What have you learned from your e-bike experiences?

[Slaphappygamer]

I never realized how much I love my bike. Really, I don’t have to spend 45 minutes to drive 4 miles from work. I can bike that same 4 miles in 15 minutes. I love that. I also love to work and improve on my bike. It’s very different than the manufacturer intended it to be.

 

[MrHyak]

I bought my first ebike in 2019 after I saw my friends fat tire bike and I thought....I need that. Prior I had stopped riding bikes because my knees couldn't take the hills any longer. Of course the ebike has resolved that and now that I've gone to a mid drive I find the riding even more enjoyable. I do a lot of snow riding in the winter as well as my summer riding so my bike is year round fun. I do worry about the kids and the implications their riding will have on future regulations for the rest of us.

 

[Art Deco]

First and foremost, that I'm not over the hill at 76. Or at least not that hill. I've actually been over zillions of hills since I started ebiking almost 3 yrs ago. (Hard to avoid here.) Quite a few would have gotten a "Nope, not climbing that" even in my younger cycling days, and I used to be a pretty avid rider.

Now I'm climbing our hills on a lightweight low-power ebike without thinking twice. Mental and physical well-being have improved drastically as a result.

Your sense of competence comes under increasing threat as you find more and more things you can no longer do with age. An ebike is a good antidote.

Second, and related to the first, is to look at an ebike as a both a barrier remover and an option creator. I ride pretty much where I want now. Climbing 2 big hills to get to the fun part is no longer a deal-killer. I get as much or as little exercise as I like on any ride, and tacking on another 5 miles to check out this or that is no big deal. That's cycling freedom.

I'll add more lessons as they come to mind.

I'm with Jeremy here. I didn't learn much about bikes, but I learned a lot about myself and that at my advanced age, the third stage of life doesn't have to be a sedentary decline .We are built to move, to try new things, to have fun, not to just survive . That's part of what makes EBR so special.

 

[PedalUma]

Yesterday I made a house call to a referral at a senior trailer park to help with the botched assembly of an adult eTrike. I ended up spending all day there as word of mouth spread with bikes and trikes coming out of the woodwork. One thing I have learned is that if you really treat someone right, they will tell their friends. Some of the eTrikes come in a box that is just parts that is 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet by 10 inches. The people dispatched to assemble them are only qualified for Ikea.

 

[MrClortho]

Yesterday I made a house call to a referral at a senior trailer park to help with the botched assembly of an adult eTrike. I ended up spending all day there as word of mouth spread with bikes and trikes coming out of the woodwork. One thing I have learned is that if you really treat someone right, they will tell their friends. Some of the eTrikes come in a box that is just parts that is 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet by 10 inches. The people dispatched to assemble them are only qualified for Ikea.

I bought my wife a cheaper e-trike a few years back off Amazon, and it was one of those no name brands from whoknowswhereastan. It wasn't an e-trike. It was a kit to build an e-trike from a box of parts. It took me about 10 hours to build it with instructions that were partially lost in translation. Luckily I have some knowledge here and was able to get it done, but not what I expected. It turned out to be fairly crappy as expected and would try to fall over on turns pretty bad. We sold it and bought a Retrospec one from a LBS, already assembled, and a vast improvement in every way.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Another thing I've learned from personal experience and way too much time on EBR: If you're new to cycling or have been away from it for a while (as I was), your first ebike isn't all that likely to be the bike you want 6-12 months later.

An ebike is a vastly more complex purchase that most people realize. To get it exactly right the first time would require experience and knowledge of the technology and your real needs that most are unlikely to have at the time — even after spending time here.

The good news: Thanks largely to EBR, I did get it right the 2nd time! And my first ebike's still the goto for utility and beach rides.

So how to deal with that sad reality? No simple answers — especially on a tight budget. But pretty sure that buying a cheapo DTC ebike to get some experience isn't the answer. Ebikes shouldn't be disposable.

Best bet is to get as close as you can — mainly by testing and asking questions on that basis. See what local shops carry, learn from the staff what you can (with a grain of salt), and test a range of ebikes for yourself. Rent the main contenders for a day or so before deciding. Buy online only if you know for a fact that you can get local service.

 

[Chazmo]

Buy online only if you know for a fact that you can get local service.

