Low Cost Electric Commuter

[BuffsVintageBikes]

You guys can chat to Mark at Marks Bicycle Workshop in Bellville as well, he's started offering standard bike to ebike conversions with front or rear hub drive motors and his prices are pretty reasonable.

I spent 2 weeks testing his personal mtb conversion and was very impressed with it. 100km+ gravel ride possible on a single charge 🤙

[jnsmith]

20 hours ago, Sid the Sloth said:

My dad has a lekker Specialized Turbo X commuter he needs to sell as well. Does the job very well. https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/commuter-e-bikes/558083/specialized-turbo-x-large-2016-unrestricted

Oooh, you are making my life harder. That's a decent price, and I like that it's derestricted.

My main reservation with this one is the L size, I'm 193cm so I really prefer an XL, especially if I'm going to spend lots of time in the saddle. How tall is your dad?

I'm under the impression that direct-drive motors add resistance when you ride without the electric assist on. Is that true in this case or have Specialized worked some magic?  (Regen is nice but not a critical feature for me since I don't really have many nice hills to roll down on my commute)

[The Ouzo]

clearly my definition of affordable is different 

[Vetplant]

9 minutes ago, ouzo said:

clearly my definition of affordable is different 

Have you seen what the price of fuel is these days....?

It is almost like going Solar at home; At some point it will become unaffordable to NOT make the switch...

[Sid the Sloth]

25 minutes ago, jnsmith said:

Oooh, you are making my life harder. That's a decent price, and I like that it's derestricted.

My main reservation with this one is the L size, I'm 193cm so I really prefer an XL, especially if I'm going to spend lots of time in the saddle. How tall is your dad?

I'm under the impression that direct-drive motors add resistance when you ride without the electric assist on. Is that true in this case or have Specialized worked some magic?  (Regen is nice but not a critical feature for me since I don't really have many nice hills to roll down on my commute)

We are short, but the bike is too big for him. I’m not sure if large or xl would be better for you haha. He’s actually owned an xl as well… bit of a wheeler dealer like me. It doesn’t add resistance when it’s not on apart from the gravitational resistance. You’re welcome to come try it if you’re around Newlands, no pressure at all. 

[Frosty]

2 hours ago, ouzo said:

clearly my definition of affordable is different 

It’s all relative.

called ooh-aah shopping.
ooh, that’s nice; aah, look at the price.

[Zebra]

On 5/26/2022 at 10:12 AM, jnsmith said:

Anyone who has a commercial eMTB and wishes they'd gone with a conversion instead? Or vice versa?

I have gone ‘vice’, if not ‘Vera’s’, and I ride with a lady with a Giant LIV, and she has ‘fooled’ her e-bike controller now, but prior to that she could not keep up with my Bafang after-market install onto my older 26” Spez MTB.

Very happy I extended life of an old MTB, A-N-D got next-level (mid drive) performance, to boot, for very little coin.

cheers

Chris

[jnsmith]

So I went to try out a Giant Talon E+ at Olympic Cycles yesterday. I've ridden on Bafang converted bikes before so I have an idea of how the motors work.

I found the Giant SyncDrive so much better, that I think it's worth the extra money. I know it's not as fast as a BBSHD, but I don't need ultimate speed, I really like the feel of it! I'm busy doing my sums at the moment, I'm at the point of pulling the trigger and going for that one.

Not exactly the ideal commuting bike, I guess, but it's a hard-tail so it's pretty versatile on Cape Town roads. I do wish we had better cycling infrastructure.

[Kuys]

I just recently got a 2019 Trek Super Commuter 2nd hand for R35k. I commute 21 km one way , so 42km total per day. It is standard limited to 45km/h (its a special category, thats not very common).

It has a lot of resistance once you hit that limit and it was a bit infuriating. Certain sections it helps a lot if you can keep up with traffic at around 50km/h or you want to chase for the green light .... So I got a Speed Box delimiter locally and it works. 

If its really 25km/h, thats very low. With 32km/h one can still work, depending on how much resistance there is once motor cuts out. I suppose the newer models are much better in that regard. But if its a model that can be derestricted, its definitely something to consider. 

