Commute Speed

[E-Mike]

I'm an avid road rider who's getting into bike commuting. I'm considering getting an e-bike so that I can commute faster and therefore more frequently. What I'm wondering is, realistically, how much time will I save if I'm riding an e-bike?

My commute is about 10 miles each way, with about 650' of climbing on the way in, and 450' of climbing on the way back. According to Strava, I'm averaging between 150 and 175 watts on my road bike, and averaging about 16-17mph on the way in, and 18-19mph on the way home.

I'm considering something like the Trek Crossrip+. Definitely a Class 3, and almost definitely something with the Bosch Performance Speed motor. I haven't had a chance to test ride anything yet because the nearest bike shop that has the Crossrip+ in stock is an hour and a half away.

Assuming I work just as hard on the e-bike, how much of a boost to my average speed can I expect? I know there's no exact answer but I'd like to have realistic expectations before spending big money on a new e-bike.

On the flip side, another way I was thinking of saving time is wearing something at work that I can ride home in, so that I don't have to change into bike shorts, etc, for the ride home. Realistically it probably takes me 5-10 minutes to get changed out of my work clothes at the end of the day ("slow transitions", as my triathlete co-worker says). Is it realistic to ride home in bike commuter clothes and at least maintain the same average speed as I'm making now, wearing spandex on a non-powered bike?

 

[hurricane56]

I feel like if you can already average 18-19 mph over 10 miles a Class 3 ebike might only get you an additional 2 mph average speed. Another variable to take into account is the number of traffic lights and stop signs.

I followed a fast road biker on the first 5 miles of my commute route yesterday. There’s a lot of traffic signals as it’s mainly urban. Even being on my “lazy” fatbike with 35 amps, there was not a significant speed advantage.

How long does it usually take you with your regular setup now?

 

[E-Mike]

Getting to work (net uphill) takes me 40-45 minutes depending on traffic, wind, how strong I'm feeling that day, etc. Getting home takes around 33-38 minutes. I have a few traffic lights, I probably spend 2-4 minutes stopped at lights.

 

[hurricane56]

You’ll probably gain a few minutes in the morning, but the main factor is flattening those hills and not getting to work too tired or sweaty.

 

[Quadracer]

Yes I commute 11 km to work, can ride all week with out feeling tired on Friday! I have 155 m of gradient on my trip and average 28kmh.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Mike ...

When I first settled into ebiking I was surprised to find that my average speed tended to be faster on rolling terrain than on the flat. I think I have figured it out...

Typically I ride at 24 km/h on the level; therefore, a 24 km ride will take one hour.

Now break that 24 km ride into three equal parts: level, uphill and downhill.

Assuming that we are not venturing into frightening gradients, my speed on the level third will be 24 km/h (20 min), on the uphill third still 24 km/h (20 min), but whizzing downhill my speed will be fifty percent faster at 36 km/h (13 min 20 s). A total of 53 min 20 s.

Almost seven minutes saved and average speed boosted to about 27 km/h just by having a few little hills added to spice up the trip.

... David

 

[Amish David]

Before I installed the rear wheel hub it took me 45 min. Coming home, almost all up hill, and exhausted, now with PAS it takes me it takes me 23 min. But I'm not in the city, so at time 40% hills to deal with Vs. Red lights.

 

[rich c]

I'm an avid road rider who's getting into bike commuting. I'm considering getting an e-bike so that I can commute faster and therefore more frequently. What I'm wondering is, realistically, how much time will I save if I'm riding an e-bike?

My commute is about 10 miles each way, with about 650' of climbing on the way in, and 450' of climbing on the way back. According to Strava, I'm averaging between 150 and 175 watts on my road bike, and averaging about 16-17mph on the way in, and 18-19mph on the way home.

I'm considering something like the Trek Crossrip+. Definitely a Class 3, and almost definitely something with the Bosch Performance Speed motor. I haven't had a chance to test ride anything yet because the nearest bike shop that has the Crossrip+ in stock is an hour and a half away.

