Stock of 10.4amp and 15.6amp FreeGo Batteries

New stocks due to arrive in 3 weeks. We will have both the 10.4amp FreeGo battery and the 15.6amp FreeGo battery coming in. All are 36v and using Samsung battery cells. These will be complete batteries in cases and suitable for all models, Eagle, Hawk, Regency and Folding bike models. They will come complete with the rail and base to upgrade older versions of the previously mentioned models.

Place An Order!

*Older models will require the fitting of the rail and base plate

** Range dependent upon size of rider, rider effort, assist level, hills, headwind, air temperature, tyre pressure, terrain.

***FreeGo Chargers Now Available!!***

EBikes are still not receiving the publicity required and what they deserve. Changing the minds and attitudes of a car loving nation won’t happen over night. Read Bikebiz’ take on the subject.

E-bike incentives “over twice as effective” as e-car grants

E-bike incentives “over twice as effective” as e-car grants

8th July 2019 Business, Highlight

The UK is falling behind when it comes to green transport because it is failing to promote electric pedalling alongside electric cars, the Bicycle Association (BA) has said.

Backed up by research from consultancy Transport for Quality of Life, the BA has argued that incentives to boost e-bikes are better-value, more equitable and healthier than subsidising the purchase of electric cars, and could potentially achieve change more quickly.

The research shows that the cost of saving a kilogram of CO2 via schemes to boost e-bikes is less than half the cost of existing grants for electric cars and at a cost per purchase of less than one-tenth of the grant for electric cars.

The BA believes that electric vehicles will play a key role in decarbonising all forms of transport, but argues that e-bikes should be a top priority for urgent Government support. The findings will be launched at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group in the Houses of Parliament today, attended by numerous MPs, officials and decision-makers.

The evidence shows that around half of all trips by e-bike replace a trip that would have been made by car. E-bikes are also used for longer trips than conventional bikes, so their potential to reduce carbon emissions, air pollution and congestion is greater. Unlike electric cars, which tackle pollution but do not tackle congestion, e-bikes are ready now for mass adoption, the BA has said.

Steve Garidis, executive director of the BA said: “The time is right for national Government and city regions to kick-start wider e-bike uptake with purchase incentive schemes. The results in terms of CO2 and congestion reduction will be fast and at a remarkably low cost – a game-changer in clean urban transport.”

Chris Boardman, Greater Manchester walking and cycling commissioner said: “I can see the huge potential of e-bikes, they are the perfect tool to entice many people, who don’t want to be a cyclist, out of the car. I wholeheartedly support any measures that make that choice easier and I am very keen that Greater Manchester becomes the first Demo Region to pilot measures to give people this viable alternative to driving. I will work with both the industry and government to explore how we make that happen as quickly as possible.”

Alongside advocating purchase incentives for personal e-bikes, the BA has also argued that there’s a huge potential to build on the existing Department for Transport grants scheme for electric cargo bikes, which can carry up to 250kg of cargo around cities and replace nearly one in three delivery trips by van.

In a second report commissioned by the BA from Transport for Quality of Life, evidence shows that up to 30% of commercial van journeys in urban areas could be substituted by e-cargo bike deliveries, with significant scope to reduce congestion and air pollution. Among the measures called for in the report are ‘Demonstration Cities’. These could trial e-cargo bike logistics, encourage public sector procurement of e-cargo bike services, provide community e-cargo bikes for public use and help develop best practice for a future national roll-out.

Credit to Bikebiz for the article

Royal Mail are set to trial electronic tricycles for deliveries in and around urban areas with the hope of cutting it’s Carbon Dioxide emissions within these areas.

Beginning in late March, the trial will see postal staff using electronic tricycles in Stratford in East London, Cambridge and Sutton Coldfield.

The vehicles are powered partially by a combination of pedal, solar, battery and brake technology. They are 1.2m wide and around 2m high, able to accommodate letters and the majority of parcels.

