eBike as Car Replacement ?

[e-boy]

I had a chance to ride the Bulls LACUBA E45 which was called a good car replacement by EBR .
What other eBikes do you consider good car replacements ?

 

[Chris Nolte]

I had a chance to ride the Bulls LACUBA E45 which was called a good car replacement by EBR .
What other eBikes do you consider good car replacements ?

Can you tell us a bit more about the yourself, your location, average distances for commute, etc. This stuff can be really helpful in making recommendations.

Also - I'm interested to know how you liked the Lacuba E45.

 

[e-boy]

Thanks for your reply .

I like the Bulls , it seems to have everything .
Only concerns are the Brose vs Bosch , and the price .
Concern If the Brose is equal to the Bosch performance drive in climbing and reliability ?
Also , concern that Brose is not shift sensing .

Currently 20 miles a day in hilly terrain .
Though I would like a battery range beyond that .
Prefer a more upright rather than an aggressive riding posture , but doesn't have to be Dutch upright .

 

[Chris Nolte]

My general preference is Bosch. Some like the more integrated look of the Brose on the Bulls bikes. They do a great job at that.

I think you won't have much issue with covering 20 miles on most bikes in the Bulls lineup. The Brose powered bikes have a slightly larger battery, but the Bosch system excels at the way in which it delivers power and as you mentioned the shift sensing. Overall it's just a bit more refinied. We could be splitting hairs here though as both have the power to climb and are quite nice. I don't know if you have a shop near you, but it could be helpful to take some bikes for a spin to get a feel for things.

For performance they are very similar despite some slightly different performance figures. Regarding reliability, there isn't as much data out there on the Brose yet, but it's a quality build. Bosch has a much larger user base and from our experience it's nearly bullet proof. I'm sure we'll have more info eventually on the Brose, but that's just the nature of new technologies I guess.

I hope this helps.

 

[e-boy]

so , getting back to the original question , what other eBikes are considered good car replacements ?

 

[Peter Polling]

That depends... Where do you use it? How much miles a day? Can you charge at the job? Do you want to use in alle weeather? Below zero? Snow? Can you shower / change at work? In short: what do you consider a car replacement?

I use my Bulls 4 days a week, 34 km a day, flat surface, Holland, all weather. About half an hour ti work and half an hour back.
I used to do this on a normal bike, but my company is goiing to move to 45 km from home, and I hope to be able to use the Bulls an ride in about 90 minutes to work.

 

[e-boy]

Thank you for your reply .
Actually , I don't own a car .
I either ride my bike or the bus .
But by car replacement , I mean , what is a good ebike for all-round daily transportation .
I stated in prior reply the conditions .
Hilly terrain is the main concern .
No inclement weather .

 

[Chris Nolte]

Some accessories that would be helpful include, fenders, rack, lights.

I would look at the Bulls LaCuba E45 and the E2 Street. Some other bikes that have been popular in the shop are the Riese & Müller Charger and the Delite. Both have the ability to run two batteries which could be helpful for longer trips.

 

[mrgold35]

I would check out your local laws for ebikes like:
- any bike path (paved and unpaved) or sidewalk restrictions
- any local restrictions on max ebike power allowed
- special rule or regulations locally for class I & II compared to class III bikes
- public transportation restrictions/limitations/availability

I would also factor in:
- max range (can mean longer time between charges)
- power (for transporting extra weigh and leveling out hills)
- battery power upgrades, extra wattage and amps will mean longer range, longe time between charges, and more power for hills
- 4 season gear
- Tires can I upgrade from summer to studded winter tires
- night gear (lights, reflective clothing)
- security (able to store indoors at work or stuck outdoors in public in the weather)
- locks, cable, chains, U-bolts
- GPS monitoring (bluetooth and/or cellular)
- charging (home, work, and on the fly)
- weight (If you need to carry up several flights of stairs AND how much gear can you carry for commuting and shopping)
- footprint A folding bike might work better than a full size for storage
- accessories, how easily can I add storage like front rack, rear rack panniers, or tow the kid behind in a trailer, etc...
- back up plan if you can't complete your commute (flat tire, mechanical failure, weather, health, etc...)

 

[Alphbetadog]

Also consider installing a kit such as the Electric Bike Outfitters if you like your current bike.

 

[Marc V]

Hey e-boy!

