Why did you get into electric bikes?

G

Grizzlybear

100 W
Joined
May 8, 2010
Messages
118
Location
UK
I got into electric bikes because my misses used to moan a lot, and not be able to keep up with me when out for a ride. So I did the decent thing and bought her an electric bike!
Then when we went out for a ride I couldn't keep up with her! so I had to convert my bike to electric, because I loved my mountain bike and couldn't get an electric bike that was as good.
 
For me an electric bicycle was a way to commute to work 10 miles.

It was the best option here in Chicago. Traffic is bad, bus/train service is slow, a regular bike is to difficult to ride 10 miles every day. So an ebike was the best option.

An ebike is a brilliant idea, unfortunately the market is still in its infant stages and a vast majority of consumers have never heard of an ebike.. The ebike boom wont happen until gas is $5 or more. IMO
 
My kid found an old crappy broken stinky gas goped in the woods and brought it home. Couldn't get it running so I bought him an electric scooter. Naturally, I needed one. Then bought an electric motorcycle (for him). Then another scooter. Then another scooter. Then an ebike. Then another. Oh my god I'm addicted.
 
I wanted my son to live with me for the two years after he graduated from high school (when he was 18 years old), so we could afford for him to get a 2-year associates degree from the local community college. He got several speeding tickets and lost his drivers license for a year. E-bikes ended up being the best alternative option, but by the time I finished my research, he had joined the Army.
 
I have had worse and worse problems w/ my legs and when I heard of ebikes I realized it was a way I could still enjoy the outdoors and biking even w/ my crappy legs. Once on one I realized commuting w/ it was just as fun as recreational riding.
 
lester12483 said:
The ebike boom wont happen until gas is $5 or more. IMO
Click to expand...

I thought you were being ultra pessimistic then, until I realized you sell gas by the gallon, not by the quart!

Our petrol here is 1.51 a liter at the moment, which would work out t be about $6.20 a gallon. fuel thefts are at record highs, but people are still driving.
 
With five partial disabilities, six if you count the hand, 20 years with Hepatitis C and a good case of arthritis, riding without the assist is not too enjoyable these days. Oh, and I forgot that I am old, overweight and out of shape as well. With the ebike I can commute go see the countryside, or just joyride for no reason at all, life is much more acceptable with it.
 
lester12483 said:
An ebike is a brilliant idea, unfortunately the market is still in its infant stages and a vast majority of consumers have never heard of an ebike.. The ebike boom wont happen until gas is $5 or more. IMO
Click to expand...

Purely because of selfishness I don't want to see an ebike boom in this country. I'm afraid that the do-gooders and the politicians will get involved and complicate the hell out of something that is currently simple and fun.

The current federal definition and law on ebikes is more than satisfactory for me. I don't want to see it redefined or amended.
 
Wanted a 50cc gasser setup but found :( after
A little research they are illegal in Oz :cry: so had to
Go with an electric.

KiM
 
I got into it to commute 15 miles. Silly me, I thought the claims for an sla kit of 20 miles at 20 mph were true. So then I had to go and triple my costs buying a real battery. Wasn't long before I wanted to ride across the state, ride up steep dirt hills, etc.

Also I've always been into two wheels. Love motorcycles, bicycles, scooters, mopeds. I'll ride anything and love it.
 
I think I saw a guy with SLAs hauling ass through campus. I've now put over $3k into my 29er build and a lot of time..WAY MORE than I expected was going to be necessary. My current goal is to beat my friend's electric porsche 944 running on SLAs and leaking brake lines. :roll: ---As well as keep up with an tesla 18650 Yamaha sport bike conversion and 24s lipo Katana 600. That is-- Keep up with them within the 35mph limit.

I hope that I can put it to use and convince jimmy john's or noodles to let me deliver food solely with my bike.. maybe they can work with me so I don't have to go more than 2 miles, cause I probably have about 17 miles range and little time to charge. On a college campus, though, it's mainly deliveries within 10 blocks, a distance in which I would beat any other delivery boy --ICE or indie track. Maybe I'd get bigger tips??

