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Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

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Itsallaguess
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Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#206668

Postby Itsallaguess » March 9th, 2019, 2:59 pm

I know there's lots of interest nowadays in electric bikes, so I thought I'd post about the Halfords free trials that are currently available for them.

You can pop into any store and carry out a free 30 minute trial there and then, and this has been available for a while now, but I've also recently discovered that Halfords also offer a free 48-hour trial period too, which sounds really enticing as we start to enter the warmer-weather period.

Some details here for anyone interested in either trial-scheme -

https://www.halfords.com/advice/cycling ... foreyoubuy

The link above goes to the section on that page regarding the free trials themselves, but scrolling up a little will also reveal where details of their current range of electric bikes can be found.

Of course we'll hope that anyone taking up any of these great Halfords trial-offers might also please post about their experiences here, with details of makes/models etc......

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#206718

Postby UncleEbenezer » March 9th, 2019, 6:12 pm

Is an electric bike sufficiently different? I suspect it would have to be a lot heavier - closer to a petrol moped than a bike - for inexpert set up to cease to matter.

Itsallaguess
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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#206722

Postby Itsallaguess » March 9th, 2019, 6:16 pm

UncleEbenezer wrote:
But would you buy a bike from Halfords?


Perhaps not, but as a flexible and free introduction to the modern e-bike technology, and given the large national coverage of the Halfords outlets, I think it's perhaps worthwhile that people might have the opportunity to learn about these options being available.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#206764

Postby EssDeeAitch » March 10th, 2019, 6:21 am

UncleEbenezer wrote:
Is an electric bike sufficiently different? I suspect it would have to be a lot heavier - closer to a petrol moped than a bike - for inexpert set up to cease to matter.


Depending on cost (as always) ebikes can be as low as 14kg but 17-18 kg seems to be par. Yesterday on our cappuccino ride (40 miles) we went out into a 30 mph headwind and of course had the tailwind on return. And that I imagine is what riding an eBike is like; riding with a tailwind.

I am lining one up for my 70th, but not from Halfords.

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#206766

Postby todthedog » March 10th, 2019, 6:42 am

Moved to hilly West Wales, we converted our old bikes to ebikes and now use them all the time.
They are nothing fancy sit up old bikes heavyish before, distinctly heavy now 20 kg+. It does not matter hills and windy days are doable.
I have dodgy knees and neither of us in the first flush of youth.
If it is free give it a go!

Itsallaguess
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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#206769

Postby Itsallaguess » March 10th, 2019, 7:42 am

todthedog wrote:
Moved to hilly West Wales, we converted our old bikes to ebikes and now use them all the time.

They are nothing fancy sit up old bikes heavyish before, distinctly heavy now 20 kg+. It does not matter hills and windy days are doable.

I have dodgy knees and neither of us in the first flush of youth.

If it is free give it a go!


That conversion job sounds interesting - are you able to give any details and links to the kit you used?

Was the job relatively straight-forward?

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

scotia
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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#206943

Postby scotia » March 11th, 2019, 9:57 am

EssDeeAitch wrote:I am lining one up for my 70th, but not from Halfords.

I bought one (from Halfords) in anticipation of my 75th - and its had lots of use. Its a bright morning, so I'll soon be off to a local nature reserve. About a 15 miles round trip. It should reduce my weight, but unfortunately it also makes me feel hungry.

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#206960

Postby todthedog » March 11th, 2019, 11:32 am

I used Electric Bike Conversions
tel 01438 986007
enquiries@electricbikeconversions.co.uk
I went for a 250 w front hub conversion looked the easiest to do. Battery mounted on rear rack option.
I did it,so idiot proof ;)
From memory 11Ah battery cost £425
Good instructions and youtube video
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDwVtS ... m2A/videos

hope this helps

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#206966

Postby EssDeeAitch » March 11th, 2019, 12:28 pm

scotia wrote:
EssDeeAitch wrote:I am lining one up for my 70th, but not from Halfords.

I bought one (from Halfords) in anticipation of my 75th - and its had lots of use. Its a bright morning, so I'll soon be off to a local nature reserve. About a 15 miles round trip. It should reduce my weight, but unfortunately it also makes me feel hungry.


