I have a Van Moof S3. I highly recommend it solely for its anti-theft features. It has a motion-triggered alarm that deters some would-be thieves. It also has two trackers: a GPS tracker and a...
I have a Van Moof S3.
I highly recommend it solely for its anti-theft features. It has a motion-triggered alarm that deters some would-be thieves. It also has two trackers: a GPS tracker and a built-in Apple Find My tracker.
A few months ago it was stolen from a bike rack outside my gym. I immediately tracked it. Within the same hour the police found my bike and the thief.
Use-wise, it's just as fast as a car for getting around on local roads in a 3–4 mile radius around my home. For distances beyond that, public transit + e-bike works well, or I just call a rideshare.
As someone curious about getting one of these, I thought this was a great resource. I might hold off a bit for now since my current riding needs are limited, but once my social life picks back up...
As someone curious about getting one of these, I thought this was a great resource. I might hold off a bit for now since my current riding needs are limited, but once my social life picks back up who knows.
I don’t even really need or care about an electric bike but this was so thorough and well written about the topic that I loved reading it, thanks for sharing.
I don’t even really need or care about an electric bike but this was so thorough and well written about the topic that I loved reading it, thanks for sharing.
I’m a leg cyclist, but I’m so glad these are getting more popular. More bikes on the road means it’s safer for all cyclists! I also plan to get an e-bike if we ever get around to being a 1-car...
I’m a leg cyclist, but I’m so glad these are getting more popular. More bikes on the road means it’s safer for all cyclists! I also plan to get an e-bike if we ever get around to being a 1-car household (a pipe dream right now, since we want a used truck to pull the trailer and prices are way up right now).
What a fun article! Thanks for sharing NaraVara This was completely me and I am a full convert. Admittedly I still grumble under my breath as e-MTBs pass me on the uphill on the backcountry...
What a fun article! Thanks for sharing NaraVara
Gone are the days when the bicycle world was dominated by road and mountainbikers that looked down on ebikes as cheating.
This was completely me and I am a full convert. Admittedly I still grumble under my breath as e-MTBs pass me on the uphill on the backcountry climbs, but that's just jealously that I can't afford the sticker price. The folks on e-bikes can put up 2-3 times the number of laps I can get on the mountain on any given day. That means they can progress so much faster. If I hit 20 jumps in a session, they can hit 40-60. I would be surprised if e-bikes weren't the standard for high end mountain bikes in 5-10 years.
There are two good ways to buy an ebike. Online or from your local bike shop.
I bought mine online during the pandemic and am glad I did. I think this is a global problem, but locally there was no stock available. I went for a RAD Electric Cargo bike. Admittedly, I bought it because of the price point (reasonably cheap) and off of a recommendation from a friend. It is an awesome hauler. It has enough room on the back rack to fit a modified Costco storage container which means it has a 27 gallon "Truck bed" + pannier space. Someone else can easily hop on the back and cruise around with me and, as the article mentions, the throttle is great for days when I just want to use it as a stand-in scooter. I think if I really had the money I would go for a Bullitt Cargo Bike but the RAD works great for now. I still have a road bike and a touring bike when I want to cycle, but the RAD is perfect substitute for a car locally.
I only recommend bikes that come with integrated headlights and disc brakes
And a dyno hub! Never having to change batteries or worry about a light going off on a longer night ride is amazing. If you're already dropping 2k+ on a bike a hub is incredibly worth the extra $100.
I would love to have a little armada like the author, but I just can't imagine where I would store them. I currently have 4 bikes (only one of which is electrified) and I already struggle with them spilling awkwardly into my home. Dreaming of a large, bike focused garage in the future.
I purchased a Rad Mission this past summer to get me around during an internship in a rural-ish Appalachian town. It worked quite wonderfully to get me around town and to/from the grocery store...
I purchased a Rad Mission this past summer to get me around during an internship in a rural-ish Appalachian town. It worked quite wonderfully to get me around town and to/from the grocery store once I installed a rear rack, and for the 1300 (1000 + 300 for tax and accessories) I paid I feel like I've saved thousands on a car. Now that I'm back at school, it's my primary mode of transport of getting to/from class. My school has a particularly terrible shuttle system, and going from ~40 minute rigid schedules to ~7 minutes even in ice and light rain is godly. That being said, I can't recommend anybody buy one. From Rad, at least. It's incredibly fun, it's saved me money, and I've only gotten one mild concussion from an accident. I also can't get it serviced. I've talked to about five or so bike shops over the time I've owned it, and nobody wants to touch it.
REI wouldn't even change a flat. Forced me to learn how to myself, I suppose. The best I've ever gotten is a local chain who was willing to change the rear brake pads for me (I know how to do it myself, but I'm superbly short on time). The sixth shop was willing to redo the rear spokes for me, but I would need to get the bike there. Which I can't do, because it's my primary and only mode of transportation. Can't imagine that Lyfts would take kindly to a stranger wanting to mount a bike rack on their car. If you got a more common (overpriced) bike from these shops like a Cannondale, I'm sure that you'd have a better time. At the moment though, I really wish I knew how much hands-on learning I'd be coerced into.
