What are your thoughts on E-bikes?

[Aconnolly901]

My husband and I just started looking into ebikes. We will be purchasing in the future but for now are doing lots or research. I am excited to learn more.

[Helmet]

Someone stated in this post they were expensive. I guess they haven’t looked at typical bikes. Prices have gone way up over a few short years. You could easily spend thousands on a non-e-bike.
A friend of mine bought 2 e-bikes. One for himself & his wife. They love them. Each one was under $2K. He recently told me they went on a 37 miles ride, and he’s 80! He used the bikes assist to help him pedal. He said there are settings up to 5, and he used it only on 2. When he got home he checked to see how much battery life he had used. He only used 1/3 of it.
Because I have an issue with my foot. I’d probably pedal as far as I could. Then on the return trip use the assist.
We have a nice green belt up here I would use. Since I live outside the city limits.

[Fairies1345]

I love the idea of e-bikes. I wish the prices were better though.

[tedm12]

(05-10-2022, 08:50 PM)Ablang Wrote:  I love the idea of e-bikes. I just think the prices need to come down to get better adoption rates.

Yep, me too.

[Abraham Liandro]

I haven't had the chance to ride one yet. They do look heavy but I've never had to carry one. I would love to try one and get the experience!

[madpay]

Interesting but one needs to still include exercise value.

(05-10-2022, 01:14 PM)Nicholas Wrote:  Hello, bike riders!
Some love them but some hate them What are your general thoughts about electric bikes? Be frank and don't be afraid to share your honest opinion.

Aren't they too heavy? Aren't they great for urban use?
Join the discussion and share your thoughts!

[Stephen Mahoney]

I have tried my friend E Bike and i loved it

[rebeka deleon]

(05-10-2022, 01:14 PM)Nicholas Wrote:  Hello, bike riders!
Some love them but some hate them What are your general thoughts about electric bikes? Be frank and don't be afraid to share your honest opinion.

Aren't they too heavy? Aren't they great for urban use?
Join the discussion and share your thoughts!

I have never tried or rode on an ebike but would love to. I think it would be fun.

[Richard Dinwiddi]

want it, need it, not sure why I don't have it.

[LisaH]

I love E-Bikes and I can't wait to get one. What an awesome invention.

[Tom Svinarich]

I ordered a VIVI from Amazon in Jan 2021. it has a 350W motorm a 36V removable battery 21 speeds and a front suspension. shipping weight was 60 lbs. it cost me $673,97. Otherwise the cheapest one I saw was $1599. big difference. it is only pedal assist. Amazon has similar bikes but due to inflation they are $100 more. I saw another VIVI with a 500 Watt motor and a 48v battery for $800+. built like a tank but sluggish. probably still the best deal for beginners. I ordered it Jan 3rd and Fedex shipped it from New Jersey to Arizona. it arrived Jan 10th, a week after I ordered it. took me 3 hrs to assemble. the one for twice the price weighed half as much but listed a 250 watt motor. your guess is as good as mine. they are a high theft item here so I need a better lock or two. I am scared to park it anywhere

[Nanners]

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.

[Phreeborn]

Excellent cheap around town transportation with added exercise component!

[Jesper]

(05-17-2022, 06:11 AM)Nanners Wrote:  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.

Thanks for those comments Nanners! A lot of important points, especially considering the overall cost of an e-bike in and of itself whether it's on the lower cost scale or not. Batteries are not cheap, and there are still a lot of problems with the overall reliability of the batteries, their actual lifetime, and the ability to be able to get a proper replacement battery pack a few years down the road since many are custom designed to fit a specific frame. You may end up having to break open the battery pack and have new cells rewired into it which will not be a cheap endeavor. As far as motor repairs, you may end up running into the same problems as with battery replacement in finding the proper one or being able to service an existing one; neither being cheap alternatives.
To a certain degree the e-bike industry should standardize these items, but right now with the industry expanding at a rapid pace, most manufacturers want to use a proprietary design that no one else has thus making them your only alternative if you need to replace parts.
I think if I was seriously thinking about getting a new e-bike (or used one for that matter), I would work a way of getting a spare battery and/or motor into the deal or have the manufacturer/dealer provide some sort of replacement package above and beyond a standard warranty which probably doesn't cover too far into the future. Having ridden bikes for decades (often the same bike), I don't feel too confident that the e-bike will be any good ten years down the road, and I would not want to have to spend the money again just to get another bike because of a battery and/or motor issue.
I am also surprised that a company like Tesla has not jumped into the game (have they?) since they are probably way ahead on battery technology over the multitude of small e-bike companies, and I know no one wants to have to replace their e-car's batteries or motors a few years after purchase considering what they would cost.
I'll stick to good old bikes until my body says enough.

[TheYell0wDart]

I've only been on them a couple of times, but they seem like they would be great for getting elderly and disabled people out and about, not to mention their impact on commuting. But I think one of the biggest problems, which faces many other similar products and fields, is the flood of cheap, low quality "knockoff" products that give the idea a bad name and leave a bad taste in the mouth of people who buy them. It is easy to be tempted by products that are significantly cheaper, but when they quickly fail, people are less likely to try again, or risk even more of their money.

[Sarah Kozlowski]

I've never tried an electric bike, and they are a bit out of my price range but I think it would be great to have one and not need to rely on public transportation.

[Jerome Brownell]

I absolutely love mine.
I recently had my left leg amputated below the knee and the ebike is going to help me tremendously to go further in this journey

[CantStopTheMad]

I love ebikes or at least the idea of ebikes.. though i will admit as a disabled person the thought of breaking down in an out of the way spot (like on a bike path) does worry me some.. i do however typically carry a backup battery for my phone.. so i would be able to plan a trip in advance. unfortunately the biggest thing i hate about ebikes is that a new battery is almost the cost of the bike itself... which really does make it impractical to keep for long term.. it almost be cheaper to buy a new bike than a backup battery... I live in a town that encourages bike rides, and it has an electric bike rental station on all the more touristy places.. and you can drop your rented bike off at any of them.. however you can't take electric bikes on a bus - and they would be quite heavy to push if you happened to have a problem with it.. the advantage of them over my power chair though.. is that i can pedal them... at least straight or down hill without the battery - even if it is heavy. I'd definitely get more exercise on an ebike than a powerchair - or even trying to walk with my walker.

[David Leekoff]

They are the future. And the future is now

[rkayem]

I really like the idea of not leaving a carbon footprint so using an electric bike seems really cool