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Electric Bicycles
- Thread starter kentiki
- Start date
sub’d
I used to ride competitively and cycle commute to work all the time.
Now older and live farther away from work. I commute by motorcycle in the summer but kind of want to get back into cycle commuting.
Those pedal assist electric bikes look very interesting for that purpose. I’d probably go mountain bike style. Lots of options there but none of them cheap!!!
I used to ride competitively and cycle commute to work all the time.
Now older and live farther away from work. I commute by motorcycle in the summer but kind of want to get back into cycle commuting.
Those pedal assist electric bikes look very interesting for that purpose. I’d probably go mountain bike style. Lots of options there but none of them cheap!!!
I still ride conventional bikes, but several of my friends have switched to e-bikes. The technology has been advancing a lot. Some of my friends are on their second e-bike. The designs have gone from just putting a motorized wheel on a conventional bike, and finding a place for the batteries, to bikes that are designed as e-bikes from the ground up. Most of the newer bikes have wider tires, even for pavement use.
There is now a decent market for used e-bikes, as people trade up, or lose interest. It's going to be like conventional bikes, where a certain number of people will ride for a summer, and then find other activities. A few will really get into it.
One thing my friends have noticed is that bigger tires help make it more comfortable, but that you will go through tires and drivetrain components. I'm not sure it's worse than a conventional bike being used under similar conditions, but something to plan for.
But a couple of my friends have put thousands of miles on their e-bikes, and are having a blast. A few others are using them for daily commuting to work.
There is now a decent market for used e-bikes, as people trade up, or lose interest. It's going to be like conventional bikes, where a certain number of people will ride for a summer, and then find other activities. A few will really get into it.
One thing my friends have noticed is that bigger tires help make it more comfortable, but that you will go through tires and drivetrain components. I'm not sure it's worse than a conventional bike being used under similar conditions, but something to plan for.
But a couple of my friends have put thousands of miles on their e-bikes, and are having a blast. A few others are using them for daily commuting to work.
If you have gas for a powered pushy, there's always this sort of thing.
I had a two-stroke, front-wheel drive version, forty odd years ago. Loads of fun
These days, I'd be more prone to be going for an e-scooter like this …
… but I'm keen to see what happens here. Sub'd
I had a two-stroke, front-wheel drive version, forty odd years ago. Loads of fun
These days, I'd be more prone to be going for an e-scooter like this …
… but I'm keen to see what happens here. Sub'd
I've been researching for a couple of months now. If cyclists are going through drive train components then the most likely chose the "mid-drive" type of motor. Here's a good discussion of the two major types (mid-drive and hub-drive). I don't claim any special expertise on the subject, but personally would choose a hub-drive, even though it means replacing the rear wheel.
As I side note: I've quit biking altogether and on 12/22/19 became the proud owner of a recumbent trike:
As I side note: I've quit biking altogether and on 12/22/19 became the proud owner of a recumbent trike:
Solex Horse?I had a two-stroke, front-wheel drive version, forty odd years ago. Loads of fun
I have no idea. I got it from a guy who got it from a university team who had entered a long distance fuel economy race — they didn't do too badly, if I recall. I just bolted it on and juiced it up Had it for a little while before I passed it on. It was blue, if that helps.
Had it for a little while before I passed it on. It was blue, if that helps.… Just had a look at the Velosolex. Mine was a conversion — all I got was the engine. I had it on one of these …
… but mine was worked into a BMX-like bike — all the rage back then: stripped down, with motocross handlebars, no gears, a cotterless crank, Tange tx forks, and a conventional saddle.
I cannot think of any reason why I would buy an e-bike. I see it more like something that people make just because they can due to the advances in battery technology. What actually happens is that industry takes a 100% "green" vehicle and turn it into a motorized one while owners will have to spend more to keep them running. Is there a real need for e-bikes? Sorry for the negative perspective.
