Should You Buy an Electric Bike?
When I first heard about electric bicycles, they struck me as the best life hack. They allow you to get to work relatively quickly without problems with public transport, play sports without breaking a sweat, and also get from point A to point B without spending money on gasoline. As a longtime city cyclist who gave up commuting after moving, a large hill formed between me and the office, I wondered if electric bicycles were the answer. I decided to find out.
3 classes of e-bikes
First, let’s define our terms. An e-bike, or ebike, is any bike with an electric motor. There are three main classes of e – bikes.
- Pedal-assisted bicycles, or pedelecs : the electric assistant on these bicycles is activated when the pedals are depressed. In the US, they are limited to an auxiliary speed of 20 mph with an engine rated at 750 watts or less. They are legally classified as bicycles.
- Electric drive on demand: The electric drive system on these bikes is activated either by pedaling or by demand using the throttle (for example, using a button or turning a handle). They have the same maximum speeds and engine power limits as Class 1 bikes, but since you don’t have to pedal, power-on-demand bikes can be more limited than pedal bikes depending on where you live. …
- Speed pedals : Similar to regular speed pedals, speed pedals allow you to reach speeds of up to 28 mph. Some states view speed bikes as full-fledged mopeds and require special licenses and registrations, and use on cycle paths is often limited.
I tried two Class 1 e-bikes for several months. While I was testing bicycles, pedal-powered bicycles were legalized in New York (where I live) and they were soon added to the bike park. Class 2 e-bikes are still banned in New York, which is controversial, to say the least, as most throttle riders are delivery workers who depend on e-bike speed to get the townspeople of their seamless and post mates as well as Prime. Now and [insert modern on-demand convenience] quickly.
Pros of Ebikes
They are funny
Are you familiar with that dream in which you are cycling, jogging or pushing a boulder uphill, and suddenly the effort disappears? The wind blows from behind and simplifies the difficult task – you could ride forever, run forever, what was impossible now seems easy? (Surely we all had this dream, right?) Well, pedaling is like that dream, but it’s real. You are riding a bicycle, you are going up a hill, you are making an effort. Then, like a magical wind from behind, the pedal assistant kicks in and you float up the hill. You are still pedaling, but you need help. It’s exciting.
You can actually cycle to work without accumulating
I don’t need to sweat a lot, so even with help, I come to work with a pleasant sweat shine (or even more, depending on the humidity level). But less sweaty cyclists, or those who can heed their minds’ constant warning not to work too hard in 90-degree heat, may arrive at work in a state as unconcerned as if they were taking a bus or train. On the few days when temperatures dropped below 80 this summer, I was able to drive four miles to work (including one significant hill) without breaking a sweat.
You can save money
The average cost of a new car is about $ 36,000. The average used car costs over $ 19,000. The e-bikes I’ve tried cost around $ 3,000, which is roughly the average. Is that a lot for a bike? Hell yes. But if you have a car that you use primarily for the “last mile” – from the train station to your home, for example – and for weekend errands, an e-bike can be much more cost effective. When you factor in the cost of gas ( ~ $ 2.80 a gallon right now ) or the monthly public transit rate ($ 121 in NY), the numbers start in favor of the bike, assuming you don’t leave it in the garage collecting dust. … …
You can reduce your carbon footprint
There are many studies comparing the environmental impact of an e-bike to that of a conventional bicycle or car . I saw this one that claims a regular bike produces 8.5 times more carbon emissions than an e-bike , which is credible but interesting nonetheless. My takeaway is that there is no doubt that using one mode of transport is no more profitable than another, but it is worth considering the whole picture of energy consumption and environmental impact when deciding to buy something . Different metals in your bike or car, cobalt in a lithium-ion battery of your bike (or the Prius) – all produced in the mines . It’s not as easy as “cars spew exhaust fumes, but motorcycles don’t.”
Do you play sports
Of course, not as much exercise as riding a regular bike, but more than driving or riding the bus. One of the most cited experiments claims that with electricity you burn about 20% fewer calories than without it. According to Strava, I burn ~ 100-150 calories by eating one way before working with the small pedal assistant all the way, which is not a ton, but more than I would burn in a car.
You save time
The metro ride takes 25-35 minutes. To get there by e-bike, you need 20 steep ones. If your city has good cycling routes, an e-bike might let you skip the daily rush hour traffic or subway collision.
