Thinking about an eBike purchase

[Spafsack]

Shot thanx Chris

[Shebeen]

apparently even this guy is going electric

 

 

Personally I think they awesome. Dad has one and he would normally not get out and ride as much. 

 

If you can cover more distance with one then why not. 

i'm in the same boat!

he is late 70s and road 2000km last year, would normally have done about 100.

[Andreas_187]

I bought a Merida e-MTB. Now I'm working from home I can zip out for a lunchtime ride on the mountain. 25km's and 1000m of climbing in just over an hour.

I wouldn't be bothered to take out my road bike for an hour of riding

[Zebra]

...you can of course get Chilled Squirrel to BUILD an e-bike platform onto an existing bike, for not too much money (I paid just under R20K 3+ years back, prices may have dropped/moderated somewhat, as technology improves, and e-bikes become more popular...)

 

(shown here with commuting tires, I used to switch on weekends...)

 

...it is hard to sell an Specilized S-Works Aluminium 26"er for any real money, even if it has STR components, etc, so the plan was - to convert it to get me back on a bike after some fairly serious leg surgery.

 

Fun to do, still have the bike, J-U-S-T putting it our there, that it IS possible to convert existing bikes, for not massive money, and whilst mine looks kinda dork

y, even 3 years back, it had 500W, and that magic BOOST button for dropping cars at traffic lights IF NEEDED!

Chris

Edited September 30, 2020 by Zebra

[Spafsack]

Shew, thats good going actually Andreas. 

[Escapee..]

I dont get it.

[ChrisF]

I dont get it.

 

which part ?    

[DieselnDust]

I recently discovered an old friend had moved into my area. He's always been an avid cyclist, so we've been getting together for some awesome rides around Durbanville.

 

He has both a *normal* bike and a very high-spec Specialized eBike.

 

When he's on a *normal* bike the ride is long and decent and comfortable for me... but when he's on his eBike, even with it on the eco mode, it's a hard workout. 

 

This isn't bad, in fact it's great, but I'm not always capable of doing that kind of ride and part of me thinks that perhaps it's time for an eBike. I don't expect him to ride his normal bike (if you've got it, flaunt it) and I feel like the time is coming where if I want to ride with people I may need to have the option of an eBike. There's no way I'd be able to keep up with an eBike if the rider went for it.

 

My multiple personalities don't all agree that an eBike is a good idea, but that's a whole story on its own.

 

In the Specialized range, a reasonable crossover of price/value seems to be the non-SL aluminium Turbo Levo. They've got 500Wh batteries, which seems substantial, especially if combined with an addon water-bottle battery, something *like* this one from the classifieds: https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-mountain-e-bikes/419663/2020-specialized-turbo-levo

 

The one above is bleh though because it is fitted with a SRAM NX 11 speed (!?) cassette, which seems crazy.

 

So the question is:

- If I currently ride a carbon fibre dual-suspension normal bike (around 13kg in weight, I'm around 89 kg = 103 kg all up) and can produce 250w comfortably and continuously, would a Specialized Alu eBike (non-SL) level the field when riding with other eBikes? A 250w eBike at maximum output, plus 250w from me is 500w over two hours, which is decent, but that's going into extra weight: Alu non-SL is ~21kg, so all up weight of 110kg aka extra 100% power at an extra 10% of the weight.

 

And then there's also the question of second-hand vs new; one seems to save around R 20k on the latest bikes if you go second-hand. But I think this kills the warranty? 

 

I suppose this is about accessibility and leveling the playing field.

 

Thanks!

 

 

wipe these thoughts from your mind and change your friends. No one needs e-bike negativity in their life

[Robbie Stewart]

Friday last week I was riding up to the George radio mast at Witfontein. It is a proper long hill that is rutty and loose. So the going was slow, but I was loving the "burn".

Half way up I get passed by a gent on his e-bike, and minutes later he comes blasting down Sticks and Stones DH line. Not long after that, as I was crossing the railway line, lo and behold, he passed me again. And not only that, he then proceeded to climb to the top of the hill by the cross where there is another DH line (very ziggy zaggy techy narrow singletrack, more hiker oriented).

That finally settled the e-bike debate that has been raging in my head. This bloke did not care what I was riding as he was out there for the enjoyment of the insane trails that mountain has on offer, and he had a tool that would maximise his enjoyment of it.

I also honestly discovered that I was previously biased against e-bikes not because "analog" is pure, but because secretly I was miffed that I could not join in the fun with so much ease.

