Electric assisted bike for someone with a bad back

AllthegearNoidea

Advice needed if anyone has had a similar situation as myself

I have had four spinal ops so far.  Laminectomy and disk removals.

I'd like to get fitter and was thinking of getting a full suspension mountain bike and the shop have suggested a very expensive electric assisted mtb with full suspension. 

Has anyone got an electric bike, if so do you still get fit? Does the full suspension protect your back? 
Cheers Jason

m_c

E-bikes don't really help that much with base fitness, unless you only run low power settings and put the effort in, as it's far to easy to use a high enough power setting so you can spin along at just under their limiter.
What they're good for is getting as much climbing/distance in as possible with minimal effort, and being able to keep up with fitter riders.

A full sus will take the sting out of rough trails, so your back doesn't get as much abuse, but unless you're planning on riding rough trails, learning to unweight the saddle will help your back far more.

My suggestion would be to try and find a local bike demo day, and try out different bikes. The big benefit of a demo day, is you usually don't have to pay anything for the bikes, but you may have to pre-book them. The alternative is a shop where you can hire the bikes, but there's typically a minimum hire period, and it's only for one bike. However, I'm sure if you went mid-week when they're quiet (and trails are dry so the bikes don't get dirty!), explained you were wanting to try a few bikes for maybe a 30 minute spin each, you might get some kind of hire/demo deal.

AllthegearNoidea

Thanks for very good advice

Jimbro66

Just to add to the excellent advice from m_c I think an e-bike can help with fitness but it takes some self-discipline. By that I mean resisting the temptation to use Tour or Turbo mode whenever the going gets harder. Eco mode gives minimal assistance so you have to put some effort in. You can also turn off the motor assistance which gives a real workout - my Scott e-MTB weighs 8kg more than my lightweight non-elec MTB.

With your spinal problems it might be wise to check with your consultant before buying an expensive e-bike. Saddle choice could be important but, as m_c says, learning to unweight the saddle is key.

Teetonetal

If you have back problems then make sure you get properly measured up for any bike. It makes a huge difference to back comfort. Nothing worse than reaching too much.

Modern e bikes are awesome. My wife has one for pulling the kids in a chariot. On a mountain bike I can only keep up one eco or low settings. She has defiantly got fitter since having it and it's saving car costs.

As for a full suss ebike, I'm not sure about the value of a full suss unless you are keen to do a lot of off road Single trail ? It sounds to me like an opportunistic sell the most expensive option sales pitch. The rear shock will smooth the ride slightly, but if you are mainly using it on pathways, or tracks, it's a big extra cost and complexity.

equalsql

Teetonetal said:

If you have back problems then make sure you get properly measured up for any bike. It makes a huge difference to back comfort. Nothing worse than reaching too much.

Modern e bikes are awesome. My wife has one for pulling the kids in a chariot. On a mountain bike I can only keep up one eco or low settings. She has defiantly got fitter since having it and it's saving car costs.

As for a full suss ebike, I'm not sure about the value of a full suss unless you are keen to do a lot of off road Single trail ? It sounds to me like an opportunistic sell the most expensive option sales pitch. The rear shock will smooth the ride slightly, but if you are mainly using it on pathways, or tracks, it's a big extra cost and complexity.

Full suss bikes are great comfort wise but if you use them off road then the maintenance can become a drag as grit gets into all the floating bearings etc. I used to spend almost as much time servicing mine as riding it. In the end I got so frustrated I swapped to a hardtail and used a suspension seat post ( a Thud Buster) and I never looked back

Jimbro66

equalsql said:

In the end I got so frustrated I swapped to a hardtail and used a suspension seat post ( a Thud Buster) and I never looked back

Wis awarded. Totally agree.

Teetonetal

equalsql said:

Teetonetal said:

If you have back problems then make sure you get properly measured up for any bike. It makes a huge difference to back comfort. Nothing worse than reaching too much.

Modern e bikes are awesome. My wife has one for pulling the kids in a chariot. On a mountain bike I can only keep up one eco or low settings. She has defiantly got fitter since having it and it's saving car costs.

As for a full suss ebike, I'm not sure about the value of a full suss unless you are keen to do a lot of off road Single trail ? It sounds to me like an opportunistic sell the most expensive option sales pitch. The rear shock will smooth the ride slightly, but if you are mainly using it on pathways, or tracks, it's a big extra cost and complexity.

Full suss bikes are great comfort wise but if you use them off road then the maintenance can become a drag as grit gets into all the floating bearings etc. I used to spend almost as much time servicing mine as riding it. In the end I got so frustrated I swapped to a hardtail and used a suspension seat post ( a Thud Buster) and I never looked back

Legs and arms give a lot more suspension than any full suss anyway. I quite enjoy bike maintenance, beyond basic service not had any issues with my suspension (till now) though.