You get more
If you are worried about burning calories, a non-electric bike will always win. This was a stumbling block for me when I was thinking about buying an e-bike: if I rode my decent commuter bike everywhere, I would get a lot more exercise without spending thousands of dollars. But the point is, I don’t ride my commuter bike everywhere – I hardly ride anywhere. Before the trip, I think about how far away my destination is, how steep the climb, how sweaty and exhausted I will be when I arrive, and whether I want to return. I usually choose public transport.
With an ebike, these considerations disappear. I checked farmers markets in new neighborhoods, zipped up to visit friends living in the wilderness, volunteered to pick up this forgotten grocery item at the store because the trip itself would be fun.
You gain confidence
The large hills that I have previously climbed in lowest gear are not likely to be difficult with electricity. On group excursions, I can keep up with the former if I want to. This is great – I’m not super athletic and I avoid training with other people to avoid being humiliated again in elementary school when I was chosen as one of the last to kickball. The pedal assistant helps me to forget about the worries of not speeding up and lets me instead focus on the wind in my hair, landscapes and the joys of cycling.
Cons of Ebikes
They are not cheap
Even after you count the bike and the car, we are still talking about a bike that costs many times more than you would pay for an average Schwinn. Add to that the cost of insurance, a good lock, flashlights, helmet, and other accessories, and things get pretty expensive. Are you going to ride this bike enough to make it worth it?
They are heavy
The lightest pedal bike I’ve found weighs around 40 pounds without baskets, stands, locks, and other accessories. So this is not the kind of bike you are going to throw over your shoulder and cheer up before walking on the sixth floor.
You need a climate-controlled safe place to store your bike
These bicycles are thief magnets. Depending on where you live, you will need a very good bike lock (or two) and a safe place to store your bike. I live in a small apartment in New York, so leaving my bike at home is not an option. I kept the bikes I tested in my basement, but this isn’t an option for everyone. I used to leave my regular old road bikes locked up for signposts in dire northeastern winters, but that’s not the route I’ll ride with such fancy.
You need a place to charge your bike
You’ll need to plug in your bike to charge it, so you’ll need a garage or street outlet, or an indoor spot where you can easily roll up your bike to charge it every day or two. This is rarely a problem if you live in a home, but for those who live in cities, there is a lot to think about.
Batteries have disadvantages
Ebike battery life can take anywhere from 10 to 60 miles on a single charge, depending on many factors. You can, of course, continue to ride the bike in excess of the battery capacity, but you will do it without assistance. Some bikes have booster batteries that you can take with you to replace when needed, but you won’t be able to go as far as you want, as fast as you want in a car. Ebike batteries also need to be replaced after a certain number of charges, which adds another regular cost to the overall bike price.
Laws governing e-bike use vary by state
As the popularity of e-bikes has grown, states are drafting laws regarding the age of cyclists, bicycle classification, helmet requirements, licensing, and what types of e-bikes are allowed on cycle paths. Check your state’s requirements.
People can hate you
E-bikes are faster and faster than regular bikes. A rider snorting and taking off uphill, which you can easily overcome in a carefree wave, can be forgiven for despising you. To him, you are a deceiver. To others, you are a threat. An ebiker riding a bike lane at 20 mph will disrupt traffic, surprise other riders and, if the cyclist is not careful, could cause accidents. So ebikers need to be considerate of other cyclists. If you are traveling with a group of passengers at an average speed, you should not close the tailgate, nor should you dodge traffic in order to overtake everyone.
You can hate yourself
I am not kidding. If you are used to a regular bike, you may think that the electric bike is cheating. Cycling is not only a means of transportation, but also a workout. The hard ride is rewarded because you made the trip with your own pair. As you travel past the peddling mortals of life, you may feel guilty like a rich kid whose father bought his way to college.
It was difficult for me to reconcile the psychological journey of getting help with my self-image as someone who achieves something through hard work. Of course, a life hack by its very definition is the shortest path to the goal. This allows you to achieve the same result with less stress, time and effort. For me, riding an e-bike was a means of contemplating all the good and all that is problematic in life hacking. Yes, it’s faster and easier than an analog bike. But is a certain amount of suffering important to achieve a goal? Do we value things more when we sweat for them? Should we slow down and enjoy the journey, no matter how long it takes, without looking for cheats and hacks?
At the moment, the pros of e-bikes for me outweigh the cons – I’m in business. I’ve made a deal with myself to only use electric assistance when I need it, to climb a big hill or get to work quickly. When I ride at my leisure, I turn off the assistant, use the bike for exercise, but take my time. Unlike a moped or scooter, you don’t need to use electricity for e-bikes. You can choose when to hack and when to just live.