I was really undecided on whether or not to get an ebike. Leaning more against it. Then one day at one of my accounts, I watched a couple go by on their bikes. She had an ebike and it seemed like a situation where she wouldn't even be cycling, except for the power assist.

That was a real awakening for me in how I looked at them.

I only share this story because of this video I just ran across.

Any time you can help someone else get out and ride - it's a positive. No matter what they are riding....

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jclPRzAPbmI" title="I Got an E-Bike and I LOVE IT!" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Ms. Rocket just picked up a Specialized e-bike.

No details yet on how it rides.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1660786133.pnghttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1660786196.png

I used to race for UMASS in the 70’s 100 miles per day 5 days per week. My knees have gone to crap. We took our ebikes on a thirty mile ride yesterday along the Santa Barbara and Ventura CountyCA coast. Hadn’t done that in two decades with my old Raleigh International.

Congrats!

That's fantastic, Hugh. Your knees are going to improve the more you use your ebike. ;)

Wife & I spent some time on a Lectric XP 2.0 also.
4'11" wife could ride the Lectric, but didn't like the weight.
She prefers the narrower tire ebike.
https://i.imgur.com/147KMZj.jpg

Looks like solar ebikes are catching on:
With two solar panels and one afternoon, I made my electric bike charge from the sun
https://electrek.co/2022/08/25/solar-e-bike-panels-charge-sun/

https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploa..._0014-copy.jpg

Upcoming legislation, I hope it passes:

New York’s proposed e-bike rebate could slash electric bike and scooter prices by 50%

https://electrek.co/2022/08/31/new-york-e-bike-rebate/
__________________

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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1668897797.JPG

I just looked and apparently as of October 2022, the company that made my bike is no longer in business.

I'm OK with it because I feel I have already gotten my money's worth - plus I bought a second bike for reserves and it is still untouched in it's original shipping box.

I'm still enjoying my bike having ridden 2 days in a row and will head out again in a few minutes taking advantage of the low tide.

From Friday:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1669582839.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1669582839.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1669582839.JPG

Not much can go wrong with these simple ebikes.
If you're familiar with general bicycle mechanics, ebikes are not much more involving in comparison.
Generic ebike parts/battery replacement can be pretty easily sourced if you're savvy with internet (Alibaba or AliExpress) searches.

Luckily for me, working in Brooklyn there are local shops that service ebikes of all manufacturers within riding/walking distance.

Thanks and I agree!

I've tried to keep up with proper maintenance of mine and will try to do an even better job going forward just to be proactive.

Worst issue so far has been some corrosion - mostly the spoke nipples. I've been treating them with Rustoleum rust converter but eventually will replace with new ones.

When and if it goes south, the battery will be the toughest challenge, IMHO. The way it's integrated into the frame, I'd have to do some creative modification to plumb up an aftermarket version!

Picked up another e-bike back in September and put her together today.

Amazon $1,180.00.

On sale now for $1,098.00!

This thing is a BEAST!

More powerful hub than my last one plus the fat tires will go through soft sand better.

Need to accessorize yet but so far I really like her!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1699576702.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1699576702.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1699576702.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1699576702.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1699576702.JPG

^^ Looking good!

Has Hugh posted lately?

Thanks, Paul! SmileWavy


Post #83 was his last in this thread. August of 2022.

He may have posted elsewhere in the forum.

Hopefully he's enjoying the weather here! :p

My latest e-bike was delivered today. I still have the first two I bought. Just wanted another with a different style and features.

