I'm located 4 miles outside of a small community with no public transit. My ebike gives me the ability to commute that distance in a cheap and practical manner. It's not always about exercise. This is my only form of transportation. I can't afford a car, and even if I could then I still have a massive insurance payment.
I'm in a similar boat. I live in a city, but basically every destination that I want to travel to is about 3 miles away. Can I ride that on my normal bike? Yeah. But it's a huge pain, with tons of hills, navigating traffic the whole way, and that also means 3 miles back, not even taking into account if I have a load on my way back like groceries. Making that process more practical is super idealized.
people who only bring up the exercise part must either have a wealth of free time or a short distance commute, when you are going 15k+ with hills it gets tiring and wastes time real fast using an unassisted bike.
@@tezpokemonmaster I find most of the people who mention it are spoiled by geography. Someone cycling across town in NYC is going to have a naturally easier time than someone in Dallas. A hill in NYC happens once every few miles; a hill in Texas happens once every 100 meters.
@@tezpokemonmaster I think people who talk mostly about exercise most often just speak from a very car-centric viewpoint. I'm from the burbs, and for a lot of people here it might not cross their minds to see a bike primarily as transportation rather than sport. Hell, if you walk into a bike shop, you're going to see a lot of expensive bikes marketed as sporting items.
My wife and I both have ebikes, and altogether they cost about $4000, or about the annual cost of running our car. They replace the need for a second car, reduce the use of our existing car, and save us a lot of money! My wife has a history of chronic fatigue, so being able to modulate the electric assist is a love saver for her.
really similar situation in my house--i don't drive, and work is 5 or 6 miles away, so having an ebike actually makes that commute feasible for my out-of-shape and chronic-pained ass. my brother, who does drive, just ended up getting one himself because he saw how convenient and fun it was!
This honestly sells me on ebikes. I've been hemming and hawing over whether I want one for months now. But everything you said is right: I do hate the hills on all my trips, I hate getting gross and sweaty on simple rides. Every ride I take is just a little too far for my normal bike. It makes every outing feel less like a trip and more like a journey, setting aside a fairly large chunk of my day to complete, and knowing I'll be tired by the end. Reducing any one of those problems would be a godsend, and it seems like ebikes reduce all these problems simultaneously.
Do it. If your commute is short don't get suckered into buying an overpowered machine. I have some tough hills on my commute and the 250w 36V motor is fine. I bought the Swytch kit. I was a little frustrated when I had a controller issue this fall that sidelined me because the company is internet-based only. Try to find something similar from a local bike shop.
@@Brackcycle Tell me, why buy the Swytch? Isn't it sold at the same price as a new e-bike? I'd rather not add a Swytch to my old bike, but instead get a new bike at the same price. Two are better than one.
DO IT!!! i had the same issues until i got my ebike and i absolutely LOVE IT!!! i can focus less on the grueling parts of the journey and enjoy the scenery as i ride along, while still getting lots of great exercise! it helps that part of my commute runs on a riverside trail through a beautiful (but hilly!) park, a sight not often enjoyed while riding an analog bike. DO NOT be scared off by these cyclist elitists claiming ebikers are "cheats"... they simply just have not tried an ebike for their own, otherwise they'd want one!! the only thing i'd say about my ebike is as much as i love my pace 500 (and i do not regret my purchase), i wish i got a foldable ebike so i could take it into work with me without having to leave it outside, so be sure to fully understand your needs before buying! :)
@@موسى_7 well, I have a shed of old bikes so a conversion made use of an old bike. I bought the swytch through an early deal )they pre sell them when a new model comes out. I paid about $700 cdn including tax and shipping but had to wait several months for the order to come in. I would be suspicious of any ebike you can get for $700.
Fun fact: if you run out of juice on the e bixi in montreal, you can press and hold the battery button to bypass the motor and make it slightly less hard to pedal. Saved my legs a few times!
Im a traditional "cyclist" who rides a bike for sport, but Im actually rooting for e-bikes to become popular because the more people adopt bikes for transportation, the better! Plus IMO, any cyclist who looks down on e-bike riders are just insecure people who feel personally attacked whenever someone on another bike passes them
ebikes are bad for the environment. I have chronic fatigue and I love the concept of one, but I'll stick to a regular bike because I can ride one of those without having to replace a potentially toxic and ridiculously overpriced battery. Many ebikes end up in landfills too because recyclers don't want to work with batteries that could light on fire when pierced and the infrastructure for properly recycling them just isn't there at this moment.
People on ebikes are the same people and can also be insecure, while being on an ebike that allows them to show their superiority to other bikers. And this doesn't require them to have any experience or training so any butt hole can do it who never could achieve anything and can finally show others who's the boss
Whatever about being overpriced, saying e-bike batteries are toxic is a poor excuse. I recently watched one video where It was being demonstrated that just one Tesla could supply enough batteries for over 120 e-bike's. Even if it's less, let's say 60-80, that's a hell of a lot less car journey's required. Or put another way, that a hell of a lot of less cars, especially second household car's required. Whether they are ICE or battery powered. On average there are only 1.2 occupants in every car journey. Put that another way, for every 4 out of 5 car journeys there is only the driver in the car. No passengers. It only requires a very small change in outlook to be able to substitute the majority of short trips to bikes and e-bike's. A short trip would be anything within 5 miles and would be very competitive with a car for travel time and in most urban areas generally the fastest and most efficient.
Every time I drive to work theres almost always just one driver in each car I see on the road, no matter the size of the vehicle whether its a compact sedan or a full size pickup truck. Im sure half of these drivers work locally within the city and could easily commute with an e-bike instead of their car, including myself. My commute is only 10 miles one way, which is easily doable for a cyclists like me. Add an e-bike in the equation and suddenly a 10 to 20 mile commute will easily be accessible to anyone. Sadly the only reason I dont commute by bike is because (surprise, surprise) I live in a typical American suburb where a car is the only practical way to get around town, and safe bicycle/walking infrastructure doesnt exist, which is very unfortunate
@@NJ-wb1cz No, people are the problem not the tools they ride on... Have you not seen reckless drivers who think they own the road and rage on the daily whether they are on a bicycles, cars etc
I recently bought a pedal assist e-bike for my 12-13 mile (round trip) commute and I was concerned about how much it would take away from the exercise of it but was pleasantly surprised by how much effort it still required even with full assist. By modulating the assist level throughout the commute I can give myself more of a workout in flat areas while saving battery for the hills to keep from sweating too much on the way to work
I feel like there are two ways you can use an ebike -- you can go the same speed for less effort, or you can go faster for the same effort. If you do the latter you're still getting a fair amount of exercise.
Some ebikes tell you how much watts you are putting in on my bosch gen4 bike in tour mode i put in more on my ebike than on my normal bike (120watts vs 150watts avg) i just go faster and have it easier on hills (mostly bridges in netherlands) and don't get tired with wind and rain. I bike about 40km/day.
When I first got back into biking, as an older adult, I used an eBike to commute to and from work. After a few years, my fitness improved enough that I switched to a regular bike. The only downside I see to eBikes on bike paths is that they are heavier and people tend to ride faster than their skill level, so they present some danger to other people on the trail. If an eBiker rides at a safe speed I think they are great.
I (UK based) have an ebike (and a manual bike for leisure) and I use it as my default mode now over my car. The part I love most about it is the lack of sweat/heat build-up and you can dress for the destination. You can even raise or lower the assist level depending on how hot or cold you are!
This is such an under-realized benefit. It's great for climate control and being able to wear what you want to work/activities instead of having to think so much about the weather and picking the perfect outfit for that like you would on a conventional bike and your route. I think if conventional cyclists realized this, you'd have a lot fewer haters; they just make sense from a practical point of view (unless you have amazing infrastructure like in Denmark and can just slow your pedal cadence without worrying about safety...lucky ducks).
This conversation about ebikes reminds me of one that I had with my dad about x-country ski areas. In Europe, ski trails frequently have small cafés next to them, which are very pleasant. That's never the case in the US. We seem to have this idea about the "purity" of exercise, that it must be hard and not very fun. Having strüdel in the middle of your ski is "impure." Using an ebike is "impure." Perhaps this is a sort of subconscious corrective mechanism that we employ to keep ourselves active because we know that we drive everywhere anyway.
It's honestly that way with any hobby or activity. The elitists among the community get extremely snooty and aggressive because their whole life revolves around that hobby or activity. You even see this in the analog biking community. "Your commute is only 3 miles? I commute 15 miles, one way, every day, in hurricanes. Get on my level!" Or "Nice little tricycle, if you don't invest in a $10,000 racing bicycle, you can't even really call yourself a cyclist."
It's the culture of capitalism. Whether it be sports or transportation, the purpose of ALL of our activities is to make the 1% at the top as much money as possible. If you had a cafe at the top of a ski hill, it might not make as much money than if it were lower down. If people e-bike more, that would lower the profits of the auto and oil industries that own America. Comfort and leisure must take a back seat to the profit mandate.
@@person-yu8cu It's not the culture of capitalism. Consumerism is not capitalism. "to make the 1% at the top as much money as possible" is mercantilism, not capitalism.
e bikes might result in the same or more exercise overall, since they encourage cycling in the first place (since you know being sweaty/climbing hills won't be an issue). They also encourage longer trips so while you pedal less strenuously, it's for a longer duration.
I switched to an e-bike not long ago, and I think this misses the biggest reason to switch: they're just so much fun! People who are against them just haven't ridden them enough!
100% Total….Implying they are only filling another ‘save the planet’ role or that you should sell your car and bike to work in heavy rain! Or that you should no longer need a car for shopping or taking gran to her appointment is fatuous. My e-bike is for summer fun and I feel zero pressure or obligation to ride it unless I darned well wish to.
@@contessa.adella Yes, but you CAN bike to work in the heavy rain without getting wet or sweaty. Just get a good bike poncho that won't make you sweat and an e-bike will effortlessly compensate for the added effort and wind resistance you would have on a pedal power only bike. Add racks, baskets and pannier bags and you can carry almost anything you need. Without getting an actual cargo bike get a trailer. I have two different types and can carry anything from a full week's family grocery shopping to a full sized lawnmower. And that's just using an ordinary bike. I haven't gone electric yet. And finally back to granny. There are plenty of cargo e-bike's that will comfortably carry another adult either in front or behind.
People who are against them are usually die-hard sports cyclists who want bike-rides to as miserable to everybody else as they are for themselves, completely missing the point that not everybody enjoys physical strain on what for them mostly are just distances to be covered in the least expensive and impractical way possible. Personally I don't own an e-bike and probably will not for the next 20 years, the reason being that I live in a pretty flat area with not a lot of wind where riding even a normal bike is not much of a problem. But I'm sick of the debate. E-bikes are there to stay. Just let people ride what they want to ride.
I absolutely love mine. When I hear people complaining about gas prices all I can think of is "My legs and wall juice are my power sources. I don't need no dino juice."
Thanks for all the great content. This was a well covered video and I absolutely think that the pedal assist bike is a fantastic idea. I think it entices alot of people who would otherwise not utilize bicycle transport. Personally as a conventional bike commuter I'd have no issue sharing the bike infrastructure with pedal assist bikes or even electric mopeds/motorcycles, scooters or any 2 wheel mobility device utilizing the separated bike lanes in my city provided they implemented a 20mph/30kmh speed limit I dont see any real increase in safety risk and I think seeing that two wheel transport being able to move efficiently past traffic would encourage more car users to adopt personal 2 wheel transport of some kind which I think is always a good thing. Thanks again I'm really enjoying this channel!
I have both in my collection (which is excessive and needs to be thinned out) and the difference is only comfort and ease on hills. It's a tool, like any other, and is used based on your needs. Studies have found that e-bike users get a less intense workout than riders on analog bikes, but on average tend to ride longer and more often, so the total exercise is about the same either way.
@@thetimelapseguy8 I'm not sure how that could be. Bikes are used all over the world, and are generally considered the primary mode of transportation besides walking. Maybe those statistics make sense in places like San Francisco or New York City. But the majority of the rest of the world treats analog bikes as transportation first, and rarely as recreation.
@@thetimelapseguy8 I was an urbanite who travelled by analog bike often, and I still do more mileage with my ebike. Going a mile or two to grab lunch is much less of an issue than it was when I just had my regular bike, so I do it more often. And now I can haul more so I often stop/go out of my regular path to do convenient errands that I would have struggled with before in terms of just getting the cargo back home. Just my experience.
This is the exact reason I won’t change to an e-bike, my acoustic bike gets me sweaty and for now that’s what I need. We’ll see in the future when the ol’ knees start to give out.
Another import point in favour of ebikes is one of mobility. Someone may have mobility issues that causes normal 100% manual biking to be possible, but not practical, even for shorter distances. Even an ebike allows them some increase in quality of life via the added mobility that the pedal assist provides, that's a wonderful thing.
I saw a good review of an ebike while I was doing some research. The guy doing it was in his late 50 or early 60s, and he was like, "Man, I have crappy legs, I'm old, so it's nice." It's like, yep, can't argue that.
I love to ride bikes for sport; I'll ride for an hour or two on a regular bike on a trail meant for recreation. However, even I love using ebikes for practical trips (my city has the same bikes and stations as Montréal!). I'm in the American South so it's HOT in the summer, and there are some killer hills here too, and I bike with my groceries, including heavy drinks. If even I can find a use for ebikes I'm 100% sure the vast majority of people will enjoy them more too and get more people biking. The hate for ebikes reminds me of people bragging about how miserable they are in college ("You went to bed at 2AM, well I did an all nighter!"); you're somehow a better/tougher person if you endure more hardship which is toxic imo.
Two things I'd add to this cost-benefit of e-bikes. First, e-bikes are useful at lowering the barrier to entry for active transport for people who tend to be limited more by physical ability than by cost, which generally means older people. My mom got into biking when I helped her get an e-bike for instance. And given e-bikes are generally a 1-time expense the set of folks in the US/Canada who are actually limited more by intimidation at the physical challenge of biking more than the financial challenge is the vast majority (since most of those people pay more for their cars every year than they'd pay for the bike several times over). Second, a rare but real risk of e-bikes is fires, particularly from poorly made batteries. This is an area the industry is having to deal with in the US at least and it doesn't help lovers of e-bikes (like myself) when we get overly defensive and try to deny or downplay the problem. E-bike fires cause externalities since fires can impact neighbors who never bought the bike or had any say in the level of safety of the batteries purchased. That brings with it, quite legitimate, calls for government scrutiny on them. As cyclists, we need to be calling for clear standards on safety to prevent backlash from gaining steam and communities just banning e-bikes outright from public spaces and housing. For most buyers however, using the batteries as instructed by the manufacturer and buying from solid brands (ex Bosch) does largely solve the fire potential.
To add to point 2, I think incorporating UL certification into decision making will be an important step, as well. Subsidy schemes and lease rules could/should differentiate between cheaper, dangerous batteries and more reliable certified batteries; that is, the former won’t get rebate dollars and won’t be allowed in multi-unit buildings.
It's not just old people. E-bikes help get younger people who are disabled or chronically ill bike instead of drive to work. Disabled people usually have less wealth/income. Therefore, the fact that even good e-bikes are cheaper than cars (including the price of gas these days), makes getting an e-bike even more a good financial decision.
While it is a concern, it's also fair to say that car's do not get the same level of scrutiny around fires, even though they exceed ebike fires, even when accounting for per Capita. This isn't to say that ebike fires aren't a legitimate concern, merely that it's a far lower priority than those spreading FUD want it to seem, and dealing with dangerous car's is a far higher priority, even for those who LIKE cars. We must show people that their perception of harm is less empirical than they might believe.
I regularly see news articles of a car company recalling a fleet of their vehicles due to fire risks. In fact, I just saw a Subaru recall a couple hours ago. Prior to that, I saw recalls for Kia and Ford for, you guessed it, fire risks.