Assuming I work just as hard on the e-bike, how much of a boost to my average speed can I expect? I know there's no exact answer but I'd like to have realistic expectations before spending big money on a new e-bike.

On the flip side, another way I was thinking of saving time is wearing something at work that I can ride home in, so that I don't have to change into bike shorts, etc, for the ride home. Realistically it probably takes me 5-10 minutes to get changed out of my work clothes at the end of the day ("slow transitions", as my triathlete co-worker says). Is it realistic to ride home in bike commuter clothes and at least maintain the same average speed as I'm making now, wearing spandex on a non-powered bike?

What's your top speed now? Must not be many lights to average those kind of speeds. Even when I hit 22-23mph on some routes, I still only average about 15mph because I have to sit at lights. At that distance, you should be able to ride in turbo through all the climb. I have a 2016 Haibike Trekking S RX with the 28 mph cutout. Maybe they changed something after 2016, but mine does not stop at 26 mph as JayVee mentions. I never drop below 9-10mph on any steep grades, even in the granny range. These are hills that wind me to walk up.

 

[Citycrosser]

Looking back at my Strava records. I averaged 18 mph while riding my old road bike. With my new Magnum Metro+, I'm averaging 23 mph. My average heart rate was about the same (don't have power measurement on either bike). I'd say with a 28 mph speed pedelec, you'll pick up at least 5 mph. With some bikes and a large enough battery, you may be able to average higher.

I have an unusually long commute (35 miles each way) but the majority is on an uninterrupted bike trail so I'm moving at 23 on the flats or so most of the time with a few slow downs at crossings etc. My speed down here easily gets to 28 mph with light pedaling (the Metro+ only has a cadence sensor). I typically use PAS 4 but if the commute was shorter or if I had more battery, I could use PAS 6 which would keep my average up around 27 or so.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

@Citycrosser is giving you some good advice. A speed pedelec (Class 3) with a 28mph top end is the way to go.

If you get a bike with at least 500 watt hours on the battery, you will be able to get to work and back with some battery to spare. That's based on a conservative estimate of 20 watt hours per mile on a 20 mile round trip (400 watt hours total.)

Many of us on this forum will say, get the biggest battery you can afford. There are three reasons for this. One is that a larger battery will retain higher voltage longer, and that translates into peppier performance for more miles. Not that a smaller battery won't get you home, but you will notice a decrease in performance on the way home. The second reason is that you are going to want to ride more, because these things are such fun. So having a bigger battery means you can take the longer way home, or go back out for a ride, or whatever. The third reason is that the bigger the battery, the less often you have to recharge, which contributes to battery longevity. Batteries are the single most expensive component and you don't want to replace one very often. You should be able to get several years of satisfactory performance out of a good battery that you've taken care of.

So in making a choice, look hard at how big a battery you can get. A Faraday Porteur is a really good-looking bike with good components, but a tiny battery that might not get you all the way to work and back. I just mention this for comparison, not that you are considering the Porteur. I'm going out on a limb, and someone will chime in and disagree and probably with good reason, but for a commuter bike, the battery is the most important factor. (OK, yeah, the frame has got to fit you, fenders and lights are essential, yada yada.)

If you can already average 15-19 mph, then you will have no problem hitting top speed on a speed pedelec, without even having to use the highest level of pedal assist. That means that if you want to just wear your work clothes and not get so sweaty, you could put it in a higher level of assist and work a lot less hard. Like you say, that will save you some time, not having to change clothes. Higher mph and less prep time = ~15 minutes saved on both ends of your commute.

There's not a speed pedelec made that can't handle your hills like a dream. Non-factor.

EBR has categories for different bike review. You can look at all the speed pedelecs here. Have fun doing your research. Narrow it down to a few, then go into the model-specific sub-forums to read what people are saying.

I own a Juiced Bikes CrossCurrent S. It's an awesome bike. I've yet to see a post from anyone with a CCS that doesn't rave about it. Demand has outstripped supply so it would be (educated guess) 3 months before you got one. If that doesn't fit your needs, definitely look elsewhere. If price is a factor, then it's perhaps the best deal on the market right now. Absolutely worth the wait, if you can wait. But there are many other bikes that are nearly as good for the same price, or equally good for more $$$, that would ship sooner, or might even be available at a nearby bike shop.

