Getting fit will take far less long and far less effort than you think. And you'll enjoy it. It's the thought of it that's stopping you, not anything real. There are plenty of people on this group now who were fatter and less fit than you are now just a few years ago. Get a proper bike. You'll be happier, healthier, lighter, in better shape.
I've got one, I just wish I'd started in the Summer!
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I recently purchased an Avanti Electra for my commute to work and for me it's perfect.
My journey is 7km (4.5 miles) each way, with a long steep hill at either end and there is often a strong head- or crosswind. I also need to carry lots of gear in my panniers, so though I'm reasonably fit I wouldn't even consider this journey on my "normal" bike. A bonus is not arriving at my destination with the sweat lashing off me.
If it means one less car on the road, then it's all good.
I recently purchased an Avanti Electra for my commute to work and for me it's perfect.
Not heard of that make/brand, but Google throws up http://www.cobr.co.uk/ with the usual, illegal, J(ava)Script Catalog popup's :-( There's no indication on the site that these are electrically assisted, they look like normal bikes?
If those are normal bikes, then my "Rockrider" (or whatever it is called) from Decathlon at £99 was far cheaper for flat road use ;-)
Quoted message said:
My journey is 7km (4.5 miles) each way, with a long steep hill at either end and there is often a strong head- or crosswind. I also need to carry lots of
Mine would be 13(ish) miles each way with some hills on the A449 :-(
-- ------------------------------------------------------------------ - Stuart Millington ALL HTML e-mail rejected - - [email hidden] http://w3.z-add.co.uk/ -
I recently purchased an Avanti Electra for my commute to work and for me it's perfect.
Not heard of that make/brand, but Google throws up http://www.cobr.co.uk/ with the usual, illegal, J(ava)Script Catalog popup's :-( There's no indication on the site that these are electrically assisted, they look like normal bikes?
Well there are lithium ion, lithium polymer and lithium disulphide chemistries but I'm not sure anyone is offered motor-assisted bikes with those and I doubt they'd be affordable even if they were, especially LiS2.
Looking at a car conversion supplier's list it seems not:
36V 100AH Lead Acid: £315 Lithium: £1968
I;ve been told by Someone In The Know that Lithium batts will get MUCH cheaper. Looking at phone batteries, we're already seeing the kind of price drop I remember from PCs a few years back. NiMHs are still more or less the same price but now have double the capacity (compared to a year or so back). Plenty of demand for good affordable batteries, for any number of cordless/potable/personal gadgets. And eectric assists bikes are doing VERY well in Cina, wich may well mean a flood of cheap LiIon batts Made in China.
Ah, that didn't show up in a "sites from the UK" search ;-)
Quoted message said:
I'm not sure if this brand is available in the UK, but I'd imagine there would be something over there with a similar spec.
Yep, similar, but I've not seen many with the regenerative charging.
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BTW I'm an expat Scot living in Noo Zillun. I know this is UK.rec.cycling, but I can't find any decent cycling newsgroups for this part of the world!
;-)
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Mine would be 13(ish) miles each way with some hills on the A449 :-(
Whereabouts are you, Stuart?
Wordsley, between Kingswinford & Stourbridge.
-- ------------------------------------------------------------------ - Stuart Millington ALL HTML e-mail rejected - - [email hidden] http://w3.z-add.co.uk/ -
Well there are lithium ion, lithium polymer and lithium disulphide chemistries but I'm not sure anyone is offered motor-assisted bikes with those and I doubt they'd be affordable even if they were, especially LiS2.
Looking at a car conversion supplier's list it seems not:
36V 100AH Lead Acid: £315 Lithium: £1968
The bloke who sold me my laptop battery would do 10 for £200. Which would be 10 x 14.4V x 4.4 Ah, or £1200 for about the same capacity. Then you'd need the linking circuitry. And shipping and import duty, which would add up.
With the (almost) 20MPH limit and traffic lights every 10 feet section of dual-carriageway in between [1] and, from what I remember, the Worcester end is now getting even more stupid too :-(
[1] Around the old Stewpony.
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On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 20:15:57 +0200, Mark van Gorkom <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
I;ve been told by Someone In The Know that Lithium batts will get MUCH cheaper.
Hopefully.
-- ------------------------------------------------------------------ - Stuart Millington ALL HTML e-mail rejected - - [email hidden] http://w3.z-add.co.uk/ -
The bloke who sold me my laptop battery would do 10 for £200. Which would be 10 x 14.4V x 4.4 Ah, or £1200 for about the same capacity. Then you'd need the linking circuitry. And shipping and import duty, which would add up.
The only worry with that type of battery would be if they could handle the discharge current as well as SLA's.
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