51 year old unfit man.Thinking of longish commute.

[Hixy]

I live 16 miles from work. The way things are at the moment I'm thinking about cycling but I will need an e-bike. I'm in the process of restoring a specialised hard rock. Ideally id like an off the shelf bike but I can only afford £2000, so was thinking about a Bafang mid-drive. My thinking is in my new job I just sit down all day and my hours are very long and get no exercise. So the commute would kill 2 birds, keep me off the train and give me my exercise. I can charge the battery when I get to work so that's not a problem. What do you think. I do cycle but very little. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Mick

 

[Shifty]

I live 16 miles from work. The way things are at the moment I'm thinking about cycling but I will need an e-bike. I'm in the process of restoring a specialised hard rock. Ideally id like an off the shelf bike but I can only afford £2000, so was thinking about a Bafang mid-drive. My thinking is in my new job I just sit down all day and my hours are very long and get no exercise. So the commute would kill 2 birds, keep me off the train and give me my exercise. I can charge the battery when I get to work so that's not a problem. What do you think. I do cycle but very little. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Mick

Firstly, it’s a good call using the ebike. But remember you still have the potential to work up a sweat so need to be able to shower etc if you needed too. The 16 miles is still a fair wack each way so I would choose carefully.

dependant on your terrain I would by the style to suite eg mtb hard tail etc or cross. Also I would think about a second hand bike or nearly new from a bike dealer. My 2019Trance + Pro 3 was about 2.5k a year ago. Also if you have a good bike shop near work or near home and they are a service dealer for a certain brand. It’s well handy if the brand you buy can be looked after by them. Otherwise you can lose the bike for 2 weeks or more on any warranty work to an online dealer or be going miles at the weekend to get it fixed.

 

[Giox]

... ,keep me off the train and give me my exercise.

If you want the most natural riding feeling go for a Thong Sheng TSDZ2. Cheaper than the bafang and with the nice feeling of a bosh/shimano motor. You can get motor+battery for 500 USD from an European warehouse at pswpower.com. Get the 36V 250W version, it's plenty and street legal. Should you want to derestrict it you can get it to 500W with the open source firmware. If you can spend a bit more try to get a fully potted waterproof battery. The motor is already waterproof.

 

[Zimmerframe]

just ask @Zimmerframe his ass always hurts.

My ass always hurts because it's connected to the rest of my body, which always hurts ! There are no zones of exclusion !

 

[Hixy]

I have been doing it for 3 months now.150 mile a week.I cant praise my Bafang motor enough its outstanding.Oh yeh ive lost a stone and a half.

 

[steve_sordy]

@BAMBAMODA , @Hixy is from the UK. Despite huge pressure from the EU to go fully metric, the UK still use Imperial weights and measures and a "stone" is 14 pounds. Each pound has 16 ounces (like a US pound I believe).

 

[Gary]

Don't! Just buy a roadbike and get fit.
Being 51 is no excuse alone for needing an Ebike. And contrary to what folk here will try to tell you Ebikes don't get you fit.

 

[Hixy]

Don't! Just buy a roadbike and get fit.
Being 51 is no excuse alone for needing an Ebike. And contrary to what folk here will try to tell you Ebikes don't get you fit.

No your probably right,but i do 30 mile and climb 400 metres each way and sweat like a pig so its better than nothing,i really dont want to be a skinny cyclist.

 

[Gary]

No your probably right,but i do 30 mile and climb 400 metres each way and sweat like a pig so its better than nothing,i really dont want to be a skinny cyclist.

I didn't mention skinny.

 

[Gary]

51 in mother Russia is only 10 years from death.

And Glasgow. What's your point?

 

[Nicho]

There are no zones of exclusion !

Surely your hair doesn't hurt does it?

 

[Zimmerframe]

Surely your hair doesn't hurt does it?

There's so little if it, I guess the nerve endings have died ?