E-Bikes! Not easier, just farther and faster

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > E-Bikes! Not easier, just farther and faster

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

alright i have been thinking about getting one of these. i live in california (bay area) and i like to ride my bike. however i am fat and out of shape, so while i can ride in the flat valley just fine, i have a hard time climbing some of the steep hills that lead into more enjoyable rides. i want a pedal-assist bike that makes me feel like i am riding a regular bike except i am superman, not a throttle like a motorcycle. what brands should i be looking at? what are the quality differences at various price points?

your comment about the e-bike turning your ride from 15 miles into 20 miles kinda worries me. i have higher hopes for it than that. riding an extra 5 miles on my regular bike is just a matter of sucking it up, but i want something that will open up whole new rides to me. the road i live on is something like an 8% grade for 2 or 3 miles. will i suddenly be able to climb this?

# ¿ Jul 17, 2020 21:45

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 03:10

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

AriTheDog posted:

I'm in the bay area also and yes, you will feel like a superman with just about any e-bike. You'll be able to climb any road if you have a decent motor, and you'll improve your fitness as you ride more and get stronger because you'll turn down the assist to conserve battery when it doesn't feel hard.

That said, what bike do you currently ride and what is the gear ratio? You may be able to add a wider cassette to your bike for cheap and make it up those same hills (very slowly) without a motor, if all you want is leisure rides and exercise. I say this as someone who got back into biking not all that long ago and can remember the hills around here seeming impossible at first.

my current bike is a surly cross check, on the heavier side because of steel frame and the rack/pannier i have on it. the cassette range is decent but i did add a third chainring in front for climbing steep hills slowly. it's just frustrating to go that slow and i don't have the endurance for some of the climbs.

i did end up ordering a ghost ebike from rei, have a friend who got one and raves about it. will post updates when it's ready!

# ¿ Jul 22, 2020 18:13

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

finally received my ghost ebike from rei! HA this thing practically rides itself. it's great! it's great!!!

i am a bit worried that the bike is too big for me. i can't really stand over the top tube without it touching my crotch. but it feels great to ride, and when i stop at a light i tend to just put one foot down and have the other on a pedal, which works fine. not planning to take this thing off road so i suppose i'm ok.

# ¿ Aug 3, 2020 18:25

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

bike pics to come later, for now here are some observations:

It is heavy. For the most part, this does not seem to matter. From a dead stop, it's 0 to 15 in a few turns of the crank (in sport mode especially).
Hills don't matter. Like, you are still pedaling harder, you feel that you are working your way up the hill. But the frustration of going so slow is gone, and you aren't out of breath at the top.
Headwinds don't matter. You feel the wind, but instead of sapping all the energy you are putting into the pedals, it just... doesn't. OK, instead of 20 you go 15, whatever. Still fun.
Crosswinds do matter. It's heavy. Never felt a gust quite like that on a bike before.
I haven't fully figured out how the assistive response works. I don't think the motor knows or cares what gear the bike is in. It responds to some combination of pedaling cadence, pressure on the pedals, and resistance. But it's quite natural, and you feel the boost in a pleasant way.
This bike has hydraulic disc brakes. I'm not sure if the hydraulic part is necessary, but I wouldn't want to ride one of these without disc brakes. The stopping power is definitely needed considering the weight and speed.
Ze Germans make some nice stuff. (Of course, the frame is made in Taiwan.)
Assuming I return to commuting at some point in the future, this is how I want to do it!
Someone is going to burn their house down with a cheap Chinese e-bike for sure. The battery weighs several pounds, and its charger brick gets quite warm while putting out 4A at 36V. This is a well made Bosch battery so I trust it, but I can't say the same for the cheap batteries on sub-$1000 bikes. You can't bring an e-bike battery on an airplane at all.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2020 05:43

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

you know that feeling you get when you've been on a boat, rocking back and forth, and now you are on land, but your body kinda feels like there are still waves? well i feel like that, but ebike. my body wants to suddenly accelerate forward

