Sports & Recreation

[OFFICIAL] Cycling thread for commuters and the casual enthusiast

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Deal Addict
Jul 23, 2013
3038 posts
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A small town north o…
rockthecasbah wrote: There's currently a "used" options for the Classica, comes to $1999~ with tax/shipping.
I bought a Classica on July 4th. It was $1709, landed on my doorstep. They have bumped the price of the "used" option twice since I bought it.

I bought it for exactly the same reason you are considering one... hills. I just got tired of arriving at the bank or the grocery store dripping in sweat. This bike solves that problem very nicely. You just pedal normally and the bike takes care of the hill. There is a bit of a learning curve until you get the hang of it; you need to anticipate the hills and choose the proper gear and level of boost, but once you figure it out, it's a pleasure to ride.
(I never even considered looking at amazon.ca for ebike options!)
I have learned that whenever you are considering buying anything, always check Amazon first!
Deal Addict
Jul 23, 2013
3038 posts
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A small town north o…
rockthecasbah wrote: The specs on the battery seems to be less powerful
I should add this... I am a large fellow. I ride bicycles every day and own a lot of them, but I still weigh 260. You can exercise all you want, but if your destiny is to be a big guy, you're going to be one.

Anyway, the point is this... the specs might suggest the bike lacks power, but the fact is it zips my 260 pound arse up l-o-n-g hills with no problem at all.

People sometimes gape in astonishment as they see me pedaling up a long hill at 20 mph. The Classica looks like an ordinary bike to the average person, and they are not accustomed to people pedaling up hills with apparent ease. :)
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Jan 27, 2004
52935 posts
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ONTARIO
rockthecasbah wrote: Ok so this is prolly frowned upon in this thread but I'm considering getting (in addition to my regular bike) a pedelec bike for commuting to work. My commute home is all hills so would be nice to be less sweaty on the trek home.

Since I'm in Toronto, where anything and everything is stolen, I'm not looking to spend that much on it. Thinking $1500ish with taxes. I really liked Juiced bikes which are really good in quality/reputation and price, but that's in the US because the dealer in Canada makes the price part no longer a selling point.

So I'm looking at a Voltbike Urban (a folding ebike that isn't super obvious it's electric with an overt battery pack and that I can fold up to put it by my desk a work) and Populo Sport (it's a fixie with a motor, no disc brakes but "normal bike" looking). Each have their positives and negatives.

Any other suggestions on a very budget friendly but decent pedelec bike that I should be looking at? Choices for Canada seems way more limited :\
Of course not... E-Bikes have a purpose!

EXCEPT for e-bikes that are designed to look like motorized scooters/motorcycles. Those are unacceptable.
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Mar 5, 2005
1102 posts
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Toronto
E BIKES

My long commute is starting to get to me.

Anyone here bought a e-bike from the states and brought it back? Been thinking of doing this for the higher speed limiter the bikes down there have. 45km/h max vs 32km/h for the bikes here.
Temp. Banned
Dec 2, 2007
902 posts
110 upvotes
Toronto
there are so many road bikers getting injured in GTA. newspaper often publish stories about cyclists getting killed.
Why don't people change cycling habits ?
or
switch to mountain bike.
Deal Fanatic
Sep 29, 2004
5799 posts
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Toronto
picard12 wrote: there are so many road bikers getting injured in GTA. newspaper often publish stories about cyclists getting killed.
Why don't people change cycling habits ?
or
switch to mountain bike.
That's weird. I haven't heard about too many cyclists getting into accidents this summer.
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Mar 6, 2003
19712 posts
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Ottawa
RBK wrote: Anyone here bought a e-bike from the states and brought it back? Been thinking of doing this for the higher speed limiter the bikes down there have. 45km/h max vs 32km/h for the bikes here.
which bikes are you looking at? Getting the faster Bosch mid-drive system would be definitely preferable. My wife has a Bionx system which is limited to 32kmh boosted and you can definitely top out too fast if there is a bit of a tail wind.
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Mar 5, 2005
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warpdrive wrote: which bikes are you looking at? Getting the faster Bosch mid-drive system would be definitely preferable. My wife has a Bionx system which is limited to 32kmh boosted and you can definitely top out too fast if there is a bit of a tail wind.
But even with a performance Bosch unit they'll still be limited to 32km/h if bought locally.

