Does your e-bike need makeup?

[Jacky Zhou]

Recently there was a group of brightly colored e-bikers at the beach in Los Angeles, which looked kind of weird and cool.
Would you choose to give your e-bike this kind of "makeup" if it were you?
It seems like a unique find, what if there was a brand that offered riders various customization options (like this look)?
Will you like this kind of service?

 

[mrgold35]

We have entire neighborhoods in New Mexico that put out Luminarias (called Farolitos in Northern NM) on their houses and yards every X-mas. Some neighborhood block off roads for bus, vehicle, and self or group guided bike tours on X-mas eve. A lot of folks add battery powered X-mas light to their cars and (e)bikes for the tour to show their X-mas spirit. A lot of bike riders (including the wife and I) add AA powered X-mas lights to our (e)bikes for the tour.

 

[6zfshdb]

Recently there was a group of brightly colored e-bikers at the beach in Los Angeles, which looked kind of weird and cool.
Would you choose to give your e-bike this kind of "makeup" if it were you?
It seems like a unique find, what if there was a brand that offered riders various customization options (like this look)?
Will you like this kind of service?

View attachment 169832

Welcome to the forum!

I suppose this sort of thing is appealing to some.

Personally, I prefer the look of a bike that's well used and not fresh off the showroom floor. Any "makeup" on my bikes would be quickly covered with mud & road debris.

Each to his own though.

 

[PCeBiker]

Personally, I prefer the look of a bike that's well used and not fresh off the showroom floor. Any "makeup" on my bikes would be quickly covered with mud & road debris.

I'm the same.
My ebike is covered in dust, dirt, mud, scratches, zip ties, and dents where the paint chipped off.
I'm definitely function over form, but I did add a windshield because my ebike looked really stupid without one.

I knew a guy that owned a Harley but he had no license or insurance.
All he did was polish it and try to show off.

That sort of thing Really Irritates me.
What's the point?
I think personifying a machine is stupid.
I'll talk to my cat but I don't talk to my ebike.

 

[nutdriver]

I think it may be fun for a special events or community parades to decorate bikes. Otherwise, I prefer the simple look.

 

[indianajo]

I saw a group of pedal cyclists occupying the entire right lane on E. T.C. Jester Rd. in Houston Christmas afternoon. Not normally a bicycle friendly street. At the back was a fat tire e-bike with one of these multicolor light sticks mounted vertically on the rear. Suitable use for a garish accessory, I thought.
I use a 6" brightz pink stick at the back of my bicycle for a backup taillight, when the Garmin Varia battery runs down in the middle of a ride. I tried a brightz 6" stick on the front for a headlight, but flashing green was too weird to ride by. Flashing white or yellow from brightz are not stocked at my grocery. They are as bright as headlights costing $55, but cost $12. At all times I wear a yellow green ANSI class II vest with reflective stripes, with a white and yellow Fox Rampage helmet. I hope it makes drivers think of deep holes to the side of the pavement and bucket loader crossings of the driving lane.

 

[BikerG]

Personally, I prefer the look of a bike that's well used and not fresh off the showroom floor.

Oh yeah, that’s me. This goes for most outdoor gear I own, including my backpacking gear, especially cooksets.
I like that grungy, worn look. Just has so much more character, IMO. I‘ll even go as far as pulling brand new stickers off of bike frames, component, etc…

 

[CanNik]

ONLY in america or perhaps china like places

 

[BikerG]

ONLY in america or perhaps china like places

In America, during the holidays, we even wear Christmas lights when we go hiking at night…

 

[Taylor57]

I prefer my bikes stay under the radar. No need to draw attention from the bike pirates!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I generally prefer a simple look — black and white with a splash of color here and there.

But if people want to be artistic or whimsical with their bikes, fine by me. As long as they ride responsibly, it's none of my business.

Like many people, however, I'm a sucker for colored lights moving in the dark. If I could come up with some easy-on, easy-off bike lights capable of a wide range of visual effects, I might use them on night rides now and then just for kicks.

I've made many LEGO blacklight tops along those lines, and they're quite popular at public displays.

 

[Jacky Zhou]

I'm the same.
My ebike is covered in dust, dirt, mud, scratches, zip ties, and dents where the paint chipped off.
I'm definitely function over form, but I did add a windshield because my ebike looked really stupid without one.

