I just got an electric bike! Maybe you want one, too...
Replies
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I am pretty excited...I have just ordered an ebike and should pick it up on Friday!!
I definitely more of a casual cyclist, and after I broke my ankle a couple of years ago, my son claimed my bike (he outgrew his old one).
So now, knowing I was slow to begin with, some limitations in my ankle, and needing to get a new bike, the time was right to go electric.
Looking forward to keeping up with the family and getting out there more.
Did you get it? How do you like it so far?
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Did you get it? How do you like it so far?
Yes!!!
It's great - I need a bit more practice to get into the swing of it, but it seems really good.
I picked it up on Friday and went for a small ride to see what the various levels were like. And then another ride on Sunday.
Just playing around, really, and seeing what the various levels were like, and getting used to riding after such a long time. Hoping to do a slightly longer ride soon.
It definitely was exercise!
With the bike being fairly heavy, I felt it in my arms as well as my legs (not to mention needing to get used to sitting on a bike seat again!). I am definitely not very bike-fit at the moment!
Obviously I could use more pedal assist if I wanted it to be easier, but I was happy with a small boost - will save the higher levels for climbing hills.
My husband and kids loved playing on it too - my 11yr old son was most put out when I wouldn't let him borrow it and go to a friend's house.1 -
Did you get it? How do you like it so far?
Yes!!!
It's great - I need a bit more practice to get into the swing of it, but it seems really good.
I picked it up on Friday and went for a small ride to see what the various levels were like. And then another ride on Sunday.
Just playing around, really, and seeing what the various levels were like, and getting used to riding after such a long time. Hoping to do a slightly longer ride soon.
It definitely was exercise!
With the bike being fairly heavy, I felt it in my arms as well as my legs (not to mention needing to get used to sitting on a bike seat again!). I am definitely not very bike-fit at the moment!
Obviously I could use more pedal assist if I wanted it to be easier, but I was happy with a small boost - will save the higher levels for climbing hills.
My husband and kids loved playing on it too - my 11yr old son was most put out when I wouldn't let him borrow it and go to a friend's house.
I think that's the way I would be likely to use one - pedal assist. A lot of people seem to automatically assume that e-bike riders always use them as slow electric motorcycles.0 -
CarvedTones wrote: »Did you get it? How do you like it so far?
Yes!!!
It's great - I need a bit more practice to get into the swing of it, but it seems really good.
I picked it up on Friday and went for a small ride to see what the various levels were like. And then another ride on Sunday.
Just playing around, really, and seeing what the various levels were like, and getting used to riding after such a long time. Hoping to do a slightly longer ride soon.
It definitely was exercise!
With the bike being fairly heavy, I felt it in my arms as well as my legs (not to mention needing to get used to sitting on a bike seat again!). I am definitely not very bike-fit at the moment!
Obviously I could use more pedal assist if I wanted it to be easier, but I was happy with a small boost - will save the higher levels for climbing hills.
My husband and kids loved playing on it too - my 11yr old son was most put out when I wouldn't let him borrow it and go to a friend's house.
I think that's the way I would be likely to use one - pedal assist. A lot of people seem to automatically assume that e-bike riders always use them as slow electric motorcycles.
If one were to use an e-bike like a slow motorcycle, one wouldn't get far -- it would drain the battery too quickly.0 -
CarvedTones wrote: »Did you get it? How do you like it so far?
Yes!!!
It's great - I need a bit more practice to get into the swing of it, but it seems really good.
I picked it up on Friday and went for a small ride to see what the various levels were like. And then another ride on Sunday.
Just playing around, really, and seeing what the various levels were like, and getting used to riding after such a long time. Hoping to do a slightly longer ride soon.
It definitely was exercise!
With the bike being fairly heavy, I felt it in my arms as well as my legs (not to mention needing to get used to sitting on a bike seat again!). I am definitely not very bike-fit at the moment!
Obviously I could use more pedal assist if I wanted it to be easier, but I was happy with a small boost - will save the higher levels for climbing hills.