I can give you some of reasons, but I suppose they mostly boil down to mobility. I tend to think of the issue as "e-assist" as opposed to "e-bike." I used to feel as you might, that the motors seemed superfluous. The first time I asked an owner about one was at a ski lift area, somewhere near Sand Point, Idaho, during the summer. The ski resort allowing free rides on the ski lifts. I asked the owner something like, "isn't it reducing the amount of exercise you are getting?". He said "no, just the opposite." With the motor he could go for farther and longer rides. He said he would have never been able to climb all of the hills required to get up to the ski lift without the e-assist. Also, with the advancing age of our population, many folks have physical limitations that would reduce or eliminate their ability to get out and exercise at all were it not for e-assist. One example (sorry, I can't remember the video) was a gentleman who said that he is subject to intermittent muscle problems which make it chancy for him to be out on extended trips. He considered "an extended trip" to be anything over a half hour. With the e-assist, he can go out and, if necessary, use the motor to get back home.
I'm now 63, soon to be 64 (queue the Beatles) and I principally switched from a bike to a trike due to the fact that I was getting injured (back, neck, shoulders, wrists, knees) over and over trying to get out and exercise and "stay healthy" on the bike. I don't currently have e-assist but can easily imagine a time when I'd be stuck in the house because it would be just too uncomfortable to get out and walk or ride long distances.
Not to hijack the discussion, but if you haven't tried a recumbent trike, you ought to. I've been out on four and five hour rides on mine and my whole body feels better and stronger. My principle problem, knees getting sore, has gone away. If anything, my knees feel stronger and healthier after a ride now.
I'm now 63, soon to be 64 (queue the Beatles) and I principally switched from a bike to a trike due to the fact that I was getting injured (back, neck, shoulders, wrists, knees) over and over trying to get out and exercise and "stay healthy" on the bike. I don't currently have e-assist but can easily imagine a time when I'd be stuck in the house because it would be just too uncomfortable to get out and walk or ride long distances.
Not to hijack the discussion, but if you haven't tried a recumbent trike, you ought to. I've been out on four and five hour rides on mine and my whole body feels better and stronger. My principle problem, knees getting sore, has gone away. If anything, my knees feel stronger and healthier after a ride now.
As with any new technology, it's going to be part reality and part fad, with both positives and negatives. I know several people who have gotten e-bikes. For the most part they are using them for commuting to work over distances and terrain that would otherwise be a deterrent to most people. One friend has an e-bike in place of his family having a second car.
As for recreational use, that's likely to be driven simply by what people enjoy. I don't know the most recent statistics, but last time I read about e-bike sales, my impression was that e-bikes won't replace conventional bikes any time soon.
I've actually people ask me: "When are you going to get an e-bike?" The answer is: When I'm no longer physically capable of riding a conventional bike. A lot of people actually don't grasp why someone would do all that work when a motor can do it for you.
I might be in that situation now following a minor stroke 18 months ago that makes it difficult for me to keep my right foot on the pedal and effects my balance a bit. I tried toe clips but they made matters worse. I'm hoping for improvement since I enjoy cycling but I may have to face the fact that I can't use a manual cycle as much anymore. Once Spring comes I can try again.
Oddly enough a friend of mine also had a stroke, with nearly the same problem with his foot, plus some loss of balance. He's loving his e-trike.
Roland GR 88
Commercial User
I've been riding for years to work and see a lot of electric bikes now and totally get it. I'm lucky that I work for myself and can show up at my office sweaty and stinky without a care but an E-Bike will get you in all fresh and office friendly. It's the future and even though I prefer fancy carbon European imports I'm all in with it.
Toronto has put a lot of infrastructure in for bicycle commuters lately and the difference is night and day from just a few years ago.
Toronto has put a lot of infrastructure in for bicycle commuters lately and the difference is night and day from just a few years ago.
I haven't tried a recumbent trike but I was always finding them interesting, nothing like what I thought about e-bikes as the "new" thing in cycling. I will try one when I get the chance.
Regarding the amount of exercise, I think it is exactly the same as long as the cyclist sets specific targets based on his capabilities. What changes with e-bikes is the distance traveled, I don't know, maybe I'm missing something.
But if this is an opportunity e-bikes, e-scooters and e-skateboards make people park their cars in the garage and go to work or shopping with these instead (where and when this is feasible), then I see a point
With a recumbent (bike or trike), your pedals are perpendicular to the ground as opposed to parallel. Because of this, you can use heel strap pedals:
UTCustom Heel Support Pedals with Straps (Pair) - Version AB
Comfort Pedal Conversion Kit (pair) - TerraTrike
which support your foot from the heels and don't lock your foot onto the pedal in a specific position (you can adjust the height/position of your foot on the pedal) I'm currently using the second option with a simple strap. They work great.
