Big Momma Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Myself and OH are considering treating ourselves to new bicycles and have thought about perhaps getting Electric ones. However, we currently have ordinary bicycles which we carry on the Fiamma Bike Rack attached to the rear of the van. My question is, would electric bikes be too heavy to carry on the same rack as I do not really want the added expense of both purchasing new bicycles and also a new bike rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza454 Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Big Momma - 2009-07-06 2:16 PM Myself and OH are considering treating ourselves to new bicycles and have thought about perhaps getting Electric ones. However, we currently have ordinary bicycles which we carry on the Fiamma Bike Rack attached to the rear of the van. My question is, would electric bikes be too heavy to carry on the same rack as I do not really want the added expense of both purchasing new bicycles and also a new bike rack.Hi Eric,You would probably take off the batteries and store them inside the 'van for extra security therefore you should compare the weights of your present bikes with the ones that you are considering purchasing, minus the batteries.The following site has useful info - http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Hi We have 2 electric bikes that we carry on our Fiamma rack no problem. I would suggest you check the weight your rack is designed to carry and also check out the weight of any bikes prior to purchase. With virtually all electric bikes it is easy to remove the batteries and so lighten the load. Generally electric bikes are a lot lighter than when they first hit the market and some are only marginally heavier than older standard bikes but the weight can vary quite a lot. Most electric bike sales people will provide you with weight with and without battery. The tyres on electric bikes can be wider than standard road bikes and can be a bit of a squeeze to fit some racks - we haven't had a problem with this. The other issue you might want to consider is the weight of lifting the bikes up to place on the rack. When we went to choose ours we tried lifting them to the approximate height of the rack prior to purchase. You might find the pedelecs.co.uk forum to be of great use when trying to choose bikes. They really helped me when I was trying to decide which bikes to buy. We haven't regretted our bike purchase for one moment. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 E bikes are split into vaguely 2 main types. the European style which are pedal assist only, and the Chinese style which can have larger batteries and throttles. The pedal assist only, mainly with panasonic motor/batteries, drive through the chain and are probably better hill climbers but start at approx £1600. I prefer the Chinese style as the throttle allows you to add power when you need it and have a break if necessary. We have 2 Wisper E bikes. A 905SE for me and a 705SE for my wife (approx £1400 each). Hers is a stepthrough model mine a conventional frame. They weigh approx 23-24 kg including batteries which are approx 3-4 kg. So a combined weight of 40 kg without batteries. Most racks have a 40-50 kg capacity I believe. so you only need to have the physical capabilities to hoist them onto a rack. But I don't like the handling with weight strung out the back of the van (we have a garage so no problem) you need to be careful because a lot of E bikes are heavier... If you have a tow bar I would recommend a Thule tow bar rack as these are easy to load and bikes can be chained with a heavy duty motorbike lock through the tow bar frame. fiamma racks are easy to cut through not much of a concern with cheap bikes but e bikes can cost 2-4K for a pair. there are cheaper half decent bikes, look on pedelec forum for details and advice. Have had mine for nearly a year now and use it regularly for shopping getting about etc..... it is far quicker in south London and I sail passed the traffic jams with a smile on my face and you just feel better. Looking forward to using them in Switzerland and Italy in a few weeks.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza454 Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 This looks the DBs -http://www.gocycle.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Bazza454 - 2009-07-06 4:37 PMThis looks the DBs -http://www.gocycle.com/They may look it, but they ain't *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertieburstner Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 they don't seem to have any racks or ability to carry any panniers for wine, and er wine.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 Many thanks, will look at the links provided and take on board the advice offered. Looking at buying these as mutual Christmas presents to offset the cost, although we will need to look at whether we will use them sufficiently to justify the outlay. If we were retired and used the Motorhome on a very frequent basis then there would be no question, but to use them 4-5 weeks (weekends) a year (!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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