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My car has 400/500 mile range and I can get gas at nearly any time I choose.
It lists 15 range and that should be suitable for most people but 57 pounds is lot of weight if that is what it is. Bottom line is I'd be skeptical about $500 bike. An entry level mountain bike is $500, I paid double for a mountain bike in 1989. To come in within that price range they have to be skimping on components and materials.
Trek has quit making the electric bicycles. I hope Cannondale has better luck with theirs. I love the electric bikes, however, the battery issues are significant. The worst part is when the bikes sit for a couple of weeks it takes lots of pain and sweat to get them to accept a charge again.
I don't think you would have this issue if you used the bike on a DAILY basis. It is significant if you use it as a recreational bike. The batteries are about $700-1000 to replace.
That said the bicycles are a kick to ride. I would buy another one they become reliable and lightweight.
The location of the bicycle battery is huge. Get one that the battery is as low as possible. Also think hard about getting a step-through (woman's). As we get older it is hard to throw your leg over the seat and with the high height of the battery it suddenly becomes unbalanced.
I test rode several ebike models today and bought a eZee Sprint:
[url=http://www.electricvehiclesnw.com/index.php/ebikes/ezee-ebikes/ez-sprint-detail]eZee : eZee Sprint Electric Bike[/url]
What a blast! Yes it's about 60lbs, but my electra townie was already like 40lb and no motor, much less a 500w one. I found it has plenty of power for Seattle topography.
This purchase isn't for joy riding... it will be used daily for work and any trips around town where I don't have to schlep kids. It might very well enable us to keep our annual mileage to under 1500 (excluding road trips).
How much of the commuting on this ebike will be done on city streets?If its going to be amid regular traffic a bike with a top speed of 20mph could have some dangerous implications.
How much of the commuting on this ebike will be done on city streets?If its going to be amid regular traffic a bike with a top speed of 20mph could have some dangerous implications.
Not sure about OP, but where I live we have bike lines on many major roads. Today was my first day using my ebike. I work as a dog walker and have about 6 clients a day + yoga + shopping... lots of starts and stops... what spooked me out wasn't the cars as much as going down hill.. yikes! We have lot of hills, similar to San Francisco.
Otherwise it's awesome and I enjoyed leaving the car at home.
I disagree with the concept of E-bikes in general. You are just displacing your pollution, as the energy you are storing in the battery generates much more CO2 and other pollutants than--and is much less efficient--than your own metabolism.
E-bikes mean less exercise, more cost, more things to break/discharge/wear out and more pollution. You are basically shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars so you don't sweat on your way to work.
A better solution would be to find a shower facility nearby, or carry a hygiene kit that would do the same job for thousands less, while you get healthier.
Ebikes are a useless gimmick, IMO. Might as well buy a Segway.
I disagree with the concept of E-bikes in general. You are just displacing your pollution, as the energy you are storing in the battery generates much more CO2 and other pollutants than--and is much less efficient--than your own metabolism.
E-bikes mean less exercise, more cost, more things to break/discharge/wear out and more pollution. You are basically shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars so you don't sweat on your way to work.
A better solution would be to find a shower facility nearby, or carry a hygiene kit that would do the same job for thousands less, while you get healthier.
Ebikes are a useless gimmick, IMO. Might as well buy a Segway.
How does energy stored in my battery generate CO2? It doesn't have an exhaust pipe. Where I live the utility company sources 92% of it's energy from non-carbon fuels (88% hydro). I just don't see how the electricity converts to C02, but then again, I'm not an engineer..
I can definitely see the potential for abuse and dependency, but the ebike enables me to ride my neighborhood when I couldn't before. It shift gears and I use it just like a regular bike when I'm not dealing with 7% grades. My model has a throttle so I can decide how much assistance I want... I personally don't like the feeling of the bike doing all the work so I peddle as if I were using my old bike... I just can peddle the same rate and get a lot higher (elevation ) than every before.
Funny enough, I had to do the "hygiene kit" to use my bike last night. I do hot yoga and I come out of that place like a hot mess... I usually do yoga in the morning on my way to clients an I will have to use it after each class. I'm not showing up to my clients reeking like marathon...
It seems like you are comparing an ebike to a regular bike whereas I am comparing an ebike to my car. My car has quite a few more parts that could wear out and it pollutes a lot more than my ebike.
Now you haven't rode one it sounds like so I just have to take your opinion as "uninformed" whereas I actually own one.. and I gotta tell you, it's a game-changer.
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) than every before. 