# ¿ Aug 4, 2020 06:43

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

aren't rad power bikes at least decent? they were one of the options recommended by the op. i ended up spending more based on a friend's personal recommendation, but if you can get a serviceable one for ~$1000 that won't kill you and is fun and popular etc, i'd say that's a good thing. there will always be a market in cycling for people who want to pay more

# ¿ Aug 5, 2020 02:16

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

so i was reading about how the bosch motor in my ebike works, and the site lists its modes as eco, tour, sport, and turbo.

i uh. i had just assumed that sport was the top mode.

i don't think i've even tried to press + from sport mode. lmao are you telling me this thing can do EVEN MORE boost than i've been using

# ¿ Aug 5, 2020 18:43

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

battery not pictured (it's charging)

# ¿ Aug 7, 2020 01:25

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

next time i promise to post a pic of it actually outdoors!

# ¿ Aug 7, 2020 02:35

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

# ¿ Aug 9, 2020 00:21

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

you just had a flat tire recently on the same wheel yeah? this probably isn't your problem but just in case it is, i'm gonna post. i had persistent flat issues on one wheel on my other bike, went through several tubes, never could figure out what was puncturing the thing. turns out, part of my rim tape had somehow slipped to the side, and one of the spoke holes was exposed, so the high pressure inner tube was pinching itself inside that little hole and eventually blowing out. so if you don't see any other cause of the flat, check your rim tape!

# ¿ Aug 10, 2020 03:53

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

my bosch battery and manual are full of warnings like "don't open the battery! don't try to repair the battery! don't plug the battery into anything that doesn't say bosch on it! this is a highly calibrated system and all its parts are designed to work together! if we detect that you are even thinking about trying to tune it, you'll be hosed!" and i am just not sure how much of that is basic legal disclaimers to comply with regulations, vs actual poo poo that could ruin my ebike. but since this battery is packing more lithium ions than are allowed on a commercial airplane anywhere in the world, i figure i had better listen to the manufacturer

# ¿ Aug 20, 2020 20:38

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

so i bought my girlfriend a townie go. not the fancy bosch one, just the $1500 hydrive rear hub motor. but hey it's electra so we can get service from trek shops no problem. she LOVES it. we have ridden together every day since she got it a week ago. she has some hip and groin injuries, and the step through frame, low riding position, and motor assist really help her. it's not the most sporty bike for riding up in the hills, but even i had fun riding the thing back from the store. we got the last one they had. it's such an equalizer, now cycling really is for everyone. EBIKES!!!

# ¿ Sep 8, 2020 05:45

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

i think the radwagon has a twist grip throttle so you can power it up the stairs. my bosch ebike has a walk assist mode but it doesn't do much. imo you should be fine, if you can lift the front wheel up the stairs then you can pull the bike the rest of the way without having to really lift all of it. if it's still too hard, get a sheet of plywood and make a little ramp to keep in the bike room.

word of caution on bike rooms though. i don't keep my ebike (or my girlfriend's) in our bike room. mine is in a private storage room, hers is in the apartment. because the bike room is not locked, it doesn't have anything in there to secure the bike to, and if someone knew where it was and got in the front door, they could walk out with the bike no problem. there have been a bunch of thefts from bike rooms just like that on the peninsula where i live. can't imagine it is any better in oakland. make sure your bike is safe in there!

# ¿ Sep 12, 2020 21:38

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

rode 31 miles today, 35 yesterday. it's like i'm in college again. all hail ebikes!!!

# ¿ Sep 26, 2020 23:57

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 03:10

DELETE CASCADE: Oct 25, 2017; i haven't washed my penis since i jerked it to a phtotograph of george w. bush in 2003

there's lots of poo poo, but anything you put on there is gonna weigh so much (battery+motor) that your frame will feel completely different imo

# ¿ Feb 18, 2021 05:18

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > E-Bikes! Not easier, just farther and faster