The endless dilemma! I went to Majorca a few years ago, rode 500 miles in seven days and put some weight on. Help yourself to a gorgeous buffet didn't help

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231504

Postby 88V8 » June 23rd, 2019, 10:04 am

Although I've been cycling on the road for nigh on 60 years, it's not an activity that ever enthused me, and since we moved in 2012 I've cycled very little.

In contract, my wife enjoys her bike and gets good use from the Raleigh I bought her in 1999, with its five-speed hub change.
And carrier and bell and mudguards and pannier and chain guard and lights and sucklike stuff that distinguishes a useful bike from one that just clutters up the road :)

What bothers me about all electric bikes atm, is rapid obsolescence, thus the likely impossibility of battery replacement, and of course it will need replacing eventually. And for that matter, other spare parts.

It's pretty hilly round here so that conversions kit looks interesting, but the same caveats.

V8

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231523

Postby tikunetih » June 23rd, 2019, 12:12 pm

Here's a useful site for staying abreast of new products in the ebike market:

https://ebiketips.road.cc/

There are some phenomenal bikes being produced now, which in appearance are almost indistinguishable from regular bikes, eg. this road bike: https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-e ... /#HOWTOBUY

Thinking of getting one to go on my turbo trainer :lol:

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231549

Postby UncleEbenezer » June 23rd, 2019, 1:46 pm

tikunetih wrote:Here's a useful site for staying abreast of new products in the ebike market:

https://ebiketips.road.cc/

There are some phenomenal bikes being produced now, which in appearance are almost indistinguishable from regular bikes, eg. this road bike: https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-e ... /#HOWTOBUY

Thinking of getting one to go on my turbo trainer :lol:


As a matter of curiosity, how can it look like a normal bike? That is to say, where would you put a battery that isn't going to stick out like a big and heavy sore thumb?

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231550

Postby Itsallaguess » June 23rd, 2019, 1:51 pm

UncleEbenezer wrote:
tikunetih wrote:
There are some phenomenal bikes being produced now, which in appearance are almost indistinguishable from regular bikes, eg. this road bike: https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-e ... /#HOWTOBUY


As a matter of curiosity, how can it look like a normal bike? That is to say, where would you put a battery that isn't going to stick out like a big and heavy sore thumb?


Did you click on the ribblecycles link and look at the range of e-bikes?

It seems quite clear on doing so that they are quite different to the usual e-bike frame/battery format.

As an aside, I share the concerns of other posters regarding the maintainability and availability of batteries for this great new e-bike innovation that we're going through, and until a clearer path in this area is created, I'll be looking on as an interested, enviable observer, rather than committing what looks like a considerable sum of money to such an idea.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231551

Postby UncleEbenezer » June 23rd, 2019, 2:12 pm

Itsallaguess wrote:
UncleEbenezer wrote:
tikunetih wrote:
There are some phenomenal bikes being produced now, which in appearance are almost indistinguishable from regular bikes, eg. this road bike: https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-e ... /#HOWTOBUY


As a matter of curiosity, how can it look like a normal bike? That is to say, where would you put a battery that isn't going to stick out like a big and heavy sore thumb?


Did you click on the ribblecycles link and look at the range of e-bikes?

It seems quite clear on doing so that they are quite different to the usual e-bike frame/battery format.
Itsallaguess

Which begs the question, is the battery baked in to the frame? If so, how do you recharge (let alone replace or repair) it? Is it a hybrid that recharges from the energy of going downhill or just pedalling? Or does it require the whole bike to be kept near a power point?

One thing I learned in my youth was to avoid bikes with wiring in inaccessible places! Back then that was dynamo lights.

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231561

Postby tikunetih » June 23rd, 2019, 4:00 pm

This is what ebikes will increasingly look like:

https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/revie ... icket-1759

https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/revie ... stout-1702

https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/news/ ... fords-1892

https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/revie ... -al-e-1879

https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/revie ... e-di2-1864

ie. just like regular bikes.

A good number of people will mutter about the tech being fully integrated making replacement of systems or batteries more difficult etc, just as they did when mobile phones began their ever closer integration of components and batteries, while many others will probably just shrug their shoulders, think they look great and go with the flow.

The path of least resistance will likely be for ever more tightly integrated technology in ebikes, even as this effectively causes bikes to become more disposable (similar to tech in cars, particularly with EVs).

