Is it important to you that your ebike doesn’t look like an ebike?

[Mr. Coffee]

If it is ugly and does the job it isn't ugly.

Put another way, in the grand scheme of things it is one thousand times more important whether a gadget fulfills its function that how it looks.

Put still another way, would you rather have your e-bike be half as expensive, have twice the range, or not look like an e-bike?

 

[DaveMatthews]

Although I was initially taken aback by my first "That's cheating" comment, I couldn't care less what other, uninformed people think.
I bought my bike for a specific reason, and it has nothing to do with other's needs or wants, and everything to do with mine.
Would I like a lighter ebike with the same range? Sure! Would I like a lighter ebike with the same performance? Sure!
Do I care that uninformed politicians are making poor decisions regarding where and how we can ride? You bet! There are morons on non ebikes just as there are on ebikes. There are morons driving cars etc etc.
It takes time.

 

[ebikemom]

With panniers covering the battery rack, or even just a tail bag, it's hard to tell you're looking at an ebike. The display is fairly small and hard to spot with all the other gear I have on the bars. So far, very few have noticed.

I have a Pedego Interceptor, too. The main comment I get is "cute bike". Bikes with downtube batteries are huge and bulky, so not "cute" anymore...

 

[ebikemom]

As for caring that it looks like an ebike? Well, I did think the Faraday ebikes were very pretty, but that non-ebike-look means a smaller battery, a smaller motor, so less range, less power. I didn't want that.

Each cyclist has to decide what matters to them. I suggest test-riding bikes that interest you. Remember also that battery range gets LOWER over time.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I have a Pedego Interceptor, too. The main comment I get is "cute bike". Bikes with downtube batteries are huge and bulky, so not "cute" anymore...

Take a look at this Specialized limited edition road bike.

The cool kids these days like frame bags on their bikes, and I think a lot of people process the Bosch Powerpacks in my frame as kind of weird frame bags. If you look at some of the tool bags that ride in bottle cages they kind of look like a small e-bike battery if you squint hard.

The lines are blurring...

 

[tomjasz]

Take a look at this Specialized limited edition road bike.

The cool kids these days like frame bags on their bikes, and I think a lot of people process the Bosch Powerpacks in my frame as kind of weird frame bags. If you look at some of the tool bags that ride in bottle cages they kind of look like a small e-bike battery if you squint hard.

The lines are blurring...

Egads. Blurring or blindingly homely?

 

[kathik]

Yes.

 

[DouglasB]

As long as it's sexy, I'll buy it.

 

[cheekee]

I love the way my giant Dirt E+2 looks to be honest.

 

[vincent]

I like the intergrated batteries only for not drawing as much attention in case i am somewhere people complain about ebikes or i might be riding somewhere they are not allowed

do not care what people think about me riding an ebike but am a busy person and the less time i have to stop and answer questions about the bike the better
I dont like drawing attention to myself or the bikes except in the case of cars whom i want to see me

 

[glenmorenee]

Rest assured that the looks of ebikes will constantly change. It's right there in the first chapter of the Detroit playbook.

 

[crash test]

The more I think about it, the more I tend to go for an incognito sleeper. I'd like a fat tire bike, but probably will choose 2.1" or whatever.

Integrated batteries in e-bikes should be designed in a way that they can be removed and reinserted into the bike by the end-user; many or most are. When these batteries reach their end of life, a lot of the bicycles will be considered dated and/or obsolete, and owners will choose not to buy another battery but rather will dispose of the bike. That may be unfortunate and it may contribute to landfill waste, but the obvious fact is that e-bikes are going to evolve over time, and probably become progressively cheaper. My guess is that what will happen is that they will become much lighter over time and given the choice of spending $500 for a new battery to continue using a 60 lb, 5-year old bike, that people will choose to spend $1000 or $1500 to replace the whole bike with a new one weighing substantially less.

I'm looking for my first ebike; I'm just discovering a few things I needed to know. My views are therefore from a low-info interested party.

Especially when other aspects of the products evolve by quick successive iterations in China I think the force will be the choices many buyers will make, according to their usage/pricing niche. The low cost Chinese bikes should tend to make use of one or another of a few sought-after styles of batteries and connectors so that replacement parts are readily available if even for just a few years.

People who buy the high-end products are less likely to push toward common shape and connectors, and instead favour proprietary stuff, and you wreck your expensive warranty or something if you install something else.