My wife commutes on a Pedego City Commuter. Good bike! Not as fast as the CCS, and much more expensive, but she gets great service from the nearby Pedego shop and that means a lot to her. I like her bike, but really glad I got the CCS.

 

[Chris Hammond]

So I used to commute on my road bike for my 30 mile one way commute. This generally took about 1h 50 minutes each way, (wind direction and force biggest factor determining average speed, mostly averaged 15-18 mph).
I am now commuting on a Juiced CrossCurrent S pedelec 3, (i bought the 52V 21Ah battery due to my long commute). My average commuting speed now is generally 22-25 mph. (Cruising speeds 24-30 mph generally). It'd be faster except that traffic lights slow average speed down more when I reach the city, (~10 miles city, ~20 miles suburban ride; all on roads no trails). This has cut my average commuting time down to ~ 1 h 15 min, so it saves me a bit more than 30 minutes each way. Since your commute is only 10 miles, depending on traffic issues, I'd only plan on saving 10-15 minutes each way on a class 3 bike.

 

[michael mitchell]

You may only increase your average speed by 3-5 mph, but you can wear whatever you want. Seriously, you can put on some baggy jeans and a big winter coat, and still arrive to work without breaking a sweat. And you can add panniers, put your cycling clothes in there, and use minimal assist on the way home. I do that a lot, using just enough assist to offset my heavy, comfortable modifications. The motor completely eliminates the need to be aero or lightweight (within reason).

 

[E-Mike]

Wow, thanks for all the excellent information and advice. I'm almost wishing my commute were longer and more hilly now .

Rich C., my max speed varies of course but just glancing at a few rides, I'm reaching 30mph fairly regularly on the downhills. I'm assuming the e-bike won't help me much there.

I should mention the average speeds I mentioned are moving speeds. 2-5 minutes sitting at traffic lights is typical for me. A couple times I barely missed a green light on an uphill and was convinced that I would have made the light if I had a motor.

A couple of you mentioned different bikes like Stromer, Juiced CCS, etc. Being new to the market, one of the reasons I'm thinking about the Trek Crossrip+ is I'd really like to test ride the bike before buying. Are those brands available in bike shops, or mail order only? I'll have to do some googling to learn about those bikes and to see if they're sold in Colorado. Another reason I like the Crossrip+ is the road-bike styling with drop bars. I was under the impression that aerodynamics are an issue if you're trying to keep the speed high, although based on Michael Mitchell's reply, maybe that's only if you're trying to conserve battery? I believe I can get to work in max assist on a single charge if I wanted to, and I can charge the battery at work for the ride home. But, Bruce Arnold, it sounds like doing that will lead to having to replace the battery sooner?

I'm definitely encouraged by the idea that I can still get good speed without changing into bike clothes. And, once the school year starts and the kids take the bus 5 days a week, I'll be able to ride to work every day. I see e-bike being a huge advantage then, because I won't get worn out so much. For the summer, I have misc. kid transport duties, so I get to ride to work 2, maybe 3 times a week if I'm lucky...

 

[Bruce Arnold]

@E-Mike I mention the 500 watt-hour battery because you could get to work and back on a single charge with most commonly sold batteries. If it's a 36 volt battery, something in the 14 to 15 amp-hour range will work fine. If it's 48 volts, then a 10-11 amp-hour battery will work. Some of our posters who have longer commutes do take their charger to work, but if it isn't necessary, save yourself the trouble. I routinely get 55-60 miles per charge on my 17.4 Ah battery (which Juiced doesn't make any more; they replaced it with a 19.2 Ah battery.) There's a meeting I go to a couple of times a week that is about 24 miles round trip. I could easily do this with their 12.8 Ah battery. But performance would get less zippy sooner so I'm glad to have the larger battery. Shucks, I'd really like to have the 52V 21 Ah battery. That would rock!

