eBikes - thoughts?

[Tnyeste]

I looked at a small folding bike for my 4200 Navigator. Liked the fat tire folding but they came in at weight up to 88 lbs. Lifting those onto the bow would be a pain. Decided on a couple EVO folding at 33 lbs. They fold up nicely and fit in bags. Then out of salt spray and easy to move around deck or into engine room. Had them for several months last summer and they are great.

[ChristineKling]

I've been on the fence about whether or not I want to get an e-bike. I enjoy pedaling the bike, but I don't go nearly as fast was Wayne does. The problem becomes an issue when we go on a bike ride together. If I want to keep up with him, it's not that much fun for me anymore. Maybe an e-bike could give me that extra assist so he doesn't have to lollygag and I don't have wear myself out trying to keep up.

So, I've been looking for an e-bike here that will still be an enjoyable pedal bike. I also want it to be light enough that I can lug it around, lift it up and down curbs, and hand it up to Wayne from the tender. Because we are here in Turkey, I'm pretty much limited to what's available locally - if I don't want to pay at minimum 28% import duty.

I've been considering the Alba Fold 2 here. The components seem to be high quality: Bafang motor and 8-speed Shimano Altus series derailleur. It's a 250W motor, 36V battery, but it only weighs about 43 pounds and the price (kitted out the way I would want it) is around $1100.00.

For some reason you have to scroll down to the footer of their website to click on the UK flag to turn the website into English. https://alba-ebikes.com/products/alba-fold-comfort

[mvweebles]

One of my best friends is an avid cyclist and rides a good 100 miles per week with a group of seniors (he's 66). His wife is fairly fit and athletic and 15 years younger, but is no more than 5'1" and might be 115 lbs on a good day. They both try to minimize their footptint and like to ride for errands. They bought a Tern eBike for her and he rides a conventional road bike. Works well for them.

Peter

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by Benthic2

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned is there are 2 very distinct types of ebikes. One that has the motor in the rear wheel hub and one that has the motor in the bottom bracket, ( the front sproket ). There are substantial differences and it's been too long since I was knowledgeable about them for me to list them, but if you are going to buy one, you should know the differences.

Conversion kits also include a front wheel hub motor.

[badu11]

Check out Jupiter x5. Folding, light, decent quality, and reasonably priced. We purchased a refurbished unit and saved a few bucks. It has been holding up fairly well, some light surface rust for the past year that we owned it. I don't know of about their support as I have not had to call them.

[Jimmy and the Twins]

Having owned Dahon's with the 20" wheels, which I hated, we have since always had 26" or 700 wheels. We load the bikes into the tender with the front wheels removed. A conversion kit looks good weight wise because the battery and the front wheel can be removed. Is there a disadvantage to the front wheel drive hub motor?
J

[mcarthur]

re: front motor. There's lots of discussion about it, but hub motors in general appear to be slightly less efficient than mid-drive. By putting the motor in the front, you do leave the rear for IGH which is nice (and can't be swapped around unless you have a rear-stearing bike!).
Probably the most downsides are it changes the weight distribution quite a lot, and the power can only work when the tyre is on the road. Neither of these is terribly bad unless you are doing extremes - mountain biking, wheelies, etc. For the most part, on good dirt or tarmac it would be fine. On some dirt the loss of traction using the front wheel may be a problem or at least annoying, but that can also be ameliorated by fatter tyres at lower pressure.

[ksanders]

My thoughts are that most of us are probably a bit on the fat side anyway and could use some exercise.

My thoughts behind cruising are to do just that, get some exercise.

No e-bike for this old guy. I'm gonna exercise if it kills me.

[trawlercap]

We keep two Rads in the watering trough.

[HopCar]

Originally Posted by ksanders

My thoughts are that most of us are probably a bit on the fat side anyway and could use some exercise.

My thoughts behind cruising are to do just that, get some exercise.

No e-bike for this old guy. I'm gonna exercise if it kills me.

You would be surprised at how much of a workout you can get on an ebike. Bikes with different levels of pedal assist let you choose how hard you want to work.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by HopCar

You would be surprised at how much of a workout you can get on an ebike. Bikes with different levels of pedal assist let you choose how hard you want to work.

I agree HopCar. Instead of going 2-miles on a regular bike, I'll go 5+ miles on an eBike and exert similar overall effort. A good friend in Miami who is approaching 70 and an avid cyclist uses an eBike for errands and such. His big thing is he doesn't show up someplace drenched in sweat.

My goal in getting an eBike is transportation within an arbitrary 5-10 mile radius. For me, hills and intense heat/humidity are limits that an eBike helps overcome. If I could get similar benefits on a non-motorized bike and not worry about the weight, expense, and corrosion, would definitely be the route I'd take.

Peter

[mvweebles]

I received my eBike two days ago. Cool ride. Broadly, there are two modes. Pedal assist which provides extra power oomph when you're pedaling. And "scooter" mode where you don't pedal. On flat pavement, it's pretty easy to maintain 25 mph which is nice on busier streets with moderate pedaling.