My husband and kids loved playing on it too - my 11yr old son was most put out when I wouldn't let him borrow it and go to a friend's house.
I think that's the way I would be likely to use one - pedal assist. A lot of people seem to automatically assume that e-bike riders always use them as slow electric motorcycles.
You might be right - there is a bit of that perception around. But in my (fairly limited) experience, the people I see with e bikes are just getting a little assistance to help then do more or go further than they could otherwise manage.
We know quite a few people with RVs/motohomes, and many have ebikes to help them do the shopping or go sightseeing without bringing along the whole house. Very popular for riding the rail trails too.1 -
CarvedTones wrote: »Did you get it? How do you like it so far?
Yes!!!
It's great - I need a bit more practice to get into the swing of it, but it seems really good.
I picked it up on Friday and went for a small ride to see what the various levels were like. And then another ride on Sunday.
Just playing around, really, and seeing what the various levels were like, and getting used to riding after such a long time. Hoping to do a slightly longer ride soon.
It definitely was exercise!
With the bike being fairly heavy, I felt it in my arms as well as my legs (not to mention needing to get used to sitting on a bike seat again!). I am definitely not very bike-fit at the moment!
Obviously I could use more pedal assist if I wanted it to be easier, but I was happy with a small boost - will save the higher levels for climbing hills.
My husband and kids loved playing on it too - my 11yr old son was most put out when I wouldn't let him borrow it and go to a friend's house.
I think that's the way I would be likely to use one - pedal assist. A lot of people seem to automatically assume that e-bike riders always use them as slow electric motorcycles.
You might be right - there is a bit of that perception around. But in my (fairly limited) experience, the people I see with e bikes are just getting a little assistance to help then do more or go further than they could otherwise manage.
We know quite a few people with RVs/motohomes, and many have ebikes to help them do the shopping or go sightseeing without bringing along the whole house. Very popular for riding the rail trails too.
Depending on your age and location, you might remember when mopeds were somewhat popular in the early 80s. They were absolutely slow motorcycles. The pedals were for starting (they roll started, so you had to get it moving) and to make an arduous trip to the nearest service station if you ran out of gas. I had to go back and forth to a nearby job on one for a little while when I was ~19, still at home with no car. I think a lot of people think the e-bikes are electric mopeds.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »
Great little article!
I agree that it is FUN to ride my e-bike. Even on the mornings that I dread getting out there in the dark/rain/cold, I enjoy riding my bike. And when the weather is nice, my commutes are favorite parts of my day.
Plus, according to my fitbit, I'm burning 400-450 calories per day commuting 17.5 miles on my bike. If you're interested at all, go take a test ride and see what you think!0 -
Interested in this discussion, since my wife is not a cyclist, but likes to join outings with my training group. We have a mix of strong cyclists and newbies among our group of friends. What I'm hoping is that an electric bike would allow my wife and others to join some of the social rides, say 30-40miles, where we are not riding aggressively or over hilly terrain. I'm thinking that she could pedal along for most of the ride, but use the battery power to support her as she fatigues.
Is this a realistic expectation for an electric bike, say 30-50 miles over flat terrain?
I've had the same thought. If I thought my wife would more frequently join our group rides, I'd get her one.
I just went the other way and bought a used Giant Cypress to go on more coffee runs or rides between wineries with her.
I'll get more use from a $250 used comfort bike than she would get from spending 4x as much on an e-bike she probably wouldn't ride any more than her existing ladies Cypress.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »
Great little article!
I agree that it is FUN to ride my e-bike. Even on the mornings that I dread getting out there in the dark/rain/cold, I enjoy riding my bike. And when the weather is nice, my commutes are favorite parts of my day.
Plus, according to my fitbit, I'm burning 400-450 calories per day commuting 17.5 miles on my bike. If you're interested at all, go take a test ride and see what you think!
If I'm perfectly honest they don't remotely appeal to me.
