A Whole New Game for Electric "Bikes"

You are correct, ebikes are the fastest growing form of electric vehicle, and industry experts believe that the only thing that can slow them down are car doors.
You have told that joke before by the way. LOL.

I love my ebike. There are dozens of super long paved bike trails in MI. More than dozens. And they are long. So long only a really in shape person could do them with a regular bike. Here we are 50 year old men going 60 miles in a day.

So we very rarely go on the roads where cars are. Occasionally we cross them but only a few cases where we have to get on the road and ride up a half mile. RARE. I hate riding on the roads. If it weren't for all the bike trails around here, I wouldn't love an Ebike that much. But it's a fucking blast. Getting to see a 30 mile trail and know we can ride to the end and back. A normal bike can't do it.

It's like my crossbow. It used to be "oh you're a pussy hunting with that thing" and today 90% of hunters use them not traditional bow and arrows.

One more thing. I purposely got a Ebike that you have to peddle. My buddies all have bikes with throttles. So I still have to peddle up hills and when it's windy. I just turn it up to power 3 and lower the gear to wherever I'm comfortable. I don't struggle up big hills. Don't want to. If I did I'd raise the gear and lower the power. So it's great for anyone. Hell, if you want turn it off and ride it normal. You wouldn't though. To keep up with my friends you have to at least keep it in power 2 and 7 gear. If you use 3 too much you will only get 40 miles (2 batteries). If you use 2 all day and the surface is flat and paved you can go 30 on each battery.

Whatever state you are in, check out rails to trails or just search bike trials in your state and see what pops up. It's like you can go anywhere!! So fun.
 
Whatever state you are in, check out rails to trails or just search bike trials in your state and see what pops up. It's like you can go anywhere!! So fun.
Here in NW Ohio we have rails to trails. And class 1 and 2 ebikes are allowed. They are under jurisdiction of the Metroparks which are closed from dusk to dawn. But I got a commuter permit. With a commuter permit, which is free, you can use the rails to trails 24/7.

My father lives about 10 miles away back in my old neighborhood where I grew up. When I go visit him or someone else in my old neighborhood I'll often take the rails to trails path on my ebike and get there in about the same amount of time that it takes to drive there because I don't have deal with the stop and go traffic on the roads. There's some sections that are not finished being paved yet, but this is a fat tire MTB ebike, I built it for off-road riding. :)

On the way I'll go by some favorite party spots where as a teenager I used to hang out with my friends in various wooded areas alongside the railroad tracks where we would be drinkin' beer and tokin' wacky tobacky around the bonfires. And I'll see teenagers out there doing the same thing.

It kinda brings back some fond memories.
 
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Here in NW Ohio we have rails to trails. And class 1 and 2 ebikes are allowed. They are under jurisdiction of the Metroparks which are closed from dusk to dawn. But I got a commuter permit. With a commuter permit, which is free, you can use the rails to trails 24/7.

My father lives about 10 miles away back in my old neighborhood where I grew up. When I go visit him or someone else in my old neighborhood I'll often take the rails to trails path on my ebike and get there in about the same amount of time that it takes to drive there because I don't have deal with the stop and go traffic on the roads. There's some sections that are not finished being paved yet, but this is a fat tire MTB ebike, I built it for off-road riding. :)

On the way I'll go by some favorite party spots where as a teenager I used to hang out with my friends in various wooded areas alongside the railroad tracks where we would be drinkin' beer and tokin' wacky tobacky around the bonfires. And I'll see teenagers out there doing the same thing.

It kinda brings back some fond memories.
Ditto.

My dad is 10 miles away and I can't believe how fast I can get there.

The next bike I get will have better batteries, fatter tires, shocks, a throttle. My bike now is the lowest of the low. I paid $1500. $200 more I could have got my buddies Electra. It has a throttle. I think it was on Shark Tank. Mark Cuban. But I bought mine from the local store so I get service. And I need the service. Sounds like you can fix them yourself.
 
Ditto.

My dad is 10 miles away and I can't believe how fast I can get there.

The next bike I get will have better batteries, fatter tires, shocks, a throttle. My bike now is the lowest of the low. I paid $1500. $200 more I could have got my buddies Electra. It has a throttle. I think it was on Shark Tank. Mark Cuban. But I bought mine from the local store so I get service. And I need the service. Sounds like you can fix them yourself.
You might want to stick with your current ebike for now until we see what is going to happen in congress with the BBB act. There's a clause in that bill that will give a 30% tax credit on the purchase of any new ebike that costs $4000 or less.

Maybe the sellers would just up the price by 30% if the bill passes, or maybe not. It would probably be somewhere in the middle. But if I was in the market to purchase a new ebike right now I would seriously consider waiting to see how that plays out.

That 30% tax credit could add up to several hundred dollars in savings.
 
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You might want to stick with your current ebike for now until we see what is going to happen in congress with the BBB act. There's a clause in that bill that will give a 30% tax credit on the purchase of any new ebike that costs $4000 or less.

Maybe the sellers would just up the price by 30% if the bill passes, or maybe not. It would probably be somewhere in the middle. But if I was in the market to purchase a new ebike right now I would seriously consider waiting to see how that plays out.

That 30% tax credit could add up to several hundred dollars in savings.
I read about that. I wouldn’t get the full credit. I make too much.
 