FWIW, after a lot of research during the pandemic, I bought a GoCycle last year. I needed a folding e-bike due to not having a place to store a larger bike in my apartment, and no bike-friendly...
FWIW, after a lot of research during the pandemic, I bought a GoCycle last year. I needed a folding e-bike due to not having a place to store a larger bike in my apartment, and no bike-friendly storage on the property. It's really nice! Unfortunately, the '21-'22 New England winter has been pretty snowy, so I haven't had as many opportunities to ride it as I would like. It has replaced my car for some short trips. I still need a car for traveling longer distances or transporting larger items. I have yet to get it serviced, but I found a few bike shops around that sell GoCycles and claim to be able to service them.
I had to wait ~6 months before they restocked the model I was interested in. I imagine continuing supply chain issues and demand for ebikes isn't going to make the wait any better for a lot of the recommendations in the article.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend getting an ebike if you want to substitute short car trips, or want to be able to do longer bike trips and carry more stuff without getting as tired (in that case I'd also recommend getting a bike rack and a pannier, or grabbing a bungie cord and rigging a regular backpack up like a pannier).
I have not tried them yet since I'm back to mostly work from home, but this company has a couple of options for making any bag you want into a pannier bag.
I have not tried them yet since I'm back to mostly work from home, but this company has a couple of options for making any bag you want into a pannier bag.
You have my sympathies. I used to live in Tampa and had the wonderful experience of finding an apartment that was a 20 minute drive from work when I visited it at 1:00PM but somehow ballooned into...
You have my sympathies. I used to live in Tampa and had the wonderful experience of finding an apartment that was a 20 minute drive from work when I visited it at 1:00PM but somehow ballooned into a 1 hour and 20 minute door to door commute during rush hour. I swore then I would pay any price and bear any burden to be able to take the bus.
I found it incredibly hard to find shops willing to let me test ride an ebike. If you have a motorcycle endorsement, it's actually easier to test ride a motorcycle than it is to test ride an...
I found it incredibly hard to find shops willing to let me test ride an ebike.
If you have a motorcycle endorsement, it's actually easier to test ride a motorcycle than it is to test ride an ebike.
It's really quite odd. They both cost about the same. They are both a blast to ride. They basically sell themselves, once you throw a leg over, you want to buy it.
I'd imagine it would depend on the type of store you visit. Where I live there are a handful of stores that specialize in selling relatively inexpensive ebikes, and they're all about getting you...
I'd imagine it would depend on the type of store you visit. Where I live there are a handful of stores that specialize in selling relatively inexpensive ebikes, and they're all about getting you to test drive them. But if you're a general cycle shop who also sells electric models or a higher-end ebike shop you might not want to deal with that much risk.
I visited two stores. The first sold all cycles, and let me test ride the bike inside the shop. The second only sold ebikes, and did not let me test ride anything. The only place I could find to...
I visited two stores. The first sold all cycles, and let me test ride the bike inside the shop. The second only sold ebikes, and did not let me test ride anything. The only place I could find to rent an ebike for a couple of hours was from the manufacturer. Your mileage may vary.
I have a Van Moof S3.
I highly recommend it solely for its anti-theft features. It has a motion-triggered alarm that deters some would-be thieves. It also has two trackers: a GPS tracker and a built-in Apple Find My tracker.
A few months ago it was stolen from a bike rack outside my gym. I immediately tracked it. Within the same hour the police found my bike and the thief.
Use-wise, it's just as fast as a car for getting around on local roads in a 3–4 mile radius around my home. For distances beyond that, public transit + e-bike works well, or I just call a rideshare.
As someone curious about getting one of these, I thought this was a great resource. I might hold off a bit for now since my current riding needs are limited, but once my social life picks back up who knows.
I don’t even really need or care about an electric bike but this was so thorough and well written about the topic that I loved reading it, thanks for sharing.
I’m a leg cyclist, but I’m so glad these are getting more popular. More bikes on the road means it’s safer for all cyclists! I also plan to get an e-bike if we ever get around to being a 1-car household (a pipe dream right now, since we want a used truck to pull the trailer and prices are way up right now).
I also have beefy legs, but e-bikes are maybe the most energy efficient way to move people around. I wish more people would buy them.
What a fun article! Thanks for sharing NaraVara
This was completely me and I am a full convert. Admittedly I still grumble under my breath as e-MTBs pass me on the uphill on the backcountry climbs, but that's just jealously that I can't afford the sticker price. The folks on e-bikes can put up 2-3 times the number of laps I can get on the mountain on any given day. That means they can progress so much faster. If I hit 20 jumps in a session, they can hit 40-60. I would be surprised if e-bikes weren't the standard for high end mountain bikes in 5-10 years.
