Electric bicycle

[AdamW]

I've seen a couple of people riding electric bicycles round here. Looks a bit like an old-style moped with folding pedals. Realising that the main reason I don't cycle is because there are too many bleedin' hills round here, I thought it is worth looking into them. Not so I can be lazy and never pedal, just to reduce the effort getting up those stonking great hills.

I have had a look on the net and seen lots of different things: conversion kits (you get a wheel with a motor in the hub to put on your existing bike), bicycle-style ones, and moped-style ones.

One thing that I wonder about though, is because of the very low motor rating (200W), will it offer any appreciable benefit to me when going up those hills? I know from machines in the gym that when I'm really pounding I can be putting out 600W or more, not sure if reducing my load to 400W would prevent me appearing at work as a sweating heap.

Has anyone here tried one?

 

[WoodYouLike]

Here we are again NL also land of the 'Spartamet' = push-bike with electic motor. (see here)
What I remember of my father-in-laws Spartamet was that he could 'cycle' for 10 - 15 miles beofre the battery went 'flat' and then the bike became very heavy to 'push'
so I think it won't do very good on long or steep hils (more suitable on the flat land of..........

 

[andy]

get a small engine (strimmer). connect to generator. or get something with a little more beef and connect it to the wheel

 

[big-all]

another thing to keep in mind the latest fad of electric scooters arnt allowed on the pavement or the road now would your setup now be called a motor bike [motorised bycycle]
would you need an mot insurane and road tax!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AdamW]

Well, according to all the regs it is classed as a bicycle provided it doesn't travel at more than 15mph under power, has no more than 200W continuous power and so forth. So without insurance, tax, MOT is fine. Oh, it needs pedals I think too, hence the scooters' illegality.

All the bikes I've found have maximum weight recommendations for the rider, the biggest I have found is about 110kg, which is pretty much spot on my weight. However, I'm not sure if an electric bike would offer much advantage up a steep hill with it's maximum load.

I love cycling on the flat (even better downhill!), I used to do over 100 miles a week in Surrey (our part was flat as a board). It's brilliant for your fitness, I was all abs and quads when I was doing that, and found I could break 30 almost any time I wanted do (and frequently averaged over 20 on a 7 mile run). Am just hoping to find something that can flatten those hills for me

Perhaps I'll do a calculation, see how much power I need to turn a hill into the equivalent of a flat... inverter-driven 3-phase motor perhaps

If it is 200W continuous, does that mean I could have a short-term peak far in excess of that I wonder?

 

[Richardp]

I got just the thing

 

[big-all]

my understanding of assisted propulsion is
it is only good enough to maintain a speed on level ground

in other words you need to peddle to reach your speed albe it with the help of the motor [the motor hasnt got enough power to accelerate only maintain]the ballance speed is about mid teens dependent on drag friction weight ect
so on a steepish hill you will generate power as you hurtle backwards at 20mph