Yes, a battery's longevity is based on such things as the number of complete charge cycles, temperature conditions, and too high a rate of discharge. Your bike's controller would prevent the latter under most conditions.

I think you could get to work and back home on max assist on any Class 3 bike with a battery of at least 11 Ah. I also think you will find you don't need max assist. I'm a fat old man with COPD and I can average 25 miles an hour in the 3rd level of assist (3 out of 5, although it's called "2" in the idiosyncratic system Juiced Bikes uses -- Eco-1-2-3-Sport.) Shoot, I can average 18-20 in Eco, on a level road, although I will get sweaty doing it and wouldn't do this on the way to work.

Get a Burley kid trailer and tote the ankle-biters around with your ebike!

Juiced Bikes is direct-to-consumer, so no chance to try it out ahead of time, unless someone on the Juiced Bikes forum lives near you and wants to let you try theirs. (This does happen.) If this is important to you, by all means buy local. You'll probably benefit from the relationship with your local bike shop too.

 

[Chris Hammond]

Another reason I like the Crossrip+ is the road-bike styling with drop bars. I was under the impression that aerodynamics are an issue if you're trying to keep the speed high,

Aero is the biggest issue you encounter at high speeds on all bikes. The poser needed to increase speed grows exponentially above 20 mph. I used to commute on a road bike, and one of the first things I noticed was the wind on my chest on the more upright Juiced bike. The CCS is designed as a hybrid commuter setup which is more forward than most ebikes, but definitely not a road bike. Many buyers have ended up getting some form a riser stem to get more upright.
I did the opposite. I swapped the stem off my road bike as it was ~2cm longer, flipped it for a negative rise, and removed the spacers elevating it. I rode like that for a few days and then I also rotated the handlbars ~110 degrees forward which further dropped and lengthened the cockpit. This has put my hand level just below seat level.
I say all of this to let you know that some easy mods can be made for aero purpose. I now have the benefit of bigger tires, a front shock, better brakes and handle design, etc over a road bike with drop bars.
I honestly didn't think the bigger tires and front shock were a big deal, having been a road bike rider. After almost 1 month and ~935 miles, I can say it is a big deal. The bumps and hits you are accustomed to on your road bike at 20 mph are a lot harder at 30mph. I rode for the first week or so with my front shock locked out thinking it would be faster and not thinking I needed it. Once I opened the shock, I can see how wrong that was. At higher speeds the locked shock causes you to bounce more, get out of the saddle more, etc. I honestly think its faster with the shock open, (honestly don't know and its not significant) and its definitely more comfortable.
As far as your battery, if you use max assist the whole time, you are likely to need to recharge at work or risk fully depleting the battery. You should avoid that as it degrades the battery quickly.
You should definitely try to test ride several bikes before you buy.

 

[mrgold35]

I started out with a Transeo GT 700X40C commuter bike for my 13 mile round-trip commute with a 500 foot elevation drop from home to work. It was really hard in the afternoons with elevation gain and usual head wind from the west at 10-15 mph with gusts +25 mph. That would almost add 25-35 minutes to my 35-40 minute commute home along with traffic/lights and 95-105 temps.

I went with the ebike to flatten out hills, negate headwinds, ride at higher sustained average speeds, additional cooling benefits when +95 degrees, and save time. I can now work commute 12 months as long as it isn't snow/ice on the ground. It is nice when I'm not feeling up to the commute to increase the power maintain my commuter speed.

My ebike work commute average is 25-30 mins to work at 17-18 mph avg (top speed 24-26 mph on declines) and home is 30-35 minutes at 15-16 mph (top speed 21-22 mph on flats) in the afternoon. The extra time is mostly waiting at 6 lights at the start of rush hour that are mostly green at 5:30 am.

I agree with Chris Hammond about open front suspension, larger tires, better brakes (a few emergency stops at +20 mph), and comfortable riding positions. I would also add a comfy seat with suspension seatpost for those 18-25 mph bumps. I started riding without either and found myself raising off/on the seat for every little bump expending more energy. I now have a Cloud-9 seat and Bodyfloat seatpost and I keep bottom on the seat 99% of the time. A solid front suspension is sending all that shock/vibration into your arms, shoulders, and back. I tried it both ways and prefer the overall ride when I leave it open.