Lastly, to reinforce getting off topic, I am going to begin taking a shortcut to walmart for all my groceries (5 mi each way). It is very scenic along this paved bike path, passing through the woods and into a marshland. Very peaceful.. not a single city sound or raised diesel pick-up. :) I think I will Get groceries faster than before, and not have to deal with any traffic.
 
I have always loved two wheels, especially motorcycles. I lost my drivers license to DWI about 2 1/2 years ago and it saved me a lot of money from buying a mandatory blow machine. LOL. I have about 3 running ebikes now and still ride them to and from work a couple of times a week. I wish I could spend more on these darn things they are fun. :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
My son talked me into building our bikes together.He wanted to go to work just a couple of minutes away which didn't do his car any good (Falcon XR6 turbo) and I thought it would be fun to ride to work, 11 kms . The idea of beating the system sounded good too - no rego, no insurance, no licence, no petrol costs and lots of enjoyment. Trouble is we are forever making modifications.
 
I was a road cyclist/racer for 10 years. I sometimes would cycle to my friends or visit my dad at his campground. I loved the efficiency, and freedom of my bike, and all those other good things. But since I had my first bike, I always dreamed of having a little motor in the bottom bracket. I can't remember the exact moment the specific electric motor idea came to me, but I knew it was far superior to a gas engine for what I wanted. When I was 10 my older brother put a lawnmower engine on the side of a 10 speed road bike (near the rear derailer). Incredibly unbalanced, it still got to 40mph, though it didn't have any torque for steep hills.

Back to 2008, gas was getting quite high and I didn't like driving my car in traffic anyway. I did some research and came across a site that a guy put up where he strapped a 3hp heavy brushed motor to the rear brake area of his bike, and had a large belt drive.

I ended up strapping a 600watt currie to my rear chainstays and putting 24v 17ah of SLA on the rear rack of a crappy mail order single speed road bike. It handled awful, was dangerous, didn't stop well, tires were popping off the rims, BUT it was quiet as heck with the super short chain line and went about 28mph on a flat road, even though it was geared for 45mph. I soon took it too far and the batts got really weak a few miles from home and it had half the capacity after that day.

Lesson to the noobs: don't go for lowest cost. Do it right, get the tried and true, and listen to all the great advice here. Now I have a 30mph geared Mac hub motor with a Lifepo4 main battery (40mph on 48v lipo) on a hardtail mtn bike that handles great and let's me ride with city traffic most places. EVERY time I take it out I am amazed at how lucky I feel to have a nice ebike and how much more enjoyable it is than to slog away at low speed on my old commuter pedal bike, or to be stuck in my cage(car).

I still have my road racing bike for my sport/personal physical record and pure acceleration fun. I ride that about 2-3 times a week at the most. Ebike is every day. I get out of the house so much more often because of it. I find excuses to go somewhere.

Edit: Now I remember where I got the idea for electric drive! It was when I was working in the grocery warehouse, we had these electric pallet jackets which were fun to ride. I asked myself why I couldn't twist a throttle and silently be propelled down the road.
 
veloman said:
Ebike is every day. I get out of the house so much more often because of it. I find excuses to go somewhere.
Click to expand...

This is exactly how I feel!

I got into E-Bikes because my father was on the mend after a nasty bicycle accident that left him unable to drive a car.

Our first attempt (test) involved 3 car batteries in the back of a old kid trailer (110 lbs of battery alone!! :shock: :shock: :lol: ) and I was disappointed that it went ONLY 15 MPH with no pedaling. :mrgreen:

Next we upgraded to small SLA's, then Dewalt A123 packs, and now I use LiPo.

