donrhummy

Does anyone here use an electric-assist bike for their commute?

Does it make a huge diff?

For anyone without one but a long commute - would you consider one to make the shift to a biking commute, given the prices ($1500 and up)?

Most of them give about 20-35 miles of battery assistance, with only the Giant Twist giving 70 (unless I missed another high-mileage one).

One example: https://www.treehugger.com/files/2008...ctric-bike.php
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/...ke/2257/32231/

Another example: https://www.torkerusa.com/T400E.html

And this lists a bunch of them in a comparison chart: https://www.electric-bikes.com/bikes/bikes.html

Smallwheels

I test rode a LaFree pedal assist bicycle in 2004. It had a top speed of 20 miles per hour. I couldn't make it go any faster. The range was only twenty miles on a new battery. As batteries age they have less and less storage capacity. I needed a bicycle that could do a 26 mile round trip at that time. If it would have had a forty mile range I would have bought it.

With a range of 40 miles on new batteries I would have been assured of a long useful life for the bicycle. Twenty miles was just too short.

On Saturday I saw a couple with the Giant pedal assist bicycles. They really liked them. I didn't grill them about how far they would go or how fast. We just talked for a minute while I was locking my bicycle at a store rack.

I ride a comfort frame bicycle that cost about $400.00. I bought a gas motor kit for about $600.00. I've needed to modify a few things which has added to my expenses. It has a top speed of about 25 miles per hour and gets over 130 miles per gallon.

Electric kits look great but are they as efficient in the grand scheme of things? They certainly are stealthy compared to gasoline powered motors. Personally I believe gasoline motors are more reliable. Electric motors can last a really long time. The problem with electric kits is the computerized controllers. All of them break and will need expensive specialized parts. Will your bicycle shop repair guy know how to fix a pedal assist bicycle? He probably will just say the whole electrical system will need replacing instead of saying you just need to solder this loose wire. Gas motor parts are ubiquitous.

roughrider504

One of my bicycles has a 66cc Chinese engine kit I installed. It was relatively inexpensive, took a bit of work to install and is fun to ride. But I still use my pedal bicycles just as much as the moped.

Mr York

I have an ampedbikes.com kit installed on an electra townie. I use it to commute 13 miles a day. Without the motor, it takes me 55 minutes to get to work, with the motor it take 25 minutes. I still get a good amount of exercise because I peddle all the way. But I have the option of going easy or not pedaling at all if I am not feeling good.

So far I have lost 12 pounds :-)

I go grocery shopping and other errands on my non-electric bike because I am worried about theft.

donrhummy

Cool. I think options like these (particularly the assist ones) should be pushed more heavily to the general public because it makes switching from driving to biking a more viable option.

Abneycat

I worked in an electric bicycle shop for about 8 months, and currently still maintain good relations with the shop, as I am a lead organizer and mechanic at the bike co-op across the hall.

My recommendation to anyone looking for a hybrid electric bicycle is to look at a conversion kit rather than a complete electric bicycle. Go with one that is readily available and does not use proprietary components, such as a Crystalyte so that replacement batteries and parts can be easily sourced without needing expensive or rare pieces.

One of the troubles with electric bicycles is that as mentioned by some other posters, parts and service are harder to come by. A lot of shops don't know how to diagnose or repair them. They are certainly serviceable though! Our shop was able to do every bit of maintenance needed, from repairing broken wires to replacing motor shells and circuitry. The shop is Power in Motion @ Calgary, AB. I'd highly recommend it for anyone wanting to get professional knowledge on the options out there.

Conversion kits also let you tailor things to your needs. I personally designed mine on a Rocky Mountain Hammer with an Xtracycle kit attached, then chose a battery and controller for high amperage: This turned my Xtracycle into a "mini tractor", the electric kit is very high torque and will allow me to carry 200lbs of cargo up steep hills without trouble. This is my workhorse, and I also keep a non-electric bicycle, a Bike Friday for casual riding and days where no cargo is needed.

Cost wise, I spent a total of about $1100 on my conversion kit.

Gas kits are optimal in some ways since they allow easy refills and provide good range, but electric kits have the advantage in how friendly they are - you can unintrusively mesh with other bicycles, ride on bike paths, through parks, and bring in a clean, smell free bike.

Unfortunately the initial cost of an electric bike puts a lot of people off, but they have incredible potential for utility use, and I also see a lot of commuters using them to flatten some of the steep hills one can find around here. They're worth a look into for anyone trying LCF but feeling like they're needing a bit more power to help their ride.

zephyr

Several manufacturers in China are building electric bikes by the millions every year, which will help to reduce prices on the components and improve the technology for the rest of the world. Car sales have increased exponentially in China in the last decade, but cars are still not affordable for a large percentage of workers. Electric bikes are within reach for people who can't afford a car, but still want some kind of their own transportation around the city.

mesasone

I have neither, but I really want to build a Stoke Monkey'd Big Dummy. It's just so damn expensive ($1,700 for the motor + battery, and then who knows what for the Big Dummy build), but I think it would be wonderful to have for carrying big loads up hills, medium-long distance travel (my parents live 30-35 miles away, for example), and especially during the winter where studded tires, high winds and a winter coat makes for fairly slow going. The motor is electronically limited to 25 mph I think, though that seems just about right.

I've seen the various electric wheel kits, but has anybody seen anything else similar to the Stoke Monkey, where it drives the crank like the stoker on a tandem? That seems like such a great way to do it, as the motor can use the mechanical advantage provided by the derailers, which I can only assume would be far more efficient than just driving the wheel.

Smallwheels

In Montana assisted bicycles are legally limited to a top speed of 30 miles per hour and can't have multiple gears. Any motor assist hooked up to the gears would be illegal. That makes me wonder about the legality of pedal assist bicycles here.

xtrajack

I have a e-assist xtracycle, I love it. I have had some issues with chargers/batteries. However my source for my kit is very good with customer service. So major issues.

Allen