I have a physical job, and sometimes I just don't have the energy at the end of the day to ride a manual bike home, that's what makes an ebike compelling for me
I have an acquaintance in Nantes that told me that eBikes are the gateway to non-electric bikes to several people (not just the elderly) after some time spent on an e-bike (a year or two). He also mentioned that people were easier convince to drop the car when using the eBikes than a regular bikes. I've had the privilege to see an enormous amount food and product delivery done by e-bike in Nantes (including a whole hotel's laundry put into a cargo) that severely reduce the amount of car and truck deliveries. I can only hopes that small and medium deliveries will make the shift in America (I already see it with some postage delivery, but nothing else in Montreal at the moment).
This is what I always tell people. The natural inclination is to still pedal as hard as you can. Pedaling hard with a motor is just as difficult as without a motor. You’re just going faster now. Reminds me of the old adage, “Cycling doesn’t get any easier. You just get faster”.
I've had a run of asthma this year. I took up riding a bike 5 years ago - this year was the least I've ridden. Then, with getting an ebike, I'm back to riding again, even far more than when I'm doing well health wise. It takes away the panic of not being able to make it back home.
And I think people are psychologically a lot more willing to go harder, especially if they're not in great shape, because they know they can fall back on the battery if they get too tired. I know I fall into that. I'll pedal hard to power up hills I would have shifted into an easier gear for before because I know I can use my throttle for a few seconds if I need to (class 2) to catch my breath and not keel over into traffic or have to stop. That makes you more able to build muscle and endurance faster.
@@GalpsPGH Most ebikes are capped at a speeds I'd be able to reach without pedal assist (in the EU usually somewhere between 25-30km/h), rendering them useless for me except for hills.
@@rey_nemaattori My ebike's pedal assist tops out at 45 km/h. I'm often riding at 40+ km/h to keep up with traffic. If you can easily ride at speeds pushing 45 km/h without any motor assistance, this conversation isn't really about you.
As somewhat of an e-bike shill, I have a couple of comments: You've nailed the argument against analog bicycle puritans. No one should tell you that you *must* exercise more in your commute (running commutes haha), if that's part of your transportation goals, that's awesome! For me, my goal was to not drive an ICE vehicle while I take my 3 year old, plus bags, snacks, water, groceries, sometimes a scooter, etc. around town. This is simply not practical with an analog cargo bike and the hill grades in our city. I've already put 4000km's on ours. I also own a steel frame touring bike and use that when I want to huff and puff around with no one on the back :)
The e bixis are a fantastic transportation solution. I use the regular one 95% of the time, but every so often you're late or it's been a long day and it's amazing to have the e bike option with virtually none of the downsides that come with owning one.
Montreal cyclist here!The only issue id say for the regular bixie bikes is the size and weight, it’s heavy compared to a regular bike and uphills are hell on earth.
The advantages of e-bikes can make the difference of riding a bike vs. driving a car. It can be worth it to get a decent work out, avoid traffic and the cost of gas, and enjoy a bike ride even if it takes slightly longer. Not to mention, not having to push a bike up a steep hill!
A fun bit of math I think everyone should do with their local prices: how far can you go with $100 of energy in each of a gas car, an electric car, and an ebike? You can probably guess that the ebike goes the furthest, but it's shocking how much further it goes.
My e-bike can go 40+ miles on a charge, even in its least efficient power mode. The battery costs 10 cents to fully recharge, while even the smallest gas-powered moped would cost a few dollars to refuel!
@@InventorZahran , exactly. Ebikes get an effective 1000+ mpg, EVs ~100 mpg, and efficient cars 40 mpg these days. There's really no comparison, especially if you then take into account all the other upkeep, insurance, etc. There's also no comparison when it comes to infrastructure costs. Just societies should really be heavily subsidizing rail and ebikes (which are even more efficient that conventional bikes for most people, depenending on diet--both on how local it is and how close to a veg*n diet it is according to a couple analyses I've seen).
I did the math once and I can go further on an ebike with 100 dollars of energy (including food) than I can on any other transit method including regular bikes. Assuming you're not eating the most price efficient meals possible and are spending 10 dollars a day on 2400 Calories of food you can only go 5-600 miles on a regular bike for 100 dollars (including natural burn rate). An ebike can get you 1500 miles or more. If you're trying to lose weight and not commute these calories are great but as someone who was skinny and working in a physical job the upgrade to an ebike was extremely helpful to my 5 mile each way commute.
E bikes make me incredibly excited, because my city doesn't have the best transportation infrastructure, be it for bikes, cars or public transit, is very much full of hills, and a lot of the population is pretty poor. E bikes and especially cargo bikes could be an incredibly good alternative for cars to a lot of the population that leaves them without nearly as much debt. The hill situation is especially important because that's where a lot of the poorest communities are, so they'd benefit the most form having access to a cheaper form of transportation that doesn't become impractical when things get too inclined
I switched to an ebike and it's a great decision. I bought myself a car horn to make sure cars know I'm nearby. I recommend the "loud" brand. I live in Salt Lake City where there's a lot of hills and any, but I found a cheap ebike that suits my neei
Just a question about being able to charge the battery. Is there reliable electric service in the neighborhoods you mention? If not, could people charge the battery while at work, then be able to ride uphill to home and back down the next day?
I wouldn't want to have to pedal my bike all the time, it would make it quite hard. I also want to go 15mph instead of struggling to go 4mph. If you the reader are upset over that, take a look at yourself here. I've tried going on 8 mile bike rides every day and it still doesnt stop being painful as soon as I get on a bike. So exercise isn't the solution, electric throttle is.
eBike throttle is super important if your city has no bike infrastructure. It allows me to go through busy intersections on the road without disrupting traffic. I can get to speed at a green light faster than cars.
My husband's bike has a throttle and mine doesn't. I do have an internally geared hub, which means that I can downshift while stopped. It's kind of the difference between an automatic and a manual transmission in a car. He can just press the throttle and go. I need to downshift and up the assist to start, then shift to a higher gear and decrease the assist once I'm rolling.
Personally I see the e-bike more as a car replacement than a bike-replacement vehicle. If you are going to cycle anyway it's rarely worth the extra money to buy a fancy bike with electric assist. But for those who are on the edge about cycling for a certain journey, an e-bike might be a good reason to take the bike instead of the car. In the end it means fewer journeys by car and more by bike.
@@seandepagnier I disagree. Most e-bikes aren't getting boosted beyond 20 mph (in the US) or 30 kph (Europe and other locales). They are way more compatible with the other people on mixed-use trails than they are mixing it up with the motor vehicles. This is especially true in the US where the bulk of the vehicles are 4000+ lbs, the entire landscape is covered in "stroads", and drivers are incredibly careless, impatient, and subject to practically no enforcement. If you want to replace cars with bikes, you need to allow the people on the bikes to ride without having to confront the cars. Otherwise, you are not going to see most of the population interested _at all_ .
I live in the suburbs of Seattle. Seattle is a really hilly city and recently I went and rented a Lime e-bike and rode up some hills downtown to try it out and now I really want to buy one! They make it so much easier to get up Seattle's steep hills.
Great video, I agree with your points. Personally the biggest downside to me is the added complexity and failure modes. I can do all the maintenance & repairs on an acoustic bike myself. Even so, I’m getting an E-cargo bike soon.
Yeah that's my biggest hesitancy right now. I can repair a snapped chain or a flat tire, but no one really has the means to do roadside repairs on an electric motor. An e-bike allows you to travel farther and over more challenging grades than you might otherwise attempt on an acoustic bike, so if it fails halfway the return journey may be extremely difficult.
My girlfriend got one when we started pulling our daughter in the trailer and it is really useful for that. I am considering buying for me as well. Right now we live at a place that is rather flat, so the benefit of the electric motor is small (I go slightly above 25km/h anyways, so I do not get any time benefit). However, we will be moving soon and the area has a lot more hills and longer distances which tilt the board in favor of ebikes. Regarding the comparison with electric cars...ebikes just are much closer to the sweet spot. Being light and slow, it takes only a small battery to move it which makes it relatively cheap. A small battery can easily be taken out and charged in the apartment while an electric car mostly requires one to have dedicated infrastructure at home. And given that most people do not do any longer distance trips but most do longer drives, range limitations are far less pronounced
Over the last 25+ years I have managed to locate myself close enough to my place of work to commute between 2-5 days per week by bike during spring, fall and summer. When I was faced with a household challenge that meant adding another car, I gave up the car I had used to a family member and opted to convert an older bike to ebike using a kit. It has been incredible. I rode all last winter, (even when it hit -30C) over really hilly terrain. When I tried to ride all 5 workdays with my regular bike I felt it and even when I was in good shape, the hills really taxed me at the end of a long work day. Now my average speed is higher, I arrive without sweating and I can do this all week without feeling too burnt out. Yet, motor (only 250W) and the battery is tiny, I reused a 40 year old bike and feel I could do this until I'm 80! I do get lots of exercise, the pedal assist is just like a helpful push and takes the edge off steeper hills and allows me to recover quicker while maintaining a high average speed (30-32 kph) on the flats. It makes my 8.5km rural commute the highlights of my day. When I visit Montreal I use non-electric Bixis. But if I was slogging up side streets from Sherbrooke climbing to Summit Circle in Westmount or trying to climb Ave. Des pins or Cote des Neiges I would definitely try to get an ebike!
Just to point out, with a Bixi membership, the cost of ebikes goes down to 10 cents a minute. Going to work on an ebike would take me 25 minutes (2.50$), which is cheaper than a bus/subway ticket, or about the same if we include the cost of the membership over many trips.
It sounds like the restrictions on ebikes are different between the US and Canada. In the US, the most common ebike is a "class 2," which provides both pedal-assist and a throttle. And class 2 bikes will only propel you up to a max of ~20 mph, so they're nowhere near a moped or motorcycle. I believe that electric vehicles that let you go faster are regulated like any other moped or motorcycle.
In Canada, class 1 and class 2 e-bikes are allowed on public roads, with a maximum motor size of 500 watts. Whereas in the U.S., class 3 e-bikes (which can go up to 28 mph/45 kph) are also allowed, and all e-bikes can have a motor of up to 750 watts. Any bike that's faster or more powerful is treated as a moped under U.S. law, and all the associated responsibilities (license, registration, insurance, etc.) apply.
I adore my e-bike. It makes some physical issues I have less of a concern, which is a point I think your video could have discussed more. I find I replace car trips with it instead of bike trips. I was so sad when I had to store it for winter, but my city does an awful job of clearing ice from bike lanes and bike boulevard streets.
I’ve been a commuter cyclist my entire life. I was recently priced out of my current apartment which was less then two miles from my job that I biked to every day in all weathers because I hate spending money on gas. I am now moving 22 miles away and three towns over from my job which when traffic is good takes 40 minutes to drive. I didn’t want to give up on being a commuter cyclist because of the move and there is no good public transportation options from what is a small (for now) farming town to the large city where everyone works. So I bought an ebike so I can still commute to work without paying for gas. While it will take me probably 1hr15min to travel that is worth it to me. It still gives me exercise and time to decompress before and after work. I’m still figuring out the safety route but I’m determined to make it happen. While this is the farthest I’ll have ever commuted for work by bike it’s not the farthest I’ve traveled by bike. I’m able to travel twice as fast as I use to on a conventional bike which is great because otherwise it would take me 2hr+ one way and that’s just not sustainable for a long term commuting options. Because of the distance and iffy bicycle infrastructure I’ll have to start driving when it’s wet out but if it’s just cold that’s no reason to not ride my new ebike. Most of the year it’s bone dry so this won’t be a problem. Oh and I love how pretty my new bike is too😁
My issue with e bikes, mostly bixis, come from the fact that you can ride « effortlessly » at 30km/h. I have been riding my bike for 15yrs and have amassed a ton of riding experience, i am a relatively skilled rider. A lot of people who ride e bikes in the city today seems to have recently picked up cycling, they have no self balance, low spatial awareness, but are immediately riding at 30. It’s great to see new people riding bikes and i dont know how to fix this issue, but because of them I try to avoid cycling pathways in downtown montreal and busy area because i dont want to ride around these people.
E-bikes are great for people that aren’t in shape, but I agree absolutely that inexperience is a problem and that it’s getting dangerous on bike paths. E-bikes give you too much confidence if you don’t have the ability to ride safely.
Not bad! I've had a RadCity for nearly three years. The most enjoyable aspect is pulling the attachments for my kids. I started with a two-child trailer, then a single trail-a-bike, and finally found a tandem trail-a-bike attachment. For my wants, it has been great! I could have another vehicle while keeping our family on a single car, so it helped me resist the trend of having two cars to allow both parents in the household to travel separately. I can take my kid to/from school by bike without becoming concerned about riding ability. I initially bought my oldest kid a bike at five years old, but it didn't turn out to be an attractive activity; however, having the trail-a-bike reduces the barrier and eliminates the fear while placing the burden of speed and balance on me. The tandem trail-a-bike has allowed me to include the two oldest kids (and incite envious rage in the youngest child) in the same way as the single trail-a-bike. It is more challenging to keep up speed and balance, but the motor assist provides good enough support. We've been out bike camping together with the tandem trail-a-bike as well, and I feel encouraged that I can share the joy of cycling with a lower barrier and at an earlier age. Topping it off, I've learned about and practiced bike maintenance, joined a local bike co-op and made donations, and improved my health. I even bought two steel bikes from the 90s to rehab with contemporary components with high hopes of doing some unassisted riding and cycle touring.
I have a commute that I never would've done with my conventional bikes. It's simply too much sweating and too much time. With the e-bike, the ride is a breeze and I still get a workout. I'm also replacing a bunch of short drives with bike rides thanks to the e-bike. I just need a trailer and my setup will be complete.
Yup. I got an e-bike when I moved, and went from a 5 mile commute to a 25 mile commute with two hills and 1800' of elevation gain. The one-way commute was still long -- about 90 minutes -- but way shorter than the 150 minutes it would've been without the e-bike. This made the difference between being able to bike at all, or having to use a car. The bike was, granted, half the speed of the car door-to-door. I could generally drive the distance in 45 minutes. But a) not always (many days I'd be able to cycle past a long line of traffic doing the "stop-and-go" shuffle, and b) instead of sitting on my butt for 90 minutes a day and then still having to go to the gym or engage in some other exercise, I get my workout while _having a blast riding my super-fun electric bike_ !
I started riding e-bikes around 20 years ago, back when nobody had ever heard of them. Back then, I heard a lot of the "cheating" remarks. It came from people who never really considered bicycles as transportation, but as exercise machines. Fortunately, now that e-bikes have almost become the norm, that attitude has largely disappeared.
Great video! Thanks for posting. One advantage of a regular bike over an e-bike that has not been mentioned is the ability to load it onto public transit or a bike rack for a car. The added weight of an e-bike makes it hard to bring up and down stairs or an escalator to use on public transit. Moreover most bike racks for cars are not designed to accommodate the extra weight of an e-bike.
There are bike racks that can be used with ebikes; it just depends on the weight capacity. I guess it's important to do the research if someone is looking for a bike rack that can be used with e-bikes.
E-bikes are not competing directly with regular bikes. What I particularly hate about E-bike marketing is that they are constantly trying to upsell a regular bike to an E-bike. This is silly as they serve different purposes and are not interchangeable like that. E-bikes are for people who have an existing problem with using a regular bike. They would like to cycle but for any number of reasons, it's not practical to do so. If all of your journeys can be done comfortably on a regular bike then upgrading to an E-bike is mostly a waste of money. E-bikes are great for trips that are beyond the comfort zone of a regular bike.
These are good points, and worthy of consideration by someone considering an e-bike, especially for commuting. If they expect to do multi-modal commuting, either they want a regular bike, or they will need a (super-expensive) light-weight e-bike. Even without the commute, there is the issue of car-mounting racks, if you expect to use the car to move the bike from time to time (e.g. taking it to the local bike shop, to a not-nearby ride, whatever). These don't preclude the use of an e-bike, but it's definitely worth being informed about the potential issues that will come up.
