Electric bikes

[henrik]

Some more of that elegant European technology: http://stigobike.com/

[steveo73]

I am really thinking about getting an e-bike however I am thinking about it more in a couple of years time. On the flip side I wonder if simple petal power is enough and what I would do when it was raining.

I do figure that getting rid of the second car and using an e-bike is a really good idea.

I think the main regular trip would be to my gym which is 7.5 km each way. I'm also knackered after training.

[tommytebco]

You guys analyse the crap out of everything.
Get a bike first.
Re. bike speed versus comfort.
1.Generally more speed equals less comfort.
2.Be sure to get gears. Going up hill, shift!!! When I tour I use the constant effort rules. If it's hard, I shift to a lower gear.
3.The tires really do make a difference. In my case, cruising went from 17 mph or so down to 14 or 15 mph.

If it really is too hard after a week or so, get an electric kit and bolt it on.

The thing about exercise is to start now and avoid stalling. In a few weeks to a month you will actually miss your sessions when weather cancels it.

[jacob]

@steveo73 - A regular human-powered bike will do. For such a short ride, I don't think the hassle of electric power, extra cost, risk of getting it stolen,... is worth dealing with.

When it's raining, various sharp rocks tend to puncture your tires more. Also dirt gets into your drive train. If you have a single speed or internal gears, you can somewhat ignore this problem. If you have external gears, you'll clean it after every rainy ride... or replace it every other year due to rust.

Conclusion, for regular short distances in all kinds of weather, I prefer a $50 beater (=used $100 bike).

[stoneage]

You guys analyse the crap out of everything.
Get a bike first.

Done !
Bought a batch of 4 used bikes on the internet (some french craiglist equivalent) for 50€ as bunch or so. What I got :
1. Old racing bike (20 yo or so). very lightweight, perfectly maintained. Great buy. I think I'll change to larger wheels if possible (now they're too small, hence prone to puncturing).
2. Crappy old mountain bike, ugly, but great as a future bike for my older kid in 5 years or so (he's 5 right now). Full paint job and small cosmetic changes necessary.
3. "Dutch" style bike, well maintained, perfect for DW (the reason I bought the lot in the first place)
4. Mountain bike with suspension, I'll change to slick and large tire for everyday use.

I just stumbled over some study demonstrating large wheels are more efficient than thin ones with the same tire pressure. So the mountain bike should be quite efficient, although I'll probably lose some efficiency with suspension.

All in all, I think It'll be difficult for me to make a cheaper buy. I think I can easily sell one of the bike and break even, if needed.

[steveo73]

@steveo73 - A regular human-powered bike will do. For such a short ride, I don't think the hassle of electric power, extra cost, risk of getting it stolen,... is worth dealing with.

When it's raining, various sharp rocks tend to puncture your tires more. Also dirt gets into your drive train. If you have a single speed or internal gears, you can somewhat ignore this problem. If you have external gears, you'll clean it after every rainy ride... or replace it every other year due to rust.

Conclusion, for regular short distances in all kinds of weather, I prefer a $50 beater (=used $100 bike).

Thanks for the advice. I do have a beater now and it does the job whenever I ride however I really only use it for short trips - to the shops & to the local park which has an outdoor gym. I do two main car trips now - one to my BJJ gym and one once per week when I drop my 3 y.o. at my parents. I think I need the car for the trip to my parents as the traffic is really busy when I drop him off and an accident would be horrific.

What I should do is start riding my bike to BJJ and see how it goes.

You do mention some good advantages of the beater - a stolen beater is not really a big problem plus the beater probably requires less maintenance. My understanding is that the batteries on e-bikes need to be replaced every so often.