e-bikes

Right said:
I used to love to ride a bike but when I moved to NC where it's hilly I quickly gave it up. Not just the hills themselves but the roads here are narrow and riders are killed routinely by dumbass drivers. Plus I have a dog so getting exercise involves the mutt and that means hiking through the woods here, and that has proven to be very enjoyable.

Now that my dog is nearing 16 years she tires out after only a mile I'm starting to think about riding again. E-bikes have really taken off and with electric assist for the hills one of the issues with riding is going away. If I buy a fat tire bike I can do trail riding so the traffic issue goes away.

There's a company in Seattle that makes what they call a Rad Rover with a 750 watt wheel motor for $1500. It only weighs 60 pounds and will do 28 mph on the flats and on a 15% grade like we have a lot of here still do a respectable 8.

I'm comparing that with a Raleigh Electric that costs significantly more but has a mid drive Bosch motor. However it's only 350 watts. And they are all sold out on their website.

I like the mid drive system but the price of the wheel motor is difficult to ignore.
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My daugher & son n-law lived in Goldsboro for a few years......

That leftest bike made by commie Seattle west coasters seems like the better deal, but w/ shipping is the local bike more competitive??

Topping out @ 28 MPH(the site says top speed of 20 MPH is certainly faster then peddling but will it help you get out of the way of the texting/drunken locals??

Do the local trails allow motorized??

Have you considered a scooter for small motorcycle-street legal??
 
Bill said:
My daugher & son n-law lived in Goldsboro for a few years......

That leftest bike made by commie Seattle west coasters seems like the better deal, but w/ shipping is the local bike more competitive??

Topping out @ 28 MPH(the site says top speed of 20 MPH is certainly faster then peddling but will it help you get out of the way of the texting/drunken locals??

Do the local trails allow motorized??

Have you considered a scooter for small motorcycle-street legal??
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Leftist bike? Shipping is free if I assemble it, which I would prefer to do anyway.

These things are allowed wherever bikes are. That's the purpose of a fatty. If I wanted a road bike I'd get one of those.

If I wanted a motorcycle I'd get one.
 
Right said:
Leftist bike? Shipping is free if I assemble it, which I would prefer to do anyway.

These things are allowed wherever bikes are. That's the purpose of a fatty. If I wanted a road bike I'd get one of those.

If I wanted a motorcycle I'd get one.
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So it will be strictly off road then??
 
Right said:
She's been a great dog, grew up with my kids and I like to think helped them to learn compassion and responsibility for those who are dependent on others. He favorite is hiking in the Blue Ridge and last weekend we did just under two miles and she made it without having to be carried. I had to help her a bit on some of the bigger rocks. This is at our waypoint, elevation about 5000 feet. The BRP is visible in the background under her chin.
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That is one happy dog! Nice! Very nice!
 
Bill said:
So it will be strictly off road then??
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I have a small house in a resort area. We have both paved roads with little traffic, unpaved roads, and unpaved bike trails. We also have a ski slope that is open all summer to hikers and mountain bikes.
 
Right said:
I have a small house in a resort area. We have both paved roads with little traffic, unpaved roads, and unpaved bike trails. We also have a ski slope that is open all summer to hikers and mountain bikes.
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Sounds nice... I was joking about the leftist & you had mentioned traffic in the OP...

It has 7 gears as well which should be helpful.....

Have fun w/ it.......
 
Bill said:
Sounds nice... I was joking about the leftist & you had mentioned traffic in the OP...

It has 7 gears as well which should be helpful.....

Have fun w/ it.......
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I was in Seattle a few months ago visiting friends. They are hardly leftists. In fact they live about a mile from Rad Cycle's only store. I've asked her to give it a look and take it for a test ride. The hills around there are fairly steep and should test the thing out.

Traffic is why I don't ride around here, where I live during the week.
 
A good normal bike can set you back 1500 easily. 1500 is not bad at all for an ebike. I considered one for my commute bit eventually decided to get a scooter instead.
 
Ronald Reagan said:
A good normal bike can set you back 1500 easily. 1500 is not bad at all for an ebike. I considered one for my commute bit eventually decided to get a scooter instead.
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Electric or gas? I've always considered scooters kinda gaye. Can't really keep up with traffic and can't use a bike lane. Plus you have to have an outside place to store them, or a garage.

With an E bike you can use the bike lane and store it inside a building to keep it from getting stolen. These things weigh about 60# so can even be dragged up a flight of stairs.
 
Right said:
Electric or gas? I've always considered scooters kinda gaye. Can't really keep up with traffic and can't use a bike lane. Plus you have to have an outside place to store them, or a garage.

With an E bike you can use the bike lane and store it inside a building to keep it from getting stolen. These things weigh about 60# so can even be dragged up a flight of stairs.
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150cc scooter, so it can keep up with traffic. I ruled out the 50cc scooters that can only go 30mph, though I had to get a motorcycle license. If it looks gay, that's a plus to me. It's more practical for commuting than a motorcycle - storage under the seat, CVT transmission, no manual shifter that would scuff my work shoes. Although after taking curves with a motorcycle I kind of want to get one of those too.
 
Anyway I wasn't saying that a scooter was right for you or better than an ebike. It wouldn't make any sense for your situation because you'd get no exercise. I just was interested in an ebike for commuting and decided against it. I'd still like to get an ebike at one point.
 
Also anything that can go above 20mph technically has to be titled and such, it's considered a class 3 ebike. I doubt anyone's ever going to call you on it though.
 
Ronald Reagan said:
150cc scooter, so it can keep up with traffic. I ruled out the 50cc scooters that can only go 30mph, though I had to get a motorcycle license. If it looks gay, that's a plus to me. It's more practical for commuting than a motorcycle - storage under the seat, CVT transmission, no manual shifter that would scuff my work shoes. Although after taking curves with a motorcycle I kind of want to get one of those too.
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I commuted into Boston for three summers on a 650cc Kawasaki. At least three times fellow car drivers tried to murder me, in a rage at my relative freedom and manliness compared with their dull lives. Without the high performance bike I probably wouldn't be here typing. I always rode with boots and a leather jacket, and carried decent shoes and apparel for my work as an technical designer.
 
Right said:
I commuted into Boston for three summers on a 650cc Kawasaki. At least three times fellow car drivers tried to murder me, in a rage at my relative freedom and manliness compared with their dull lives. Without the high performance bike I probably wouldn't be here typing. I always rode with boots and a leather jacket, and carried decent shoes and apparel for my work as an technical designer.
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They do get a bit jealous on the expressway huh?
 
No. I'm going to wait until I no longer have my dog. I suspect 6 months to a year. And the longer I wait, the better these bikes will get.
 
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