We have now made the first ride with our new electric bikes. I (Helena) have got a sporty electric bike with many gears and Peter has got a tricycle with a box at the back, so he can carry some grocery bags.
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New electric bikes
A while ago we decided to get electric bikes. Our regular bikes were stolen a few years ago, and since then we haven't had bikes at all. We went back and forth, but finally settled on the idea of electric bikes.
The idea is to get rid of our small car and replace it with a combination of electric bike, camper van and, if necessary, taxi or rental car. Having only one car, instead of two, would be worth its weight in gold for us!
We've ordered the bikes from two different suppliers in China, and they were many and long email exchanges before we understood each other and agreed. But finally we had our new electric bikes!
Helena's electric bike - with many gears
My (Helena's) bike is a sporty version with a very wide tyres. I feel like I'll be able to ride steadily off-road with this one!". There are also 21 gears and an electric battery that helps a lot.
I tried the electric bike yesterday, and it felt unfamiliar at first, but pretty soon I started to understand how it works. I now understand how to change gears, and how to switch the power on and off. Incidentally, the electric battery gave fantastic help on the hills. Lovely to just whizz up the hill! By the way, I bought the helmet here in Sweden, at XXL in Bromma.
At the front of the handlebar are keys for the electric battery, gears, light and horn buttons and a mobile phone holder.
Peter's electric bike - a tricycle
Peter's electric bike is a tricycle, and the reason for this is that he wants a box on the back. That way, he can use the bike to go shopping, or to carry other things to the houseboat. Another advantage of the tricycle is of course that it is very stable. You don't have to worry about falling off!
There is a small bag in the drawer that can be closed with a zip, so you can store things in there that won't get wet.
At the front of the handlebars are gears and a display, which shows gears, how much electricity you are using, and so on.
Locking the electric bikes
When we mentioned electric bikes a few days ago several people wrote that we have to lock them down properly. And yes, we have also thought so! We have acquired really good lock now. We will also be careful about where we park them, and we will always bring the batteries inside.
Interested in electric bikes?
Several friends and others in our neighbourhood have said that they are interested in electric bikes similar to the ones we ordered. Among other things, we know some who are interested in the tricycle, which can also be good for those who want a more stable bike.
If even more people show interest, we can consider buying and reselling. The price (including electric battery, shipping to Stockholm and our work) would be around 25,000 SEK for the tricycle and around 18,000 SEK for the other bike. The motor power is 250 W, which is what is legal in Sweden. The bikes are available in different colours. Get in touch by email if you are interested!
And if you have an electric bike, please tell us, how do you like your bike and how do you use it?
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Matts Torebring says:
How exciting! I like that they are so sturdy. The tricycle is practical, but might take up some extra space in the garage of the campervan. That would not be a problem for us. The only thing that might scare me is the communication with China and the need for spare parts. These are similar in size to our bikes. Ours is called the Hybrid model and is a few cm lower than a standard bike. We have bought a motorbike chain that weighs several kg, which we lock with. It is fully approved, but heavy as lead. Our bikes were also in your price range. Pack your coffee basket and go for a long ride and then tell us how far you get on your batteries. Headwinds and hills shorten the distance.
When we bought our Giant electric bikes almost six years ago, as usual I did a lot of googling before the purchase. Then Råd & Rön's test showed that Giant was in a class of its own. Many cyclists in the Tour de France ride this brand. When we picked them up, the dealer said, now I'll never see you again, that's how safe these are in quality. However, I don't think they have a tricycle like yours.
17 November 2019 - 8:46
Helena says:
Communication with China has worked well, but of course everything takes a little longer. If Peter gets orders for more bikes, he plans to also be able to take care of this with spare parts etc. Glad you found good bikes that you enjoy! 🙂
17 November 2019 - 18:17
Rolf Andersson says:
Worked with Chinese electric golf carts....just saying...not fun when they break....because they do sooner or later.
