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The true revolution has hit public consciousness yet and that is the rise of electric bicycles. I own one and nearly every time I ride it cross town I think aga

• artursapek 10y ago
  Are electric bicycles desirable mainly because of lower physical effort, or higher top speed? I am an avid cyclist in NYC and I don't think I would be comfortable going any faster than my current top speed. And I really enjoy the exercise. So why would I choose an electric bicycle over my traditional one?
  • kurttheviking 10y ago
    I live in SF and feel a similar way; cycling is dangerous enough at my relatively slow speed and offers exercise built into my every day routine.
  • hkmurakami 10y ago
    The one nice use case is for people discouraged by the distance of their commute (due to their fitness) or people discouraged by the one or two hills on their likely commute route. The electric assistance can push these folks over the hump.
    • cfallin 10y ago
      Anecdotally, I hear hills cited pretty often as a reason not to bike-commute. I live in Pittsburgh and the city is taking biking more and more seriously, but there's only so much one can do about topography. An electric boost could make a big difference for some. (Then again, if you live on the hill and work in the valley, the morning commute is pretty fun!)
  • criddell 10y ago
    To extend your range? But the ultimate answer is maybe you wouldn't choose an electric bicycle. That's ok.
  • Frondo 10y ago
    In my experience (as someone who cycles 50-75 miles a week) people go for the electric bikes for less exertion. Probably 3-4 times a week people on e-bikes pass me on hills, zooming along. They always seem to be heavier-set than your typical bike commuter, so if the motor's getting them out on the road and getting some exercise and fitness in, I think that is just fantastic. Anything to get people out of their cars! Maybe they'll even upgrade to a real bike some day :)
    • ZanyProgrammer 10y ago
      Not everyone is able bodied and has nice showers at work to change in.
      • Frondo 10y ago
        Happily, most people are able-bodied, and for those for whom a regular bike will never be an option, there remain cars, buses, light rail, electric bikes, and so on and so on. As for showering, I think that will probably start to matter less as time goes on. In the last few years, in the Pacific NW, I've noticed it's become somewhat acceptable to show up to meetings a bit sweaty, if you've just gotten off your bike. At least, among the business meetings I attend, of course.
        • Locke1689 10y ago
          The Pacific Northwest is badly non-representative of most of America, especially the east coast.
          • Frondo 10y ago
            Well, let me ask you--what is more likely to change in the next 10-15 years? Think we'll go back to higher standards of cleanliness in the Pacific Northwest, or think standards will relax on the east coast? Cause I assure you, things won't just stay the way they are. It's an honest question, really, I don't know! (though I know what I'd prefer!) What do you think?
        • 10y ago
  • yodsanklai 10y ago
    > Are electric bicycles desirable mainly because of lower physical effort, or higher top speed? I don't have one myself, but I know that in Europe, they can't go over 25km/h (higher than that, they're not considered as bicycles anymore) so the interest is to lower physical effort. > So why would I choose an electric bicycle over my traditional one? Not everybody enjoy exercising on their way to work, but even if they do, with electric assistance, they can cycle on longer/hillier commutes than what would be possible/convenient with a regular bike.
    • holri 10y ago
      Yes but the downside is worser handling, more weight, added complexity, added price and maintenance. Not worth in my case (I tried it)
      • bdwalter 10y ago
        Many of the folks considering e-bikes here are not generally comparing them to traditional bikes, but rather with cars. In which case all of the negatives you cite here, become positives.
  • michaelwww 10y ago
    In my case it's primarily the assistance the motor gives me up hill. I'm nearly 60 and my knees are worn out so pedaling unassisted is just too painful. There's quite a bit of ego involved among physically fit riders, riders who are into it for physical fitness I should say, but I feel they're not considering that not everyone can ride a bike without some help. And not only that, if you live in a hilly city and there are no showers at work, your coworkers might not appreciate you riding a bike to work.
    • vanderZwan 10y ago
      > I'm nearly 60 and my knees are worn out so pedaling unassisted is just too painful. Electric assistance is not uncommon in the Netherlands among the 50+ age category, and we don't even have significant hills to speak of.
  • michaelwww 10y ago
    Not higher top speed. Unless you change your gear ratio's, the electric motor can't keep up with the normal top speed going down hill.
  • kernelbandwidth 10y ago
    I bike to/from work (on a regular bicycle) over a few hills. I enjoy the exercise in general, but I would still like a electric bike for the summer; a sunny Texas day with 98+ Fahrenheit weather is rough.
