Electric bicycles in Chiang Mai - 3 questions

[cyberfarang]

My girlfriend, Ms cyberfarang,  who can`t ride a motorbike and can`t drive a car and always ridden a bicycle, is telling me that riding her bike is paining her legs and has decided she want`s to upgrade to an electric bicycle. I`ll say this before someone else does knowing well the TV crowd,  a bicycle works out cheaper then finding a new girlfriend.

 

I have seen electric bikes for sale in Big C and Tesco Lotus around 7000 baht but have heard these are crap and unreliable.

 

First question: does anyone know where in Chiang Mai I can buy a good quality electric bike?

 

Second question: do any of you already own an electric bike or know someone that has one and can share your experiences with these types of bikes?

 

Third question:  are the batteries easy to find and available somewhere in Chiang Mai?

 

 

[CMKiwi]

 Stu at Mong Cycles down Chiang Moi Rd use to sell electric bikes but he found that there wasnt much call for them...plus they were on the bit expensive side. Consequently he gave up on the idea of stocking them.  He may be able to point you in the right direction tho....

 

 Apparently theve taken off big time back in NZ amongst the elder  sect.  The young whippersnappers are getting a bit annoyed when gramps or grandma zips past them while they struggle up the hills. Those  battery powered bikes certainly make  hill climbs easier.

 

  Looking at a NZ aucion site they start around 42000 baht and upto 92000 baht...so they certainly are not cheap.

Edited August 11, 2016 by CMKiwi
More information

[MissIndy]

I don't know if this company delivers to Thailand, but lots of useful info.

http://www.gtech.co.uk/ebike.html

[jobin]

North china cities have hundreds of millions of the damn things.  Ultra quiet so they sneak up and cut off, or smash, any pedestrian or bicycle rider without remorse. Then the batt runs low and they mope around like an geezer on a crutch. 

The thing is, any e-bike, so called, will probably be made in china; notorious for crap.  And very limited duration, hills out of the question, gotta charge it every night but even granny can drive it.  No gears and hand squeeze brakes.

Might work well in moo baan, or possibly old city.  The e-bike offers NO local air pollution and might introduce folks to the e-car and speak loudly to the the air pollution solution in the city.

[Chicog]

2 hours ago, MissIndy said:

I don't know if this company delivers to Thailand, but lots of useful info.

http://www.gtech.co.uk/ebike.html

 

1000 quid, sheesh.

[junglechef]

There are many very good e-bikes. I don't have personal experience with them but ride xc with people who use them.

 

Check with the local bike clubs.

 

[masuk]

18 hours ago, jobin said:

North china cities have hundreds of millions of the damn things.  Ultra quiet so they sneak up and cut off, or smash, any pedestrian or bicycle rider without remorse. Then the batt runs low and they mope around like an geezer on a crutch. 

The thing is, any e-bike, so called, will probably be made in china; notorious for crap.  And very limited duration, hills out of the question, gotta charge it every night but even granny can drive it.  No gears and hand squeeze brakes.

Might work well in moo baan, or possibly old city.  The e-bike offers NO local air pollution and might introduce folks to the e-car and speak loudly to the the air pollution solution in the city.

Yes, they're certainly quiet, and as they use the centre lane of the extra wide footpaths in some cities, you need to watch where you walk.   They seem to have extra-loud horns on them!

 

But they are great, and in cities which have banned the use of diesel, they keep the local pollution down.    Batteries are put on charge overnight.

 

These are not bicycles.  They are electric scooters, which in Thailand are called motorbikes.(motosais)

[harness]

Bought a Meadow brand electric bicycle for the wife 18 months ago for 12,000 baht. She has driven at least 4,000 kms in that time and the batteries are still good but when the time comes for replacement they're easy to find and will set me back about 2,400 baht for three.

Very happy with the machine.

 

By the way.....bought it out in Pasang district,  twelve kms or so south of Lamphum .....at a big store in Sop Tha.

 

[malc123]

My  wife has one of these for three years very good. Will come and service for you.

