Anyone into electric cycling? Electric Bicycles

[LeftieBiker]

Yeah, great. Climb a big hill, cook your battery. I guess that won't be such a big concern, though, as the 250 watt motor guarantees that people will have to use that convenient frame design to sling the bike over their shoulders and carry it up any and all big hills.

[BrockWI]

That seems pricey for what it is.

If I had to do it again I would likely go with the Ride 1 up LMT'd
https://ride1up.com/product/lmtd-2/
It's lighter, and has a built in battery and more low end torque.

[LeftieBiker]

Yes, that looks good. I need a rear rack and fenders, though, and I don't like built-in batteries because they do deteriorate sooner or later, and then you apparently have to buy a new bike.

I got a new Das Kit from an Ebay seller, so that I can replace the noisy hubmotor on my Metro. It's the same 500 watt geared motor rear wheel assembly the Metro uses, but either they sold me a 27" wheel in a 26" box, or the Schwalbe 26" tire is a very small 26" (despite being what is on the bike now) while the rim is a very large 26". In any case I can't get the damned tire on the wheel...

[BrockWI]

The Ride 1 Up battery is removable, it just sits "in" the U shaped frame instead of bolted on to it. They do have a "city" version as well.
https://ride1up.com/product/700-series/

For reliability and durability through I really like the Rad City, huge beefy back rack and optional front rack as well. Although for true cargo I don't think you could beat the Rad wagon
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/ ... cargo-bike

[LeftieBiker]

I considered Rad Bikes, but the prices are only reasonable if you don't want or need fenders, luggage rack, lights, etc. The motors used to be Direct Drive, and DD hubmotors aren't as good at climbing the large hills we have around here. I think they may have switched to geared motors recently. Someone here bought one, and didn't like the finicky rear brake setup...

[goldbrick]

either they sold me a 27" wheel in a 26" box, or the Schwalbe 26" tire is a very small 26" (despite being what is on the bike now) while the rim is a very large 26". In any case I can't get the damned tire on the wheel...

Certain rim/tire combinations can be a real pain to mount but be sure you have the right tire for the rim. There are lots of different terms used to describe tire size but the least ambiguous is the ISO number.

For 26" (mtn bike tires) the ISO size is 559.
There were also 26" tires used on old Schwinns (weird, Schwinn-specific sizes) and old English 3-speeds (650A) = ISO 590.
There is also 650B aka 27.5 tires/wheels that are ISO 584.
Some triathalon bikes use 650C which is ISO 571.
Normal road bike tires (700C) are ISO 622.
27" rims/tires (USA market only) are ISO 630.

The ISO size of often printed on the tire sidewall. The only ones that are easy to confuse are 700C and 27". Any other tires will be WAY off in size and they won't even be close to fitting. If the tire is a '26" tire' and it almost fits, it is probably the right size and you are just dealing with a tolerance issue on the tightness of the fit. You can use tire irons to get the tire onto the rim but do be careful to not pinch the tube. Also, different styles of rim tape can make a difference. You might try to put the tire on with no tube first. If it goes on that way, it's the right size and it might stretch a bit over the course of a few days making subsequent mountings easier.

[LeftieBiker]

I've been getting this same info at EndlessSphere.com, but thanks. The tire seems to say 559. I can get one side of the tire on the rim, but not the other. The tire may be damaged at this point.

[GRA]

ABG:

It was a massive year for electric bikes and scooters

Adoption has soared throughout the pandemic

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/12/19/ele ... irus-2020/

[LeftieBiker]

A new trend this year has been to offer sub-$1k electric bikes with decent components but no suspension at all, save an available suspension seatpost. Good enough for the young, I guess...

[nedion]

A new trend this year has been to offer sub-$1k electric bikes with decent components but no suspension at all, save an available suspension seatpost. Good enough for the young, I guess...

We also need to check the quality of the battery. If this is an irreplaceable part, then I understand why the price is so attractive (