SpecialX

I'll start...
For me, it's my all around vehicle...
It's my fun vehicle, my trip vehicle and my Daily Commuter vehicle.
I lost my license do to money issues and needed something that was legal where I live to use on the road.

So, why do YOU have one?

350htrr

Well, I don't need an E-Assist bike, but I got one because I am starting to use my bike as transportation... Thus it works out better, less sweat, more speed, so it is a viable alternative to my car... Hills, yea, hills are another reason I love my E-Assist bike... There is a difference when you are talking E-assist or E-Bike the way one uses it, maybe even a huge difference... and why one has one, or the other, Just like why one has a regular bike or an "E-Bike" I think/believe...

njt07

traffic in Seoul sucks, and traffic on base sucks. Parking on base is terrible and trying to get through gates is PITA. I started out riding my normal bike (diamondback Insight 1) but showed up sweaty. got my BionX so i could park my car and use my bike for all my transportation needs during the week without showing up sweaty and tired. I get home and I'm a lot less stressed out and somehow have more energy to play with my daughter

Bizman

I got mine to commute 25 miles round trip and to conduct as much business as possible (self employed). I was one to not use the assist much, I would rather pedal more for the exercise. It is always nice to have the assist in rainy or bad weather to get home quicker. After getting my Velomobile I found it to be more comfortable and even faster than the ebike as I can cruise on level and rolling terrain 40+ mph and down hills 50+ mph. Now I only use the ebike for real bad icy weather as I put studded tires on it. It is a nice tool to pull out when the circumstances call for it.

vincent713

I love everything on 2 wheels, I own motorcycles, bicycles, mopeds & scooters. About 2 years ago I bought a 2 stroke engine kit and installed it on 2 of my bikes. Had a blast with it but didn't like the noise and air pollution it was emitting. Just recently I discovered ebikes and it was the solution to the eco friendly issues. I now own an ebike and ride mostly for exercise and I find it very therapeutic as it relieves a lot of stress from work or everyday life. I also enjoy flying RC helicopters and often would pack a few heli's on my ebike and ride until I see a nice open field to fly. It's nice to fly in different scenario and scenery all with the help of my ebike. I can see myself doing this everyday when I retire.

InTheRain

Mine was supposed to be my rain commuter bike. Since I live in the Puget Sound area, that means it was going to get a lot of work. However, I enjoy it so much, I'm coming up with all kinds of reasons to use it. With racks and panniers it can carry a load. It can get places a little quicker than my other bike... without as much effort. I'm using it more than I use a car now. When the drier months (july/august) come, I suppose I'll be riding the carbon fiber bike much more (no fenders.) However, now that I have found so many more uses for the ebike, I don't expect it to sit idle for long.

Chellspecker

Back in the nineties when I didn't have a car and was in better shape I rode a ten-speed or non-electric hybrid as my only means of transportation, when Vancouver was much less bike-friendly than it is today and getting on a bike meant taking your life into your hands. Steel-toed boots brought justice to angry drivers' fenders. Then I got a car, gained a bunch of weight, and stopped riding much except maybe around the seawall in the summer. About five years ago on the advice of a friend I got a Dahon folding bike with Bionx pedal assist. I was afraid I was going to let it gather dust like my other bike, but lo and behold I now love my bike and have put 1500 km on it at last count. Whenever possible I prefer to avoid traffic and reduce my carbon footprint by hopping on the bike. Panniers make all the difference as I no longer have to deal with sweaty back syndrome from carrying a heavy backpack. My commute to work is mostly uphill, and I arrive mildly exercised, dryish and full of energy for the day's work. At night I can relax and breathe fresh air as I coast home. I probably wouldn't ride nearly as much without an e-bike. I'm 200+ pounds, in my mid-forties, and frankly don't like getting covered in sweat unless I'm having sex. The great thing about a folder is you can throw it in the back of a friend's car or taxi if the weather takes a mood swing or you simply don't feel like riding home after all. One of my favorite uses is whenever I need to get work done on my car, I have an automatic loaner on hand. I can throw the bike in my car, take it out at the garage, do whatever I need to do, and ride back to pick up my car. I even brought my bike with me to Portland in the back of my car. I stayed at an airbnb place where I could lock it up and charge it overnight. The first time I got on the bike down there, I was like, "Cool. I'm riding my bike in Portland. That's new." tldr: I love it.

15rms

I enjoy riding for a hobby and pass time. I like exploring and putting on miles. I can use my Bionx and ride over 50 miles if I just use level 1. Great way to de-stress from the daily grind.

vincent713

What kind of bike do you have?

mel2012

My cargo bike weighs 80 pounds, my two kids weigh another 90. Without my e-assist, we travel 7-8 mph. With the e-assist, be go about 12 mph. The difference in speed makes it practical to bike commute with them, rather than drive the car.

BiciMan

As with my other bikes, because I enjoy riding it. I ride it the least, but I get a kick out of the boost every time, as I did when I first tried an electric -the day I bought mine.

BikeForMoi

I purchased my (Easy Motion EVO Street) eBike a couple months ago. I bought it because I'm out of shape, the terrain around me is mostly rolling hills, and I just wasn't having fun on my regular 10-speed bike where I was having to dismount and walk up hills. After riding only 5 mi or so I'd be tired and want to quit -- the mental block was getting to me.

With an ebike I can still work hard but not have range anxiety because I know I can get myself back home or back to my car. I can choose the level of assist I want and just plain have a good time cycling. I'm no purist, my riding is strictly recreational, for exercise, for enjoyment, and now I can actually enjoy it. My commute is only 8 mi each way but the roads are so bad and there is no room for bicycles on the 2 lane roads so I haven't used it for getting to/from work.

