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First 100 miles on my E-Bike

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Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#211

Post by bufferoverflow »

soperj wrote: post #200
matt-attack wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you seen this: https://budnitzbicycles.com/bicycles/view/titanium-ebike I think it’s the closest you’ll find to a bike the looks and operates almost identically to a traditional bike. No wires, no display, excellent weight, etc. Obviously the price is out of control, but still the right idea I think.

Is it really that bad if you could use it as your car?

But you really can't.

1) cars can go a lot faster and on highways

2) cars can haul lots of cargo

3) cars can have 3-6 passengers

4) cars drive just fine in strong wind / rain / snow

5) cars are a lot safer on roads

There are obvious disadvantages too, but, regardless, ebikes are not car replacements. They are good for relatively short trips in places with good bicycle infrastructure.

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#212

Post by 05 »

tzs wrote: post #199
deskglass wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is 1 really all that different from driving in a car with the AC on? If I understand correctly, car filters typically only filter very large particles that would damage the engine.

For most commutes the car would still win even if the air inside was the same as the air outside, because the car would be faster so you would have less total exposure. As far as car interior air goes, I've noticed that when I walk to a nearby market during times when there is a fair amount of traffic I can really notice the smell from the cars, but when I myself am driving on that same road in similar traffic I cann…

Also you’re not breathing as much as when you’re biking.

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#213

Post by Johnny555 »

waytogo wrote: post #145
chrisseaton wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean just to look at one part of the world, but which many of us will understand, look at somewhere like San Mateo, the sub-urban area halfway between San Francisco and San Jose in Silicon Valley. Imagine living in a house with a garage somewhere like Foster City. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@37.5466469,-122.2920167,13z?h... A family could get all around this area very nicely on an electric bike. Maybe you bike t…

(1) Having a town house with some wall socket at the entry or a garage and (2) not trying to get into a big city centre might be a use case, yes. Thanks for elaborating your example but I don't think that this use case is strong or ubiquitous enough (maybe in SF) to lead e-bikes to mass adoption. I still think the concept of an e-bike, in particular the charging, is super flawed. If the battery is removable you can c…

When I lived in SF, I parked my bike in the apartment parking garage (where (I think) there were no power outlets). However, my primary biking destination was work, where I brought the bike into the office where I could have charged it if I had an eBike.

In the apartment where I live now, there's a dedicated card-access bike room with power outlets, so eBike owners can charge up there. (the room wasn't designed for eBike charging, there are only 2 duplex outlets, but a couple power strips mean that everyone with an eBike can plug in at once.

Though SF is small enough that an eBike is probably not necessary for most people - I lived near the top of Nob Hill and managed to commute on a regular bike for 8 years (2 of those years I was commuting to Marin). When I moved out to the Sunset, then there was an easy route to downtown (the "wiggle") to avoid the hills)

I'm having trouble believing that you're making a serious argument against eBikes, since you dismissed the solution to your problem (removable batteries) because it "looks super clumsy". As a recreational cyclist, I've always looked for reasons to ride a bike rather than looking for reasons why I can't.

I've stayed away from eBikes up till now because I haven't had a commute that really needs it, but I'm contemplating moving to where my bike commute will go from my current flat 5 miles to 15 miles with some short steep climbs in the middle. That's a commute where an eBike makes more sense to me. (but not a 1000W semi-motorcycle, just looking for a bit of boost for my aging knees to get up the hills)

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#214

Post by Johnny555 »

user5994461 wrote: post #196
waytogo wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(1) Having a town house with some wall socket at the entry or a garage and (2) not trying to get into a big city centre might be a use case, yes. Thanks for elaborating your example but I don't think that this use case is strong or ubiquitous enough (maybe in SF) to lead e-bikes to mass adoption. I still think the concept of an e-bike, in particular the charging, is super flawed. If the battery is removable you can c…

If the battery is removable, it will be stolen.

As will everything else on the bike that's not bolted on (and sometimes even that is stolen). So take it with you when you park in an unsecured area.

