Electric Bikes

[Harvey]

Maybe this should be in the other thread, maybe not.

Anyone have any experience with an electric bike? They are everywhere around here now.

Wondering if they could be used to 20 miles round trip, with groceries, in hilly terrain. In the cold. Not extreme cold, but cold. Seems like some have range up to 80 miles, but those tests are on flat ground in warm weather. Those estimates seem to be done without any pedaling added.

One thing I like about the bike is that they are kind of hybrid. If you really run out, you could pedal. Yea those bikes are heavy and the last part of my ride would be uphill, but you could still extend range by pedaling on the flats.

 

[Campgottagopee]

Buddy of mine uses one during deer season to ride out to his stand. He claims the cold doesn't bother it.

 

[Harvey]

Buddy of mine uses one during deer season to ride out to his stand. He claims the cold doesn't bother it.

How far is that? Is there much vert on the ride?

 

[Endoftheline]

Bike w a motor, that's cheating.

 

[Low Angle Life]

Bike w a motor, that's cheating.

What if that bike with a motor is replacing car trips, grocery getting? Still cheating? It ain't always a race.

 

[Tjf1967]

My sister has two ebikes, Specialized mtb bikes. We rode 20 miles in below freezing weather. Big climbs up Sugarloaf trails. She didn't plug it in and we went out again the next day for another long ride without any danger of running out of juice. They can assist for close to 100 miles depending on the setting.

 

[Ripitz]

Friggin’ ebikes.

 

[jasonwx]

I see a lot on local mtb trails
I always comment on the nice motorcycles. To be honest I’m a bit jealous. Unfortunately the one I want is 8k.

 

[Campgottagopee]

Bike w a motor, that's cheating.

Not if you're in a dirt bike race

 

[Ripitz]

Maybe this should be in the other thread, maybe not.

Anyone have any experience with an electric bike? They are everywhere around here now.

Wondering if they could be used to 20 miles round trip, with groceries, in hilly terrain. In the cold. Not extreme cold, but cold. Seems like some have range up to 80 miles, but those tests are on flat ground in warm weather. Those estimates seem to be done without any pedaling added.

One thing I like about the bike is that they are kind of hybrid. If you really run out, you could pedal. Yea those bikes are heavy and the last part of my ride would be uphill, but you could still extend range by pedaling on the flats.

I use an ebike as my daily driver instead of a car. 20 miles should be no problem for most bikes. It all depends on the size of the battery and what level of assistance you are using. I have one commute that’s 12 miles one way and I can do it in 30 minutes. 24 mph as an average is very fast and I have enough battery for the return. My other commute is 40 miles round trip with more than half of that on gravel over the mountains. For that I usually charge while at work or bring an extra battery. You can extend the range very far if you go slow but that’s boring and you might as well be on an acoustic bike at that point. The bike that I have is a class 3 pedelec with no throttle. It has a torque sensor that provides more power the harder you crank, so it incentivizes you to pedal faster. I haven’t found much drop in range in the cold. They key is to not let the batteries freeze. I keep the battery inside until I’m ready to ride. The battery creates its own heat while being used. I made a wrap that I cut from a sleeping pad that helps retain the heat. If I’m skiing I tuck rechargeable hand warmers under the wrap while I’m away. I’ve had no problems even at 20F.