Are ebikes worth having?

[Buster30]

Cube usually bring their next years model out soon, a lot of 2019 bikes are out of stock

 

[Makingtrax]

Cube usually bring their next years model out soon, a lot of 2019 bikes are out of stock

Noticed that. There’s a Cube dealer in Shrewsbury and nearly every bike listed is shown as out of stock.

 

[Steve Moonraker]

Would be very interested Steve

Our E bike spec attached

 

[Aerialmark]

Noticed that. There’s a Cube dealer in Shrewsbury and nearly every bike listed is shown as out of stock.

Yes I managed to get the last one at the place in Burnley where i bought mine a few weeks ago. The funny thing was that one of the internet firms had reduced their Cube acids to £1599 (I paid £1799 for the same one) But when I rang them they said they had reduced them 2 days ago and i had sold the last one over a week ago and did not know when they would get them back in stock and would not take orders. What a waste of time some firms are

 

[Buster30]

We got ours from JEJames in Chesterfield, excellent company, might be worth a try

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[Neil Bedwin]

As I had a Cube hybrid bike and my wife had a Claude Butler Legend bike I upgraded both our bikes with an e-kit. Rear wheel motor, controller in a bag on the frame, display on the handle bars and battery on a pannier rack for hers and on the down tube for me. Best money spent on our bikes ever....

 

[Candapack]

Wife got an ebike, Kalkhoff crank drive. Her knees are not so good. I convinced myself I needed one too, partly because I carry most of the stuff we take plus a 25 pound dog in a rear basket.
They do what is required, but I have to say when I'm out on my own at home, without the dog, I much prefer my ordinary hybrid.
Part of the reason is that the eb ike is a lot heavier, and has 7 gears with one sprocket at the front. The hybrid has 3 front sprockets, giving 24 gears. Of course, no-one uses 24 gears, many being effectively duplicates, but I find the 3 front sprockets and lighter weight roughly equates to the 3 power settings on the eb ike.

 

[Paddywack]

Yvonne and I are keen cyclists and have cycled all over Europe.
We go to the Mont Ventoux region every year.
However this year we found that we could not ride our normal rides and cols due to tiredness, so we thought ebikes might be good for us! We are looking at Canondale road ebikes which weigh around 16kg each with battery off.

Canondale? Are you looking at https://www.cytronex.com/ if so and you've already got good bikes have a look at their conversion kit. I've fitted it to Mrs Whacks and we think it's great.

 

[Top Hat]

My wife and I are now also thinking of purchasing ebikes, we both like the Gazelle dutch type bike, weighing in at approx 40kg without the batterys.
My only concern now is they will be carried on a Fiamma chest hight bike rack attached to the rear door of a PVC van.
Does anyone have or has had a similar setup that can give any advice.

 

[pandas]

My wife and I are now also thinking of purchasing ebikes, we both like the Gazelle dutch type bike, weighing in at approx 40kg without the batterys.
My only concern now is they will be carried on a Fiamma chest hight bike rack attached to the rear door of a PVC van.
Does anyone have or has had a similar setup that can give any advice.

Yes I used to put 2 x 40 kg bikes on a bike rack until I got a garage to put them in. As long as you take off the batteries I found with the right technique it was not an issue. ie bend your knees to lift. For the two bikes which is quite obvious turn the handlebars so they were in the same line as the frame, fit the bikes faced opposite directions (as did the handlebars) And I am not going to enter any Ironman contest anytime soon!

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[Top Hat]

Yes I used to put 2 x 40 kg bikes on a bike rack until I got a garage to put them in. As long as you take off the batteries I found with the right technique it was not an issue. ie bend your knees to lift. For the two bikes which is quite obvious turn the handlebars so they were in the same line as the frame, fit the bikes faced opposite directions (as did the handlebars) And I am not going to enter any Ironman contest anytime soon!

Thanks for that good advice, how long may I ask did you carry your bikes on the bike rack, my other concern is if the rear door is ok carrying the extra weigh of ebikes.

