Electric Bikes

[Busdriver63]

I just read the thread concerning electric cars. This seems to be as good as time as any to get people’s thoughts on ebikes. I’ve been procrastinating about modifying my mountain and turning in into an ebike. One of the local shops is willing to do it. I’m thing about getting the Bafang mid motor kit. I’ve got some decent hills to deal with, what are people’s thoughts. Thinking about buying from Luna bikes.

[Aspiring]

I don't have much experience with a conversion but I have been an ebike advocate since 2014 I am an avid cyclists and have been cycle commuting for a very long time. Even so an ebike changed my life.

They are awesome. It is so much more versatile than a regular bike if the purpose is transportation combined with exercise.

I can ride short distances without getting sweaty and not need to change / shower for short rides but still get fresh air and walking level exercise or I can run at the same exercise level as riding without a motor but cover more distance faster so it expands the useable range I can think about biking for an errand.

I can run errands within a five mile range at about the same time cost as driving.

For the hike itself i have a haibike bosch motor. I bought my elderly dad one that used a bafang motor but as a pre built bike.

His is cadence sensor only not torque sensing. The torque sensing really does feel a lot more like riding a bike. Other than that the bafang worked.

I still love taking my very nice road bike for pleasure rides but for getting some where my full suspension ebike is faster more comfortable and way more convenient.

Oh and for those getting on in years for my 85 year old dad we installed a dropper seatpost so that he can raise and lower the seat to make throwing his leg over much easier. That helped a lot as well.

[Dirk Hofman]

Don't know about conversions, but my wife's e-bike has been a game changer for her. She's got basically no cartilage left in the knees, and hasn't been able to join us riding until the e-bike.

They're making some incredible e-mountain bikes these days. The Specialized Turbo Levo SL has turned my head, as it's 36 lbs! That's getting close to regular bike weights. We're seeing more and more of them around here as there is a ton of climbing on almost all the local trails in Santa Cruz and nearby. More climbs = more downhills, so it's really enticing. I'm not quite there yet, but when some in the group make the switch I think it's going to make everyone take the plunge.

[Neil K Walk]

I'm not sure I like the idea of a mountain bike being fitted for an electric drivetrain. If endurance is an issue you're going to need that motor to lug a 40 pound bike up hills.

[imwjl]

I have some experience. Lots of associates with them, working with some older and ill people to get them on trails.

Part of our putting off the electric car purchase is serious consideration of an e-assist bike for work commuting where I have to shuttle some tools and get too sweaty if I have to make the pedal (4.5 mi) between two sites too fast.

Don't get anything but quality is my observation.

They are super popular in my metro area where the main city and some surrounding have really good planning. We have what I think of as some bike freeways or superhighways that keep thousands of cars off their corresponding streets and roads. I smile when I see a same woman putt putting along in AM wearing fancy work clothes and in PM she's hammering on a long grade in athletic clothes probably going 22-25 MPH when that would be near impossible for me to sustain pedaling on my own.

The bike share system in this metro area switched to e-assist bikes and that upped participation.

Check out the Harley-Davidson line that's been in the news. A friend is one of the engineers who did that product line. Some other friends and acquaintances are the people behind Trek's offerings. I have some bias for Trek knowing many in the firm but they're a good firm with good products regardless.

[J Patrick]

I have had my E-bike for a year now......I love it.....I suggest you demo one and see how you like it....

...if you’re a serious mountain biker you’ll need to spend a lot of money to get a model that is light and agile enough to handle challenging terrain....a conversion could be the best way to go...

[Scott O]

Dylan, Newport '65. Pick a side.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Scott O

Dylan, Newport '65. Pick a side.

Not exactly. In being a trail builder, bike park director and leader in the groups who manage it all I've had some interesting experiences. A 79 year old many couldn't hold back the tears thanking the trail builders when he was pointing out what his e-assist bike has enabled. An associate got his terminally ill dad on an e-assist bike.

