05-17-2022, 06:11 AM
When Hubby and I rode the Katy Trail last summer there was another couple riding with us that both had brand new, (major brand $4K) E-bikes. The rail trail was hard-packed gravel, not smooth pavement, so the batteries ran down faster than one would expect and they kept having to find places to plug in so they could finish the daily 35-50 mile rides. Further, someone I often ride with has a (major brand) E-bike and a big issue he runs into is that most bike shop mechanics do not work on motors. And he also has a problem with range. On a long ride, forty pounds of bike is a lot to push up a hill, and you can pretty much assume that the battery will run out when you're already getting tired. Sometimes you can purchase additional batteries to carry along, but that's a large additional cost. Last, how long the bikes will last? For what I understand, in general, electric bikes last for three to five years; after that, the performance of the battery life begins to decline.