EV general discussion

[Journey]

That's not an e-bike.....

Although I do appreciate a good classic bike, it looks to be a Dawes Galaxy from the early 1980's (Reynolds 531 tubing), also looks like it might even have the original Subtour chain set.

Shame his front wheel looks completely out of true, you can see a lateral deviation in the in the rim, but hard to tell from the angle - it would do my nut in it I had to ride it, and those Weinmann cantilevers brakes are just asking for trouble when stopping in none ideal conditions.

Pointless talking about the actual BEV part, as if he keeps his cars as long as his bike then he'll be buying a 2011 Nissan Leaf in 2055.

 

[SDK^]

Far easier....

That has it's own disadvantages though.

- Much less fuel efficiency
- Theft risk
- Bikes get covered in dead insects on longer trips
- The towbar and carrier cost is about £2k

The Smart 5 has a deep unfloor boot storage, so I should be able to carry the bikes upright, front wheel off, and the forks sitting in the storage area

 

[chanjy]

That has it's own disadvantages though.

- Much less fuel efficiency
- Theft risk
- Bikes get covered in dead insects on longer trips
- The towbar and carrier cost is about £2k

The Smart 5 has a deep unfloor boot storage, so I should be able to carry the bikes upright, front wheel off, and the forks sitting in the storage area

Ultimately if you have no rear passengers or need to pack anything else in the boot then sticking them in the car works great. If you want to take bikes on a family holiday then you need a proper solution. However you are wrong on a few counts tbf

1) from my experience not true, minimal effect on efficiency with the towbar mounted solution. Roof mounted would be far worse though.
2) can be locked up, if they wanted to nick your bike they'd smash your window in just as easily as cutting off a lock
3) what lol. Has never happened to me on any trips with bike on the outside.
4) yes it does cost money... not 2k though.

 

[msmalls74]

That has it's own disadvantages though.

- Much less fuel efficiency
- Theft risk
- Bikes get covered in dead insects on longer trips
- The towbar and carrier cost is about £2k

The Smart 5 has a deep unfloor boot storage, so I should be able to carry the bikes upright, front wheel off, and the forks sitting in the storage area

If you have the dimensions of the bikes I will check the boot space for you if you want.

 

[kefkef]

Not noticed any issues with efficiency, to be honest, it’s an i5 M60, so efficiency wasn’t top of my list anyway. All of the arms have locks on them and if I was going any distance there would be multiple other locks all over them. Lastly, carrier was £350 and tow bar added £10 a month to my salary sacrifice. Never noticed insects either, probably stuck in the sheep muck and mud that’s usually lathered all over it.

To be honest, if I’m just driving myself ( I was driving myself here too, moving my 3 bikes!) I would just take the front wheel off and sling it in the back with the seats down, unless going out in the middle of rainy season when the carrier is also good for not getting car interior dirty. It’s also a nice change not to have them on the roof leaving puddles of mud on the roof!

 

[jpaul]

I'd be most concerned by power washing of mechs/pedals/chain with a bike outside of car;
putting the bikes on the roof would be out for me : I could reach the middle of the bmw roof but can't anymore with the audi, so a tow bar rack would be my outside choice.

[

Although I do appreciate a good classic bike, it looks to be a Dawes Galaxy from the early 1980's

Pointless talking about the actual BEV part, as if he keeps his cars as long as his bike then he'll be buying a 2011 Nissan Leaf in 2055.

triggers broom - deore rear+cantis+chainset, suntour front, kool-stop pads good modulation, pirelli velo tyres,
steel comfort, no point in having an overtly expensive/nickable bike for commuting - steels back baby.
I appreciate the other 8kg carbon bike for the handling and weight though , similar to concern about bev weight.
]

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I could reach the middle of the bmw roof but can't anymore with the audi, so a tow bar rack would be my outside choice.

I find these help the vertically challenged:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/werner-steel-2-step-450mm-folding-step-stool-with-platform/774pg?ref=SFAppShare

 

[Diddums]

Don't give him ideas, we'll have 300 posts about steppy steps analyzing the thickness of the materials, the chemical composition of the paint and the manner in which the holes have been drilled only for him to park next to a bin and stand on it.

 

[tom_e]

Ties back to the being able to wash the roof discussion we went round and round with the other month as well.
Anyway...but but but

 

[m4rmite]

looking at a polestar 4 this morning, as a crossover, wonder if it has the clearance to stand them up on fork clamp,
which makes it a lot easier than laying them, as I've just been doing for a hybrid trip into Cambridge later,
if they end up muddy there's no contest.

If you've been looking at a polestar 4 i take it you've sorted out your cable run issues, when's your charger being fitted?

 

[kefkef]

I find these help the vertically challenged:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/werner-steel-2-step-450mm-folding-step-stool-with-platform/774pg?ref=SFAppShare

I had one of those painters steps when i had my Seat Tarraco, came in handy for roof cleaning and also for loading 2 eMTB's onto the roof bars! Cant reach the middle of the i5 roof, so i've just got an extended pole thing for the wash mittens i've got.

Not sure why i'd be power washing the car/bikes on the rack. I usually just take a portable pressure washer and a few litres of water, lean the bikes against a wall and blast them that way, the portable washer doesn't have enough pressure to really cause water ingress to bearings etc.

 

[lordrobs]

Not sure why i'd be power washing the car/bikes on the rack. I usually just take a portable pressure washer and a few litres of water, lean the bikes against a wall and blast them that way, the portable washer doesn't have enough pressure to really cause water ingress to bearings etc.

I think he meant from driving with the bikes attached in the rain.

Non issue though as the wake recirculation that draws spay on to the back of the car isn't at a particularly high pressure and the bikes and rack themselves probably disrupt that effect a fair amount anyway.

 

[Nabinium]

If you've been looking at a polestar 4 i take it you've sorted out your cable run issues, when's your charger being fitted?

32nd of Nevermber

 

[robj20]

I'm hopeful I like the look of the future Toyota Corolla Touring, they are releasing a full EV this time.
Is it generally better to just go full EV, I initially liked the idea of a hybrid but then you still have all the petrol running costs which seems to defeat the point.

 

[Kenai]

Is it generally better to just go full EV, I initially liked the idea of a hybrid but then you still have all the petrol running costs which seems to defeat the point.

If it suits your use case well enough, yes.

There's still some people a decent plug in hybrid suits well enough but as EVs mature, that pool gets smaller and smaller.

 

[tom_e]

Take into account that if you can do all/almost all of your driving on the Hybrid battery then once PPM comes in you're getting EV fuel cost benefits and half price tax.

 

[robj20]

Take into account that if you can do all/almost all of your driving on the Hybrid battery then once PPM comes in you're getting EV fuel cost benefits and half price tax.

Going to be more expensive than now which is annoying. Been enjoying £35 tax for a long time now.
PPM seems a terrible idea to me, will encourage shorter routes Vs more efficient routes or, straight through Manchester Vs around the M60. 16 mile journey Vs 24 miles.

 

[MrRongCar]

I've had an email from Hyundai about the charging cable!

Thank you for your correspondence dated 11/09/2026.

Our team of specialists will investigate and aim to resolve all invoice queries within 30 days of receipt.

I cannot begin to express how flipping happy I am I sent the car back. What a nightmare company.

 

[ICDP]

It’s fairly indicative of most car companies these days. After sales tends to be a joke, though my experience with SEAT/Cupra has been good, as were Volvo.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

'specialists' are the people with eyes that work i assume?