Electric bikes !!

[wanderingbob]

Lets talk about your electric bikes and what you think about them ! We have had our fat tire , twenty inch , folding bikes for two weeks and have been riding them 8 to 12 miles per day . We pedal constantly just because it feels right although I assume you can go on battery twenty some miles . We maintain 14 MPH pretty easily and with more throttle we can get up to twenty ! Our brand " Ecotric Dolphin " , about $ 850 . We like to wander around small towns and some time have to park far away , out in the boondocks because of the length of our rig , we hope this will lead to more exploring and some trail riding . We tend to always pedal and use the battery when these 77 year olde legs get tired ! What kind have ya got , do ya use them as much as ya think ya would ?

[austinjenna]

We have 2 Aventons, no problems with them and love them. Just heading back from Acadia and up east where we put over 200 miles on them.

[philh]

we bought two Averton's e-bikes. They are ok, it's a hub driven motor. I really liked a different brand, don't recall the name, but it was crank assist... but it was also $2,500!!!

[Rick_Jay]

I just bought one of these Jetson Bolt Pro Electric Bikes from Costco.com for $350. I think it's supposed to arrive later this week. It's not fast and doesn't have a long range, but it might fit a need my wife has to help her get around while the rest of us ride our bikes.

Not sure if it's any good, but if not, Costco will take it back without question. Most of the reviews seemed pretty good. The price looks too good to be true, though.

Anybody have one of these?

~Rick

[kellem]

Been an avid mtnbiker for 30 years and needed a little help at the age of 60 so purchased a Trek Rail full suspension Ebike.....WOW is all I can say.

I'm back on trails that I've not ventured in many years, feel like a kid again and battery life is incredible.
Go camping for a week and never bring the charger.

This particular bike has 4 power settings and I always ride on lowest (economy)so that I can still benefit from excercise.
If the trailer is hooked up, the bike is certainly aboard.

[mr_andyj]

You still can retro fit a rear wheel motor (hub motor) onto any bike if you can mount the battery somewhere, usually you can put on a luggage/pannier rack and put the battery there. This is a cheaper route if you already have bikes.

[pconroy328]

And we went the cheap route. Last year, Costco had the Jetson Bolts in for $329. They sold out within weeks, state wide. This year Costco got the Jetson Bolt Pro in for the same price.

We bought two. Small, they fold up and fit inside the back of the RV. Only a 350 watt motor, so you won't be breaking any speed records, but for the price, we're very happy.

[Dick_B]

We have had electric bicycles for several years now (I have two and each has more than 4000 miles on them). They have the pedal assist option where one pedals to make the motor work. Takes the strain off. We used to aim for 2000 miles per year but age has caught up with us so now we have a reduced goal of 1000 miles.

[MRC54]

We'll throw out hat in the ring for the Letric bikes. Picked ours up at the factory in Phoenix. XP for me and step-thru for DW. We're just now adding a better seat, different handlebars, etc. We're currently in Long Beach, WA which allows bikes and vehicles on the beach. So much fun!

[mr_andyj]

My experience is on those $8,000 bikes. Very nice. Range on pavement about 40 miles, though the batteries are about $800 alone.
Very fun.Very like a motorcycle in terms of transportation short of getting on the interstate or fast highway.
Its strength is that you do not have to work on hills. Hills are what turns people off to riding the bike around for short trips.
If an $800 ebike suits you then thats great, why spend more money???
ebikes are legal on most all paved cycle paths so that gets you off the motor car roadways too, and you find a lot of cycle paths where there are camping destinations.

[pasusan]

Thanks for this thread - we'll be watching !!

[naturist]

I suffer arthritis in my right hip and though I’ve loved riding bicycles since childhood my difficulty mounting and dismounting from my bike made me look for other options in order to keep up with my bride when she wants to ride the trails. I hate stopping and falling over because that leg refuses to go there.

I considered electric bikes, but went instead for an electric scooter for two reasons: no need to get that right foot over seat/cross member/whatever and it folds up smaller and lighter so I can carry it.

I can stand fine, so a scooter works for me. I can push it for exercise, and motor as much as needed. It was also less expensive than a bike for obvious reasons.

Electric bikes/scooters are a wonderful alternative for those of us too young to give up the adventure but too old to keep up with our younger friends or our desire to explore.

[Lightning55]

I bought an Lectric XP when I could no longer keep up with the grandkids when we went camping. It's fast (28mph) and so far reliable. I picked the Lectric because I wanted a fat tire bike that folded and was affordable at $899. Folding it is kind of difficult and it's hard to handle when folded up. The grandkids liked it so much that they both got one for Xmas. Overall, I'm glad I got it but don't ride as often as I should.

[dieseltruckdriv]

We love our Lectric XPs so much that we haven't ridden our motorcycles yet this year. I have always liked bicycling, and never stopped riding since I was a kid. I don't race or do long distance stuff, I just like to ride, and get the exercise.

Now when we ride, I don't have to wait for her, she can keep up.

We bought them because we could fold them and carry them in the bed of the pickup, but DW didn't like how close the hitch got when hooking up, so we added a receiver hitch to the back of our 5er.

[TurnThePage]

We purchased two Rad Minis. Their folding profile make them super simple to store out of the way in the garage and transport in back of the truck. They're fun to ride for sure! They've expanded our exploration options and refreshed the joy in travelling. Awesome addition for us old guys with bad knees!

[Martyn]

We have two Pedego Comfort Cruisers.

Love 'em! 🙂