ianschum
Member
Hey all
I'm yet another hapless ebike novice, who has been swimming in the information vortex for the past few weeks.
Could use some help! Thanks in advance.
First, a bit of background
For the past 10 years I've been occasionally riding an old 1995 Gary Fisher Marlin (same as this one). It has served my needs well enough: the bike is strong and light-enough; I have a basic rear-rack that has allowed for sometimes-commuting; I'm comfortable with the more athletic / aggressive stance; and my added Schwalbe Marathons have literally never had a flat.
But the main problem I have is the one that (I assume) drives a lot of people to ebikes: I would love to use my bike a lot more, except that in Austin, most times of the year, riding more than 1-2 miles will leave my sweaty.
This means I've only ever used it to commute to jobs that offer a locker / shower situation (which is pretty uncommon). If riding didn't require my changing into / out of athletic clothes, I would probably only drive my car 1-2 times a week.
Right now I have a new job that is only 3.5 miles away ... but still ... if I wear nice clothes on my bike, I will sweat through them.
Then, checking my assumptions
Now you know where I'm coming from. So my first question: is getting an ebike a reasonable way to solve this problem?
I'm assuming I have this figured correctly. This recent piece from Outside Magazine about ebikes made me think I was onto something. E.g. that people with ebikes end up using them more than a regular bike, and replacing a good chunk of car usage with them. That's the dream right there -- that's what I'm after.
I'd love to get some confirmation on this. Or, maybe ebikes come with their own hidden pains that I have to be wary of? More complex maintenance, etc.? My Gary Fisher has allowed me to be pretty dang lazy about maintenance, so I've been spoiled there.
Finally, choosing a bike
In my head, here are the must-have boxes I want to check with my new ebike:
Then there are some nice-to-haves, question marks added where I'm unsure:
Some candidates so far
I've been through a bunch of reviews and pulled together a few that I think could work. Happy to get suggestions on what I'm missing, or what should be stricken from the list. Prices are listed with the configuration I'd choose, plus shipping, minus any discounts.
I also have a big question mark on the value of buying local. I don't know a ton about bike maintenance yet, but I'm a problem-solver and don't mind learning; on the other hand, I don't want to acquire bike maintenance as a part-time job, if you get my meaning. I was spoiled by only riding my Gary Fisher occasionally and basically ignoring its maintenance until something broke. I don't want to be so negligent with a machine that costs as much as these ebikes might! As I understand it, local bike shops will generally service their own bikes, right? Not necessarily for free ... but at all, if I understand correctly. How much should I value this perk? Or in other words, what's the value of the maintenance cost that's missing from the lower-priced bikes on this list?
#####
Thanks for reading a long-ass post
I really appreciate all comments and guidance.
![Waving hand :wave: 👋](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/7.0/png/unicode/64/1f44b.png)
Could use some help! Thanks in advance.
First, a bit of background
For the past 10 years I've been occasionally riding an old 1995 Gary Fisher Marlin (same as this one). It has served my needs well enough: the bike is strong and light-enough; I have a basic rear-rack that has allowed for sometimes-commuting; I'm comfortable with the more athletic / aggressive stance; and my added Schwalbe Marathons have literally never had a flat.
But the main problem I have is the one that (I assume) drives a lot of people to ebikes: I would love to use my bike a lot more, except that in Austin, most times of the year, riding more than 1-2 miles will leave my sweaty.
This means I've only ever used it to commute to jobs that offer a locker / shower situation (which is pretty uncommon). If riding didn't require my changing into / out of athletic clothes, I would probably only drive my car 1-2 times a week.
Right now I have a new job that is only 3.5 miles away ... but still ... if I wear nice clothes on my bike, I will sweat through them.
Then, checking my assumptions
Now you know where I'm coming from. So my first question: is getting an ebike a reasonable way to solve this problem?
I'm assuming I have this figured correctly. This recent piece from Outside Magazine about ebikes made me think I was onto something. E.g. that people with ebikes end up using them more than a regular bike, and replacing a good chunk of car usage with them. That's the dream right there -- that's what I'm after.
I'd love to get some confirmation on this. Or, maybe ebikes come with their own hidden pains that I have to be wary of? More complex maintenance, etc.? My Gary Fisher has allowed me to be pretty dang lazy about maintenance, so I've been spoiled there.
Finally, choosing a bike
In my head, here are the must-have boxes I want to check with my new ebike:
- Provides enough power that I can ride say 4-6 miles, with only very shallow hills, at 75° temps, without breaking a sweat
- Rear or front basket, or at least bosses for rear rack attachment -- for laptop bag, occasional groceries, etc.
- Style & wheels suitable for long straightaways where I will happily go over 20mph*
Then there are some nice-to-haves, question marks added where I'm unsure:
- mid-drive for a more intuitive / responsive riding feel (?)
- internally geared hub for lower maintenance needs (?)
- chain guard(s) to protect pants
- buy from local shop to get dedicated maintenance help (?)
- somewhat lightweight, e.g. < 50lbs
- fenders
- good-looking! (subjective, of course)
Some candidates so far
I've been through a bunch of reviews and pulled together a few that I think could work. Happy to get suggestions on what I'm missing, or what should be stricken from the list. Prices are listed with the configuration I'd choose, plus shipping, minus any discounts.
- Propella 7-speed v3.2 ($1350 shipped) - Looks gorgeous, is cheap and lightweight. Range might be an issue (not to mention power), but a second battery looks very portable / affordable. Unclear on whether this bike is serious enough to take over car duty on a regular basis.
- Wing Freedom ($1350 w/coupon) - Fatter frame than Propella, otherwise similar concerns as Propella.
- Ariel Rider M Class ($1720 w/front basket) - Checks boxes for mid drive and IGH at a really good price
. Not necessarily as attractive, but reviews suggest it's really well-designed and customer service from Ariel is good. Major concern is that I've never ridden a mini(ish) style bike and I'm unsure what I'm giving up compared to the 26" tires I'm used to.
- Then there's a series of bikes around $2000-and-up that are more fully-loaded, and could be nearly compromise-free. I believe several of these could be either sourced locally (in the case of MOD) or at least ordered through a local bike shop due to the name brands: Batch E-Commuter ($1999), FLX Roadster ($2150 touring package), Trek Verve+ (1 or 2), MOD Berlin ($2600).
I also have a big question mark on the value of buying local. I don't know a ton about bike maintenance yet, but I'm a problem-solver and don't mind learning; on the other hand, I don't want to acquire bike maintenance as a part-time job, if you get my meaning. I was spoiled by only riding my Gary Fisher occasionally and basically ignoring its maintenance until something broke. I don't want to be so negligent with a machine that costs as much as these ebikes might! As I understand it, local bike shops will generally service their own bikes, right? Not necessarily for free ... but at all, if I understand correctly. How much should I value this perk? Or in other words, what's the value of the maintenance cost that's missing from the lower-priced bikes on this list?
#####
Thanks for reading a long-ass post