  • tirant 10y ago
    Where I live (Netherlands) they are mainly used by seniors (60+) or people covering long distances. Top speed is limited to 25KM/h, and that is more than enough to get quickly to any place on your range distance. They are also useful in cities (e.g. Madrid) where hills maybe problematic for normal bikes.
  • zardo 10y ago
    The higher speed uphills is appealing to me. If I could climb at 20mph it would shave a lot of time off of my commute, it would probably be as fast as driving most days. The other appealing thing would be hailing a trailer for groceries and still being able to make it up the steepest hills.
    • jchrisa 10y ago
      I have an E assist cargo bike and it's average speed is close to its top speed (20 mph). It's not that it's faster, it's that I'm not going slow very often. It also makes me happy to stop at stop signs. I rode a Stromer for a while it's best feature was a top speed that could easily exceed the auto speed limit on local bike routes (some of those that are still 25 mph instead of 20). Taking the lane at the speed limit sends a clear message to cut through drivers.
  • nojvek 10y ago
    I'd love to upgrade my bike to an electric one. A couple of things holding me back. In Seattle in rains a lot. So for those days I use alternate commute. Electric bikes are pretty expensive. I wish there was a monthly payment option like car loans.
• blastrat 10y ago
  most electric bikes I see are ridden dangerously to pedestrians; by NYC deliverymen (doubt I've ever seen a woman on one), swiftly and silently sneaking up to run you down on sidewalks or the wrong way on one way streets. I would vote hard in favor of limiting speed and or requiring them to make artificial noise, unless we could get some other type of pervasive and privacy intrusive monitoring of riders' behavior. I sometimes ride my pedal bike the wrong way, and sometimes on sidewalks (two avenue blocks out of your way in NYC to get around the block is quite a long distance) but I always do it "respectfully": slowly and yielding the right of way. Till there is a system in place to effectively educate the constant churn of the class of people who deliver goods, I am soooo anti. electic bikes are technically illegal in NYC; it's a law that is never enforced. edit, addition: the mix of cars vs pedestrians works as well as it traditionally has worked and I and many other people don't have a problem with it; due to various types of complexity theory, adding bikes to the mix does not work as well, it particularly degrades the pedestrian experience, and is quite dangerous for bikers. I find electric bikes even more destabilizing and most objectionable, because they are faster and quieter, and I think because they are favored by a statistical sample that skews toward more selfish/self-interested. Why is it so hard for discussion groups to accept that somebody has an opinion with muddying it up? What I said originally should not require so much refinement for people to grasp that it's my one little opinion and it doesn't threaten your worldview more than your worldview needs to be shaken up.
  • andrewliebchen 10y ago
    Cars are by far the most dangerous things to pedestrians. If electric bikes get people out of their cars, pedestrians will be better off on balance. Rather than banning electric bikes, NYC could to better to build separate infrastructure for bikes.
    • ZanyProgrammer 10y ago
      That has almost nothing to do with the post you responded to. Electric bikes are faster than normal bikes, and people treat them as mini mopeds rather than normal bikes (and there's already a problem with bicycle/pedestrian collisions).
• tonyedgecombe 10y ago
  I've just ordered a kit for one of my bikes, I'm hoping it will allow me to replace more car journeys.
• habosa 10y ago
  I don't have an e-bike but I agree completely. The only downside to my bike is that I can't really go anywhere in nice clothes because I'm likely to break a sweat. An e-bike would be a true all-purpose city vehicle.
• Theodores 10y ago
  It is incredibly difficult to sell electric bikes in a normal bike shop, for every one sold there are hundreds or maybe even thousands of regular bikes sold. This is a pity as electric bikes can be very good. Some electric bikes are a lot heavier than they need to be, you have a rear rack that contains brackets to house boxes that have more brackets on them and deep inside those boxes are some batteries held at the worst place for centre of gravity. All of this needs to be done as a system with the battery made a structural part of the frame. Then the bike as a whole can go back to being performance oriented instead of senior style. In my opinion the extra torque more than makes up for the weight when it comes to handling. Electric bikes don't feel heavy when you are riding one, it is just getting the thing up the stairs to your flat at the end of the day that is a pain. I hope some player from outside the bicycle industry - a Tesla - re-engineers the electric bicycle to make it a whole new product. As it is the electric bicycle just does not catch the public imagination.
• jdavis703 10y ago
  Not just electric bikes, but also electric skateboards and other electric personal mobility devices. Unlike bikes these things can be brought on public transit, and greatly reduce time spent on the last mile (or two). For example the boosted board can travel 25 MPH, which is much faster than rush hour traffic, and even at times the grade-seperated light rail in San Francisco.
• patrickburke 10y ago
  One ingredient is missing, some innovation to secure the bike against theft, since $1000 electric is a target.