I hope to get her put together tomorrow weather permitting or by Monday.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1707013182.JPG

OUXI V8 Electric Bike Adults,Electric Mountain Bike with 750W Motor 48V 15Ah Removable Larger Battery 18.6MPH 20'' Fat Tire E Bike Shi-Mano 7-Speed

Amazon - $669 + $100 delivery

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1707013382.jpg

SPECIFICATION

Motor: 750Watt

Battery: 48V/15Ah (Removable)

Max Speed: 31 mph

Max Load: 330 lbs

Charging Time: 5-7 Hours

Bike Size: L65 X W27.5 X H43.3 Inch

Packing Size: L56.1 X W10.6 X H34 Inch

Net Weight: 83.77 lbs (Including Battery)

I like the cast wheels on those.
They may be a little heavier than spoked wheels, but you will never have to fix a broken spoke or true that wheels.
I've put about 800 miles on mine last year.
Not much pedaling while riding it, two batteries allow long range,
for short jaunts, I only put one battery on the ebike.
I'm thinking about swaping out the dual crown fork to a single crown, smaller turning radius.
Which is important in NYC metro where I ride.
https://i.imgur.com/tWozpE0.jpg

Nice!

I have a 16 mile route here......all on the beach, so would take 50 of those to reach your 800 miles....totally do-able! ;)

Don't know about the double vs. single crown fork but please post again here if you do it and how it works out.

As for the wheels.....yeah the spoke nipples on my first bike started corroding from the salt air here straight away. I ended up treating them to arrest the corrosion but a bit of a PITA and they don't look that great either. I was proactive on the second bike and painted them all with POR15 before I even assembled the bike.

So the cast wheels on this new one should be better in that regard!

Safe riding, "A" !!!

I picked this up from Luna cycle last fall, sort of in between a bike and motorcycle fun little toy to bomb around on. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1707069721.jpg

my grocery machinehttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1707071667.jpg

I still don’t understand why these ‘ebikes’ have pedals. Folks can’t or don’t want to exercise, but want to pretend? I’ve seen the enthusiasm, it’s very real. Maybe it’s a dementia? Lose their edge with old age.

Seems a lot more logical to have a twist throttle and do away with the crank arm, but there must be something special to pretend to ride a bike.

a lot of these things are pretty top heavy. Someone can’t ride a bike they’ll find these things pretty dangerous. It’s a pretty narrow window where your health is so low you can’t ride a bike, but you can still manage a 50-70 pound ebike. My mom has a ‘remidemi’ with low step through frame. She’s not fallen yet but it’s scary to watch. Kinetic energy is a bastard.

I’ve a friend in her late 70s that until this year was riding 300’ hills to get around on her 80s mtb. I was really supportive, could see her suffering on the hills but that was a health d8vidend. Now she has a few more serious joint injuries and she can’t ride, she wants an ebike but seeing how frail she is I’m worried she’ll end up in a ditch. How about a small Honda scooter?

Other issue I encounter is folks riding these things on shared paths. They tend to be hauling ass but without enough attention and dexterity to be safe with other riders and cars. I’ve seen and experienced a lot of close calls. I think it’s the same problem, folks don’t have the attention and fitness to ride a bicycle then they probably shouldn’t be on an ebike either.

When I’m made king I’m going to require full motorcycle cert for all the powered scooter riders.

Lastly, these expensive moped batteries age, vendors go out of business, I suspect these things are going to translate into a very pile of toxic e waste when battery replacement is more than value of the moped. Lucky if you get 6 years out of a battery. An actual bicycle is eco that will last decades, these e things are worse than a motorcycle. Modern 125 moto bike is a reliable well engineered wonder - that gets my vote and it’s resale is higher than zero.

Well they're fun.
More exercise than one thinks.

Completely safe ----- no----- what is?
Inconsiderate riders on paths --I encounter tons on em on regular bikes --
I use mine for errands and hauling stuff when I don't want or need to take one of other vehicles

Stay safe

Did u ever try one?

So the bike can still be ridden without electricity.

Regardless of regulations or the type of ebike,
those who want to go fast and be inconsiderate of other trail users will always exist.

Important thing is education, how to operate these ebikes with others in mind whether you're sharing the road or trail on the ebike.

