Read it all and still clueless

[vasubandu]

High paid business, billing in 6-minutes increments, costly time, briefcase and bankers box to carry, on one hand, and the mother's ban on motorcycles on the other hand... Did you consider a scooter? E-scooter or gas-scooter. I'm serious. You are looking for something to get you from A to B, not to exercise (not the main purpose, anyway). Ebike is still a bike, you need to pedal, arriving to work with your blood more in your muscles than in your brain.

Alex you make a wonderful point. And I thought about a scooter. It would be faster and easier to take stuff. But a big part of the attraction here is found in the work "bike" not "electric. I try to get out and exercise. In fact, when I saw a doctor who ha cared for me since 1993 a few weeks ago, he looked at me and then and then said. "I see of lot of patients who are 80 or older. They really fall into two categories. There are the ones who a slow and frail and sick all the time, and there are the ones who don't seem to be 80 at all. And there is only one thing that separates them. Know what that is?" I have known him too long and respect him too much to come back with some smart aleck answer, so I just said "no." And he said, "the ones who are spry and healthy, they walk, and they pretty much always did. The ones who are always sick never walk unless they have to. If you will walk two miles a day, then when you see me and are 80, you will be healthy and alert." I think that I have missed about 5 days since then.

Being a lawyer pays well, but I am one of those oddballs who does not do it for the money. just love doing it. But when I think back to what mu doctor said, I realize that I spend all day sitting at a desk, and taking a 20 minute walk really doesn't make up for that. I weigh 170 pounds and would be happier at 155. My family and my mom are right about me and motorcycles. I have a history of falling off 30 foot cliffs. If I had a scooter or God forbid a motorcycle,I would just think about work all the way to and from work. It would be one more place where I sat.

My sense after reading a lot of the posts here is that you guys (and women) are bikers who use electric bikes, not people who can't afford a scooter. I also know how easy it is to fall out of any exercise habit. I know lawyers who would calculate the .1 hours extra that it took them to commute each way and then covert that into all the money they are losing. People like that make me sad.

I am deeply interested in this because I think it will be fun. Because of the odd way I go about figuring things out, learning about the bikes is just as fun in a different way, but it would all go to waste if I did not go get a bike and ride it. It has dawned on me that when it rains, I am going to get wet, that cars are going to slosh water on me, and that I am going to fall over and mess myself up, but I don't care about that either. Life is not a fashion show.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Vasu -

There is an ebike recommended in this thread that was “inspired” (according to the marketing department?) by a scooter-style motorcycle; it’s Richard’s R&M Nevo which is quite likely the only bike mentioned that will let you climb aboard with all your stuff on the rear pannier just as easily as if it weren't there.

Remember to take workday paraphernalia with you (or just keep it in mind) when you test ride ebikes. Will you be able to swing a leg over all that kit piled high above the rear wheel? There is no need to even ask that question with a step-through frame.

David

 

[vasubandu]

Thanks Bob, Sound like you've had the 'You knew it was The One' feeling as well. I hope some folks don't take my near spontaneous purchase as a put down on research, not my intent. Research is always fun, I've done it on other things, but as you've experienced as well " When you know it's right, you know it's right" . I hope others have that 'just right' moment.

John I would never take that as a put down on research. My problem is that I enjoy the research so I find it hard to know when to quit. I also have a deep affection for rabbit holes. Don't think I have walked past one in my entire life, and I have dug quite a few of my own. I guess we are all different, and some of us might act to precipitously while others may agonize over details that don't matter. I know that my own tendency is to over-research and overthink things, but knowing that does not stop me from doing it. So when people tell me to put down the books and get my ass to a bike store, my own reaction has always been the same: "Wow, what a great idea. I think I will go do that right now."

In the same way, if someone here said that a guy in a bar told him that the best bikes in the world were made in Mongolia and that he was wiring the money to get one, I suspect that people here might say "Hold on there partner. Let's do some research first." It is always so much easier to see what other people are doing wrong than what I am doing wrong, so I learned a long time ago that the more I listen the happier I am.

 

[vasubandu]

Remember to take workday paraphernalia with you (or just keep it in mind) when you test ride ebikes. Will you be able to swing a leg over all that kit piled high above the rear wheel? There is no need to even ask that question with a step-through frame.

That is a good point. These days, I rarely even see paper because it is all digital, and my laptop weighs 3 pounds. The shape and size would concern me more than weight. At the same time, my need to bring something like a box of documents is so rare that I would hate to let it dictate the choice of bike. More focused on the typical day.

And right now I cannot get the image of that Nireeka prototype out of my mind. I mean, nothing says you can't ride a prototype, right?

 

[indianajo]

Suspension bikes require an adjustment to the cylinder every time you change the weight. That nireeka doesn't even have a place to carry the toolbox.
A bookrack in back for dual baskets or a front basket sounds like it is required to take your document box. Also raingear, for the days you are not actually wearing it. I ride 365 days a year, and weather gear has to stow when the weather changes. The helmet stows there too, in a bag to keep it dry. Baskets on the electric hub end would be a P*** when flipping over to change a tube.
Start looking at cargo type bikes. A pizza delivery bike sounds like the setup you need for your documents etc. Very common setup in NYC.
As far as the health, I've ridden everywhere since quitting work, and after $5000 of presurgery tests last year by the hospital, "there is nothing wrong with your heart". I'm age 67. I/ve pulled cloresterol down from 215 to 160, weight down from 213 to 160, and resting pulse down from 85 to 60 - in 8 years of riding. Use it or lose it. I do have to do weight & rubber band exercises to maintain upper body & back strength.

