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IMHO, this is the future of transportation. 20 miles one way should be sufficient for a HUGE proportion of workers (you'll recharge the battery at work). Have

by psranga 17y ago

IMHO, this is the future of transportation. 20 miles one way should be sufficient for a HUGE proportion of workers (you'll recharge the battery at work). Have any of you converted a regular bicycle to electric DIY-style? I see articles about that on the net. I'm wondering if it's worth it to do that. Would appreciate pointers.

jules 17y ago
How fast does this bike go with engine+pedaling? I don't mind cycling 20 miles, but sometimes you have to be fast.
- netsp 17y ago
  20-50 km/hr would probably be a normal range for your overall average depending on where & who.
Retric 17y ago
Meh, I walk 1 block to work. I think the real solution to commuting problems is the reolization that it's ok to live near office buildings. Then again I am single, and don't own a place, but it's a great tradeoff when possible IMO. The issue with all city's being dirty, smelly, dangerus places to live is mostly a solved problem. I also have a lower enviermental impact than most american's living in "eco frendly" housing. PS: Granted, I also make far more money than most people so I can afford to living in a nice highrise, but I think it's a great option which can quickly scale.
bmj 17y ago
The Practical Pedal (lo-fi utility biking 'zine) had an article about the past, present and future of electric bikes, and also rolled their own with available technology. http://practicalpedal.com/fall2007/fall2007.pdf http://practicalpedal.com/fall2007/fall2007.pdf
strick 17y ago
I did the DIY thing with my Marin San Rafael bike. I purchased the bionx 250 from nycewheels (don't recommend them for their patchy customer service - missed most of last year's riding season thanks to them). My commute is about 12 miles each way with some big hills. Getting the kit allows me to easily do the commute both ways in a day. It left me pretty dead before. Was it worth it? To me, yes. Riding the bike is FUN. If you miss the strenuous workouts do what I did Saturday, and turn the motor off for all or part of your ride. The bionx 250 maxes out at about 17 mph for me. It really makes a huge difference on the hills. With my battery enclosed in one of those nylon 'trunks' you can't even really tell it is an electric bike without looking closely. But this thing is a couple years old now and I'm sure isn't state of the art anymore. If I was buying today I'd definitely look at the non-kit, pre-built options. I spent hours getting everything the way I wanted it--enjoyable hours for me, at least.
ryanwaggoner 17y ago
Sigh...I wish this were the case, I really do. But I sincerely doubt it, at least not in the US. Lots of reasons, but main ones would be weather, comfort, initial cost, time, and the sheer difficulty of getting people to change. Within the US, something like this would only work in city centers...people aren't going to ride their electric bike 15 miles to work each way, especially when you throw in the fact that a) they're wearing business attire, b) the weather is lousy for this in a lot of the country a lot of the time, c) they already have a car and our entire infrastructure is built around letting them use it. Even within cities, there are only a handful where it's not too hot or too cold too much of the year for this to be worth it. I think small hybrids & electrics are the future of transportation. Plus more people cramming into cities and using public transportation, not to mention things like telepresence may mean that fewer people need to commute to work in the first place. But millions of people in the mid-west US riding their electric bicycles to work each day? Not gonna happen :)

by psranga 17y ago

jules 17y ago

How fast does this bike go with engine+pedaling? I don't mind cycling 20 miles, but sometimes you have to be fast.

netsp 17y ago
20-50 km/hr would probably be a normal range for your overall average depending on where & who.

Retric 17y ago

Meh, I walk 1 block to work. I think the real solution to commuting problems is the reolization that it's ok to live near office buildings. Then again I am single, and don't own a place, but it's a great tradeoff when possible IMO. The issue with all city's being dirty, smelly, dangerus places to live is mostly a solved problem. I also have a lower enviermental impact than most american's living in "eco frendly" housing. PS: Granted, I also make far more money than most people so I can afford to living in a nice highrise, but I think it's a great option which can quickly scale.

bmj 17y ago

The Practical Pedal (lo-fi utility biking 'zine) had an article about the past, present and future of electric bikes, and also rolled their own with available technology. http://practicalpedal.com/fall2007/fall2007.pdf http://practicalpedal.com/fall2007/fall2007.pdf

strick 17y ago

I did the DIY thing with my Marin San Rafael bike. I purchased the bionx 250 from nycewheels (don't recommend them for their patchy customer service - missed most of last year's riding season thanks to them). My commute is about 12 miles each way with some big hills. Getting the kit allows me to easily do the commute both ways in a day. It left me pretty dead before. Was it worth it? To me, yes. Riding the bike is FUN. If you miss the strenuous workouts do what I did Saturday, and turn the motor off for all or part of your ride. The bionx 250 maxes out at about 17 mph for me. It really makes a huge difference on the hills. With my battery enclosed in one of those nylon 'trunks' you can't even really tell it is an electric bike without looking closely. But this thing is a couple years old now and I'm sure isn't state of the art anymore. If I was buying today I'd definitely look at the non-kit, pre-built options. I spent hours getting everything the way I wanted it--enjoyable hours for me, at least.

ryanwaggoner 17y ago

Sigh...I wish this were the case, I really do. But I sincerely doubt it, at least not in the US. Lots of reasons, but main ones would be weather, comfort, initial cost, time, and the sheer difficulty of getting people to change. Within the US, something like this would only work in city centers...people aren't going to ride their electric bike 15 miles to work each way, especially when you throw in the fact that a) they're wearing business attire, b) the weather is lousy for this in a lot of the country a lot of the time, c) they already have a car and our entire infrastructure is built around letting them use it. Even within cities, there are only a handful where it's not too hot or too cold too much of the year for this to be worth it. I think small hybrids & electrics are the future of transportation. Plus more people cramming into cities and using public transportation, not to mention things like telepresence may mean that fewer people need to commute to work in the first place. But millions of people in the mid-west US riding their electric bicycles to work each day? Not gonna happen :)