sweasel.com

A friend of mine built his own e-bike years ago. It went really fast, and he fell and broke his schnozzle. So watch your schnozzle, Stoaty!

Why not a Vespa?

An electric bike of 250W that will go 15.5 mph or less has no kind of licensing or insurance requirements at all here. You can ride it on the bike path, you dasn’t have to wear a helmet. Gets about 30 miles to the charge (70 if you get the bigger battery).

I’d get a gas scooter, something like a Honda. Electric scooters would need to be charged and the way the UK is shutting down coal fired electrical plants, that could be a problem.

You wouldn’t drive that in winter, would you?…you’ll wipe out on the first icy patch you hit…there’s a reason you never see bicycles in winter :+)

Gas means road. Roads am dangerous. Also, insurance and license.

There’s a cycle path that passes right by my front door and we had a grand total of one hard frost last year, so weather issues aren’t much concern here.

Except wind. It’s windy as a bastard where we are.

Tell them increased responsibilities require a car and driver. 🙂

Might as well use a regular bike then…get your daily exercise :+)

See if there are any flying monkeys available. Or ET.

I’ve rode Bikes Year round here in Far northern Indiana for 7 years. so winter is not a problem. Good winter tires from Continental! If the Ride is less than 30 minutes in the summer, i wouldn’t bother with an e-Bike but research and test ride! The KISS rule applies, and if it has a motor YOU NEED disc Brakes!
Why doesn’t th sweasle run anymore? OOps Now it is… must be that transatlantic thingie

Those Continental winter bike tires look cool…if I didn’t get such bad asthma out in the cold air, I’d consider trying them.

When my dad was a kid they could buy a little motor called a Whizzer for their bikes. Gasoline powered and probably heavy and loud as all get out.

But I have several friends who have modern electric bikes and they absolutely love them. Beyond my pocketbook at the moment, however.

Sounds like you need an work-paid Uber account.

Electric bikes are prevalent here in the Philippines – and most suck. Slow charging, low range, poor battery life. Dare not get the sucker wet. Built cheap to reduce weight, which means it breaks easily. Also bursting into flames while charging is not unknown.

Be wary of Chinese brands – they double/triple suck.

a little motorbike, like the old Honda 250, then. That will off-road just fine, trust me.

Link

It’s not that I need to off-road, it’s that electric=no license or insurance, gasoline=license and insurance. Among other hassles.

Electric bikes are popular here. Our local bobby has one as his main ride, which is not uncommon. The model he has is one of the ones I’m considering (but only if I could find ex-demo; it’s an expensive one).

Too bad there’s no insurance against windy bastards. As far as I know.

I’ve ridden a (pedal-powered) bicycle as my primary transportation since 1986. Indeed, weather has to be taken into consideration. Riding into the wind isn’t fun, but it can be done. And a tailwind – if you’re so lucky – is euphoric.

My commute is 3.5 miles each way… mild downhill in the morning and uphill in the afternoon. It seemed challenging for the first month or so… second nature ever since. I just turned over 167,000 miles. Would NEVER voluntarily go back to a car.

If you’re set on an ELECTRIC bicycle… Trek offers one. (Do they sell in the UK?) They are a reputable brand, and their electric bike looks nearly identical to a standard. Just a fatter hub for the motor, and a battery box. And of course you have the option of pedaling, when the wind is at your back! (Sah-WEEEET!)

Hope that helps!

I get mailings from Trek, but I don’t think they have a distributor here. There are lots to choose from, though. As I said, electric bikes are much more common here.

I’m going to have to test drive a few before I make up my mind, but based on what I’ve read, I’m leaning toward this one. Great reviews, looks awesome. Don’t blench at the price; that’s the manufacturer’s own site. We’ll see…

1. How much does charging increase your electricity bill?

2. Wouldnt you still have to buy theft insurance?

3. The Regency model is very nice and the name suits you. 🙂 I want one!

Negligible. I read on one of the sites that a full charge costs 10-15 pence, and the smaller supplied battery will do 25-40 miles on that (depending how much pedal assist you give it). They have a finite life, of course.

For my regular commute, the thing would be locked up safely at both ends. But, yeah, if I branched out at all, I’d want theft insurance.

Regency. Sounds just like me, don’t it?

I have a friend in Oxford who rides an e-bike. Since he took it up, he’s lost about 40 pounds and feels great. If you like, I’ll query him about what’s the best available in the UK.

I wouldn’t mind hearing an opinion, Rich. I have, of course, already found and devoured an online forum on the subject…

Nina, they still make Whizzers! There are all kinds of Chinese ones on eBay! I have thought about getting one, myself.

TREK UK https://www.google.com/search?q=TREK+bicycle+dealers+in+the+UK&oq=TREK+bicycle+dealers+in+the+UK&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.21156j0j4&client=tablet-android-efun&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#istate=lrl:iv&rlimm=9298861733620170086

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