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Tell us about your Ebike

SandRdr

Lost
Joined
Feb 10, 2022
Member Number
585
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456
Location
WNC/CFL
This ebike got my ass off the couch and back in the woods enjoying bicycling.

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What's the story with your ebike?
 
I don’t have one, But I’d love to try one, I’ve been keeping a eye on the development of them. I can see having a e commuter and e mountain bike as my only bikes at some point in the future.
 
I borrowed one from a friend, it was quite refreshing. Not in tip top shape, no problem, just dial in some more assist, rode to far and regretting the return trip, hit the throttle and "coast" until you have the energy to peddle.
 
I had a couple friends who had been talking about getting ebikes for many years. So I decided to pull the trigger on. A Specialized Turbo Levo. It was really fun and got me riding more. I was hoping I could get the friends to buy one too but they were all talk. It was not real fun riding with other acoustic bikes. So I sold the bike after a year. Fortunately, pandemic crazy bike sales were going on and I was able to sell it for what I paid for it.


If I had a job where I just needed to bring a lunch with me and show up. I would definitely have a commuter ebike.
 
Bought this Focus Jam² off a dirt bike buddy when he bought a Levo

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The factory suspension sucked, so swap out to an MRP Ribbon Coil fork and DVO shock.

Running a DIY battery extender, gets me around 20 ish miles of range. The stock internal battery is good for about 12.

On my old 5010 I could do maybe 5 miles before I was done, so it is nice to be able to check out more of my local riding areas now.
 
I had a couple friends who had been talking about getting ebikes for many years. So I decided to pull the trigger on. A Specialized Turbo Levo. It was really fun and got me riding more. I was hoping I could get the friends to buy one too but they were all talk. It was not real fun riding with other acoustic bikes. So I sold the bike after a year. Fortunately, pandemic crazy bike sales were going on and I was able to sell it for what I paid for it.


If I had a job where I just needed to bring a lunch with me and show up. I would definitely have a commuter ebike.

Wow that bike is a huge commitment of $. My Paselec G9 is not nearly as capable as your specialized. The G9 was $850 shipped to my door and is adequate for what I need atm.
 
Wow that bike is a huge commitment of $. My Paselec G9 is not nearly as capable as your specialized. The G9 was $850 shipped to my door and is adequate for what I need atm.

Yeah, I am a long time racer/bike shop employee and used to what some bikes cost. The easiest way I can compare it is like wine. Dont get used to the good stuff, you can never go back. But one glass of the good stuff, you can’t really tell the difference. Just like you can buy a $1000 brand new dirtbike off of Amazon or a $13,000 KTM from a dealer. When selling bikes, it was always a tough concept to talk about. Sometimes, there would be a $2000 difference between 2 bikes and the more ex one might get a couple extra knobs on the suspension and a special coating on the sliders.
 
I understand completely! Living in MTB mecca of WNC, you couldn't find a bike last year! The LBS would sure take a deposit though...
 
I have Specialized Kenevo on order and should have it next week.
The plan is to use it mostly for the trail systems that use gravel roads to climb and trails to ride back down.
It will be interesting to see if I have enough will power to ride my analog bikes on the more cross country trails that I tend to enjoy.
 
I have Specialized Kenevo on order and should have it next week.
The plan is to use it mostly for the trail systems that use gravel roads to climb and trails to ride back down.
It will be interesting to see if I have enough will power to ride my analog bikes on the more cross country trails that I tend to enjoy.

My analog bike is in process of being converted to electric!

What I've found is that I tend to ride much further with the ebike, so more hours on the bike with a lower exertion level per mile.
 
Got out for a spin with the SO in the Orange groves of central FL.

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Yep, the sand kicked my ass! Luckily there wasn't much sand, 9 miles rt.
 
I doubt the E will increase the hours a week I ride by much, since I am retired and ride as often as I want. but right now most of my riding is solo, so I am hoping to add a social aspect back into my pedaling.
 