I bought mine online during the pandemic and am glad I did. I think this is a global problem, but locally there was no stock available. I went for a RAD Electric Cargo bike. Admittedly, I bought it because of the price point (reasonably cheap) and off of a recommendation from a friend. It is an awesome hauler. It has enough room on the back rack to fit a modified Costco storage container which means it has a 27 gallon "Truck bed" + pannier space. Someone else can easily hop on the back and cruise around with me and, as the article mentions, the throttle is great for days when I just want to use it as a stand-in scooter. I think if I really had the money I would go for a Bullitt Cargo Bike but the RAD works great for now. I still have a road bike and a touring bike when I want to cycle, but the RAD is perfect substitute for a car locally.
And a dyno hub! Never having to change batteries or worry about a light going off on a longer night ride is amazing. If you're already dropping 2k+ on a bike a hub is incredibly worth the extra $100.
I would love to have a little armada like the author, but I just can't imagine where I would store them. I currently have 4 bikes (only one of which is electrified) and I already struggle with them spilling awkwardly into my home. Dreaming of a large, bike focused garage in the future.
I purchased a Rad Mission this past summer to get me around during an internship in a rural-ish Appalachian town. It worked quite wonderfully to get me around town and to/from the grocery store once I installed a rear rack, and for the 1300 (1000 + 300 for tax and accessories) I paid I feel like I've saved thousands on a car. Now that I'm back at school, it's my primary mode of transport of getting to/from class. My school has a particularly terrible shuttle system, and going from ~40 minute rigid schedules to ~7 minutes even in ice and light rain is godly. That being said, I can't recommend anybody buy one. From Rad, at least. It's incredibly fun, it's saved me money, and I've only gotten one mild concussion from an accident. I also can't get it serviced. I've talked to about five or so bike shops over the time I've owned it, and nobody wants to touch it.
REI wouldn't even change a flat. Forced me to learn how to myself, I suppose. The best I've ever gotten is a local chain who was willing to change the rear brake pads for me (I know how to do it myself, but I'm superbly short on time). The sixth shop was willing to redo the rear spokes for me, but I would need to get the bike there. Which I can't do, because it's my primary and only mode of transportation. Can't imagine that Lyfts would take kindly to a stranger wanting to mount a bike rack on their car. If you got a more common (overpriced) bike from these shops like a Cannondale, I'm sure that you'd have a better time. At the moment though, I really wish I knew how much hands-on learning I'd be coerced into.
FWIW, after a lot of research during the pandemic, I bought a GoCycle last year. I needed a folding e-bike due to not having a place to store a larger bike in my apartment, and no bike-friendly storage on the property. It's really nice! Unfortunately, the '21-'22 New England winter has been pretty snowy, so I haven't had as many opportunities to ride it as I would like. It has replaced my car for some short trips. I still need a car for traveling longer distances or transporting larger items. I have yet to get it serviced, but I found a few bike shops around that sell GoCycles and claim to be able to service them.
I had to wait ~6 months before they restocked the model I was interested in. I imagine continuing supply chain issues and demand for ebikes isn't going to make the wait any better for a lot of the recommendations in the article.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend getting an ebike if you want to substitute short car trips, or want to be able to do longer bike trips and carry more stuff without getting as tired (in that case I'd also recommend getting a bike rack and a pannier, or grabbing a bungie cord and rigging a regular backpack up like a pannier).
I have not tried them yet since I'm back to mostly work from home, but this company has a couple of options for making any bag you want into a pannier bag.
Thanks for posting this! I checked out a couple of ebikes at local stores, and I am now booked to test ride a couple of e-Bikes this weekend.
These are so cool. I wish I lived in an area that made sense for these. Alas, I'm stuck in car stroad hell.
You have my sympathies. I used to live in Tampa and had the wonderful experience of finding an apartment that was a 20 minute drive from work when I visited it at 1:00PM but somehow ballooned into a 1 hour and 20 minute door to door commute during rush hour. I swore then I would pay any price and bear any burden to be able to take the bus.
I found it incredibly hard to find shops willing to let me test ride an ebike.
If you have a motorcycle endorsement, it's actually easier to test ride a motorcycle than it is to test ride an ebike.
It's really quite odd. They both cost about the same. They are both a blast to ride. They basically sell themselves, once you throw a leg over, you want to buy it.
I'd imagine it would depend on the type of store you visit. Where I live there are a handful of stores that specialize in selling relatively inexpensive ebikes, and they're all about getting you to test drive them. But if you're a general cycle shop who also sells electric models or a higher-end ebike shop you might not want to deal with that much risk.
I visited two stores. The first sold all cycles, and let me test ride the bike inside the shop. The second only sold ebikes, and did not let me test ride anything. The only place I could find to rent an ebike for a couple of hours was from the manufacturer. Your mileage may vary.