The trial will last 6 months and if successful, the electric tricycles will be rolled out across the country.

As quoted in Engineering and Technology publication, David Gold, director of public affairs and policy at Royal Mail said: “As a company, we are committed to making changes to our operations which reduce our environmental impact, whilst ensuring we continue to meet customer expectations.

“Alongside our ongoing transformation programme and the introduction of electric vans in locations across our business, this trial is part of a programme of initiatives across our business that will ensure we can continue to deliver letters and parcels safely, efficiently and responsibly.”

Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “I’m delighted that Royal Mail is trialling e-trikes which will take polluting vehicles off our streets, helping to reduce congestion and clean up London’s toxic air.

“I hope this trial will be extended and other delivery companies follow Royal Mail’s lead so that many more communities can benefit.”

Electric tricycles are not only more environmentally friendly, but they also allow for more storage and have the ability to stop and start as the rider pleases.

Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said the e-trikes would “take polluting vehicles off our streets – helping to reduce congestion and clean up London’s toxic air.”

He called on other delivery companies to follow Royal Mail’s lead.

The company also currently has a fleet of 100 electric vans, which it plans to expand in the future.

Click Here For the Survey

Do you live in the UK, and have you ever used, or considered using, an e-bike (an electrically-assisted cycle with pedals)? If so, this survey is for you. The University for the West Of England are interested in your reponses even if you have not yet used an e-bike.

The research is being carried out by the University of the West of England (UWE). It is part of a wider project (REPLICATE) with local trials of e-bikes and other modes of transport in Bristol, UK, and some other cities. If you would like any more information about the project please contact: steve.melia@uwe.ac.uk or caroline.bartle@uwe.ac.uk.

Your response to this survey will be anonymous unless you actively choose to provide contact details at the end of the survey. You will only be asked to provide contact details if you state your interest in being contactable by UWE for the purpose of helping with further research. 

Before starting the survey you must consent to our use of your response in line with our Privacy Notice. 

Access to Powabyke to be temporarily restricted from 14th-21st January 2019

Just advanced warning, from 14th January 2019 until 21st January 2019, access to Powabyke will be restricted due to roadworks. You will only be able to gain access via Temple Cloud on the A37. Please turn by the Temple Inn and follow the road to the bottom, turn right and continue down the country lane until you reach Trident Works Industrial Estate. Powabyke are located behind Gillards Distribution.

Access from Harts Lane in Hallatrow will be blocked. Please call us if you are having problems getting in and we will send a search and recovery team to pick you up!

As soon as the Christmas and new year festivities are behind us, inevitably thoughts will start turning towards the 2019 health kick and fitness regime.

No doubt you’ll be drowning in ‘New Year, New You’ blogs as soon as 2019 starts – which is why we wanted to get ours in first!

Whilst the sentiment of getting fit is to be applauded, it’s important to make sure the changes you make are realistic. Often people go in too hard and make too many promises to themselves, exercising too much before giving up sometime before the end of January.

At Powabyke we believe in a sustainable approach to fitness.

Making small lifestyle changes that can help you feel a little healthier and happier are much more likely to become part of your day to day routine and can help you achieve your long-term fitness goals.

We firmly believe that e-bikes can help you do this and open the door to cycling for those who require a little extra assistance.

To back this up, research has shown that people using e-bikes are more likely to cycle more and that modern electric cycles have an important health enhancing role to play.

We would say that these are some of the key benefits of e-bikes in relation to fitness:

1. Confidence in the saddle – an electric bike will give you peace of mind that those hills, or that distance, are within your capability, breaking down that mental barrier to exercise.
2. An extra boost when you need it – if it’s been a while since you’ve been out on two-wheels, an e-bike can help you to ensure you don’t overstretch yourself and cycle beyond your limits, giving assistance when needed for tired legs.
3. They’re great fun – if you’re enjoying it, it won’t feel like exercise and you’ll want to get out more and more.