While I own an e-bike, I think that perceptions of them are usually off the mark.

Very few people use them for TRANSPORTATION. They are used for recreational riding. OTOH, in places like Los Angeles and New York (weather permitting), they would be great for transportation - to and from work, for example - because they could be faster and way more efficient than a car, or even mass transit.

Whether you get any exercise is entirely up to you, and everyone should know that you can ride miles and miles, getting almost no exercise at all. The bike will propel you at virtually whatever speed you like, and all you have to do is keep the pedals moving.

Riding an e-bike on a level bike path is perverse. You might as well ride a moped.
 
While I own an e-bike, I think that perceptions of them are usually off the mark.

Very few people use them for TRANSPORTATION. They are used for recreational riding. OTOH, in places like Los Angeles and New York (weather permitting), they would be great for transportation - to and from work, for example - because they could be faster and way more efficient than a car, or even mass transit.

Whether you get any exercise is entirely up to you, and everyone should know that you can ride miles and miles, getting almost no exercise at all. The bike will propel you at virtually whatever speed you like, and all you have to do is keep the pedals moving.

Riding an e-bike on a level bike path is perverse. You might as well ride a moped.
I think even pedaling at the easiest level is still better than sitting at home on the couch. But yea, if I go for a short ride and I use all the power, I'm not getting any exercise really.

I will ride mine to work more often next summer.

Yesterday I rode my Ebike with only level 1 help and it was like riding a regular bike on the hardest level. It's no fun. So I always ride on 2. Rarely do I use 3 because it's too much and will eat up the battery.
 
I ride a bike because it brings me close to nature, and for exercise. I made a mistake when I sold my regular bikes and bought a Himiway, because there are times and rides when I would prefer to provide my own power. OTOH, it is a nice challenge to ride at zero-assist. With the fat tires and an 80 pound chassis even riding on the level is good exercise.
 
I ride a bike because it brings me close to nature, and for exercise. I made a mistake when I sold my regular bikes and bought a Himiway, because there are times and rides when I would prefer to provide my own power. OTOH, it is a nice challenge to ride at zero-assist. With the fat tires and an 80 pound chassis even riding on the level is good exercise.
I only ride my ebike on 1 when it's super flat and paved. Otherwise, it's a struggle. 2 is perfect. 3 is when I'm going up a big hill or when I'm trying to go somewhere fast. A lot of times 3 is overkill. 2 is best.
 
Riding an e-bike on a level bike path is perverse. You might as well ride a moped.
Here, mopeds are not allowed on rails to trails bike paths. They could confiscate it. And who the hell knows what kind of bureaucratic bullshit you would have to wade through to get it back?
 
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While I own an e-bike, I think that perceptions of them are usually off the mark.

Very few people use them for TRANSPORTATION. They are used for recreational riding. OTOH, in places like Los Angeles and New York (weather permitting), they would be great for transportation - to and from work, for example - because they could be faster and way more efficient than a car, or even mass transit.

Whether you get any exercise is entirely up to you, and everyone should know that you can ride miles and miles, getting almost no exercise at all. The bike will propel you at virtually whatever speed you like, and all you have to do is keep the pedals moving.

Riding an e-bike on a level bike path is perverse. You might as well ride a moped.
I go out with friends for ten hours. Probably peddle 6 hours. Yes I’m not on level 1 I use level 2 assist and 3 when I’m going up hills but I’m peddling for 6 hours. That’s exercise. Low impact. Lo cardio. But better than sitting home.
 

I've never heard of this thing before, but WHAT A CONCEPT! It obliterates the line between electric bikes and motorcycles, with a $5k vehicle that has 20hp, gobs of torque, and a range of 80 miles, while tipping the scales at 200 lbs. It can apparently be fully charged in a couple hours on house current.

Seems to me like it would be a great commuter bike. Assuming anyone actually goes to work anymore.
an 80 mile range

That ain;t nothing to crow about.
 
Pedal for 6 hours? My ass could never take it.
We are done when we get home fore sure. We got one buddy who won’t go with us on our weekend adventures. We pick different bike paths in Michigan, take the bikes by truck and check out new parts of Michigan all spring summer and fall. Ann Arbor, locally we have amazing trails. Either way is a full day adventure. Rochester Michigan. Jackson,mi. Detroit, Downtown Detroit was cool.

Michigan's multi-use trails stretch more than 2,100 miles across the state. Trail surfaces are indicated by icons for paved trails, crushed stone, unimproved
 
You are correct, ebikes are the fastest growing form of electric vehicle, and industry experts believe that the only thing that can slow them down are car doors.
I was watching Adam Ruins the Suburbs. The ONLY solution is an Ebike. Unless you are in super shape and can ride a normal bike everywhere. But with gas prices at $4 a gallon, I'm going to be driving my bike to the store this spring/summer/fall.

In the past, if I wanted to go to a like, I had no choice but to hop in my car and drive to a lake. Today, I can get on my bike and ride to 30 lakes.

Adam was talking about how badly subs are designed and how bike trails are transforming these communities so that you aren't forced to drive a car. It's wonderful news.
 
Pedal for 6 hours? My ass could never take it.
I've learned anytime I'm going down hill, stand up on the peddles. Save the ass. Many hours we have imagined a new bike seat. One that's like a bench seat.

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