I did a group ride for the first time last night and got lots of weird looks but I didn't care. It's the only way I can participate and even have a hope of trying to join and keep up. As it was I was still in the slow group because I'm brand new to group rides.

bareyb

I heard about E-Bikes because of that Storm Bike on Indiegogo. A couple of guys I know jumped in on that deal and I thought it looked like a lot of fun. I was already kind of into electric motors as I'd bought a Tesla Model S about year ago. So this was kind of right up my alley.

I also live in the hills and it's nice to have a little assist coming home. Since I've gotten my first e-bike (I'm working on a second one) Ive been out on it almost every day. It's definitely expanded my horizons. I'm currently working on a smaller Mtn. Bike based e-bike that we are going to take with us to our vacation home. Lots of hilly areas that would be perfect for it at the Coast. Why do I ride? Because it's fun, and it burns a lot of FAT.

dgk02

I commute by bike, 25 miles round trip. For 12 years I did it with a plain old hybrid bike, but as I neared 60 I got one of the Trek Ebikes. It was great but I kept breaking spokes and the motor broke twice. I still have it but will not use it on NYC roads anymore. I'll take it to Florida when I retire in a few months and use it there. In the meantime, I bought a cheap front wheel kit and a 15 ah 36 volt battery, put it on a cheap Schwinn "comfort" bike, and have been using it for the past 18 months. I have well over 4000 miles on that little beast and I just love it. Q100 motor. Plenty of pep since I really just use it for assist, and it handles the big East River bridges just fine.

vincent713

I've never ridden a front hub motor before but read it can get a bit shaky and vibrates on the handlebar. Also, you lose traction of the front wheel (spins) on wet surface especially going up hill. Have you encounter this experience?

dgk02

I've never noticed either problem. I went with front wheel because it's easier to deal with than having the motor on the same wheel as the cassette, and because it distributes the weight a bit more easily, although since the motor barely weighs two pounds it's hardly noticeable. But it's a small motor so it's hardly going to produce enough pull to skid even on wet roads, and I rarely ride it when it's really raining. But you do have to have a fairly inexpensive bike because you should only do it on a steel fork, and even then torque arms are a good idea. You do not want a dropout breaking and have the wheel fall off. Bikes weren't designed with the idea that the front would be providing propulsion.

vincent713

Thank you for your reply, it's good to know you're not experiencing that problem. My ebike has a rear geared hub motor with a 7 speed cassette and disk brake, I took the wheel apart the other day to change different tires and it really wasn't difficult to deal with. Not much more than a regular bike.

15rms

Vincent713 I ride a Lightfoot Cycles Smoothie recumbent with a Bionx 48 volt system. I love it.

bareyb

Yeah, I don't get the problem with having the motor on the back wheel. The only difference is the Torque brace when removing the back wheel, and you'd have to deal with that on the front wheel too. Other than tire changes, how often does one really need to remove either wheel? I'd think the front wheel would get removed more often if one is going to transport the bike in the back of a car etc, in which case putting the motor on the front wheel would be more of a hassle. Makes no sense to me...

robert20

I am a college student and my college is three miles away from my home. My mom gifted me this Z6 21-Speed Ultimate Edition Electric Mountain Bike 26" - Black electric bike when I started college. It’s a great fun to ride a bike and the E assist is just amazing. I have had it for 8 months now and it has never let me down and the battery is also very good.

profstack

I'm also over 60 years old, and am aware that the streets of Seattle have gotten steeper than they were 20 years ago! Amazing.

My commute is from the top of one hill, down to water level, and up another hill to work. Uphill both ways! My e-bike makes it possible for me to ride every day, weather (wimp) permitting, and arrive at work with little or very little sweat, a distance of 5 miles each way.

Last week I rode the Marin non e-bike three days in a row and found that I could handle the ride, but arrived at work warmer than needed.

rick kimura

I have a beach cruiser with a front drive 200w motor . Its all set up the way I like it and gets lots of looks . I have a few mates that we get together at the esplanade and hang out with our bikes . Theres all types of choppers and MTB,s and cruisers , ape bars , banana seats , and WW1 helmets . Mine is an E-BIKE , I can pedal it as well ,,, it has 5 gears and can keep up with the 40kph + motor . I also use this to go to work on when im not on my 250 modded bobber .
rick

etroutski

It's one of my three bikes. I have a touring bike and a road bike, also.
I bought an electric hub kit and put it on my grocery-getter beater bike. I love it, I run errands, go shopping, cruise town, visit friends, etc on the bike. It's a great little transporter, and it makes my hilly town much more pedal-friendly.

tomk21

I use mine mainly for the pedal assist I was in a motorcycle accident last summer and ended up messing up my right knee and the muscles in my leg witch makes it hard to do a lot of things because my leg gets weak but the pedal assist helps me try to get the strength back in my leg and it helps a lot on hills I like riding on bike trails but on a normal bike I can`t do it on my own any more.

page

I am 73 yrs old and disabled due to a heart attack (quad-by pass) and Type 1 Diabetes. As a result I have lost my Motor Vehicle License in Maryland which is like losing one's independence especially when you see worse off people still driving. The discovery of being able to utilize E-bikes on roads less than 50mph is a godsend. No longer will I have to take taxis-buses or wait for someone to take me. I can now commute to work - 8 miles one way - go to the store-barber-golf =downtown-local resturant or visit
Pagefamily and friens which is all I ever wanted to do before I got caught in the system and lost my license. Long story but one that proves when you try and obey the rules you usually end up on the short end! Will get my new bike this Friday and will let everyone know how it goes.