 

[Hymer 1961]

I can thoroughly recommend Rutland Cycling at Ferry Meadows Peterborough for Cube and other makes. We stayed at the Caravan and Motorhome club site last July and managed to get a super deal on 2 Hybrid Cube bikes. Very convenient having the shop on the doorstep of the site. Staying in the Nene Valley offers a fantastic place to cycle and try out the bikes. Rutland also offer a very good rewards scheme, we got back £500 worth of credit which enabled us to add upgrades and security locks etc. Can’t fault the bikes and great service from Rutland Cycling.

 

[138go]

I love my E-bike. I use the extra power for when I need it and it makes getting out and about so much more pleasant. Have you ever noticed? There's always a hill back up to where you are parked! Anyway, yes having an E-bike for me is wonderful.

Mrs QFour

 

[Makingtrax]

I love my E-bike. I use the extra power for when I need it and it makes getting out and about so much more pleasant. Have you ever noticed? There's always a hill back up to where you are parked! Anyway, yes having an E-bike for me is wonderful.

Mrs QFour

Staying at Polmanter in St Ives we never take the bikes, the walk back from the beach is up Cardiac Hill. Not even sure the motorhome would get up there let alone an ebike.

 

[pandas]

Thanks for that good advice, how long may I ask did you carry your bikes on the bike rack, my other concern is if the rear door is ok carrying the extra weigh of ebikes.

Sorry that was also an A class so no idea about the door. I also took the bikes off at every overnight stop but possibly didn't need to.

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[busby]

As I had a Cube hybrid bike and my wife had a Claude Butler Legend bike I upgraded both our bikes with an e-kit. Rear wheel motor, controller in a bag on the frame, display on the handle bars and battery on a pannier rack for hers and on the down tube for me. Best money spent on our bikes ever....

Is it rude to ask how much the conversion cost Neil and is it an easy job? BUSBY.

 

[busby]

My wife and I are now also thinking of purchasing ebikes, we both like the Gazelle dutch type bike, weighing in at approx 40kg without the batterys.
My only concern now is they will be carried on a Fiamma chest hight bike rack attached to the rear door of a PVC van.
Does anyone have or has had a similar setup that can give any advice.

Been carrying two bikes on the back of my symbol for years now,,40 kg,,No problem at all other than lifting them up to chest height, plus two boxes mounted below them on the back doors..Weight of the boxes is also taken by the rear step.BUSBY.

 

[Minxy]

Thanks for that good advice, how long may I ask did you carry your bikes on the bike rack, my other concern is if the rear door is ok carrying the extra weigh of ebikes.

Been carrying two bikes on the back of my symbol for years now,,40 kg,,No problem at all other than lifting them up to chest height, plus two boxes mounted below them on the back doors..Weight of the boxes is also taken by the rear step.BUSBY.

The bike rack for a PVC is rated at 35kg so you are well over it's limit, having had one on previous PVCs with lighter bikes on and seeing how the rack moved when the camper was driven the excess force it must put on the rear door concerned us. This was with the newer type of rack with the 2 flat 'bar' securing method. No way would I go over the 35kg limit as I suspect the reason for it is due to the door's limit not the rack itself.

 

[Ridgeway]

Got an ordinary pair of Giant hybrids, 12 years old with puncture proof Kevlar tyres, a bit battered but I can easily service them. Light enough for our Fiamma rear bike rack and I can lift them up and off fairly easily. Not worth a whole lot so just have one bike chain with a combination lock that goes through the pair. We leave them chained in city centres, on the beach when body boarding, outside the supermarket . . and if they get nicked they owe us nothing. When parked we leave them outside the van without a care. Good exercise too.

So are ebikes really worth it . . . extra weight on the bike rack or getting a van with bigger garage or mounting tow bar rack, epensive to buy, extra insurance, taking off the battery in cities or shopping in a supermarket and carting them around, more expensive security devices needed, the worry of leaving them about when sleeping.

Struggling to get my head round it.

Try towing 50kgs of dog and trailer for 40km, that's what our e-bike allows my wife to do when we're away. She's covered 1,800km in 15 months of having it and 95% is with a trailer on the back.