I read somewhere that people(who don't already ride) who buy e-bikes get more exercise than people who buy regular bikes because they ride them more often.
Thank you so much. I'm glad you decided to make a video on this topic - actually, I was waiting for it :) I live in the Plateau and my work is on the other side of the mountain. While it is /possible/ to get there using a standard Bixi, I find I can arrive less sweaty with a "blue bixi" (as they have come to be known in Montreal). I also frequently factor in the relatively low cost of blue bixi when deciding whether to take STM, Communauto or Bixi (or a combination). For example, at $0.12/minute, a 25 minute Blue Bixi ride it is less than the cost of one STM fare... and more exercise!
I'm a 62 year old who works on my feet all day. The area in Toronto where I work is located atop the hilliest parts of the city. I purchased an ebike to commute to work and can't really explain the positive effect it has had on my life. My bike gets me to work as a hairdresser without being sweaty. My commute time cut from between 45 - 60 mins on transit to 14-20 mins. This really motivated me to ride through much of last winter. Winter riding isn't fun in minus 10⁰ however I preferred it to being smushed into streetcars. Having dealt with winter driving, the arrival of spring makes biking fun again. Now I can relax and take lengthier routes home. I believe if people tried ebikes just once, more folks would rent or buy them. The pressure and need for a more extensive bike infrastructure would become much more of a priority.
I have an electric Brompton with a throttle and it's great for urban biking. The small wheels are less efficient, but with the motor it does't matter. The city has many traffic lights, but with an ebike stopping for them isn't as annoying. I use my bike to explore new neighborhoods, so it's nice to be able to quickly get outside a 1-2 mile radius of my apartment. If I get tired of exploring it's much more fun to coast back than take the subway underground. Riding along narrow bridge bike lanes is also easier with an electric bike since they don't rock from pedaling. I actually prefer a gas moped for cargo though. One less thing to carry up the stairs / lock.
Just spent the weekend in NYC and the city is full of working class folks (usually food delivery) riding around on e-bikes to navigate the insane traffic. They were pretty ramshackle bikes; I could clearly see marks of DIY frame modifications (there are probably garages who specialize in modifying street bikes for those on a budget) and they were all using bog standard bafang motors and batteries. E bikes have a lot of purposes, and I think they're a net positive.
Ebikes aren't "cheating", cars are. It's not about ebike versus regular bikes. Our car centric society has to change and modernize to be active transportation centric. We need to scale down our energy usage and improve quality of life by people-centric models, especially in downtowns and residential neighborhoods. Everything in these areas needs to slow down to walking and biking speeds. Enough of catering so much to the segment of citizens who choose to drive cars everywhere. It's not about getting rid of cars; it's about giving safe and convenient active transportation options to everyone.
Bought an e-snow bike this winter complete with 5” studded tires. I ride twice as far and will ride on any trails; hills and all. It is fabulous to ride and so much fun.
My first experience on an e-bike was several years ago doing a bicycle tour of San Francisco, and it was great - the tour was able to cover much more distance and visit more areas that would have been impractical to climb all the hills for on a regular bike. Since we were a small (and relatively young) group that day and were ahead of schedule stopping for lunch in Haight-Ashbury, we took our food to eat at Twin Peaks, which wasn't a scheduled part of the tour. I've tried Mobi's e-bikes in Vancouver a couple times now. The first, going into and across downtown didn't feel like it was worth the extra cost because other than the short period climbing Burrard Bridge and the first hill downtown I was often exceeding the 25km/hr limit where the assist cuts out. The second time I was going east along 10th, which is mostly a steady climb where I was below the limit and benefited from the assist for most of the trip, and it was nice to have spent less effort before meeting up with friends for some drinks (I took a regular Mobi for the trip home). For most trips, my own much lighter bike is usually going to be faster for not much more effort when I'm not worried about leaving my bike locked up at the destination, but for most people not racing to their destination the e-Mobis could be a great option (e.g. when walking is kinda far, but transit doesn't provide a direct route). I don't know how much of an issue e-bikes collecting in uphill areas is, but I think it would be interesting if bike shares offered riders a rebate on certain trips as an incentive to take electric bikes to docking stations where there is more demand for them (or for Mobi, one of the few stations with charging docks if the battery is low).
For some, there's concern that ebikes allow people to ride at speeds once reserved for motorcycles but without the need for a motorcycle license (and all the safety training that that involves).
I regularly commute about as far as other commenters here on my analogue bike and enjoy doing so. Ebikes are only "cheating" if you're in a race. I do encourage people to consider an analogue bike first, because the expense and maintenance requirements of an ebike can leave someone without transportation if it breaks and is harder to fix/replace
I live in a rural area of Ireland about 4 miles from my nearest small town and shops. I have and need a car, but using an ordinary manual only hybrid bike with a variety of racks and bags for every occasion (I have been mistaken for a tourer) and two fairly large bike trailer's I can do nearly all of my local commuting, shopping and carrying of cargo without the car. Plus it's a whole lot more fun and exercise is an additional benefit although not the primary one for me. I've had everything from 70kg of shopping to a full sized lawnmower pulling behind me and much more. And I just wear ordinary clothes. I ride as I intend to arrive for whatever my purpose is. My work is 20km away and is usually very exhausting 13 hour night shifts. It takes me about an hour to cycle that distance but I only do it very occasionally for work because it's just too long and exhausting when I'm already tired and out on my feet after working one shift, never mind a week of them. I am now looking into getting an e-bike workhorse or an e-bike conversion to make that distance a real alternative by bike instead of the car. Being in Europe, speeds on e-bike's are limited to 25kmh or 15mph. This is really too slow because I can exceed that on the flat's and declines already. An extra 8kmh or 5mph would definitely be a real benefit for e-bike commuting. I drive that 20km in usually 18 minutes. I pedal it without a strong headwind in an hour. An e-bike even at just 25kmh would split that to around 40 minutes because it's the hills and winds that really slow me down and drain my energy. Add another 8 or maybe 10 kmh speed to an e-bike and that is a real commuting alternative to a car on open roads for 20km. Never mind in an urban area where speeds for cars are limited to 60-50kmh or 30kmh which is becoming more common plus congestion to slow it down even more. Oh, and I have had the roadie type in their lycra and their bikes without a rack, bag or even a mudguard disparaging my obviously very slow 20km in an hour. There's no point arguing with them. It's a completely different outlook and mindset.
I've been a long-distance bike commuter since 2005. I have just started riding my 26 miles to the office on an e-bike and I love it. It does require a recharge, while I'm at the office and any extra errands mean that I need to turn down the assist level to preserve the battery. Otherwise, I have to pedal it unassisted for a few miles at the end of the day.
7:47 It's not just about distance or hills. It's the "doorstep mile" too. Essentially e-bikes have a "lower barrier to entry" once bought when you're at home and considering a bike vs just driving or staying at home.
I guess the cargo does make sense. I had only seen hills as a reason to use the ebike (since it’s the feeling of safety, rather than effort that tends to be my worry on speed). I still don’t see a reason to get one in Ottawa (which is nice and flat), but if/when I move to Gothenburg (very hilly, with better paths) I’ll get one.
There are lots of reasons: if you ever need to bike when sort of sick, if you ever aren't quite sure if you want to bike one day or not, if the weather's hot but you don't want to shower at work, if the weather's cold, but you don't want to have to dress in a bunch of layers, if you want to cut down your commute times, if you ride with traffic and want to be able to merge more safely, if you get annoyed at having to remove bike lights to charge and don't like Dynamos, if you want the most efficient means of transportation (yes, if you take into account what you eat, ebikes usually come out on top because our food is rather inefficient), etc. :D
I agree with everything except the criticism of ebikes with a throttle (at least those that abide by the US 20mph/32kph speed limit) - especially in the US where bike riders are often forced to use car lanes, it can be comforting to know that you can cycle nearly as fast as the cars on the road and won't be as concerned about cars roaring past you in dangerous overtakes because you're slowing them down. I'd also caution against an argument that says that if a mobility option doesn't provide exercise it doesn't belong in our cities - I'd say if it gets people out of cars into smaller, slower, cheaper vehicles, that's what we want (same argument with e-scooters). I'd instead advocate that all wheeled transport adopt a respectable speed limit depending on where they are traveling (say, 20mph in a "bicycle highway" or 5 mph on a relatively crowded sidewalk), since a road biker going 20mph is just as disruptive and dangerous in a collision as a throttle-powered ebiker going the same speed. I don't think our focus should be on whether or not they are self-propelled.
We don't think throttles are inherently bad, only that they push it in the direction of being less of a bike and more of a moped. Which is fine - we'd rather more electric mopeds than cars. They're just not necessarily suitable for bike lanes or especially multi-use pathways.
@@OhTheUrbanity Throttles are a godsend on snow days. It allows you to put a foot down and keep going when traction is getting iffy. I would limit the speed you can go on throttle only to something like 20-25km/h instead of outright banning them.
@@OhTheUrbanity The only real reason throttles were banned for certain ebike classes in the US is people were afraid they'd lead to excessive wheelspin eroding mountain bike trails. Requiring pedaling naturally limits wheelspin.
@@OhTheUrbanity Living in Toronto I always take bike paths when available on my ebike but always yield to slower cyclist. If you are on the road on an ebike going under the speed limit, especially when there is a bike path, cars will become extremely hostile in my experience so I don't feel like I have a choice.
@@OhTheUrbanity so just shove all of them out onto the dangerous road with cars and trucks flying at them then just because they don't want to pedal all the time? they are perfectly suited for bike lanes and multi use paths, but just like anything, the only actual problem is the person riding it. if they go slow, there's literally NO problem (same with those analog losers who always think they're in the tour de france, blasting past people at 25+, this is not a problem that is unique to just ebikes)
The only people I ever feel I'm competing against on a E-bike is other E-bikes. I often smile when someone overtakes me on one, only for me to end up overtaking them later down the line. That and cars and buses sometimes, there's just this good feeling when you bike past someone in a car or bike and are faster than them, then again there's also the bad feeling when it's raining or cold and those people in that same car or bus drive past you in their heated vehicle, it goes both ways.
I do wish there was some indication of class of ebike... I've had people pass me from behind when I'm stopped at a light, but they turn out to be an underpowered 250 W class 1 or something and I need to pass them in like 5 seconds. I usually default to not passing another ebike until I know how fast they go because it's just creates a dangerous situation for everyone. I guess we'll work out the courtesies involved as more people have them. I do laugh so much when a car rips around me because I'm a bit slower to get going up a hill, say, for me to pull up next to them at the red light 5 seconds behind. I guess they'll get used to us too... The streets are 25 mph and a class three does 28 mph. Again, I do wish we could have a neon light with our top speed somewhere. Haha.
@@emma70707 _"they turn out to be an underpowered 250 W class 1 or something and I need to pass them in like 5 seconds"_ -- meh. Same thing happens without an electric motor. It's just part of being on a bike. There are always a wide range of speeds/capabilities to contend with. Even without my e-bike, I'm smack in the middle all the time. I come across numbers of riders that I need to pass because they are so slow, but then some hot-shot with super legs comes up behind me and needs to get by. And yeah, either way we often wind up at the same traffic light. Certainly a lesson in humility and patience. But I still can't help myself and wind up riding fast in spite of knowing it's not really going to get me anywhere sooner. :) (In my car, I'm always the slowest person around, but still more often than not find myself sitting at a traffic light right behind that person who invested so much effort getting around me a mile back.)
I had two really bad knees due to power lifting in my early life and arthritis in my knees. After a bunch of operations for tour molluscus in both knees I finally had one the total replacement done on my left knee. My old mountain bike I wasn't able to ride anymore because both of my knees were hurt real bad after riding for a long while. My e-bike gives me that freedom to either use the throttle or pedal to ride my bike. If my knee starts to bother me a little bit I could just hit throttle power and just continue on to my destination that way. June of this year I will have my right knee totally replaced and will be off for about 4 to 5 months before I'll be able to go back on my e-bike again. And it's great therapy for after the operation to ride that bike around and pedal with it and if my knee gets a little sore, I could just continue with the throttle.
Good video. I'm enthusiastic about e-bikes getting more people onto two wheels. I don't ride them myself because they lack the delicious feel of a good bike and I don't need the assist. A few more disadvantages to e-bikes: - will go obsolete faster - more difficult to maintain - hassle of having to charge battery - expensive battery will have to be replaced after a few years - inexperienced riders may get in over their heads
Nice vid! We have CitiBike bike share here in NYC, e-bikes are fantastic if you’re in a hurry or it’s summer and you have a suit on etc. It’s transport, not necessarily a workout.
On the exercise note: I don't WANT to exercise when I'm getting groceries. I am disabled and it is hard enough to get around the store ordinarily. If I want to exercise, I will take my throttleable pedal assist to the goth bar and dance. Exercising on the way to everyday destinations just adds a bunch of uncertainty on whether I'll actually be able to do what I need to do when I get there. I refuse to get a car and ebikes are essentially the only way that's possible (as my city cut most of it's bus services because of COVID and the subsequent negligent homicide of everyone with the qualifications).
Thanks for highlighting the importance of throttle assist for those with mobility concerns. There's a lot of whining out there about "throttles are cheating.". They are not. I understand the concern that 20 mph (the US class 2 has a 20 mph cut off) is too fast for mixed use paths. But the prejudice against throttle use is mostly abelism, IMO.
@@HarryLovesRuth Your point about mixed use paths is important. In general, mixed use paths are a problem in some situations because, once the path becomes saturated, mixing different speeds and types of users becomes a problem. Roller blades, pedestrians, dog walkers, jogging, strollers, toddlers on balance bikes.... the list goes on. These multi use paths were never designed for such a high volume of use. Ideally, each of these groups should be separate.
@@HarryLovesRuth I don't think that 20mph on a multiuse pathway is a problem, if people slow down near other users, or where the line of sight is short. That's the real issue, from what I see. And pathway users are getting much better about that, compared to what I saw decades ago.
@@bearcubdaycare Your path users must be better awareness than mine. Even going ten mph, ringing a bell, and announcing which side I intend to pass on, I still have people who don't notice me until I've already gone around. I'd blame airpods, although the problem goes much farther back than that. (Looking at you teenagers walking four abreast who just ~stopped~ and turned to look when I asked to pass. This was fifteen years ago, but I still have a less extreme version of this on occasion.)
Well said - I ride an ebike with a throttle for the same reasons - disability. Fact is, the hate/regulations against throttle driven ebikes are ableist...
My wife and I are planning to get rid of our 2 cars and replace them with one bigger vehicle, probably a minivan (we have kids and dogs, so we need the space a larger vehicle provides for getting around our largely car dependent region). But for alternative transport when I don't need the larger vehicle (like I'm going to work or to the store or something else in town and I don't have to transport 5 people) I've been going back and forth between buying a moped or an ebike, I think I'm leaning toward an ebike for less maintenance and so I can use bike lanes and bike paths around town, it's more active than a moped, I can park it just about anywhere, and I feel like bikes in general have more cargo/trailer/other people transport options than mopeds do.
As a commute option they are good for most people except for two things: 1.the days when it rains a lot and 2. that long period each year (especially in Montreal) when it is cold and snowy. They are also almost required in any city for someone doing some sort of delivery job. I don't think a manual biker can keep up and compete any longer with a rider with an assist engine. For a regular person who isn't in it for the fitness, it seems to be a good way to get around any community with organized bike paths and parks. You can see more that way.
I’d love to see you do a video highlighting the benefits that acoustic bicyclists and drivers see from E-bike riders. Every bike on the road is less cars on the road. And the people who choose e-bikes are likely the people who were driving but don’t have the level of fitness yet to ride an acoustic bike everywhere. So e-bikes lower the threshold for them and allow more people to enjoy alternative active transportation. This helps current bicyclists by having more people using the infrastructure, which in turn gives more ammunition for advocating for more or better infrastructure. Thus, saying people are cheating because they chose an e-bike is counterproductive and nonsensical. It’s a lot less lazy than driving a car and it actually helps to further our purpose. I don’t know why we have been trained so well to hate everyone who doesn’t do things exactly like we do.