… or if you’re willing to become a bit of a hobbyist. An ebike is a fairly complex beast, and the current lithium-ion battery technology can be dangerous. What Jeremy says is right on. Be smart.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I realize not everyone can for numerous legitimate reasons... but for me, this is not rocket science.
My first ebike was a diy build and the experience was well worth it as well as being an awesome covid distraction.
My second is a DTC but with all known components.. I have no problem working on my Zen ebike with a Bafang mid drive /Rohloff hub.
You couldn't pay me to be tied to an LBS. I handle most issues in less time then it would take you to transport your bike to an LBS... with no waiting and minimal down time.
But this is old school mentality.. when you own something, you educate yourself and you get your hands dirty.
ymmv.

 

[PedalUma]

I just went on a epic ride. What I learned is just because a woman is not 'your type' does not mean you can't have fun outside. She has wanted to ride and so I took her to a mountain top with amazing views all along the way. We could see the Wine Country hills, San Francisco, the Bay and it was with wildlife and free range cattle. It was nine miles of a climb with a loop of 12 miles back. Then we stopped at the municipal airport cafe to have outdoor burgers and saw a gyrocopter take off. Good wholesome fun.

 

[stompandgo]

Another thing I've learned from personal experience and way too much time on EBR: If you're new to cycling or have been away from it for a while (as I was), your first ebike isn't all that likely to be the bike you want 6-12 months later.

An ebike is a vastly more complex purchase that most people realize. To get it exactly right the first time would require experience and knowledge of the technology and your real needs that most are unlikely to have at the time — even after spending time here.

The good news: Thanks largely to EBR, I did get it right the 2nd time! And my first ebike's still the goto for utility and beach rides.

So how to deal with that sad reality? No simple answers — especially on a tight budget. But pretty sure that buying a cheapo DTC ebike to get some experience isn't the answer. Ebikes shouldn't be disposable.

Best bet is to get as close as you can — mainly by testing and asking questions on that basis. See what local shops carry, learn from the staff what you can (with a grain of salt), and test a range of ebikes for yourself. Rent the main contenders for a day or so before deciding. Buy online only if you know for a fact that you can get local service.

Truer words were never spoken. I'd add that even if you were NOT away from riding for a long time (for me, it was only a year). an e-bike is a totally different animal, and no matter how meticulously you shop, you most likely won't get your first e-bike spot on perfect, especially if you are an experienced analog bike rider.

I had a fitting done today at the shop. We use the Selle Italia IDMatch system. It uses a combination of laser measurement, a special bike with data acquisition, and AI analysis. It's not the be-all end-all of fitting, but it's a great place to start. I've been working side by side with the fitter with customers, and it gets it right 80%-100% of the time. Sometimes we see anomalies that it doesn't account for, and we tweak the result to dial it in by eye.

I did this as a precursor to purchasing a new bike, to make sure that I order the right size. I learned that my current bike could never fit me 100% correctly. It just doesn't fit with my build, even if I swapped frame sizes. It explained why I can ride it for 90 minutes without soreness or pain most days, but after that, it all goes downhill. So I took the next step and ordered a bike that fits within 10mm in every important geometric measure. 10mm is very easy to compensate for. So we shall see. What happens to my existing bike, I don't know. Let's get the new one dialed in first.

 

[Art Deco]

Truer words were never spoken. I'd add that even if you were NOT away from riding for a long time (for me, it was only a year). an e-bike is a totally different animal, and no matter how meticulously you shop, you most likely won't get your first e-bike spot on perfect, especially if you are an experienced analog bike rider.

I had a fitting done today at the shop. We use the Selle Italia IDMatch system. It uses a combination of laser measurement, a special bike with data acquisition, and AI analysis. It's not the be-all end-all of fitting, but it's a great place to start. I've been working side by side with the fitter with customers, and it gets it right 80%-100% of the time. Sometimes we see anomalies that it doesn't account for, and we tweak the result to dial it in by eye.

I did this as a precursor to purchasing a new bike, to make sure that I order the right size. I learned that my current bike could never fit me 100% correctly. It just doesn't fit with my build, even if I swapped frame sizes. It explained why I can ride it for 90 minutes without soreness or pain most days, but after that, it all goes downhill. So I took the next step and ordered a bike that fits within 10mm in every important geometric measure. 10mm is very easy to compensate for. So we shall see. What happens to my existing bike, I don't know. Let's get the new one dialed in first.

Yes. Fit is the about the only technical thing about bikes that I really try to understand, and a big reason I am so leary of DTC bikes. Fit really matters more than the battery capacity or amount of boost for even a medium level ride, because my legs and butt give up long before my bike does.