Seattle Times article: "E-bikes make commuting a breeze"
- Thread starter ebikemom
- Start date
slomoshun
Active Member
Having read the Seattle Times for decades, in my opinion their best section is the comics, and after that it makes a very absorbant liner for the cat’s litter box. What the Times prints often appears to be short-sighted and/or agenda driven, so it has little cred in our household. Riding around Seattle is one mini-mountain after another. Anyone who buys a 60# hub-drive ebike here hasn’t done the homework. Trek and others make mid-drives in the 45# range. Their gearing and weight advantage gets you over the hills much easier and extends range. They are a necessity in this environment.
There is also a lot of snobbery in Seattle from the pedal-bike crowd [Cascade Bicycle Club 17,000 members, for example] who apparently feel that their Luddite ‘need to sweat’ approach to bicycling is being threatened by motor-assisted ebike riders who sweat less, don’t always wear the mandatory clown clothes, and tend to smell a lot better.
There is also a lot of snobbery in Seattle from the pedal-bike crowd [Cascade Bicycle Club 17,000 members, for example] who apparently feel that their Luddite ‘need to sweat’ approach to bicycling is being threatened by motor-assisted ebike riders who sweat less, don’t always wear the mandatory clown clothes, and tend to smell a lot better.
mrgold35
Well-Known Member
Saving 15 lbs isn't as important to me compared to saving $500-$2000 compared to mid-drive Trek ebikes. I used to live in Seattle/Tacoma area in my younger days of the early 90s and that was when I decided to give up driving manual trans because of the steep hills (and the rush hour traffic). Just purchased the same ebike for my wife and she loves the ebike. Range isn't an issue because we keep our runs under 30-35 miles max.
slomoshun
Active Member
About 1100 people per month move to Seattle. That is why a crappy studio apartment costs $1800+ per month, and the median price of a vintage single-family house is $777,000. Most of the arterial roads reached their design peak back in the late 70's, and there have been very few worthwhile upgrades.
For many years I rode motorcycles to maneuver around crawling traffic, but the expanding automobile density has made being on the roads within them suicidal. It's even worse now with all the electronic distractions, and legal weed. eBikes are a way better tool for getting someplace in this madness. The freedom of not being restricted to streets and having to convoy around in a line of cars is joy. Seattle's September-to-May Rain Festival is still annoying, though. To those of you who have the hots to move here, we get 150+ days of rain each year and dreary, cloudy days are the norm. If you must move here, it would be wise to get your scrip for Prozac ahead of time and avoid the lines.
Changing habits of people takes time. I made a commitment last June that I was going to give ebike commuting to work (13 miles each way) a serious try. After about a month there was no going back because I learned quickly how much I enjoyed riding the bike and how much it was already impacting my health and attitude. A year later I've lost 30 lbs and my cardio fitness is dramatically better.
I suggest that anyone wanting to make this transformation to not buy a low cost low power eBike because I do believe you need a good reliable bike to ensure it provide reliable transportation. Get urban street tires with a much puncture protection and air volume as will fit on your bike as the ride quality and handling will make the ride more comfortable and safer. Don't get a bike that requires an aggressive riding position as it will not be comfortable to most riders and actually can limit your forward and peripheral vision such that riding in an urban setting is less safe. I understand this will be controversial to those that think every bike should look like a road / race bike that professionals ride but that is poor logic when you consider the needs of an urban rider on an eBike (the motor assist reduces the importance of always being in an uncomfortable and unsafe aero riding posture - let the spandexters continue to think they are the only real bike riders while you get to work faster on your ebike).
I truly think any commute distance over say 5 miles justifies a speed pedelec to ensure reasonable average commute speeds but I understand there are those riders that feel safe riding speeds below 20mph is paramount (I really don't know why they don't just walk because I've been going faster than 20mph on a bike since I was 8 years old and I'm 57 now).
Also, don't get caught up in the hype that mid drives are the best solution for eBikes. I believe that simple direct drive hub motors are better for urban commuting. Avoid the geared hub motors unless your commute is very hilly as they will require more maintenance than direct drive hub motors.
I suggest that anyone wanting to make this transformation to not buy a low cost low power eBike because I do believe you need a good reliable bike to ensure it provide reliable transportation. Get urban street tires with a much puncture protection and air volume as will fit on your bike as the ride quality and handling will make the ride more comfortable and safer. Don't get a bike that requires an aggressive riding position as it will not be comfortable to most riders and actually can limit your forward and peripheral vision such that riding in an urban setting is less safe. I understand this will be controversial to those that think every bike should look like a road / race bike that professionals ride but that is poor logic when you consider the needs of an urban rider on an eBike (the motor assist reduces the importance of always being in an uncomfortable and unsafe aero riding posture - let the spandexters continue to think they are the only real bike riders while you get to work faster on your ebike).
I truly think any commute distance over say 5 miles justifies a speed pedelec to ensure reasonable average commute speeds but I understand there are those riders that feel safe riding speeds below 20mph is paramount (I really don't know why they don't just walk because I've been going faster than 20mph on a bike since I was 8 years old and I'm 57 now).
Also, don't get caught up in the hype that mid drives are the best solution for eBikes. I believe that simple direct drive hub motors are better for urban commuting. Avoid the geared hub motors unless your commute is very hilly as they will require more maintenance than direct drive hub motors.
Barry S
Well-Known Member
Finally ordered my first ebike last Friday after commuting to work on a non-ebike for almost 3 years now. With an ebike, my wife won't have to pick me up at the bottom of the hill for the final mile-and-a-half of my commute. I'll have the assistance I need to pedal it on my own. An ebike will also allow me to take a shorter hilly alternate route to work if I want to mix things up.
If I didn't get an ebike for whatever reason, I'd still commute to work on a bike. I can feel my stress level rise on those inclement weather days when my wife drives me to work or the weather gets ugly when I'm ready to leave work and I take the bus home. It's just something about sitting in traffic in a car or bus that makes me scream inside. Even on the days when I wake up and dread having to pedal into work, my beginning descent from the house quickly puts me in a better mood and I'm glad I'm on my bike. Besides, the ride time home from work is 40 minutes whether I pedal my bike or drive the car. It's a no-brainer for me.
If I didn't get an ebike for whatever reason, I'd still commute to work on a bike. I can feel my stress level rise on those inclement weather days when my wife drives me to work or the weather gets ugly when I'm ready to leave work and I take the bus home. It's just something about sitting in traffic in a car or bus that makes me scream inside. Even on the days when I wake up and dread having to pedal into work, my beginning descent from the house quickly puts me in a better mood and I'm glad I'm on my bike. Besides, the ride time home from work is 40 minutes whether I pedal my bike or drive the car. It's a no-brainer for me.
ebikemom
Well-Known Member
Me, too! I wonder how one can SEE well with rain dripping on eyes/glasses/etc.
Bruce Arnold
Well-Known Member
Lots of good videos on YouTube about winter commuting. Some are ebike-specific, most aren't, but cycling in the winter is pretty much the same.
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