Hi any one tried electrical bicycle..?
- Thread starter Krishna Kumar
- Start date
I don't know anything about these battery powered bike but according to the internet there seems to be a strong following for Specialized Turbo Vado 6.0, it can travel up to 80 miles on a single charge which is more than any other bike I found; plus it can go up to 28 mph which is to fast for some states, not sure where you live but every country has a limit to the top speed of these sort of vehicles. Of course the Specialized cost about $5,000 not sure if there are options you can add on to it that would drive the price up.
If $5,000 is too much you can take a look at the Raleigh Redux IE Diamond Frame that cost $2,700, it got the highest reviews of the lower costing units. I think Raleigh lied about the performance saying it will go 28 mph and travel up to 80 miles on charge, problem with their quoted specs is that it runs on a motor that puts out 100 watts less than the Specialized, PLUS it has a smaller battery than the Specialized, so I have a feeling the Raleigh Specs are over exaggerated, but the price is good. Even if it only does 50 miles and speed being a non issue it would be great for limited income purposes like a college student.
If $5,000 is too much you can take a look at the Raleigh Redux IE Diamond Frame that cost $2,700, it got the highest reviews of the lower costing units. I think Raleigh lied about the performance saying it will go 28 mph and travel up to 80 miles on charge, problem with their quoted specs is that it runs on a motor that puts out 100 watts less than the Specialized, PLUS it has a smaller battery than the Specialized, so I have a feeling the Raleigh Specs are over exaggerated, but the price is good. Even if it only does 50 miles and speed being a non issue it would be great for limited income purposes like a college student.
These things seem OK for someone not physically fit. But they are generally expensive and unless you have a lot of climbing to do they hardly seem worthwhile to me.
A friend of mine (who is somewhat overweight and hence climbs very painfully) and myself were returning from Sausalito on the Marin Peninsula up to the Golden Gate. I was following him and there was a steep section rounding a turn. Two young girls passed us on what looked like heavy bikes. My friend said, "I hope those are electric bikes" between labored breaths. One of the girls said, "Of course!" and the two of them continued riding away from us like we were standing still. So I guess there is a time and a place for them.
A friend of mine (who is somewhat overweight and hence climbs very painfully) and myself were returning from Sausalito on the Marin Peninsula up to the Golden Gate. I was following him and there was a steep section rounding a turn. Two young girls passed us on what looked like heavy bikes. My friend said, "I hope those are electric bikes" between labored breaths. One of the girls said, "Of course!" and the two of them continued riding away from us like we were standing still. So I guess there is a time and a place for them.
Depends on the purpose of the ride.
For utility riding, they offer several advantages.
An ebike might let you arrive at work w/o becoming sweaty, which is important to some.
An ebike might allow you to ride farther than your current endurance or ”allotted travel time” allows.
An electric cargo bike might allow you to drop off/pick up kids or groceries without bringing out the car.
I had an ebike one winter. Quite liked it. It compensated for the snow and the heavy tires. Kept the time of the commute down to summer time even in December. Saved me an important amount of effort. I had more energy left in the evenings.
Best recreational use I’ve seen was a couple where the wife had an illegal mod that let her ebike keep adding some power regardless of speed. It meant that she and her bigger and fitter husband could ride together, and both get a decent workout despite their difference in ability.
If you're biking for fitness/as a workout, it's better to invest in a traditional bike rather than an electrical one. if you're just looking for a more casual ride to go to work or something to just go around the neighborhood, then electrical bikes are fine.
I used to think that e-bikes are good for personal transportation. But last week, I had seen the news report where an electric scooter, which was being charged, exploded without warning. It was fortunate that the owner was there so he had the mind to do something about it. I am currently contemplating on buying an e-bike which costs around $700. Take note that I couldn't push the pedal for now due to the problem of my right leg so an electric bike is appropriate. However, the electric bike has 3 wheels and it is slow.
All I really know about electric bicycles is that the low-budget ones seem to be notoriously unreliable. My dad—bless his heart—is notoriously lazy and refuses to even ride a regular bicycle anywhere. Instead, he’s opted for riding electric cycles, and I can honestly say he’s had an extremely lackluster experience with them, even if he won't admit it.
He never wants to invest too much and goes for the low-end bikes, and each one has lasted him six months before it either needed repairs or he had to buy a new one entirely. Unless you have some sort of medical condition preventing you from riding a traditional bicycle, I’d say stick with a normal bike for the sake of your wallet and health.
Ever since my dad started riding electric bikes, his wallet has gotten lighter while his stomach got heavier.
He never wants to invest too much and goes for the low-end bikes, and each one has lasted him six months before it either needed repairs or he had to buy a new one entirely. Unless you have some sort of medical condition preventing you from riding a traditional bicycle, I’d say stick with a normal bike for the sake of your wallet and health.
Ever since my dad started riding electric bikes, his wallet has gotten lighter while his stomach got heavier.
Although for my touring bike it would be sort of cool to have that seatpost bottom bracket Vivax motor for my touring bike for when I'm loaded and climbing steep grades, but I'm a tightwad so I'm not going to spend $1,400 for it! I'll just change my gearing and use my legs instead.
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