Although it will yet be many years before I can afford an e-bike due to some other commitments on the fiscal side, I will keep a beady eye on the offerings that make it to market. I am just curious at present about the cost of servicing an e-bike, especially around the motor. Someone mentioned that they are hungry for groupsets depending on how one rides, and I can assume that means the gearing of the motors also take a beating?

Will this end-up with e-bikes that are sold with service plans? Prices will skyrocket if so.

[aquaratza]

That finally settled the e-bike debate that has been raging in my head. This bloke did not care what I was riding as he was out there for the enjoyment of the insane trails that mountain has on offer, and he had a tool that would maximise his enjoyment of it.

 

<snip>

Although it will yet be many years before I can afford an e-bike due to some other commitments on the fiscal side, I will keep a beady eye on the offerings that make it to market. I am just curious at present about the cost of servicing an e-bike, especially around the motor. Someone mentioned that they are hungry for groupsets depending on how one rides, and I can assume that means the gearing of the motors also take a beating?

 

Will this end-up with e-bikes that are sold with service plans? Prices will skyrocket if so.

Your post is very insightful. Like any tool, ebikes have their place. If I'm riding with friends who aren't on ebikes, out of respect, empathy and impatience haha I ride my normal bike. The ski-lift use is certainly an obvious use case in my mind. 

 

Good deals on ebikes come up occasionally in the used section of Bikehub. Several Specialized ebikes in the 2017 vintage, alloy, have sold over the last few months for between R 42k and R 48k.

 

Transmission Wear:

There seems to be some debate about how heavy ebikes are on transmission wear. The drivetrain will have to conduct a consistently larger amount of power through it compared to a normal bike, so one can expect additional wear from that but like any bike it heavily depends on how hard you ride the bike and how you change gears.

 

Most ebikes in the Specialized range still come with 11-speed cassettes and the components in the  drivetrain that will see additional wear are relatively cheap. A replacement cassette for my bike from Evobikes (11-speed X01 compatible) is about R 2500, which really isn't crazy. I haven't sorely missed a 12th gear (which I have on my normal bike).

 

Motor Longevity and Servicing:

In terms of motor longevity and maintenance, I've done some research (I like to know how my machines work and where the failure risks are). The Brose motor in my Specialized ebike seems to be at low risk of water ingress through a large gasket that runs the perimeter of the motor and gearbox case. The case sits "upright" in the frame, so if water gets in it always drains to bottom bracket side of the gearbox (as opposed to flooding the top part where the motor sits). There's a great video online from Performance Line Bearings where they disassemble and demonstrate the replacement of the bearings/sprag clutch and gasket on a motor damaged in that way. This should be at a low risk of occurring and if it does their overhaul kit is around R 3900 sans shipping and customs. The Brose motors have a rated life on the belt of 15000 km, which is easy enough to replace and costs around R 2000 with some extra bits.

 

I suspect, as time goes on, more and more bicycle shops will up-skill themselves to be able to do motor overhauls (and/or replacements). In Cape Town it appears we have at least one person that can do overhauls (Knipe Racing apparently). 

 

The battery is the other major wear component. In the case of Specialized ebikes the battery packs consist of 18650 cells, which can be repacked locally (there's a shop in Milnerton that can do it). Specialized, AFAIK, still sells the older battery packs. One can make the packs last longer by not draining the batteries entirely, avoiding TURBO all the time and leaving the battery between 30% and 80% charged when not in use.

 

I think future servicing and sustainability isn't hugely removed from a normal bike and will become easier over time. This isn't a promo for Spez, it's just what I'm familiar with.

Edited October 1, 2020 by aquaratza

[gummibear]

I recently discovered an old friend had moved into my area. He's always been an avid cyclist, so we've been getting together for some awesome rides around Durbanville.

 

He has both a *normal* bike and a very high-spec Specialized eBike.

 

When he's on a *normal* bike the ride is long and decent and comfortable for me... but when he's on his eBike, even with it on the eco mode, it's a hard workout. 

 

This isn't bad, in fact it's great, but I'm not always capable of doing that kind of ride and part of me thinks that perhaps it's time for an eBike. I don't expect him to ride his normal bike (if you've got it, flaunt it) and I feel like the time is coming where if I want to ride with people I may need to have the option of an eBike. There's no way I'd be able to keep up with an eBike if the rider went for it.

 

My multiple personalities don't all agree that an eBike is a good idea, but that's a whole story on its own.

