Are more people on this forum getting e-bikes?

I doubt I'll ever ride a bike again. I really have no interest in an e-bike unless it was necessary. The fire hazard part of it really isn't something I'm interested in worrying about so I doubt I'll get one just on that alone.

Also, why do people feel the need to mock everyone for everything now? What the hell has happened to society as a whole?
 

Sippican said:
Yes, love it, love it, love it!!
This is the best thing I bought in retirement!
I don't have to get in my car every day, I can meander around town, stopping to talk with people, go to the beach, the docks, and the general store to get some wine, pies, and some freshly cut steak for dinner. Have saddlebags I put on when grocery shopping.
Usually its early evening when the heat of the day has gone down. I don't look at it as not exercising because I walk about 3-4 miles every morning then workout another 30 minutes.
Its a mode of transportation. I rarely pedal, don't need to.
Top speed is about 25mph, but you can change a setting to get 30mph if you wanted. I barley go 8-10 mph, although if I want to get home quickly, I can zip around pretty fast.
I bought an extra battery so I can always have one fully charges. Very careful on battery charging.
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I’ve got regular bikes AND an ebike. It isn’t the same brand as the above but looks very similar. When riding on the paved road with a speed limit of 80 kilometres it can go 65 to 70 kilometres per hour going down hill without using any electric power. I definitely wear a helmet. They are really heavy though. My husband really likes the ebike.
Cheater bikes? I don’t quite get that.
They must have been kids.
 

If I lived in the city (with good roads) I would probably have one. When visiting the Tampa, FL area we tried them on trails - they were quite nice as the trails would have steep stretches on bridges going over highways. Also I used them to go to the grocery store a mile away.

But out here by me in the country. No. The potholes could fix you up real good. I don't think I would want to go 12 miles on one to visit the closest grocery store.
 
Debrah N. said:
We have a couple of eBikes and sure, you can cheat on them and just use the motor. Just like you can cheat by driving a car instead of walking or riding a bike. But, you can also use the motor as just an assist. My bike weighs about 70 lbs. but I usually only put the assist up to #1 (it goes up to 9) so basically, I'm still peddling my behind off every time I ride it and I can get just as tired from riding it as someone without the motor can.

One of the best benefits of eBikes is that if you have to stop at an intersection, getting started again doesn't include the 'hop, hop, hop' thing as you get back on and push off, just turn the accelerator slightly and you're away. Or if you're going up a really steep hill, you don't have to gear all the way down (or is it up???) and then stand up on your peddles just so you can crawl up that really steep hill.

An eBike also means I can ride a lot further using that slight assist and the various gears, see more sights and I don't have to worry about being too exhausted to get home. eBikes are great.
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What a great attitude. My ebike is 70 pounds also and you just explained how I ride my ebike. It’s really mountainous around here and it’s the only road so an ebike fits the bill perfectly. We finally have snow but this thing is great even in snow. I haven’t driven it in a while but I do like it. Our road has recently been paved so it’s perfect for it.
 
One of the things I see here in Toronto are regular multi speed pedal bikes that have had a gasoline fueled engine added to them. The visual tip off is the fuel tank mounted on the frame's cross bar, and the small exhaust pipe running down from the engine. These gasoline engine pedal bikes are capable of reaching speeds of 40 miles per hour on level ground. Most of these illegal motorized vehicles are used by food delivery people running for Skip the Dishes, or Uber Eats. The visual tip off is the large insulated food container on the rear of the bike, or worn as a back pack by the rider. Under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act a pedal bike is a "Vehicle " just not a motor vehicle.

Adding a gasoline combustion engine to a pedal bike makes it a "motor vehicle " in Canadian law. As a motor vehicle in the Province of Ontario, the bike's rider has to have an Ontario motorcycle class M driver's license, have motorcycle plates and an Ontario vehicle registration and most importantly carry "Liability insurance coverage with a minimum coverage of 3 million dollars". None of these scoff laws bother to do that.