AllthegearNoidea

Thanks for all advice given so far. So if got a hard tail with a suspension seat post how much do I have to spend? Do you have any suggestions on make and model. So far I’ve only really looked at cube and trek. A friend recommended cube and another friend recommended specialized 

stimpsonslostson

I rode an electric bike 20miles a day for January and February this year... last week I sold it. 
I was using it to do a fairly flat but very windy commute. My feelings are:

Ebikes are heavy. There’s no getting around the weight added by the battery and motor. Once you get them rolling along it’s fine, but hills and stop start stuff are no fun without the motor helping you. They can also feel a bit cumbersome due to the weight. Mine had a front wheel motor and batteries on the rack so the weight distribution was ok but it didn’t feel “chuckable” in corners- I learned to judge my braking distances too! 
Dont forget that you might need to lift it onto/ off a car rack- not ideal if you’re back isn’t great. It’s also noticeable if you ditch the bike and have to pick it up again. 

an ebike WILL get you fit. You’re still getting exercise but it’s nice to have the option of a wee boost when you’re feeling a bit tired, or to arrive at work without a sweaty back. I was on cycle paths mostly where the 15mph limit was easily achievable, I’d love to try one on a trail where I was always within the range of the motor.
My biggest criticism was that the bike was great in the city- the motor made it zippy in the stop start traffic and great into a headwind where I’d be toiling but when i got out of town it felt slow. 

I dont have a car & the ebike was really handy for collecting a big shop (or the kids) and lugging it home with minimal effort too...

I sold mine because I stopped using it- the ebike got me fit enough that I can now do the mileage without the motor & I am MUCH quicker on my cyclocross, it’s more fun too! 


I don’t know how useful my comments are, but I’d certainly endorse the suspension seat post idea. Many places will rent you an electric, try it- they can be great. 

Jimbro66

AllthegearNoidea said:

Thanks for all advice given so far. So if got a hard tail with a suspension seat post how much do I have to spend? Do you have any suggestions on make and model. So far I’ve only really looked at cube and trek. A friend recommended cube and another friend recommended specialized 

This depends on what type of riding you want to do. A MTB is great for a lot of off-road work but if you will be mainly riding on roads and the occasional tracks a hybrid might be better. If budget allows go for a bike with a crank drive motor in preference to cheaper hub drive. Bosch Performance CX is good with 400 or 500wh battery. A good Shimano group set and Shimano disk brakes. Cube, Trek, Specialised, Scott, Moustache and others offer well built e-bikes. Beware Chinese cheapies. Something like £2,000 - £2,500 would buy a decent hardtail bike. Above that they can get pretty costly. To get best value wait until the new model year bikes are released, often around Oct. When the 2019 ranges are launched you'll quite likely pick up 2018 models at a big discount. I saved £1,300 on my Scott by doing that. However, you might have a limited frame size choice so make sure you know what frame size suits you in advance. Good luck.

BTW it's a good point made above about the greater weight of e-bikes, even the good ones, so consider what lifting you might need to do. I can lift my 11.5kg bike easily onto the car roof rack but I struggle with the 19.5kg Scott. Not sure it's doing the car any good either

AllthegearNoidea

Jimbro66 said:

AllthegearNoidea said:

Thanks for all advice given so far. So if got a hard tail with a suspension seat post how much do I have to spend? Do you have any suggestions on make and model. So far I’ve only really looked at cube and trek. A friend recommended cube and another friend recommended specialized 

This depends on what type of riding you want to do. A MTB is great for a lot of off-road work but if you will be mainly riding on roads and the occasional tracks a hybrid might be better. If budget allows go for a bike with a crank drive motor in preference to cheaper hub drive. Bosch Performance CX is good with 400 or 500wh battery. A good Shimano group set and Shimano disk brakes. Cube, Trek, Specialised, Scott, Moustache and others offer well built e-bikes. Beware Chinese cheapies. Something like £2,000 - £2,500 would buy a decent hardtail bike. Above that they can get pretty costly. To get best value wait until the new model year bikes are released, often around Oct. When the 2019 ranges are launched you'll quite likely pick up 2018 models at a big discount. I saved £1,300 on my Scott by doing that. However, you might have a limited frame size choice so make sure you know what frame size suits you in advance. Good luck.

BTW it's a good point made above about the greater weight of e-bikes, even the good ones, so consider what lifting you might need to do. I can lift my 11.5kg bike easily onto the car roof rack but I struggle with the 19.5kg Scott. Not sure it's doing the car any good either

I'm now thinking after reading the advice of just getting a non electric hardtail. Good front shocks, with a shock absorbing seat post.

Mainly green laning

Teetonetal

Would echo comments about checking various bike brands and read up on components.

Shimano deore and above / sram gears are good
Shimano deore disc brakes are good. Cheaper sram ones are a pita to setup squeak free
Rockshox / fox forks are a safe bet
27 (650b) inch wheels roll better than 26

If you have back issues go to a shop and get measured up and test the bikes for comfort. Online companies like Radon and Cube offer better bang for buck but the setup is a guess. In your case that sounds more important.