I knew a guy that owned a Harley but he had no license or insurance.
All he did was polish it and try to show off.

That sort of thing Really Irritates me.
What's the point?
I think personifying a machine is stupid.
I'll talk to my cat but I don't talk to my ebike.

windshield? It does sound crazy, but doesn't it affect your riding? Especially on bumpy roads and in windy weather.
For Harley, isn't it true that more experiences like this emphasize the difference?
You remind me that in China, it's popular to add a canopy to a battery bike, something like this.
你提醒我，在中国，很流行给电瓶车加一个顶篷，类似这样的东西。

 

[Jacky Zhou]

We have entire neighborhoods in New Mexico that put out Luminarias (called Farolitos in Northern NM) on their houses and yards every X-mas. Some neighborhood block off roads for bus, vehicle, and self or group guided bike tours on X-mas eve. A lot of folks add battery powered X-mas light to their cars and (e)bikes for the tour to show their X-mas spirit. A lot of bike riders (including the wife and I) add AA powered X-mas lights to our (e)bikes for the tour.

View attachment 169839

Sounds great, I'd like to inquire a little bit:
Currently, many e-bikes on the market launch marketing strategies, mostly giving away some accessories (which I think are not useful and expensive). Would people be interested in lowering the price of a separate e-bike and giving away some Christmas lights like these (you can DIY them yourself)?

 

[Jacky Zhou]

Welcome to the forum!

I suppose this sort of thing is appealing to some.

Personally, I prefer the look of a bike that's well used and not fresh off the showroom floor. Any "makeup" on my bikes would be quickly covered with mud & road debris.

Each to his own though.

For evening city rides, or rides to the beach for night fishing, I think it's not just cool but necessary, and I even think it should be introduced with a feature to secure fishing rods, and accessories like fishing buckets as well as audio.

 

[Jacky Zhou]

I think it may be fun for a special events or community parades to decorate bikes. Otherwise, I prefer the simple look.

It's very much the same as my intuitive preference, I prefer simplicity and of course taillights and night lights are essential.

 

[Jacky Zhou]

ONLY in america or perhaps china like places

According to my understanding, in China such rainbow lights may be used in buildings, street lights, trees (it will look very good at night), and if it is used to decorate your own car, it is very rare. They prefer simple tail lights or decorative lights.

 

[Jacky Zhou]

In America, during the holidays, we even wear Christmas lights when we go hiking at night…

I think I may have raised a point that is a need for an e-bike rider. A wide range of e-bike manufacturers should be thinking about this!

 

[Jacky Zhou]

I prefer my bikes stay under the radar. No need to draw attention from the bike pirates!

Burglary prevention is always a serious and headache-inducing problem.

 

[Jacky Zhou]

I generallt prefer a simple look — black and white with a splash of color here and there.

View attachment 169849

But if people want to be artistic or whimsical with their bikes, fine by me. As long as they ride responsibly, it's none of my business.

Like many people, however, I'm a sucker for colored lights moving in the dark. If I could come up with some easy-on, easy-off bike lights capable of a wide range of visual effects, I might use them on night rides now and then just for kicks.

I've made quite a few LEGO blacklight tops along those lines, and they're quite popular at public displays.

I like the photo you took of your car at the beach. And I love riding freely along the beach so much.
I watched your Youtube channel. You are an energetic and creative person. That’s great!
If you were asked to suggest, what necessary accessories do you think should be provided for electric bikes?

 

[PCeBiker]

windshield? It does sound crazy,

Oh it's crazy alright, but so am I.

But you have to admit that my ebike looks better with a windshield,..

,.. but doesn't it affect your riding?

Not that I noticed.
My ebike weighs a TON. It's just under 100 pounds with the tool kit. The front wheel weighs over 15 pounds.

I ride no-hands for more than half the time I'm riding.
I can ride no-hands in a crosswind and through potholes that I didn't see. The ebike just plows right through.
It's full of inertia to keep it stable.

Especially on bumpy roads and in windy weather.

My nemesis is mud.
A 100 pound e-bike with street tires is no match for for that sticky goo.
It was fun though.

You remind me that in China, it's popular to add a canopy to a battery bike, something like this.

I was looking into different types of windshields for ebikes and motorcycles when I was thinking about adding the windshield.