18 November 2019 - 12:54
Lotten Johansson says:
Hi. We have a self-built motorhome and we always have our bikes with us. We store them inside the car when we travel. We cycle as much as the weather allows during the year, there are good panniers for rainy weather. We always live a bit outside cities so we get exercise... Thanks for nice Estonia story on the boat. Cycling calmly
17 November 2019 - 9:59
Helena says:
That sounds easy and practical! We also plan to bring the bikes in the motorhome's garage. And thank you, nice to hear that our lecture was appreciated! 🙂
17 November 2019 - 18:18
Ditte says:
I'm glad you got to work with these. During the years in Beijing we borrowed a similar variant to Peter's but bigger and we could ride two on it. It also had a roof. I know that there were many Swedes who when they moved home took them with them.
I hope you will be satisfied! They look really nice.
17 November 2019 - 10:20
Helena says:
Nice to hear about your cycling experiences from China! 🙂 Yes, so far we are very happy!
17 November 2019 - 18:18
Irma Fabian says:
I would like to know how far you can get with one charge the one I have today lasts 5hrs.
17 November 2019 - 10:22
Helena says:
I do not dare to answer exactly, but I think it is about the same. Can certainly come back on this!
17 November 2019 - 18:19
Ama de casa says:
The first thing that strikes you is how big the tyres are, they look solid. Especially the tricycle.
I guess you can fit them in the campervan too so you have practical vehicles with you when you're out and about.
Congratulations on your purchases!
I haven't cycled since we moved to Spain. I don't dare cycle in this traffic. Yes, I do. I am a coward 😀.
17 November 2019 - 11:01
Helena says:
Yes, they can be taken in the campervan! (We just have to rearrange our motorhome garage a bit, then they will fit ;)) Cycling in heavy traffic is not always fun ...
17 November 2019 - 18:20
Erik says:
Surely it is the motor that must not exceed 250 W?
The battery can be anything and on many e-bikes is 450 Wh.
Varieties are important!
17 November 2019 - 11:05
Helena says:
Thanks for the comment Erik. Peter explained it all to me (Helena) who wrote the post, but I got it a bit wrong. You are absolutely right, and it is now corrected!
17 November 2019 - 18:21
Peter N. says:
It says "The electric battery included is 250 kW"
I guess you mean "The motor is 250 W".
Read up on the difference between energy and power.
17 November 2019 - 11:07
Helena says:
Thank you Peter! This is corrected now! It was me (Helena) who wrote and I got it a bit wrong when Peter explained to me... So, thanks for the comment!
17 November 2019 - 18:22
Geddfish says:
Congratulations! That's clever!
I bought an electric bike in the spring of last year from the local bike shop, because I felt that I wanted to be close to help. I now have two bikes, my nice old lady bike Karin Monark and now Sigge Batavus. I am happy with both. The downside is the susceptibility of the battery to theft, so I take the light bike into town and the electric bike for longer distances and where I take the battery in.
Tricycles are very much in vogue. The version with the box and two wheels at the front also looks cheeky.
Storage: I would never get a tricycle into the basement, I almost have problems with my two-wheelers, as the property owner has locked all the doors in a security package.
17 November 2019 - 11:25
Helena says:
Great that you have bikes you enjoy! And yes, there is that risk of theft ... We will not leave the batteries either, but we will take them with us.
17 November 2019 - 18:24
Emma, Sol som sol? says:
How nice to know more about them. But aren't they very heavy? So you can cycle on them as usual without electric assistance? I don't know anything about these, but I do know that electric bikes have been around for decades. I have seen them here too, but they are not as "fat" as yours. I think. I have my beloved ladies bike in storage and I miss it, I miss not being able to cycle. But here it is not so easy because it is so horribly hilly and a lot of traffic, bike lanes actually exist here in Benalmádena but not where I would like them.
