Electric Bike

From iGeek
Jump to: navigation, search
Evelo.jpg
My Evelo Electric Bike

I have an electric bike that I ride. It's a 55lbs beast, but I like it. One of the things that people who don't ride them think is, "that's cheating". The truth is the opposite. Since the bikes boost your pedaling, and we like to get places faster, I tend to pedal MORE, like continuously, when I'm on the e-bike (no coasting).

Now the pedaling isn't as hard for the same speed, and you get there faster (so you don't ride it as long as otherwise), because it helps you. But because you get there faster, I tend to ride it more often, and further than I would ride the regular bike. It's fun, so you think, "I'll just take the e-Bike"... and thus you ride it more and more often, and pedal more when you're on it. So I don't understand how any of that is "Cheating". It's certainly much better than driving, which would be the alternative more often, if I didn't have the e-Bike.


One of the downsides is it being bigger/heavier, it's harder to just throw in the back of the car and get serviced. The damn thing squeaks, and is sloppy (the active suspension makes it feel not as tight). But it does absorb bumps well, even on city streets. I've taken it to the local bike shop, but they don't seem to know what to do with it: they certainly didn't tighten up things and make me feel like I got my value when I asked for a maintenance tune-up.

It's gone through one set of batteries ($400), and a charger ($150). And was $1800 when I bought it. So it isn't that cheap, or cheap in maintenance. Still, I ride it hundreds of miles a year... so it's not a bad ROI.