 

[Alex M]

In my area pizza delivery are either small cars or scooters (both e-scooters and gas). Having fun is one thing, working is another, very few people can successfully combine both. Young low-income guys use non-powered bicycles for this job sometimes, but don't recall seeing e-bikes doing it.
But he definitely needs a cargo space, whatever he'll buy.

 

[vasubandu]

Suspension bikes require an adjustment to the cylinder every time you change the weight. That nireeka doesn't even have a place to carry the toolbox.

Yeah, the Nireeka is not the bike I need. I was just taken with the look and the lines. Something I would put on the wall as art, not ride to work. Maybe I am crazy.

 

[bob armani]

Thanks Bob, Sound like you've had the 'You knew it was The One' feeling as well. I hope some folks don't take my near spontaneous purchase as a put down on research, not my intent. Research is always fun, I've done it on other things, but as you've experienced as well " When you know it's right, you know it's right" . I hope others have that 'just right' moment.

Sure. I am one for research as well for just about everything. It is good you have clarified our thoughts/comments exactly. Do not want to give the wrong impression to anyone here. Yes, it is all about the 'right moment' and what your gut tells you based on an informed decision making process. Way to go...

 

[Mr. Coffee]

There are many bikes out there that will work for your requirements. In fact, I'd bet that you'd do just fine with most any 2017 or 2018 model electric bike chosen at random.

One thing to think about is that your average speed will almost always be quite a bit less than the maximum speed of the bike. 20-25mph is probably reasonable for a speed pedelec and 12-18mph is probably reasonable for a regular e-bike. Nearly every drive system uses a different interpretation or philosophy of what exactly that speed cutoff means so that there can be a dramatic difference in the "feel" of a bike that isn't necessarily shown in a competitive matrix.

Similarly, there are a lot of fussy ergonomic issues with bicycles that again can't be well represented in a competitive matrix. As an example, I test-rode a friend's e-bike a few weeks ago. While I rather liked his bike my left hand tended to slide into the brake lever which had a small metal flange at its base. This was uncomfortable (though not painful) and would drive me crazy if I had to deal with it every day.

In general you should assume that you will have to go through a couple of iterations on the touch points (saddle, pedals, grips) on the bike to get things just right. Be patient with yourself and be willing to experiment to get things just right. This may all seem excessively fussy but once you've ridden any bike that is dialed in it is a huge step down to lose that feeling.

There are great videos on youtube on how to adjust your bike. I highly recommend at least watching them. Depending on how much you ride I'd suggest finding a bike shop that will be able to do a competent job of fitting your bike to you.

 

[vasubandu]

There are many bikes out there that will work for your requirements. In fact, I'd bet that you'd do just fine with most any 2017 or 2018 model electric bike chosen at random.

Thanks. In a lot of ways, I have learned more here over the past few days than over the past few months of research. Of course, I would not have learned so much if i had not done the other research first. When I started this, one of my big questions was just how wide the range of real differences was. Thinking of cars for example, the low end of today's models is in many ways so much better than the high end from a decade ago, and a $14,000 Nissan will get me there at pretty much the same time and in the same condition as a $100,000 Mercedes Benz. I am economically luckier than a lot of people out there, but I try to be a sensible person. A lot of the people I work around drive luxury cars never more than three years old, and some laugh that I drive a 2013 Mazda CX-5. But I have 2 boys, and I need something that I can throw them and their friends in and go hiking.

So I think you are right that in terms of my needs, all I need to be sure of is that I eliminate things like inadequate brakes or other real deficiencies. And then I need to try enough of them so that when I find the one that fits me, I will recognize it. Your comment about your friend's bike was particularly helpful because when little things annoy me, they really annoy me. A few years ago,I bought a Samsung phone because everyone says they are so great. But they have the back and recent buttons backwards, so back was on the right. I kept that thing for a year and hated it every second. Thanks for the insight.

 

[vasubandu]

Thanks again everyone. My wife is taking the kids to Oregon this weekend for the funeral of her grandmother, and I am staying home to take care of the dog, so I will have a wonderful opportunity to spend two days getting out and trying these things. I am amazed at how much my thinking has evolved. I started out very concerned with a bike that could handle a briefcase and occasional boxes, but that seems to be limiting. My laptop weighs 3 pounds and is thin. Anything I need to see is on the cloud, so a very small backpack that is no more than a laptop sleeve would cover me. I really wanted the internal battery, but I cannot see how an external one would interfere with my biking. An external one would be more easily replaced or even upgraded. I don't care if people know I have an electric bike. And I don't need 28 mph, especially if 28 is not really 28. With my new bald head, I am going to be more streamlined anyway. In going back and looking at pictures, I now see that there is a huge difference in terms of throttle, brakes, screen, etc., and those are going to make a huge difference. I need to try enough bikes to learn what works for me. Most of this has driven me to less expensive models, which also is a pleasant surprise. I will make notes of my impressions this weekend and share them.

 

[indianajo]

so a very small backpack that is no more than a laptop sleeve would cover me.

A backpack would cover up my green reflective safety vest. We had another hit & run bike fatality last week on a 4 lane highway with 11 foot lanes. Driver thought he hit a deer. I want to be bright enough a driver knows he hit a human. Bike lights are tiny compared to car lights, and low to the ground, too.