I have one road bike on my turbo trainer, a road bike, CX bike, mountain bike and a Brompton. The commute that I use the CX for is only 10mi each way, and the benefit of the Brompton is that I can cycle to the station, fold it up to take it in the train, then cycle through London on it. Again only about 10 miles total each way.
It's about appropriateness for the individual. An e-bike doesn't have anything compelling in my situation.
My only real concern about e-bikes is the speed that they can go at. They're a bit too fast to be safe.0 -
So, is it sort of like a hybrid car in that the pedaling helps keep up the charge or helps recharge the battery? Because that would be cool. Do you have to plug in the battery at night? How does the recharge work?0
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It's really not my place to say what other people should and shouldn't do for exercise. I know from having a job that most people don't exercise at all.
Being outside is healthy on a number of levels.
I personally think e-bikes have the best potential as replacement cars in urban areas. I have my car in a great parking spot right now and don't want to give it up.
Like @MeanderingMammal, I'm a little concerned based on what I see, because these things let people go really fast. It takes years before you can go really fast on an "acoustic" bike, and by that time, you've figured out how to control it and more importantly how to navigate traffic including pedestrians and other cyclists.
An e-bike ride waved me down while I was riding recently. Said he was new to cycling, and knew how to get where he was going by car, but didn't know a safe route on the bike. I told him how to string two trails together. He was having a good time. He was also one less car on the road, which is good for everybody in multiple ways.1 -
What do you consider fast? In my state (NC) an electric motor capable of more than 25 mph on flat ground is illegal for an e-bike; it becomes a moped that requires a title, tag and requires headlight/tail light/brake light.0
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CarvedTones wrote: »What do you consider fast? In my state (NC) an electric motor capable of more than 25 mph on flat ground is illegal for an e-bike; it becomes a moped that requires a title, tag and requires headlight/tail light/brake light.
The originator referred to 25kph.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »What do you consider fast? In my state (NC) an electric motor capable of more than 25 mph on flat ground is illegal for an e-bike; it becomes a moped that requires a title, tag and requires headlight/tail light/brake light.
The originator referred to 25kph.
Which is a little over 15 mph. On the high end for an average speed cycling, but most cyclists will go faster than that at times. 25 mph is getting fast enough to start having concerns about the rider being experienced enough, but I have been over 25 mph on a pedal bike many times.0 -
CarvedTones wrote: »What do you consider fast? In my state (NC) an electric motor capable of more than 25 mph on flat ground is illegal for an e-bike; it becomes a moped that requires a title, tag and requires headlight/tail light/brake light.
Good question!
It depends on the situation. On most roads, 25 mph is fast from an athletic point of view, but not too fast, it wouldn't bother me if e-bikes did 40 mph on roads with good sight lines. On multiple use trails (ones that are generally thought of as bike trails but have people walking six abreast with dogs on retractable leashes) 15 mph can be too fast.
I think most people who stick with any form of cycling figure it out in time.
A lot of car vs bike accidents happen because the driver thought bikes are always slow, so pulled out into the cyclist's path when it was too late to stop. Cyclists on e-bikes are vulnerable to this too. But in the long run, e-bikes will change the perception of bikes as slow moving objects and make us all safer.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »
Great little article!
I agree that it is FUN to ride my e-bike. Even on the mornings that I dread getting out there in the dark/rain/cold, I enjoy riding my bike. And when the weather is nice, my commutes are favorite parts of my day.
Plus, according to my fitbit, I'm burning 400-450 calories per day commuting 17.5 miles on my bike. If you're interested at all, go take a test ride and see what you think!
If I'm perfectly honest they don't remotely appeal to me.
I have one road bike on my turbo trainer, a road bike, CX bike, mountain bike and a Brompton. The commute that I use the CX for is only 10mi each way, and the benefit of the Brompton is that I can cycle to the station, fold it up to take it in the train, then cycle through London on it. Again only about 10 miles total each way.
It's about appropriateness for the individual. An e-bike doesn't have anything compelling in my situation.
