Electric Bicycle
4Did any of y'all mehricans own an electric bike? Did you fund Sondors, Fusion, Rad Rover, Wave E-Bike, etc? I am awaiting delivery of my Wave E-Bike (if it ever arrives). Do you E-Bike for leisure, to commute, to perform bike-by-shootings? Please share below.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wave-electric-28-mph-bike#/story
- 5 comments, 11 replies
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@connerbush rude.
@connerbush
I've always wanted one for my wife so we can go on longer rides. Too expensive for the amount of use we'd get out of it. Now we have a kid, so probably even fewer rides until she gets older. I was seriously looking into some of those pedal cars that would seat all 3 of us, but those are hella expensive too.
@medz I think it is a great choice for longer rides with multiple people.
@medz did you look into bike trailers (depending how little the little one is). They even have little bike-style bike trailers so the little one can peddle along.
@connorbush she's 2. Don't like the idea of her being behind me where i can see her and she can't see in front of us.
@medz ah true that front options also!
as somebody who bikes on a normal bike, I hate electric bikes with a passion because those bastards are completely silent and everybody on them rides like a total asshole
(NOTE: I'm in the city so these are mostly owned by delivery dudes and I try to give them a pass because they're just doing a job but holy shit stop salmoning and almost killing all the peoples)
@Lotsofgoats Ah yes I could see that being a huge issue. If I lived in a city I would totally not go the electric route. I currently reside in the 'burbs and do not want to arrive drenched in sweat to work. I plan to be the only person in the bike lane in my town (no one to piss off). I am also loud, will be horn equipped, and use 'on your right/left!' when/if passing.
@Lotsofgoats
TLDR; you don't need a motor to be an asshole.
When we were kids, we rode everywhere (100+ miles per week) but we learned to be very cautious because there were no bike lanes and we got no respect from traffic.
Now many cyclists have an attitude of entitlement. I see them fail to follow traffic rules, ride at night with no lights, and blow through pedestrian areas (both crosswalks and sidewalks.)
At Palo Duro, the trails are shared by horses, hikers, and bikers. Trail rules are posted and are common sense: everyone yields to horse, and bikes yield to everyone else. I had to rescue grandkids from bikers who yielded by yelling, "Comin' thru!"
And yes, I know the assholes are a minority, but a few bad apples...
@connnorbush That is an impressive piece of machinery that actually is affordable! It would be great for my 12 mile commute, except we still don't have bike lanes (only in parks) and traffic scares the bejesus out of me, even in the car. When did stop lights and signs become so optional?
In defense of ebikes... my wife has one. I put a BionX kit on her mountain bike. She loves it. It allows her to bike where she could not before. She's had some heath problems and does not have the power to climb hills (paved or trails). We test drove a number of ebikes. The BionX kit is (or was) somewhat unique in that it has a torque sensor, and it does not assist unless are pushing on your pedals. You can set it to a level of boost (I think 25, 50, 100 or 200%). If set to level 2, and you push with 20 lbs of force, it adds 50% and makes it 30 lbs. It is very well engineered, and does of great job of seamlessly applying the assist. It's really impressive and stood out among all the ones we test drove.
I share your dislike of people who "cheat" with ebikes. It's unfortunate, but I have no such problem with the BionX setup. It's very cool. Really revolutionized my wife's ability to get out on her bike. She's had it about 2 years. So far, rock solid reliability.
For anyone looking at BionX, see if you can fit the downtube battery into your frame, to help balance the bike weight. The rear wheel adds a lot of weight, so getting the battery forward helps.
@Kingmiwok Awesome! I have an older trail bike that I would love to modify! I will check it out.
@Kingmiwok Woah! A tad out of my price range after running a quick elgooG search. I will keep it in mind though.
@connorbush Ya... we had the same reaction price-wise, but their system was head and shoulder above the others in operation, so we sprang for it. Have not regretted it a bit.
I muscle-bike pretty frequently.
Have watched the E-bike thing from a distance (as a way to avoid the car for a quick run to town). And also the cargo-bikes which, unlike e-Bikes, seem to be both cool and very handy.
Deal-killer observation so far: manufacturing economies of scale.
They're not there. And so the pricing makes them a novelty for innovators (you know, the folks with arrows in their backs).