 

[BMac]

Just another data point for you - I have a Juiced CCS and a 10-mile commute that takes consistently 28-30min including a couple lights and other misc. stoppage time (primarily avoiding pedestrians and wildlife). Unless its < 60 degrees out there, I'm still a puddle of sweat afterwards and want a shower because I can't resist pushing myself at least a little. I average about 26mph on straight/flat sections, 32 downhill, 18 uphill, and low 20s through the curvier trail sections. I don't have any regular bike comparisons as I never would've attempted commuting that way, but I'm guessing my savings would be similar to what Chris experienced or even a little more since I was not already a cyclist. I still have about 1/3 battery left at the end of the day so I just charge it each night.

 

[E-Mike]

@BMac , That sounds similiar to my situation. I figure I'd probably wear cycling clothes and ride hard in the morning, then take a shower at work. On the way home, I'm thinking I could avoid the change of clothes and ride a little less hard. I'm less concerned about being sweaty when I get home, and I've been timing myself and it takes me about 10 minutes from the time I leave my desk til the time I'm changed and ready to hop onto the bike. It would take a lot of extra speed to make up for those 10 minutes, and saving time is really my main motivation for wanting an e-bike. I'd be happy to ride my road bike every day if I had the time, although I will admit that after 3 round trip commutes in a row this week, I was feeling a bit worn out. An e-bike might help with that, too.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

I now have a Cloud-9 seat and Bodyfloat seatpost and I keep bottom on the seat 99% of the time. A solid front suspension is sending all that shock/vibration into your arms, shoulders, and back. I tried it both ways and prefer the overall ride when I leave it open.

I just bought a Cloud 9 seat based on your recommendation in another thread. I'd been looking for a seat with springs, and was considering a leather seat (Brooks B17) but decided, at the price, it wouldn't hurt to try the C9. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Gator]

@E-Mike I mention the 500 watt-hour battery because you could get to work and back on a single charge with most commonly sold batteries. If it's a 36 volt battery, something in the 14 to 15 amp-hour range will work fine. If it's 48 volts, then a 10-11 amp-hour battery will work. Some of our posters who have longer commutes do take their charger to work, but if it isn't necessary, save yourself the trouble. I routinely get 55-60 miles per charge on my 17.4 Ah battery (which Juiced doesn't make any more; they replaced it with a 19.2 Ah battery.) There's a meeting I go to a couple of times a week that is about 24 miles round trip. I could easily do this with their 12.8 Ah battery. But performance would get less zippy sooner so I'm glad to have the larger battery. Shucks, I'd really like to have the 52V 21 Ah battery. That would rock!

Yes, a battery's longevity is based on such things as the number of complete charge cycles, temperature conditions, and too high a rate of discharge. Your bike's controller would prevent the latter under most conditions.

I think you could get to work and back home on max assist on any Class 3 bike with a battery of at least 11 Ah. I also think you will find you don't need max assist. I'm a fat old man with COPD and I can average 25 miles an hour in the 3rd level of assist (3 out of 5, although it's called "2" in the idiosyncratic system Juiced Bikes uses -- Eco-1-2-3-Sport.) Shoot, I can average 18-20 in Eco, on a level road, although I will get sweaty doing it and wouldn't do this on the way to work.

Get a Burley kid trailer and tote the ankle-biters around with your ebike!

Juiced Bikes is direct-to-consumer, so no chance to try it out ahead of time, unless someone on the Juiced Bikes forum lives near you and wants to let you try theirs. (This does happen.) If this is important to you, by all means buy local. You'll probably benefit from the relationship with your local bike shop too.

I have a lot to learn
I was considering an ebike with a 500 watt Yamaha, 36 volts. It comes with a 500 watt/hour battery with 13.8 AH. My commute is 22 mile round trip and its pretty hilly. I planned on primarily using the eco setting. Should I be looking at a different bike???