Thinking of the Giant Quick-e the 2018s just came out and I see some shops still have stock of the 2017 in the states which I may be able to score a deal on.

It tops out at 28mph/45kmh for the US market which would be perfect for me. Could do my 22km commute in about same time as driving with no traffic in my way.
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Mar 6, 2003
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RBK wrote: But even with a performance Bosch unit they'll still be limited to 32km/h if bought locally.

Thinking of the Giant Quick-e the 2018s just came out and I see some shops still have stock of the 2017 in the states which I may be able to score a deal on.

It tops out at 28mph/45kmh for the US market which would be perfect for me. Could do my 22km commute in about same time as driving with no traffic in my way.
yes, that's what I was getting at....getting the more powerful Bosch unit in the states. I would not want to buy the gimped Canadian version.

The real issue is the final cost and trouble of hunting down the bike. You'd have to pay state taxes if you walk into the store, and then duty on the way back (13% on complete bikes I believe) + HST and the cost adds up fast. Fortunately the CAD is a bit higher right now.

ebikes are great fun and adds a whole new dimension to riding.
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Mar 5, 2005
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warpdrive wrote: yes, that's what I was getting at....getting the more powerful Bosch unit in the states. I would not want to buy the gimped Canadian version.

The real issue is the final cost and trouble of hunting down the bike. You'd have to pay state taxes if you walk into the store, and then duty on the way back (13% on complete bikes I believe) + HST and the cost adds up fast. Fortunately the CAD is a bit higher right now.

ebikes are great fun and adds a whole new dimension to riding.
Thanks. Damn didn't know there is 13% duty on top of HST. That pretty much rules it out unless I get a crazy deal. I was originally more concerned bringing it back and customs not allowing it to be brought in cause of the higher speed limiter.

I was looking at getting those aftermarket delimiters but didn't want to have any issues with warranty seeing how much more complicated these things are compared to a normal bike.
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Jul 18, 2004
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UrbanPoet wrote: Of course not... E-Bikes have a purpose!

EXCEPT for e-bikes that are designed to look like motorized scooters/motorcycles. Those are unacceptable.
oh god no. I want one I can conceal as an electric bike (which is why I like the voltbike urban because the battery is inside the tube).

What dealers (online and in-store) are people shopping at? I just know of Amego for in-store and scooteretti.com though I haven't looked into shipping costs. Some US dealers ship to Canada for a couple hundred dollars but then there's gonna be duty + HST so probably makes that option moot.
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Jan 27, 2004
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rockthecasbah wrote: oh god no. I want one I can conceal as an electric bike (which is why I like the voltbike urban because the battery is inside the tube).

What dealers (online and in-store) are people shopping at? I just know of Amego for in-store and scooteretti.com though I haven't looked into shipping costs. Some US dealers ship to Canada for a couple hundred dollars but then there's gonna be duty + HST so probably makes that option moot.
Do you have lots of money to burn?

For 2800 euro you can get a fully concealed e-bike motor.

http://www.vivax-assist.com/en/product/ ... st_4-0.php

Install on your favourite conventional pedal bicyclr. No one can tell its even there!

It uses high capacity 18650 batteries that are installed in the seat down tube. The motor is in the crank set.
The switch installed on your bar ends. No one will know you have an e-bike!

I know this is total overkill for most... but i wanted to share bc of how cool it is!
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Jul 18, 2004
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UrbanPoet wrote: Do you have lots of money to burn?

For 2800 euro you can get a fully concealed e-bike motor.

http://www.vivax-assist.com/en/product/ ... st_4-0.php

Install on your favourite conventional pedal bicyclr. No one can tell its even there!

It uses high capacity 18650 batteries that are installed in the seat down tube. The motor is in the crank set.
The switch installed on your bar ends. No one will know you have an e-bike!

I know this is total overkill for most... but i wanted to share bc of how cool it is!
Now that would be sweet. Would probably need to win the lottery before I splurge like that though!