Battery weighs in at almost 9-lbs, so the 65 lb weight can be trimmed a bit. Due to size and weight, not optimum for a boat unless you have an accessible dinghy crane and at a marina.

Its slick transportation. Will definitely get a lot of use out of it for terrestrial use.

You do get what you pay for. Although this bike at $1600 is a great deal, there are some features on a +$3000 eBike that are worthy.

For anyone considering an eBike, check out REI. Their prices are decent and their support fantastic. The small online retailer I bought from is okay, but I've had a problem with the charger and reaching them has been very slow.

We have a small camper van which these will be perfect for. And exploring the Florida beach communities. Possible on a boat.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Peter

[HopCar]

Just returning from a fishing trip to the St John’s River in Florida. We stayed in Blue Springs State Park. Saw a lot of bicycles. I bet close to half were electric.

[WhidbeyMac]

My wife and I each have a Pedigo boomerang. We have room in our cockpit and keep a cover over them. They do weigh about 60lbs but they are well worth as we can travel 40+ miles on a single charge. It definitely made getting around a much more enjoyable visit to different areas. We tried the folding bikes (Rad), but found they ended up taking more room then our standard bikes and the rides are much more comfortable on our Pedigo’s.

[koliver]

Originally Posted by ChristineKling

I've been on the fence about whether or not I want to get an e-bike. I enjoy pedaling the bike, but I don't go nearly as fast was Wayne does. The problem becomes an issue when we go on a bike ride together. If I want to keep up with him, it's not that much fun for me anymore. Maybe an e-bike could give me that extra assist so he doesn't have to lollygag and I don't have wear myself out trying to keep up.

I bought Janet an e-bike a year ago, but on our first ride together, she on e, me on my road bike, I observed that when going up hills, she would get ahead, down or on the level, I would. Thus we wouldn't be together very often. This has led to many fewer rides together than we had planned. On our present vacation, we brought only the road bikes and cycle together 100% of the time.
It doesn't take much effort to match speeds when on the road bikes. Tell Wayne he needs to get into a lower gear to avoid getting out ahead
If you really want to match speeds, I .highly recommend both riding the same, e-bikes or road bikes

[mvweebles]

UPDATE - I've had my Ride1Up eBike for a few weeks, and have been using it in Ensenada for parts-runs and shopping. Can really carry a load - I've had up to about 80-lbs of junk (windlass, bronze fittings, etc). Nice to have the motor in many circumstances - there are not many shoulders here, though drivers are very polite to bicyclists. Having the throttle for extra boost to start-off quickly or get through an intersection quickly is a decent safety feature.

The biggest down-side is theft potential, though that's a concern for any decent bike.

Range has been a non-issue. I've done about 16-miles in one trip and was about half-down on battery.

Pedal-assist mode is cool. The amount of 'assist' is adjustable - there are 5 levels of assist. Or you can just use the throttle which I do in rare circumstances (starting from a cold-start with a fully-loaded bike is great). For those who think there is zero exercise, well, it can be as little or as much as you'd like.

Things I would do differently are 1) beefier rack and maybe a HD front rack too; 2) slightly longer wheelbase (beach-cruiser style); and 3) step-thru 'girls' frame to make it easiler to mount when bike is fully loaded. When I get ready to follow KSanders south, I'll likely get a folding version.

Overall, I can definitely see the use-case for an eBike as a true vehicle replacement. The speed and agility is pretty amazing.

Peter

[JLD]

Peter, thanks for your bike review. Many of the things you discuss are why we are looking at them as well.

Received an email from Rad this morning for their new folding e-bike,


RadExpand 5 Electric Folding Bike

$1,299





Jim

[HopCar]

Rad just came out with a new folding electric bike. Looks like a good value and it’s five pounds lighter than their previous folder. https://www.radpowerbikes.com/collec...c-folding-bike

I see JLD beat me to it.

[JWellington]

For anybody who though any sort of biccycle was worth taking on board, an e- bike is even better.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by JLD

Peter, thanks for your bike review. Many of the things you discuss are why we are looking at them as well.

Received an email from Rad this morning for their new folding e-bike,


RadExpand 5 Electric Folding Bike

$1,299





Jim

Does look like a nice bike at a decent price, though I wonder how strong the folding connection is - doesn't look built-up, so I'd look at some of the better reviewers for feedback before pulling the trigger.

I knew I wanted fenders and a bike rack which was not included on many bikes and really added to the cost. The Aventon Synch looked like a nice folder too, though quite a bit more expensive. One thing I did forgot to mention is the hydraulic brakes are way-cool. Not sure how they compare to mechanical brakes, but they are sure nice - especially on a bike capable of 28 mph.

To those who say an eBike is cheating because of the motor, you will only get my attention if your dinghy has oarlocks and no outboard.

Peter