E bikes.. Thoughts?

[shaggy]

Dislike them on trails and don't agree with all the lobbying that's gone into having them classified as non-motorized to retain trail access. A lot of the available options on the lower end are just bicycle shaped objects.

For urban use, they're great. If I had a commute or a need for more of a grocery getter bike I'd consider one. As is, I prefer my real bikes and would rather get an electric motorcycle. A lot of the available options on the lower end for e-bikes are just bicycle shaped objects.

They also exist in a weird middle ground that probably makes them more dangerous. The motor assist lets riders go faster with less effort than they'd otherwise be able and that doesn't mix well with traffic for inattentive folks.

That bit. Pulling boat to storage. 25 mph school zone, a milf on an e bike was slow at the light, but caught up and was in blind spot in 3 sec. Let her go ahead... Ummm.. traffic. Lol

 

[shaggy]

Yup, a few. Demoed one of the Santa Cruz e-mtb options at a festival recently. I think having lots of experience on a normal bike offsets it, but I've seen a lot of people riding in traffic that couldn't hang otherwise and don't seem tuned into keeping themselves safe. Could just be teething issues as everyone gets used to a new thing. Sharing the road gets weirder as more types of vehicles are on

I took my 30 year old 21-speed Specialized HardRock and spent $800 on a Bafang 750watt peddle assist drive. I now have a 7 speed e-bike with a 60 mile range. It's great for running around town/regatta wheels, etc.

Exactly what I am looking for. 200ish jamis dialablo. Plus, minus diy?

 

[shaggy]

e-bikes are everywhere in the Keys, and they ride the fuckers on sidewalks and bike paths instead of the road, and MCSO has nothing to say about that. Why more pax aren’t killed is beyond me

The rental idiot rental e bikes are another category. Come on people, cyber mon is almost over.. lol We talking new or diy damn it.. 1 hr left.

 

[Bump-n-Grind]

The rental idiot rental e bikes are another category. Come on people, cyber mon is almost over.. lol We talking new or diy damn it.. 1 hr left.

fuck it.... do one of each

 

[Max Rockatansky]

These aren’t rentals, the morons are living here full time

 

[shaggy]

These aren’t rentals, the morons are living here full time

Well then, they kind of deserve it then... Culling the heard right??? We live by a state park that has a wonderful bike path system. Unfortunately, the lance wannabees take over everything around here in the summer. Would love to see a couple of those douche bags eat pavement...

 

[bridhb]

You guys on your e-bikes...(wonder if Granny is single?)

 

[tybee]

Culling the heard right???

we hear you.

 

[Hitchhiker]

I took my 30 year old 21-speed Specialized HardRock and spent $800 on a Bafang 750watt peddle assist drive. I now have a 7 speed e-bike with a 60 mile range. It's great for running around town/regatta wheels, etc.

Curious about this. I’m thinking of doing the same to my old Moots ybb. How long have you had it? How well does it run?

 

[shaggy]

Curious about this. I’m thinking of doing the same to my old Moots ybb. How long have you had it? How well does it run?

Exactly why I started this thread... Have a 2009 ish Jamis diablo that has been gathering dust since my surgeries...

 

[Rain Man]

I wanted to go down the ebike conversion trail using Lunacycle - https://lunacycle.com/bafang-bbshd-1000w-middrive-kit/ - but none of the bikes we had kicking around the house were suitable for conversion. There were various issues like incompatible frames, extra bits welded on to take the chain guard etc. etc. Take a good look at what you have before you order. Not all bikes can be converted.

Lots of advantages if you can make it work. No gov't regulations determining the power of your unit, and you can get a powerful mid-drive for a fraction of the cost of an integrated system.

 

[USA 007]

I've had my conversion going on 2 years now - 750w and 52v battery. I set it on pedal assist level 5 (out of 9), and I can comfortable cruise along at 18-20mph in 7th gear. Originally it would hit a top speed of 37mph at full throttle/pedal assist, but I modified the speed limit to 25mph max. And even that can be scary at time depending on road surface and traffic.

 

[chester]

i'm interested in the conversions too. have an '87 ritchie, would like to redo the gearing (3x7, no need for a lot of those ratios) and add power.

