Electric Bicycles Anyone?

[Tabula Rasa]

Does anyone own an electric bicycle, or know someone who does? If so, I'd appreciate your input as to their functionality and reliability.

I'm thinking about purchasing an electric bicycle very soon!

:)

[janharker]

I have a friend who has one. Swears by it. And we live in a Very hilly area. He goes everywhere. I want one, but I have other biking issues that make it a bad investment at this time. I'd say go for it.

[lhamo]

We don't have one, but a comment based on what I have observed in China:

BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN RIDING -- especially in the rain. They can be heavy and have relatively poor braking systems. Also, be aware that because they are so quiet, people (especially pedestrians) may not hear you coming. YOu need to be careful not to crash into people stepping into intersections, etc. Wear a helmet. They are really more like motorcycles than bicycles, and you can get injured/injure others pretty easily if you are not careful. Cars also have difficulty making good judgements when passing, etc.

lhamo

[janharker]

The battery that my friend has is on an all-terrain bike. It doesn't get him going past 12 MPH. I know that because in Indiana if it did his bike would be considered a motor vehicle and would have to get a license. And, really, bicycling without a motor is also quiet, and you should always watch out for all activity around you. So no real difference there, IMO. And, yes, always wear a helmet. Gloves are also recommended.

[ljevtich]

Yes, my friend got one, and it lasted for about 3 months. Horrible investment. He had to travel ~ 10 miles and most often, the motor did not work, and there were no hills. But we were near the beach, so maybe the salt air was bad for the exposed motor. He also was not able to travel on main roads as there was no real shoulder, and could not go fast enough to be in real traffic.

But when it did work, it was nice. But I think he basically lost money on it, and brought his truck back and forth to work after that.

Make sure you have some sort of guarantee on it as I have seen them break down quite a bit. At the rate that he was going, he could have gotten a scooter.

[kevinw1]

Have several friends with these. As with many things, you get what you pay for. There's a big difference between the Walmart cheapo and one you buy from a knowlegable bike store.

If you're looking at a scooter-style one where you plan not to pedal, be warned they are very cold to ride in the winter - you are not pedalling and not warming yourself up! The scooter style ones we can get here (Canada) which are legally bicycles, have pedals but are extremely inefficient to try to pedal. If you are looking at a bike-style one with a motor, they often require you to pedal up to a certain sped before the motor will kick in.

It always amuses me that my Mum had a bicycle with an add-on electric motor in the UK back in the 196os!

[Midwife]

I recently found this website for these great four wheel bikes. Electric motor is optional... I thought they looked awesome, but dont know anything about them being considered cars vs bikes.
http://www.rhoadescar.com/rcar/index.shtml

[janharker]

I forgot to say that my friend's motor is solar powered. The solar pack sits on top of his rear rack. He swears by the whole system, and this is a guy who rides his bike everywhere all the time. I wish I could remember the brand name. Sorry.

[Gardenarian]

My neighbor has an ezip (sp?) bike from Walmart, and she loves it.
I have considered one too - I live in a very hilly area (San Francisco) and most places I want go are just inaccessible on a regular bike (at least to me.)