Anyone have an E Bike?

[Bluside]

I'm thinking of getting one. Turning 63 next month and I'm not biking the distance that I used to. I sold my carbon road bike about 2 years ago but still have my mountain bike. Although I use slicks on it for just street and paved trail riding. I figure an hour of riding is an hour of riding. It would be nice to cover more miles.

I just started looking at the higher end electric bikes from Trek, Specialized, Cannonade, and Giant to name a few. I don't mind spending the money for a good one, but the good ones are hard to find at a bike shop around here.

Anyone have one? Any recommendations?

[Bikewer]

I’m a police officer, and I’ve done bike patrol for years. We hosted the IPIMBA conference here last week, and a bunch of vendors had an “expo” of sorts.

Our department took two of the demo e-bikes to try out.

I rode the “fat tire” model from “Rad Power” yesterday.

Interesting. Before you turn on the motor, this impresses you as a really big, heavy bicycle. About 70 pounds. However, once you turn on the battery it becomes quite manageable. Quite pleasant to ride, actually. The power is adjustable for 5 different levels, and you have a 5-speed rear cogset.

So, by juggling power output and gear ratio, you can address just about any condition. At the upper settings, the boost is considerable...

Most folks will likely go for the more-conventional “city” model. I haven’t got to ride it yet... But it’s much lighter than the fat-tire job.

Overall, I was pretty impressed. Especially for older folks or people with wonky knees or whatever, these bikes may keep you riding....

[Long Jon]

Hi Blu ! I’ve got one, had it about 4 or 5 years now and they of course tend to advance the tech every week.

Mine is a quality machine tho’ , best (and most expensive ) thing available at that time, it's a German made Kalkhoff S.10, with a centre drive Bosch motor assisting the crank.

It is NOT a “twist and go”, you have to pedal, there are various power settings and you can even ride it with power off, but they are hefty beasts, so not recommended. I always go straight to the most powerful, “Hooligan” mode.

I have ridden bicycles all my life and still have a nice drop bar, lightweight, modern, Cannondale road bike. (I’m 67 now, FYI.)

“Pedalecs” as this category of e-bike are known, are wonderful to ride , just ride it like any other bike, but the motor assistance immediately kicks in and gives you bionic powers, fantastic up hill, or into the wind.

The stoopid UK top speed limit for electric bikes is a measly 15 mph, which is crazy, as any reasonably fit cyclist can cruise along all day at 16 - 20 mph on a normal bicycle.

I believe the US limit is a more realistic 20 mph before the power cuts out.

My one , like I said, is a GERMAN import, so not restricted, apparently, it can do 30 ! (Only on private roads of course .... ahem ....)
In fact I have never managed to go fast enough for the motor speed limiter to kick in.

So, can’t help you with what’s available today, (although this year’s flagship Kalkhoff looks fantastic.)

I can tell you that they are great fun, mine has been totally reliable and a pleasure to ride.

Happy Trails !

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Bluside

I'm thinking of getting one. Turning 63 next month and I'm not biking the distance that I used to. I sold my carbon road bike about 2 years ago but still have my mountain bike. Although I use slicks on it for just street and paved trail riding. I figure an hour of riding is an hour of riding. It would be nice to cover more miles.

I just started looking at the higher end electric bikes from Trek, Specialized, Cannonade, and Giant to name a few. I don't mind spending the money for a good one, but the good ones are hard to find at a bike shop around here.

Anyone have one? Any recommendations?

I think the Cannonade has the most explosive acceleration

Sorry could not resist . My friend has a Specialized (not sure which model ) and loves it .

[Bluside]

Thanks for the replies. None of my local bike shops have any of the higher end ones in stock. I can't blame them. It's a big investment for a niche' market right now.

I spent a good 20 minutes with a customer service rep for Trek today. He was steering me towards the XM700+.

[Bluside]

Originally Posted by KevWind

I think the Cannonade has the most explosive acceleration

Sorry could not resist .

That took me a minute. Little slow today. Good one.

[buddyhu]

I have ridden a friend's Pedego a couple of times; it offers both a "twist and go" throttle as well as the pedal assist. I enjoyed it, and like the idea of being able to ride until I am tired and then rely on the throttle to get me home. It is also nice to use the throttle in town to go from a standing stop to 15 or 20 mph with no effort, and then take over with normal or assisted pedaling.

The thing I don't like about the Pedegos is the weight distribution is hard to get used to: the batteries are perched at the height of a fender or rack on the back wheel, and the battery is about one third of the weight of the bike, so it definitely feels top heavy as you walk it around or any time you get into a bit of a lean without moving at a good rate of speed.

I intend to test ride some other e-bikes this Summer to see if there is one that will feel better overall.

[ManyMartinMan]

I have one and had one previously. They are fantastic. It's not my road bike or mountain bike but for running around at 25 miles an hour using as mucho, or as little, muscle power as you want, they are great. I have one of the 70ish pounds, fat-tire models with 8 manual speeds and 5 power settings. You can zip around in the city (or country if that's where you live) for about 25 miles without charging. It recharges in 6 hours if completely drained. If you want quality and dependability expect to spend upwards of $3,000.

[imwjl]

I'll be pedaling as much and far and hard as I can until it's over, but the impressive one I've seen up close and in action is Trek's Super Commuter.