LeftieBiker wrote:I like that it has both pedal assist and throttle modes, and the specs I can see, like motor power, are ok for what you want. They are pretty mum about things like battery capacity and even type, though. I assume it's lithium, but given the size of the battery compartment in the frame their range estimates seem, as usual, optimistic.
Just curious, but what leads you to an ebike rather than a regular bike for these sorts of trips? Or to put it another way, what are you hoping to accomplish by riding instead of driving, that makes an ebike preferable to one you provide all the power for?mxp wrote:Hello,
I might be planning to buy a simple electric bike soon, so I am hoping the experts here can offer some feedback.
Its primarily for the occasionally errands/ ride to tuition center/ grocery shopping/ and the occasional ride to a faraway park (15 miles round trip tops); Primary users are the wife, early teen and myself. <snip>
Most casual cyclists don't spend 1k on a bike, so I'm just wondering what the OP's rationale is. For me, an e-bike makes sense for utility purposes, i.e. hilly commuting, load hauling etc. but if I'm riding for health/pleasure, I'm going to propel myself. But that's me, and everyone has their own criteria so I wondered what mxp's are, as I'm just up the bay shore from Fremont (which is virtually flat except for the eastern side). I ride the 20-30 mile round trip to/from there occasionally, sometimes on errands but more typically for recreation.LeftieBiker wrote:Most casual cyclists don't do 15 mile rides regularly (if at all). If there are hills involved, the answer seems pretty obvious.
GRA wrote:Just curious, but what leads you to an ebike rather than a regular bike for these sorts of trips? Or to put it another way, what are you hoping to accomplish by riding instead of driving, that makes an ebike preferable to one you provide all the power for?mxp wrote:Hello,
I might be planning to buy a simple electric bike soon, so I am hoping the experts here can offer some feedback.
Its primarily for the occasionally errands/ ride to tuition center/ grocery shopping/ and the occasional ride to a faraway park (15 miles round trip tops); Primary users are the wife, early teen and myself. <snip>
LeftieBiker wrote:The wheels are close enough to standard. With an 8.5AH lithium pack you get maybe 7 AH usable, for an assisted range of maybe 20-22 miles on a route with some hills. "Scootering" in throttle mode with no pedaling would get about half that, or less. The range specs always assume flat terrain, light rider, tailwind... I have a giant 20AH Ping pack on my EZIP Trailz, and that is good for maybe 35-40 miles assisted. My bike is heavier, though, and while it has more torque than hubmotor bikes, it is also louder, cruder and has less range because of the weight.
I was actually thinking of getting myself a 21st century E-bike, but they all seem to involve trade-offs, like shift and throttle on the wrong sides, no water bottle cage bosses in the frames, and hubmotors with much more power than my bike's 450 watts, but a greater chance of stalling on a steep hill...