Anyone else watching YouTubes of the fantastically awesome flood of e bikes hitting the market? Holy shit! They're in some gray zone between a bicycle (they have pedals) and a dirt motorcycle (they have power).

To ride a dirt motorcycle, I have to haul it to someplace an hour away and then it's all carved up, limited in space, and noisy. With an e bike I could ride from my house, hit the mountain bike trails, climb hills I can't climb on my current MTB, and have a blast. They remind me of the downhill mountain bikes I love to rent at ski resorts, except with these you get to ride back up instead of taking a lift.

Anybody own one? Tempted?

Some people think you have to be old and/or out of shape to ride an ebike but I'm definitely not slow on a regular bike and have many Strava KOM's to back that claim. So why would I buy an ebike if I'm one of the faster cyclists around? Well that's what I thought but then...a friend of mine who owns a motorcycle dealership started selling ebikes. He got a couple other friends of mine to buy some and convinced me into taking a ride (then three) on his 150mm fully suspended e mountain bike. The riding we did was in some serious mountains with steep ascents, gnarly descents and lots of technical sections. On one of the rides it was snowy, wet, muddy and I had an absolute blast. By the second ride I was thinking about getting one for myself and by the third ride I was sold on them and ordered one for myself. While $5500 or so for a bicycle may seem steep but it's cheap compared to the many dirt bikes I've purchased, and also cheaper than the cross country mountain bike I own. I own around 16 bicycles and 6 dirt bikes and with all of the choices of things to ride and buy I decided to go for a new ebike. Why? Well the wide tired, fully suspended ebikes I've ridden feel more like dirt bikes some days than riding a bicycle. I have access to way more trails than I would on my dirt bike. It's way simpler, less maintenance, cheaper and easier to find other people to ride with. I have way more variety of places I can ride it than my dirt bike and I could even use it to commute to work on. Another advantage of an ebike is that you can go do some hard/fun riding on days where your legs are toast from previous rides. It also levels the playing field with friends who are faster, slower, more tired or less tired than you. We can all now go riding without the worry of who will have to wait for whom. Add to this that I still love riding regular bikes and therefore want to stay in pedalling shape and you have plenty of reasons to go for the ebike.

A friend of mine rides his ebike in the mountains during the winter. Most of the time we ride studded fat bikes here in the winter but an ebike (whether fat tired or not) is a good alternative to that. It's just so fun to be able to cover so much ground in such a short time.

I ordered a 2018 Bull's e-stream Evo AM 4. My friend's own a variety of Bull's and Haibike's. Both companies make great bikes but the Bull's seems better value. There are plenty of great bikes out there and the technology is developing very quickly.

Here's a link to my favourite e mountain bike channel:

You should add ebiking to the topics list :)

I'm tempted by this - https://ridecake.com/shop/bikes/kalk/

But probably going to wait a couple years for the price to (hopefully) subside.

Surprising that even on a tight course which is mostly flatish a very good rider on an e bike beats the world champion on a regular mountain bike. Incredible to watch them race:

What is the deal with class 1, class 2 & class 3 bikes? You get throttle control on class 2 and higher speed on class 3 but they are less likely to remain trail legal?

I've easily beaten the fastest time of elite riders on mountain bike trails while on an ebike. They put out 250watts of steady power and higher than that for short periods.

The speed limit laws for ebikes varies from country to country. The overall power restrictions and battery sizes also varies. Some of the backcountry law efforcers I've talked to in Alberta, Canada don't even know or understand the differences between the various ebikes. Certainly no throttle is allowed on mtn bike trails. Currently ebikes are not allowed in our provincial parks but they are allowed on crown land. It'll take time for people to get used to and accept ebikes. I'd say it's a bit like when road bikes came out with disc brakes and many people in the pro peleton feared them.

Wife and I have Ebikes and we love them. Big comfortable bikes that are a joy to ride with an upright seating position, feet forward and swept back bars. She has a bad neck and can’t ride in the road bike position.

With peddle assist the power overcomes the weight and riding position. We can go out for hours and cover distance on comfortable bikes that could not do that sans the power-

They’re like magic- I’ve been on two wheels my whole life and I love to ride- bikes, ebikes- motorcycles- it’s all good!!

Definitely cool but it's an electric motorcycle rather than an ebike as in electric bicycle. Such a nascent industry so there is lots of variety out there and it's pretty interesting to follow the industry's development.

I stopped into a bike dealer this morning to start getting educated before I plunk down a boatload of benjamins on one of these things. (I’ve been thinking about getting one for years, but finding the perfect motorcycle has been a higher priority. I’ve finally got that buttoned down now, so I’m back to looking at ebikes.) I’d appreciate any advice.