If normal pedal power works for you (like it does for me) then no need for a battery and an expensive thief magnet, your trusty Giant's fit the bill perfectly and will allow you to have hassle free cycling without all the e-bike worry.

There are plenty of people though that struggle with cycling over longer distances or don't have the confidence to take on an incline or what ever is around the corner, a battery just gives people enough confidence to give it a go when they would of otherwise jumped in a car, that has to be a good thing.

 

[Makingtrax]

Try towing 50kgs of dog and trailer for 40km, that's what our e-bike allows my wife to do when we're away. She's covered 1,800km in 15 months of having it and 95% is with a trailer on the back.

If normal pedal power works for you (like it does for me) then no need for a battery and an expensive thief magnet, your trusty Giant's fit the bill perfectly and will allow you to have hassle free cycling without all the e-bike worry.

There are plenty of people though that struggle with cycling over longer distances or don't have the confidence to take on an incline or what ever is around the corner, a battery just gives people enough confidence to give it a go when they would of otherwise jumped in a car, that has to be a good thing.

50kgs? Are you sure it’s a dog and not a bear?

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[eddie]

We love our bikes and Shadow can't wait to get in his trailer once he see's it taken out of the locker. It means that we can go further a field, to better places for him to run and swim and when is knackered (he is eight now) he gets back in and lays down

 

[Ridgeway]

50kgs? Are you sure it’s a dog and not a bear?

2 x 20kgs dogs plus the trailer, it's probably more like 55kgs in total but each woofer is only 20kgs (max) but the Cocker is nicknamed "Baby bear"

 

[eddie]

We just recently bought his new trailer, bloody expensive but absolutely worth every penny, well engineered, every thing works and fits and it folds up.

 

[Ridgeway]

eddievanbitz that's the new version of the Croozer "pet" large if i'm not mistaken, we have the older style Croozer, they are IMO the best built dog trailers out there. I've down hilled ours a few times now (empty of course) and rolled it twice, not quite Danny style but just for fun:

 

[eddie]

Yes it is the Cruiser pet XXL as Shadow is about 47Kg and our beer and wine runs aren't light either

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[Ridgeway]

Our's is also our shopping trolley when we're out, and beach beach trolley oh and we carry the canoe on top of it and put the bike in "walk" mode to haul the canoe to the lake, a nice e-bike/trailer benefit.

 

[Makingtrax]

We just recently bought his new trailer, bloody expensive but absolutely worth every penny, well engineered, every thing works and fits and it folds up.

In a few years, that’s big enough for the kids to put you in that Eddie. Providing the route has a few loos, you’d be good to go.

 

[busby]

The bike rack for a PVC is rated at 35kg so you are well over it's limit, having had one on previous PVCs with lighter bikes on and seeing how the rack moved when the camper was driven the excess force it must put on the rear door concerned us. This was with the newer type of rack with the 2 flat 'bar' securing method. No way would I go over the 35kg limit as I suspect the reason for it is due to the door's limit not the rack itself.

Well on my Symbol mounted on the rear doors is cycle rack,two large chequerplate boxes,,one with Gas It bottle in,(they are bolted on the doors but also rest on rear step,,two Laguna Chairs and my revolving clothes dryer,,23000 miles now no problem.Did the same arrangement on my previous Symphony for 4 years..Rack doesn't move at all.BUSBY.

 

[Minxy]

Well on my Symbol mounted on the rear doors is cycle rack,two large chequerplate boxes,,one with Gas It bottle in,(they are bolted on the doors but also rest on rear step,,two Laguna Chairs and my revolving clothes dryer,,23000 miles now no problem.Did the same arrangement on my previous Symphony for 4 years..Rack doesn't move at all.BUSBY.

Does your box (and therefore step) provide some support for the bike rack and/or prevent movement when travelling?

 

[busby]

Does your box (and therefore step) provide some support for the bike rack and/or prevent movement when travelling?

Boxes just sit on rear step and are secured to doors with 4 bolts..Cycle rack is the one that clamps on the door edges but also bolted into the doors.Lafumas sit on top of boxes behind the bikes on near side.BUSBY.

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