E-Bike therapy for bad knees

ZombieCake

Well-known member
A sensible post from me: no dodgy videos.  The issue is that for most of the time my knees are fine, but every now and then they suddenly stop working and over the last couple of years there's been a few days that I've been totally unable to walk plus a few weeks of associated pain and limping. The Leech Meisters say it's not arthritis.  So I've recently seen adverts for e-bikes - essentially an electronic motor for bicycles. Some are incredibly expensive (well over priced at ?2000+), however, you can get a conversion kit for c. ?400-ish that turns a normal bike into an electronic motor one.  Essentially it's a motor in the wheel hub (front or rear) and a battery and controller. So I was wondering if anyone has used them and are they OK?  Basically it's to try and improve knee strength, especially on the uphill bits.  I'm not a normal cyclist by any stretch of the imagination - you won't see me wearing silly lycra and spandex, and I'm aware of the function of a red traffic light  :)  Any thoughts welcome.
 

topcat

Active member
Got to be worth a try.  Saddle height is critical to protect knees.  Many folk have the saddle too low which is really bad for knees and very inefficient to boot.

Maybe try a days hire first?  The shop should be able to set you up On the bike properly.  Maybe find a shop in a caving area to make the best of a weekend?
 

mrodoc

Well-known member
I am sure you will get plenty of replies re e bikes. The cheapest I have seen was about ?800  but I know at least one person in the caving community who bought a  kit and set up her own conversion (yes,  her). WE have bought e bikes to extend our range and the range if you don't keep the power on except for hills is pretty wide.
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
We have two local EBike shops in our town ( Taunton ) now. Both will let you have a trial run with them as there is a big area close by. All UK EBikes are "pedal assisted" as complete electric power would put them in the moped category. I was looking at a fold-able Raleigh at about ?1200 as I think that would be more adaptable for use if it could be stowed in a car. Masses of info on line.
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
"Leech Meister"!    :LOL:

Try in-water running at your local swimming pool. Save yourself a fortune and avoid cluttering up the house.

If you have knee issues you might like to pick the brains of those who do a lot of moithering about bad knees. For example the Fell Runners Association has a useful forum:

http://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/forum.php
 

malcolm smith

New member
I bought one last year for my wife who fell off it and broke a small bone in her wrist and hasn't been on it since. Shelled out just short of two thousand for it from a small specialist shop in Knaresborough. It's great, I use it all the time now. They used to have the option of working like a mini motorbike with no pedalling, not now, it's assisted pedalling only. Mine has 3 power settings, and I can switch the power off if I want, although the bike with the battery is a heavy brute.
If I go as slow as I used to on my old touring bike it's much easier pedalling. However I usually go a good bit faster now using the power assist so my pedalling effort is similar to with my old bike.
Get a stiff head wind or a troublesome hill when you're tiring after a decent ride they're great! Flick the power up and sail along. All the pleasure without the grim pain! It's more a sit up and beg riding position too so I can see where I'm going without craning a sadly stiff neck outside it's comfort zone.
Worth a trial ride  I'd think, you can hire them for a day/few hours.
 

shotlighter

Active member
I'd  say go for it. I converted mine 2yrs back for the same reason.
If you can  let someone who's done a convertion before have a look at the bike you intend to convert.
All are possible but some can be a right faff & bloody expensive too , if you need to change parts first because of compatability issues.
 

ZombieCake

Well-known member
Thanks for the feedback, most appreciated.  Decided to take a phased approach. Current thing is a Halfords 'special' that is a bit rubbish and so not worth investing further in.  So, after visiting a local shop for local people, and a bit of YouTubing, I've bought one of these:
https://www.electrabike.com/eu/bikes/townie/original-7d-7d-eq?g=mens
in the EQ version and should arrive soon (they didn't have exact model in stock). Cool and good for knees, and the EQ version has an extra feature: Come the Great Adjustment / Zombie Apocalypse / Running Out of Batteries it has a built in front hub dynamo and lights for night stuff. Also should also be fairly straightforward to put a rear hub 'leccy motor on at some point.
Although I must admit the YouTuber Colin Furze has put a V1 style pulse jet on a bike which should help uphill stuff... tempted...
 
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