I'm also in Bethesda. Ha who would have guessed. Guess I'm not as stealthy as I think. I believe I'd be taking some of the Bethesda Trolley Trail to work and as I get closer down to Battery Ln. I might either take sidewalks into downtown or that trail that goes upto bethesda row... Never biked it so I dunno yet.
Yeah, I know all those areas.
I built my first ebike in 2009.
Funny story, I was browsing in Big Wheel Bikes, when I saw this mountain bike all dusty and neglected in the corner and I asked the sales guy about it. "Yeah, it's a 2003, we lost it in the warehouse and we just dug it out
It had a big triangle space for batteries, so I bought it for half of the new MSRP(in '03).
I still have it, although it has undergone 4 or 5 motor/battery changes;
But that first build was just a frt. geared mini-motor and a good "rack battery" and although it only did 22 to 23 mph, I rode it all over Beth. and DC. The bike paths over towards Chev. Chase/Kens., the Canal paths, Beach Dr. on weekends and, Breach Dr. at nite when it was closed
The Capt Park Pol. never bothered me.
I rarely rode on sidewalks or in the traffic lanes, one learns to to pick one's routes, that's half the fun. As far as hills were concerned, there were only a few in Gtown, but there is always a way around them.
All of which brings me to my point.
There are two types of ebikes, those that go up to 25 mph and those which go (much) faster.
The sub 25 mph(assist) bikes retain their bicycle feel, can be built for low cost w/ less ebike dedicated accessories.
Ebike that go safely(sort of)30, 35mph and faster are a whole different animal.
35mph on a bicycle is way fast and pretty soon the rider is thinking about bigger brakes, wider wheels and tires for stability, involved gearing to try and pedal along and more battery(speed takes lot's of batt.). Costs start to snowball.
W/ a commute of only 5 miles, you don't need anything more than a 350 Watt geared mini-motor, even if that means changing your proposed route to stay off busy roads. In fact, you will start to explore different(longer)routes, because ebiking is so much fun you don't want to arrive home yet.
All the time here, we hear about the $600 build that goes 35 mph, but don't think that is something you want, or can, do for long. You don't need the speed, or if you do, buy a motorcycle. Yeah, there are guys on here that have Ebikes that go 40 plus mph and they ride in traffic. But they are Pros and have $1000's invested in their rides. gcindc is one.
Here is a $1000 mini-motor bike I just built;
It goes 20 to 22 mph, is dead Quiet and nobody realizes it's an ebike. I use LiPoly and there's 8Ah packed into the sm. frame bags and water bottle(about 15 mile range, depending on how hard I pedal). I bought the mint cond. 2007 GT bike(Quality bike made in Taiwan) on Craigs. for $350. Used mountain bikes are the best value in ebiking. The ones more than 5 years old w/ 26" wheels are considered obsolete by the serious MB guys and can be had for a song. So if your donor bike doesn't work out, don't give up, save up a little more and start watching Craigs. You'll be glad you did.
P.S. If you are interested in this type of ebike, this would be a good thread to ck. out;
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49691