Outside my house is a grade on the road down to town which makes it annoyingly difficult to climb. Instead of walking a conventional bike up it, i can now press the "increase throttle" button and pedal away on what my feet see as a gentle slope. It's easier, better, and means i have to buy less food. What i like when cycling is the wind on my face, the high speeds, and the mobility. I don't want to sweat up hills nor let air resistance kill my speed.
I live in the Ozarks and have plenty of hills to contend with. Even at 70 years of age I still love to ride my bike. It's very hard for me to pull the hills on my own now, so I got a fairly upscale, very powerful electric mountain bike. The nearest town is only 10 miles from me. I can go there, get what I want, put it in my bike's basket and bring it home. I love it, especially now that I had to sell my car, thanks to historic inflation levels. Aside from the electric assist, it's still just a bicycle. No driver's license, insurance or registration is necessary. Just ride like you are reasonably sane and no one will ever bother you.
In Sweden, e-bikes can only assist, and only up to 25 kph. If no pedals, maximum speed is 20 kph. In both cases there's a 250W limit on motor. Of course most vehicles are illegal, both when it comes to speed and power.
Both me and my girlfriend have been reer ended by an idiot on an E-bike in Amsterdam, trying to overtake on the wrong side this year, a lot of people do not like E bikes on the cycle path over here. Especially young people ride very unresponsibly on those things.
I kinda had the same shitty idea about ebikes in the past, thinking it was for old and/or rich and/or lazy people but changed my mind since then... I think what is crazy compared to that is how cars are normalized and (sadly) almost no one is mocking/pointing people who use them for all their mobility especially for short distances and/or in cities.... because that's only when we compare an ebike to a car that we realize where is the problematic mobility... like you said in the video, an ebike cost very little compared to a car even more when considered fuel/electricity and repairs, etc... and it spend 10x less energy for the same distance compare to an EV.... The real anomaly is using a car, all the rest is the future of mobility.
I live in a very hilly town in western Norway. We got a cheap (non-assisted) bike-share scheme, costing around USD 40 a year. Free use all year and plenty of bikes available. But this in the central areas, typically used for 1-4 km rides. I live downtown and often use these bikes. But a LOT of people living a bit further away use e-bikes for commuting instead of cars or public transport. A private car is very expensive to use because of toll roads, congestion charges and no free parking downtown. And public transport is often very cramped and slow during the rush hours. The e-bike has been a game changer for many people. The many hills are not a problem anymore. BTW: Canadian winters are harsh, but over here studded tires will handle the few days or weeks with snow and ice. Such tires are fitted to the shared bikes from november to march. Also, many commuters use studded tires during winter.
My number one pro for getting an ebike was so I could bike to work in summer and not be a sweaty tired mess as my shift started. Also all of downtown St Paul is on a hill so my whole ride home was uphill. I got a Lectric xp lite and it was cheaper than a nice regular bike at $800
People have no excuse for thinking only in terms of THEIR personal experience. Real humans have the mental power of abstraction & can think logically/logistically about what others must go through.
Excellent video that addresses the common talking points. I just got my ebike, and as a year round cycle commuter I needed help on the windy days. I ride acoustic bikes for transport and have ridden my touring bike across Canada. I'm definitely not cheating, myself or anyone, by riding a pedal assist bike. Like everything else in life, it's a choice.
I've got an ebike with an optional throttle! It's essentially my car, and I use it for my kinda long commute to my job and makes it easier to move in the colder seasons. It's not one of those motorbikes with a pair of bitty pedals either lol, but a step through bike with a removable lithium battery that I always remove from the bike whenever I'm done riding for the day
Hi, thanks for the video. E-bikes are definitely good to get a larger portion of the population on a bike and are able to serve a wide range of purposes. One of the other major problems with an e-bike is maintenance/problem-solving. A regular bike can be figured out by oneself, but if you have a problem with the motor or the battery on an e-bike, not only will you lose lots of money getting it repaired, you lose time, and you are necessarily dependent on an external service for your bike. I assume parts can be a bit more brand-specific, too, which could lead to longer wait times and more time without your bike. Also here in Belgium, there are these "speed pedelecs" which are basically upgraded e-bikes that go up to 45km/h (27mph). These often share the bike path with regular bikes and are thus quite dangerous. I see this as a potentially problematic path of evolution especially in North America, since these pedelecs basically enable car mentality on bike paths. They have some prerequisites for being able to ride them though - insurance and license plate, special helmet, and an existing license for a motor vehicle (and a deep wallet!). In my opinion these are not bikes anymore even when they are legitimately treated as such. Furthermore, I do believe e-bikes are cheating a bit in the sense that they are greenwashing in a way. Batteries are not made from renewable resources and their production have a large impact on our environment. Yet we are made to believe they are the final solution, the dethroning of automobiles.
I recently got my bike converted to electric and have been loving it. I live in a within a few miles of all the places I usually go (apart from work) but all the hills we have discouraged me from riding except on occasion for recreation. Now, my bike has replaced my car for a number of trips. And going on recreational rides is super fun.
I sold my car and went completely e-bike last year and live in NC. I have had a great time and my quads have gotten huge with just pedaling it. It's the same as biking you just go further for the same amount of power. I personally try to do 15-20 miles a day. I've already saved around 9k with going completely e-bike and it's paid itself off multiple times. Any time I've needed a car, I simply rent one. I did a Pedego podcast interview if you're curious about how it's worked out. Riding Along with Autism-Piedmont Pedego is the title of the interview and I go pretty in depth about commuting with e-bikes.
If you do find yourself weighing in on the e-bike question for people who ask you, it behooves you to ride a bike with a torque-sensing motor controller. AFAIK, all the bike-share bikes use the much-lower-cost cadence-activated motor controllers, which simply turn the motor on or off based on pedal movement. The exact level of boost is often selectable by the rider, but it's a manual operation. Higher-end bikes use strain gauges on the pedal cranks to determine the exact amount of torque the rider is providing, and scale the motor boost accordingly. The user will still select a "level of boost", but in these systems, the boost is generally some fixed percentage of the rider's own torque. For example, Bosch offers four levels of boost: 50%, 120%, 190%, and 275% of whatever torque the rider is providing. IMHO, these kinds of controllers are much more intuitive and they feel way more like a regular bike. The cadence based systems always seem to be doing the opposite of whatever I want something like 80% of the time. If I want to gradually slow down, I'm still pedaling, but the motor is boosting at its full power setting. If I want the motor to work harder with me, I have to manually increase the boost, otherwise pedaling harder just means I'm doing more of the work percentage-wise than the motor is. With the torque-sensing controllers, the bike is always just following my lead, providing a much more natural feel to the riding experience. No one should ever give any but the most vague advice about e-bikes unless they have experienced the difference first-hand.
These people who dislike e-bikes need to contemplate that there are people with pulmonary disabilities for whom a regular bike would be impossible. An e-bike would allow them to get out of their car and enjoy the outdoors without having to over exert themselves and be unable to breathe having to stop constantly to catch their breath. That's not just "old people" either.
For me at least, e-bikes allowed me to get on two wheels much more often than if I only had a traditional bike. Because of that, I probably get more exercise with an e-bike than without one!
@6:45 that is Prince Arthur, a strictly pedestrian walkway. It has tons of signage telling people to walk their bikes but there is nearly zero compliance. I can't count the near misses I have as a pedestrian. There lots of protected bike lanes but cyclists here want no restrictions. As you say they go even faster than regular bikes.
I have owned and E-bike for three years. Mine doesn't have a throttle. You have to pedal to make it go. The motor just gives you a power boost when you need or want it. Therefore, I don't believe it's cheating. I have other bikes in my fleet and none of them have motors. I have my e-bike set up as a cargo bike and use it to carry heavier loads. It also makes hills much easier. I strongly advise people to keep their regular bike if the buy an e-bike, though. e-bikes are heavier and have a limited range. They don't let you take them on busses like regular bikes. (at least in my area).When I want to go on a long ride I will usually go with my road, or touring/gravel bike for this reason. My E-bike has a maximum speed of 30kph. On flat ground I am actually faster on my road bike, but it is more work.
One other thought about e-bikes it that they are more complicated mechanically. I personally really like the simplicity of a bicycle and the possibility to do all my own maintenance. It's cool to me that because of it's simplicity, a bike can work a long time with very little maintenance! Of course, for some people that extra cost and complexity can be worth it because it enables them to use a bike when it would have been difficult otherwise.
Also not to mention that some people don't want to be that involved with their machines. I'm not a handy person, and I know nothing about bikes or their repairs, and I honestly don't want to learn. It's just not a priority for me.
My e-bike kit doesn't complicate by bike much. I installed it myself. When there was a controller issue this fall, I was sent the part and replaced it in about 10 minutes. Some can be complex, but mine isn't much harder to deal with than regular bike.
I used an e bike as my primary vehicle and racked up ~2000 miles. I found it needed very little maintenance with single speed + hub motor. Being able to not have a derailleur is pretty nice for maintenance
@@cordeep Awesome. Mine's a 7-speed, but that's still one fewer derailleur than my mountain bike, and I don't feel like I lack for ratios. Between switching gears and adjusting the assist level I can usually find a comfortable combination. I've got a bit over 100 miles on it so far, so I'm just getting started, but it's a nice way to commute.
E-bikes are not cheating, certainly not pedelecs anyway. I personally choose to stick with a human-powered bike, but I'm not getting any younger, and if I reach a point where riding a regular bike isn't feasible, a pedelec will be in my future. It's a personal choice for anyone who uses one, and it sure beats a car!
BIXI ebikes are great for going uphill into Westmount or Downtown from St-Henri; we have steep (but thankfully short) hills to go up! And then I take a regular BIXI back home. I love having that option available to me!
Going uphill is really the reason why I bought an ebike. I could cycle using regular mountain bike for long distance but i could only do half when the road mostly goes uphill.
The only real problem I see with e-bikes is what I’d call the speed to fitness ratio. Here in Germany an e-bike with motor assist up to 25 kph is considered a regular bike, so allowed on bike paths/ lanes. 25-45 does exist, but they’re pretty pointless, since they’re basically like a moped, so you have to use the road. Of course all e-bikes go up to this exact limit. Now, 25 isn’t crazy fast. When I was fit, I’d usually be around 30 in inner city traffic. But in my experience, the average speed on a city bike lane is more around 15-20. It took me a few months of very regular biking to reach a point where I started being faster then average. This gave me time to get comfortable, to know where to overtake and how to spot dangerous situations. Me buying an e-bike now wouldn’t change much about my behavior, except my comfort. But people like me aren’t the target audience for e-bikes. The majority of e-bikes are bought by elderly people and/ or people who haven’t ridden a bike for a long time. 25 is quite fast if you’re not used to biking, especially in city traffic. Unsurprisingly accidents and fatalities involving e-bikes have been rapidly going up for years. I think the concept of e-biking is great. But why do these bikes need to go faster then an average bike? If the purpose is getting up a hill and to just have it easier, I’d say around 15-18 kph top speed would be much better. Sadly most bikes don’t even give you the option to lower the limit, but let’s be honest, few people have the self-reflection to do that anyways. I’m not sure I’d have it in 40 years. Sadly the regulations are in place and I don’t think they’ll change anytime soon. So for now, if you want to buy an e-bike and haven’t ridden a bike for a long time. Just take it slow and get used to it first.
_"accidents and fatalities involving e-bikes have been rapidly going up for years"_ -- the extra speed might contribute slightly, but mainly the reason there are more accidents is that there are more riders. E-bikes open the door for cycling as transportation to way more people than would have been using them otherwise. And frankly, it's very difficult statistically to tease out the difference between a higher number of inexperienced riders on the trails and roads, and a slightly higher average speed over all riders.
Part of the hate towards ebikes might also come from the type of biking culture in the US and Canada. It’s predominately centred around sports and recreation. E-bikes partially "take away" from those activities (though the popularity of electric MTBs shows this might not be the case). The vast majority of E bikes are addressing a type of biking that's not (yet) too common in the US.
One thing I'd say is many e-bikes do have a throttle but are still clearly meant to be primarily pedalled rather than used with the throttle (and at least in Canada, the motor is still locked at 20 or 32 kph which are the legal limit for class 1 and 2 e-bikes), and to me that's just fine. I find the higher levels of pedal assist to be pretty jarring so I keep pedal assist low and sometimes use the throttle when starting from a stop, or when climbing hills. I don't see much reason not to put a throttle on it if it's got a motor locked to the same speed either way. Then again, my e-bike was a replacement for a regular bike, so I naturally use it just like I did my regular bike. Someone with different experiences whose first instinct is to throttle up to max speed all the time in bike lanes would be a nuisance and a danger.
An e-bike is a vehicle. I want to get from A to B quickly, and having fun on the way is a bonus. Taking the bike means not using a car while also getting exercise
I got a Copenhagen wheel in the before-times to avoid the slow bus service on either side of a commuter-train trip to and from work. It was nice to not show up to work sweaty and be able to keep up with traffic on the road, but there was no way I was gonna leave it out on the street. Maybe I'm just paranoid, I dunno. It made the bike a lot heavier, which was a pain when carrying it up or down any stairs I had to traverse. The best part was being able to take it off when it no longer worked for me (The skinny rim was the only option and I put it on a mountain bike, which severely hampered any off-road capability). Unfortunately I can't even get half what I paid for it new, and I got it on sale...
I have COPD, bad knees and other health issues. I am able to ride 5 miles a day with my ebike. I also have 300' of elevation change in that 5 miles. Everyone I have talked to are riding longer with their ebike. I have a Hipeak Elias, it handles my weight and folds nicely into our Scamp trailer.
As someone who uses a bike in place of a car, my main concern is reliability. I can repair a snapped chain or a flat tire, but you can't do roadside repairs on an electric motor. An e-bike allows you to travel farther and over more challenging grades than you might otherwise attempt on an acoustic bike, so if the motor fails in the middle of your trip, it could leave you with a very long journey home.
Not worth worrying about, _at all_. The electric motor is by far the most reliable part of the bike. You are going to have some other mechanical failure long before the motor gives out. You probably have a higher chance of some other mechanical failure that still disables the bike and requires you to call someone for a ride (come on...very few people are riding away from infrastructure, and/or without a way to call for help..."long journey home"? that's a crock).
I'm located 4 miles outside of a small community with no public transit. My ebike gives me the ability to commute that distance in a cheap and practical manner.
It's not always about exercise. This is my only form of transportation. I can't afford a car, and even if I could then I still have a massive insurance payment.
I'm in a similar boat. I live in a city, but basically every destination that I want to travel to is about 3 miles away. Can I ride that on my normal bike? Yeah. But it's a huge pain, with tons of hills, navigating traffic the whole way, and that also means 3 miles back, not even taking into account if I have a load on my way back like groceries. Making that process more practical is super idealized.
people who only bring up the exercise part must either have a wealth of free time or a short distance commute, when you are going 15k+ with hills it gets tiring and wastes time real fast using an unassisted bike.
@@tezpokemonmaster I find most of the people who mention it are spoiled by geography. Someone cycling across town in NYC is going to have a naturally easier time than someone in Dallas. A hill in NYC happens once every few miles; a hill in Texas happens once every 100 meters.
@@tezpokemonmaster I think people who talk mostly about exercise most often just speak from a very car-centric viewpoint. I'm from the burbs, and for a lot of people here it might not cross their minds to see a bike primarily as transportation rather than sport. Hell, if you walk into a bike shop, you're going to see a lot of expensive bikes marketed as sporting items.
@@tezpokemonmaster Well said!
My wife and I both have ebikes, and altogether they cost about $4000, or about the annual cost of running our car. They replace the need for a second car, reduce the use of our existing car, and save us a lot of money! My wife has a history of chronic fatigue, so being able to modulate the electric assist is a love saver for her.
