Anyone Ever Ridden an Electric Bike?

[Python]

Before I gave Allie a good home, I'd been toying with the idea of getting an electric bike. Just curious, has anyone ever ridden one and if so, what did you think of it?

[inatree]

i rode one for about a month or so. its only my opinion, but i think a road bike is just as good, if not better. they are very heavy, and the charge eventually runs out of course, so you have to be able to store it where you can plug it in. the batteries come off of some of them so you can carry it and plug it in, or prevent theft. however, the batteries themselves are quite heavy, and carrying it around while shopping or something is not very realistic. there are kinds that use levers near the handlebars that power the bike, or ones that use the pedals to create power. i know i am not very good with bike terms, sorry! i never remember the names of things but i always remember what they are and for, which doesnt help me explain it, i know.

the upside to them is you can go faster with less work, of course, but not too much faster than a road bike. i could get up to around 30mph (no computer) on flat road. its much easier on the body for a long commute (if your particular battery can hold enough juice for a long commute!)

the downside is they are HEAVY. if your battery runs out and you arent able to recharge it, you have to ride with the dead battery which can be very challenging on the hills, if not impossible on some steep ones. also, you have to be very careful with rain. they usually come with covers in case it rains, but you cant get any water on the battery ever.
however, i have seen ones with pretty small batteries. maybe they are lighter, i dont know.

i stopped using mine because i just wasnt enjoying it. i worry about everything, and i did not like stressing about how i was going recharge the battery, and how much juice it had left in it everytime i left. also, i had a few technical problems and ended up having to take the battery in a few times.

one more thing, they attract a lot of attention. people will be staring at you. i personally hate being stared at, but there are lots of people that like it!

but thats just me. :P hope that helped a little...

[Python]

That was the one thing that put me off them - the weight if the battery power ran out. Most of them weigh just over the 88lb mark which is heavier than me. I didn't envisage too much of a problem riding one because I also ride a motorbike and that's a lot heavier.

However, over here in the UK, they are strictly governed by regulations and cannot go faster than 15mph on the motor alone. Strangely, if you use the motor and pedal for all you're worth, you can exceed 15mph. As it happens I found myself a lovely bike for £18 - a Raleigh ladies racer and it cleaned up beautifully. She's a very lightweight bike and I've been enjoying leisurely rides with her. The fastest I've gone on her has been 22mph - so far. The hills are not giving me too much problem now and I'm sure as I ride her more and further every day, my stamina will build up.

In other words, I think I'll stick with the bike I've got

[wannaduacentury]

I test rode one for fun back in the summer. I thought they were neat and they're like $1299 or more. Very comfy, but you would probably benefit its use better if you lived in a urban neighborhood. The battery does help w/ hills, but it's HEAVY. It wouldn't do me any good out in the sticks, but cool bike.

[salsabike]

That's how Mr. Salsa got back into cycling. He got an electric bike to commute on, switched to his old road bike after getting into shape over months on the electric--and then I started using it, and that's how I got into real cycling shape. It was great for the purpose. It IS so heavy that it once knocked me over at a stoplight.

[NovaFun]

I commute to work on an e-bike. I love it. There are two kinds of electric bikes, one is called a pedelec, and it means that the electric motor kicks in automatically when you pedal, based on how much effort you put forth. Sometimes a pedelec offers an additional controller for the level of electric assist you want. An e-bike's electric motor is controlled with a throttle, so the rider can set how much electric assist she wants (including none at all).

Python mentioned that electric bikes are often over 88 lbs. For the older models with lead-acid batteries, that's true. However, as battery technology has improved, so has the weight of the bikes. My folding e-bike with battery is 51 lbs. Not exactly light, I realize, but it is not too heavy for me to lift up my front steps to my house. It's part of my workout. Some electric bikes are in the 40-45 lb. range.

My e-bike is rideable on flat ground and downhill with no electric assist at all. On a hill, the electric is wonderful but also needed due to the weight of the bike. One of the roads I ride on to work has minimal, slow-moving traffic and wide lanes, but also several hills. If it weren't for the electric assist, I wouldn't be riding that road, despite its otherwise great arrangement for cycling. I could do it on a "regular" bike, but I would be so burned out that I'd likely ride less often and be less motivated to ride in general. That's just me.

The other thing I love about the e-bike is that it gets me out of intersections and other tough spots very swiftly. Granted, if I were an experienced cyclist, this wouldn't be an issue, but as an occasional recreational cyclist who has recently started commuting by bike, I find this very helpful. When a traffic light turns green I can get up to speed quickly. As I get more fit and experienced, I can use the electric assist less often.

One downside with the electric bike is the higher cost, but a conventional bike can be converted to electric for a few hundred dollars. There is the additional expense of replacement batteries, however. Also, I have to keep my battery charged, but since I have a charger at home and at work, this hasn't been an issue for me. Another downside could be the attention it gets from the general public, but in my experience, most people don't seem to notice I'm riding an electric bike. Schwinn is coming out with a new line of electric bikes next year, and the battery and motor are hidden so well it's hard to tell they are electric. I'm sure other manufacturers will follow Schwinn's lead in terms of design.

Overall, I think electric bikes are fantastic. They're not for everyone, but for those people who want to level out their pedaling effort, improve their fitness gradually, or who can't pedal too much due to health concerns, they may be what you're looking for.