My only real concern about e-bikes is the speed that they can go at. They're a bit too fast to be safe.
If you're happy with your (impressive) bike collection, that's great! I would have stuck with a regular bike if it weren't for the very hilly terrain on my commute.
As for dangerous speed, I am passed every single day by men in tight clothing on their regular bikes.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »What do you consider fast? In my state (NC) an electric motor capable of more than 25 mph on flat ground is illegal for an e-bike; it becomes a moped that requires a title, tag and requires headlight/tail light/brake light.
Good question!
It depends on the situation. On most roads, 25 mph is fast from an athletic point of view, but not too fast, it wouldn't bother me if e-bikes did 40 mph on roads with good sight lines. On multiple use trails (ones that are generally thought of as bike trails but have people walking six abreast with dogs on retractable leashes) 15 mph can be too fast.
I think most people who stick with any form of cycling figure it out in time.
A lot of car vs bike accidents happen because the driver thought bikes are always slow, so pulled out into the cyclist's path when it was too late to stop. Cyclists on e-bikes are vulnerable to this too. But in the long run, e-bikes will change the perception of bikes as slow moving objects and make us all safer.
My bike's motor stops functioning when I hit 20 mph (which is rare). So, no one is going 40 mph on a bike like mine. And I wouldn't want to even if I could.0 -
cmriverside wrote: »So, is it sort of like a hybrid car in that the pedaling helps keep up the charge or helps recharge the battery? Because that would be cool. Do you have to plug in the battery at night? How does the recharge work?
I plug it in in the garage every night. It's ready to go a few hours later.
It has regenerative braking which charges the battery when the brakes are used.
Here's a link to my bike (although I have the 2017 model)
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radcity-electric-commuter-bike?variant=50326594191670 -
NorthCascades wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »What do you consider fast? In my state (NC) an electric motor capable of more than 25 mph on flat ground is illegal for an e-bike; it becomes a moped that requires a title, tag and requires headlight/tail light/brake light.
Good question!
It depends on the situation. On most roads, 25 mph is fast from an athletic point of view, but not too fast, it wouldn't bother me if e-bikes did 40 mph on roads with good sight lines. On multiple use trails (ones that are generally thought of as bike trails but have people walking six abreast with dogs on retractable leashes) 15 mph can be too fast.
I think most people who stick with any form of cycling figure it out in time.
A lot of car vs bike accidents happen because the driver thought bikes are always slow, so pulled out into the cyclist's path when it was too late to stop. Cyclists on e-bikes are vulnerable to this too. But in the long run, e-bikes will change the perception of bikes as slow moving objects and make us all safer.
My bike's motor stops functioning when I hit 20 mph (which is rare). So, no one is going 40 mph on a bike like mine. And I wouldn't want to even if I could.
You can go a lot faster down a hill than your motor would normally allow on the flat.
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My bike's motor stops functioning when I hit 20 mph (which is rare). So, no one is going 40 mph on a bike like mine. And I wouldn't want to even if I could. [/quote]
You can go a lot faster down a hill than your motor would normally allow on the flat. [/quote]
I sometimes hit 22-23 on a downhill, but the motor kicks off and the bike drags a bit. It's an effective way to control the speed. I really don't want to go that fast downhill anyway.0 -
In the UK the legal maximum for e-bikes is 15.5 miles per hour, and bikes have this limit inbuilt.
I'm thinking of getting one in the spring - mainly to take away to use with the motorhome, as otherwise we are dependent on public transport when we go away. I'm happy to use my ordinary bike at home pottering about the local area and shopping but my partner doesn't like an ordinary bike. We will probably have to get folding bikes as the e-bikes would be too heavy to lift on to the bike rack on the motorhome.1 -
CarvedTones wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »What do you consider fast? In my state (NC) an electric motor capable of more than 25 mph on flat ground is illegal for an e-bike; it becomes a moped that requires a title, tag and requires headlight/tail light/brake light.
The originator referred to 25kph.
