vasubandu
New Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Bellingham WA
My wife took our sons to Oregon for her grandmother's funeral and to visit her mother for a few days, and i stayed behind to take care of the dog and not spend time with her mother. That will give me the chance to do what everyone is telling me to do, namely get out there and try so some bikes.
Today's stop was Seattle E-Bike, which seems to be the most prominent electric bike store in Seattle. When I went in the store, I was surprised at how massive all the bikes looked. I have seen plenty while driving around, but when I looked at them as something to ride, they suddenly seemed very large. They looked so wide that the pedals seemed too far apart. The salespeople were all busy, which gave me some time to wander the store uninterrupted. I now know enough to recognize that many of the bikes were slightly older models, and at the lower end of their ranges. They have some very nice bikes, but the focus is on the under $2,000 market.
They do carry Stromer, which has been of some interest, and I was surprised at how the size and mass of the bikes increased as you moved up the line. The ST 1 looked fine, but the ST 2 felt bigger than what I would want to ride. A salesman finally came up to me, and I explained my interest in a commuter and the nature of my commute. He immediately suggested looking at their entry level bikes, and I told him my focus was higher.
SInce I was familiar with them, I asked to test the ST 1. It was a nice looking bike, but had neither front nor rear suspension.
The the guy walked me through how to use the bike, I was surprised that it did not have a throttle. Somehow I had gotten into my head an expectation that electric bikes would have a throttle. It just seemed like an electric bike should go on its own, and I had images of just motoring up the big hills in my commute.
The controls that he showed me were disappointing.
There is a small monochrome box on the right side that controls the amount of boost. To change it, you have to press a toggle switch on the side to cycle through the options. It would cost $50 to have a 3x5 color touch screen instead. The ST 1 has derailleurs on both wheels. I asked what the purpose of the front derailleur was, and he could not say. I don't think that there is power to the front wheel, so I really don't get why its great would matter.
Armed with this knowledge and nothing more, I took the bike outside and took off into the street. It was one of the oddest sensations I have ever had. I pedaled, and the bike surged ahead as if it had a mind of its own. It was very unsettling. I understood what was happening, but it was just an odd sensation. It took me several blocks to become comfortable with it. And then over a few more, I started to be able to anticipate the boost, and it became welcome. Over about 10 minutes, I started to get a sense for how it works and its potential. With experience, a person would develop a good sense of the bike's capabilities and would learn to use them in different situations. You could create a sudden burst when you needed it, and you could maintain a very easy steady pace on level ground. The possibilities became clear.
My ride included a moderate hill, and I was pleased to see how the bike essentially turned the hill into level ground. It would eliminate the drag of coming to a long hill, and I thought about how when I do go biking, there always seems to a hill to climb at the end, that burns me until I get off and walk. That would go away. I saw no difference shifting the front gears. Still have no idea what that is about.
I stopped to take a picture of the bike, and when I did, a guy asked if I wanted a picture of me with the bike. I told him I was just testing it, and he said, "I know, I saw the tag." We got into a discussion about the bike and electric bikes in general. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. His first comment was that it was a very stiff bike, and he explained that it had no front suspension. He said that in Seattle, you frequently have to hop up on a sidewalk, and that without a front suspension, you would pop a lot of tires. I asked him about a rear suspension, and he said that it was a matter of choice, but that he has a hardtail. He said that he rides his bike hard, and that there is dust on his seat because he never sits on it. If he had a rear suspension, it would absorb some of power from his pedaling. We talked for quite a while, and he had many insights that I thought made sense.
As an aside, I am struck by how friendly and helpful electric bikers have been. You might think it odd that I would be surprised by that, but the media tends to portray electric bikers as rude people who cut everyone off and disregard traffic rules. The laws and regulations that are being adopted seem to be based on this perception. My own experience has been just the opposite. Hard to imagine a nicer bunch of people. I am sure there are jerks too, but not greater percentage than any other group.
When I got back to the shop, I asked if they had a throttle bike I could try for a comparison. They had a few, but they were low end bikes of little interest. The guy told me (1) there are almost no mid drive bikes with a throttle, and (2) E3 28 mph bikes cannot have a throttle without being treated as something else and having equipment like blinkers, etc. Both of those statements were news to me. I have since done some more research, and there are a few mid drive bikes with a throttle, but it creates issues, and an E3 bike can have a throttle that is regulated to 20 mph. As a general rule, however, what he said seems to be true. It certainly changed some of my basic expectations and gives me even more to research.
