student- E-BIKE research

[TylerE03]

Hi everyone, I'm a transport design student and I'm doing research on E-bikes for a current project at university. I was wondering if you could give me insight on what you believe to be the best features on E-bikes, best styles, sizes and anything else.

kindest regards, Tyler

 

[indianajo]

Different styles of riding, different sizes of body, different lengths of leg & arm, different disabilities or risks, different terrain, different environments, require different bikes.

 

[AHicks]

Different styles of riding, different sizes of body, different lengths of leg & arm, different disabilities or risks, different terrain, different environments, require different bikes.

Exactly. Too many variables to come up with a single "best". There isn't one....

 

[rich c]

What do you mean by research? Like research on just purchasing or research on trends? I own 5 and each of them has likes and dislikes and I use each for there major strong points. You can imagine the difficulties if every owner has more than one. It's a super wide product range and every person has their own preferences. Look at how many traditional bicycle styles there are, then add in electrical assists preferences on top of that. The difficulty goes up exponentially.

 

[Nomad]

As others have said very broad subject. For one thing do you mean electric bicycles as in legal one or ones that are ebikes but aren't really bicycles?

 

[TylerE03]

hi everyone, my apologies the research is for all aspects of an E-Bicycle I'm doing the research as my project is to design one. so we have been given the task of asking users of E-bicycles to find out what their likes and dislikes of E-bicycles are. we have to find out what current brands are favourable and why to help us design our own. so the research will cover trends of E-bicycles, materials, sizes, frame types and styles (i.e mountain or city E-bicycles) and any general things about your E-bicycles.

 

[AHicks]

hi everyone, my apologies the research is for all aspects of an E-Bicycle I'm doing the research as my project is to design one. so we have been given the task of asking users of E-bicycles to find out what their likes and dislikes of E-bicycles are. we have to find out what current brands are favourable and why to help us design our own. so the research will cover trends of E-bicycles, materials, sizes, frame types and styles (i.e mountain or city E-bicycles) and any general things about your E-bicycles.

If you want even half a chance at being successful, you are going to need to define YOUR mission. The better you define it, the closer you can come to building the BEST bike for YOUR purposes - working with a list of your priorities in mind. A good example of this might be a decision that needs to be made early on. Who exactly, will be servicing this bike when necessary? That leads to the next question. Where are you going to get this bike? Are you going to build it yourself?

Shotgun approach isn't going to work out well for you, and nobody is going to sit down and write a book for you.

 

[Nomad]

hi everyone, my apologies the research is for all aspects of an E-Bicycle I'm doing the research as my project is to design one. so we have been given the task of asking users of E-bicycles to find out what their likes and dislikes of E-bicycles are. we have to find out what current brands are favourable and why to help us design our own. so the research will cover trends of E-bicycles, materials, sizes, frame types and styles (i.e mountain or city E-bicycles) and any general things about your E-bicycles.

I currently run a Giant what I like about Giant is they make quality bikes at a some what good price. Mind you there not perfect but as I like to say they are one of the real bicycle makers. As far as sizes the key is sizes. Another words you should have aleast small,medium and large. Interal batteries are the norm and in my opinion the way to go. Range is also a big factor.

 

[Art Deco]

hi everyone, my apologies the research is for all aspects of an E-Bicycle I'm doing the research as my project is to design one. so we have been given the task of asking users of E-bicycles to find out what their likes and dislikes of E-bicycles are. we have to find out what current brands are favourable and why to help us design our own. so the research will cover trends of E-bicycles, materials, sizes, frame types and styles (i.e mountain or city E-bicycles) and any general things about your E-bicycles.

You are going to have a huge amount of reading to do. There's a lot more to a decent eBike than strapping a motor and battery to a bike frame. Just road bikes vs mountain bikes is a enough for a master's thesis.
Maybe start with the most popular bike shop brands: Giant, Specialized, Trek, and Cannondale or the most popular direct to consumers brands like Lectric to cut the field down some.

 

[indianajo]

Tylereo3 is in the UK. I'd like to walk UK hiking trails carrying a 24 lb airnimal joey https://airnimal.co/products/joey/sport/#.YgGYbftOlIc It's the only 24" wheel folder I can find. I'm not going to ride a 20" wheel roller skate folder and rattle my teeth out.
Convert A Joey with a Mahle 250 w hub drive and a ~4AH battery. 30 lb? I'd like to hike on bike banned trails in UK, but then unfold the bike at dusk & ride off to a pub, B&B, for dinner, a bed, plumbing.
I'm afraid to drive in the UK. You guys do everything backwards, & when I was that I was that flexible I was poor. Now I have money, and nearly got killed just walking around London in 2001. I could take Nat Express or BritRail around, then ride 10-20 miles to sites like the air museum or some of the heritage steam train societies, without paying $$$ to a taxi. Local bus survice is badly documented & I'm afraid of being stranded by obsolete information on the website.
What I ride here in USA is a 26" cargo bike with capability of carrying 80 lb groceries or ag supplies. It has had a 1000 W geared hub drive, but since that burnt out in the rain I'm using a 500 w bafang hub drive. Mostly I ride unpowered without drag from the motor. The extra 14 pounds motor+battery doesn't bother me, I carry that much tools and water. But when winds pick up to 25 mph in my face, a 3.5 hour commute home from summer camp can take 6 hours. I don't need that much exercise. So the motor drags me home in 3.5 hours anyway.
I don't need to carry cargo in the UK, but I do need to carry the bike on my back, or on busses & trains. One advantage of the stretch frame cargo bike, 26" MTB's and cruisers have thrown me on my chin 5 times when the front wheel snapped sideways. You can't buy stable steering anymore. All 26" frames have the same "fast" trail. Stretch frame cargo bike has my weight on the front wheel, which adds centering force.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

hi everyone, my apologies the research is for all aspects of an E-Bicycle I'm doing the research as my project is to design one. so we have been given the task of asking users of E-bicycles to find out what their likes and dislikes of E-bicycles are. we have to find out what current brands are favourable and why to help us design our own. so the research will cover trends of E-bicycles, materials, sizes, frame types and styles (i.e mountain or city E-bicycles) and any general things about your E-bicycles.

