new bike - electric

[mjrand]

I've wanted to get a new bike for a while now. While looking through the local stores here, one bike caught my eye. Apparently it's some type of electric bike. See here.

Goes up to 28km/h and works up to 100k/distance and can be recharged overnight, and if I want to use the bike as a normal one, I can do it too. Was just wondering if anyone here had any experience with these kinds of bikes before and if there are any other bikes available like this, as $1000 is a lot of money for a bicycle.

 

[mjrand]

Anyone?

 

[notfred]

I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

It goes up to 28kph... which is a whole 17mph. Which is as fast as I ride *anyway* on my non-powered bike.
My non-powered bike probably weighs 25 lbs less, not having motors and batteries to carry around. You're not gonig to want to pedal around on a 50lb bike, so unless you want to use the motor all the time, you wont enjoy it.
If you do want to use the motor all the time, buy a motorcycle. You can get a used one for that price.
If you actually want a bike for exercise, you want one you're going to enjoy pedalling.
If you want to go 17mph, you might as well get some exercise while you're doing it, right?

Good luck finding anyone to work on that thing when it breaks. Since bike mechanics don't work on motors, and motorcycle mechanics work on gas engines.

Also, it'll stand out a lot more as a target for theft than a regular bike.

It just seems so ridiculous to buy something like that when it's not any faster than a regular bike, and it would be horribly non-fun to pedal.

 

[Squisher]

Why did they make it look like it came from the 1950's?

 

[NanoStuff]

Yikes, you can get an Allez Elite for that price.

 

[Dirigible]

Didn't check your link, but there is a use for those electric bikes. Mostly it's people who want to ride places (work, shopping, etc.) and not get sweaty on hills on the way, or just want a boost when going uphill. (Generally people will pedal them along the flats/coast downhill.)

If you're looking for something like that and have a safe place to keep it at your destination, go for it! It's fun like a scooter and one less car.

If you want to ride a bicycle, get something else. There is no terrain that'll take you that a normal bike won't, if you make the commitment to get in shape. And getting in shape is a good thing. If you want to commute to work, hopefully there's a shower there or no big hills on the way so you don't need the electric help.

The fat cyclist may have posted something about an electric bike and its uses. But it may have been another blogging cyclist.