This is the way!
really similar situation in my house--i don't drive, and work is 5 or 6 miles away, so having an ebike actually makes that commute feasible for my out-of-shape and chronic-pained ass. my brother, who does drive, just ended up getting one himself because he saw how convenient and fun it was!
This honestly sells me on ebikes. I've been hemming and hawing over whether I want one for months now. But everything you said is right: I do hate the hills on all my trips, I hate getting gross and sweaty on simple rides. Every ride I take is just a little too far for my normal bike. It makes every outing feel less like a trip and more like a journey, setting aside a fairly large chunk of my day to complete, and knowing I'll be tired by the end. Reducing any one of those problems would be a godsend, and it seems like ebikes reduce all these problems simultaneously.
Do it. If your commute is short don't get suckered into buying an overpowered machine. I have some tough hills on my commute and the 250w 36V motor is fine. I bought the Swytch kit. I was a little frustrated when I had a controller issue this fall that sidelined me because the company is internet-based only. Try to find something similar from a local bike shop.
@@Brackcycle Tell me, why buy the Swytch? Isn't it sold at the same price as a new e-bike? I'd rather not add a Swytch to my old bike, but instead get a new bike at the same price. Two are better than one.
DO IT!!! i had the same issues until i got my ebike and i absolutely LOVE IT!!! i can focus less on the grueling parts of the journey and enjoy the scenery as i ride along, while still getting lots of great exercise! it helps that part of my commute runs on a riverside trail through a beautiful (but hilly!) park, a sight not often enjoyed while riding an analog bike. DO NOT be scared off by these cyclist elitists claiming ebikers are "cheats"... they simply just have not tried an ebike for their own, otherwise they'd want one!! the only thing i'd say about my ebike is as much as i love my pace 500 (and i do not regret my purchase), i wish i got a foldable ebike so i could take it into work with me without having to leave it outside, so be sure to fully understand your needs before buying! :)
@@موسى_7 well, I have a shed of old bikes so a conversion made use of an old bike. I bought the swytch through an early deal )they pre sell them when a new model comes out. I paid about $700 cdn including tax and shipping but had to wait several months for the order to come in. I would be suspicious of any ebike you can get for $700.
I got one with a throttle and it's been very helpful getting out of full stop intersections where cars are a serious threat
Fun fact: if you run out of juice on the e bixi in montreal, you can press and hold the battery button to bypass the motor and make it slightly less hard to pedal. Saved my legs a few times!
Im a traditional "cyclist" who rides a bike for sport, but Im actually rooting for e-bikes to become popular because the more people adopt bikes for transportation, the better! Plus IMO, any cyclist who looks down on e-bike riders are just insecure people who feel personally attacked whenever someone on another bike passes them
ebikes are bad for the environment. I have chronic fatigue and I love the concept of one, but I'll stick to a regular bike because I can ride one of those without having to replace a potentially toxic and ridiculously overpriced battery. Many ebikes end up in landfills too because recyclers don't want to work with batteries that could light on fire when pierced and the infrastructure for properly recycling them just isn't there at this moment.
People on ebikes are the same people and can also be insecure, while being on an ebike that allows them to show their superiority to other bikers. And this doesn't require them to have any experience or training so any butt hole can do it who never could achieve anything and can finally show others who's the boss
Whatever about being overpriced, saying e-bike batteries are toxic is a poor excuse.
I recently watched one video where It was being demonstrated that just one Tesla could supply enough batteries for over 120 e-bike's.
Even if it's less, let's say 60-80, that's a hell of a lot less car journey's required.
Or put another way, that a hell of a lot of less cars, especially second household car's required. Whether they are ICE or battery powered.
On average there are only 1.2 occupants in every car journey.
Put that another way, for every 4 out of 5 car journeys there is only the driver in the car. No passengers.
It only requires a very small change in outlook to be able to substitute the majority of short trips to bikes and e-bike's. A short trip would be anything within 5 miles and would be very competitive with a car for travel time and in most urban areas generally the fastest and most efficient.
Every time I drive to work theres almost always just one driver in each car I see on the road, no matter the size of the vehicle whether its a compact sedan or a full size pickup truck. Im sure half of these drivers work locally within the city and could easily commute with an e-bike instead of their car, including myself. My commute is only 10 miles one way, which is easily doable for a cyclists like me. Add an e-bike in the equation and suddenly a 10 to 20 mile commute will easily be accessible to anyone.
Sadly the only reason I dont commute by bike is because (surprise, surprise) I live in a typical American suburb where a car is the only practical way to get around town, and safe bicycle/walking infrastructure doesnt exist, which is very unfortunate
@@NJ-wb1cz No, people are the problem not the tools they ride on... Have you not seen reckless drivers who think they own the road and rage on the daily whether they are on a bicycles, cars etc
I recently bought a pedal assist e-bike for my 12-13 mile (round trip) commute and I was concerned about how much it would take away from the exercise of it but was pleasantly surprised by how much effort it still required even with full assist. By modulating the assist level throughout the commute I can give myself more of a workout in flat areas while saving battery for the hills to keep from sweating too much on the way to work
I feel like there are two ways you can use an ebike -- you can go the same speed for less effort, or you can go faster for the same effort. If you do the latter you're still getting a fair amount of exercise.
Some ebikes tell you how much watts you are putting in on my bosch gen4 bike in tour mode i put in more on my ebike than on my normal bike (120watts vs 150watts avg) i just go faster and have it easier on hills (mostly bridges in netherlands) and don't get tired with wind and rain. I bike about 40km/day.
When I first got back into biking, as an older adult, I used an eBike to commute to and from work. After a few years, my fitness improved enough that I switched to a regular bike. The only downside I see to eBikes on bike paths is that they are heavier and people tend to ride faster than their skill level, so they present some danger to other people on the trail. If an eBiker rides at a safe speed I think they are great.
How much time for a 12 mile commute?
@@ireminmon it’s in 3 different segments of 4-5.5 miles that each take 20-25min. I take a train to and from work but bike to the train
I (UK based) have an ebike (and a manual bike for leisure) and I use it as my default mode now over my car. The part I love most about it is the lack of sweat/heat build-up and you can dress for the destination. You can even raise or lower the assist level depending on how hot or cold you are!
This is such an under-realized benefit. It's great for climate control and being able to wear what you want to work/activities instead of having to think so much about the weather and picking the perfect outfit for that like you would on a conventional bike and your route. I think if conventional cyclists realized this, you'd have a lot fewer haters; they just make sense from a practical point of view (unless you have amazing infrastructure like in Denmark and can just slow your pedal cadence without worrying about safety...lucky ducks).
I’m gonna start a 10 mile commute to work once I save up enough money to buy a bike and I do plan to wear whatever I want.
This conversation about ebikes reminds me of one that I had with my dad about x-country ski areas. In Europe, ski trails frequently have small cafés next to them, which are very pleasant. That's never the case in the US. We seem to have this idea about the "purity" of exercise, that it must be hard and not very fun. Having strüdel in the middle of your ski is "impure." Using an ebike is "impure." Perhaps this is a sort of subconscious corrective mechanism that we employ to keep ourselves active because we know that we drive everywhere anyway.
It's honestly that way with any hobby or activity. The elitists among the community get extremely snooty and aggressive because their whole life revolves around that hobby or activity. You even see this in the analog biking community. "Your commute is only 3 miles? I commute 15 miles, one way, every day, in hurricanes. Get on my level!" Or "Nice little tricycle, if you don't invest in a $10,000 racing bicycle, you can't even really call yourself a cyclist."
It's the culture of capitalism. Whether it be sports or transportation, the purpose of ALL of our activities is to make the 1% at the top as much money as possible. If you had a cafe at the top of a ski hill, it might not make as much money than if it were lower down. If people e-bike more, that would lower the profits of the auto and oil industries that own America. Comfort and leisure must take a back seat to the profit mandate.
@@heychrisfox ahhh, the classic, "when i was your age i hiked up 5 miles of hills both ways to get to school!"
Having strüdel in the middle of your ski is awesome.
@@person-yu8cu It's not the culture of capitalism. Consumerism is not capitalism. "to make the 1% at the top as much money as possible" is mercantilism, not capitalism.
e bikes might result in the same or more exercise overall, since they encourage cycling in the first place (since you know being sweaty/climbing hills won't be an issue). They also encourage longer trips so while you pedal less strenuously, it's for a longer duration.
No.
It doesn't encourage anything else but being lazy.
I have definitley taken detours on my commute on my ebike. Since its easier to pedal you feel more inclined to go farther
I switched to an e-bike not long ago, and I think this misses the biggest reason to switch: they're just so much fun! People who are against them just haven't ridden them enough!
Or, at all!
100% Total….Implying they are only filling another ‘save the planet’ role or that you should sell your car and bike to work in heavy rain! Or that you should no longer need a car for shopping or taking gran to her appointment is fatuous. My e-bike is for summer fun and I feel zero pressure or obligation to ride it unless I darned well wish to.
@@contessa.adella Yes, but you CAN bike to work in the heavy rain without getting wet or sweaty. Just get a good bike poncho that won't make you sweat and an e-bike will effortlessly compensate for the added effort and wind resistance you would have on a pedal power only bike.
Add racks, baskets and pannier bags and you can carry almost anything you need.
Without getting an actual cargo bike get a trailer. I have two different types and can carry anything from a full week's family grocery shopping to a full sized lawnmower. And that's just using an ordinary bike. I haven't gone electric yet.
And finally back to granny.
There are plenty of cargo e-bike's that will comfortably carry another adult either in front or behind.
People who are against them are usually die-hard sports cyclists who want bike-rides to as miserable to everybody else as they are for themselves, completely missing the point that not everybody enjoys physical strain on what for them mostly are just distances to be covered in the least expensive and impractical way possible.
Personally I don't own an e-bike and probably will not for the next 20 years, the reason being that I live in a pretty flat area with not a lot of wind where riding even a normal bike is not much of a problem. But I'm sick of the debate. E-bikes are there to stay. Just let people ride what they want to ride.
I absolutely love mine. When I hear people complaining about gas prices all I can think of is "My legs and wall juice are my power sources. I don't need no dino juice."
Thanks for all the great content. This was a well covered video and I absolutely think that the pedal assist bike is a fantastic idea. I think it entices alot of people who would otherwise not utilize bicycle transport. Personally as a conventional bike commuter I'd have no issue sharing the bike infrastructure with pedal assist bikes or even electric mopeds/motorcycles, scooters or any 2 wheel mobility device utilizing the separated bike lanes in my city provided they implemented a 20mph/30kmh speed limit I dont see any real increase in safety risk and I think seeing that two wheel transport being able to move efficiently past traffic would encourage more car users to adopt personal 2 wheel transport of some kind which I think is always a good thing. Thanks again I'm really enjoying this channel!
I have both in my collection (which is excessive and needs to be thinned out) and the difference is only comfort and ease on hills. It's a tool, like any other, and is used based on your needs.
Studies have found that e-bike users get a less intense workout than riders on analog bikes, but on average tend to ride longer and more often, so the total exercise is about the same either way.
The studies I've seen are that they're not about the same, ebike users tend to get *more* total exercise than traditional bike users.
@@thetimelapseguy8 I'm not sure how that could be. Bikes are used all over the world, and are generally considered the primary mode of transportation besides walking. Maybe those statistics make sense in places like San Francisco or New York City. But the majority of the rest of the world treats analog bikes as transportation first, and rarely as recreation.
@@thetimelapseguy8 this is pretty much only in america mate. especially in europe analog bikes are used pretty much solely for transport.
@@thetimelapseguy8 I was an urbanite who travelled by analog bike often, and I still do more mileage with my ebike. Going a mile or two to grab lunch is much less of an issue than it was when I just had my regular bike, so I do it more often. And now I can haul more so I often stop/go out of my regular path to do convenient errands that I would have struggled with before in terms of just getting the cargo back home. Just my experience.
This is the exact reason I won’t change to an e-bike, my acoustic bike gets me sweaty and for now that’s what I need. We’ll see in the future when the ol’ knees start to give out.
Another import point in favour of ebikes is one of mobility. Someone may have mobility issues that causes normal 100% manual biking to be possible, but not practical, even for shorter distances. Even an ebike allows them some increase in quality of life via the added mobility that the pedal assist provides, that's a wonderful thing.
I saw a good review of an ebike while I was doing some research. The guy doing it was in his late 50 or early 60s, and he was like, "Man, I have crappy legs, I'm old, so it's nice." It's like, yep, can't argue that.
I love to ride bikes for sport; I'll ride for an hour or two on a regular bike on a trail meant for recreation. However, even I love using ebikes for practical trips (my city has the same bikes and stations as Montréal!). I'm in the American South so it's HOT in the summer, and there are some killer hills here too, and I bike with my groceries, including heavy drinks. If even I can find a use for ebikes I'm 100% sure the vast majority of people will enjoy them more too and get more people biking. The hate for ebikes reminds me of people bragging about how miserable they are in college ("You went to bed at 2AM, well I did an all nighter!"); you're somehow a better/tougher person if you endure more hardship which is toxic imo.
Two things I'd add to this cost-benefit of e-bikes. First, e-bikes are useful at lowering the barrier to entry for active transport for people who tend to be limited more by physical ability than by cost, which generally means older people. My mom got into biking when I helped her get an e-bike for instance. And given e-bikes are generally a 1-time expense the set of folks in the US/Canada who are actually limited more by intimidation at the physical challenge of biking more than the financial challenge is the vast majority (since most of those people pay more for their cars every year than they'd pay for the bike several times over).
Second, a rare but real risk of e-bikes is fires, particularly from poorly made batteries. This is an area the industry is having to deal with in the US at least and it doesn't help lovers of e-bikes (like myself) when we get overly defensive and try to deny or downplay the problem. E-bike fires cause externalities since fires can impact neighbors who never bought the bike or had any say in the level of safety of the batteries purchased. That brings with it, quite legitimate, calls for government scrutiny on them. As cyclists, we need to be calling for clear standards on safety to prevent backlash from gaining steam and communities just banning e-bikes outright from public spaces and housing. For most buyers however, using the batteries as instructed by the manufacturer and buying from solid brands (ex Bosch) does largely solve the fire potential.
To add to point 2, I think incorporating UL certification into decision making will be an important step, as well. Subsidy schemes and lease rules could/should differentiate between cheaper, dangerous batteries and more reliable certified batteries; that is, the former won’t get rebate dollars and won’t be allowed in multi-unit buildings.
It's not just old people. E-bikes help get younger people who are disabled or chronically ill bike instead of drive to work. Disabled people usually have less wealth/income. Therefore, the fact that even good e-bikes are cheaper than cars (including the price of gas these days), makes getting an e-bike even more a good financial decision.
While it is a concern, it's also fair to say that car's do not get the same level of scrutiny around fires, even though they exceed ebike fires, even when accounting for per Capita. This isn't to say that ebike fires aren't a legitimate concern, merely that it's a far lower priority than those spreading FUD want it to seem, and dealing with dangerous car's is a far higher priority, even for those who LIKE cars. We must show people that their perception of harm is less empirical than they might believe.
Where are safety regulations? Where is lithium ferrophosphate battery tech? It's in Chinese cars, but why not bikes? Sodium ion is even better.
I regularly see news articles of a car company recalling a fleet of their vehicles due to fire risks. In fact, I just saw a Subaru recall a couple hours ago. Prior to that, I saw recalls for Kia and Ford for, you guessed it, fire risks.
I have a physical job, and sometimes I just don't have the energy at the end of the day to ride a manual bike home, that's what makes an ebike compelling for me
I love the sign off, "Don't forget to bike and subscribe" 💚
I have an acquaintance in Nantes that told me that eBikes are the gateway to non-electric bikes to several people (not just the elderly) after some time spent on an e-bike (a year or two). He also mentioned that people were easier convince to drop the car when using the eBikes than a regular bikes. I've had the privilege to see an enormous amount food and product delivery done by e-bike in Nantes (including a whole hotel's laundry put into a cargo) that severely reduce the amount of car and truck deliveries. I can only hopes that small and medium deliveries will make the shift in America (I already see it with some postage delivery, but nothing else in Montreal at the moment).
if the urban planning was great better in America, maybe everything would be more duable by bikes..