At Powabyke we stock a comprehensive range of e-bikes that will help you to get out and about, cover distances you’re comfortable with and give you the confidence to cycle more.

If you’re looking for the new bike to match the new you, we recently signed a deal with leading Italian bike manufacturer MBM to bring their sleek, lightweight e-bikes to the UK through our network of distributors. Now is the perfect time to visit your local dealer and book a test ride so you can get back in the saddle and ready to pedal your way to fitness in 2019.

For information about our network of local dealers visit https://powabyke.com/dealers/

https://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/atvs/on-test-e-bike-is-nippy-farm-runaround

A mountain bike might be an odd sight in the pages of Farmers Weekly, but the machine we are about to feature already boasts a couple of agricultural customers.

The appeal for the farmers in question is apparently the fact that the electric motor housed in the bike’s frame allows them to get around the stock quietly and cheaply, while throwing a bit of exercise in for good measure.

See also: On test: Can Ubco’s electric bike compete with ATVs?

That’s because – unlike an electric motorbike, which does all the work for you – an e-bike requires the rider to do at least some pedalling, even if it’s a token gesture when the motor is cranked up to its highest setting.

Initially we were doubtful about an e-bike’s place on a farm. After all, you are not going to be hauling many bags of feed around with it and we certainly wouldn’t advise lashing a slug pelleter to the rear.

But with farmers spending more and more sedentary hours perched on a seat, replacing a few of the quad bike or Mule trips with a slog on the e-bike can only be good news for the ticker.

It also gives those physically unable to ride a conventional bike the ability to have a go.

All this sounds appealing, but to find out what they are really like to live with we got hold of the latest Italian-built MBM Metis – imported by UK firm Powabyke – and put it to the test.

This relatively simple e-bike has an 80Nm Olieds electric motor with five settings, ranging from 50% to 400% assistance.

How does it work?

Other than the fact it has an electric motor slotted between the cranks and a battery bolted on to the down tube, the Metis is nearly identical to a conventional mountain bike.

That means it has 10 conventional derailleur-shifted gears, hydraulic disc brakes and front suspension to take out the worst of the bumps. As a result, when the motor is turned off it works like a normal bike, albeit a heavy one.

Pressing a button on the handlebars sparks the thing into life and there’s an LCD screen showing all the important information, such as which assistance setting it’s on and how much battery life is left.

Sitting next to the on/off switch, there are also up and down arrows for adjusting the assistance level. Selecting level one adds 50% to the rider’s input, with incremental increases up to a massive 400% on level five.

To get it to work, the rider just starts pedalling and the motor kicks in immediately.

What’s it like to ride?

At the lower end of the power spectrum, the effort that the bike puts in is relatively hard to notice.

However, once you get up to level three (200% boost) it’s clear that the bike is giving you some serious help. The rider still needs to put in the effort in order to make decent progress, though – and the more they put in, the faster it goes.

Flick it all the way up to level five and it’s almost as though you’re a passenger on a mini electric moped. On moderate terrain, simply turning the pedals will get the rider up to decent speeds without any physical effort.

Even steep climbs require little work as we found when we did a 1,227ft ascent over five miles and didn’t break a sweat.

However, we did need to work the gears to get the most out of it. Go too high and the motor will bog down; too low and it won’t achieve its maximum speed.

How fast can it go?

EU law stipulates that all electrically assisted bicycles are limited to 25kph (15.5mph), so when we cranked the Metis up to full power, the motor duly kicked out at that speed.

Explore more Know How

Visit our Know How centre for practical farming advice

It’s a little frustrating as this seems fairly sedate on the road, and even if the rider puts in considerable effort, it’s hard to push far beyond that.

However, it is possible – if not legal – to unleash some more performance.  The best option for doing this is to purchase a chip online that removes the speed limiter and keeps the motor spinning as fast as the rider can pedal. They cost about £100 and don’t alter anything else on the bike.

