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First 100 miles on my E-Bike

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Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#231

Post by Fnoord »

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…

"Biggest disadvantage: If you drive on mostly flat terrain, there's no real benefit – it might even slow you down."

I'm from that country with the bikes 'n dykes (The Netherlands) and lately it seems a trend that elder use e-bikes instead of whatever else they were using (car, moped, bicycle, legwagon). They're severely slowed down if they were to use a regular bike. This way, they can get some fresh air and actually see some of nature and adjacent cities/village.

The biggest disadvantage to me is the high price. Combine that with these elder who'd also use these e-bikes to go for longer routes but then they'd not put their bike locked securely (and you should use some good locks). Cause yeah, losing 1-2k EUR from just doing groceries is a shame. They're also a bit more difficult to transport in public transport than a regular bike and more so a folding bike (latter is freely used on Dutch railways called NS).

I also notice that the e-bikes can pass me on longer courses, but if we're going from traffic light to traffic light I accelerate way quicker on my regular bicycle than e-bikes. If I do my best, I can slowly pass an e-biker.

If you wanna take your kid with you, a "bakfiets" (a bicycle with a way to transport items in the front of the wheel see [1]) also works. Especially common in Amsterdam.

The Cube Design Museum in Kerkrade had an exhibition (in NL/EN/DE language available) about bicycles with all kind of bicycles of the past and the future, including experimental designs. When I went, IIRC in september 2017, they also had an exposition about toilets, and a floor about past failed designs (a lot of electronics but not solely), There's World of Bricks (Lego) as well in the Continuum Museum nearby. Recommended! (Disclaimer: not affiliated.)

[1] https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakfiets

[2] http://www.cubedesignmuseum.nl/nl/blog/persbericht-fietsen-v...

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#232

Post by dagurp »

bufferoverflow wrote: post #222
marcus_holmes wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yeah, so if you ignore all the points I've made, it is indeed a replacement. So is riding a unicycle. Or walking.

But he/she didn't. In most cities you can rent cars by the hour and that is enough for a lot of people.

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#234

Post by brianpgordon »

CydeWeys wrote: post #144
brianpgordon wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a pretty basic no-frills bike ( https://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2016/Bikes/lifestyle/Urban/... ) and used the same conversion kit that the author of this post uses (Bafang BBS02 from LunaCycle - less than $100 for a local bike shop to install). I've been riding my e-bike to work for several months and the caliper brakes that came with the bike have held up fine. They have enough braking power that it feels…

You have a single-speed electric bike with a mid-drive motor? How does that work out for you?

It works great. I was specifically looking for a bike without gears since I read that many people with e-bike conversions just leave it on one gear all of the time anyway and I didn't want the apparently-unnecessary additional complexity and failure modes of a derailleur.

Besides, the pedal assist power is adjustable so if I hit a hill I can just press the + button on the controller on the handlebar and I get more power. That functions like shifting into an easier gear, without having to pedal like mad to get anywhere.

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#235

Post by tripletmass »

grwthckrmstr wrote: post #185

Here in India I see a few people cycling to work. A "few" (we have a LOT of people). I can't see adoption increase. I myself won't ride a cycle, because 1. There's way too much pollution on the roads. I'll die breathing that air 2. If I don't die breathing that air, some car or bus driver who doesn't give a shit about other people's lives and is on their phone while driving will hit me and perhaps kill me (or worse,…

1. Nano titania filters, a UV illuminated volume, after the microfiber dustcloth large-particle filter inlets and reactive nano silver filters, for the mouth; same for the nose but with damp cloth filters too, for larger volume draws, in case something needs be smelt. Or hills. Totobobo spares, I suppose. 1.5. Rain and particle riding shawls 1.5.5 Neem oil/piney spray soap for those if they have to air in a hall. 2. 600Hp tata drone circling you defensively. JK. Sprung banners outside any rear panniers with waxed or superhydrophobic finishes all the way up to head height, and laserfoil (diffractive) finishes and automatic illumination there, in case of bespoke drivers; spares monthly just to stay shiny as a new, narrow bus?

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#236

Post by Hextinium »

redtuesday wrote: post #219
dzhiurgis wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Don't prevent them from buying them, prevent people from riding that fast on sidewalks.

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#237

Post by deskglass »

Zhenya wrote: post #198
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.

Engine air and cabin air are two separate intake paths. The cabin air in modern cars is highly filtered. " Most dust filters will stop 100 percent of all particles that are 3 microns or larger in size, and 95 to 99 percent of particles 1 to 3 microns in size. The combination dust and odor filters have a layer of activated charcoal or baking soda to absorb odors and air pollutants. Some of these filters may even be li…

Makes sense, thanks!

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#238

Post by ufo »

Hextinium wrote: post #236
redtuesday wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Don't prevent them from buying them, prevent people from riding that fast on sidewalks.

Another difference between e-bikes and scooters is that e-bikes do not require a license to drive while scooters do. One of the reasons for the speed limit on e bikes is to avoid this license requirement.

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#239

Post by prawn »

praneshp wrote: post #207
prawn wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there fines in India for driving while using a phone? If so, is it policed?

Ha ha ha. Sorry, couldn't resist. Yes there's probably a fine on car drivers, but typically you pay a smaller bribe and get out. Bus drivers are difficult to punish due to unions, etc

Yes, I figured it was poorly policed if it existed at all, but was interested in knowing for sure.

Re: First 100 miles on my E-Bike

#240

Post by alfla »

kennethh wrote: post #215
alfla wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Elsykkelbutikken.no imports directly from China. They are super helpful.
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