I work just as hard riding my e-bike as I would on a regular bike. I just go a lot faster. I lost over 60 pounds in the first year with it.
This is what I always tell people. The natural inclination is to still pedal as hard as you can. Pedaling hard with a motor is just as difficult as without a motor. You’re just going faster now. Reminds me of the old adage, “Cycling doesn’t get any easier. You just get faster”.
I've had a run of asthma this year. I took up riding a bike 5 years ago - this year was the least I've ridden. Then, with getting an ebike, I'm back to riding again, even far more than when I'm doing well health wise. It takes away the panic of not being able to make it back home.
And I think people are psychologically a lot more willing to go harder, especially if they're not in great shape, because they know they can fall back on the battery if they get too tired. I know I fall into that. I'll pedal hard to power up hills I would have shifted into an easier gear for before because I know I can use my throttle for a few seconds if I need to (class 2) to catch my breath and not keel over into traffic or have to stop. That makes you more able to build muscle and endurance faster.
@@GalpsPGH Most ebikes are capped at a speeds I'd be able to reach without pedal assist (in the EU usually somewhere between 25-30km/h), rendering them useless for me except for hills.
@@rey_nemaattori My ebike's pedal assist tops out at 45 km/h. I'm often riding at 40+ km/h to keep up with traffic. If you can easily ride at speeds pushing 45 km/h without any motor assistance, this conversation isn't really about you.
As somewhat of an e-bike shill, I have a couple of comments: You've nailed the argument against analog bicycle puritans. No one should tell you that you *must* exercise more in your commute (running commutes haha), if that's part of your transportation goals, that's awesome! For me, my goal was to not drive an ICE vehicle while I take my 3 year old, plus bags, snacks, water, groceries, sometimes a scooter, etc. around town. This is simply not practical with an analog cargo bike and the hill grades in our city. I've already put 4000km's on ours. I also own a steel frame touring bike and use that when I want to huff and puff around with no one on the back :)
The e bixis are a fantastic transportation solution. I use the regular one 95% of the time, but every so often you're late or it's been a long day and it's amazing to have the e bike option with virtually none of the downsides that come with owning one.
Montreal cyclist here!The only issue id say for the regular bixie bikes is the size and weight, it’s heavy compared to a regular bike and uphills are hell on earth.
The advantages of e-bikes can make the difference of riding a bike vs. driving a car. It can be worth it to get a decent work out, avoid traffic and the cost of gas, and enjoy a bike ride even if it takes slightly longer. Not to mention, not having to push a bike up a steep hill!
A fun bit of math I think everyone should do with their local prices: how far can you go with $100 of energy in each of a gas car, an electric car, and an ebike? You can probably guess that the ebike goes the furthest, but it's shocking how much further it goes.
My e-bike can go 40+ miles on a charge, even in its least efficient power mode. The battery costs 10 cents to fully recharge, while even the smallest gas-powered moped would cost a few dollars to refuel!
@@InventorZahran , exactly. Ebikes get an effective 1000+ mpg, EVs ~100 mpg, and efficient cars 40 mpg these days. There's really no comparison, especially if you then take into account all the other upkeep, insurance, etc. There's also no comparison when it comes to infrastructure costs. Just societies should really be heavily subsidizing rail and ebikes (which are even more efficient that conventional bikes for most people, depenending on diet--both on how local it is and how close to a veg*n diet it is according to a couple analyses I've seen).
@@emma70707 ok but why did you censor the word 'vegan'
I did the math once and I can go further on an ebike with 100 dollars of energy (including food) than I can on any other transit method including regular bikes.
Assuming you're not eating the most price efficient meals possible and are spending 10 dollars a day on 2400 Calories of food you can only go 5-600 miles on a regular bike for 100 dollars (including natural burn rate). An ebike can get you 1500 miles or more.
If you're trying to lose weight and not commute these calories are great but as someone who was skinny and working in a physical job the upgrade to an ebike was extremely helpful to my 5 mile each way commute.
Yeah, that's great.
Most of you seem to work in offices, and have nothing to carry.
Is there an E bike that will carry my table saw?
E bikes make me incredibly excited, because my city doesn't have the best transportation infrastructure, be it for bikes, cars or public transit, is very much full of hills, and a lot of the population is pretty poor. E bikes and especially cargo bikes could be an incredibly good alternative for cars to a lot of the population that leaves them without nearly as much debt. The hill situation is especially important because that's where a lot of the poorest communities are, so they'd benefit the most form having access to a cheaper form of transportation that doesn't become impractical when things get too inclined
I switched to an ebike and it's a great decision. I bought myself a car horn to make sure cars know I'm nearby. I recommend the "loud" brand.
I live in Salt Lake City where there's a lot of hills and any, but I found a cheap ebike that suits my neei
Just a question about being able to charge the battery. Is there reliable electric service in the neighborhoods you mention?
If not, could people charge the battery while at work, then be able to ride uphill to home and back down the next day?
« Wheels let you coast through life »
- Patrick, 2022
I wouldn't want to have to pedal my bike all the time, it would make it quite hard. I also want to go 15mph instead of struggling to go 4mph.
If you the reader are upset over that, take a look at yourself here. I've tried going on 8 mile bike rides every day and it still doesnt stop being painful as soon as I get on a bike. So exercise isn't the solution, electric throttle is.
My parents go on vacation a lot and recently bought e-bikes for themselves because they are too old to pedal. I dont think that is bad
It must be very liberating for them to be able to experience biking without being held back by physical limitations!
eBike throttle is super important if your city has no bike infrastructure. It allows me to go through busy intersections on the road without disrupting traffic. I can get to speed at a green light faster than cars.
That's the only time I use my throttle.
My husband's bike has a throttle and mine doesn't. I do have an internally geared hub, which means that I can downshift while stopped.
It's kind of the difference between an automatic and a manual transmission in a car. He can just press the throttle and go. I need to downshift and up the assist to start, then shift to a higher gear and decrease the assist once I'm rolling.
Personally I see the e-bike more as a car replacement than a bike-replacement vehicle.
If you are going to cycle anyway it's rarely worth the extra money to buy a fancy bike with electric assist. But for those who are on the edge about cycling for a certain journey, an e-bike might be a good reason to take the bike instead of the car.
In the end it means fewer journeys by car and more by bike.
i agree. car replacement means: it doesnt belong on bike paths or sidewalks. if they stay out of non-motorized areas the whole issue is resolved.
@@seandepagnier I disagree.
Most e-bikes aren't getting boosted beyond 20 mph (in the US) or 30 kph (Europe and other locales). They are way more compatible with the other people on mixed-use trails than they are mixing it up with the motor vehicles. This is especially true in the US where the bulk of the vehicles are 4000+ lbs, the entire landscape is covered in "stroads", and drivers are incredibly careless, impatient, and subject to practically no enforcement.
If you want to replace cars with bikes, you need to allow the people on the bikes to ride without having to confront the cars. Otherwise, you are not going to see most of the population interested _at all_ .
I live in the suburbs of Seattle. Seattle is a really hilly city and recently I went and rented a Lime e-bike and rode up some hills downtown to try it out and now I really want to buy one! They make it so much easier to get up Seattle's steep hills.
Great video, I agree with your points. Personally the biggest downside to me is the added complexity and failure modes. I can do all the maintenance & repairs on an acoustic bike myself. Even so, I’m getting an E-cargo bike soon.
Yeah that's my biggest hesitancy right now. I can repair a snapped chain or a flat tire, but no one really has the means to do roadside repairs on an electric motor. An e-bike allows you to travel farther and over more challenging grades than you might otherwise attempt on an acoustic bike, so if it fails halfway the return journey may be extremely difficult.
My girlfriend got one when we started pulling our daughter in the trailer and it is really useful for that. I am considering buying for me as well. Right now we live at a place that is rather flat, so the benefit of the electric motor is small (I go slightly above 25km/h anyways, so I do not get any time benefit). However, we will be moving soon and the area has a lot more hills and longer distances which tilt the board in favor of ebikes.
Regarding the comparison with electric cars...ebikes just are much closer to the sweet spot. Being light and slow, it takes only a small battery to move it which makes it relatively cheap. A small battery can easily be taken out and charged in the apartment while an electric car mostly requires one to have dedicated infrastructure at home. And given that most people do not do any longer distance trips but most do longer drives, range limitations are far less pronounced
Over the last 25+ years I have managed to locate myself close enough to my place of work to commute between 2-5 days per week by bike during spring, fall and summer. When I was faced with a household challenge that meant adding another car, I gave up the car I had used to a family member and opted to convert an older bike to ebike using a kit. It has been incredible. I rode all last winter, (even when it hit -30C) over really hilly terrain. When I tried to ride all 5 workdays with my regular bike I felt it and even when I was in good shape, the hills really taxed me at the end of a long work day. Now my average speed is higher, I arrive without sweating and I can do this all week without feeling too burnt out. Yet, motor (only 250W) and the battery is tiny, I reused a 40 year old bike and feel I could do this until I'm 80! I do get lots of exercise, the pedal assist is just like a helpful push and takes the edge off steeper hills and allows me to recover quicker while maintaining a high average speed (30-32 kph) on the flats. It makes my 8.5km rural commute the highlights of my day.
When I visit Montreal I use non-electric Bixis. But if I was slogging up side streets from Sherbrooke climbing to Summit Circle in Westmount or trying to climb Ave. Des pins or Cote des Neiges I would definitely try to get an ebike!
Just to point out, with a Bixi membership, the cost of ebikes goes down to 10 cents a minute. Going to work on an ebike would take me 25 minutes (2.50$), which is cheaper than a bus/subway ticket, or about the same if we include the cost of the membership over many trips.
Lol at “you’d get even more exercise if you just ran everywhere” 😂
It sounds like the restrictions on ebikes are different between the US and Canada. In the US, the most common ebike is a "class 2," which provides both pedal-assist and a throttle. And class 2 bikes will only propel you up to a max of ~20 mph, so they're nowhere near a moped or motorcycle. I believe that electric vehicles that let you go faster are regulated like any other moped or motorcycle.
In Canada, class 1 and class 2 e-bikes are allowed on public roads, with a maximum motor size of 500 watts. Whereas in the U.S., class 3 e-bikes (which can go up to 28 mph/45 kph) are also allowed, and all e-bikes can have a motor of up to 750 watts. Any bike that's faster or more powerful is treated as a moped under U.S. law, and all the associated responsibilities (license, registration, insurance, etc.) apply.
I adore my e-bike. It makes some physical issues I have less of a concern, which is a point I think your video could have discussed more. I find I replace car trips with it instead of bike trips. I was so sad when I had to store it for winter, but my city does an awful job of clearing ice from bike lanes and bike boulevard streets.
I’ve been a commuter cyclist my entire life. I was recently priced out of my current apartment which was less then two miles from my job that I biked to every day in all weathers because I hate spending money on gas. I am now moving 22 miles away and three towns over from my job which when traffic is good takes 40 minutes to drive.
I didn’t want to give up on being a commuter cyclist because of the move and there is no good public transportation options from what is a small (for now) farming town to the large city where everyone works. So I bought an ebike so I can still commute to work without paying for gas. While it will take me probably 1hr15min to travel that is worth it to me. It still gives me exercise and time to decompress before and after work. I’m still figuring out the safety route but I’m determined to make it happen. While this is the farthest I’ll have ever commuted for work by bike it’s not the farthest I’ve traveled by bike. I’m able to travel twice as fast as I use to on a conventional bike which is great because otherwise it would take me 2hr+ one way and that’s just not sustainable for a long term commuting options. Because of the distance and iffy bicycle infrastructure I’ll have to start driving when it’s wet out but if it’s just cold that’s no reason to not ride my new ebike. Most of the year it’s bone dry so this won’t be a problem.
Oh and I love how pretty my new bike is too😁
My issue with e bikes, mostly bixis, come from the fact that you can ride « effortlessly » at 30km/h. I have been riding my bike for 15yrs and have amassed a ton of riding experience, i am a relatively skilled rider. A lot of people who ride e bikes in the city today seems to have recently picked up cycling, they have no self balance, low spatial awareness, but are immediately riding at 30. It’s great to see new people riding bikes and i dont know how to fix this issue, but because of them I try to avoid cycling pathways in downtown montreal and busy area because i dont want to ride around these people.
I'm surprised they didn't directly address this in the video. I think it's at least as prevalent a concern as the "cheating" argument.
E-bikes are great for people that aren’t in shape, but I agree absolutely that inexperience is a problem and that it’s getting dangerous on bike paths. E-bikes give you too much confidence if you don’t have the ability to ride safely.
Not bad! I've had a RadCity for nearly three years. The most enjoyable aspect is pulling the attachments for my kids. I started with a two-child trailer, then a single trail-a-bike, and finally found a tandem trail-a-bike attachment. For my wants, it has been great! I could have another vehicle while keeping our family on a single car, so it helped me resist the trend of having two cars to allow both parents in the household to travel separately. I can take my kid to/from school by bike without becoming concerned about riding ability. I initially bought my oldest kid a bike at five years old, but it didn't turn out to be an attractive activity; however, having the trail-a-bike reduces the barrier and eliminates the fear while placing the burden of speed and balance on me. The tandem trail-a-bike has allowed me to include the two oldest kids (and incite envious rage in the youngest child) in the same way as the single trail-a-bike. It is more challenging to keep up speed and balance, but the motor assist provides good enough support. We've been out bike camping together with the tandem trail-a-bike as well, and I feel encouraged that I can share the joy of cycling with a lower barrier and at an earlier age. Topping it off, I've learned about and practiced bike maintenance, joined a local bike co-op and made donations, and improved my health. I even bought two steel bikes from the 90s to rehab with contemporary components with high hopes of doing some unassisted riding and cycle touring.
I have a commute that I never would've done with my conventional bikes. It's simply too much sweating and too much time. With the e-bike, the ride is a breeze and I still get a workout. I'm also replacing a bunch of short drives with bike rides thanks to the e-bike. I just need a trailer and my setup will be complete.
Yup. I got an e-bike when I moved, and went from a 5 mile commute to a 25 mile commute with two hills and 1800' of elevation gain. The one-way commute was still long -- about 90 minutes -- but way shorter than the 150 minutes it would've been without the e-bike. This made the difference between being able to bike at all, or having to use a car.
The bike was, granted, half the speed of the car door-to-door. I could generally drive the distance in 45 minutes. But a) not always (many days I'd be able to cycle past a long line of traffic doing the "stop-and-go" shuffle, and b) instead of sitting on my butt for 90 minutes a day and then still having to go to the gym or engage in some other exercise, I get my workout while _having a blast riding my super-fun electric bike_ !
I started riding e-bikes around 20 years ago, back when nobody had ever heard of them. Back then, I heard a lot of the "cheating" remarks. It came from people who never really considered bicycles as transportation, but as exercise machines. Fortunately, now that e-bikes have almost become the norm, that attitude has largely disappeared.
Great video! Thanks for posting. One advantage of a regular bike over an e-bike that has not been mentioned is the ability to load it onto public transit or a bike rack for a car. The added weight of an e-bike makes it hard to bring up and down stairs or an escalator to use on public transit. Moreover most bike racks for cars are not designed to accommodate the extra weight of an e-bike.
There are bike racks that can be used with ebikes; it just depends on the weight capacity. I guess it's important to do the research if someone is looking for a bike rack that can be used with e-bikes.