 

[Cal20sailor]

I've had my conversion going on 2 years now - 750w and 52v battery. I set it on pedal assist level 5 (out of 9), and I can comfortable cruise along at 18-20mph in 7th gear. Originally it would hit a top speed of 37mph at full throttle/pedal assist, but I modified the speed limit to 25mph max. And even that can be scary at time depending on road surface and traffic.

25 is plenty fast. My e-bike tops out at 18 or so. Plenty fast for this old man. In my racing youth, several crashes 25-30, none were pretty. The common denominator to each was I would wiggle my toes and if they moved, I would smile. The rest of the damage is easily fixed.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Well then, they kind of deserve it then... Culling the heard right??? We live by a state park that has a wonderful bike path system. Unfortunately, the lance wannabees take over everything around here in the summer. Would love to see a couple of those douche bags eat pavement...

The problem is these jackwagons are on the same paths as walkers and non-motorised cyclists and from some experience I can say it’s difficult to get out of the way of the motorized quickly enough. Few have lights, none have sound devices, they don’t even bother to holler a warning

 

[bridhb]

The problem is these jackwagons are on the same paths as walkers and non-motorised cyclists and from some experience I can say it’s difficult to get out of the way of the motorized quickly enough. Few have lights, none have sound devices, they don’t even bother to holler a warning

There were some people that showed up on our local, sandy off road bike trails on some sort of e-bikes with throttles instead of pedal assist. They did have pedals but rode more like motorcycles. They were destroying the berms that have taken years to build up by roosting around them. Assholes.

 

[bridhb]

Not that it matters to anyone and I don't have an e-bike and don't see one in my future as I don't have to commute to work anymore, but I am all for e-bikes for their utility and think they should be allowed in bike lanes with the rule that they give way to pedestrians and non-ebikes, like bicycles have to give way to pedestrians (and horses). I am all for pedal assist ebikes on recreational and off road trails as it gets more people out there, which is always a good thing, but yeah, they have to be responsible and slow the heck down when they encounter pedestrians or people on slower push bikes, just like normally considerate people that can go fast on push bikes do.

 

[giegs]

There were some people that showed up on our local, sandy off road bike trails on some sort of e-bikes with throttles instead of pedal assist. They did have pedals but rode more like motorcycles. They were destroying the berms that have taken years to build up by roosting around them. Assholes.

The erosion issues are under appreciated. Heavy bikes that accelerate and brake with different timing/intensity than regular bikes wear on trail structures differently. At the more extreme end, this is why we have OHV trail designations and a different set of construction standards for them. At the less extreme end there's still a need to design trail features more in line with what you might see on a downhill enduro run with tread armoring and berm reinforcement. On a per user-mile basis, these trails are significantly more expensive to design, construct, and maintain. They also require a different skillset than what most land managers have.

I haven't seen much involvement from e-bike groups when it comes to trail days and volunteering their time. They might show up for things like National Trails Day, but they're absent the rest of the year.

 

[Fah Kiew Tu]

The problem is these jackwagons are on the same paths as walkers and non-motorised cyclists and from some experience I can say it’s difficult to get out of the way of the motorized quickly enough. Few have lights, none have sound devices, they don’t even bother to holler a warning

This. If you're going 4X the speed of the people walking, fuck off of the 'shared' trails because you're endangering others. Push bikes or e-bikes, I don't care, it's all about speed & mass.

FKT

 

[bridhb]

The erosion issues are under appreciated. Heavy bikes that accelerate and brake with different timing/intensity than regular bikes wear on trail structures differently. At the more extreme end, this is why we have OHV trail designations and a different set of construction standards for them. At the less extreme end there's still a need to design trail features more in line with what you might see on a downhill enduro run with tread armoring and berm reinforcement. On a per user-mile basis, these trails are significantly more expensive to design, construct, and maintain. They also require a different skillset than what most land managers have.

I haven't seen much involvement from e-bike groups when it comes to trail days and volunteering their time. They might show up for things like National Trails Day, but they're absent the rest of the year.

Thanks...reminds me I need to renew my membership with SORBA.