 

http://udamotor.co.th/contact.php

[davemos]

Hi been looking at these too very heavy 28 k up pretty slow as well The output speed depends on the watts a good one I found was Has a made in Taiwan 450 watts 40 k speed range 30 k mountain bike discs etc or another is the Copenhagen wheel  which fits on any bike and is 350  watt made in USA  The Chinese are rubbish and don't last slow heavy and dangerous Good luck !

[Stevemercer]

Cyclone Taiwan sells a kit that will fit onto just about any bike. The motor drives the chain which has the advantage that you can still use the bike's gears (unlike a hub motor which works best at about 20 km/hr). However, this is more for the 'expert' rider because it can be fiddly to install yourself. The end result is a pretty fast bike (up to 40 km/hr on the flats and 25 km/hr uphill) with about 30 km range and 1 - 2 hour recharge time. This assume you are pedaling along as well.

 

The average cyclists puts out about 200 watts when pedaling at a steady pace. A 200 watt geared motor is sufficient for the average bike. This means you have 400 watts at your disposal, about the same as a professional cyclist in fast cruise mode.

[malc123]

Ours dose 40klm fine for in town, if it goes any  faster tell me would you would  need Insurance and licences and have to wear a helmet, as I said had more then three years still working fine.

 

Made in Thailand.

 

[masuk]

I guess wearing helmets on bikes is just as sensible as on motorbikes.  Slower speeds but the road is still rock hard!

 

They might even be compulsory, as they are for motor bikes.  

[balo]

I got mine from Bangkok , from LA-Bicycle. The bike is made and assembled in Thailand but the battery comes from China.  The price was 25000 baht .  Should be easy to get it delivered to CM . 

 

This is the model: 

http://www.la-bicycle.com/product/e-ride-nimble-24-6/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[louse1953]

On 8/11/2016 at 3:47 PM, jobin said:

North china cities have hundreds of millions of the damn things.  Ultra quiet so they sneak up and cut off, or smash, any pedestrian or bicycle rider without remorse. Then the batt runs low and they mope around like an geezer on a crutch. 

The thing is, any e-bike, so called, will probably be made in china; notorious for crap.  And very limited duration, hills out of the question, gotta charge it every night but even granny can drive it.  No gears and hand squeeze brakes.

Might work well in moo baan, or possibly old city.  The e-bike offers NO local air pollution and might introduce folks to the e-car and speak loudly to the the air pollution solution in the city.

Plenty of them in Vietnam as well.If you tweak them a bit they get up and go.$A200 4 years ago.

[Dellboy218]

Another option to consider perhaps

https://gearjunkie.com/electric-bike-motor-add-on

[LawrenceN]

Lazada has several models. Just search on "electric bicycle."

lazada.co.th

[MissAndry]

Went to Suvannakhet in Laos a couple of months back, one of the shops I walked past had 4-5 different e-bikes bikes for sale on display.

[chiang mai]

Pain in the legs during exercise may be the result of being out of shape BUT it is also a marker for cardiovascular problems. Just a thought, maybe worth checking out.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2324092/When-leg-pain-means-theres-timebomb-arteries.html

[jobin]

Just looked at the aforementioned 'DailyMail' site.  IMO> what a rubbish rag disguising itself as an online source of 'news'.  Nip slips, underboobs,  melon-breasts, all on colored display... that's news?

 

And since i'm not at the moment in T'land and can see the 'DailyMail' if YOU cannot find it on your computer, that's becoz it's banned in T'land (i think) due to a story years ago which mentioned the Royal Family.  Nuff' said. 

[seedy]

Troll / Flaming posts Removed

[StuinCM1]

Word is that, at this point in time, imported e-bikes suffer a 60% import duty, then add your 7% VAT...not really encouraging the populace to go green when you can get a gas burner for the same or less.

 

[MrBrad]

On 8/13/2016 at 6:55 AM, chiang mai said:

Pain in the legs during exercise may be the result of being out of shape BUT it is also a marker for cardiovascular problems. Just a thought, maybe worth checking out.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2324092/When-leg-pain-means-theres-timebomb-arteries.html

Maybe you've already done this, but if not, one thing to be sure of is the height of the bicycle seat.  If it's too low--which is often the case--raise it for proper usage of leg muscles.  The tiring will greatly lessen.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 3:47 PM, jobin said:

North china cities have hundreds of millions of the damn things.  Ultra quiet so they sneak up and cut off, or smash, any pedestrian or bicycle rider without remorse. Then the batt runs low and they mope around like an geezer on a crutch. 