My powerfly. It doesn't look so pretty now. I've got a little over 5000 miles on it, mostly commuting miles and about 5-10% trail. I just took the studded tires off on Sunday and am enjoying a quieter ride today.

I bought it to help rehab a broken ankle that added some stainless to my collection. I was non-weight bearing for a full 12 weeks and muscle mass in my right calf was down about 70%. I found it so enjoyable that I was willing to tackle my 30+ mile round trip commute. With a little detour I can hit as many as three different trail systems on the way home. I love getting dirt time two or three times a week rather than waiting for that occasional weekend that I can put a dirt bike in my truck and haul it an hour or two to the nearest trails.

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Does anyone have any experience with these and using them on really steep hills or really long hills?

I have a cargo van that I won't need anymore 6 months from now. I'd like to sell it and replace it with an ebike for commuting. Here's a screenshot of the route:

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The Google says it's 10 miles total. The section along the river is a nice flat dedicated bike path, but the highlighted section at the top is really really steep and the highlighted section at the bottom is one long hill.

My only experience with electric personal transportation are these rideshare public scooters we have here called scoobi scooters. My fiance and I (we're both small people, so combined we are about the weight of one overweight adult man) hopped on one downtown and tried to ride it home. It claimed a full charge with 20 miles of range, but when we hit that steep section of road it didn't even have the power to keep us moving uphill. We had to turn around and take a longer shallower grade home. In less than 3-4 miles we had completely drained the battery and had to walk the last half mile.

Should I expect similar usage from an ebike and plan on getting one with as massive a battery as possible? I can charge at work and at home so I really only need enough to get me 1 way.

I know I'll have to pedal, but I want it to be easy pedaling! Years ago I worked in a cube farm next to a guy who biked to work. He was usually gross, sweaty, and smelly when he arrived. I don't want to be that guy!
 
Does anyone have any experience with these and using them on really steep hills or really long hills?

I have a cargo van that I won't need anymore 6 months from now. I'd like to sell it and replace it with an ebike for commuting. Here's a screenshot of the route:

Screenshot_20220406-083023-352.png



The Google says it's 10 miles total. The section along the river is a nice flat dedicated bike path, but the highlighted section at the top is really really steep and the highlighted section at the bottom is one long hill.

My only experience with electric personal transportation are these rideshare public scooters we have here called scoobi scooters. My fiance and I (we're both small people, so combined we are about the weight of one overweight adult man) hopped on one downtown and tried to ride it home. It claimed a full charge with 20 miles of range, but when we hit that steep section of road it didn't even have the power to keep us moving uphill. We had to turn around and take a longer shallower grade home. In less than 3-4 miles we had completely drained the battery and had to walk the last half mile.

Should I expect similar usage from an ebike and plan on getting one with as massive a battery as possible? I can charge at work and at home so I really only need enough to get me 1 way.

I know I'll have to pedal, but I want it to be easy pedaling! Years ago I worked in a cube farm next to a guy who biked to work. He was usually gross, sweaty, and smelly when he arrived. I don't want to be that guy!

I know the hills you are talking about. Especially above the south side there. Your end point looks like Bettis Labs. That is on top of a pretty big elevation change from river level. I would suggest renting a true ebike. One that has a mid drive motor. The scooter you rented is a hub drive, they are really bad at hills.

Chris, the owner of Thick Bikes in South Side is a friend. He is extremely honest and helpful. Or Tim at Spokes in Vandergrift. Both of them are all in on ebikes.

My suggestion would be a mid drive class 3 ebike. Class 1 would be ok but some of the roads you are running, like Mifflin road, it would be nice to have the little extra speed of a class 3. It might be difficult to find a 3. Class 1 is what many of the big manufacturers are doing and it will do the job just fine.

A big battery is not necessary for a 20 mi round trip. Especially if you can charge at work. You might arrive a bit sweaty, sometimes just pedaling around the parking lot, getting some wind and cooling down, will help a lot. Even just scaling back the speed/effort, for the last mile, might help.
 
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