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231566

Postby tea42 » June 23rd, 2019, 4:26 pm

Just bought an electric bike to more easily tackle the 1 in 5 hills and enjoy the countryside in my new location, Devon. Personally it doesnt bother me that the battery is very visible located in full view on the downtube. To me it means that when the battery is finally nackered it will be easy to replace it with one with different fittings. My new bike is fitted with the Bosch bottom bracket mounted motor and gearbox which has a good reputation, the rest of the bike has standard tried and tested componentry. I chose a German manufacturer Ortler whose bikes are used by bike hire companies which I thought was a good endorsement.

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231710

Postby bungeejumper » June 24th, 2019, 1:11 pm

tikunetih wrote:A good number of people will mutter about the tech being fully integrated making replacement of systems or batteries more difficult etc, just as they did when mobile phones began their ever closer integration of components and batteries, while many others will probably just shrug their shoulders, think they look great and go with the flow.

I have no great personal interest in e-bikes, but would suggest that the batteries (all that scarce cadmium, all that lithium) must surely be a bigger issue than the integrated electronics, which are ten a penny?

I mean, either the batteries are easily get-at-able and recyclable, or else they're a blot on the planet. If you put a battery down inside your downtube, so that there's no obvious way to reclaim it at end of life apart from scrapping the bike, then have you really thought this through?

But hey, maybe I'm misunderstanding something? I certainly hope so. :lol: In the meantime, I'd be interested to know why so many of these batteries are being concealed in ways that make them look like it isn't an e-bike at all? Is it:

- Fashion? (I'll assume it isn't aerodynamics.....)
- Not wanting to look like a wuss or a cheat when the name on your frame is Boardman?
- Worries that somebody will steal your expensive bike and melt it down overnight for the cadmium content?
- Worrying that your bike with a clunky add-on battery pack will look like a rental?

ISTR seeing e-bikes with battery packs that were cunningly designed to resemble water bottles and could be frame-clamped without anybody ever needing to know about the subterfuge. Or indeed, swapped for a recharged pack in a couple of minutes. Or did I just dream that?

BJ

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231718

Postby Itsallaguess » June 24th, 2019, 1:53 pm

bungeejumper wrote:
I mean, either the batteries are easily get-at-able and recyclable, or else they're a blot on the planet.

If you put a battery down inside your downtube, so that there's no obvious way to reclaim it at end of life apart from scrapping the bike, then have you really thought this through?


Presumably they've thought it through enough to still offer guarantees and warranties on these bikes and batteries, which would be an odd thing to do if it was impossible to actually access them....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231728

Postby UncleEbenezer » June 24th, 2019, 2:18 pm

Itsallaguess wrote:
bungeejumper wrote:
I mean, either the batteries are easily get-at-able and recyclable, or else they're a blot on the planet.

If you put a battery down inside your downtube, so that there's no obvious way to reclaim it at end of life apart from scrapping the bike, then have you really thought this through?


Presumably they've thought it through enough to still offer guarantees and warranties on these bikes and batteries, which would be an odd thing to do if it was impossible to actually access them....

Hence the curiosity. How does it work?

A bike tube is a finely-tuned piece of engineering: a carefully-crafted balance between strength, weight, durability, etc. A tube you can put a big heavy battery inside would seem to throw all that away. Unless there's some magic in there that the initiated know about but that eludes others like BJ and myself.

If I ever had an electric bike, I'd need to be able to detach the battery to bring it indoors for charging. Kind-of like I detach the water bottle to refill it!

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Re: Halfords - free 48hr electric bike trial

#231737

Postby Itsallaguess » June 24th, 2019, 2:38 pm

UncleEbenezer wrote:
If I ever had an electric bike, I'd need to be able to detach the battery to bring it indoors for charging.


In that situation, then I think it's likely that some of the integrated battery solutions wouldn't suit you, as there are many that aren't removable by the user.

There are quite a few that are, however, such as this example here -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyauR1dsgrw

I expect this is one of the areas that will rapidly improve with the up-take of these powered bikes, and I expect the lumpy 'external bottle' arrangements to largely become the exception over the coming years.

It's still relatively early days for this type of personal transport, but to me it already seems clear that this is going to be a very popular technology. Some months ago I linked to an article that was suggesting that it really won't be too long before non-powered bikes are the exception rather than the rule, and I think that's a fair viewpoint when looking a few years out from here.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess


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