E-Bikes? Whaddya' got, likes, dislikes?

I found the "Tundras and Bikes" thread but didn't find one specifically for E-Bikes.

I've been thinking about getting one for awhile with the idea of not only having some fun, quick runs to the store, but also to commute to work and save gas and miles on the truck.

My commute is only two miles, and depending on the lights and traffic sometimes cyclists actually make better time than cars, but I've been hesitant to do it because I see SO much stupid stuff happen just about every day. (I don't wanna sound racist, but stereotypes get made for a reason... let's just say my commute is in an area with a demographic of NOTORIOUSLY bad drivers)
So they just made a new bike lane for most of my 2 mile commute, and most of the way the bike lane is separated from traffic lanes with those little 2' high plastic pylons and they took out the curbside parking. Biking seems considerably safer now.

I've been looking at some E-Bikes but don't know enough about which brands are gonna' last and which ones will have problems.
Don't want a POS, but I also don't wanna' spend thousands.

One that I keep coming back to is the RAD Runner, anybody have one of these?

 

I have a GoTrax F3 foldable 4" fat tired mountain bike that is quite the ride.

 

Do you use the "foldable" feature very much? I've wondered if that was something I'd use or not.

 

All the time. Fold it up and toss it in the bed of my truck. When not being used it's folded up in my closet.

 

$1000 bucks....
https://dreamshop.honda.com/s/category/honda/0ZG6g0000004HolGAE

https://motocompacto.honda.com/

 

Dafuq?!

 

yep
Basically emasculating yourself

But you drive a Tundra so

 

got me one of these




edit:
Likes: It's a tank...very solid and comfy. Looks cool. Parts are cheap and easy to mod
Dislikes: It's a tank...very heavy and sucks up the 36v batt if only throttling. 350w motor is fine for flat landing but lacks power to go up hills on its own.

Paid $450 (Used) right when covid hit, well worth the money for what I use it for. Had a kid carrier on the back for a while, then modded the front fork to accommodate a rack for my drone or rc's. Once my daughter gets older and wants to do actual trails, I'll have to drop a couple Gs on an eMTB but this will do for now...max we've biked at once was 9 miles...little 7r old on her Specialized took it like a champ.

 

So I have a (possibly stupid) question: I just noticed when comparing two models I'm looking at which have the same 750W rear hub motor, one is a 7 speed and one is a single speed.

Do the gears affect speed or hill climbing if under throttle only, or is that only for pedaling? Like is full throttle in 7th gear faster than FT in 3rd, or is the electric motor the same drive regardless of derailleur position?

 

Actual bike gears only matter when you are huffing it...not when using the throttle.

 

2022 Specialized Levo



And have to have the obligatory Tundra shot

 

That ^^^ looks expensive.

 

Sorry if it has a throttle it’s technically not a bike. I have a Specialized Turbo Levo Comp. Pedal assist sweetness!
But not cheap and probably not what you are looking for to commute with.

For a commuter, this one is pretty nice

https://lectricebikes.com/collections/xpedition-series/products/xpedition-single-battery?g_acctid=790-567-9445&g_adgroupid=&g_adid=&g_adtype=none&g_campaign=PerformanceMax.branded&g_campaignid=16467002383&g_keyword=&g_keywordid=&g_network=x&nb_adtype=pla_with_promotion&nb_ap=&nb_fii=&nb_kwd=&nb_li_ms=&nb_lp_ms=&nb_mi=129756959&nb_mt=&nb_pc=online&nb_pi=hapguxif&nb_placement=&nb_ppi=&nb_ti=&nbt=nb:adwords:x:16467002383::&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACvpgWg_y5ljmbjJdhTGfGmNsV1Fr&gclid=CjwKCAjwlbu2BhA3EiwA3yXyu78ZJTo2wQmqIJQUsLJpTrpzb3D_sP50qh8Km0cqscvbAc_TJaSaOxoCgdAQAvD_BwE

 

Agree. No pedal and throttle = not a bicycle.

This is my Santa Cruz Heckler, not for everyone because of the 5 digit price tag, but it does everything perfectly. It lives with my Santa Cruz Hightower and Highball.

 

2 miles? Why not stick with a traditional bike?
I get some people have injuries that prevemt them from peddling but 2 miles would be beyond easy.
Ebikes will without a doubt require more maintinance, cost more to operate and be much harder to find parts for.
Not to mention propriotary chargers, batteries or speed controls…

I have thousands of km on my Norco commuter ($800 CAD) and have not replaced a single part.

I realize this is not the comment you are looking for, but there is something satisfying about getting yourself to work without relying on anything but your own calories.

 

I have traditional bikes for recreation and when I want the satisfaction of relying on my own calories.





I come home for lunch (and to hang with the dogs) most days and I'd have to be working (and sweating) pretty good on a traditional bike to maintain the 20+ mph that I can do on an E-bike while sipping on my morning coffee.
If it's easy and comfy I'm more likely to do it most days.

 

I keep coming back to the Rad Runner 2.

 

Throw on the moped style passenger seat...


Maybe a basket for groceries or running errands... (and someplace to put my bluetooth speaker)



Cruisin' baby!

 

I got a Juiced Scorpion for a few years now. Been great. I ride to work and back mostly or pull my kids around town.

 

I think there's some applications where the Moped (you call them e-bikes) can assist people like commuters or handicap, but they are way over abused by lazy ass people on bike only mtb trails. A "motor assist pedal bike" is called a Moped, it doesn't matter wether or not the motor is gas or electric, it's still a Moped. When a see them on trails they should not be on, I have an issue. If you are a healthy, under 60 individual going out for a mtb bike ride, you should not be taking a Moped. You should be riding and pedaling your bicycle. Not acoustic bike, or analog bike, or any other woke variation of the word bicycle... A bicycle is a bike and anything else with pedals and a motor is a Moped. I just wanted to make sure you understand the term Moped has been around for a long time and still means the same thing today, it doesn't get rebranded because it sounds anti-cool.

 

I had a Talaria Sting which I really liked. I'll definitely get another ebike but I'll probably go with the E Ride Pro SS.

 

See to me, that's still just called a "dirt-bike" but no less badass because it has an electric motor vs a gas!

 

The difference between a lot of these "ebikes" is they have a throttle. I agree with everything you say once a throttle is involved. If you always have to pedal no matter what and it has motorized assist it is not a moped. My Heckler does not move unless I pedal the whole time.

 

Definitely an emoto.

 

I hear ya, but is it really "pedaling" or just spinning the cranks to engage the motor. ( Not saying you are doing this just Mopedallers (e-bikes) in general tend to be using the motor much more than the pedals if you know what I mean). Lol

Here's my pedal only bike.


I'm the motor

 

I think in most cases you will see a correlation of quality/price of bike to how much the person is actually pedaling. I run in eco mode most of the time on my Heckler, so distance is always my goal. I do lots of backcountry rides. I also use it to ride multiple days in a row. Since most of my rides whether e or regular bike are at a minimum of 20 miles I get fatigue and can't ride multiple days in a row. The ebike lets me ride everyday

 

Ride every day!

 

what fork is that?

 

It's a custom one-off fork made specifically for my bike by Avalanche Downhill Racing. It's a DHF HK 29R 7.75.(197mm)

 

crazy…. Any reason not to go with fox or rockshocks?
My understanding is the only reason motocross bikes use inverted forks is for rigidity, conventional forks actually make more sense and work better.
Sick bike btw.