Front fork suspension, I bought a bike without it and didn’t realize since I would be traveling faster with the motor the bumps would hit my hands and shoulders a little harder, good luck on your project. I did a senior university research project on transportation economics (specifically rail) and really enjoyed the research and presentation! Learned a lot, mainly that I didn’t want to be a research professor in engineering

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

hi everyone, my apologies the research is for all aspects of an E-Bicycle I'm doing the research as my project is to design one. so we have been given the task of asking users of E-bicycles to find out what their likes and dislikes of E-bicycles are. we have to find out what current brands are favourable and why to help us design our own. so the research will cover trends of E-bicycles, materials, sizes, frame types and styles (i.e mountain or city E-bicycles) and any general things about your E-bicycles.

If you wanted to do a zoom interview I’d be happy to discuss my bike further and what I like and don’t like, aventon pace 500

 

[Art Deco]

Just a thought, but if I were llooking at eBike demand in the USA that isn't being well served yet, I would look at gravel bikes.

Lack of infrastructure here in the US means that gravel paths are some of the best recreational rides available , and not many eBikes are designed just for that.

 

[sc00ter]

I like simple. Found that the single speed Rad Power Rad Runner is the almost perfect ebike. My wish for hydraulic brakes, a bit more speed and a bright glossy paint job made me order a Juiced RipRacer. I just bump around the 'hood and ride to work 14 miles one way. I prefer 20" wheels for faster response and a throttle is a must, though I rarely use it.

 

[Grantsimone]

Electric bikes can be able to consume or operate on solar energy, making them 100% environmentally friendly and very good for the environment. Moreover, https://studydriver.com/the-great-gatsby/ says that in most countries and most states in the United States, you do not need a license when operating any of the electric bike's three classes (class 3 e-bikes are limited to a speed of 28 mph). Generally, a study driver can tell you a lot about any e-bike because they do a lot of research.

 

[AHicks]

Electric bikes can be able to consume or operate on solar energy, making it 100% environmentally friendly and very good for the environment.

From what I see, all this is not nearly the pretty picture that's being presented to us. Before you get too warm and cozy with this thought, it may pay to check into it a little further. For instance, maybe look into what's involved in obtaining the materials used to make the batteries and the relatively scarcity of those materials. Or what's involved in building the solar panels and their life expectancy.

 

[FiremarshallDave]

Tyler, I'm not sure what your finances look like but you might want to build one using an old mountain bike and then get a kit from ebay or E Bikeling (Chicago). E bikeling imports from China and usually has kits in stock, no waiting for a ship sitting in the ocean. Building one from a kit will teach you quite a bit about future design. The kits run 200-300 last time I looked. Different prices depend on size of wheel and rear hubs with freewheel are more. A fat tire is the most expensive. A battery is not included in the kit and those will run another 300+- again try ebay or amazon or an ebike shop. The bike shop is usually a few more dollars but when you buy there, they may help with problems if you have them. If you get stuck I'm willing to share knowledge. Then sell it and get your money back if money is tight. It will sell easily... Done and ready to ride. If you ride it to school take your battery to class. Building from kits is a great way to learn about front and rear hub drive units. I use a Front hub drive in my Fat tire bike and a rear drive in my three wheel tadpole. Most bike shops seem to love the Bottom bracket drive. I've never used the power level assist but rather use a thumb throttle on the fat tire and twist grip on the tadpole. I'm building bike number 5 right now with 29er wheels (700c) and just ordered Schwalbes new E Bike tires called the Johnny Watts. I build with 1000-1500 watt units and use big batteries to ride trails and ride fast country roads. It's safer in many cases to match traffic speeds when possible. I don't live in the city, if I did I suspect I would use a lower watt unit. Why go 10-15mph when traffic is going 30? I rode with traffic (same speed when possible) before I had an e bike for safety (increased reaction time for the car). If you needed to write about one thing it might be speed laws and bike trails for E Bikes. So glad I don't have to deal with that. It only takes one incident to make life uncomfortable for E Bikes in the city.

 

[FiremarshallDave]

Tyler I forgot to mention I really like disc brakes for all ebikes. I just created a rear disc brake mount for my wife's Trek Pure. It has a crank forward design that She loves and I find very nice as well. The original design brakes were V style and were marginal for an E Bike. I had to constanly replace brake pads or readjust. The metal plate I created is bolted to the frame then also held with the flatted axle. This design further prevents axle torque from stretching the dropout. I have never had a bike that had the issue but a torque strap is recommended with hub drives. The brake mount plate serves both purposes. If your not a creative mechanic, perhaps you should start with a disc brake bike for stopping safety. Most E bikes are heavier and go faster. My wife rides every day spring to late fall. We live in Wisconsin. My son rides his E Bike to work all year...snow days included. We Love the new Johnny Watts tires for all weather conditions.

 

[rich c]

Bicycles are a very mature product. Improving anything about a bicycle is almost impossible. I'm a real fan of Bosch drive systems, and their system is really well designed and a very natural bicycle feel. The last big improvement will be in battery engineering. When that is improved, the eBike will be at perfection.

 

[AHicks]

I would add that tire tech. is improving as well. Schwalbe's flat resistance might be an example of that.