Strongly considering an e-bike

[TominMO]

Was watching review videos on YT for e-bikes. Think I'll get one, from Amazon. Probably this one, the #1 pick in the video below:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNYGS1PX...f_=as_li_ss_tl

A good video:



A good cheap option:

[XLsior]

Just don't charge them in your house or around anything you don't want to burn down in a possible electrical fire and you should be ok.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by XLsior

Just don't charge them in your house or around anything you don't want to burn down in a possible electrical fire and you should be ok.

The battery is removable. I was actually planning on sticking the battery and charger in a metal trash can to isolate them from any flammable materials.

[ProDigit]

Originally Posted by TominMO

The battery is removable. I was actually planning on sticking the battery and charger in a metal trash can to isolate them from any flammable materials.

Wouldn't do that. Batteries get hot when charging. They need air circulation to keep cool.

Also, e-bikes are mostly useless where I live.
They're supposed to be falling under the MOPED regulations, which means 20-30MPH top speeds.
That means keeping up traffic, and being overtaken by angry drivers all the time.

Not recommended.

Once you get into the territory of 45-50MPH, you're talking about e-bikes in a sense of motorcycles. They're more interesting, if it wasn't that they're expensive, slow top speed, and come with very limited range.
Especially if you plan on using it in regular commuter traffic around here (+45MPH)

Personally, I'd avoid them. I had one, then traded it in for a 50cc bike, traded that in for a 250cc 400LBS scooter that was too heavy, traded that in for a 150cc scooter which was nice but had electrical issues after 2k miles, sold that one for a Honda Shadow VT750, crashed that bike, and got a CBR300R. The 300R is really great for most traffic outside of the highway, runs really nice with just 375LBS, but was still too heavy for me to pick up with it's higher center of gravity.
Got a Roketa MC07-127, but even that one was too slow for the city. Got a Suzuki GS500F; but didn't like the bike, too heavy, ancient, ugly, and uncomfortable. Not to mention, it was only slightly faster than my CBR300R.

Kept the CBR300R, now with a Vader 150; and I'm getting close.
I think the Vader 150 will do well with a 250cc engine.

All this to say, that what you really need in a city with an occasional highway exit, is a 175cc bike or ~15 HP.

That's 11kW for the ebikes.
That's about 3 to 6x what most affordable ebikes offer.

[J4Fun]

If it ain’t Cheesy approved, I wouldn’t buy it

[TominMO]

Actually thinking of using it for my small town city streets for short errands so I don't have to take the car. It's a mile to either the liberry or the post office. And I can use an alley or back street the whole way to each of them.

@ ProDigit: good point about the air circulation.

@ J4Fun: valid point there, but still--

[Megadan]

I got myself my first e-bike back in February. Mine is a Heybike Explore, it has a 25A max discharge 20AH 48V battery powering a 750W geared hub motor capable of 1200W peak output. The bike itself weighs 77lbs, plus all of me, and I can easily cruise at 20mph throttle only, and in PAS 4 or 5 I can get it to a max speed of 25mph with all 260lbs of me in the saddle. I had been eyeing this bike for about a year, and then it went on clearance for about $600 off, and I got another 100 off for a grand total of $1099 delivered.



I have done a few upgrades - larger brake rotors with a full 4 piston hydraulic caliper setup and ceramic/metallic pads. Those replaced the cheap single pull calipers and 160mm discs. The stopping power for such a big bike at 20mph was fairly pathetic. I also put that enormous seat on it for comfort reasons, along with a small stem riser to raise the bars up higher, and then the bar end mirrors.

I got it to help keep me active outdoors and to go on some adventures. I made some PVC rod holders and my bike came with a free rear basket, so I can take my saddle bags off, put the basket on, and then ride a trail near my house to one of several lakes about 10 miles away and go fishing. I generally ride in PAS2 or 3, which I can average 14-18mph at with a range of roughly 35-45 miles from a full charge to about 20%

Laws will vary depending on where you live, but for most legally sold in the U.S. pedal e-bikes, they follow the same laws as a normal pedal bike and can travel on all legal bike paths and be ridden on sidewalks.

As far as the concern over battery fires, most quality e-bike brands are having to conform to new safety regulations that have been adopted in the EU, and the U.S. is also looking to create similar regulations for safety as well. I have a fire resistant battery bag designed for charging and transport. It has two vent ports for airflow and to pass the cable through. Do I need it? Probably not as the bike brand I bought my battery from also provides the right charger for the battery. Most battery fires are the result of one of 3 scenarios - an internal short which is common on cheaply made battery packs or due to damage, a failed or inadequate BMS, or using the wrong charger type for the pack.

A good safety practice is to never charge your battery unless you will be present just in case the worst happens. That is why I charge my battery in my kitchen on my tile floor, in the battery bag, right near my back door. The bag won't contain a fire forever, but it should give me enough time to open my door and toss the thing outside on my concrete patio. I don't expect to ever have a battery fire, but it never hurts to be prepared.

With the bike off it can be easily peddled just like a normal bike, albeit a big heavy one with huge tires. On pure human power I can average about 10mph cruising along at a light- moderate pace.

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by J4Fun

If it ain’t Cheesy approved, I wouldn’t buy it

Cheesy has no opinion on e-bikes. I had one but I was loudly told that I was wrong.

[buzz]

I love mine,cheapest one on amazon. Will be getting a better one very soon.

[2LZ]

If I lived and worked in Downtown Sac or in a city environment, I'd definitely have one. Electricity is far cheaper in the city here (SMUD, compared to rural PG&E), plus you get free charging and parking (taxpayer funded, of course).

Out here in Canyonland, it's not really a viable option. My bicycling neighbor has an expensive e-bike and he says our long, steep grades wipe out the battery fairly quickly and he's doing most of the peddling. Compound that with almost .40 a KwH from PG&E to charge....... Maybe if I had an entire solar setup.

[J4Fun]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Cheesy has no opinion on e-bikes. I had one but I was loudly told that I was wrong.

My mistake, I was probably thinking Motocheez

[J4Fun]

2LZ, .40 a KwH I guess that’s to make up for all the law suits? PG&E was always expensive too, but that’s nutz! SMUD was always cheaper but unfortunately not available to us out in the country in yesteryear or today. Something is wrong! My thougts…

[buzz]

Just buy one ,love mine and be getting a betterone soon. battery are safe,and i don;t worry at all about charging it.

[TominMO]

I guess my more-refined plan for charging would be to have the battery sitting on something fireproof while charging, such as a flat metal pan or tiles like Dan does, rather than a metal trash can. Still considering whether I need one, and whether to go cheap or BOCO (buy once, cry once).

[TominMO]

In fact I am considering two different bikes.

One folding one for inside my car, in case the car died while I was out driving somewhere. Because of my coronary artery obstruction (working on it), I can't exert myself much. Even mowing my lawn with my powered-wheels walk-behind gets my blood pressure up a bit, which causes moderate chest pain, so I have to stop a few times during mowing for about a minute to get the pressure back down. Walking half a mile does the same thing, unless I walk very slowly (I tend to be a fast walker). I wouldn't leave the battery in the car because of temperature fluctuations, esp. in summer.

This one looks pretty good for a folder stored in the car: https://www.amazon.com/Hipeak-Elias-...1zcF9hdGY&th=1

The other one would be a conventional non-folder, either cheap or BOCO.