Electric Bike for Commuting over Leo Hielscher Bridge (Brisbane)

trankillity on 18/07/2020 - 22:57

Pretty set on getting an electric bike to reduce my environmental impact and pay fewer tolls for my 17km commute from Carina to Eagle Farm. Was looking at just getting a Leitner bike as they're very cheap. I rode one today for a test drive and it felt fine, but I'm used to riding hybrids rather than cruisers/town bikes. I've also become accustomed to hydraulic disk brakes, which the Leitner does not have. I did some extra research and found that hub drive E Bikes have much lower torque for hill climbing compared to mid drive bikes.

Dare say I'll get into more casual riding as well as commuting with this bike. Quite possibly even just leaving the car for doing shopping. Definitely aiming on this being a 5-10 year investment, so not afraid to spend a bit more - but not sure how much more I should be spending.

Current contenders are:
* Leitner Cruiser - Cheap and simple, but should do the job. Just not sure for how long.
* Kalkhoff Endeavour 1.B - More than 2x the cost, but very highly praised components, and German design/engineering.

What's everyone's thoughts, especially for the specific commute of getting over the Gateway bridges? Secondarily, any recommendations for insurance that covers E Bikes?

Sports & Outdoors

Comments

  • inherentchoice on 18/07/2020 - 23:46

    As another alternative, you can get an electric scooter with 30 km range.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/552432

    This $460 deal has just expired but IMHO it's still an option to consider. I have had some rides on the Xiaomi scooter and I believe it will get over the bridge fine. But of course there's plenty of other models out there.

    Also would you still take the car on rainy days?

    And do you know that TransLink has the 590 bus which crosses the bridge and goes from Carina to Eagle Farm? The bus takes under 20 minutes to go from Carina Bus Depot on Creek Road to Kingsford Smith Drive. But the go card fare would be $4.11 so an e bike is much cheaper I believe, and more convenient and probably faster from door to door.

    Here is a screenshot of the journey planner. https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/21347/81341/img_202007…

    Or try this Google Maps Route

    • trankillity on 19/07/2020 - 06:53

      Thanks for all the tips!

      Not particularly interested in a scooter as I like the action and exercise of riding. Also don't know if I'd trust the brakes on a scooter coming down the other side of the Gateway. I would still ride on most wet days as we have showers at work.

      I did know about the bus route, thanks - but $4.11 is only 50c cheaper than the toll - so definitely not worth it. One of the driving forces behind this decision is the fact that tolls alone are ~$2.2k a year, before adding in fuel and maintenance costs. Getting the bus would be ~$2k a year.

      • MatthewSanchez65 on 19/07/2020 - 13:15
        +1

        well if you are so averse to scooters maybe you should take your opion and put it you know where, ha ha ha, just kidding mate

  • lunchbox99 on 19/07/2020 - 00:06
    +2

    Lol, I had no idea what bridge you were even talking about. Everyone I know refers to it as the "Gateway Bridge", as does the news etc. I have never heard a single person private or public call it the Leo Hielscher Bridge! Maybe when they have I didn't realise that's what they were talking about….

    • inherentchoice on 19/07/2020 - 00:13

      Was renamed when they opened the second bridge in 2010. Prior to that it was named Gateway Bridge for 24 years, and that's still the de facto name.

      • lunchbox99 on 19/07/2020 - 00:35

        Well you learn something new every day. Only a decade late in my case.

  • brotherfranciz on 19/07/2020 - 00:22

    I'm not from Queensland so had to look up the Gateway bridge on Google Streetview and Veloviewer, which says the bridge has a maximum gradient of 12% (pretty neat that there is a dedicated bike path - wish the Westgate had something similar…).

    12% isn't too bad, especially when you mention the bike will be a 5-10 year investment. You'll be eating up the Ks in no time.

    Have you considered Orbea ebikes?

    I should mention I don't know much about ebikes but I have a buddy in the UK who rides an Orbea ebike for his daily commutes during the weekdays and some gravel riding on the weekends. He has a dropbar model (Orbea Gain D15) and seems to be enjoying its versatility.

