mpop

I went to a outdoor festival on Saturday, and I saw something that I think was odd, it was a battery powered motorized bicycle. I was wondering what others on this forums thinks of such a device. For me it seams like it not a good idea, kind of defeats the purpose of a bicycle, it had a chain you can pedal or you could switch over to a motorized system.

77Univega

--- For folks in their 70's and 80's whose hips and knees start going out, those bikes keep them on the road. The motor is just for that little bit of extra help on the hills.

khuon

I see no problem in it as it's still a good alternative form of transportation.

CommuterRun

We've got one of those around here. Pretty cool, actually. I think the little old lady that pilots it is a close relative of Methuselah.

She really scoots around on that thing. I don't think it's going to win any crits, though.

bobo35

Some Police Officers use these to get to a call some distance away then pedal into the action. tha way they can have something left when they get there.

khuon

I mentioned it in another forum but the US military has been studying the use of the M-750 bike which is a folding Montague MTB (also originally developed for military use) that has been adapted to work as an e-bike through a motorised retrofit kit.

mooncricket

saw a 75 yo guy on it. he could barely walk, but was out riding around on one. i thought it was terrific.

mpop

Ok, I can see it for older people, and police, but unfornatly that was not how they were promoting them, they tried to get me to look at them, they were not going after the markets you all were talking about, and I can see that as a good thing for those market

jeff-o

A friend and I want to build a motorized bike. Not because we're lazy, but because we want to be able to go 50 km/h all the time, without the help of fossil fuels. We're just having a rough time deciding on form factor (recumbent or DF?) and finding a suitable motor.

corwincastle

a guy that lived in a town near where i live he put a gas engine on a bike made a bar off the side to shift and all and crashed it pretty bad so i say dont try it you may get hurt

also im thinking taking the wheels off a mini bike and making some custom motored bike it will be larger for full size person more powerful motor and only thing the same would be the wheels

theden

I have a 2-stroke motorized cruiser bike at home. It is a lot of fun. The motorkit cost about $170, and the bike was used and around $50. Good for running errands when my legs are already shot from riding around on my regular bike. It would be easy to live without a car if you had a regular commuter and some kind of motorized bike to use on occasion too. Top speed is around 25, but I am going to put a smaller drive sprocket on eventually to up that to about 30mph or so (sacrificing a little hill climbing ability).

recursive

I have no problem with them, but they seem somewhat pointless to me. The motors in those things are so week. That new Schwinn is advertised to go at 14mph using pedals and motor assist. Give me a break. The only time I go that slow is up long hills. It just seems the added weight isn't really worth the weak benefit the motor gives.

theden

I'm not sure about the laws around here (AZ), and neither does the DMV. I can't even get it insured since it is "homegrown". I just make sure to pedal whenever I see a cop car, but keep the motor running. About 300 miles so far, no problems yet...

konageezer

I saw my first one of these things last week.

A teenager, riding at night with no lights, flashies or reflectors, going maybe 25 clicks (uphill). Naturally, he was dressed in a black hoodie and dark pants, riding to the far right of Main Street, weaving in and out of the occasional parked cars. I watched him head off toward an area of some pretty comprehensive roadwork, where all the pavement is ripped up and the traffic flow is altered.

Didn't read anything about it in the paper afterward, so I can only assume he arrived someplace. Better to be lucky…

But yeah, if pensioners want to ride them on the dike, that's cool. I'll endorse that.