Fat tire ebikes have their purposes.
https://youtu.be/w2c8Yxcwq64?si=zRuKBQZkCRFDA18k


The science is clear: Electric bicycles provide a good workout (and here’s the proof)

https://electrek.co/2021/05/20/the-science-is-clear-electric-bicycles-provide-a-good-workout-and-heres-the-proof/


Believe it or not, study shows e-bike riders get more exercise than cyclists
https://electrek.co/2019/08/11/electric-bike-riders-more-exercise-than-cyclists/

Yeah, sure. Bad drivers everywhere. But I've seen an inordinate number of incidents involving ebikes. It sure looks likes they attract folk that shouldn't be driving at all.

Did you read my post? My mom has one.

I've also helped people shop for and purchase them to second guess the bike shop's advice and their assembly capability, point out when parts are used that aren't going to last, like those pressed steel chainrings.

I've tried a bunch of different kinds and I am still literally confused why anyone would want to pretend to pedal when the device is rocking 300-700 watts.

You want a bicycle then buy a bicycle. Ride it slow, for recreation the distance doesn't matter and chances are you'll find yourself working harder.

Yeah, you'd think so, wouldn't you? But every one of these mopeds that I've tried has gears in the bottom bracket and their drag turns the bikes into boat anchors when there's no juice. So one day when that proprietary battery ages out you have something that looks like a bike, is really heavy, and can't actually be pedaled.

Its part of the reason why I say that people just pretend to pedal them. Is like its some sort of mass boomer hallucination.

I've been recommending people consider what exactly they want and need before they pay their money for an overpriced piece of fad. At least go and try out a 50cc honda metropolitan. It does everything you need and is engineered well. $2600, long duty life and it has resale. Has actually safe lighting and you don't need to waggle your feet to make it go.

Was just outside assembling my new bike.

Front wheel came not attached to bike so decided to air it up before proceeding with the rest of the stuff.

Followed the 30 lb. recommendation to a tee. Set it aside. About 1/2 hour later BLAMO! Tube blew out. I didn't even have a chance to use it yet...lol. Tire was about 2' from my face too so that was interesting.

I just ordered a 2 pack of new tubes via next day no extra charge PRIME Amazon so will have to wait to ride it now. Sucks because it's a killer evening out and this thing has lights!

It's always something.......:rolleyes:

Seems like a good to to remind everyone.....:D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1707092493.jpg

<div class="tenor-gif-embed" data-postid="6597193828634957728" data-share-method="host" data-aspect-ratio="1.16" data-width="100%"><a href="https://tenor.com/view/haha-funny-laugh-baby-cute-gif-6597193828634957728">Haha Funny GIF</a>from <a href="https://tenor.com/search/haha-gifs">Haha GIFs</a></div> <script type="text/javascript" async src="https://tenor.com/embed.js"></script>

Always inflate tires in steps.
Put enough air in tire to adjust & seat the beads before inflate to full pressure.

Rocking and massaging the tire at 10-15lbs will help the tire bead seat first.
I do that and squeeze it past the brake pads, then fully inflate.
(It could also be a mfr defect with not enough 'rim lip' to hold it in place. idk.)

Electric or not, get out there and enjoy safely.

I'll post a pic later but looks like the tube just blew out along it's side.....doesn't look at all like some kind of "pinch". I think the tube was simply defective.

Pretty long split......

I never thought I'd buy an E bike but my wife really wanted one. We picked up a used Trek Verve + 2 barely used for $1,000. New they retail for $2,850. I was really impressed with how well integrated the pedal assist was when I road hers. Next thing I know I'm at the local trek dealer I bought my current mountain bike from several years back. They had her same model in the mens version (hers is step through) in my size and discounted to $2,000. Last years model. I bought it. I can ride it with the assist off while she rides with hers on. Works great. Also, my knees are suspect. I had surgery on the left on last July. We now have a dog trailer on order. I do love the riding position. These are pedal assist only.

