I am officially an old man (an e-bike convert, years ahead of schedule) Metakoo, Jetson Bolt Pro

[MetroMPG]

A friend recently loaned me the above bike. It's a 48v 500w machine with both a throttle and pedal assist. (Details: "Rad Power Bikes" RadExpand model.)

I just finished 3 weeks with it, and while I always thought I would EVENTUALLY get an e-bike (when I got old), I can see how one works in my life RIGHT NOW.

My previous only long-term exposure to e-bikes was when my parents had this 24v, 200w lead-acid machine a hundred years ago:



Thread: New hybrid in the family: e-bike by Schwinn ... or Currie

It was pretty terrible, partly because the bicycle was terrible: single speed. Technology wasn't great either (battery chemistry, power, range).

----

The newer Rad bike is better technology, but it's a pig -- 75 lbs!!

The weight is its biggest problem - it's almost unusable as a regular (non-powered) bicycle on anything other than flat land. But even at that weight, its electric range & power makes it a practical car replacement for local trips.

I thought an e-bike would make me lazy -- it definitely has that potential! But at least during the honeymoon phase, I still rode my regular bike for regular bike types of trips.

The e-bike got used for trips where instead I would have taken the car (eg. if I'm pressed for time, or if I've already done a normal amount of errands on my regular bike and/or I'm tuckered out.)

I'm doing so many short trips for my aging folks lately that an e-bike clearly makes sense. It's more fun, more efficient & more exercise. (Even if I'm only contributing 50% of the motive power on the e-bike, that's 100% more exercise than I would be getting in a car.)

I've told so many people about it that two relatives have gone out & bought their own.

My brother just bought this cheap 36v Walmart MTB style e-bike:



I've ridden it a bunch this week, and it's a much better e-bike than the Rad, mostly because it's a slightly better bike. (Even though it's basically a lowest-bidder built machine.)



What I mean is it's lighter (50 lbs), more maneuverable, and is easier to contribute muscle power to the mix. Though it's far from perfect - gearing is all wrong, the lowest pedal assist level is TOO powerful, and it needs a rear rack to carry things (easily fixed).

So now I'm looking for a good deal on a MTB style e-bike. Of course me being me, I can't just buy a new one. I'm on the hunt for a deal.

[Should be biking]

Awesome!
I don’t think this makes you an old man at all. With a basket on it you’ll be running all kinds of errands with it. For me the ebike was the difference between telling myself that next time I’ll do that trip by bike to now running pretty much all solo errands around town on my ebike and ebiking to work almost every day.
Cheers!

[freebeard]

I'm years ahead of schedule, too.

What I really need is an Acrimoto MLM, but they're maybe a year away from production. If I get an FUV I'm just settling for what I can get this quarter.

.
rostelecomu.ru/uploads/posts/2022-02/arcimoto-nachinaet-priem-predzakazov-na-neobychnyj-pedalnyj-jelektrobajk-mlm-jelektromobili-2.png

[redpoint5]

I rode a top of the line e-mountain bike recently. Still a workout even though it was doing 80% of the lifting. Mostly a workout because I'm so out of shape. Still, something's better than nothing.

I've been so lazy since getting a mini Segway, and even moreso getting that EUC from Iamian. I ride that thing every day, sometimes only to the mailbox.

I don't think E-bikes will be a net-detriment to health so long as people don't use the no-pedal modes. If you have to pedal, there's always incentive to put in effort.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Still, something's better than nothing.

That was my brother's rationale for getting his: not to replace car trips, but for exercise. He has a pedal bike leaning against his fence that hasn't moved for a couple of years. So ANY exercise he gets on the e-bike (incentive: it's more fun) is excercise he wouldn't otherwise get. He lives out in the country by a lake with lots of scenic cottage roads to explore. So far, so good.

I don't think E-bikes will be a net-detriment to health so long as people don't use the no-pedal modes. If you have to pedal, there's always incentive to put in effort.

Interestingly, NONE of the the 4 current "Hyper" brand Walmart e-bikes have throttles; you have to pedal to get assist, even if you just "spin" the cranks and don't contribute meaningfully to your motion.

I rode a top of the line e-mountain bike recently. Still a workout even though it was doing 80% of the lifting. Mostly a workout because I'm so out of shape.

Just for $#its and giggles I took my brother's Walmart bike to my weekend MTB group ride. It's a bad mountain bike, but it was silly fun blasting up climbs and passing my friends. And it was still a good workout - actually MORE of an upper body workout because it's almost 2x the weight of my old MTB, so I actually got blisters on my hands from manhandling the thing for the usual hour and a bit ride.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I don't think E-bikes will be a net-detriment to health so long as people don't use the no-pedal modes. If you have to pedal, there's always incentive to put in effort.

The thing about the MLM is that it will double as an indoor exercycle. One will be able to use the charge to browse Ecomodder.

It doesn't have a no-pedal mode.

[The Toecutter]

If you REALLY want to up your credibility as an "old man", you need an electric-assist recumbent tricycle, with full suspension. Almost everyone I've seen riding such a contraption is of retirement age or older. Hardly anyone else can afford one.

I have one. I consider myself "old", really am middle aged, and random strangers think they're looking at a teenager or college student. A number of people thought I was physically disabled for riding this thing only to get weirded out when they see me get off and walk. There's a high "WTF?" factor there with an electric recumbent trike. You can't go wrong.

Also, get a Jitterbug phone, start wearing highwater jeans, eat hard candy, and talk about your colon polyps test results!

[MetroMPG]

Ha! I'm halfway there! I already have a semi-recumbent pedal bike...



There was a "real" 2-wheel recumbent (pedals ahead of the front wheel) advertised locally just 2 days ago, and I was sorely tempted.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by freebeard

The thing about the MLM is that it will double as an indoor exercycle. One will be able to use the charge to browse Ecomodder.

I've literally done this! Home-made bike generator years ago.

I'm sure the MLM will be far more efficient than what I kludged together.

[The Toecutter]

Fully recumbent 2-wheelers are difficult to ride. I'd recommend saving up and getting a trike. You could build a velomobile out of it and get the equivalent of thousands of MPG.

That's what I did to mine. Best of all, I designed it to where it is fully operable as a "bicycle" if I shut the motor off, and the body was slippery enough that even at 91 lbs weight for the complete vehicle and with the motor imposing cogging torque losses, when disabling the motor I could maintain rolling averages significantly faster than I could with a normal bicycle for a given pedal effort in a hilly area.

Mine used 8-10 Wh/mile with the shell @ 30-35 mph riding speeds, but without the shell, energy consumption for the same riding conditions is about 40 Wh/mile when I tested it last month.

If I can sort-of replicate the slipperiness of my Milan SL velomobile for my next design, and perhaps end up with twice the Milan's CdA after I make concessions to practicality, I think 5 Wh/mile @ 30-35 mph is possible, as well as 20-25 Wh/mile @ 70 mph(once the vehicle is set up for cruising at that speed, that is).

A normal electric bike can do 30-40 Wh/mile @ 30 mph, but double that speed to 60 mph and it quickly gets into the triple digit Wh/mile territory or close to it thanks to drag.

What kind of Wh/mile figures have you gotten with each of those e-bikes you've ridden?