The gasoline engines are sold on line, and they cost about $500 CDN. link. Motorized Bicycle Canada. Home of the Grubee Skyhawk Bicycle Engine ki

JImB.
 
dilettante said:
What does an e-bike have to do with fitness?
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You can either use the motor completely or you can just use it as an assist. My bike has up to 9 'assist' settings but I ride it at #1 which means I still pedal continually but when I go up a particularly steep hill or start off from a light, it also has an accelerator switch that enables an immediate acceleration to get going quick or make it up that monster hill. Considering that the bikes are heavy (mine is 70 lbs.), having the assist set at one and then also using the mechanical gears makes it pretty much like a standard ten speed.

The beauty of them is that I can go on a 20 mile ride if I wanted to and not be worried that I'd be too exhausted to get home. So they're great for touring and sight seeing, particularly if you're a senior.
 
I have considered getting an ebike for my mountain biking as there have been times I could have used a "boost" to make some steep and/or techy climbs. I saw an older couple a while back both riding one and they were as happy as they could be to be out riding together and on the trails. I'm sure I will eventually get one when I find riding my old fashion mountain bike becomes challenging for me.

For now, I will continue riding my Belle!

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ABitGrayandConfused said:
I have considered getting an ebike for my mountain biking as there have been times I could have used a "boost" to make some steep and/or techy climbs. I saw an older couple a while back both riding one and they were as happy as they could be to be out riding together and on the trails. I'm sure I will eventually get one when I find riding my old fashion mountain bike becomes challenging for me.

For now, I will continue riding my Belle!

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I think eBikes are great but if you're still enjoying the one you've got, why change. I have also met a few folks in the Fraser Valley, younger people, who like eBikes for commuting to work.
 
I disagree. The only time I've ever seen them they go whizzing at breakneck speeds down sidewalks, usually at dusk when they can't properly see what they are doing. Idiots? Well, we don't hand idiots loaded guns, do we? And sure, a lot of people shouldn't be driving cars either. How does that excuse spreading the problem even further?
 
dilettante said:
I disagree. The only time I've ever seen them they go whizzing at breakneck speeds down sidewalks, usually at dusk when they can't properly see what they are doing. Idiots? Well, we don't hand idiots loaded guns, do we? And sure, a lot of people shouldn't be driving cars either. How does that excuse spreading the problem even further?
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Well if they are on sidewalks then that is definitely a problem. Here we're not supposed to ride bikes on the sidewalk so it's less an issue. But you know, the only answer if you're worried about idiots with bikes/cars is if we all just go back to walking. I know, not practical. So maybe the better and most practical answer is developing lanes for bikes that aren't accessible at all to cars.

When we were visiting Vancouver in the fall, we saw that their bike lanes have a little curb between them and the car lanes. Keeps cars from parking in those bike lanes, keeps people off the sidewalk.
 
birdy said:
A comedian in NYC just got killed on an E bike. He ran into a parked car. He was only 37.
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So sad for him and his family and friends.

In my first week of riding mine, I did have one moment where I didn't realize how fast the accelator thingy was and from a stand still lurched towards a cement barrier at the corner that I was waiting at the light for. But that was a good enough lesson and I haven't had any problems since.
 
I heard one of the big e-bike rental outfits went bankrupt. Despite their under-the-table cash to Kleptofornia Krooks that got them a special exemption from the helmet requirement there.
 
In the UK bikes are literally taken more seriously than Cars, and most roads have designated Bike Lanes.. which tbh, cause a lot of problems for cars, because our roads are already very narrow, so by chopping half of away to provide space for bikes, causes much ore traffic jams and more pollution while cars sit idling than before... In th city it's a good idea because there's more width to the roads, and the danger to cyclists is high, but out here in the rural shires.. where the roads are already very narrow..it's nuts..

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my husband has an e bike, uses it quite often.

I agree it doesnt keep you as fit as full pedalling a non ebike - but more excercise than driving somewhere in a car.

Since he isnt racing or competing against anyone, there isnt any cheating involved
 
We had talked about getting ones. Camping friends just got a pair, nice set up. 3 modes, regular pedal 21 speed, power assist, and fully power like an electric motorcycle, twist the throttle and GO!
 

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