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Agreed about the assistance level when tired. I used to dread days I rode the conventional bike to work when the day was over. Now that I'm 60, my energy level at the end of the day isn't always great. The e-bike has brought back the fun to the evening portion of the commute.

You are doing the right thing by taking lots of test rides. Although Juiced bikes and other online bikes may well be good, unless you can ride one locally, I'd advise against buying it. Surely there must be a dealer that sells Juiced in the Bay Area. Having a local, conveniently located...

Kalkhoff makes sound bikes. The cog is pretty cheap - especially if you are comfortable with DIY. I had a bike with an Alfine 8 speed and with the right cog, it had no problem cruising in the high 20's with a comfortable cadence. As I recall, I attempted swapping the cog myself and it was...

@Phil B - You may be able to swap the rear cog (assuming this is an internal hub) to one with fewer teeth to slow down your cadence at top speed. I've noticed a lot of ebikes are under-geared.

There's an old saying which goes something like this with a minor adaptation for e-bikes. And I'm sure many of you know it. It applies to vehicles in general. Light weight, low price, long range / high speed. Pick any 2. Old sayings aside, I just sold a bike that fulfilled all but the...

Assuming that the frame is aluminum, I think it would be OK with the BBS-02. I use BBS-HD (1000 vs. 750 watt) on a steel bike with an Alfine 8 speed. It's gone 1400 miles without issue. Common sense when shifting is required. I agree with @harryS - don't add a hub motor to a carbon fork. I...

FWIW, I've had great luck with Schwalbe and super thick tubes. Expensive, but worth it. Any dedicated cyclist should know how to change a flat on the road and it's worth doing a dry run at home so you're comfortable with it. Some e-bikes can be a huge pain to remove the rear wheel (or front...

Thanks for your thoughtful review and good on you for doing the 26 mile one-way trip. That's more than twice what I was doing when I was working. I have also experienced voltage sag and power loss on my 52V BBS-HD powered bike, but it was at more like 25% charge than 80%. There was voltage...

River City bikes? Maybe I'll see you in town someday. Nice bike and we will be needing those fenders soon. Did you see the "monsoon" we had yesterday? Torrential!

When I was looking to buy a new commute bike recently, I didn't look at Specialized because they didn't used to be good. But I've seen their new bikes recently and regret not having tried them. They really are a sharp looking bike. My LBS tells me most of their customers by the Specialized...

I have a couple of bikes that can maintain 28 or more MPH. First is a home made Novara bike that's quite stout. It has the Luna BBS-HD with 52V battery and I've had it as high as 35. I don't recommend that speed or anything even approaching 30. I also have a Riese and Muller Roadster with...

Sorry to hear about your misfortune, @Dewey. It's amazing you rode home with a broken leg. There sure are a lot of clueless cyclists. I see them parked in such a way they block the bike path, repairing the bike in the middle of the path, etc. And then there's the ones reading the phone while...

I saw that Lyzene pump at the bike shop the other day. Expensive, but very nice looking. If you are going to ride a bike, best to learn how to fix flats as they will happen sooner or later. I recommend a trial run at home. It is usually not necessary to remove the wheel to find and patch the...

Surprisingly, no conventional bikes in recent memory have made any remarks, but if they did, I would tell them why I ride an e-bike - I don't enjoy driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic and don't want to take a shower at work. That simple. If a conventional cyclist keeps up with me or passes, I...

Helmet mounted lights are also great for street riding. I had a high quality one way back in 1987 (yipes, am I that old?). You can get the attention of distracted drivers by looking at them. The beam shining in their direction makes them pay attention quickly. I don't like obnoxiously...

I was at an e-bike shop yesterday that is a Specialized dealer yesterday and was extremely impressed with their current line of bikes. I wasn't looking for that sort of bike, so I did not test ride one, but had I known the latest models were as nice, varied and reasonably priced as these, I...

Excellent suggestions. Thank you!

@Over50 - So you are using insurance as well? I priced it and it was, as I recall, around $50 / month for my $4700 bike. I was looking for a small cargo bike for errands and have actually considered some of the cheaper ones to lesson the concern about theft. But I've tried a Benno Boost and...

I love me e-bike and ride in a pretty big city (Portland, OR) but sometimes I don't feel comfortable taking it on errands because I worry about theft. If not theft of the entire bike, theft of seats, seat posts, tools, panniers, etc. I have plenty of locks and know how to lock a bike, but...

Interesting question. I live in Portland, OR, and like Seattle, it's also a bike crazy town. I do see e-bikes, though not as many as I'd expect. I hadn't thought to keep count, but that would be an interesting exercise. I'm pretty sure I see at least 1 or 2 a day. What does surprise me is...