Former motorclist getting into ebikes

[Motodaddy]

Hi All,

New member here from Toronto, Canada. I am new to eBicycles but not to things that go fast on two wheels I am looking to make a switch from petrol to get a little more exercise on commutes, be a little greener and make use of bike lanes which are continually expanding in my city. Looking around here to get some info before I pull the trigger.

Thanks,

Motodaddy

 

[JRA]

I also come from a strong moto background to e bikes and for high speed road work it is hard to beat a strong hub motor system, a good range of gearing, a throttle and cruise control. I find keeping the human drive totally separate from the motor drive allows for the most natural feel. For mtb use a good mid drive w/ a torque sensing PAS is preferable and what I use for that type of fun.

 

[Motodaddy]

Thanks for the advice JRA. I am considering hub drives for my commute and all my research agrees with what you are saying. I guess a hub drive is like a powerful inline 4 and a mid drive is like a torqey v twin

I am considering the cross current s because it fits my budget of about 2000usd (2500 Cdn). Any other bikes in this price range you think I should consider given my needs for a fast commuter option?

 

[Alphbetadog]

Long time moto background here too. Found ebikes and haven't looked back. Sold my street machine (Moto Guzzi Stelvio) and currently have the dirt bike (Beta RR 450) up for sale. Concur with JRA on hub drives for the road, and mid-drive for the trails.

 

[Motodaddy]

Long time moto background here too. Found ebikes and haven't looked back. Sold my street machine (Moto Guzzi Stelvio) and currently have the dirt bike (Beta RR 450) up for sale. Concur with JRA on hub drives for the road, and mid-drive for the trails.

Thanks alphabetadog. I don’t know if I will completely give up motorcycles for the track and for fun but who knows, electricity seems to be the way forward. Definitely looking towards commuting on an ebike. Also, I’m used to wearing a lot of gear and full face helmet. What do you tend to wear for safety? Is a regular bicycle helmet adequate at higher speeds?

 

[jazz]

Thanks alphabetadog. I don’t know if I will completely give up motorcycles for the track and for fun but who knows, electricity seems to be the way forward. Definitely looking towards commuting on an ebike. Also, I’m used to wearing a lot of gear and full face helmet. What do you tend to wear for safety? Is a regular bicycle helmet adequate at higher speeds?

Why not do both? I have 2 electric motorcycles and 4 ebikes. I have fat ebike, 1 29er, 1 full suspension eMTB, 1 hardtail eMTB. You get the best of both electric worlds!

• Fat ebike is a blast off road on trails, 1000w rear hub, 48v battery, big tires make for smooth ride (smoothest riding bike I have)
• 29er - Easy Motion AWD with 2 hub motors, 48v, integrated and very clean does not look like an electric bike
• 2 - eMTB - 48v awesome to ride on MTB trails, mid-drives efficient for climbing

 

[rich c]

Is a regular bicycle helmet adequate at higher speeds?

A "regular" bike helmet is a plastic shell over, something very similar if not identical to, expanded polystyrene. It can protect you from a fall at lower speed, it will NOT protect you in a major accident or a fall at high speed with head impact. I've only had one minor head impact at a silly fall at 5mph. It kept the skin on my head from road rash, but I have no confidence in anything more.

 

[Deleted member 803]

Hi All,

New member here from Toronto, Canada. I am new to eBicycles but not to things that go fast on two wheels I am looking to make a switch from petrol to get a little more exercise on commutes, be a little greener and make use of bike lanes which are continually expanding in my city. Looking around here to get some info before I pull the trigger.

Thanks,

Motodaddy

Great eBike built right in your backyard, Aurora, Ontatio. Check out elbybike.com. We've sold a lot of them and our techs consider them very well built.

 

[Motodaddy]

Why not do both? I have 2 electric motorcycles and 4 ebikes. I have fat ebike, 1 29er, 1 full suspension eMTB, 1 hardtail eMTB. You get the best of both electric worlds!

• Fat ebike is a blast off road on trails, 1000w rear hub, 48v battery, big tires make for smooth ride (smoothest riding bike I have)
• 29er - Easy Motion AWD with 2 hub motors, 48v, integrated and very clean does not look like an electric bike
• 2 - eMTB - 48v awesome to ride on MTB trails, mid-drives efficient for climbing

Nice. I’ve always thought an electric motorcycle would be cool. I know this isn’t the “electric motorbike” forum but I’m curious about which you have and your impressions.

 

[Motodaddy]

Great eBike built right in your backyard, Aurora, Ontatio. Check out elbybike.com. We've sold a lot of them and our techs consider them very well built.

Thanks for the reco, I’ll check them out.

 

[Motodaddy]

A "regular" bike helmet is a plastic shell over, something very similar if not identical to, expanded polystyrene. It can protect you from a fall at lower speed, it will NOT protect you in a major accident or a fall at high speed with head impact. I've only had one minor head impact at a silly fall at 5mph. It kept the skin on my head from road rash, but I have no confidence in anything more.

Well I think my full face arai rx-q would be a bit extreme. The guy at the ebike store recommended a “nut case” helmet. Looked a little more solid than a bike helmet, any thoughts on good brands/models to look at?