E Bike Info Wanted

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Geezer

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I've been thinking about an e bike for grins and giggles. My work is about 2 miles away and I could use it to commute. I have watched some You Tube videos and checked out some websites. Does anyone have any firsthand experience with an e bike? If I have to wear Spandex, I'll just forget it.
 
Some of the E-bikes are ban from building like college dorms, many apartment/condo buildings, etc because of pyrophoric problems … do some deeper diving on the brands you might consider.
 
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I am clueless, but I did see the story about a press conference in NYC where they stated they had about 250 fires and around 100 deaths last year due to E-bike batteries. Some of that is likely Darwinism, but I’d store it in a shed or detached garage. House fires kinda suck.
 
I have 2. Both from Juiced. I went with the Ripcurrent S and my wife's is the same with a step through frame. You may like the cross current model since it's more road oriented with skinnier tires.
Juiced bikes have both a torque sensor and a cadence sensor. These are what tell the motor when to assist and how much. The brakes cut motor power as well. You're going to want those features.
Ebikes are 80 pounds. You don't notice with the battery powering the motor assist, but if you need to lift them for storage or to get them up stairs to an apartment that's something to think about.
Juiced started as a battery company. They're the only company I know of that makes batteries that are UL listed, and that speaks to the safety.
My bike was delivered to have battery assist up to 20 mph, but it can be unlocked in programming to allow 28 mph while peddling. It's stuck at 20 mph with throttle only and no peddling.
The experience is excellent. It's perfectly capable of replacing a car for short trips. My wife and I use them to ride into town 3 miles away for lunch and beer garden time. I've got a basket that's removable for my bike that attaches to the rear rack. Great for grabbing 3 bags of groceries once they're cinched under a bungee net.

Watch for sales around holidays. Never pay full price because sales are frequent and typically worth like $400 off, sometimes more.

Let me know if you have specific questions.
 
I've had a couple of different types of e-bikes, starting with one to keep me going when I was recovering from hip replacement. I have one that's in the BST now, coz now that im fully recovered I ride a manually-powered bike for exercise. You can read about the e-bike here: https://www.carolinafirearmsforum.com/index.php?threads/electric-cargo-bike.143950/

Like most things, what you want depends on how you're gonna use it. The store-bought bikes have gotten much better over the last few years, but the low end hub motor bikes are kind of gutless. OK for moderate easy rides on level ground. I wanted one that I could be more comfortable mixing it with traffic and hills, and that means a mid-drive, driving through the bike's gear train. I also wanted some real range, and that means a big battery. I think you could weld steel with mine. You need to have a healthy respect for the batteries, if they are damaged or improperly charged, they can make a real serious fire. I only charge mine when I am able to be in or around the garage while it's on the charger.

If you care about more than just a little tailwind while riding, be prepared to spend some money. What @Timfoilhat says about weight is true too – I'm guessing mine weighs about 65 lbs. I can hoist it into the back of a pickup but it takes some loud grunting.

Luna Cycle, who built mine, offers semi-custom high-performance bikes and kits. I've been very pleased with mine, and if I was going to buy something like this again, I would certainly look at them. They do assume the user will have a reasonable level of experience with bicycles and stuff. https://lunacycle.com/ PM me if you think you might want the one I have in the BST; I'll make you a deal and will figure out how to ship it.
 
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Thanks, @Timfoilhat . I have been pondering an e bike for a while now and so has my buddy. Last weekend he bought a Velotric Nomad 1. I am going to go see him later today and if it's not raining I may get to ride it.


@Red Marley , I still have a lot of research to do. I do like the "dresser" so I can haul home a few things. I'm in a small town and traffic isn't bad and Texas has very wide paved shoulders on the roads. I don't need an off road mountain bike, just something to ride around here for fun and relaxation and maybe to work and back. Maybe we can work something out.
 
I went to Katy yesterday and was able to ride my buddy's Nomad 1 e bike. I think the bike weighs about 75 pounds but feels light as a feather when I rode it. It has 8 gears and 5 power settings. I only used pedal assist the whole time I rode it. In 1 and pedaling it would go 9 MPH. I was able to get it into 5 it felt like it was moving pretty fast. I stopped and turned around and when I started pedaling, it almost came out from under me. It was still in 5. I guess you need to remember to downshift.

I'm going to give the e bike some more thought. I need to decide if it would just be a new novelty or something I would use.
 
Yeah, it’s not exactly like riding a bicycle or a motorcycle, you gotta pay attention to different things. It becomes natural pretty quickly though.
 
Might want to look into the e-bike from blaupunkt. Folds small, only weighs 46lbs , mostly magnesium, and can still be rolled into the corner when folded. 20 mph and 20 miles on power. Removable battery, I was impressed it could push my 225lb carcass uphill. Was on sale for $1200 at a time
 
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