After checking out their other bikes, I next decided to test an Easy Motion ATOM DIAMOND WAVE PRO. I liked the way it looked and it had a back rack.
I also thought that its controls were more intuitive and friendly, but it was 8 speed, rear derailleur only.
My experience with it was going to be different because now I had some idea what to expect, but for me this bike was immediately vastly preferable. If felt lighter and quicker to respond to my control, and the power level control made more sense. Most of it was just that "right fit" that people have talked about.
I took the same route as I did with the Stromer, and I learned a valuable lesson. I do not know if it was because the Easy Motion was an 8 speed, but when going up the hill, I did reach a point where I started to really struggle like I would in a normal bike. The comments that people have made about shifting suddenly made a lot more sense, and I realized that even with an electrical bike, you still have to be mindful of our riding. I was in 6th gear because I thought I could just cruise on up.
Overall, I now realize that electric bikes are about making biking more efficient and easier, not little motorcycles to cruise to work. The experience itself is still biking, and people who don't want to ride a bike likely will be disappointed. Electric bikes also are more complicated than I thought in that to extract the maximum benefit, you have to pay attention to what you are doing and know how to use a bike in the first place. There are so many different kinds of electric bikes because there are so many different kinds of bikers. Which bike of a specific kind you get may not matter much, but getting the wrong kind of bike would be like wearing your shoes on the wrong feet. The advertised speeds for bikes are complete BS. It would take a lot of effort for me to get either of those bikes to 20 mph, and in my current shape, I could not sustain that kind of speed for very long. In city traffic, there are lots of stops and starts. Bikes don't start like cars do, further reducing the effective speed. The perfect feature set cannot be found on a single bike because the features are found only on certain kinds of bikes, and when you pick a certain kind of bike, you lose the incompatible features.
All of this may sound very negative and disappointed, but my reaction is just the opposite. Becoming a happy electric bike commuter is going to require some significant changes in my thinking, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I am going to have to plan on a 30 minute commute, not a 15-20 minute one. In the beginning, I may not be able to go all the way up my big hills without taking a break or walking part of it. I can get there, but I am going to have to work up to it.
But I spend too much of my life sitting at my desk, and I need a more active lifestyle. I am not going to to a gym, and biking is more engaging than walking, plus it offers a broader range. So now, it is half back to the drawing board and half testing more bikes. What an adventure.
Today's stop was Seattle E-Bike, which seems to be the most prominent electric bike store in Seattle. When I went in the store, I was surprised at how massive all the bikes looked. I have seen plenty while driving around, but when I looked at them as something to ride, they suddenly seemed very large. They looked so wide that the pedals seemed too far apart. The salespeople were all busy, which gave me some time to wander the store uninterrupted. I now know enough to recognize that many of the bikes were slightly older models, and at the lower end of their ranges. They have some very nice bikes, but the focus is on the under $2,000 market.
They do carry Stromer, which has been of some interest, and I was surprised at how the size and mass of the bikes increased as you moved up the line. The ST 1 looked fine, but the ST 2 felt bigger than what I would want to ride. A salesman finally came up to me, and I explained my interest in a commuter and the nature of my commute. He immediately suggested looking at their entry level bikes, and I told him my focus was higher.
SInce I was familiar with them, I asked to test the ST 1. It was a nice looking bike, but had neither front nor rear suspension.
The the guy walked me through how to use the bike, I was surprised that it did not have a throttle. Somehow I had gotten into my head an expectation that electric bikes would have a throttle. It just seemed like an electric bike should go on its own, and I had images of just motoring up the big hills in my commute.
The controls that he showed me were disappointing.
There is a small monochrome box on the right side that controls the amount of boost. To change it, you have to press a toggle switch on the side to cycle through the options. It would cost $50 to have a 3x5 color touch screen instead. The ST 1 has derailleurs on both wheels. I asked what the purpose of the front derailleur was, and he could not say. I don't think that there is power to the front wheel, so I really don't get why its great would matter.
Armed with this knowledge and nothing more, I took the bike outside and took off into the street. It was one of the oddest sensations I have ever had. I pedaled, and the bike surged ahead as if it had a mind of its own. It was very unsettling. I understood what was happening, but it was just an odd sensation. It took me several blocks to become comfortable with it. And then over a few more, I started to be able to anticipate the boost, and it became welcome. Over about 10 minutes, I started to get a sense for how it works and its potential. With experience, a person would develop a good sense of the bike's capabilities and would learn to use them in different situations. You could create a sudden burst when you needed it, and you could maintain a very easy steady pace on level ground. The possibilities became clear.