At the moment I have fun beating my brother and his woman pedaling while they e-assist but only in my 60s some age and wear issues are coming up and I see there will probably be a time when an e-assist bike will let me stay on the trails where building them has been a significant accomplishment in my life. Not exactly being done a the sport as happens.

I've seen peer pressure change where parents got their kids an e-assist MTB.

[J Patrick]

...just a follow up on my earlier post....I got my E-bike last year when I was in Seattle receiving proton radiation treatment for prostate cancer....I was pretty puny and wanted to get out on the Burke-Gilman bike trail which runs through Bothell where I was staying during my 11 weeks of daily treatments....I rode more than 20 miles most every day which kept me in reasonably good health and spirits...

...the cool thing about E assistance is that you can dial up as much or little as you want...when I had it wound up and was going really quick serious road riders would come up and draft behind me...when I wanted to work a little harder I dialed down the assistance...it’s very easy to get just the level of exertion you want...

....my bike is a monstrous fat tire bike made by RadRunner.....I chose that model because I visit the Oregon coast regularly and wanted something I could ride the beaches on....man o man...there’s nothing like cruising down a long sand beach at 20 mph...it’s also a great trail bike but is way too heavy and not nearly nimble enough for serious mountain biking...that’s okay...with my age and ailments the go for it gusto that I used to attack the trails with is not a wise approach anymore....

...E-bikes and sea kayaks are my recreational tools of choice these days....

[FrankHudson]

Originally Posted by Scott O

Dylan, Newport '65. Pick a side.

Every since I got my first fat tire bike (back in the early 80s when they were called mountain bikes) I've called it my "acoustic motorcycle."

[Busdriver63]

Thanks for the replies. I should have been a little clearer, it’s been years since I’ve been out in the woods. I’ve been using my old bike for rail trails, commuting, running errands, etc. etc. Those of you with ebikes, which vendors do you use or stay away from. Any brands more reliable than others? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Great website. I gotta say that I visit AGF a couple of times a day.

[Slothead56]

We have a second home on a flat barrier island in South Jersey. Bikes are part of the deal down there and we ride a lot. My wife, an avid tennis player with two bad knees, thought it would be a good idea for us to get a couple e-bikes to a) extend our range and b) fight the wind.

Now, try to find one! Like lots of things, the recent high demand for recreational items along with factory shut downs has made inventory very scarce. That not with standing we purchased two Townie Electras when we found them locally. Nothing but good things to say about them.

We ride pretty much everywhere and they are a blast.

[Bikewer]

I bought an Electra “townie” model last Spring. I call it my “old man’s bike”.

Upright riding position, swept-back bars... More of a cruiser style.

Very comfortable, and as noted above you can work as hard as you like by adjusting the amount of boost and the gearing. On full boost the steeper hills around here are effortless.
So far very reliable and the bike has solid components... And Electra is part of the Trek family so I expect good support if needed.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Busdriver63

Thanks for the replies. I should have been a little clearer, it’s been years since I’ve been out in the woods. I’ve been using my old bike for rail trails, commuting, running errands, etc. etc. Those of you with ebikes, which vendors do you use or stay away from. Any brands more reliable than others? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Great website. I gotta say that I visit AGF a couple of times a day.

I hear stay with Bosch, Shimano and Yamaha for drive systems, and I know Trek and Giant dealers have top reputations for service. Our metro area has a huge independent dealer with some bargains but it seems like they stick with a lot of stuff that has known parts and components.

[Dirk Hofman]

We shopped around a lot. E-bike tech is in its infancy, so for us, sticking with the known and proven brands made sense rather than the Chinese bikes which go for cheaper. We got my wife a Trek and it’s worked out well with a good local shop doing the service and firmware updates. Not generally a Trek fan myself, they don’t really inspire me, but reliability was a key consideration and well, the bike was for my wife.

The other option might be Canyon, a reliable direct to consumer grand out of Germany. If their offering would have been available at the time I think we’d have gone in that direction. Came out about a month after we bought the Trek. Odd though, it looks like the more budget minded hardtails are now only available in Europe. Ah well. We got a pretty nice deal on the Trek.