eBike commuting

I bought a kit from China, should be arriving within the week. The range on most bikes would only be 50km max, but could be extended by adding another battery. If it offerers pedelect or pedal assist and you pedal along, you might double the range.
 
Riding and running on public roads is pure madness in this country.
 
evilskaap said:
How is that comment relevant to this topic?
Click to expand...

It'll become relevant when a motor vehicle hits you on your e-bike because you can't keep up with traffic and the driver failed to see you.
If you plan to use your e-bike off road I withdraw my comments.
 
30KM/h on my mountain bike and 30KM/h on an ebike on the same road. I see no difference? Its no more dangerous in my opinion.
 
Flippit! I paid R20k less and got a Giant bike that gives me a free workout when I commute.
 
Make sure that you test ride it before buying. I tried out a cheap Chinese import recently. It scared the **** out of me, bearing in mind that I ride a 1 liter superbike without the slightest anxiety.

It was extremely unstable - short wheelbase and smallish wheels combined with the typically high centre of gravity. A constant fight to stop it from coming down.
 
garyc said:
Make sure that you test ride it before buying. I tried out a cheap Chinese import recently. It scared the **** out of me, bearing in mind that I ride a 1 liter superbike without the slightest anxiety.

It was extremely unstable - short wheelbase and smallish wheels combined with the typically high centre of gravity. A constant fight to stop it from coming down.
Click to expand...

This is why I ordered a mid drive. The motor sits on the bottom bracket, and it drives the chain like the pedals would, so you retail full usage of the rear cogs. I also think that mid drives offer the best pedal assist out there. Personally I would not get a hub driven ebike, except maybe for 2WD situations.

Another thing to consider is the battery technology. Dont get SLA. Get Li-ion or LiFePO4. The weight and capacity advantages is worth the $$$.

If you are using your ebike as motorised transport only(not pedaling) you are wasting your money. Go buy a motorcycle or scooter. or even a moped kit at ecotrax.biz or super-cycles.co.za for under R2.5K.

A good complete eBike will cost you between R25K and R35K. Prices locally go up to R70K. Or build from a kit. R5K-10K bike, R10K-15K kit and you are done.

eBikes are good commuters for those that commute by bicycle already, and want to get to work/home faster or get to work/home with no(less) sweat. In both instances you are assisting the motor. To get to work/home faster you put in the same amount of effort as you did without the motor and you get home faster. To get to work/home with no sweat you scale down your effort and use a higher assist level on the motor. Either way you still get exercise.

The kit I have: http://www.electricbike.com/bafang-bbso2-750w-mid-drive/, bought here http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=166

Review + video here: http://electricbikereview.com/8fun/bbs02/
 
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