Commuting in London on an E-Bike - A Fortnight On

I'm now a fortnight into commuting by E-Bike and I'm very happy with the Panda E-bike conversion of my Dawes Sonoran. If you're thinking about converting your existing bike to a Pedelec then a Panda kit should definitely be on your shortlist - find them at www.pandaebikes.com/

It is worth saying that I am not office-based in Central London every day so this fortnight doesn't represent 200 miles of e-biking - in fact it's barely half that total distance. The 10ah battery is perfectly adequate for my 10 and a bit mile each way commute even on the highest power setting and I've stopped packing the charger in a pannier "just in case"


The first clear lesson is that an old man on an e-bike is not quicker over 10 miles than a fit "normal" person. Overall I am consistently  5-10 minutes minutes faster than I used to be but I am still passed like I'm going backwards by the "Regents Park Rouleurs" on the Outer Circle- and just about every other fit commuter everywhere else.

There is a "big win" (obviously) on hills. The available power let's you just keep going without your speed tailing off the further you ride uphill. This assistance means that you keep going against headwinds and also those long slight inclines that tax the less fit.The Panda's controller is excellent. There is a clear assistance from a standing start and the way it tails off at the legal maximum of 15.5 mph (25kmh) is unobtrusive. It also comes back in again neatly if you lose a bit of momentum on the flat. 

I have managed to get used to riding in a lower gear - and changing down early to ensure that turning the pedals as I change down through the gears doesn't cause me to surge forwards as I'm trying to slow down.This surge of power as you turn the pedals does mean that you have to be careful when picking your way between cars in very heavy traffic but like most things you get used to it.

Most importantly, I don't arrive at the office sweaty and wheezing and that's the key. Electric power doesn't make the journey quicker, it makes it significantly easier. 

The second lesson is that as electric power doesn't suddenly turn you into car! You still need to think - and ride - like an urban cyclist. Nothing new here but my key pointers for commuting in London are:

• Visibility - take every opportunity to be seen by other road users (more on that in the next post - a couple of "product reviews")
• "Own" your piece of the road
• Positioning is key - remember that in some circumstances it is better to be on the "offside" of the traffic in the centre of the road than it is to be "hidden" on the nearside
• If you are riding nearer the kerb, DO NOT ride in the gutter  - you have no manoevring room to the left and all the "mung" on the road collects there leaving you even more vulnerable to punctures
• Your biggest hazard is the road surface itself - the level of potholes (especially on Kilburn High Road) is such that being thrown of your bike is a far bigger risk than the other traffic
• Wear appropriate clothing - including a helmet

Commuting in London on an E-Bike - First Efforts

With the conversion all finished, it was time to actually use the converted bike "in anger" last Friday.

I rode a quick circuit of a 6.6 mile local route including a very big hill and managed to take 4 minutes off my best (fit) time so I was immediately impressed.

The commute to my office in Great Portland Street in the West End of London from my home in Stanmore is another matter. This is a 10.5 mile journey including some significant traffic - and in the early morning there is also the cold to contend with.

For the first trip in to work I probably picked the foggiest day in London for a very long time and it was also a cold one.

Despite the cold, it was a good trip. The motor applies power smoothly (and swiftly from standing start) and fades away unobtrusively as it hits the 15.5mph (25kmh) limit to ensure it stays within the EPAC (Electrically Power Assisted Cycle) regulations. Five minutes faster (in both directions) than my previous best times for the journey and I think there's an even greater time saving possible with some changes to my riding style.

Firstly, although the power from the 250Watt front hub motor is entirely "adequate", it does not have a great deal of torque available. As someone with a reasonable degree of power in my legs but a low level of aerobic fitness, I have always stuck to "grinding a higher gear" rather than "spinning a lower gear".

The other thing to get used to is the fact that I do not have "brake switches" to cut the motor power when braking. This is because my bike has combined brake and shift levers (it's the apparently "odd" Shimano "Megarange" "Rapid Rise" system). It also explains why I think every bike shifts the "wrong" way as this system is thumb push to change up and finger flick to change down.

Shift direction is irrelevant here anyway as the issue is that the combined brake and shift levers prevent the use of replacement brake levers with a cut out function. This means that as long as the pedal is rotating, the motor is running even if you are braking. As you need the pedals to be turning to change down the gears with a derailleur system it means modifying my riding style further to change down before I start to brake as I come to a halt.

So with 2 changes to my riding habits I should be fine - tomorrow will tell what effect that has on journey times.