Are ebikes "worth" it?

[QuarterMillionMan]

Good point James specifically on the element of rain. The year was 2018 when I got one of my first ebikes (possibly it was my 2nd ebike) in Tijuana it was pouring rain while riding my ebike it died instantly and I could never get it to restart which I'm almost positive the rain caused it to die. This was a $700 ebike at the time which I had to sell for parts for about $80. Ebikes are not reliable and has many components that could fail. The last 48V ebike that I sold for $80 prior to selling it, I took it to an ebike shop in Manhattan beach and the mechanic quoted $299 to diagnose it. I suspected it had a faulty battery which caused the ebike to die only later to restart again later because when it died the battery LEDs would not light up upon pushing the battery light. In this case the mechanic quoted $99 to diagnose just the battery. I thanked him for the quotes but politely declined and rather I chose to just sell it for parts for $80. This is why I chose cheap ebikes over an expensive one. I liken this to marriage vs being single and having 20 different beautiful Latinas to choose from. The last thing that I want is 1 expensive wife which I would be stuck with for life. If I don't like Varun, I can go with DYU, or AOVOPRO, or VIVI, etc.

[james.hendrickson]

Honestly QMM, I feel the same way about electric cars. I don't know how well they'll do in the cold and snow here in Oregon.

It sounds like your ebikes have died a couple of times...and M,y only thinking is...well...wouldn't it be better to buy a bike ONCE?

[QuarterMillionMan]

James, I would think that after a divorce you would have learned a valuable lesson but you still want that 1 expensive ebike, SMH (lol). I would never marry an expensive ebike. I rather go through 20 cheap ebikes than that 1 expensive ebike.

[james.hendrickson]

James, I would think that after a divorce you would have learned a valuable lesson but you still want that 1 expensive ebike, SMH (lol). I would never marry an expensive ebike. I rather go through 20 cheap ebikes than that 1 expensive ebike.

lolol. Well, that is certainly one perspetive QMM. I will say this, at least you're being pro-active and thinking about it. Most people don't even think ahead when they make transportation purchases. They just buy whatever has immediate appeal.

[QuarterMillionMan]

No news is good news. My ebike still works good albeit slower than the other one and less powerful but rides good. It's a 36-volt battery. When it's time for a new one I'll be sticking with 48-volt battery or higher.

[myrdale]

I am sort of dubious about a $300 electric bicycle, but then again I am also dubious of an $8,000 one as well. I don't know what the expected life of one of these should be. From high school through college, I think I wore out three separate bikes. I doubt any were built as sturdy as an $8000 model, but still parts fail. Maintenance has to be part of the budget when purchasing one. For the $300 bike, I agree with your logic that you could go through 20 of them before you get close to reaching the $8000 bike.

[QuarterMillionMan]

The longest lasting ebike maybe lasted 2 years which still ran, I sold it because I like to sell my things while it still runs rather than driving the bus until the wheels fall off at which point it can no longer sell or you'd only get pennies on the dollar. The shortest lasting ebike was the one just before this current one which only lasted 1 month. On average with my experience with ebikes are that they last somewhere in between these 2 durations. A lot of components on ebikes can cause it to fail, unlike a traditional pure human powered bike. Hence a $300 ebike suits my needs.

[QuarterMillionMan]

In my apartment my neighbor has a new ebike box sitting outside the door. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3. Order online, delivery to door, assemble it. I'm guessing it is a cheap $300 ebike the box doesn't say Aventon, or Rad Power, or Sonders, etc. It says CVCAN. I think one of my cheap ebikes had that same letters.

[myrdale]

There is another cost associated with ebikes that hasn't been discussed, and that is the medical cost.

The coincidences of things never ceases to make me laugh...

This part of Georgia has a homeless issue. In the past year they have embraced ebikes and scooters as a means of getting around. While going to lunch yesterday one of these fools was riding down a windy two lane road, no on the side but right in the middle of the lane. I paced him going 45 miles an hour on a scooter. No helmet, or other protection.

This morning coming into work, I started thinking about that guy, how obnoxious and dangerous what he was doing was, and that he is a problem which will most likely fix itself sooner rather than later. Right then on the radio, they started discussing the rapid increase in ER visits and actual deaths associated with ebikes and scooters.

Riding at normal speeds one might see on a bicycle or scooter, I don't have any safety concerns there. But if you're going to treat it like an actual motorized vehicle and ride +40 miles an hour down the road, you'd better suite up. At least on an ebike you have the centrifugal force of the wheels to keep you upright. I'm not convinced that same level of force exist with a scooter.

[QuarterMillionMan]

My 67 yr old guy cousin almost became paralyzed when his escooter filpped hitting a pot hole. I've also clocked those things going 35 mph. My ebike's top speed is 15 mph which can be dangerous too.

[QuarterMillionMan]

If I were looking to buy another ebike (which I'm not), this would be it. This would fit my needs perfectly and at a price that I wouldn't even hesitate to purchase.

[kork13]

Looks like my wife is leaning into the e-bike craze ... She's buying this from a friend of hers. Good shape, solidly built, and the friend has used it reliably a couple times a month for the last year or two. It's all Japanese (including the controls & associated display), but it's at least very simple. ::shrug:: I hope she enjoys & gets good use out of the thing. It's definitely in way better shape than the 3rd+ hand bike that she's currently riding around.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I saw an escooter today in a middle lane of a 4 lane highway each way (8 lanes total) keeping up with traffic going about 40 mph, at least the guy was wearing a helmet. Also today a radar signal on the side of the highway clocked me at 18 mph in a bike lane while the cars were going 39 mph, 43 mph, etc.