 

In the Specialized range, a reasonable crossover of price/value seems to be the non-SL aluminium Turbo Levo. They've got 500Wh batteries, which seems substantial, especially if combined with an addon water-bottle battery, something *like* this one from the classifieds: https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-mountain-e-bikes/419663/2020-specialized-turbo-levo

 

The one above is bleh though because it is fitted with a SRAM NX 11 speed (!?) cassette, which seems crazy.

 

So the question is:

- If I currently ride a carbon fibre dual-suspension normal bike (around 13kg in weight, I'm around 89 kg = 103 kg all up) and can produce 250w comfortably and continuously, would a Specialized Alu eBike (non-SL) level the field when riding with other eBikes? A 250w eBike at maximum output, plus 250w from me is 500w over two hours, which is decent, but that's going into extra weight: Alu non-SL is ~21kg, so all up weight of 110kg aka extra 100% power at an extra 10% of the weight.

 

And then there's also the question of second-hand vs new; one seems to save around R 20k on the latest bikes if you go second-hand. But I think this kills the warranty? 

 

I suppose this is about accessibility and leveling the playing field.

 

Thanks!

Do it and while you out there get yourself a few KOM's

 

To be part of the cool boys club you need one of these and it's only about 4kg more than you current bike  

 

 

 

[ThePubSA]

rob warner whos been cycling longer then most said in a video recently that e-bing was the best thing to happen to mountain biking since mountain biking ... so ya. funny how weekend warriors get more chipped about e-bing then pro's .

[gummibear]

rob warner whos been cycling longer then most said in a video recently that e-bing was the best thing to happen to mountain biking since mountain biking ... so ya. funny how weekend warriors get more chipped about e-bing then pro's .

Pro's will say whatever the sponsors tell them to say.

 

i had a Specialized Levo for a day and a Trek Rail for a day.Did 80km on Eco on both bikes.

 

I'm middle aged, over weigh and a mtb fun rider yet I still managed to go slower uphill on the e-bikes in eco and tour modes.

 

Turbo modes are rather dangerous when you first try riding it and that sudden power kicks in.

 

I see the point of them but they not for everyone.

[Spafsack]

https://www.cyclelab.com/product/2021-liv-tempt-e-plus-1-29-lady-s-e-mountain-bike 

Hi gents in the know, what are the differences between the various Giant Liv bikes seeing that they are lady orientated, nice girly colours. The prices seem reasonable, but which model is best bang for buck.

https://www.cyclelab.com/product/2021-liv-tempt-e-plus-2-lady-s-e-mountain-bike 

Dont think my wife would mind 27.5 wheels, not sure if a person should still rather stick with 29 ers, we do mostly xc, bit of single track, not hectic, lots of uphills.

[ChrisF]

Pro's will say whatever the sponsors tell them to say.

 

i had a Specialized Levo for a day and a Trek Rail for a day.Did 80km on Eco on both bikes.

 

I'm middle aged, over weigh and a mtb fun rider yet I still managed to go slower uphill on the e-bikes in eco and tour modes.

 

Turbo modes are rather dangerous when you first try riding it and that sudden power kicks in.

 

I see the point of them but they not for everyone.

 

YES, the power delivery on an ebike takes a bit of getting used to.

 

2 or 3 rides and you know what to expect in terms of handling.

[ChrisF]

https://www.cyclelab.com/product/2021-liv-tempt-e-plus-1-29-lady-s-e-mountain-bike 

Hi gents in the know, what are the differences between the various Giant Liv bikes seeing that they are lady orientated, nice girly colours. The prices seem reasonable, but which model is best bang for buck.

https://www.cyclelab.com/product/2021-liv-tempt-e-plus-2-lady-s-e-mountain-bike 

Dont think my wife would mind 27.5 wheels, not sure if a person should still rather stick with 29 ers, we do mostly xc, bit of single track, not hectic, lots of uphills.

 

both links show a 404-error on my side ...

 

Do yourself a favour and phone Julien ( 076 941 2331 ) at Giant Durbanville for some good info, and ask him what he can get from the suppliers ... still the odd 2019 model in the warehouse, at some very good prices.

 

 

As for 27,5 vs 29 ..... these bikes comes with larger tires, ie 27,5x2,6 on my Giant Trance.  This is very similar to a standard sized tire on a 29'' ..... EMBN has had a number of episodes on this.

 

 

My previous two bikes were both 29'', and I dont feel I miss out on anything with the larger 27,5 tires on the Trance.