buying ebike

speed pit
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buying ebike

Postby speed pit » Thu Jan 23, 2020 2:46 pm

Hi,

I would like to buy an ebike with the following properties:

- throttle (capable of 20 km/hr when unlocked, if necessary)
- dual cadence/torque sensor
- front and rear suspension
- step through, moped style (see photo in link)
- 750W+ motor
- 20 Ah battery

I found a bike that would be ideal (https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/hyperscorpion), but I haven't yet done my research on which bikes can be imported and at what cost, and the bike will only become available in the US in May).

Which evokes, currently available in Australia, or importable to Australia, would meet most of my requirements?

Thanks!

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AUbicycles
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Re: buying ebike

Postby AUbicycles » Thu Jan 23, 2020 7:31 pm

It is not a legal ebike in Australia when it has a throttle and more than 250W. Unless you get a license for the 'motorbike' or 'scooter' and hold an appropriate licence, you can't use it as an ebike on public roads or spaces.

Most Australian states have legislated that ebike have a 250W max and are pedal-assist need to be in accordance with the European EN 15194:2017 standards.

For importing powered electric vehicles, this is very difficult for private citizens because of the regulations around sending batteries and also because of compliance. In short, it needs standards approval so for a single bike the costs and workload would be prohibitive.

Importing from overseas also gives you a massive disadvantage that you likely get not warranty / guarantee.

You either need to look for a legal ebike or opt for a high-powered throttle version, but are only allowed to use on private property where you have permission or instead look into electric scooters or motorbikes instead.
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Re: buying ebike

Postby AUbicycles » Thu Jan 23, 2020 11:00 pm

Update: depending on your state / territory - power assist ebike up to 200W may be legal.. though 750W is certainly not legal.
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Ziggystar
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Re: buying ebike

Postby Ziggystar » Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:57 pm

I would like to get an electric bike for my partner who has not cycled for many years. We travel in an off road caravan and ideally any bike would be as light as possible, and also be able to be folded (similar to a Brompton if possible). but these two requirements have made it impossible to find anything suitable. I would be interested in an electric Brompton, but these are not available in Australia yet. Any suggestions or links would really be appreciated.

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Re: buying ebike

Postby AUbicycles » Fri Jun 19, 2020 5:21 pm

There are a few quality brands to look at - Dahon, Tern and pricey are Riese & Müller.

All of these have folding electric bikes. Availability is still a challenge but they should all have distributers or at least connected Australian retailers.

The old-fashioned option would be to take a folding bike and fit the (hub) motor, battery and controller to it. This is still an option to consider however the conversion kits (in my view) are generally not as rounded compared to a bike which has been built for purpose. Particularly for folding bikes a good integration is important.

For Brompton, they come at a price but if you look around and find that it is still the best option - contact the regular Brompton retailer - there are plenty - and ask. In Sydney for example, Glow Worm are a well know shop specialising in eBikes and are listed as a Brompton dealer - so they should be able to assist.
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Re: buying ebike

Postby RonK » Sat Jun 20, 2020 8:56 am

A more affordable folder is the SmartMotion E20, designed in New Zealand.

https://electricbikesbrisbane.com.au/pr ... ding-ebike
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