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Electric bikes gone wild

Omega Man

Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat
Staff member
I was recently at Cabela's and they have taken on the QuietKat like of electric bicycles. I am aware that the electric bike/scooter market is rapidly expanding but I have not really paid attention.

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This is the Warrior 1000. The fit, finish and overall construction was excellent. They are powered by Panasonic batteries which I have had excellent results with.

Seems like 20 mile range- unassisted, not sure how long if the battery system is just used to give the rider a break or an assist on hills.

Sounds like a 6 hour charge cycle.


Looks like there is some versatility and the technology is getting better all the time.

OM
 
I took a snapshot- that doesn’t want to upload :scratch

MSRP- $4,724
Bass Pro Discount- $420
Included options- rack and fenders- $130

Final price- $4,434.

OM
 
Gary - There's a lot of information around about e-bikes. I've paid some attention to this stuff and found that there's one website which seems most on top of the situation: https://www.cyclevolta.com
I'll take a look John. My first exposure was the Zero motorcycles and what I saw was impressive. Chances are Zero's battery and related technology has even got better. I have a feeling that the batteries on motorcycles and bicycles are rolling a common theme. Bass Pro offered to let me test one but I didn't want to be the one to hit the fish tank :blush
I would like to try one in person when I had the time to really look one over. I do like the "fat" tire aspect of the QuietKat that has the possibility of easing the banging on my old bones.
Thanks.
Gary
 
Gary - I can tell you that one of the big problems with riding an electric bike is wiping that silly grin off your face that seems to be part of the experience.
 
Gary - I can tell you that one of the big problems with riding an electric bike is wiping that silly grin off your face that seems to be part of the experience.
I'll bet! 100% of the torque instantly has to be some fun. Sort of the same thing with a nice scooter......or a golf cart :burnout
OM
 
Seen a few on local bicycle/walking/running paths. Couldn't figger how big fat tired bicycles were going so fast. Hope everyone stays safe.
 
Agree with many here that price is a massive barrier. The 'Specialized' brand tops out here for a ridiculous $14,399.00 CAD before tax. Take home price in my home province $15,118.95 CAD. Or I can get two G310 GS' for that price.

Fortunately there are a ton of people buying electric bicycles that would never buy a pedal only bike since they open the range of people who ride only a very little, have mobility issues etc. This should start bringing prices down. From my point of view, I would only buy an electric bike when the prices match today's regular bicycle prices.

However I do understand that if one had mobility issues that would change the thinking a lot, but many on fixed incomes will not pay that kind of money unless they live in a climate where bicycle riding is somewhat closer fully year-round and a car is no longer necessary for daily errands and running around.
 
I hate e-bikes.

They are electric mopeds. On bike-paths, they are extremely dangerous. The people riding them tend to be very inexperienced cyclists. They lack a sense of the dangers and precautions necessary to avoid them. They create a major hazard, especially on hills where they pass at full-speed cyclists who are plodding up hills, entering the lanes of cyclists who are coming down those hills at a good clip. The closing speeds this creates are way beyond the braking safety of bicycles or the design of the paths.

The fact that they have quiet electric motors makes them even more dangerous. You don't hear them coming, and again the riders tend to be very inexperienced so don't know or understand proper passing procedures or other considerations. Even though they are motorized and could easily do so, for some reason (possibly battery conservation) they tend not to want to adjust/alter their pace. So they pass (not just on hills) in very dangerous ways. I would sooner have internal combustion mopeds on the paths - - at least you have an audible warning of the approaching danger.

In my area, e-bikes are essentially destroying the paths that cyclists and pedestrians worked hard over many decades to create. These few paths were supposed to be dedicated to non-motorized use (pedestrians, cyclists, horseback riding, etc). The irony is that the big bicycle companies (Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, etc) are the ones pushing (lobbying) to have e-bikes allowed anywhere a bicycle is allowed. In doing so they are completely alienating the customer base that built them.

If you want to ride an e-bike on the streets, fine. But stay off the paths that are dedicated to non-motorized use. We have literally millions of miles of roads for motorized traffic. Precious few paths are dedicated to non-motorized pursuits.
 