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#215

Post by kennethh »

alfla wrote: post #46
WA wrote: post #6

I have put about 3,000km on my E-bike in the last 1.5 years. It's limited to 25km/h, because then I don't need a license, it's fast enough for city traffic (mostly in bike lanes anyways) and I get to tow a trailer for my kid. Biggest advantage: Hills don't exist for me. We live in a city with quite a few hills and day care is about 70-100m below our appartment. Doing this trip twice a day with its 15% slope would tak…

I'm on my second converted (bafang) e-bike, been riding about 4000 KM the past two years all year (Norway). I love it! I use it as my main means of transportation, both to work and for other transport needs. My first one was a cheap/old 26" dirtbike with hydraulic brakes. It was OK but the front shock and relatively skinny wheels were a limiting factor. My second bike is a mid/high quality 27.5" dirtbike with a good…

I live in Norway also and was wondering about buying a conversion kit, do you have links to the kit you bought?

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#216

Post by Xylakant »

mrob wrote: post #181
Xylakant wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good steel frames are not necessarily significantly heavier than aluminum frames but they ride much much better (have more flex). They also can be repaired if required while aluminum is probably toast after anything that damages the frame. In anything that is not a race or cargo bike I’d always prefer a steel frame.

Steel frames are only easy to repair if they're lugged, i.e. the tubes are brazed into lug sockets. This was once a common method of hand building frames, but it's now rare and expensive. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lugged_steel_frame_constructio...

Compared to aluminum frames, all steel frames are more easily repaired. They can be welded without special equipment, put back in shape when slightly bent etc. They also fail less catastrophic - if an aluminum frame or fork receives even a slight bend in a dooring accident it needs replacing since it may just break clean though at the next inconvenient occasion (like hitting a slight bump downhill with high speed)

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#217

Post by eesmith »

CydeWeys wrote: post #148
eesmith wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ahem. Speaking with mock outrage, as someone who goes bike camping with front and back panniers and a tent, I'll point out that my bike is about 40 lbs, unloaded. Eg, https://www.koga.com/en/bikes/trekking/collection/worldtrave... . ;) 'Course, my average speed is about 8mph. I like to stop, look at things, and read the signs, and sometimes travel along hard-pack dirt roads. Their e-trekking bike is about 54 lbs. I k…

Can I just say, it seems weird to me that that bike doesn't have disc brakes given its intended uses for bike camping? How does it handle long descents and/or rain? The serious bike camping bikes that I've seen have both disc brakes and caliper brakes, for redundancy and ability to handle long declines under heavy load that might burn out just a single set of calipers.

That Koga-Miyata is a "serious bike camping bike", so I don't know what to say.

I haven't found it to be a problem. Mind you, I go slow, even downhill. I don't usually like biking faster than I can run.

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#218

Post by marcus_holmes »

bufferoverflow wrote: post #211
soperj wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it really that bad if you could use it as your car?

But you really can't. 1) cars can go a lot faster and on highways 2) cars can haul lots of cargo 3) cars can have 3-6 passengers 4) cars drive just fine in strong wind / rain / snow 5) cars are a lot safer on roads There are obvious disadvantages too, but, regardless, ebikes are not car replacements. They are good for relatively short trips in places with good bicycle infrastructure.

If you commute less than, say, 10 miles, to work then they are a functional replacement for a car.

You can hire a car, or a van, for other tasks that require those advantages. Or even (shock!) use public transport.

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#219

Post by redtuesday »

dzhiurgis wrote: post #206
ufo wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The big difference is that many people drive e-bikes on bike paths or even pedestrian paths, while scooters tend to stick to roads.

No one with half a brain / common sense rides their ebikes at such speeds on pedestrian paths.

How would you prevent people who don't even have that from buying these bikes?

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#220

Post by yodsanklai »

bufferoverflow wrote: post #211
soperj wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it really that bad if you could use it as your car?

But you really can't. 1) cars can go a lot faster and on highways 2) cars can haul lots of cargo 3) cars can have 3-6 passengers 4) cars drive just fine in strong wind / rain / snow 5) cars are a lot safer on roads There are obvious disadvantages too, but, regardless, ebikes are not car replacements. They are good for relatively short trips in places with good bicycle infrastructure.

6) cars don't get stolen as easily

I use my bike 90% of the time. But unfortunately, I do need a car for the remaining 10%.

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