ging

I am semi retired and would like to try electric bike on the back of my motorhome on our next trip.
I am wondering when the battery is depleted how much harder is it to ride the bike?
which brands are the Cadillac's of the industry?
thank you

dabac

With an ebike, you’re still lugging the battery and the motor around when the battery goes out. And some ebikes seem to have gearing ratio optimized for motor assist.
With that said, my mid-motor ebike rides fairly well w/o assist. As well as can be expected considering weight, ride position and gearing ratio.
Hub motor bikes are supposed to add more rolling resistance off power, but I can’t verify or quantify that.

2old

You can remove the battery on most ebikes, but still have a 10 - 15 pound weight penalty, so some extra resistance; also, gearing that may not be optimal (I changed my front chainring to resolve this issue). All OEM mid-drives (AFAIK) have geared motors (look at the tutorial on ebikesca or wiki to learn the differences between geared and direct drive), so have minimal extra resistance. Some hub drives have geared motors too. Some individuals claim their DD motors have no resistance, but not in my experience. You'll need to ride the OEM's to find the Cadillac IMO since many are "you too".

ging

thank you, very good information

Doc_Wui

My first ebike was a conversion of a relatively heavy steel frame Trek mountain bike. It added 12 pounds, but I compensated by losing 20 pounds. Sad to say, 10 pounds came back every winter and it would be gone by May. This year, with endless winter, that 10 pounds is still there. I have work to do.

From my test rides,commercially available ebikes that I've ridden have little if any drag w/o power. I tried direct drive motors like on the Stromer and Elby to derive that conclusion. Geared motors should only have the drag of their internal clutches. Someone who rides a 22 pound road bike can probably feel that, but an old guy like me, no way.

Nonetheless, if you haven't been riding regularly, a good ebike will still feel pretty heavy w/o power at first. However, it's rare that users come home without power. They learn to manage their riding.

Many bike enthusiasts gravitate toward faster Class III mid motor ebikes which are pedal assist only. Those tend to be the Cadillacs as they cost the most. But they don't go unless you pedal them, even if the pedaling is like butter.,

I would recommend a Class II that has both throttle and pedal assist for someone who is less enthusiastic. They limit out at 20 mph, which is plenty for most riders. The dreaded throttle is not considered sporting and might even get your bike confiscated in NYC, but is great for starting at a crosswalk and for a little boost up a hill.

Anyway, all my bikes have throttles but I ride with pedal assist for exercise.

MikeDD

You should check out Electric Bike Review.

electricbikers

Thank you for your valuable opinion & exact information.