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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

E bikes


Dnk

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Anyone have one.

I'm looking to get myself off my lazy arse and start getting a little fitter and thought for starters I could cycle round my local park but there are some hills that I think would kill me hence I'm looking at e bikes to help on the hills but let me pedal the rest of it 

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50 minutes ago, tayr said:

i don't know a lot about them but a friend of mine has just started his own business selling them. If you do some research and fancy one let me know and i might be able to sort a discount for you

https://thebikestoreonline.com/

 

Thanks for that, think I definitely need to try some first, see if their worth the money and going to do what I want it to do.

So many different bikes out there.

I have no intention of riding on the road though and purely round the local park which I can get to without using main roads

Edited by Dnk (see edit history)
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I looked into this, trouble is in the uk they're all limited to 250w which is abit mehh.

Nearly bought a cube reaction pro 625 but in the end I decided to buy another bike (fat bike) and il be putting on a bafang 1000w direct drive kit, much cheaper route, plus 30mph and 1000w and a ton of torque. If you go this route make sure you have a decent high quality bike, an amacco or carrera isn't upto it.

This is the bike I got, cannondale fat caad 1, Air suspension, 4 pot brakes etc...

And this is the kit il be strapping to it...

Screenshot_20220421-130129_eBay.jpg

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2 minutes ago, Dnk said:

Just been reading up on the laws and thats kind of screwed me straight away, looks like that ideas potentially in the bin

I'm not looking to go serious or even moderate off roading 

The law as in you can't go over 250w?

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"Current laws restrict e-bikes to 15.5mph – or 25km/h – which means when you hit that speed, the engine will cut out. The power put out by an 'electronically assisted pedal cycle' also must not exceed 250 watts"

I think they are great (My 70+ father has one) but the 15mph cut out is a pain, you can get them delimited but then you risk this..

"However, suppose your bike is illegal or doesn't meet the UK laws on electrically assisted pedal cycles. In that case, you may be prosecuted for riding an electric bike without license, insurance, or even exceeding the speed limit. Such misconduct could get points on your license or even a fine."

...not good!

If you are worried about hills, then it'll be great for those and then you can push yourself on the flat, as above 15mph it'll be all your effort? You'll be able to breeze up any hill gradient just at less than 15mph. Perfect way to get back on a bike, just costly compared to a regular bike. 

 

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Strictly speaking, I don't think you're allowed any type of bike in parks unless the paths are marked as cycle routes. But how often do you see that enforced?

I was in London at the weekend and there were all sorts of e-bikes flying past me, unassisted at break neck speeds so I don't think it's policed very well and everyone seems to be fine as long as they're not being an idiot around others.

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I tried out a couple of e-bikes - so easy to use. Great for local commuting, or exercise assistance. Maybe this is a personal thing, but 15 mph on a push bike is actually quite fast...going faster than that without proper equipment is just asking for trouble. Having said that, I have mates who 'chipped' their e-bikes without a second thought, and while they only off-road their bikes, who is ever going to know in the real world short of a police car pulling you over? It's just not enforceable. 

 

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Dunk, the ebike over a certain figure they can consider motorised transport and expect an MOT insurance etc etc, it's like the scoooters there is no specific legislation and so many are illegal and so confiscated. 

Ark, is right in that a modified/delimited bike is very unlikely to have your collar felt, but it's worth noting the consequences can be quite severe as they then possibly impact your driving license/costs although not much real evidence of this 

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/does-anyone-know-of-an-ebike-rider-being-prosecuted-for-riding-a-bike-of-over-250-watts.41766/

 

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8 minutes ago, Scooter said:

Dunk, the ebike over a certain figure they can consider motorised transport and expect an MOT insurance etc etc, it's like the scoooters there is no specific legislation and so many are illegal and so confiscated. 

Ark, is right in that a modified/delimited bike is very unlikely to have your collar felt, but it's worth noting the consequences can be quite severe as they then possibly impact your driving license/costs although not much real evidence of this 

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/does-anyone-know-of-an-ebike-rider-being-prosecuted-for-riding-a-bike-of-over-250-watts.41766/

 

Yes i've been reading up on the law with these, you'd be unlucky to get caught but then big pain if you were so not worth it in my book

A friend has a chipped one (no idea how that works) and he's come close a couple of times to being pulled 

I get a test ride on a 250w and see its up for what i want 

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1 hour ago, Dnk said:

Yes i've been reading up on the law with these, you'd be unlucky to get caught but then big pain if you were so not worth it in my book

A friend has a chipped one (no idea how that works) and he's come close a couple of times to being pulled 

Agreed, the 'chip' is nothing more than removing the restriction on assistance at 15mph, with ebikes extra weight and often chunky tyres etc above 15mph will feel a bit like hitting a brick wall, at 15mph plus it'd be easier going on a normal bike, but then on a hill that would be a killer! 

Ebikes that are strictly within the law are this trade off, chipped/delimited ones are the best practically for the user, as you can cruise at say 20mph or if in a hurry 30mph etc with not a huge amount of extra effort (just shorter battery range) but fall foul of current legislation.

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  • 2 months later...

I think they are great. Cousin has a trek one and it's amazing. He uses it in the mountains. It just means he can cover more distance, still a work out.

Me on the other hand, now I can't drive my TOUAREG into east London to see the girlfriend I built my own. Took inspiration from a brand called Super 73. It's 1000w 48v and does about 27mph if I want. But I mainly keep it on pedal assist to extend battery life. Literally every deliveroo rider has an illegal bike but can't see police bothering with them. Just need to ride safely and not like a ...

... ignore the zip ties. They are gone now !

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I built my own, had loads them over the years, bafang kits by far the best, loads of torque/power, brilliant fun, does easy 30+mph and 45mile range, can use peddle assist or throttle 

I used this kit 

https://www.electroncycles.co.uk/product/custom-bafang-bbshd-1600-watts-peak-dpc18-display-52v-19-2ah-battery-21700-4a-charger-long-range-kit/

 

DF198760-B3BB-4191-8751-1C11B192E5D1.jpeg

Edited by JamieP (see edit history)
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I converted an old bike using a Bafang kit a couple of years back and its been great fun.

The only thing i would say if i was to do it again I would stick with a 500w motor rather than the 1000w I used (the power available drops with the battery level so you only get full power while the battery is full) . Also remember that the brakes, tyres and chainset will all have to be top notch to handle the power if you are doing anything serious.

Factory built bikes with 250w motors are great and work well, the 15mph limit only becomes annoying on the road. 

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