are sourced. As are the vast majority of other sellers.
I didn't mean laptop batteries but the cell packs they hold. A very large number of devices are powered by some number of these. Very likely they are what is in the battery pack in the photos you link to.
In fact, what are in those photos look remarkably like what my guy sells only with a bigger battery pack...
daddz2
you get what you pay for. check out the elation link, its a really well designed unit. there are other that cost more, just google electric bike and check out images. do a lot of research before you buy chinese, some are good, but many are cheaper copies of the better ones. i have a cyclone motor setup. http://www.cyclone-tw.com/newkits.htm
not the best and not the worst, but it has worked well for me so far. and have a look at the batteries on that site, you will see they are not laptop batteries, although they can be used.
judy3351
yes I would as my town has very few hills and it would be very economical for me