Do you have one? What brand? Why did you pick that brand? What do you use it for?
H is interested in one. Would like to be able to have two people on it (banana seat) and for off road. And carry in the back of a van. Not easy to fulfill.
Friends rented them when they were touring New Zealand (back in the day🙄). They loved them for that purpose because they really wanted to go a long distance.
But for everyday use, they use their regular bicycles.
They said…they are very heavy…so might not be that easy to take one you own on a plane or whatever.
I fantasize about having one. I took the most amazing tour along the most recent lava flow on Big Island, Hawaii last Feb (thanks for the reminder, Covid!) we rode for a few hours and were able to access places that cars couldn’t get to yet. It was so much fun, and we covered a lot of ground. It was a pedal-assist, which I would find more useful than simply an e-bike. I’d use mine for local errands and to transport me to my favorite walking spots. It’d be nice to not have to use the car all the time.
I guess what I rode when I was in the Bay Area was pedal assist. It was fun and the best is the ability to make it up the hills. We even rode them over the Folden Gate bridge.
In my downtown “tourist” corridor they recently added electric bikes. I’m assuming they are pedal assist. They rent by the 30 minutes and it’s all done through your cell phone. She had a blast even though she isn’t a natural bike rider.
I think they have taken off in my area since Covid. I think the biggest issue is that they are really heavy.
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We have had KARMIC pedal assist ebikes for a couple of years. Got them on Kickstarter. They are WONDERFUL…the world is flat! We live on a hill and one reason I didn’t like to bike is that I could never get up the hill home without walking.
I don’t think they are that heavy… I can lift mine onto the back mounted bike rack… I couldn’t lift it to a roof mounted one though; but I could barely get my hybrid bike up there either.
Battery life is good. We have gone 20 miles, all my seat could take. Uses more battery on hills; my husband’s battery wore out on one hilly trip and then it was a TOUGH bike home, but you can still pedal. You can set the max speed (they will go fast), but to be on bike paths if you set the max speed to 20MPH then you are allowed. And you are pedaling…the electric boost doesn’t kick in without the pedals so it isn’t like a motorcycle that will take off. It just makes it EASY to take off. I am not a good biker ( didn’t grow up biking so not a skill for me) and it just made it so much better. I take off and don’t wobble at traffic lights because now I get a little speed up sooner.
They do tend to be heavy. For me, being in a single level home with a garage works. Definitely something to think about for an apartment dweller or someone that needs to store it someplace other than a ground floor.
I have a TREK with a Bosch electric motor. We have a minivan, and we have to remove the back seats to transport my e-bike and my husband’s regular bike together. But if you have a cycling spouse and you are not a cyclist, an e-bike will allow you to have fun together. I got mine just before the pandemic hit, and am so glad I did.
My husband has a Trek and really likes it. Let’s him speed past everyone on regular bikes if he wants - but also can chose to not use motor and get more exercise.