E-Bikes – We Are Converted

E-Bikes Cause We’re Not as Young and Fit as We Used To Be

Prior to E-Bikes, we’ve loved cycling some of the many trails we have on offer in the lovely Aotearoa.

Before we left the motherland for our 2 years of overseas travel, we cycled some of these trails, including the Hauraki, Otago Rail Trail, Timber and River Trails. 

Breaking Out in a Sweat

When we returned to NZ, I stared dismally at my bike.  As we mounted our bike racks on our caravan, I thought ‘there is no way that I am ‘bike fit’ anymore’. I broke out in a sweat just thinking about it.

Full-time travelling overseas had taken its toll on our bike fitness that’s for sure.  Although we tried to keep as active as possible, long hikes and street walking is no competition to cycling kilometres and push and panting up some of those inclines.

Fighting the E-Bike Urge

We fought the urge to make the switch to E-Bikes.  Our mountain bikes are great – nothing wrong with them.  They were quite the investment at the time and they have loads of life left in them.  We had done some pricing on E-Bikes (just out of interest) and to get a decent one of the equivalent quality of our existing bikes was going to cost us a small fortune. 

Yes, there are a lot of E-Bikes on the market.  There are always cheaper options but we firmly believe that it is always best, in the long run, to make your choices carefully.  Get bang for your buck and get something that is going to do the job and last the distance.  Two new E-Bikes were out of the question for us.

E-bike Conversions

We stumbled across a couple of FB posts from people who had converted their standard bike to E-Bikes.

We started to do our research and decided that this could be an option for us.  This could be a way of keeping the bikes we love and adding the magic of electricity to them.

Location, Price and Quality

There were a number of factors to take into account.  We started our research on YouTube and other NZ based sites.  Lekkie seemed to keep coming up high on the list for quality and durability.  After an e-mail to Lekkie who is based in Wellington, they provided us with the name of a company in Martinborough who could do the conversion for us.  We’re house-sitting for a month in Martinborough and Green Jersey Cycles were just down the road.

We called around to see them and they checked over our bikes and confirmed that they could be converted and the best way to go about it.

Specialized and Merida

My bike brand is Specialized and classed as a ‘woman’s’ bike.   There wasn’t the room to be able to fit the battery on the inside bottom frame.  I needed to have a carrier fitted to the rear and the battery would sit on top.  I wasn’t initially keen on this option, but it has worked out brilliantly.  It is still out of the way, stops mud flicking up and it helps to have more weight on the back when cycling uphill on gravel or shingle.

Scotty’s Mirada bike frame was large enough for the battery to fit snuggly on the bottom of the frame and he’s happy with it being placed there.

We have seen batteries mounted on the outside of the bottom frame but this wasn’t going to be an option for us.  When our bikes aren’t in the bike carrier on our caravan, we transport them on the back of the ute, using a Bike Tailgate Pad ($129 Torpedo).  The batteries mounted on the underneath side would be in the way.

Lekkie Systems

We needed to choose our Lekkie system taking into account power, speed and range.  It comes down to how much riding you think you will be doing, the type of trails and tracks and your style of riding preferences.

There are three systems to choose from: 

• 1, Summit – 300w mid drive motor and 12.5amp hour battery (great for commuting and exploring trails)
• 2, Summit Plus – 300w mid drive motor and 17amp hour battery (higher speed and extra long adventures)
• 3, Summit Pro – 500w mid drive motor and 17amp hour battery (great for speed freaks that want/need more)

Of course, the price goes up as the specs increase.  We decided to go with the mid-range option which is the Summit Plus.  This will ensure we have that extra battery life for those longer trails we want to do.

Batteries are like fuel in a car.  If you use a higher pedal assist and throttle, then this will drain your battery faster.  Just like using more accelerator in the car, you will use more fuel.

Costings

The below costings are per bike:

• Lekkie Summit Plus System – $1,900
• Installation – $200
• Carrier (for Specialized bike) $100

The systems were ordered with Lekkie in Wellington which took a few days to arrive.  The conversions took a day to complete and we were all sorted.

Green Jersey Cycles were great to deal with.  They also have a dedicated bicycle mechanic.  Alex really knows his stuff and did a very tidy job.

Test Drive

Apart from doing a test drive on loan bikes around a couple of blocks, we were keen to get onto a real trail and test out how the Lekkie system would perform.

In true ‘Kiwis Fly the Coop’ fashion, it was not going to be a cruise around the streets, through gently rolling suburbia!!!  We instead headed to a section of the Rimutaka Cycle Trail.

The Ocean Beach to Orongorongo is a Grade 3-4 so we knew that this would be a good test for both bike and rider!  When you cycle along flat sealed roads, the Pedal Assist Level 1 is like having a helpful tail-wind.  It feels natural, quiet and very easy.  You are still required to exert some energy but it’s up to you as to how much effort you put in.

The trail was a completely different story.  The thick drifts of silt, large rocks, river crossings and negotiating steep hills and even slips meant that we learnt what the Lekkie system could do very quickly.

We played around testing the different Pedal Assist levels (1-5) and used the throttle lever for those steep rocky climbs.

The system performed well, which is more than I can say for the rider!!  It does take some getting used to but I soon mastered the art of changing Pedal Assist where appropriate.  This is all done in conjunction with selecting the correct gears.

If you are just cruising the streets or a nice smooth, undulating trail, then it is easy just to set the pace, level and gears and off you go.

Does it Make You Lazy? 

I was concerned that using an E-bike might make us lazy.  After all, we still wanted that happy balance of enjoying our day out on our bikes but still feeling like we’d got a workout while doing it.  As mentioned earlier, you can make it as hard or as easy as you like.  

Our trail ride on the Rimutaka Cycle Trail certainly got the heart rate up.  Although we still had a ‘push assist’ button when hauling our bikes up the unrideable steep parts and across slips, we certainly still got the ‘push and pant’ experience.  When we rode the hilly inclines, the level of assistance we selected meant that we still needed to exert some energy to make it up.  It was just the right mix.

Battery Charging

Many people travelling on the road ask the question about charging the batteries.  The Lekkie System came with a 240v charger so there’s no problem when we’re plugged into power.

For when we are on solar, now this is another matter.  I’m no expert on this and there are multiple posts on FB on how people charge their bike batteries.

It all comes down to what size solar, battery and inverter system you have.  Of course, charging during a sunny day is the ideal situation if your inverter has the capacity.

You can also buy a 12-volt charger for them which I understand is very efficient and doesn’t draw off the inverter.  Then there is also the option of using a generator if you have one onboard.

Our Ford Ranger has an inverter installed so that is also a good option for us when we are going to be mobile.

Whichever option you chose, just think long and slow charging is better than short and sharp. 

I have learnt that we need to top up our batteries whenever possible.  Lithium batteries prefer lighter usage (the opposite of older types of batteries).  They should be topped up between rides which will prolong the life of your battery and give you more power.  A full battery is better on the hills – and we all can do with that!!!!

Summary

Now that we have had an opportunity to use our converted E-Bikes, I can honestly say that they do not make us lazy.  In fact, we would be lazier without one.  There would be no way that we would have tackled the trails that we have done had we just stayed with the ‘push and pant’ bikes.

It opens up a bigger world to explore.  E-bikes have made cycling more accessible to everybody.  It doesn’t take away the opportunity to exercise but rather enhances it.

  “WE HAVE BEEN CONVERTED”