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I think e-bikes in certain markets will be profitable as a division of bigger organizations like Uber/Lyft. For example I spent $6 on two JUMP bike rentals last

I think e-bikes in certain markets will be profitable as a division of bigger organizations like Uber/Lyft. For example I spent $6 on two JUMP bike rentals last night to get to and from a Meetup. It was convenient and the bikes did the job handily. As a company that only does the bike share, I don't think they will be able to compete with the likes of Uber/Lyft etc.

giobox 7y ago
I used to be bullish on ebikes for commuting, until I started buying secondhand ones barely a few months old on craigslist at steep discounts for my own family. In every case, the owner had a change of heart and switched to a scooter. Why? Because the ebike is huge and heavy, needs dedicated locking, parking etc. Often there isn't room for it on the bus/train. They all found the scooter way better for last mile style commutes. Scooters are a fraction of the cost, capable of similar speed and range with less user effort and have virtually no maintenance. You can carry them easily into an office, and they weigh a fraction of a typical ebike. They fit much more easily into trains and buses. Long term, I think last mile commuting will surely be won by a scooter style machine. I still think ebikes have a huge role to play in future of transport, but I don't think it will be last mile commutes as much as some expect.
- mdorazio 7y ago
  For me the solution here is a folding e-bike, of which there are many.
  - giobox 7y ago
    Ironically the ones I purchased are all folding models. In some ways the folding models are the worst weight wise, the extra hardware needed to strengthen the frame makes them incredibly heavy. I own a very nice Tern Vektron, one of the higher end folding electric bikes, and I've folded it once, it's just way to heavy for folding and carrying to be practical. I'd sooner walk than try and move it around a busy train, for example. The fold is really only useful for storage at home.
- 4d617832 7y ago
  Where are you located? I just wonder if this is because the enviroment isn't firendly to normal bikes either. Where I live I don't have any issues to park a bike. And I would never take it on a bus/train because there is no such thing as last mile when biking, especially ebiking.
- catalogia 7y ago
  Usually city buses have bike racks on front. You're not meant to bring the bike onto the bus.
  - triceratops 7y ago
    Ebikes are usually too heavy for those bike racks.
- mixmastamyk 7y ago
  Unfortunately scooters are more dangerous, the little wheels and high center of gravity means eating concrete is more likely than a bike.
  - leetcrew 7y ago
    there are some scooters you can buy that go way too fast, but the ones you can rent usually max out around 15mph, and that's only on a warm day with a full charge. it's definitely less stable than a bike, but every time I've hit a pothole I've just ended up awkwardly running alongside the scooter for a few steps. I'm not quite sure what people are doing that leads them to eat concrete. I've certainly never seen it happen in my city, even with squads of drunk college students riding them on the weekends.
    - mixmastamyk 7y ago
      Every once in a while a rock runs in front of your wheel. Also many folks ride on the sidewalk which are uneven here.
abrowne 7y ago
Lyft agrees. They bought Motivate, who run the bike share systems in NYC and Minneapolis among others. Minneapolis's had been a local non-profit that decided they needed to move from only docked bikes to dockless and couldn't do it as an independent group. I've read that next season in Minneapolis the dockless bikes won't be back, and instead they will massively expand e-bikes, which were only available in a few locations this past season.

giobox 7y ago

I used to be bullish on ebikes for commuting, until I started buying secondhand ones barely a few months old on craigslist at steep discounts for my own family. In every case, the owner had a change of heart and switched to a scooter. Why? Because the ebike is huge and heavy, needs dedicated locking, parking etc. Often there isn't room for it on the bus/train. They all found the scooter way better for last mile style commutes. Scooters are a fraction of the cost, capable of similar speed and range with less user effort and have virtually no maintenance. You can carry them easily into an office, and they weigh a fraction of a typical ebike. They fit much more easily into trains and buses. Long term, I think last mile commuting will surely be won by a scooter style machine. I still think ebikes have a huge role to play in future of transport, but I don't think it will be last mile commutes as much as some expect.

mdorazio 7y ago
For me the solution here is a folding e-bike, of which there are many.
- giobox 7y ago
  Ironically the ones I purchased are all folding models. In some ways the folding models are the worst weight wise, the extra hardware needed to strengthen the frame makes them incredibly heavy. I own a very nice Tern Vektron, one of the higher end folding electric bikes, and I've folded it once, it's just way to heavy for folding and carrying to be practical. I'd sooner walk than try and move it around a busy train, for example. The fold is really only useful for storage at home.
4d617832 7y ago
Where are you located? I just wonder if this is because the enviroment isn't firendly to normal bikes either. Where I live I don't have any issues to park a bike. And I would never take it on a bus/train because there is no such thing as last mile when biking, especially ebiking.
catalogia 7y ago
Usually city buses have bike racks on front. You're not meant to bring the bike onto the bus.
- triceratops 7y ago
  Ebikes are usually too heavy for those bike racks.
mixmastamyk 7y ago
Unfortunately scooters are more dangerous, the little wheels and high center of gravity means eating concrete is more likely than a bike.
- leetcrew 7y ago
  there are some scooters you can buy that go way too fast, but the ones you can rent usually max out around 15mph, and that's only on a warm day with a full charge. it's definitely less stable than a bike, but every time I've hit a pothole I've just ended up awkwardly running alongside the scooter for a few steps. I'm not quite sure what people are doing that leads them to eat concrete. I've certainly never seen it happen in my city, even with squads of drunk college students riding them on the weekends.
  - mixmastamyk 7y ago
    Every once in a while a rock runs in front of your wheel. Also many folks ride on the sidewalk which are uneven here.

abrowne 7y ago

Lyft agrees. They bought Motivate, who run the bike share systems in NYC and Minneapolis among others. Minneapolis's had been a local non-profit that decided they needed to move from only docked bikes to dockless and couldn't do it as an independent group. I've read that next season in Minneapolis the dockless bikes won't be back, and instead they will massively expand e-bikes, which were only available in a few locations this past season.