Electric bikes gone wild

[Omega Man]

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.



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

[nickrides]

How much for that Warrior 1000?

[Omega Man]

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

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

Final price- $4,434.

OM

[ExGMan]

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

[Omega Man]

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
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

[ExGMan]

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.

[Omega Man]

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
OM

[SHAG]

I want one of these

[AKsuited]

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
OM

...or a Prius Prime plug-in hybrid in EV mode...

[8ninety8]

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.

[Omega Man]

I just saw an ad on Racer TV for the Specialized Turbo series. I like to stay with proven names but I'm a bit concerned on the price. Probably better to see/ride one in person.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/turbo-kenevo

OM

[junkjohn]

6, 7 , $8,000 Looks like fun, but I'll take a 310 GS all day with unlimited miles.

[KenDittrick]

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.

[vark]

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.

[Omega Man]

E-Bike hate?
Comparing E-Bike to gasoline motorcycle
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
OM