Modern Vespa

I know there's a lot of knowledge on here, and I'm hoping you might be able to be patient enough to share some of that with me.

I'm not a cyclist. I'm not fit. I scoot the 4.5 miles to work every day, and apart from a bridge it's fairly level ground.

I work in a suit and tie environment, and would prefer not to arrive at work hot and sweaty, and would prefer not to have to change clothes and/or shower in order to get from home to work, but am also aware of the advantages of getting some gentle exercise. London is rainy for lots of the year.

London is getting a lot more cycle-friendly; to the extent that cyclists often at least keep pace with me on my scooter.

It has occurred to me that an electric bike might be a good solution for all my requirements, but I know nothing about them. From what I can work out, decent electric bikes cost a fair no of cash and I'm wary about making a vanity purchase that may be left in the shed after a few weeks.

Is anyone in a position to advise me, please?

Thanks to anyone who can help...

Tomjasz got into ebikes when he had to give up scooting. He isn't on here much any longer but you might try a PM. Here is one thread he started:

Thanks Piaggio, for my passion, the mid drive electric Bicyc

The latest copy of twist & go magazine no 111 July/August includes watt bike magazine with loads of reviews of pedelecs

My wife and I tried them at a recent bike shop sponsored demo. They had the latest offerings from Trek and IZIP. I tried an IZIP full suspension mountain bike and an IZIP fat-tired mountain bike. My wife tried a step-thru beach cruiser model. All of the ones that we used required you to pedal for the electric assistance to kick in. The level of assistance was greatly adjustable and ranged from a little help to practically carrying you along at 20mph. The range was up to thirty miles between charges. The full suspension bike weighed about twice as much as my regular mountain bike at approximately 50-60lbs with the battery and all.

The demo was held at a local park at the top of a half-mile long, very steep hill. I am in excellent shape, ride regularly, and I can still barely ride my normal bike up this hill. With the electric bike it was an easy climb. I found myself rolling through the gears to increase the pedaling difficulty on purpose. My wife, who has health issues and can barely walk up this same hill, was able to sachet to the top with ease by using an easy gear. The amount of work out that you get is entirely up to you. The one that she liked was about $2000. We were both impressed by the performance and I am considering getting her one in the future.

I had an ebike for a while when my knee was damaged. I quite enjoyed racing around on the thing and used it far more than my normal pedal cycle. I'll warn you that the bikes can be considerably heavier than a non electric bike (at least mine was), the batteries don't last forever (mine didn't) and that the range is considerably less than that advertised (at least it is if you live in a hilly area).

I'd recommend borrowing a normal bike one weekend and just trying to cycle into work as if you were commuting. You mentioned your commute is flat so it shouldn't be that tough, you might surprise yourself and find a normal bike is easier than you think. Don't try and race along but instead just enjoy the journey. If you then start using the bike for commutes then do it in a staged fashion and just pick pleasant days to use the bicycle. I'd recommend using a hub geared bike and preferably in a city style with mudguards.

PS I used to work in Geneva and bicycled in from France, it used to be my favourite part of the day.

Cheers, everyone. Any more advice/recommendations/etc., feel free to keep them coming.

I commute to work from home in Vauxhall to Surrey every day on a Vespa and I'm also a keen cyclist.

I'd suggest doing your commute a couple of times on an ordinary bike, not on a weekend but when you actually intend to use the E-Bike to see how it goes.

I find cycling in London a lot more dangerous than riding the Vespa. No mirrors, no noise to let the tourists that step out in front of busses at bus stops know you are coming, etc.

If you are not happy doing it on a normal bike you probably won't like doing it on an E-Bike so can save yourself the grief of buying one, not using it then trying to sell it.

Not sure if this will help;

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/

I second (third?) the suggestion to try a normal unpowered bicycle first. You might be surprised at how manageable your commute distance actually is. Over level terrain, cycling is as easy or as tough as you make it. You can roll along or you can pedal hard. Four and a half miles ought not be a problem for a beginner. And you don't have to arrive all hot and bothered - a well-deployed packet of wet wipes can work wonders.

On the other hand, ebikes do look like great fun too.

I find that the easiest way to avoid arriving hot and sweaty is to resist the temptation to race other pushbike riders That's more difficult than you'd think, as everyone seems to be in such a hurry these days. I've got two bicycles, one of which is a 'Dutch style' bike - heavy and agricultural, with a sprung leather seat, wide handlebars, and upright sitting position. It's a lot easier to maintain a sedate pace if you're suited up and sitting on a bike that looks like something a vicar should be riding.

Why not just try a Boris bike to see if you like it? If you find you hate riding, you won't have wasted time and money buying a pushbike only to leave it sitting in the shed.

Thanks, folks.

I'm happy riding a Boris bike, and generally happy riding in London traffic.

My main interest in an electric bike is the combination of variable effort and relative speed. If I gently amble to work on a Boris bike, it takes a bit too long...

A friend called by with one of these the other day

http://www.cube.eu/uk/products/e-bike-trekking/cross-hybrid/cube-cross-hybrid-pro-400-blacknred-2016/

........... I was well impressed especially when I easily rode away from some MAMILs on the 1 in 9 gradient outside my house.

