Looking for Electric Bike Recommendations

As you probably gathered the mph is the UK where I gather that is the limit. Yes from what I read and posted France has a more nanny approach which is a bit bizzare as non electric often go much faster with identical setups, brakes etc. But it is France.

I misread that John but yes you are right, and I get up to 38km/hr freewheeling down the long hill behind us then leaning out almost horizontally to take the left hander at speed before tackling the 10%er back to the garden. The speed at this point doesnā€™t help the climb as I have to continue the freewheel to cross the loose gravel in the centre of the road to get to the hard surface beyond before I can start pedalling again. Thus purely for the exhilaration of it. :laughing:

If I had been forced to wear a hat, and all the rest, I might not have bought it. Although it was primarily to avoid being marooned from the shops if I downgraded from 2 cars to 1, the fun and the fitness were a major consideration. And Iā€™m glad that I did, as an asthma sufferer I find the effort brings benefit to my lungs rather than any detriment. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Yes pleaseā€¦along with a robot mower I year for an e-trike!

Nice website Jane. Wonder if she services Bromptons? I was a bit put off by the last quote I got, but will probably look into getting it sorted again next year. Always had in mind to visit Hastings one day too, she is lucky to be there. And near the Newhaven ferry hmmmm.

Not a question we have asked. All I know is her repair team are always busy!

The Old Town in Hastings is great, and the fish sheds and fish and chips good too!

Iā€™m assuming you mean you yearn for an e-trike, Jane :wink: so this link will take you to their site with all the info you want. It is in English and one of the bosses there speaks very good English too.

Hello. I have 4 ebikes and know pretty much everything. The vast majority across all of the EU/UK are ā€˜restrictedā€™ to 25kph, but this is just when the assistance stops. You can go way faster downhill but going much over this on the flat or uphill is tough as you are then peddling a very heavy bike and on many you are turning the motor over too.
There is a separate class called ā€˜S-Pedalecsā€™ which can assist up to 45kph but for these you need number plates insurance (but no crash hat if you are an idiot). But there are very few of these available so forget them.
The standard ones can very easily be ā€˜de-restrictedā€™ but this is illegal on anything but private land and the fine is ā‚¬30000 if you were ever caught.
Overall though they are absolutely fantastic and are outselling standard bikes by miles everywhere for good reason. Your biggest issue therefore is that they are currently like rocking horse sh*t and out of stock everywhere. So suppliers are saying they have over 12m waiting lists.
But back to your question of what type to get. This is not an easy question as what you might previously have ridden will change forever. And by the way - best budget for two as you will want one too. You wonā€™t need to be restricted to ā€˜rides along riversā€™ anymore! You will be looking for the biggest hills to climb!
But the basics are this:
Cheapest ones have Hub motors (in the wheel) which is fine for road use, but pretty horrible if you are off-road or on a bumpy fire road.
Better ones have the motor between the pedals and have a much better natural feel as the sensors can better tell how hard you are pedalling. And yes you have to pedal - twist grips are illegal. I usually say it is just like someone gave you supermanā€™s legs. And yes you can still get fit and have a good workout as you either turn the power mode down, or just go further faster and with a bigger smile on your face.
Overall though as with standard bikes the price range is huge. You can get cheap rubbish for 500, or a decathlon special for 1000. But still fun on a road. If you want to go off-road then budget for 1500/2000 as you will want a mid drive motor and probably some suspension too. But you can spend up to 10k for a top spec bike to do serious stuff. But you can send that for a standard bike too - so an ebike is usually about 1k more than an equivalent standard bike.
So to sum up - best thing you can buy so do it. Its not ā€˜cheatingā€™ its just better and way more fun. All the best bits of manual bikes but none of the downsides apart from the cost. But even better still if you both have them!!
Good luck trying to find any in stock!

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Good points raised.

The bike will be used on road for my wife for up to 30km rides, where we live is undulating hills but not mountains. Suspension not necessarily required but may make it more comfortable.

Ideally trying to keep the price below 1000 euros if possible but donā€™t want to end up with rubbish so will spend more if needed.

In which case Matt just buy anything around that price you can find in stock. If itā€™s not perfect then donā€™t worry, you can probably sell it for a profit in the current market. And donā€™t waste money on suspension for the road- a soft saddle is way cheaper. Canā€™t recommend specific bikes in that area as I am into the top end stuff. Good luck.

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Iā€™m trying to sell my electric self-assist bike. Just too old for it now. New Li-ion battery and charger late 2019, perfect condition. It is self-assist and very heavy (28" wheels, disc brakes).

Also as I said earlier, this version has twice the torque so very relevant if as you say you are in a hilly area.

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Why not just get a Citroen Ami ? a more comfortable seat and somewhere to put a shopping bag. After subsidy especially in Ile de France cost might not be that much higher

But whereā€™ s the exercise?

When youā€™ve done your 20k and havenā€™t got home and have to push the bloody thing :rofl:

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We do occasionally have to help elderly men (itā€™s always men) who have cycled out our way and run out of battery as used too much on the hills.

Just watching a youtube video of comparisons between two drive motors. Its a Yorkshire company so no surprises E-bike :rofl:

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My, how I love the swagger of Martinā€™s opening! Iā€™d love to co-opt it for my own purposesā€¦
:star_struck:

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Hereā€™s a listing (in French) that can get you started. The bicycles are ranked, which may indicate where to start the search ā€¦

Daughter says that Dawes e-bikes are reliable, but also pretty cheap, and a solid starter e-bike. Donā€™t know if you can get them in Franceā€¦

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Weā€™ve got a couple, had them for about two years, they were very expensive but are top quality and weā€™re very satisfied with them. For a recommendation: - do you know anyone who subscribes to ā€˜Que Choisir?ā€™ the French equivalent of ā€˜Which?ā€™ They have tested e-bikes twice in the past 12 months or so.