The other cheat to get the bike to go faster is to trick the speedometer. Normally this works using a sensor on the chain stay and a magnet on the wheel. But by transferring the magnet to the crank, the computer is fooled into thinking the bike is going much slower than it really is.

With this modification, we managed to get the bike up to 30mph, which was more than fast enough. There are no rules preventing these chipped e-bikes being used off-road, but sadly it’s illegal to use them on the road or on designated cycle paths.

If someone does want to use a chipped bike legally on the road, it effectively has to be registered as a motorcycle and is then subject to the same rules and regulations. The other option is to switch off or remove the chip for on-road use.

Does it have a place on a farm?

An e-bike obviously isn’t going to do any serious work on a farm, but it is a pleasant way of getting around the place and the exercise is a bonus.

It could also be useful when ferrying machinery back and forth when there isn’t a spare person available to run you around.

On rough ground, we found the lack of rear suspension made for an uncomfortable ride, so we would probably spend a little more and get a full-suspension version.

Apparently, Powabyke is looking at bringing one in and most mountain bike brands offer something similar, so there are plenty to choose from.

The other limitation is the maximum gradient it’s able to ascend. If a slope is too steep for a fit person to ride a normal bike up, then it’s fair to say the Metis will struggle, too. When we pointed it up a particularly steep grassy hillside, the motor just stopped turning and we had to abort.

Soggy, cultivated ground also causes the tyres to clog up and stop turning.

How long does the battery last?

Battery life varies considerably depending on the terrain, assistance level selected, weight of the rider and the ambient air temperature. Motor manufacturer Olieds quotes a range of up to 50km, but that will be in ideal conditions and at the lowest power setting.

For general riding around the farm we found it used very little power and would easily last a day. However, when we did our 1,227ft climb and pushed it as hard as we could, we managed to drain half the battery life.

When the battery does go, you’re back to pedalling a conventional bike and a rather lead-like one at that. Therefore, it’s worth keeping an eye on the battery gauge. Recharging takes about five hours, so a moderate user could probably get away with charging it once a day.

Do you need a licence?

Anyone over the age of 14 can ride an e-bike on the road without a licence and they won’t need to pay any tax.

However, those who want to ride a chipped e-bike (one that goes faster than 25kph or has a power output of more than 250W) on the road officially will need to get it approved by the DVLA and it will effectively be classed as a motorcycle.

Standard motor vehicle rules will then apply, making it a fairly unattractive proposition.

What about taking it to the pub?

The general advice is to not mix drinking and e-biking, but as an e-bike comes under the same legal rules as a bike there is technically no legal limit for how much alcohol it’s permissible for a cyclist to drink.

However, it is illegal to ride under the influence of alcohol or to ride dangerously, carelessly or inconsiderately. The maximum fine for riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs is £1,000 and the maximum fine for riding dangerously is £2,500.

Being caught doesn’t affect your driving licence, though, as these aren’t classed as motoring offences.

MBM Metis

• Frame size: medium or large
• Motor: Olieds 80Nm
• Battery: 36V, 14.5Ah
• Forks: Suntour Xcm
• Gears: Shimano 10-speed
• Weight: 24kg
• Top speed assisted: 25kph
• Price: £2,699

E-cycle Your Bike

For many people there comes a time when the physical barriers to cycling can become too much, and the beloved bike is retired to the garage or shed to see out its days.

The two-wheeled stallion, which has been on family holidays, seen hundreds of commutes, trips to the shops and more, has been your workhorse for many years but now it has hit the road for the final time.

That used to be the case – but not anymore!

Now thanks to the Powabyke Conv-e kit, your beloved bike can carry on well into old age with assistance from a 6v 10a lithium ion battery and 250w brushless motor.

Powabyke has converted hundreds of bikes to electric over the years. People come to us because often they’re happy with their bike – they’ve got something they’re comfortable riding and familiar with – but just need that extra bit of assistance.

