Like the title said, I had a blast riding an e-bike and didn’t have anyone else to share this to, so I’ll tell anyone who is willing to read about it.
I’ve been getting into riding bikes for the past several months, and decided to try an e-bike at a store and I can’t get over how much fun it is. Riding at 20 mph feels way more fun than driving any car at like 65+ mph. Just the feeling of the wind going past my face felt much better than any of the creature comforts in my car
I have to put in a conscious effort to show emotions on my face, but with riding this e-bike, I had the dumbest, biggest smile on my face from the moment I got onto the bike. Everybody I passed, I wanted to walk up to them and tell them that I was having so much fun and that they should try out this bike. Of course, I didn’t because I have the social skills of a brick, but the urge was still there
I also wanted to buy the bike that day so bad, but I knew I needed to practice some form of self-restraint and wait to make sure I truly wanted that bike and not needlessly spend money for retail therapy
Anyways, bikes are cool, public transit is cool, and micromobility is super cool. I hope everyone can feel the same joy/happiness I felt while I was riding this bike sometime in their life
I hope your day goes well. If it doesn’t, I hope it gets better. Thanks for reading!
I’ve been on the fence about getting one for a while. The benefits seem well worth it, but a few things are holding me up:
Maybe I’m overthinking it.
What do the rest of you have to say on the matter?
Yeah, I think manufactured e-bikes (not converted/retrofit) have become a lot more popular in recent years. I think price points are all over the place because of so many different factors. Things like do you want a folding bike, a cruiser, a mountain bike, a motorcycle-style, a cargo bike, or a commuter bike? Not only is the form factor a thing to consider, the quality of components are important too.
Even trying to spec out a conversion is difficult too because there are a lot of different kits and a lot of different brands for the components. It’s all confusing and I think it’s due to e-bikes being so new to the scene. I’m sure when cars first came out, it was hard to know which brand to go with, but now that they’ve been around several decades, it’s easier to pick which one you want.
To go over your points, I’d try to figure out the form factor you want and be realistic with what you are looking for. In regards to price, the bikes I considered ranged from $1000 - $2500 ($3000 is probably pretty good, but you reach “luxury” at that point). If you can try one, I’d recommend it, otherwise it’s hard to figure out what you don’t want from a bike. Regarding quality, I think a good indicator is warranty length and leniency. 1 year is standard, 2 years is good, and 5 (very lenient policy) is the best I’ve seen so far. And another is if they say the brands of the parts they use. So things like the drivetrain, the tires/wheels, and brakes are things I would try to see if I could buy from that brand. Or you can watch reviews to get a feel if the brand is good or not
Lastly, in terms of battery safety, it’s recommended to go with a well-known battery cell brand. Don’t buy an e-bike if they won’t tell you what brand the cells inside are. Cells are what makes up a battery and if you don’t recognize the brand name, it might be a good thing to pass on it. Think brands like Samsung, LG, Panasonic (CATL and BYD are other big ones too). The battery itself might be from a random company, but if the cells are from a good company, you should be fine. The battery shouldn’t be left outside, it should be brought into a climate-controlled environment if not in use. And the likelihood of it catching fire is low if you take precautions.
In terms of actual safety, accidents do happen, but the frequency is on-par with pedestrian and vehicle accidents. Best thing you can do is use caution and be defensive when riding. Things like wearing a helmet at the very least, having lights, being visible, and avoiding any roads with high speed limits
These are all great points, I didn’t even think of the battery manufacturer as a variable, good call-out.
One point I do disagree on is that confusion will go down over time. I think it’s going to keep getting worse in general as manufactured devices are increasingly being thrown together with low quality white labeled parts. (This ties into being able to buy parts from the component manufacturers, if you can’t they might be white labeled trash).
So, essentially:
I think a small motorcycle is a lot more practical and will probably last longer as well, no battery to die. I’ve always felt like ebikes are too small/lightweight for the amount of power they have as well. The whole industry is literally just reinventing the motorcycle. I don’t mean that in an insulting way, just IIRC motorcycles started out as converted bicycles.
My biggest concerns with ebikes are being able to replace the battery down the road (no pun intended) and the lack of “safety gear culture” that we see with a lot of motorcyclists. Plus the legal grey area they occupy right now.
Something like a Honda Navi can be had for cheaper than a lot of ebikes out there.
It does feel like the new wave of e-bikes (from manufacturers to promoters to customers) have ignored the existing world of motorcycles in a strange way. Which kind of makes sense given that electric motorcycles have just recently become relevant and are still in their own (ugly and impractical, IMO) fledgling stage. As well as the fact that ignoring regulations and conventions enabled e-bikes to get as big as they have.
But it’s kind of unfortunate. At least in the US, I think we’re going to see some bad accidents, grifts, and unhappy customers result in a backlash that will cause lawmakers to implement crappy, knee-jerk regulations.
If it’s not clear, I’m in favor of e-bikes. I just think we need proactive regulation.
Electric engines completely change the crash & fall dynamics.
As someone with long bike riding experience - for commuting - you couldn’t pay me to write something so irresponsibly dangerous.
You essentially have a weak motorcycle with zero safety features.
I’ve been a long time bike user, either for downhill entertainment or for simple commutes like going to the store. Stopped after I lived on a steep hill with a shoulder-less highway at the bottom.
What sort of crash and fall dynamics are you thinking of? I’m picturing essentially the same, but with a heavier bike, which you might compare an aluminum framed bike vs a steel framed bike to?
The engine being present changes how crashes work - for one thing, they may still drive if you fall or slip, they often can go faster, and the acceleration pattern is also very different.