    • maiuspala on 20/07/2020 - 16:57

      I thought Gladesville bridge in Sydney was steep, but according to google it only has 6% gradient. Couldnt even imagine what 12% would look like

  • crentist on 19/07/2020 - 01:36

    I've commuted on an ebike for a couple of years in Tokyo. Good way to get around,
    I have some inexpensive Panasonic bike, maybe an older version of this. Absolutely love it.

    Definitely makes hills easy to get up, but you want to make sure that the torque is good and battery has enough juice to take the hit. That's where the bikes do the most work. On flat ground they feel like a normal bike, but up hills you really notice the bikes power and just fly up. I can even push up other people on regular bikes.
    And then you can just enjoy riding a bike, still getting a little exercise but without the harder bits. On a humid summer day I'd arrive to work similar or less sweaty on the bike than public transport and walking, because I'd at least get some breeze. Would hate to spandex up just to get around.

    See if you can test one on a long steep road or two.

  • Euphemistic on 19/07/2020 - 06:34

    A mid drive will have a better torque due to the gearing on the bike. A hub drive will basically only work on the speed of the wheel.

    Do you want to ride fast? Both bikes to not look like they are designed for pedalling efficiency, but for comfort. Hydraulic disc brakes are definitely worth the upgrade, especially if the bike will be used in the wet.

    How much do you currently ride?

    • trankillity on 19/07/2020 - 06:45

      I don't particularly care about riding super fast, no. This is just intended to be a commuter bike with the occasional casual ride on the weekend on a dedicated bike path. Both these bikes are only 6 and 8 speed respectively, with only one gear on the mid, so definitely not the hugest gearing range.

      Bike will likely be used in the wet, as a bit of rain isn't going to stop me from riding to work (we have showers at work). Will definitely look into hydraulic brakes.

      Don't really ride at all currently, as I mostly used to ride to commute (from Ashgrove), but the Gateway is definitely the sticking point now.

      • Euphemistic on 19/07/2020 - 07:01

        For enough. You sort of sounded like a regular rider.

        Don’t get suckered into a cheaper e-bike if a more expensive one rides a lot better. You want to a mix of comfortable and efficient while riding or your new investment won’t be worth it as it won’t be first choice. 17kms at bicycle speeds is a fair while to be on it each day.

  • CleverCounter on 19/07/2020 - 08:09

    Does anyone have some tips on cheaper ebikes for a 6km ride?

    • brendanm on 19/07/2020 - 12:45
      +1

      A normal bike.

      • CleverCounter on 21/07/2020 - 07:44

        Need to wear a suit into work. So can't get sweaty and gross.

        • Euphemistic on 21/07/2020 - 19:11
          +1

          You get what you pay for. Cheap e-bikes have cheap batteries and electronics and typically pretty poor quality bikes attached to them.

          For 6km you might be able to save a few dollars finding a bike with a shorter range. Smaller battery pack = less dollars.

          As you are on the Gold Coast I guess it’s pretty warm. Legal E- bikes require you to pedal, which will increase activity levels and therefore sweat. Maybe a scooter is a better option for a short commute as you only need to stand there.

          • CleverCounter on 21/07/2020 - 21:05
            +2

            @Euphemistic: Is it wrong of me to want to sit? It would be much easier to scroll through bargain…

  • brendanm on 19/07/2020 - 12:42

    Specailized turbo levo hardtail? At least it looks normalish

  • Colonel Flagg on 24/07/2020 - 19:58

    Convert your current bike ?
    Bafang BBSHD with a 52V battery and you could nearly climb a wall :)

  • [Deactivated] on 28/07/2020 - 17:19

    Get a budget mid drive. The way battery tech and e bike tech is developing, the top end product today will be budget in 5 yrs time.

  • trankillity on 29/07/2020 - 08:39

    Thanks for the advice all. Ended up going with the Kalkhoff 1.B Move (mid drive Bosch motor). Had my first ride on it today. The climb was super difficult until I realised I had it in "Eco" mode. Chucked it into Turbo and barely had to rotate the pedals. Super easy commute now! Took me 35 minutes, hoping to scrape it down to 25 with some practice, which will only make it 10 min longer than the drive.

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