We have carried out conversions on hand cycles, recumbents, semi-recumbents, trikes and all manner of hybrids, mountain bikes, folding bikes, road bikes and more.

Our conv-e kits are available to buy as a pack, allowing you to convert your bike at home, or we can do it for you at our workshop.

The kits are designed to convert almost any standard bicycle to electric in approximately 45 minutes.

Conv-e comes complete with 10Amp battery and controller pack, powerful 250W brushless motor, charger and mounting brackets to suit your bike. The electric bike conversion kit will give you a range, on a fully charged battery that takes 5 hours to charge from flat, in excess of 20 miles.

Click here to see the other conversions we have done!

Buy yours today via our website 

 

The Perfect Christmas Gift

Just like the elves in Lapland, the Powabyke warehouse team has been busy getting ready for Christmas and taking delivery of some cool new bikes.

You may have heard recently that Powabyke has signed a deal with Italian manufacturer MBM to bring their impressive range of modern e-bikes to roads, bike trails and cycleways across the UK.

The Oberon, Titania and Metis models are the must-have Christmas gift for e-bikers, combining Italian engineering and style to create a modern electric cycle for 2019 and beyond.

Here we summarise the key points of each of the new models which are available to buy via our website.

A great Christmas gift for someone looking to enjoy all the benefits e-cycling can bring!

For Him:

The Oberon

With its sleek frame and urban-chic design, the Oberon weighs in at just 25kg and can reach speeds of up to 25Km/H. Perfect for commuting or light recreational use, the Oberon retails at £2,499.99 and comes fully equipped with suspension, pannier rack, lights and sidestand.

The Metis

For those looking for a bit more adventure, getting off the beaten path and tackling the trails and the downhill runs, the Metis combines power and style for the ultimate e-ride. The ultimate boys’ toy, the Metis retails at £2,699.00, weighs just 24kg and comes equipped with Trax Fatty tyres, Suntour Xcm forks and 5 sport mode power levels.

For Her:

The Titania

Featuring a low step-through frame the Titania, like the Oberon, is well suited to the urban commuter and leisure cyclist. The bike weighs 25kg and comes equipped with pannier rack, lights, suspension and sidestand.

To view the full range of Powayke products, visit our shop.

Electric Cycle Company Brings Sleek New Model to UK Market

 

The UK’s longest established electric bike company has announced an exclusive deal with a leading European bike manufacturer.

Powabyke UK Ltd, established in 1998, has secured sole UK distribution rights with leading Italian brand MBM for its new range of e-bikes, bringing high quality Italian design and engineering to Powabyke’s network of dealers across the UK.

 

MBM has been manufacturing bikes since 1973 and is one of the leading and most trusted names throughout Italy.

The company’s new range of e-bikes was launched earlier this year featuring Italian designed and built 80Nm crank drive motors, bringing more power than most e-bikes currently available on the UK market.

The range comes equipped with a lightweight 522Wh battery making the bikes capable of covering nearly 100 miles on a single charge.

Through Powabyke, the high specification Metis, Oberon and Titania models are now available to the UK market, with the complete range, including folding and city versions available from early 2019.

The partnership deal was agreed at MBM’s headquarters in Cesena, Italy in October.

MBM Sales Director Vincenzo Medugno said, “It is a fantastic opportunity to have a partner in the UK and we look forward to the trading co-operation between our two companies. Powabyke is a well established brand and is well placed to introduce the MBM range of bikes to customers throughout the UK.”

Keith Palmer, Managing Director of Powabyke added, “MBM is a household name throughout Italy and the company has a great reputation for manufacturing a comprehensive range of quality bikes. The company puts emphasis on both style and substance. Each e-bike is assembled by trained technicians ensuring the high quality is maintained every step of the way.

“This new range of bikes combines Italian style and precision with high torque power and impressive battery life, ticking all boxes for anyone looking to enjoy the benefits of an e-bike.  They will be a great addition to the expanding Powabyke range.”