One question that comes to mind: How difficult is it to heft one of these on and off a bicycle carrier?

e mountain bikes with full suspension are around 50lbs. Without suspension they are a fair bit lighter. Commute or street ebikes are lighter still, though it varies. Do you know what type of bike you want? Mountain bike? Street hybrid? Commuting? Hard tail mountain bike? Cargo carrying ebike? Cruiser?

I'd suggest searching ebike reviews on Youtube. There are a number of good Youtube reviews on a wide assortment of ebikes. I'd check out a number of major ebike distributors in your city and commit to test riding a few of them at several shops before laying down your hard earned money. Major brands and motors will have parts available in the future if something breaks or wears out. Smaller companies may have an initial lower price (though not necessarily) but this may cost you in the end.

Some places rent ebikes and that might be a good way to get to know what features you like and dislike or don't need.

I got spoiled riding my regular old bike on a fantastic urban route that winds its way through Walnut Creek, CA many years ago. There is nothing that comes close to the beauty and variety of that WC trail here in the Salt Lake Valley, but I’m going to have to get past that. :(

I currently live next to a paved trail that runs right along the light rail route. (Ugh.) This is what I plan to ride over the next few winter months to get out of the office chair and into the fresh air. If I get to where I can’t stand the boring light rail trail, I’m going to have to heft the bike onto a carrier and hit the road in search of some variety.

Eventually (when the weather warms up), I’d like to take the bike off-pavement. I’m kind of torn—should I get an entry level cruiser for the urban ride this winter, and then trade up to something more all-around when the weather warms up? (Kind of like starting on my 650cc, then to the 800cc, and now the 1000cc?) Or should I go for the gusto right off the bat?

Hmmm...

If I were you I'd try to find something that is versatile enough to handle both things. You don't want to try to sell a used ebike. Depending on how flexible you are and how upright you prefer to be when riding... Again I suggest you take a few different types for a test ride. Renting one is an even better option. Some bike shops even rent the same bikes they sell. This would be ideal because you can really see which ones are likely to work for you.

If the bike has large tires you can always change those from road to off road tires. The larger size tires will make it fairly comfortable even without suspension.

Considerations:

cost, battery power or kwh, fit, rider position, belt or chain drive, motor brand, aesthetic appeal, component level, suspension or not, bike shop support, warranty, build quality, resale value...

Keep in mind that older model bicycles or ebikes drop in price about 15-20% each year. If for example the 2019 models are out then the bike shop will usually drop the 2018 models by 15% or so. This is standard practice and don't think that it means they are giving you a super good deal. Some shops also overstate the original retail price to make you think they are giving you a better deal than you think. With most big shops selling big name bikes, this isn't really much of an issue. Just be sure to check around as the same bike is often for sale in another shop. Bike shops also usually carry a lot of their stock in another location or at least out of view. The 2019 bikes are just starting to come out so there won't be the largest selection now, though there should be some good deals on bikes that they want to clear out to make way for the 2019 models.

This guy does lots of ebike reviews.

Very helpful info. Thank you!

Are there any exceptions in Canada? I'm wondering how that works for someone like me who rides class 1 ebikes but also has a ton of medical documentation showing I couldn't ride without the pedal assist.

Very interesting question and one I don't know the answer for. All I know if that beyond the speed limit you have to have a special licence and are restricted in many areas. I would guess that if you were being safe and following the rules the officer would take your physical situation into consideration and give you an exemption. Of course that still doesn't answer your question.

Since Ducati collaborated with Thok Ebikes to develop their own, I'm inclined to say that they might be more fun. 😀

I started young riding both mountain bikes and dirt bikes into my twenties and I must say, this feels like a match made in heaven. I love the agility of a mountain bike, but there's something about looking up at a commanding hill, shrugging it off and just twisting the throttle.

Thanks so much for sharing those resources. I decided on a Trek Dual Sport+ and took it out for the maiden voyage this morning. Fantastic. I think this bike is going to save my sanity this winter.

Pics!! This thread has convinced me to buy an ebike for my wife for Christmas. She rides her old & busted bicycle on errands all the time but she's range and time limited. I think she'd go crazy over a new ebike.

Here's me having fun on my ebike last weekend:

If you're going going to stay on paved trails, what about one of the 250W front hub conversions? They're as simple as replacing the front wheel. I have a bad knee from a motorcycle accident back in the mid-90's and can only pedal 5-10 miles before it gives out and I can't even stand. I finally bought a front hub motor with a battery good for about 20 miles this Fall and my wife is pleased because we can go on long rides again.