Author Topic: Anyone else riding electric bikes?  (Read 5444 times)

Sohcrates

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Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« on: January 19, 2014, 12:26:54 PM »
I have the Surly Big Dummy with Bionx pedal assist and my sweet sweet wife rides an xtracycle edgerunner bionx assist.
We bike commuted before, but it was spotty and depended on a lot of factors. We got the electric kits and haven't driven to work in 8 months. We can also do costco runs, all in town running around including hot dates, and we can expend as much or as little energy as the trip/weather dictates.
We sold a car and the other we dropped the insurance and only drive it for fun things- like backpacking, snowboarding and the like
We've already saved the cost of one of the electric units(cost per mile of driving a car, insurance etc) and are well into the 2nd.

My ride in not so pleasant weather, but perfectly comfortable under waterproof gear




Sweet sweet wife at 19 degrees F


dragoncar

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2014, 01:53:24 PM »
I have the Surly Big Dummy with Bionx pedal assist and my sweet sweet wife rides an xtracycle edgerunner bionx assist.
We bike commuted before, but it was spotty and depended on a lot of factors. We got the electric kits and haven't driven to work in 8 months. We can also do costco runs, all in town running around including hot dates, and we can expend as much or as little energy as the trip/weather dictates.
We sold a car and the other we dropped the insurance and only drive it for fun things- like backpacking, snowboarding and the like
We've already saved the cost of one of the electric units(cost per mile of driving a car, insurance etc) and are well into the 2nd.

My ride in not so pleasant weather, but perfectly comfortable under waterproof gear




Sweet sweet wife at 19 degrees F



Looks sweet, but I'm guessing that setup is pricey.  Disabuse me of this notion if necessary

cbgg

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2014, 02:12:08 PM »
We don't have one yet, but my DH is OBSESSED with them.  I'll be on board with picking one up (maybe two :D) when we actually live together (visa situation) and it means we drop down to one car.

It's fascinating to follow all the innovation going on in this area.  I think that electric bikes, or bikes with an electric boost, are going to open up this transportation option to people who would have otherwise been uninterested/have used bikes less often.  They just keep getting better, lighter, and cooler as more companies enter the field.

2527

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2014, 03:08:38 PM »
I don't have one, but I've ridden one and I think they are very cool. 

Sohcrates

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2014, 04:21:34 PM »
They are one of the best purchases we've ever made. They are spendy, and wouldn't be the wisest choice for some, depending on how much they get used, but for those that would use them to fully replace a car(or 80-100 percent use) its hard to argue the benefits

The cool thing is with the electric assist, you can always go up to 20 mph just choose how hard you want to work to get there. Dont want to work up a sweat on the way to work or under raingear? Full assist. Want to get a really good workout but then zip home at 20 mph? Bump the assist down for the workout then cruise home.

Want to take a nice relaxing ride on a hot date loaded up with food and picnic gear but not break a sweat? Easy :)




robtown

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2014, 04:48:08 PM »
I have a decidedly non Mustaschian OutRiderUSA HyperLite trike.  My trike was the photo model for their site.  It is a blast to ride and very economical once purchased.   I sold several of my bikes and flipped (bought, fixed, sold) dozens of bikes to raise the funds.  I've commuted to two jobs, 8  miles and 12 miles one-way on the trike.  I just bought a windscreen to make it easier to ride in cold weather.   Regular diamond frame road bikes are much warmer during winter because you generate more heat and move slower.

That picture is awesome.  I have ridden regular bikes in the rain, but usually not if it is raining on the outgoing trip.   I have commuted in snow and freezing rain.   With studded tires bikes do better than most cars, though it takes a lot of energy to push them along.

windawake

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2014, 10:10:13 AM »
I'm in love with this idea: http://www.flykly.com. It's a smart wheel that can be attached to any bike to give a power assist. It's smart-phone operated so you can easily adjust the specs for how much assist you want. And at $590, it seems like a pretty good deal.

I would almost consider getting one of these. I love biking to work for the workout, but if I could bike (with dog in bike trailer) when I visit all my friends and family, that would be sweet. It's hard to do with the trailer though, I end up completely exhausted by the time I get there.

GuitarStv

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2014, 10:18:25 AM »
How heavy are they (how much do they damage your ability to use your bike as a bike)?  What's the cost of the electric units and expected lifetime before replacement is needed?

Arvid

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2014, 10:37:13 AM »
I own one, and love it! It feels a bit weak to use it instead of a regular bike, but I just couldn't stand the bike commute in Swedish autumn/winter weather. The bus is even worse, so I bought an electrical bike a few months ago and doesn't regret it one bit.

The Swedish ones looks quite different from those posted here though:


Max assist speed: 16 mph
Cost: ~$1550
Range: 25-30 miles
The battery can be recharged 800 times (according to the specification...), and a new one costs ~450 USD.

I save 5% of the bike purchase price per month by taking it instead of the bus.

TrMama

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #9 on: January 20, 2014, 11:05:56 AM »
My husband is in the process of buying one. I was very skeptical for a long time, until I finally realized you can put electric hubs on cargo bikes or whatever tow bike you're using to haul kids/cargo in trailer.

I also think they're great for people like my husband who wants to bike commute, but isn't really "into" biking and has a long commute. Our long term plan is to sell his car once he's comfortable with bike commuting.

Older versions (and some newer ones as well) are so heavy as to practically negate any benefit from the motor. However, some newer systems are very light. I'd also stay away from Bionx systems because they use a proprietary battery that is incompatible with any other battery. We figured this out when my mom's Bionx battery started to die (she's ridden that bike for years) and the replacement batteries are nearly as much as a new bike.

ikonomore

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #10 on: January 20, 2014, 11:28:34 AM »
I'm in love with this idea: http://www.flykly.com. It's a smart wheel that can be attached to any bike to give a power assist. It's smart-phone operated so you can easily adjust the specs for how much assist you want. And at $590, it seems like a pretty good deal.

I would almost consider getting one of these. I love biking to work for the workout, but if I could bike (with dog in bike trailer) when I visit all my friends and family, that would be sweet. It's hard to do with the trailer though, I end up completely exhausted by the time I get there.

This wheel and the copenhagen wheel are only preorder at the moment.  No one has actually received one.  I'm waiting until a real person actually has one.

Look at the hill topper,  $500, front wheel drive, easy replacement, totally recommend getting the lithium battery to save 10 pounds.  I haven't ridden one of these but they have been shipping them for over three years.

b4u2

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Re: Anyone else riding electric bikes?
« Reply #11 on: January 20, 2014, 11:35:11 AM »
I've been considering a gas motor ($150 for kit). Very cheap compared to electric and still very good gas mileage. roughly 100 mpg and usually just a one gallon tank. Electric does have it's benefits but the high upfront cost keeps me away.