electric bikes
 

Does anyone have experience of buying, using electric bikes.
My wife would like one and they start around £290 (like Powacycle Milan) up to several thousand pounds.
Advice much appreciated.
Regards
Pete

electric bikes
 

On Mon, 15 May 2006 09:20:37 +0100, "Pete" wrote:

Does anyone have experience of buying, using electric bikes.
My wife would like one and they start around £290 (like Powacycle Milan) up to several thousand pounds.
Advice much appreciated.

The best place to start for advice on electric bicycles is AtoB
magazine.

Website he

http://www.atob.org.uk/

They have a buyers guide there, and the mag itself always has plenty
of solid comment and opinion on the best electric options.

"Bob"
--

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.

electric bikes
 

in message , Pete ')
wrote:

Does anyone have experience of buying, using electric bikes.
My wife would like one and they start around £290 (like Powacycle
Milan) up to several thousand pounds. Advice much appreciated.

I'm a bit of a bore on this, I'm afraid.

I seriously suggest she decides how much money she'd be prepared to spend
on an electric-assist bike, and then test rides a conventional (not
electric assist) bike costing the same amount of money. I'd be hugely
surprised if she did not find the conventional bike more satisfactory,
and less work. If you compare a £1,000 electric bike to a £200
conventional bike, it isn't surprising the electric bike seems quite
good. But if you compare a £1,000 electric bike to a £1,000 conventional
bike, you'll be surprised.

Something like this:
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60344

I've worked on and ridden electric assist bikes. They seem to me to
create far more problems than they solve.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; in faecibus sapiens rheum propagabit

electric bikes
 

On Mon, 15 May 2006 12:43:13 +0100, Simon Brooke
wrote:


Something like this:
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60344


Wow, had no idea CD had models like that in their range. Looks quite
handsome.

"Bob"
--

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.

electric bikes
 

Simon Brooke wrote:

I seriously suggest she decides how much money she'd be prepared to spend
on an electric-assist bike, and then test rides a conventional (not
electric assist) bike costing the same amount of money.

This is good advice because all it will cost you is some time, and
following it doesn't in any way require you to find the same thing that
Simon does.

I've ridden a few electrics at Kinetics (http://kinetics.org.uk/) out of
curiosity. Ben is in the upper end of the business, and at that level I
can certainly see a lot of good points /for a limited subset of
cyclists/. I'm not one of those, and even if I had the cash spare I
wouldn't buy one.

From what I've seen, if you do want to go down this route and can
afford the better stuff it will come out as money better spent than the
bargain basement stuff.

But for most cyclists I think Simon is on the money. Unless you are
quite physically limited (for whatever reason) a good quality human
powered bike isn't that hard to get about on and doesn't need batteries
charging or nearly as much spent to start with.

Do start with a test. If you're anywhere close to Glasgow then call in
at Kinetics for a play, and could well be worth dropping a line to for a
blether with Ben.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

electric bikes
 

Round where I live (which is a hillyish area of Italy) these bikes are
used a lot by pensioners. The type generally favoured is just a normal
bike with a small insertable motor assist (centrifugal clutch) which is
powered by a torque controlled motor (DC motor with I limit). On the
flat they pedal normally (and here the weight of the battery is a non
issue). Going up hills they get extra push from the battery.

Basicly we are talking about casual bike riding that allows you to go
up hills without losing puff.

electric bikes
 

On Mon, 15 May 2006 09:20:37 +0100 someone who may be "Pete"
wrote this:-

My wife would like one

Any particular reason why she would like one?



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

electric bikes
 

Don't be put off by all these "real" cyclists. I also cycle a fair bit and I do not have an electric bike but my father in law does. When we got it I rode it a fair bit, so did my wife and daughter, both non cyclists. Without doubt both thought it was "cool" and wanted to use it. FIL uses it regularly and has done for a couple of years. He thinks it's great and can do 25 miles plus just for fun, and he's 80 !
Ours is a Giant Lafree (basic model) which cost 100 new and about 500-600 S/H. Check out the classified ads in A to B mag.
Unfortunately the Lafree is now discontinued but there is a new model called the Suede http://www.giant-bicycles.com/uk/030...sp?model=10420 and it's cheaper!
Get a test ride and make a decision.
Good luck.
"Pete" wrote in message ...
Does anyone have experience of buying, using electric bikes.
My wife would like one and they start around £290 (like Powacycle Milan) up to several thousand pounds.
Advice much appreciated.
Regards
Pete

electric bikes
 

Sorry---cost 1000 new, not 100.

SW
"Steve Watkin" wrote in message ...
Don't be put off by all these "real" cyclists. I also cycle a fair bit and I do not have an electric bike but my father in law does. When we got it I rode it a fair bit, so did my wife and daughter, both non cyclists. Without doubt both thought it was "cool" and wanted to use it. FIL uses it regularly and has done for a couple of years. He thinks it's great and can do 25 miles plus just for fun, and he's 80 !
Ours is a Giant Lafree (basic model) which cost 100 new and about 500-600 S/H. Check out the classified ads in A to B mag.
Unfortunately the Lafree is now discontinued but there is a new model called the Suede http://www.giant-bicycles.com/uk/030...sp?model=10420 and it's cheaper!
Get a test ride and make a decision.
Good luck.
"Pete" wrote in message ...
Does anyone have experience of buying, using electric bikes.
My wife would like one and they start around £290 (like Powacycle Milan) up to several thousand pounds.
Advice much appreciated.
Regards
Pete

electric bikes
 

Steve Watkin wrote:
Sorry---cost 1000 new, not 100.

Ah! thought that sounded a bit too good to be true!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/