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Electric bike anyone?

P

Philos

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Folks,

Does anyone have some experience with electric bikes? I had a long ride on one today, resulting in mixed feelings about the product. The advantages and disadvantages seemed to cancel out somehow, but maybe that is just me.

Knowledgeable opinions?

A.
 
I don't have any personal experience but a friend of mine who lives in a biggish city in China told me yesterday that they are quite popular there and that she was planning on purchasing one soon.

Before anyone else responds, why don't you share your opinions on the positives and negatives?
 
zorq said:
I don't have any personal experience but a friend of mine who lives in a biggish city in China told me yesterday that they are quite popular there and that she was planning on purchasing one soon.

Before anyone else responds, why don't you share your opinions on the positives and negatives?
Click to expand...

Hi zorq,

I didn't want to get boring too soon. ;)

Well, here in the UK the motor is limited to 15mph and 250w. On a ride on a country lane this was ....slow. Also, the bike is heavy, so that when the motor cuts back I feel it.

OTOH I own a little alloy mountain bike which I can lift with one finger. It has rigid front forks and slinky tyres which means road speed and freewheeling on the slightest downhill gradient. I (at 70 yrs) can do 30 miles easy on it, and maintain much more than 15 mph in good conditions. So, after a while I just thought - "Why would I want this electric bike?"

Back at the shop I asked the guy how well they sell. He said "Very well, mostly to seniors or people with health problems". Well, that is a good thing, but not for me just yet.

A.
 
I have no experience with electrical bikes, but I do have a lot of experience with bikes, electricity, and general transportation machinery.

My initial concern about an electric bike is that it takes a very simple low tech machine and turns it into a very high tech machine. What is the real exchange here? In other words, what advantages of a foot powered vehicle are lost when we trade up to an electric one?

One of the obvious advantages would be the physical fitness aspect of a bicycle, although a lot of biking has no more physical stress than leaning forward on a bar stool. In a world where delivery persons and meter readers ride on Segues, instead of walking, I imagine an electric bike will be fine for those who can afford it.
 
Bronzeage said:
I have no experience with electrical bikes, but I do have a lot of experience with bikes, electricity, and general transportation machinery.

My initial concern about an electric bike is that it takes a very simple low tech machine and turns it into a very high tech machine. What is the real exchange here? In other words, what advantages of a foot powered vehicle are lost when we trade up to an electric one?

One of the obvious advantages would be the physical fitness aspect of a bicycle, although a lot of biking has no more physical stress than leaning forward on a bar stool. In a world where delivery persons and meter readers ride on Segues, instead of walking, I imagine an electric bike will be fine for those who can afford it.
Click to expand...

bronzeage,

Your post brings up another thing. With a regular bike the traction is a direct connection between rider and road. With the electric there was this motor/computer cutting in and out, and it felt weird. Maybe with a throttle it would have been different, but that is illegal over here. Nope, I like to feel the road directly; its in the blood.

A.
 
Philos said:
Back at the shop I asked the guy how well they sell. He said "Very well, mostly to seniors or people with health problems". Well, that is a good thing, but not for me just yet.

A.
Click to expand...
Have only known one person who owned an electric bicycle. You had the option to pedal or motor and I always saw him using the motor. He was not the type of person who even took walks so I think he just got bored after the novelty wore off. Lasted about two months.

A plain old bicycle is very easy to maintain. On a steep grade you can just push it up the hill and jump back on at the top if you don't feel like pedaling. On a flat road it's incredibly easy to keep going unless the bike is too heavy I suppose.

So I can see a market for electric bikes among people who have age or disabilities. Seems like an overkill for those who do not.

I've also seen people riding bikes who found the experience very uncomfortable, even painful. Bikes are like clothes or shoes. They have to be adjusted to fit the rider.
 
joedad said:
A plain old bicycle is very easy to maintain. On a steep grade you can just push it up the hill and jump back on at the top if you don't feel like pedaling. On a flat road it's incredibly easy to keep going unless the bike is too heavy I suppose.
Click to expand...

Hi joedad,

Yes, that's another point. My old mountain bike is very light, but I still like to get off and walk it up a steep hill (or even a mild one :)). So really the bike is for fast downhills or easy flats, kind of like skateboard thinking. The electric bike is different. You can push it up hill with the motor on, but coming down the motor is redundant at speed but the bike is still a heavy lump to handle. In fact that is what it is, a 'lump' what with the motor and the batteries.

A.

PS - The guy said that they sell a lot to seniors, but I don't see them on the roads, in fact hardly ever, and this area is festooned with cyclists.
 
It sounds like you should have tried a moped or scooter if you wanted more than 15 mph.
 
zorq said:
I don't have any personal experience but a friend of mine who lives in a biggish city in China told me yesterday that they are quite popular there and that she was planning on purchasing one soon.

Before anyone else responds, why don't you share your opinions on the positives and negatives?
Click to expand...

Yup, electric scooters and electric bikes are all over the place in China. While I have my doubts about being in Chinese traffic without a metal box around me they strike me as a good idea in lighter traffic situations. If I lived in her second sister's house I would definitely get an electric bike to get from there to the subway station. The path is entirely internal to the complex, the traffic is very light.
 
I kind of thought about this and checked out a bunch of brands.

1. Many don't come with fenders. Not very good on a rainy day. Unless you like mud.
2. Few seem to come with provisions for any sort of basket, panniers et al.
So much for making a store run on these.
3. Expensive for what you get.
4. Verdict. Not that practical for me.
 
Philos said:
Anyway, it was a pic of my Yamaha R1. :)

A.
Click to expand...

Well, parts of that bike are electric.

Photobucket stopped allowing hotlinking for all its customers unless they pay an exorbitant membership fee. Pissed off a shit-ton of people.
 
Folks,

I'm wondering if there is a better image hosting site. Will enquire in a different section.

A.
 
Jimmy Higgins said:
ZiprHead said:
Well, parts of that bike are electric.

Photobucket stopped allowing hotlinking for all its customers unless they pay an exorbitant membership fee. Pissed off a shit-ton of people.
Click to expand...
Netflix went up a buck or two and that pissed off a lot of people.
Click to expand...

That's why I'm reluctant to use cloud services.
 
Cheerful Charlie said:
I kind of thought about this and checked out a bunch of brands.

1. Many don't come with fenders. Not very good on a rainy day. Unless you like mud.
2. Few seem to come with provisions for any sort of basket, panniers et al.
So much for making a store run on these.
3. Expensive for what you get.
4. Verdict. Not that practical for me.
Click to expand...

Rain on a road surface that is paved is just water, not mud. So you wear rain gear and carry rain gear whenever you ride. I have light rain gear for warm weather but heavier gear for winter.

Cold is no problem, just dress accordingly. Only unsafe road conditions like ice or snow will make me drive a car.

Wear reflective clothing and use lights. At night you should show up like a christmas tree, which I do.
 
joedad said:
Rain on a road surface that is paved is just water, not mud. So you wear rain gear and carry rain gear whenever you ride. I have light rain gear for warm weather but heavier gear for winter.

Cold is no problem, just dress accordingly. Only unsafe road conditions like ice or snow will make me drive a car.

Wear reflective clothing and use lights. At night you should show up like a christmas tree, which I do.
Click to expand...

joedad,

The great thing about winter cycling is that you can take a few drams of Evan Williams before legally embarking.:p

A.
 
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