Point taken Marci jo, but I think there's a counterpoint to be made as well. I doubt seriously there are many 30 year old conventional bikes around that have been actively ridden, where the owner/rider can honestly say that they've never needed a replacement part either.
Because an e-bike is electric does throw some complexity into the issue, but there's also an added value involved as well to consider (to a bike that's running anyway). Continuing with the RAD example, there's just 2 (or 3 if you count the controller/display/electrical) expensive parts. The battery and the motor. The motors seem to be going forever, WAY beyond what was expected of them originally, and honestly they aren't that expensive to replace - ESPECIALLY - when compared to more expensive bikes that use motors made from unobtainium. The battery is nothing special, and replacements that will install with an absolute minimum amount of trouble are widely available - which keeps the cost in the "affordable" range. And if you want to get into the controller/display, there are many "kits" available that will replace ALL of the e-bikes electrical, minus motor and battery.
We can discuss/argue the point the rest of the day, but bottom line, even just a decent bike should not be considered a "disposable". Not in my mind anyway.
Last, there IS a point I used to make often that might apply here. Kind of helps make your point. When considering a 1500 dollar bike, vs. one costing 3000, the 1500 dollar bike can be ridden for 3-4 years, and replaced with a brand new 1500 bike having all brand new components AND a warranty leaving you with a total of 3000 spent. Lets compare this brand new second 1500 dollar bike, with all of the latest developments made in the last 3-4 years, to that 3-4 year old 3000 dollar bike. Which would you rather have?
![Beaming face with smiling eyes :grin: 😁](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/7.0/png/unicode/64/1f601.png)
-Al