I also heard about the Copenhagen Wheel https://content.superpedestrian.com/the ... agen-wheel
It also seems kind of cool except heavy and pricey.
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Mar 6, 2003
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rockthecasbah wrote: It also seems kind of cool except heavy and pricey.
the weight seems about normal. Most e-bikes weigh in the vicinity of 45-50lbs due to battery and hub. The Superpedestrian hub itself is 17lbs. I'd had considered preordering it at one point and it was $1200, they raised the price now that it's not not vaporware.

The Voltbike is well over 50lbs. I can't imagine carrying that thing around folded.
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Jul 18, 2004
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warpdrive wrote: the weight seems about normal. Most e-bikes weigh in the vicinity of 45-50lbs due to battery and hub. The Superpedestrian hub itself is 17lbs. I'd had considered preordering it at one point and it was $1200, they raised the price now that it's not not vaporware.

The Voltbike is well over 50lbs. I can't imagine carrying that thing around folded.
Ya apparently the Urban with the spokeless wheels is over 50 lbs. But after I asked about whether I could easily roll it (since carrying a 50 lb seems difficult) it, they told me the new version will be back to normal spokes and should be 5 lbs less (or about the same weight as previous Urbans).
I think the only fairly light ebike of decent price is the Populos Sport which is 36 lbs and maybe the EasyGo Race.
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Mar 6, 2003
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rockthecasbah wrote: Ya apparently the Urban with the spokeless wheels is over 50 lbs. But after I asked about whether I could easily roll it (since carrying a 50 lb seems difficult) it, they told me the new version will be back to normal spokes and should be 5 lbs less (or about the same weight as previous Urbans).
I think the only fairly light ebike of decent price is the Populos Sport which is 36 lbs and maybe the EasyGo Race.
My wife's Trek/Bionx ebike weighs around 45 pounds and it's basically impossible to carry. The only way to move it any distance without rolling it is to remove the battery and put it in a knapsack and then have some kind of strap on the frame so you can carry it on your shoulder. I already have enough trouble just lifting the thing onto my hitch bike rack. ebikes are great for covering distance but they are only great if you have somewhere you can roll it to for parking it. I just don't ever see the usefulness of a folding ebike that can't be rolled when folded.

If I ever have a ton of money to burn (i.e.. I'd estimate $4K or more), I'd would get a Brompton Electric when it is available in Canada. 36 pounds with battery and the battery is designed to be carried on your back and the bike has the same compact fold Bromptons are known for. Of course, you can still roll it easily like all bromptons.

edit:

When/If Revelo offers their LIFT bike with electric kit, then that's where I'd be looking. It's already light and I'm sure a battery version would rival the Brompton Electric's weight.
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Newbie
Dec 25, 2014
95 posts
22 upvotes
Scarborough, ON
I have a Dahon Mu folding bike that I am looking to electrify. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should be looking for? Are there any reliable shops that can do the conversions? Thanks
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Dec 11, 2004
11150 posts
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Montreal, QC
You can lose weight by biking, but I suppose one should also change his eating habits (not follow a diet - which does not work).
Also, it may be better to spin in lower gear for cardio than it is to crank in higher gear, you don't lose weight by benching lol

I used to weight 185lbs when I was younger, commuted 30km (round trip) 5 days a week in college and delivered prescriptions for a pharmacy, so I would ride anywhere between 50-70km in a day, lost 30 lbs and I have been stable around 155lbs ever since.
Haven't done any real exercise all winter but I guess my metabolism kept up since I still weight the same and I do not follow a strict diet or anything.
I try to eat a balanced-ish meal at home and always bring my lunch at work but I do have snacks and buy takeout (fast)food 1-2 times a week.

Other important points:
Portion control, I do still weight in my lunch, I'm not counting calories but I make sure that I'm eating a fullfilling/balanced portion of carbs, vegetable and protein, if not, I will be tempted to buy junk food (which is also not cost efficient)
Eat more often/smaller portions and eat before you're hangry, have breakfast if you can or at least some form of healthier snacks in between meal, fruit or cereal bars.
Avoid juice and sugary drinks, stay hydrated and drink often, have a water bottle with you at all times if you must.

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