My ride included a moderate hill, and I was pleased to see how the bike essentially turned the hill into level ground. It would eliminate the drag of coming to a long hill, and I thought about how when I do go biking, there always seems to a hill to climb at the end, that burns me until I get off and walk. That would go away. I saw no difference shifting the front gears. Still have no idea what that is about.
I stopped to take a picture of the bike, and when I did, a guy asked if I wanted a picture of me with the bike. I told him I was just testing it, and he said, "I know, I saw the tag." We got into a discussion about the bike and electric bikes in general. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. His first comment was that it was a very stiff bike, and he explained that it had no front suspension. He said that in Seattle, you frequently have to hop up on a sidewalk, and that without a front suspension, you would pop a lot of tires. I asked him about a rear suspension, and he said that it was a matter of choice, but that he has a hardtail. He said that he rides his bike hard, and that there is dust on his seat because he never sits on it. If he had a rear suspension, it would absorb some of power from his pedaling. We talked for quite a while, and he had many insights that I thought made sense.
As an aside, I am struck by how friendly and helpful electric bikers have been. You might think it odd that I would be surprised by that, but the media tends to portray electric bikers as rude people who cut everyone off and disregard traffic rules. The laws and regulations that are being adopted seem to be based on this perception. My own experience has been just the opposite. Hard to imagine a nicer bunch of people. I am sure there are jerks too, but not greater percentage than any other group.
When I got back to the shop, I asked if they had a throttle bike I could try for a comparison. They had a few, but they were low end bikes of little interest. The guy told me (1) there are almost no mid drive bikes with a throttle, and (2) E3 28 mph bikes cannot have a throttle without being treated as something else and having equipment like blinkers, etc. Both of those statements were news to me. I have since done some more research, and there are a few mid drive bikes with a throttle, but it creates issues, and an E3 bike can have a throttle that is regulated to 20 mph. As a general rule, however, what he said seems to be true. It certainly changed some of my basic expectations and gives me even more to research.
After checking out their other bikes, I next decided to test an Easy Motion ATOM DIAMOND WAVE PRO. I liked the way it looked and it had a back rack.
I also thought that its controls were more intuitive and friendly, but it was 8 speed, rear derailleur only.
My experience with it was going to be different because now I had some idea what to expect, but for me this bike was immediately vastly preferable. If felt lighter and quicker to respond to my control, and the power level control made more sense. Most of it was just that "right fit" that people have talked about.
I took the same route as I did with the Stromer, and I learned a valuable lesson. I do not know if it was because the Easy Motion was an 8 speed, but when going up the hill, I did reach a point where I started to really struggle like I would in a normal bike. The comments that people have made about shifting suddenly made a lot more sense, and I realized that even with an electrical bike, you still have to be mindful of our riding. I was in 6th gear because I thought I could just cruise on up.
Overall, I now realize that electric bikes are about making biking more efficient and easier, not little motorcycles to cruise to work. The experience itself is still biking, and people who don't want to ride a bike likely will be disappointed. Electric bikes also are more complicated than I thought in that to extract the maximum benefit, you have to pay attention to what you are doing and know how to use a bike in the first place. There are so many different kinds of electric bikes because there are so many different kinds of bikers. Which bike of a specific kind you get may not matter much, but getting the wrong kind of bike would be like wearing your shoes on the wrong feet. The advertised speeds for bikes are complete BS. It would take a lot of effort for me to get either of those bikes to 20 mph, and in my current shape, I could not sustain that kind of speed for very long. In city traffic, there are lots of stops and starts. Bikes don't start like cars do, further reducing the effective speed. The perfect feature set cannot be found on a single bike because the features are found only on certain kinds of bikes, and when you pick a certain kind of bike, you lose the incompatible features.
All of this may sound very negative and disappointed, but my reaction is just the opposite. Becoming a happy electric bike commuter is going to require some significant changes in my thinking, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I am going to have to plan on a 30 minute commute, not a 15-20 minute one. In the beginning, I may not be able to go all the way up my big hills without taking a break or walking part of it. I can get there, but I am going to have to work up to it.
But I spend too much of my life sitting at my desk, and I need a more active lifestyle. I am not going to to a gym, and biking is more engaging than walking, plus it offers a broader range. So now, it is half back to the drawing board and half testing more bikes. What an adventure.