Finally, to the extent that people do want to resuscitate their older bikes with dead batteries, the currently-existing few shops that will custom rebuild your bike battery, will increase in number and this service will be the way that people keep these older bikes on the road long after the manufacturers have ditched them (or gone out of business) and the original batteries can no longer be found. You will ship your dead battery to one of these places and they will refurbish it with new cells and send it back to you.

I'd think that that the business will evolve into mostly non-reusable due to shipping costs, and everyone will simply buy and throw.

 

[JRA]

I'd think that that the business will evolve into mostly non-reusable due to shipping costs, and everyone will simply buy and throw.

Hopefully not. There has to be a more sustainable solution.

The batteries are the main issue currently but there are going to be more options available for getting them rebuilt as well as entities that can ship them going forward. The bike itself, given it had some quality to begin with, should be fine for years as it uses the same components as conventional bikes that can easily be sourced and replaced using the Internet and the IBD. The motors may fail but can be replaced with a core charge similar to car components that are then sent back to be remanufactured and sold again.

This is more where the industry and the general publics expectations should head IMNSHO. The big problem is that the Bicycle Industrial complex likes nothing better than to change as much as possible from year to year to keep their sales up. This will create a used market for eBikes in the coming years that if the former comes to pass will make getting one less chancy.

 

[pnop]

I like a sleek build but because I built mine it is not. I'm OK with that. Heck, most people still don't know what it is.

 

[indianajo]

My bike is so stealth only one guy has figured out it was an ebike and asked about it. That was in the Home Depot parking lot, so not the average guy.
The battery is honking huge out front there, but so weird looking it doesn't ring any bells. 10 months out and the only theft attempt was somebody tried to steal the taillight at Kroger - and failed. I had one tailight stolen before the bike was converted to electric - somebody cut the tie-wraps. Now it is screwed on. Battery is screwed on too; somebody removed some screws at Kroger or the farm store, but the wrong ones. My security is a 12mm cable around the cart rack and a Master lock, neither battery grinder proof.

 

[Laran]

This is the rise of technology. Imagine that your bike will not differ from the usual, but the filling will be the one you want, it's great!

 

[TaraBara]

I am extremely proud of my very expensive Ebike. Why would I conceal my new toy? I own the Giant Lafree E+2. I went 32 miles yesterday. Something I would not have been able to do on a dinosaur. I'm biking again and that's what really matters. I have a panniers, a mirror, cell phone case, kickstand, fenders, and water bottle. All things I may not have on a Regular (dinosaur) bicycle due to weight. I get the whole experience. I am very proud.......and happy to let anyone try out an Ebike.

 

[ilanarama]

I am extremely proud of my very expensive Ebike. Why would I conceal my new toy? I own the Giant Lafree E+2. I went 32 miles yesterday. Something I would not have been able to do on a dinosaur. I'm biking again and that's what really matters. I have a panniers, a mirror, cell phone case, kickstand, fenders, and water bottle. All things I may not have on a Regular (dinosaur) bicycle due to weight. I get the whole experience. I am very proud.......and happy to let anyone try out an Ebike.

Haha, this is totally me, too. "Yes, that's my bike, it's an e-bike! Did I tell you yet I got an e-bike? Want to try it out? I love my new e-bike!" I am the opposite of stealth!

 

[glenmorenee]

That brings up one of my irrational fears I had before getting an ebike:

Would I let a complete stranger try out my ebike?

Scenario:

Officer: "So what happened here?".

Me: "Some guy just stole my ebike!".

Officer: "Was it locked?".

Me: "Well, no. He asked to try it out and I let him. and he never came back!".

 

[Ken M]

I think the integration is evidence that the spandexter mindset is still a major driving force in the bike/ebike industry. To some anything that doesn't look like a traditional bike is going in the wrong direction. Don't take this wrong because I can appreciate the clean and simple lines of a traditional bike but I see no merit in hiding that the product is an ebike because in reality it's pretty simple to ID an ebike regardless of how well done the integration is executed.

I like the new Bultaco Brinco because it blends motorcycle styling with bike geometry such that the rider can efficiently contribute. I like the Klever models because the design seems very purpose focused on urban mobility (the Grace One was going in this direction but my guess is speed regulations in Europe derailed that product). I also like the Vintage models that bring the best of past designs into the modern ebike sphere.