So far I really enjoy the commute on the ebike, but you need to be wide awake with traffic and pedestrians especially when you go way faster than they expect. 

 

 

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Kuys said:

I just recently got a 2019 Trek Super Commuter 2nd hand for R35k. I commute 21 km one way , so 42km total per day. It is standard limited to 45km/h (its a special category, thats not very common).

It has a lot of resistance once you hit that limit and it was a bit infuriating. Certain sections it helps a lot if you can keep up with traffic at around 50km/h or you want to chase for the green light .... So I got a Speed Box delimiter locally and it works. 

If its really 25km/h, thats very low. With 32km/h one can still work, depending on how much resistance there is once motor cuts out. I suppose the newer models are much better in that regard. But if its a model that can be derestricted, its definitely something to consider. 

So far I really enjoy the commute on the ebike, but you need to be wide awake with traffic and pedestrians especially when you go way faster than they expect. 

 

 

 

Correct.  The 32km/h, with NO drag above this works nicely.  I am regularly doing sections at 40 to 45km/h, with absolutely no motor drag.  Gearing being the only limiting factor for going faster.

[ChrisF]

13 hours ago, jnsmith said:

So I went to try out a Giant Talon E+ at Olympic Cycles yesterday. I've ridden on Bafang converted bikes before so I have an idea of how the motors work.

I found the Giant SyncDrive so much better, that I think it's worth the extra money. I know it's not as fast as a BBSHD, but I don't need ultimate speed, I really like the feel of it! I'm busy doing my sums at the moment, I'm at the point of pulling the trigger and going for that one.

Not exactly the ideal commuting bike, I guess, but it's a hard-tail so it's pretty versatile on Cape Town roads. I do wish we had better cycling infrastructure.

 

Just a thought ....

 

Bafang has the "mid-drive" motor as well as the "hub drive" motor ....  The mid-drive motor in the Darrvin feels and responds in a very similar way to the Giant. 

 

I have not ridden the hub-drive, but apparently it has a vastly different feel to it.  Might work okay for a commuter, but certainly have heard some complaints from MTB riders.

[jnsmith]

22 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

Bafang has the "mid-drive" motor as well as the "hub drive" motor ....  The mid-drive motor in the Darrvin feels and responds in a very similar way to the Giant. 

I really liked the Darrvins, I tested both a Crest and an Evolve. It's just that the frames only came up to size L and I really need XL. The dynamics were nice (the motor was similar to the Giant, a bit more peppy if anything, though I thought the Giant was a bit smoother).

But I can't get over the size being too small for me. Even with tweaks in the seat height and handlebar stem, I could feel I was on a bike that was too small, and it wouldn't be comfortable. The Giant comes in XL, otherwise I probably wouldn't be considering it.

Though this is more of a me problem than a problem with the bike as such. If anyone shorter than me is looking for one, I'd definitely point them to Darrvin to try out. Value for money is pretty great.

[ChrisF]

Correct size is super important !

 

ENJOY the Giant 

[Titan Racing Bikes]

Take a look at our Charge range. Both of them 😎

https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes?jsf=jet-engine&tax=range:102

We don't like to quote prices, but taking a look around shows the E-One is selling for around R25K and the E-Two for R20k.

Hub driven, 32km/h limit and back with our multi-user warranty. 👍

[jnsmith]

@Titan Racing Bikes - thanks for the prod, I actually did see some Titans on the web, but my challenge has been finding anywhere with stock of something in my size!

I took delivery of a (used, bought here on Bikehub, shoutout to @BarnardM) 2021 Talon E+1 in XL, and I'll say this, it's amazing.

Unfortunately it caught me at a time that everyone in the house is sick with colds, so apart from a (really) quick ride around the block, I haven't put it through its paces yet. All in all I'm very satisfied. It looks versatile enough that I can use it to get to the office in the week, and hit the trails on the weekends.

[ChrisF]

CONGRATULATIONS on your purchase.

 

While stuck at home, play with the Giant Ride Control App.

 

NOTE - "Location" must be ON on your phone for the app to work (no error message when Location is off, the app just does not work)

 

 

Will you be using it on trails at all ?  Or purely as a commuter ?  Gravel bike tires have a LOT less drag on tar, and far better for a commuter.