ebikes are amazing. I'm disabled and they help me so much in being able to go places!
this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2023
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I love that they are a great equaliser. In group rides, those who are not so 'athletic' can easily keep up with the group so it reinforces the social element.
I have had one for 2 years or so, have about 1000 miles on it. It is the best possession I've ever had. I have cycled all my life, but getting older and out of shape, was doing it less. I ride much more now, and plan trips around cycling that I would not before.
The great thing is that you can adjust the pedal assist level to suit what you want. For utilitarian trips, commuting to work or picking something up across town, you can turn up the power and go fast with less effort. If you want exercise, turn it down and work out.
I would get (I got) a good brand bike from an established shop. The ebike needs more specialized maintenance. Even if you are a decent bicycle mechanic, you are probably going to want someone who knows how to work on it. I have had no problems with mine, but I have had it professionally maintained.
I have a couple hundred miles on an ebike and it's been amazing to be able to take my kids out on some cycling adventures
I got mine about a year ago after a test-drive, I absolutely do not regret it.
Previously I had done a moderate to low amount of biking when I could, but now I commute ~20Km to work and another 20 back most every day in the spring, summer, and fall. I even commute occasionally in the winter when paths have been properly cleared.
I went upper 'mid-range' and ended up spending up spending about $3000 CDN on it, (as a daily commuting vehicle, it's much cheaper than a second car would be.) I researched reputable brands, and I would absolutely not trust a strangely branded discount Li Ion battery from the internet.
You still have to put in a decent amount of work peddling, but the electric motor makes the bike's speed, acceleration, and range much better than it would be normally.
The infrastructure of your area and what you would be doing with it will play a big part in what sort of ebike is right for you. I prioritized distance, speed, and carrying capacity, but I am going about 40 Km a day on it, so other bikes might be better suited to other purposes.
E-bikes got me regularly using pedal and exercise bikes! They make regular biking so much more accessible and they’re zippy too. I was able to take my class 2 e-bike up to 40km/h (50 on downhill sections).
The speeds addictive so I went and bought an electric dirtbike.
I've been on the fence about getting one for a while. The benefits seem well worth it, but a few things are holding me up:
- Price
- Prices are all over the place. You can spend $800 or $5000.
- Quality & longevity
- similar to price. Which brand? Is a $3000 bike really worth it? Will a $1000 bike be good enough, and last long enough?
- Safety: Please don't light my house on fire with sketch LiIon battery safety 😬
Maybe I'm overthinking it.
What do the rest of you have to say on the matter?
Yeah, I think manufactured e-bikes (not converted/retrofit) have become a lot more popular in recent years. I think price points are all over the place because of so many different factors. Things like do you want a folding bike, a cruiser, a mountain bike, a motorcycle-style, a cargo bike, or a commuter bike? Not only is the form factor a thing to consider, the quality of components are important too.
Even trying to spec out a conversion is difficult too because there are a lot of different kits and a lot of different brands for the components. It's all confusing and I think it's due to e-bikes being so new to the scene. I'm sure when cars first came out, it was hard to know which brand to go with, but now that they've been around several decades, it's easier to pick which one you want.
To go over your points, I'd try to figure out the form factor you want and be realistic with what you are looking for. In regards to price, the bikes I considered ranged from $1000 - $2500 ($3000 is probably pretty good, but you reach "luxury" at that point). If you can try one, I'd recommend it, otherwise it's hard to figure out what you don't want from a bike. Regarding quality, I think a good indicator is warranty length and leniency. 1 year is standard, 2 years is good, and 5 (very lenient policy) is the best I've seen so far. And another is if they say the brands of the parts they use. So things like the drivetrain, the tires/wheels, and brakes are things I would try to see if I could buy from that brand. Or you can watch reviews to get a feel if the brand is good or not
Lastly, in terms of battery safety, it's recommended to go with a well-known battery cell brand. Don't buy an e-bike if they won't tell you what brand the cells inside are. Cells are what makes up a battery and if you don't recognize the brand name, it might be a good thing to pass on it. Think brands like Samsung, LG, Panasonic (CATL and BYD are other big ones too). The battery itself might be from a random company, but if the cells are from a good company, you should be fine. The battery shouldn't be left outside, it should be brought into a climate-controlled environment if not in use. And the likelihood of it catching fire is low if you take precautions.
In terms of actual safety, accidents do happen, but the frequency is on-par with pedestrian and vehicle accidents. Best thing you can do is use caution and be defensive when riding. Things like wearing a helmet at the very least, having lights, being visible, and avoiding any roads with high speed limits
Electric engines completely change the crash & fall dynamics.
As someone with long bike riding experience - for commuting - you couldn't pay me to write something so irresponsibly dangerous.
You essentially have a weak motorcycle with zero safety features.
I've been a long time bike user, either for downhill entertainment or for simple commutes like going to the store. Stopped after I lived on a steep hill with a shoulder-less highway at the bottom.
What sort of crash and fall dynamics are you thinking of? I'm picturing essentially the same, but with a heavier bike, which you might compare an aluminum framed bike vs a steel framed bike to?
Ebikes are sooo much fun. I just have a regular bike, and I used to ride it most places whenever I could. But where I live at now is a little farther away from things than I used to be, plus it's a little hilly. I'm thinking of getting an ebike just to make that a little more convenient, even though I do really need the exercise hah
Good news for you: apparently people who ride e-bikes just ride more and still get exercise. As long as you're actually using pedal assist, and not pure throttle.
What a coincidence, I went e-biking for the first time last weekend from a rental place. I'm used to normal biking so it was easy mode. Riding 50km barely took me out, when 10km would be a decent effort normally.
I ride an electric unicycle as my main mode of transportation, it's a ton of fun. I've been trying to convince my dad to get himself an ebike lately and he's tried out a couple different ones with day rentals, a class 1 and a class 2. He prefers the class 2 because it's easier to control how much assistance the motor is giving on a moment to moment basis. The only real difference is the presence of a throttle on the class 2. Which did you try?