I also ended up realizing that my medical condition would not allow me to reliably ride a pedal bike over long distances, so it became my therapy when all else failed to help with my "chronic fatigue" condition, as riding a bike helped me a ton, and riding an E-Bike is just ten times the fun! :twisted:
 
Several reasons, main one being NYC subways suck and I wanted to better understand EV's before faced with the purchase of a large one someday. I'm also avid motorcycle rider and enjoy the wind in my face. The ability to move in traffic gridlock silently yet swiftly plus indoor parking and never having to struggle up hills. Oh, and even at insane NYC electricity prices it only costs 2 cents per mile to commute. Suck it MTA!!! Filthy, dirty, stinking thieves...
 
AussieJester said:
Wanted a 50cc gasser setup but found :( after
A little research they are illegal in Oz :cry: so had to
Go with an electric.

KiM
Click to expand...

yea, 'cause thats SO much more legal. lol.

I got into this for a few reasons

1 Im studying to become an electrical engineer - so good practical experience
2 Im a avid snowboarder, but australia, and particularly adelaide is severely lacking in snow. And I need something to get the heart racing!
3 I'd love a MX bike, but upkeep, and the lack of anywhere fun to ride make a ebike much more viable
4 I'd rather ride 30min into uni each day than sit and daydream on a train/walk for an hour

So yea, a few reasons.
 
About 3 years ago:
I was an out of shape 50 year old, with a poor heart.
Knowing that I needed to exercise, I got cheap bike.
Unfortunetly, I was in such poor health that I became winded after a short, gentle ride.
Fearing for my life ... really!
I got a cheap Ezip Mountain Trailz electric assist bike, knowing that when I became tired, I could motor, or assist, my way home.
It worked nicely ... I began to ride daily, and as my health recovered...
I began using less motor assist.
When my biking ability began exceeding the EZips, I began improving the bike.
Over the past 3 years I have been tweaking it into an awesome around town machine.

Stock: .................................... Modified

24v Sealed Lead Acid Batteries .... 37v Li-ion homemade batteries (50% speed increase)
450w motor @ 24v ................... 675w motor @ 37v
20T motor side freewheel ........... 16T motor side freewheel (25% speed increase)
7spd 14-28T gear freewheel ......... 7spd 11-32T gear freewheel (32% pedal speed increase)
16-17mph top speed. ................. 30mph capable w/ pedal assist!
8-10 mile no-pedal range ............. 40+ mile no-pedal range 80+ miles (with 2 of my homemade packs)

Motor alone "bogs" near 27mph, pedal assist appreciated!
Some assist through 32mph.

I have several EZips, presently, and have modified all, for various purposes, including a Winter - ice & snow model.
I still maintain my license, registration and insurance, but have not driven my car, for almost 2 years now.

Next stage will be an eMotorcycle, followed by some form of eCar.
Yes ... homemade, or ... probably, home-converted.
Ebikes have become my testbed-development platform towards "greater" eVehicles.

Homemade Battery Packs
Studded Tires?
EZip - IZip 20mph Upgrade $20!
 
My wife and I have always biked for exercise and fun, but time takes it's toll on knees and mine hurt. I had to go to a trike cause my balance wasn't so good and I found I didn't have the power or energy that I used to so we electrified with old W/E stuff and SLA and that was ten years ago. Times change with good trikes, Ping and 9C and power to help with the hills. It is the only way to go for older folks,
otherDoc
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
    • Like
Yeah, e-bikes are the future
Replies
5
Views
296
gromike
G
kylerlaird
motor to make "digital drive" feasible?
Replies
11
Views
764
4πr^2
4
T
E-bikes are arguably worse than electric cars
2 3 4 5
Replies
111
Views
13,479
calab
C
jetzki
    • Like
Help me choose a motor / battery set up :)
2
Replies
26
Views
728
jetzki
jetzki
Dr Stowaters
Suitable battery for an 1800W 48V 38A motor?
2 3
Replies
54
Views
1,179
Chalo
Chalo
Back
Top