Dan127

Hi I'm doing an assignment on why ebikes are becoming so popular...

Can I ask what is so good about electric bikes?

And what was that first thing that happened in your life to cause you to first start looking at ebikes...

(Was it an injury or moving to a new place further from work, or you financial situation causing you to want to save on gas, or wanting to stop polluting, or get to work quicker or less sweaty, or just wanting to look cooler or go faster than those lycra clad road bikers?)

Thanks
Dan

Sangesf

For me, it was loss of license (still suspended). Here in Florida, only electric bicycles are allowed to be ridden without a license. (20 mph max speed)

soappedaler

The heat, last August is was too hot to ride. Hauling stuff with the Dummy was exhausting. Kind of forgot about it over the winter but then this past May started thinking about it again. The Dummy is a part of my business which is doing well so I thought why not get an electric motor. Have had it 2 weeks so far and love it. I can do a 20 mile delivery with cargo and come home and get back to work instead of collapse on the sofa. With gas prices so high I've had several people ask about my set-up.

jcpro

Hills and wind. Originally I bought a Trek bike for pleasure and fitness, but found it too much hassle in high winds and climbing hills(I'm in no great shape nor want to enter Tour de France). For me excercise must be a pleasure. So, I put a Bionx 350 on my bike this spring. I've never used a bike more since and I'm having a lot of fun using it. My system is pedal assist, so I pedal all the time, but the motor takes the edge off some of the steep hills and on windy days. I ride for a couple of hours a day or so, rain or shine, wind or not. I average about 30 km. I get a pretty good work out, too. So far, so good. The system works great(I've never gone below half charge on the meter) and Bionix has pretty good warranty on the system even if it's somewhat pricey.

countersTrike

Hills. My velomobile was 77 pounds. Being very aerodynamic- it "flew" downhill- and over a small hill it was OK, but a long hill would slow way down. Then a hub motor- like night and day. After hills were no problem; so many more advantages came- distance, acceleration, maintaining desired speed, ability to easily stop and start. The velomobile was a kit, so is converted to a plain recumbent trike- but I left the hub motor on.

rscamp

In order:
1. Love tinkering with batteries, motors etc. (a bit of a techie interested in, and experienced with, electric power for other applications)
2. Got a trike and wanted to be able to ride it farther and to places that would normally be inaccessible within a reasonable time frame and level of effort
3. Thought it would be safer to accelerate more quickly and move closer to the general speed of traffic (which has since been confirmed by experience).
4. Endless Sphere

jethro56 

What's so good? They're quiet and fast enough.

What got me interested? Was going to buy a regular gas scooter. I didn't because they're too heavy and won't haul much.

chvid

rscamp you sound just like me, same reasons, except I wanted a mobile platform for my 50 watts per channel bike stereo :-) And I'd like to go across Canada and the US with lots of camping gear when I retire, and don't want too work to hard at it.

DarthSensate

In no particular order:
- sore knees pedaling up hills.
- gas prices.
- hate commuting like a lemming stuffed in a steel box.
- reduction in commute time by bicycle by maintaining a consistent speed.
- NEEDED MORE EXERCISE but could not be disgusting sweaty by the time I got to work. I can do that on the way home.

Sangesf

Chivd,

What kind of stereo and where can I buy one?
I'm looking for one with RCA (low level) outputs.

chvid

I use this amp from www.veloamp.com It has a wide DC voltage input range, and it really sounds awesome. I'm using 6" waterproof marine speakers from WestMarine.

The amp can be purchased from www.ebikes.ca A bit spendy perhaps, but it works great. It is just for mp3 input primarily from a player, which I have on the boom of my trike. It runs directly on 48 volts from an Anderson tap, between the battery and the controller, and is "always on" when the battery is connected. Not sure if this has the right input for you - I imagine an RCA to mini-jack adaptor would work fine.

Sangesf

I already have a 4-channel 300w amp, just looking for an FM radio, with minijack input AND RCA output (to my amp).

adamtki

I was concerned about global warming so I started bike commuting. After half a year of that (11 miles each way), it was getting tiring and I thought, if they just put a small electric motor on a bike, I can get there a little faster, a little easier.

So I looked around and found Bionx! First I bought a PL250 and rode that for about 7000 miles and then I got the PL500HS and I'm approaching 7000 miles on that too.

I can't say enough good things about e-bikes.