And I think it was wonderful that Peter has chosen the tricycle. Such a clever idea and I understand that your need to be able to transport things is a little different at times, especially now that you are trying to opt out of the car.
17 November 2019 - 12:08
Helena says:
Yes, electric bikes have been around for a long time, but we didn't find these models in Sweden. I started cycling as usual (without electricity) and it worked well, but it may be heavy on uphill slopes and so I can think.
18 November 2019 - 5:34
Kenneth Dahl says:
Hi! Could you please send me an address of the supplier in China.
Kenneth Dahl in Ludvika 0702392124
17 November 2019 - 15:01
Helena says:
Hi Kenneth! We now have contact with suppliers, which took us a long time to find, and they actually want to send at least 10 bikes at a time. We were allowed to buy one sample each, but if more are to be ordered, they want us to order ten. We can receive expressions of interest by email, kontakt@freedomtravel.seand if we get a bunch of orders, we'll organise it.
18 November 2019 - 5:39
Lars Permelin says:
Your electric bikes look delicious and stable. The tyres signal that they are not racing bikes. I also have an electric bike that I like. It is equipped with SmartHalo for navigation via the phone with a built-in alarm that I activate when I leave the bike outside a shop, for example. Do not use the electric bike when it rains. Have read somewhere that the electric bike does not cope with rainy weather. Good luck with your two electric bikes.
17 November 2019 - 16:27
Helena says:
Glad you have an electric bike you enjoy! And what a smart alarm, maybe we should check it out. Thanks for the tips!
18 November 2019 - 5:41
BP says:
What cheeky electric bikes! I wrote in a previous comment that it was not so bad with "a cart" for transport. So Peter's tricycle might even be enough for transporting firewood.
Like the design of both bikes, not to mention the orange elements. Also very nice helmet that matches the bike Helena: -) In addition, Greta will be really happy if / when she reads this post; -)
17 November 2019 - 17:15
Helena says:
Yes, being able to transport things is convenient! And fun that you like them! 🙂
18 November 2019 - 5:42
Björn says:
Why buy from China when there are plenty of good electric bikes to buy in Sweden. ? If you buy locally, you can more easily get help from a bike shop and with spare parts.
17 November 2019 - 17:26
Ruth i Virginia says:
I also thought about China. Surely there must be good
Swedish brands, right? Here in the US, we try to avoid
China-made as much as possible, but it is not easy.
I also read that the new bridge at Slussen was imported from China.
What has happened in Sweden? Are there any factories left?
Like BP, I first thought of firewood transport when I saw the cart.
on Peter's bike 🙂
17 November 2019 - 21:07
Helena says:
Hi Björn! We couldn't find the bikes we wanted here at home, especially the tricycle.
18 November 2019 - 5:43
Kors och Tvärs says:
Electric bikes are nice to have, but it's important to be able to ride them even if the battery runs out. What is yours like, cycling without electricity? How heavy are they? We are thinking of getting a little more powerful than the ones we have today. What power does the battery have? It is well 36v? Will be fun to hear what you think!
17 November 2019 - 19:14
Helena says:
I cycled without electricity in the beginning and it worked great. But did not test in uphills and so on. May return! May also come back about the battery power!
18 November 2019 - 5:46
Fredrik says:
You need to distinguish between power and voltage. 36v (volts) is the voltage.
18 November 2019 - 18:50
Lena - gott för själen says:
How cool! I think that's going to be great. Nice to get rid of a car, too.
Hug Lena
17 November 2019 - 19:52
Helena says:
Yes, it's hard to have two cars when you live in the centre of Sthlm!
18 November 2019 - 5:46
Lena says:
Question for Peter: what is it like to ride a tricycle? I have read that especially in curves it is a different technique because you can't lean on the bike. I'm really keen on a tricycle.
24 November 2019 - 10:24
BJÖRN AMNOW says:
Do you have a battery-powered model of tricycle with 2 front wheels?
30 January 2022 - 20:08