The thing is, any e-bike, so called, will probably be made in china; notorious for crap.  And very limited duration, hills out of the question, gotta charge it every night but even granny can drive it.  No gears and hand squeeze brakes.

Might work well in moo baan, or possibly old city.  The e-bike offers NO local air pollution and might introduce folks to the e-car and speak loudly to the the air pollution solution in the city.

Hope the batteries don't cause pollution, then. Guess where the used ones are going to end up?

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2016 at 7:33 AM, jobin said:

Just looked at the aforementioned 'DailyMail' site.  IMO> what a rubbish rag disguising itself as an online source of 'news'.  Nip slips, underboobs,  melon-breasts, all on colored display... that's news?

 

And since i'm not at the moment in T'land and can see the 'DailyMail' if YOU cannot find it on your computer, that's becoz it's banned in T'land (i think) due to a story years ago which mentioned the Royal Family.  Nuff' said. 

Is there any country that has more vile newspapers that the UK?

 

I'm hoping electric bikes are cheap enough in a few years back home for me to buy one, as I may not be able to pass the oldies medical for a driving licence.

However, no way I'd use one in Chiang Mai- IMO a target for mad drivers.

Edited August 29, 2017 by thaibeachlovers

[masuk]

There are plenty of battery operated m/cycles in China. I was never aware of a battery-assisted bicycle though.

Yes, as they share the large wide footpaths of most cities, they seem to enjoy coming up behind pedestrians and then blasting them with a horn which is out of all proportion to the bike.

They treat zebra crossings just like they do in Thailand - ignore anyone trying to cross!

In Chiang Mai, the noisiest m/bikes tend to be ridden by our fellow farangs!

[thaibeachlovers]

17 hours ago, masuk said:

There are plenty of battery operated m/cycles in China. I was never aware of a battery-assisted bicycle though.

Yes, as they share the large wide footpaths of most cities, they seem to enjoy coming up behind pedestrians and then blasting them with a horn which is out of all proportion to the bike.

They treat zebra crossings just like they do in Thailand - ignore anyone trying to cross!

In Chiang Mai, the noisiest m/bikes tend to be ridden by our fellow farangs!

If you mean farangs riding huge motorbikes ( a psychologist would have a field day analyzing farang expats ) in C M, I agree, but for the majority of low cc m'bikes/ scooters, it is surely Thais that are liable. My ex Thai BIL bought a special muffler for his son's scooter that made it painfully loud.

[anto]

DailyMail /Daily Fail can be got in Thailand through a VPN such as Zenmate. Honda is bringing out an Electric Motorcycle in Thailand early next year .It looks similar to the current Honda Cub.If they get the price right ,its to be made in Thailand ,it could be a big success.

[Sparkles]

Quite a few years ago,maybe 8, we looked at electric bikes at a shop on the left  between Narrawat Bridge and the Super Highway.

 

Had quite an impressive range.As we use our bikes for exercise we didnt buy I was just interested in the concept.Not sure if its still there.

 

As our area south of town is basically flat in every direction an electric bike makes a lot of sense for short trips.

 

I have often though electric motor bike taxis would be a great aset to CC but not sure if they developed models with enough power for 2 people.

I'm sure it will come.

[anto]

12 minutes ago, Sparkles said:

Quite a few years ago,maybe 8, we looked at electric bikes at a shop on the left  between Narrawat Bridge and the Super Highway.

 

Had quite an impressive range.As we use our bikes for exercise we didnt buy I was just interested in the concept.Not sure if its still there.

 

As our area south of town is basically flat in every direction an electric bike makes a lot of sense for short trips.

 

I have often though electric motor bike taxis would be a great aset to CC but not sure if they developed models with enough power for 2 people.

I'm sure it will come.

That shop you mentioned is no longer there .Its on the left as you come in towards town .Maybe still around in another location ?Its all about price and reliability .You can get a good cond.Honda dream for B15,000 and its cheap to run and will last for many years .Electric bikes can not compete with that so far .They will in the future though .