E-bikes are not competing directly with regular bikes. What I particularly hate about E-bike marketing is that they are constantly trying to upsell a regular bike to an E-bike. This is silly as they serve different purposes and are not interchangeable like that. E-bikes are for people who have an existing problem with using a regular bike. They would like to cycle but for any number of reasons, it's not practical to do so. If all of your journeys can be done comfortably on a regular bike then upgrading to an E-bike is mostly a waste of money. E-bikes are great for trips that are beyond the comfort zone of a regular bike.
These are good points, and worthy of consideration by someone considering an e-bike, especially for commuting. If they expect to do multi-modal commuting, either they want a regular bike, or they will need a (super-expensive) light-weight e-bike.
Even without the commute, there is the issue of car-mounting racks, if you expect to use the car to move the bike from time to time (e.g. taking it to the local bike shop, to a not-nearby ride, whatever).
These don't preclude the use of an e-bike, but it's definitely worth being informed about the potential issues that will come up.
good timing on this vid. I've been semi-seriously shopping around the last few weeks for an ebike
I read somewhere that people(who don't already ride) who buy e-bikes get more exercise than people who buy regular bikes because they ride them more often.
Thank you so much. I'm glad you decided to make a video on this topic - actually, I was waiting for it :)
I live in the Plateau and my work is on the other side of the mountain. While it is /possible/ to get there using a standard Bixi, I find I can arrive less sweaty with a "blue bixi" (as they have come to be known in Montreal). I also frequently factor in the relatively low cost of blue bixi when deciding whether to take STM, Communauto or Bixi (or a combination). For example, at $0.12/minute, a 25 minute Blue Bixi ride it is less than the cost of one STM fare... and more exercise!
I'm a 62 year old who works on my feet all day. The area in Toronto where I work is located atop the hilliest parts of the city.
I purchased an ebike to commute to work and can't really explain the positive effect it has had on my life.
My bike gets me to work as a hairdresser without being sweaty. My commute time cut from between 45 - 60 mins on transit to 14-20 mins. This really motivated me to ride through much of last winter. Winter riding isn't fun in minus 10⁰ however I preferred it to being smushed into streetcars.
Having dealt with winter driving, the arrival of spring makes biking fun again. Now I can relax and take lengthier routes home.
I believe if people tried ebikes just once, more folks would rent or buy them. The pressure and need for a more extensive bike infrastructure would become much more of a priority.
I have an electric Brompton with a throttle and it's great for urban biking. The small wheels are less efficient, but with the motor it does't matter. The city has many traffic lights, but with an ebike stopping for them isn't as annoying. I use my bike to explore new neighborhoods, so it's nice to be able to quickly get outside a 1-2 mile radius of my apartment. If I get tired of exploring it's much more fun to coast back than take the subway underground. Riding along narrow bridge bike lanes is also easier with an electric bike since they don't rock from pedaling.
I actually prefer a gas moped for cargo though. One less thing to carry up the stairs / lock.
Just spent the weekend in NYC and the city is full of working class folks (usually food delivery) riding around on e-bikes to navigate the insane traffic. They were pretty ramshackle bikes; I could clearly see marks of DIY frame modifications (there are probably garages who specialize in modifying street bikes for those on a budget) and they were all using bog standard bafang motors and batteries.
E bikes have a lot of purposes, and I think they're a net positive.
Every e-bike in a city is one less car, so they're good for reducing congestion too!
Ebikes aren't "cheating", cars are. It's not about ebike versus regular bikes. Our car centric society has to change and modernize to be active transportation centric. We need to scale down our energy usage and improve quality of life by people-centric models, especially in downtowns and residential neighborhoods. Everything in these areas needs to slow down to walking and biking speeds. Enough of catering so much to the segment of citizens who choose to drive cars everywhere. It's not about getting rid of cars; it's about giving safe and convenient active transportation options to everyone.
Bought an e-snow bike this winter complete with 5” studded tires. I ride twice as far and will ride on any trails; hills and all. It is fabulous to ride and so much fun.
My first experience on an e-bike was several years ago doing a bicycle tour of San Francisco, and it was great - the tour was able to cover much more distance and visit more areas that would have been impractical to climb all the hills for on a regular bike. Since we were a small (and relatively young) group that day and were ahead of schedule stopping for lunch in Haight-Ashbury, we took our food to eat at Twin Peaks, which wasn't a scheduled part of the tour.
I've tried Mobi's e-bikes in Vancouver a couple times now. The first, going into and across downtown didn't feel like it was worth the extra cost because other than the short period climbing Burrard Bridge and the first hill downtown I was often exceeding the 25km/hr limit where the assist cuts out. The second time I was going east along 10th, which is mostly a steady climb where I was below the limit and benefited from the assist for most of the trip, and it was nice to have spent less effort before meeting up with friends for some drinks (I took a regular Mobi for the trip home). For most trips, my own much lighter bike is usually going to be faster for not much more effort when I'm not worried about leaving my bike locked up at the destination, but for most people not racing to their destination the e-Mobis could be a great option (e.g. when walking is kinda far, but transit doesn't provide a direct route).
I don't know how much of an issue e-bikes collecting in uphill areas is, but I think it would be interesting if bike shares offered riders a rebate on certain trips as an incentive to take electric bikes to docking stations where there is more demand for them (or for Mobi, one of the few stations with charging docks if the battery is low).
Charge less ~so they can Charge more 🚲😉
For some, there's concern that ebikes allow people to ride at speeds once reserved for motorcycles but without the need for a motorcycle license (and all the safety training that that involves).
I regularly commute about as far as other commenters here on my analogue bike and enjoy doing so. Ebikes are only "cheating" if you're in a race. I do encourage people to consider an analogue bike first, because the expense and maintenance requirements of an ebike can leave someone without transportation if it breaks and is harder to fix/replace
I live in a rural area of Ireland about 4 miles from my nearest small town and shops. I have and need a car, but using an ordinary manual only hybrid bike with a variety of racks and bags for every occasion (I have been mistaken for a tourer) and two fairly large bike trailer's I can do nearly all of my local commuting, shopping and carrying of cargo without the car. Plus it's a whole lot more fun and exercise is an additional benefit although not the primary one for me.
I've had everything from 70kg of shopping to a full sized lawnmower pulling behind me and much more.
And I just wear ordinary clothes. I ride as I intend to arrive for whatever my purpose is.
My work is 20km away and is usually very exhausting 13 hour night shifts. It takes me about an hour to cycle that distance but I only do it very occasionally for work because it's just too long and exhausting when I'm already tired and out on my feet after working one shift, never mind a week of them.
I am now looking into getting an e-bike workhorse or an e-bike conversion to make that distance a real alternative by bike instead of the car.
Being in Europe, speeds on e-bike's are limited to 25kmh or 15mph. This is really too slow because I can exceed that on the flat's and declines already. An extra 8kmh or 5mph would definitely be a real benefit for e-bike commuting.
I drive that 20km in usually 18 minutes. I pedal it without a strong headwind in an hour.
An e-bike even at just 25kmh would split that to around 40 minutes because it's the hills and winds that really slow me down and drain my energy.
Add another 8 or maybe 10 kmh speed to an e-bike and that is a real commuting alternative to a car on open roads for 20km. Never mind in an urban area where speeds for cars are limited to 60-50kmh or 30kmh which is becoming more common plus congestion to slow it down even more.
Oh, and I have had the roadie type in their lycra and their bikes without a rack, bag or even a mudguard disparaging my obviously very slow 20km in an hour.
There's no point arguing with them. It's a completely different outlook and mindset.
I've been a long-distance bike commuter since 2005. I have just started riding my 26 miles to the office on an e-bike and I love it. It does require a recharge, while I'm at the office and any extra errands mean that I need to turn down the assist level to preserve the battery. Otherwise, I have to pedal it unassisted for a few miles at the end of the day.
7:47
It's not just about distance or hills.
It's the "doorstep mile" too.
Essentially e-bikes have a "lower barrier to entry" once bought when you're at home and considering a bike vs just driving or staying at home.
I guess the cargo does make sense. I had only seen hills as a reason to use the ebike (since it’s the feeling of safety, rather than effort that tends to be my worry on speed). I still don’t see a reason to get one in Ottawa (which is nice and flat), but if/when I move to Gothenburg (very hilly, with better paths) I’ll get one.
There are lots of reasons: if you ever need to bike when sort of sick, if you ever aren't quite sure if you want to bike one day or not, if the weather's hot but you don't want to shower at work, if the weather's cold, but you don't want to have to dress in a bunch of layers, if you want to cut down your commute times, if you ride with traffic and want to be able to merge more safely, if you get annoyed at having to remove bike lights to charge and don't like Dynamos, if you want the most efficient means of transportation (yes, if you take into account what you eat, ebikes usually come out on top because our food is rather inefficient), etc. :D
I agree with everything except the criticism of ebikes with a throttle (at least those that abide by the US 20mph/32kph speed limit) - especially in the US where bike riders are often forced to use car lanes, it can be comforting to know that you can cycle nearly as fast as the cars on the road and won't be as concerned about cars roaring past you in dangerous overtakes because you're slowing them down. I'd also caution against an argument that says that if a mobility option doesn't provide exercise it doesn't belong in our cities - I'd say if it gets people out of cars into smaller, slower, cheaper vehicles, that's what we want (same argument with e-scooters). I'd instead advocate that all wheeled transport adopt a respectable speed limit depending on where they are traveling (say, 20mph in a "bicycle highway" or 5 mph on a relatively crowded sidewalk), since a road biker going 20mph is just as disruptive and dangerous in a collision as a throttle-powered ebiker going the same speed. I don't think our focus should be on whether or not they are self-propelled.
We don't think throttles are inherently bad, only that they push it in the direction of being less of a bike and more of a moped. Which is fine - we'd rather more electric mopeds than cars. They're just not necessarily suitable for bike lanes or especially multi-use pathways.
@@OhTheUrbanity Throttles are a godsend on snow days. It allows you to put a foot down and keep going when traction is getting iffy. I would limit the speed you can go on throttle only to something like 20-25km/h instead of outright banning them.
@@OhTheUrbanity The only real reason throttles were banned for certain ebike classes in the US is people were afraid they'd lead to excessive wheelspin eroding mountain bike trails. Requiring pedaling naturally limits wheelspin.
@@OhTheUrbanity Living in Toronto I always take bike paths when available on my ebike but always yield to slower cyclist. If you are on the road on an ebike going under the speed limit, especially when there is a bike path, cars will become extremely hostile in my experience so I don't feel like I have a choice.
@@OhTheUrbanity so just shove all of them out onto the dangerous road with cars and trucks flying at them then just because they don't want to pedal all the time? they are perfectly suited for bike lanes and multi use paths, but just like anything, the only actual problem is the person riding it. if they go slow, there's literally NO problem (same with those analog losers who always think they're in the tour de france, blasting past people at 25+, this is not a problem that is unique to just ebikes)
The only people I ever feel I'm competing against on a E-bike is other E-bikes. I often smile when someone overtakes me on one, only for me to end up overtaking them later down the line. That and cars and buses sometimes, there's just this good feeling when you bike past someone in a car or bike and are faster than them, then again there's also the bad feeling when it's raining or cold and those people in that same car or bus drive past you in their heated vehicle, it goes both ways.
I do wish there was some indication of class of ebike... I've had people pass me from behind when I'm stopped at a light, but they turn out to be an underpowered 250 W class 1 or something and I need to pass them in like 5 seconds. I usually default to not passing another ebike until I know how fast they go because it's just creates a dangerous situation for everyone. I guess we'll work out the courtesies involved as more people have them.
I do laugh so much when a car rips around me because I'm a bit slower to get going up a hill, say, for me to pull up next to them at the red light 5 seconds behind. I guess they'll get used to us too... The streets are 25 mph and a class three does 28 mph. Again, I do wish we could have a neon light with our top speed somewhere. Haha.
@@emma70707 _"they turn out to be an underpowered 250 W class 1 or something and I need to pass them in like 5 seconds"_ -- meh. Same thing happens without an electric motor. It's just part of being on a bike. There are always a wide range of speeds/capabilities to contend with.
Even without my e-bike, I'm smack in the middle all the time. I come across numbers of riders that I need to pass because they are so slow, but then some hot-shot with super legs comes up behind me and needs to get by.
And yeah, either way we often wind up at the same traffic light. Certainly a lesson in humility and patience. But I still can't help myself and wind up riding fast in spite of knowing it's not really going to get me anywhere sooner. :) (In my car, I'm always the slowest person around, but still more often than not find myself sitting at a traffic light right behind that person who invested so much effort getting around me a mile back.)
I had two really bad knees due to power lifting in my early life and arthritis in my knees. After a bunch of operations for tour molluscus in both knees I finally had one the total replacement done on my left knee. My old mountain bike I wasn't able to ride anymore because both of my knees were hurt real bad after riding for a long while. My e-bike gives me that freedom to either use the throttle or pedal to ride my bike. If my knee starts to bother me a little bit I could just hit throttle power and just continue on to my destination that way. June of this year I will have my right knee totally replaced and will be off for about 4 to 5 months before I'll be able to go back on my e-bike again. And it's great therapy for after the operation to ride that bike around and pedal with it and if my knee gets a little sore, I could just continue with the throttle.
Good video. I'm enthusiastic about e-bikes getting more people onto two wheels. I don't ride them myself because they lack the delicious feel of a good bike and I don't need the assist.
A few more disadvantages to e-bikes:
- will go obsolete faster
- more difficult to maintain
- hassle of having to charge battery
- expensive battery will have to be replaced after a few years
- inexperienced riders may get in over their heads
Nice vid! We have CitiBike bike share here in NYC, e-bikes are fantastic if you’re in a hurry or it’s summer and you have a suit on etc. It’s transport, not necessarily a workout.
On the exercise note: I don't WANT to exercise when I'm getting groceries. I am disabled and it is hard enough to get around the store ordinarily. If I want to exercise, I will take my throttleable pedal assist to the goth bar and dance. Exercising on the way to everyday destinations just adds a bunch of uncertainty on whether I'll actually be able to do what I need to do when I get there.
I refuse to get a car and ebikes are essentially the only way that's possible (as my city cut most of it's bus services because of COVID and the subsequent negligent homicide of everyone with the qualifications).
Thanks for highlighting the importance of throttle assist for those with mobility concerns. There's a lot of whining out there about "throttles are cheating.". They are not. I understand the concern that 20 mph (the US class 2 has a 20 mph cut off) is too fast for mixed use paths. But the prejudice against throttle use is mostly abelism, IMO.
@@HarryLovesRuth Your point about mixed use paths is important. In general, mixed use paths are a problem in some situations because, once the path becomes saturated, mixing different speeds and types of users becomes a problem. Roller blades, pedestrians, dog walkers, jogging, strollers, toddlers on balance bikes.... the list goes on. These multi use paths were never designed for such a high volume of use. Ideally, each of these groups should be separate.
@@HarryLovesRuth I don't think that 20mph on a multiuse pathway is a problem, if people slow down near other users, or where the line of sight is short. That's the real issue, from what I see. And pathway users are getting much better about that, compared to what I saw decades ago.
@@bearcubdaycare Your path users must be better awareness than mine. Even going ten mph, ringing a bell, and announcing which side I intend to pass on, I still have people who don't notice me until I've already gone around.
I'd blame airpods, although the problem goes much farther back than that. (Looking at you teenagers walking four abreast who just ~stopped~ and turned to look when I asked to pass. This was fifteen years ago, but I still have a less extreme version of this on occasion.)
Well said - I ride an ebike with a throttle for the same reasons - disability. Fact is, the hate/regulations against throttle driven ebikes are ableist...
My wife and I are planning to get rid of our 2 cars and replace them with one bigger vehicle, probably a minivan (we have kids and dogs, so we need the space a larger vehicle provides for getting around our largely car dependent region). But for alternative transport when I don't need the larger vehicle (like I'm going to work or to the store or something else in town and I don't have to transport 5 people) I've been going back and forth between buying a moped or an ebike, I think I'm leaning toward an ebike for less maintenance and so I can use bike lanes and bike paths around town, it's more active than a moped, I can park it just about anywhere, and I feel like bikes in general have more cargo/trailer/other people transport options than mopeds do.
