phsycle
Adventurer
That’s like using tubes in your truck tires. May have been the thing to do back in the day. We now have much better options today.
E-bikes?
- Thread starter Martinjmpr
- Start date
That’s like using tubes in your truck tires. May have been the thing to do back in the day. We now have much better options today.
The best e-mountainbike of 2023 – The biggest group test yet: 30 e-mountainbikes head-to-head
What’s the best eMTB of 2022? We tested the 13 most exciting eMTBs of the season and tell you what you need to consider before buying.
ebike-mtb.com
calicamper
Expedition Leader
Yeah tubeless bike tires are still not great. I know a few Iron man folks who dumped them for tubed tires after not completing the Iron Man due to crap tubeless tires. They all run tubed so they can compete vs spend their race trying to fix tubeless failures.
Interesting timing - we were just discussing this at home a couple days ago. I need a new mountain bike, so I am thinking of just making the jump to a etmb.
This got my attention
www.specialized.com
This got my attention
Turbo Kenevo Comp
The Kenevo is the most capable eMTB you can find—complete with 180mm of front and rear suspension, the smoothest and most powerful motor available, and ...
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
We've had the Lectric E-Bikes for a few months now. With the weather getting nicer we're taking them out more. They are a joy to ride. Really i's just like riding a regular bicycle except without the burning thigh pain and being out of breath or getting that sinking feeling in your gut when you approach a steep uphill. Ours have a 5 level pedal assist and we rarely use more than level 2. I have no idea what the range on them is but at the end of a 10+ mile ride they are still showing a full charge.
One funny thing, as a motorcycle guy I expected that I'd be using the twist throttle a lot more, but I don't. I'm perfectly happy to pedal.
Haven't had a chance to try to wrangle them into the trailer yet - stupid COVID-19 has forced us to cancel 3 camping trips in a row now due to campgrounds being closed.
We're hoping to get out SOMETIME this Summer now that the nice weather is here!
If I can get a decent chain and lock combo I may start using mine for short errands to the grocery store or auto parts store (both less than a mile away.)
As far as quality of the bikes go, I'd say the Lectric bikes are 'adequate.' They definitely have cheap(er) mechanicals (the shifters in particular are very imprecise, not like on my old GT mountain bike with its nice trigger shifters.) Brakes are decent, I would guess low-end disc brakes. No suspension in the fork makes bumps a little bit rough. Rad Power bikes would have been much nicer but I'm not sure that would have justified the $500+ price premium (our Lectric bikes were under $1000.)
I'm pretty happy with them. I think we'll ride them more than we did our old non-powered bikes and that by itself probably makes them worth the cost.
One funny thing, as a motorcycle guy I expected that I'd be using the twist throttle a lot more, but I don't. I'm perfectly happy to pedal.
Haven't had a chance to try to wrangle them into the trailer yet - stupid COVID-19 has forced us to cancel 3 camping trips in a row now due to campgrounds being closed.
We're hoping to get out SOMETIME this Summer now that the nice weather is here! If I can get a decent chain and lock combo I may start using mine for short errands to the grocery store or auto parts store (both less than a mile away.)
As far as quality of the bikes go, I'd say the Lectric bikes are 'adequate.' They definitely have cheap(er) mechanicals (the shifters in particular are very imprecise, not like on my old GT mountain bike with its nice trigger shifters.) Brakes are decent, I would guess low-end disc brakes. No suspension in the fork makes bumps a little bit rough. Rad Power bikes would have been much nicer but I'm not sure that would have justified the $500+ price premium (our Lectric bikes were under $1000.)
I'm pretty happy with them. I think we'll ride them more than we did our old non-powered bikes and that by itself probably makes them worth the cost.
AMEN!
I hate flats, so I refuse to run tubes. Over the last 10 years, my tubeless setups have proven to be utterly flat-proof.
No serious cyclist runs tubes...but then again, no serious cyclist rides a so-called "e-bike" moped...
Taking advantage of our covid down time to make some changes to our rig including the purchase of an Ebike to facilitate getting around easier without having to drive our house. We opted for a quality machine that had a capable payload for riding two up with supplies. My question for the group and those of you who travel off grid in particular is, has anyone come up with an effective DC to DC charging system that eliminates the losses associated with DC to AC to DC?
Recent double track ride on our Surly Big Easy:
Recent double track ride on our Surly Big Easy:
What state(s) do you intend to operate that in?
Always a sober one.
Joking aside, We are on a two year (or so) trip to Ushuaia and back. Currently holed up in Wenatchee Wa. while we wait for the issue that is covid to play out.
The bike itself is a class 1 Ebike.
We contemplated a small motorcycle, but this does everything we need, it's a good 200lbs lighter, and won't require the same paperwork when crossing borders.
givemethewillys
Jonathan Chouinard
You have a good point here. I'm looking forward to seeing the e-bikes come down a bit in price. I understand economies of scale and supply/demand, but there's substantially less parts between a bicycle and a motorcycle. However, I do believe that an ebike is an incredible way to get around once you park the camper, especially if you can charge it onboard!
skyfree
Active member
What is a "serious cyclist" exactly? I am a member of several e-bike groups in Northern California that organize rides. Some of our members ride unassisted bikes competitively, and they are pretty serious. They ride e-bikes because it's more fun powering up hills and getting multiple laps.
Commercially available Class I e-bikes are not mopeds and are not classified as such legally.
That would be like saying that a Corolla is not a Toyota. So-called "e-bikes" are a type of moped, and ARE correctly classified as mopeds as legally defined by the state statutes of numerous states.
If it has a motor and pedals, it's a moped...
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calicamper
Expedition Leader
Lol I see old codgers getting their axle wrapped up over words and not understanding how an Ebike works. They are definitely not mopeds. Hint they don’t actually go unless you pedal. A electric scooter or skate board is more Moped than an Ebike. Why? Those actually go on their own with no physical input from the user.