Hello from Chicago IL

[Gid]

Hello EBR Members,

My name is Michal but I go by Gid in the digital universe. I live in Chicago IL and have shifted to biking for my daily transportation needs. I bike 10 miles each way to work (20 total) all year round using road bikes and mountain bikes. I currently do not own a electric bike but am interested in getting one for the next winter season to help with snow. Looking forward to moving into the electric bike world.

Sincerely,

Gid

 

[Mtl_Biker]

Welcome to the forum, Gid.

You must be a pretty hardy soul to be able to ride all year round in windy and cold Chicago. Kudos to you!

Are you considering any specific brands/models of e-bike? What features are you looking for?

For myself, (recently got my first e-bike, for commuting) the important things I wanted were good local support for the bike, fenders and rear rack, lights and pretty much something with quality components. I finally selected a 2019 Giant Explore E+1 GTS and so far (almost 600 km) I'm not regretting my choice. I commute a total of 60 km each day, and other than for almost 3 weeks off riding because of a broken rib, I've been commuting every chance I get. Unfortunately, our riding season will probably end by mid-November because of cold, snow and ice. Unlike you, I doubt if I'd be able to manage in the dead of our winter (cold Montreal).

Cheers!

 

[Gid]

Hello Mtl_Biker,

Thanks for the kind words. To be honest it was better during the cold than I thought it was going to be. What has been the hardest is when we have snow, slush, and ice on the ground all together.

I am looking at several different brands and am putting together a post to solicit advice from members.

Congrats on the new bike and glad it is working out for you.

 

[bob armani]

Gid-Welcome to the forum. Fellow Chicago E-biker here. I have to agree with Mtl_Biker on the cold weather commuter issue. The temps/wind gusts here
is too much for me during peak winter season. Kudos to you for that! I usually ride 6-8 months out of the year excluding winter season. So happy to see that our bike infrastructure is getting better and much more rider friendly, especially with the newly added Navy Pier Flyover as well as rails to trails in the FPD. I currently ride an F/S eMTB and a commuter. The eMTB is my first preference for both city /trail riding. Rugged enough to put just about anything in front of it. Good luck with your purchase and happy shopping!

 

[Gid]

Hello Bob,

The wind definitely can get to me. On a few occasions the winds have been so strong it has stopped my forward movement completely. It actually turns out to be more fun than anything especially in snow.