The Bosch motor assist is selectable and seamless in operation

Then an electric bike definitely sounds like the answer. Do you have an idea of budget? style of bike you're after? Do you have somewhere to secure it on both ends of the journey? Do you need to lift it up stairs etc? Can you still get a grant for buying a bicycle for cycling to work? I've never tried the London Boris bikes but I was in Paris for a week a while back and had a great time on their Velib bike system - I was amazed how cheap it was to use it (as long as you kept your rides just under 30 minutes). I ought to try the ones over here but I'm kind of boycotting anything associated with Boris at the moment.

All great things for me to consider. Thanks.

I'm noticing that with all the dedicated bike lanes that are being put in everywhere in Central London, it's taking me longer and longer to commute by scoot, which is what got me to thinking about ebikes.

All I've been able to find out so far is that the "cheap" ones are pretty expensive, and the ones that people seem to rate are knocking on for a couple of grand. The superfunky looking Piaggio ones are £3k (!!!!). For that money, I'd get up earlier and either stay on my scoot or get a regular push bike

I'd still look into a decent normal bike. Something like a 3 gear brompton would move a lot quicker than a Boris bike and take much less effort. You could also fold it up at either end and impress the girls in the office (if the motorcycle helmet hasn't already done this). 4.5 miles would probably take 30 mins when you start and, as you get fitter, you could probably knock it down to 20 mins. You'd also be getting fitter assuming you don't kill yourself. Something like a Brompton M3L costs around £900 but the cycle to work scheme would likely bring that down to £600. A friend of mine has had his one for years and swears by it - and he weighs north of 20 stone. Sadly they get pinched as often as GTS's so it's worth folding up and placing beside your desk. I'd get the little wheels on the back that allow you to easily push it around when folded.

I bought a Brompton on the ride to work scheme a few years back and I love it. They're so light that you can get them moving very quickly with hardly any effort. I don't use it as much now that I live out in leafy suburbia, but the advice I was given by the vendor when I bought it was not to even bother with a lock, as it will be stolen in minutes if you leave it out of your sight. the little wheels are very easy to fit and make it a lot easier to push around, and you can get a very sexy-looking textile handle thing to carry it around with.

If you want to borrow mine for a week or two to see how you get on, you're welcome to.

that sexy-looking textile handle would probably work for you but I suspect it might be wasted on me

Here is an interesting concept. Just involves swapping your front wheel for this motorized front wheel.

+1 for the Brompton, fantastic bikes. I have had mine for 10 years and done all kinds of trips on it. Plus they hold their value quite well.

Someone I knew had one of these and rated it.

http://gocycle.com/

Thanks everyone.

Thanks, particularly for your kind offer to loan a Brompton, genie. I've actually got an old one in storage which (I imagine) could be made roadworthy without too much fettling, so maybe that's a good first step for me - although I suspect I may just ride to work on a Boris bike a few times to see how I get on, and take things from there.

I had thought that I could sell the Brompton to part-finance an ebike. I used to ride the Brompton to and from the Tube years ago, when I lived in Deep South London and worked in the Far North, and both my home and my workplace were a good way from the nearest tube. But since getting a scooter I've not used a bicycle for work, and since having a nipper I've not used it for leisure as we tend to walk most places (although she's grown up a bit now, and is getting a lot better on her pushbike, so things may change on that front).

I love the electric front wheel idea, too.

From the limited experience I've had of ebike riding (a friend has one and let me take it for a spin a while ago), I was childishly thrilled by the stealth effect of being able to give a tiny push on the pedals and have the electric assist kick in to zoom me off at what felt like quite a speed. Plus, I haven't bought a new gadget in years

My old ebike had a motor in the front wheel too but I personally didn't think it was such a good design. The various downsides are that any impacts in the road impact the motor directly with little cushioning - I didn't have any issues with my motor but I felt it couldn't of been good for long term reliability. Another issue was that because it drove the wheel directly it meant the motor only became efficient at around 6mph to about 16mph - it definitely wasn't very efficient if you were trying to start from 0mph on a hill. I didn't need to manhandle up stairs etc but, if I did, that weight in the front can be a pain as it swings about. Also with that style of motor you usually have a separate accelerator rather than it automatically detecting how much power to apply. Lastly, you also need to consider that weight in the front wheel when riding - kerb hopping is definitely a no-no.

Ah, so you're a Grantchester fan too, no?

BTW, in full agreement.

Old thread but recently did a very light weight and slick electric Brompton. I know, kinda crazy, but it's still portable and Canadian friends worked out a better system so they can even cargo theirs for trips to the UK and EU.
Zip to work without a sweat and pedal home for the exercise.

ebikes.ca

Cool!
Any pic's?

http://www.ebikes.ca/product-info/brompton-kit.html

Thanks, Jim.

Looks great (although all the technical talk about electrics flies way over my head )

Am now a dealer for them, Grin products are real leaders! The Bropton kits got special attention since Justin the owner packs his on the planes to EU. AND designed battery packs that can be flown with the bikes. One of the nicest products. Nothing like having a little boost to get home after a long day. You can still pedal...