Save time:
- Bike around a little faster than my triathlon effort speeds with half the effort
- Use roads more often since I'm now fast enough for the roads (or can get down the road fast enough before cars catch up), as opposed to staying in bumpy shoulders, bike lanes, or sidewalk
- Bike in regular clothes cause I don't need to be aerodynamic as much. This saves me a ton of time before and after the ride.
- Less sweat means less cleanup
- Need less water and snack breaks and less time needing to prepare that before the ride
- Take shorter routes by not having to avoid big hills and faster roads
- Less brake maintenance because all my light braking is done with Bionx' regen

Safer:
- Cars take longer to approach me
- Easier to take the lane since I can go faster (taking the lane is always safer than the bike lane or shoulders if you can maintain the speed limit)
- When cars are behind you, being faster means less chance of aggravating the driver
- Less exhausted so I'm more alert when riding

Also, the bike doesn't have to be light so I don't mind adding as many convenience stuff like fenders, large panniers, large lights, etc.

rscamp

I notice this a lot. The quicker acceleration also makes a big difference in maneuvering with traffic...

spasmous

55 minute commutes on a regular bike get old after a few months. A went a year then quit and drove instead. Then it was 15 minutes in traffic and 10 minutes looking for a parking space (or spend $90/month on assigned parking). I wish I discovered e-bikes sooner!

The bike lanes are mostly good and traffic is non-existent. Also parking is free and right outside my workplace. Some fellow riders at work even "park" in their office

In short - cost is lower, parking is free, commute is more enjoyable, a little exercise is good.

Only downside is occasionally if you need to haul something or need to make an unscheduled journey. I'd say it's a 95% positive change tho.

dygituljunky

I'm still a wannabe but my reasons for wanting to add a motor are as follows:

- Extending my range, part 1. My commute is short but my shift is long. After 3 days of riding all the way to and from on either side of a 12-hours shift, I'm absolutely beat and worthless for chores on my off days. Using the electric motor to supplement means that I will be able get through the commutes where I'm just too worn out to provide the motive power myself.
- Extending my range, part 2. After the commutes listed above, I have no energy for bike runs to the grocery store (I've done it once in my 4-ish bike commuting years).
- Cost of fuel. Much further per dollar.
- Georgia summer heat. Even when I'm at the top of my form, biking in during the evening commute hour in the summer is hot, exhausting work and leaves me with far less energy for work.
- Power assist. There are a few hills on my route which are so steep that I must use my lowest gear combination with just a load heavy enough for my day at work. The motor would help haul the recycling, the lawn mower, and other heavy items up those steep hills.
- E-bike total cost is cheaper than paying a car payment, maintenance, etc

CGI

For me; I bought an Extreme-500 electric scooter. Just a toy but something to zip around town, run errands, etc. (I live in a city).

After 2 seasons and needing to replace my batteries, I started to research electric bikes. I liked the idea of pedalling, but having the capability to ride exclusively on battery power to get around (no insurance, no license, etc). I also liked the idea of being able to ride on sidewalks.

So I about an A2B and loving every minute of it.

soappedaler

Met a guy yesterday at the Farmer's market that I vend at (haul everything on the Dummy) He was checking out my bike, a lot of people do, and said he had just got an electric bike a couple of weeks ago. He was walking with a cane and said he was disabled and hadn't ridden a bike in over 10 years. He came back later on his bike to show it to me.

El Duderino X

Too close to work to drive but a tad too far (with too many hills) to ride on two blown knees (which are doing much better now, thank you very much).

bluefoxicy

This is the same for me. I'm considering getting a Trek Transport+ in the future, after getting a Portland; but I'm thinking about my commute to work and wondering if a Ride+ Trek would be better. They don't offer one with drop handlebars, so I'm aiming at the Portland for my work commute; I figure who cares? But the hills do slow me down. If I could get i.e. a Portland+ with a spare wheel, I'd eject the wheel and the battery most of the time. Or, better, swap the wheel but keep the battery, and have a hub dynamo to charge the battery back up.

The Transport+ is a utility bike, and I'm going for it for utility. The electric motor of course gives a pedal assist when trying to haul things, which I find awesome.

dgk02

I got an ebike (two actually) because I have a 25 miles r/t commute and I'm almost 60. So the wind and hills were making it too much of a pain in the ass (or more accurately, knees) for me to do it regularly. With an ebike I can use it as a regular bike most of the time and kick in some assist when going up big hills or into a killer headwind. I don't even look at the wind predictions anymore; if it's windy I just use some assist. It's like riding with a tailwind all the time.