We had 3 guys blow by us on the trail last week on "e bikes" that look more like electric motorcycles. They have pedals. I don't think any of these guys use them. The tires look bigger than the ones on my VFR. I don't really get that other than maybe replacing a car for local errands, or going to a destination where you will exercise or recreate. Hiking trail, fishing, whatever.

My cycling buddies are of course giving me s &*^%. I don't care, my wife is super happy and I bet I ride more this year than any of the last 5.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1707186614.jpg

Almost too late for that now. We've already unleashed legions of pre-teen kids onto the streets with electric motorcycles that can easily run with much of the local surface street traffic. Too few helmets, no awareness of traffic rules, and very little common sense.

Never saw one of those before......it's a Surron X Bike? Suckers goes for $4.6K! Serious cheddar there!

https://lunacycle.com/surron-x-bike-black-edition/

Top speed is supposed to be 48...wow.....bet that's fun to ride! :)






Beautiful bike...just gorgeous! SmileWavy





Not sure I understand, Jerry. They do have a throttle don't they....that you can use without pedaling?



I think you answered your own question. Lots of reasons to have an e-bike.



I get what you're saying but given the number of reckless and/or incompetent drivers ALREADY on the road riding and driving all kinds of different vehicles, I'm not sure it's any worse. Guess it boils down to where you live and the layout of the population, roadways, etc.

My biggest pet peeves include motorcycle riders who blow in from out of town for bike events (I live very close to Daytona beach) who have no brains given the way they ride, the LSV (Low Speed Vehicle) & golf cart drivers who are oblivious to anyone else on the road & notorious for holding up traffic while they doddle along below the speed limit, and in general distracted nitwits driving while using their cell phones, tablets, you name it.

We have a fairly substantial cycling population and most of those folks do pretty good. I've seen the e-bike usage creeping up over the past year or so but mostly they do pretty good as well.

If I had to point out one important aspect of safety that I see neglected more times than not.....it's cyclists (both pedal or electric) not putting a mirror on their bikes.

This is the one I use on ALL of my bikes......it works very well for me...but of course YMMV. Get SOMETHING at least for everyone's sake!

$15.49 from Amazon:

Mirrycle MTB Bar End Mountain Bicycle Mirror, Black

Natural selection.

There is no throttle. The assist has off plus 4 levels. You can also just turn the computer/battery off or even ride the bike without the battery. The motor is integrated into the crank. You have to pedal to move. I did turn the assist on for the steepest of hills to ease the stress on my knees. I've always loved pounding up the steep ones. Might be why my meniscus looked like spaghetti that my cat tore into.

I sort of did, didn't I :-)

I've had it happen with name-brand tubes more than once, and always a brand-new tube.

Allow me to ask a few questions, as I too am interested in buying an e-bike. I'd like to use it run local errands, and going to my local beach about 8 miles away
(Parking there is a b!tch.)

* How do y'all go about securing your bikes, especially at your destination? I suspect batteries, as well as the bike itself, are very prone to theft?
* Is there an advantage to fat tires? I plan to use mine only on paved surfaces, so I'm not sure they're needed.
*I'm presuming you can ride an e-bike in the bike lane, but not a scooter? Also, can you ride them on sidewalks?

Thanks to all for this informative thread.

Any of you have concerns about battery fires?

1. Most batteries cannot be removed without using a key that comes with the bike. I've never had to lock mine up but if I did I would use a cable lock like this one and make sure it goes through the frame and back wheel.

Cable Lock

2. Fat tires are great for looser aggregate like sand and gravel. They also absorb bumps better on paved surfaces and provide better grip. I suggest you test ride both types before purchasing, if not sure.

3. E-bikes can go anywhere a pedal bike can go. That's the easiest way for me to answer your question.

Also.....watch as many YT vids as you can handle. You learn a lot from those.....and make sure you read the comments!


Nope.