Which is a little over 15 mph. On the high end for an average speed cycling, but most cyclists will go faster than that at times. 25 mph is getting fast enough to start having concerns about the rider being experienced enough, but I have been over 25 mph on a pedal bike many times.
It's the balance between speed, handling, terrain and to an extent experience. One of the big marketing points about an e-bike is the accessibility to novices, notwithstanding the cost. Personally, 15mph on my roadie or CX is barely breaking sweat, but on the Brompton it's hard going. I've sustained 18 on the Brommie for over an hour but it was hard work. The 16in wheels make it more effort to control at speed, and the front end can get a bit excitable if it's not loaded.
In London quite a lot of my ride is on shared footway, much of it with reasonably low quality surface. Nearer home it's a mix of roadway, shared footway, gravel path and earthy trail. The few times I've seen e-bike locally they've been going faster than the conditions would indicate is safe; sight lines, braking distance, surface quality.
Essentially on a bike your speed is limited by your engine and experience. On an e-bike you're only limited by your experience, and without the experience you may not appreciate how fast is too fast.2 -
cmriverside wrote: »So, is it sort of like a hybrid car in that the pedaling helps keep up the charge or helps recharge the battery? Because that would be cool. Do you have to plug in the battery at night? How does the recharge work?
I plug it in in the garage every night. It's ready to go a few hours later.
It has regenerative braking which charges the battery when the brakes are used.
Here's a link to my bike (although I have the 2017 model)
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radcity-electric-commuter-bike?variant=5032659419167
I was wondering about the regenerative braking myself. That's really cool, and in your instance with the hills should help you with range as well.
I'm glad you're still really enjoying the choice, and it sounds great for what you got it for. Any time you can drop a less efficient method for a commute, I'd call it a win.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »What do you consider fast? In my state (NC) an electric motor capable of more than 25 mph on flat ground is illegal for an e-bike; it becomes a moped that requires a title, tag and requires headlight/tail light/brake light.
Good question!
It depends on the situation. On most roads, 25 mph is fast from an athletic point of view, but not too fast, it wouldn't bother me if e-bikes did 40 mph on roads with good sight lines. On multiple use trails (ones that are generally thought of as bike trails but have people walking six abreast with dogs on retractable leashes) 15 mph can be too fast.
I think most people who stick with any form of cycling figure it out in time.
A lot of car vs bike accidents happen because the driver thought bikes are always slow, so pulled out into the cyclist's path when it was too late to stop. Cyclists on e-bikes are vulnerable to this too. But in the long run, e-bikes will change the perception of bikes as slow moving objects and make us all safer.
My bike's motor stops functioning when I hit 20 mph (which is rare). So, no one is going 40 mph on a bike like mine. And I wouldn't want to even if I could.
You can go a lot faster down a hill than your motor would normally allow on the flat.
It's RPM limited using math for the gears. It could actually slow you down a little on a steep hill where a non motorized bike could go more than 25.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »
Great little article!
I agree that it is FUN to ride my e-bike. Even on the mornings that I dread getting out there in the dark/rain/cold, I enjoy riding my bike. And when the weather is nice, my commutes are favorite parts of my day.
Plus, according to my fitbit, I'm burning 400-450 calories per day commuting 17.5 miles on my bike. If you're interested at all, go take a test ride and see what you think!
If I'm perfectly honest they don't remotely appeal to me.
I have one road bike on my turbo trainer, a road bike, CX bike, mountain bike and a Brompton. The commute that I use the CX for is only 10mi each way, and the benefit of the Brompton is that I can cycle to the station, fold it up to take it in the train, then cycle through London on it. Again only about 10 miles total each way.
It's about appropriateness for the individual. An e-bike doesn't have anything compelling in my situation.
My only real concern about e-bikes is the speed that they can go at. They're a bit too fast to be safe.
Yeah, not a lot of appeal to me either. I bike for recreation/exercise, not practical to commute.
If you like it great.1 -
I see that Costco is now selling an electric bike! I hope some of you will try it and have as much fun commuting as I have!0
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