Hi, make sure you don't use a cheap cable lock or it might be stolen, use a strong thick lock
@@hiandhello4183 Thank you, I plan on it
As a commute option they are good for most people except for two things: 1.the days when it rains a lot and 2. that long period each year (especially in Montreal) when it is cold and snowy. They are also almost required in any city for someone doing some sort of delivery job. I don't think a manual biker can keep up and compete any longer with a rider with an assist engine. For a regular person who isn't in it for the fitness, it seems to be a good way to get around any community with organized bike paths and parks. You can see more that way.
I’d love to see you do a video highlighting the benefits that acoustic bicyclists and drivers see from E-bike riders. Every bike on the road is less cars on the road. And the people who choose e-bikes are likely the people who were driving but don’t have the level of fitness yet to ride an acoustic bike everywhere. So e-bikes lower the threshold for them and allow more people to enjoy alternative active transportation. This helps current bicyclists by having more people using the infrastructure, which in turn gives more ammunition for advocating for more or better infrastructure. Thus, saying people are cheating because they chose an e-bike is counterproductive and nonsensical. It’s a lot less lazy than driving a car and it actually helps to further our purpose. I don’t know why we have been trained so well to hate everyone who doesn’t do things exactly like we do.
Outside my house is a grade on the road down to town which makes it annoyingly difficult to climb. Instead of walking a conventional bike up it, i can now press the "increase throttle" button and pedal away on what my feet see as a gentle slope. It's easier, better, and means i have to buy less food.
What i like when cycling is the wind on my face, the high speeds, and the mobility. I don't want to sweat up hills nor let air resistance kill my speed.
I live in the Ozarks and have plenty of hills to contend with. Even at 70 years of age I still love to ride my bike. It's very hard for me to pull the hills on my own now, so I got a fairly upscale, very powerful electric mountain bike. The nearest town is only 10 miles from me. I can go there, get what I want, put it in my bike's basket and bring it home. I love it, especially now that I had to sell my car, thanks to historic inflation levels. Aside from the electric assist, it's still just a bicycle. No driver's license, insurance or registration is necessary. Just ride like you are reasonably sane and no one will ever bother you.
I tried recently and it did not feel like cheating at all. Especially in a town that is hilly. The boost was nice when taking off as well.
In Sweden, e-bikes can only assist, and only up to 25 kph. If no pedals, maximum speed is 20 kph. In both cases there's a 250W limit on motor. Of course most vehicles are illegal, both when it comes to speed and power.
Both me and my girlfriend have been reer ended by an idiot on an E-bike in Amsterdam, trying to overtake on the wrong side this year, a lot of people do not like E bikes on the cycle path over here. Especially young people ride very unresponsibly on those things.
I kinda had the same shitty idea about ebikes in the past, thinking it was for old and/or rich and/or lazy people but changed my mind since then... I think what is crazy compared to that is how cars are normalized and (sadly) almost no one is mocking/pointing people who use them for all their mobility especially for short distances and/or in cities.... because that's only when we compare an ebike to a car that we realize where is the problematic mobility... like you said in the video, an ebike cost very little compared to a car even more when considered fuel/electricity and repairs, etc... and it spend 10x less energy for the same distance compare to an EV....
The real anomaly is using a car, all the rest is the future of mobility.
I live in a very hilly town in western Norway. We got a cheap (non-assisted) bike-share scheme, costing around USD 40 a year. Free use all year and plenty of bikes available. But this in the central areas, typically used for 1-4 km rides. I live downtown and often use these bikes. But a LOT of people living a bit further away use e-bikes for commuting instead of cars or public transport. A private car is very expensive to use because of toll roads, congestion charges and no free parking downtown. And public transport is often very cramped and slow during the rush hours. The e-bike has been a game changer for many people. The many hills are not a problem anymore. BTW: Canadian winters are harsh, but over here studded tires will handle the few days or weeks with snow and ice. Such tires are fitted to the shared bikes from november to march. Also, many commuters use studded tires during winter.
My number one pro for getting an ebike was so I could bike to work in summer and not be a sweaty tired mess as my shift started. Also all of downtown St Paul is on a hill so my whole ride home was uphill. I got a Lectric xp lite and it was cheaper than a nice regular bike at $800
People have no excuse for thinking only in terms of THEIR personal experience. Real humans have the mental power of abstraction & can think logically/logistically about what others must go through.
Excellent video that addresses the common talking points. I just got my ebike, and as a year round cycle commuter I needed help on the windy days. I ride acoustic bikes for transport and have ridden my touring bike across Canada. I'm definitely not cheating, myself or anyone, by riding a pedal assist bike. Like everything else in life, it's a choice.
I've got an ebike with an optional throttle! It's essentially my car, and I use it for my kinda long commute to my job and makes it easier to move in the colder seasons. It's not one of those motorbikes with a pair of bitty pedals either lol, but a step through bike with a removable lithium battery that I always remove from the bike whenever I'm done riding for the day
Hi, thanks for the video. E-bikes are definitely good to get a larger portion of the population on a bike and are able to serve a wide range of purposes.
One of the other major problems with an e-bike is maintenance/problem-solving. A regular bike can be figured out by oneself, but if you have a problem with the motor or the battery on an e-bike, not only will you lose lots of money getting it repaired, you lose time, and you are necessarily dependent on an external service for your bike. I assume parts can be a bit more brand-specific, too, which could lead to longer wait times and more time without your bike.
Also here in Belgium, there are these "speed pedelecs" which are basically upgraded e-bikes that go up to 45km/h (27mph). These often share the bike path with regular bikes and are thus quite dangerous. I see this as a potentially problematic path of evolution especially in North America, since these pedelecs basically enable car mentality on bike paths. They have some prerequisites for being able to ride them though - insurance and license plate, special helmet, and an existing license for a motor vehicle (and a deep wallet!). In my opinion these are not bikes anymore even when they are legitimately treated as such.
Furthermore, I do believe e-bikes are cheating a bit in the sense that they are greenwashing in a way. Batteries are not made from renewable resources and their production have a large impact on our environment. Yet we are made to believe they are the final solution, the dethroning of automobiles.
I recently got my bike converted to electric and have been loving it. I live in a within a few miles of all the places I usually go (apart from work) but all the hills we have discouraged me from riding except on occasion for recreation. Now, my bike has replaced my car for a number of trips. And going on recreational rides is super fun.
Cheating applies to games & competitions. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.
I sold my car and went completely e-bike last year and live in NC. I have had a great time and my quads have gotten huge with just pedaling it. It's the same as biking you just go further for the same amount of power. I personally try to do 15-20 miles a day. I've already saved around 9k with going completely e-bike and it's paid itself off multiple times. Any time I've needed a car, I simply rent one. I did a Pedego podcast interview if you're curious about how it's worked out. Riding Along with Autism-Piedmont Pedego is the title of the interview and I go pretty in depth about commuting with e-bikes.
If you do find yourself weighing in on the e-bike question for people who ask you, it behooves you to ride a bike with a torque-sensing motor controller. AFAIK, all the bike-share bikes use the much-lower-cost cadence-activated motor controllers, which simply turn the motor on or off based on pedal movement. The exact level of boost is often selectable by the rider, but it's a manual operation.
Higher-end bikes use strain gauges on the pedal cranks to determine the exact amount of torque the rider is providing, and scale the motor boost accordingly. The user will still select a "level of boost", but in these systems, the boost is generally some fixed percentage of the rider's own torque. For example, Bosch offers four levels of boost: 50%, 120%, 190%, and 275% of whatever torque the rider is providing.
IMHO, these kinds of controllers are much more intuitive and they feel way more like a regular bike. The cadence based systems always seem to be doing the opposite of whatever I want something like 80% of the time. If I want to gradually slow down, I'm still pedaling, but the motor is boosting at its full power setting. If I want the motor to work harder with me, I have to manually increase the boost, otherwise pedaling harder just means I'm doing more of the work percentage-wise than the motor is.
With the torque-sensing controllers, the bike is always just following my lead, providing a much more natural feel to the riding experience. No one should ever give any but the most vague advice about e-bikes unless they have experienced the difference first-hand.
These people who dislike e-bikes need to contemplate that there are people with pulmonary disabilities for whom a regular bike would be impossible. An e-bike would allow them to get out of their car and enjoy the outdoors without having to over exert themselves and be unable to breathe having to stop constantly to catch their breath. That's not just "old people" either.
For me at least, e-bikes allowed me to get on two wheels much more often than if I only had a traditional bike. Because of that, I probably get more exercise with an e-bike than without one!
@6:45 that is Prince Arthur, a strictly pedestrian walkway. It has tons of signage telling people to walk their bikes but there is nearly zero compliance. I can't count the near misses I have as a pedestrian. There lots of protected bike lanes but cyclists here want no restrictions. As you say they go even faster than regular bikes.
I have owned and E-bike for three years. Mine doesn't have a throttle. You have to pedal to make it go. The motor just gives you a power boost when you need or want it. Therefore, I don't believe it's cheating. I have other bikes in my fleet and none of them have motors. I have my e-bike set up as a cargo bike and use it to carry heavier loads. It also makes hills much easier. I strongly advise people to keep their regular bike if the buy an e-bike, though. e-bikes are heavier and have a limited range. They don't let you take them on busses like regular bikes. (at least in my area).When I want to go on a long ride I will usually go with my road, or touring/gravel bike for this reason. My E-bike has a maximum speed of 30kph. On flat ground I am actually faster on my road bike, but it is more work.
One other thought about e-bikes it that they are more complicated mechanically. I personally really like the simplicity of a bicycle and the possibility to do all my own maintenance. It's cool to me that because of it's simplicity, a bike can work a long time with very little maintenance! Of course, for some people that extra cost and complexity can be worth it because it enables them to use a bike when it would have been difficult otherwise.
Also not to mention that some people don't want to be that involved with their machines. I'm not a handy person, and I know nothing about bikes or their repairs, and I honestly don't want to learn. It's just not a priority for me.
My e-bike kit doesn't complicate by bike much. I installed it myself. When there was a controller issue this fall, I was sent the part and replaced it in about 10 minutes. Some can be complex, but mine isn't much harder to deal with than regular bike.
The e-parts don't add much maintenance in my experience. There's very few moving parts.
I used an e bike as my primary vehicle and racked up ~2000 miles. I found it needed very little maintenance with single speed + hub motor. Being able to not have a derailleur is pretty nice for maintenance
@@cordeep Awesome. Mine's a 7-speed, but that's still one fewer derailleur than my mountain bike, and I don't feel like I lack for ratios. Between switching gears and adjusting the assist level I can usually find a comfortable combination. I've got a bit over 100 miles on it so far, so I'm just getting started, but it's a nice way to commute.
E-bikes are not cheating, certainly not pedelecs anyway. I personally choose to stick with a human-powered bike, but I'm not getting any younger, and if I reach a point where riding a regular bike isn't feasible, a pedelec will be in my future. It's a personal choice for anyone who uses one, and it sure beats a car!
E-bike videos led me to watch and learn a lot from Not just bikes, Alan, city beautiful, shifter, you guys and many other Urbanist channels...
BIXI ebikes are great for going uphill into Westmount or Downtown from St-Henri; we have steep (but thankfully short) hills to go up! And then I take a regular BIXI back home. I love having that option available to me!
Going uphill is really the reason why I bought an ebike. I could cycle using regular mountain bike for long distance but i could only do half when the road mostly goes uphill.
The only real problem I see with e-bikes is what I’d call the speed to fitness ratio. Here in Germany an e-bike with motor assist up to 25 kph is considered a regular bike, so allowed on bike paths/ lanes. 25-45 does exist, but they’re pretty pointless, since they’re basically like a moped, so you have to use the road. Of course all e-bikes go up to this exact limit. Now, 25 isn’t crazy fast. When I was fit, I’d usually be around 30 in inner city traffic. But in my experience, the average speed on a city bike lane is more around 15-20. It took me a few months of very regular biking to reach a point where I started being faster then average. This gave me time to get comfortable, to know where to overtake and how to spot dangerous situations. Me buying an e-bike now wouldn’t change much about my behavior, except my comfort.
But people like me aren’t the target audience for e-bikes. The majority of e-bikes are bought by elderly people and/ or people who haven’t ridden a bike for a long time. 25 is quite fast if you’re not used to biking, especially in city traffic. Unsurprisingly accidents and fatalities involving e-bikes have been rapidly going up for years. I think the concept of e-biking is great. But why do these bikes need to go faster then an average bike?
If the purpose is getting up a hill and to just have it easier, I’d say around 15-18 kph top speed would be much better. Sadly most bikes don’t even give you the option to lower the limit, but let’s be honest, few people have the self-reflection to do that anyways. I’m not sure I’d have it in 40 years.
Sadly the regulations are in place and I don’t think they’ll change anytime soon. So for now, if you want to buy an e-bike and haven’t ridden a bike for a long time. Just take it slow and get used to it first.
_"accidents and fatalities involving e-bikes have been rapidly going up for years"_ -- the extra speed might contribute slightly, but mainly the reason there are more accidents is that there are more riders. E-bikes open the door for cycling as transportation to way more people than would have been using them otherwise.
And frankly, it's very difficult statistically to tease out the difference between a higher number of inexperienced riders on the trails and roads, and a slightly higher average speed over all riders.
Part of the hate towards ebikes might also come from the type of biking culture in the US and Canada. It’s predominately centred around sports and recreation. E-bikes partially "take away" from those activities (though the popularity of electric MTBs shows this might not be the case). The vast majority of E bikes are addressing a type of biking that's not (yet) too common in the US.
One thing I'd say is many e-bikes do have a throttle but are still clearly meant to be primarily pedalled rather than used with the throttle (and at least in Canada, the motor is still locked at 20 or 32 kph which are the legal limit for class 1 and 2 e-bikes), and to me that's just fine. I find the higher levels of pedal assist to be pretty jarring so I keep pedal assist low and sometimes use the throttle when starting from a stop, or when climbing hills. I don't see much reason not to put a throttle on it if it's got a motor locked to the same speed either way.
Then again, my e-bike was a replacement for a regular bike, so I naturally use it just like I did my regular bike. Someone with different experiences whose first instinct is to throttle up to max speed all the time in bike lanes would be a nuisance and a danger.
An e-bike is a vehicle. I want to get from A to B quickly, and having fun on the way is a bonus. Taking the bike means not using a car while also getting exercise
I got a Copenhagen wheel in the before-times to avoid the slow bus service on either side of a commuter-train trip to and from work. It was nice to not show up to work sweaty and be able to keep up with traffic on the road, but there was no way I was gonna leave it out on the street. Maybe I'm just paranoid, I dunno. It made the bike a lot heavier, which was a pain when carrying it up or down any stairs I had to traverse. The best part was being able to take it off when it no longer worked for me (The skinny rim was the only option and I put it on a mountain bike, which severely hampered any off-road capability). Unfortunately I can't even get half what I paid for it new, and I got it on sale...
I have COPD, bad knees and other health issues. I am able to ride 5 miles a day with my ebike. I also have 300' of elevation change in that 5 miles. Everyone I have talked to are riding longer with their ebike. I have a Hipeak Elias, it handles my weight and folds nicely into our Scamp trailer.
As someone who uses a bike in place of a car, my main concern is reliability. I can repair a snapped chain or a flat tire, but you can't do roadside repairs on an electric motor. An e-bike allows you to travel farther and over more challenging grades than you might otherwise attempt on an acoustic bike, so if the motor fails in the middle of your trip, it could leave you with a very long journey home.
Not worth worrying about, _at all_. The electric motor is by far the most reliable part of the bike. You are going to have some other mechanical failure long before the motor gives out. You probably have a higher chance of some other mechanical failure that still disables the bike and requires you to call someone for a ride (come on...very few people are riding away from infrastructure, and/or without a way to call for help..."long journey home"? that's a crock).