E-Bike hate?
Comparing E-Bike to gasoline motorcycle :scratch
E-Motorcycles are a better comparison it would seem. Those Zero E-Motorcycles look pretty good as well.
Might be able to put baseball cards on the spokes of a E-Bike to remove the “stealth” factor :dunno
OM
 
E-Bike hate?
Comparing E-Bike to gasoline motorcycle :scratch
E-Motorcycles are a better comparison it would seem. Those Zero E-Motorcycles look pretty good as well.
Might be able to put baseball cards on the spokes of a E-Bike to remove the “stealth” factor :dunno
OM

If you’re referring to me, I didn’t compare e-bikes to gasoline motorcycles. I compared them to mopeds. Mopeds are propelled by a combination of pedal and internal combustion power. E-bikes use an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine.

And yes, “e-bike hate.” Might be difficult to comprehend for someone who lives in a sparsely populated area where e-bikes are rarely encountered. But I live in a congested urban environment, and have a dozen or more close encounters with them DAILY. Annually, I log more miles on my bicycles than all my other motorized vehicles COMBINED. So contending with e-bikes is a major daily aggravation and hazard. Hence the disgust with them.

Again, fine on roads intended for motorized vehicle, provided they are ridden responsibly. But they do not belong on paths designated for non-motorized use. Because - - they are motorized vehicles!
 
I hate e-bikes.

It would be good to know where you live Vark that things are so unregulated. There are standards for e-bikes in many states in the US and internationally. See:

"In 2015, PeopleForBikes and BPSA mobilized manufacturers and suppliers to establish e-bike classifications based on existing U.S. federal laws that control e-bike manufacturing standards, and international regulations that control products in markets across the globe. E-bikes were organized into three classes: Class 1 is a pedal-assist e-bike with a top motor-assisted speed of 20 mph, Class 2 is a throttle-assist e-bike with a top motor-assisted speed of 20 mph and Class 3 is a pedal-assist e-bike with a top motor-assisted speed of 28mph. The class system separated low-speed e-bikes from higher-powered vehicles and simplified the process of establishing regulations around the use of each class."

Most state laws keep Class 2 (throttle-assist) bikes on the roads, out of bike lanes and out of the woods, so to speak. I think it's hard to find Class 2 bikes for sale, BTW.

As for anecdotal experience, my daughter commuted to work by non-e bicycle 12-mi RT in Boston (on the flat) every day (Winter included) for years. She moved to Portland, OR, and began commuting from from the westside of Portland down to the Willamette River for work. At the end of the day, it was back on the muscle-only bike to home. Not easy. After a couple of weeks she bought an e-bike for commuting. All other riding she does with friends and husband is via muscle bike.

Maybe things will improve where you are Vark.:)
 
Yes, I’m familiar with the varying “classes” of ebikes. Those distinctions largely make no difference in the real world of urban riding. No one is checking ebikes to see what class they belong to, and they all ride with impunity on the trails.

Again, my point is they don’t belong on trails designated for non-motorized usage. They are motorized. They should be limited to motorways like other motorized vehicles.

And why aren’t they subject to the same licensing, registration, and helmetting requirements as mopeds, since that’s what they are. I own a couple mopeds, that have a top speed of 25 mph on the flat (slower uphill) They have to be registered, plated, and operated by someone wearing a DOT (ie motorcycle) helmet.

Right now e-bikes are flying under the radar due to some clever lobbying by manufacturers. The manufacturers are building mopeds that look like bicycles, and getting away with passing them off as something else by labelling them “e”-bikes.

Imagine the uproar if highways were opened up to non-motorized vehicles like bicycles. That would clearly not be good. The same is true of opening up paths to motorized vehicles.

If e-bikes are allowed on trails designated for non-motorized usage, why not electric scooters? Why not electric skateboards? How about e-trikes? Tandem e-trikes? E-quads? Teslas? Why just electric motorized vehicles? Why designate any trails for non-motorized usage?

See where this is going?

It’s not hypothetical. I ride in a world that is now much more dangerous due to e-bikes on paths. Paths where we should be able to ride, run, walk free from interaction with motorized vehicles.
 
Wow. Must be scary every day for you. Again, what it this dramatically awful place in which you live?
 
After a couple of weeks she bought an e-bike for commuting. )

I can see using one as a commuter would be a good thing but I'm not a fan of seeing them on bike trails.
I looked at the Trek site and the mid priced ones have a top speed of 28 mph.

We like taking the bicycles to Mackinac Island because in the past only bicycles and horses were allowed.
Now ebikes and 4 wheel electric mobility scooters are allowed. You don't have to be handicapped to rent the 4 wheel scooters.
Now the fastest thing on the island are the e bikes.
 
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