Hope you find an eBike that works for you. I live in Chicago and my daily commute to work is around 20 miles round trip. My 1st eBike was an EZ Pedaler X350 and I put over 600 miles on that sucker since oct 2016 when I bought it. I really enjoyed that eBike and would have been fine just sticking with that, but I needed more weight capacity when hauling cargo (or a passenger ) so I now have the Juiced ODK U500 V3 and so far am really liking it!

If you watch some of Juiced Bikes videos on youtube Tora specifically says they designed this eBike to be a car replacement eBike. I ended getting the 48v 32Ah battery which is estimated 80-100mile range but I have not tested that for my average use. Of course those are probably estimated in optimal conditions, so weight, terrain, weather can all play a factor and you do say you will be dealing with hills.

I was also looking at the pedego stretch and yuba spicy curry cargo bikes, but I ended up choosing the Juiced ODK U500 because of the battery and I don't know if I was ready for a full cargo bike and the ODK although some consider it a cargo bike is in my opinion an in-between with its mid tail.

Hope that helps, but I agree with everyone else statements on what to consider.

Take care, ride safe!
Marc V

 

[e-boy]

I also liked riding the 2017 BH Easy Motion EVO Cross .
But it's a rear hub , 20 mph .
And Faraday Courtland , front hub , 20mph .

 

[Barkme Wolf]

A car alternative yes. Replacement....no. Pure folly to even suggest it. Short version, you can use a car in an emergency situation where you need to get somewhere quickly or get someone else somewhere quickly. If I have to rush my cat to the vet, I am going to user a car, not an e-bike. I do not own a car, just an e-bike. Love it but when I need to get somewhere for real, I get a ride.

 

[e-boy]

Yes , I meant alternative .
I did say in original post I also use public transport .

 

[Nirmala]

IN a general sense, any wheeled vehicle can be an alternative to a car under the right circumstances....as can a pair of shoes

To narrow it down, some of the questions mentioned previously are helpful, and maybe these:
Do you need to carry it up stairs?
Can you charge at work?
Do you want to carry large loads of groceries, building supplies, sports gear, etc?
Would a folding bike allow you to take it on public transportation, or do buses/trains in your area have accomodations for bikes?
What is your height and weight?

 

[Marc V]

I agree with car alternative as well now that you folks mention it. I still own a car and use it in conjunction with my eBike. Living in the city and dealing with traffic, parking, high gas prices etc in my case using an eBike for daily commuting to work as well recreational activities with friends and family can be a better choice than using a car. But I agree there are times when a car can be a better choice.

So I am hoping my eBike can hold me over until I can get an eCar (gotta go green!) lol

and I should add, even if I get an eCar like a tesla, chevy bolt, hyundai ioniq, nissan leaf, etc I would still keep and use an eBike most likely as they have their benefits like I stated above with traffic and parking haha

Take care, ride safe!
Marc V

 

[Alphbetadog]

I've got a Tesla Model S, and although I really like driving it, I enjoy riding my ebikes more! I ride the bike daily, but sometimes go a week without driving the car.

 

[Alan Acock]

I had a chance to ride the Bulls LACUBA E45 which was called a good car replacement by EBR .
What other eBikes do you consider good car replacements ?

I you can ride the bike year around were you live, they go for it. I would recommend getting a trailer for calling groceries. Some much younger riders look confused when I pass them pulling a trailer behind my Trek XM700+.

 

[e-boy]

I used the term car replacement as that was used by Court in his review of the Bulls LACUBA 45 .
I'd like to see a car alternative / replacement category on the EBR website .

 

[Alex M]

I'd like to see a car alternative / replacement category on the EBR website .

Are you writing an article on the subject, by any chance ?
You are using term "replacement" again. There is no such thing. Don't know why Court called that Lacuba " car replacement", - probably he didn't mean it literally. And there is no "one for all" alternative solution. It's about compromising and sacrificing. What people are willing to sacrifice, depends on the person's particular situation. Other members have defined what makes an ebike a viable car alternative, this should serve as a guideline. Creating "car alternative" category on EBR - I think this would be too much responsibility and likely it would be biased (inevitably so, due to everybody's different criteria).

Ex, velomobile https://electricbikereview.com/virtue-cycles/pedalist/ comes the closest to car in "looks", - could be important to some people. Better protection from weather, too - again, important to some and not to others.

IMO, any TRIke is closer to a car than a BIke. Those with big cargo basket will be closer yet. Somebody else wouldn't want to sacrifice comfort, stability and cargo-carrying for speed and ability to pedal it. It depends on how close to a car you want it to be - and again, what you need it for and where you'll be using it.