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E-Bikes

Unforgiven said:
Heated gloves. ;)
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I like the way you think. I need a rechargeable pair. I charge my phone and my earbuds so I can have tunes while riding. I charge my rearview camera. I charge the bike battery. Why not gloves? I need to pull a recharging trailer behind my bike. :) Seriously, heated gloves might be a great option. I was thinking wind proof gloves. Wind resistant isn't cutting it. My hands were so cold after riding yesterday that I couldn't manage to turn off the bike or camera until my fingers thawed out.
 
I last rode 12-10 with a 50° overcast day. At least there was very little wind. I managed 14 miles then gave it up for my hands were again froze. The wind chill was just below freezing. Today I was Christmas shopping and bought some new gloves. I tried some very nice ones but they were just too thick to comfortably ride with. I settled for a pair claiming to be wind and water proof that were still flexible. When it's too cold to ride with the new gloves... it's just too cold for me.
 
I was able to ride today with the temps in the mid forties. There was a 5 to 15 mph wind from the South which made it unpleasant but it was doable. My new gloves proved to be a better tool than my older riding gloves. The wind chill was around 28° While riding South but not nearly so bad on my Northern trek. My hands got cold but not frozen.
After I returned from my ride I took a temp gun readings of my fingers.
They were all at 63° and though cold they still functioned. I don't think I'll be riding with temps below forty degrees.
 
E-bikes are getting cheaper as they become more popular. With spring and summer ahead, and the desire to lose that winter / holiday weight, now would be a great time to do some R&D for some fun and exercise.

It was halfway nice today so I got the bike out. I've established a good loop to ride between my home and the next town to the South. I rode that loop three times this afternoon for a total of 27 miles. It took just over an hour to give you some idea what you can do on an E-bike. It was fun and felt fantastic to be riding.
 
It was an incredible day in doo dah. With temps in the low sixties and negligible wind, I had to put a few miles on the bike. I again rode my loop from home to the next town twice. That ride logs 17 miles. I rode the exact same loop yesterday for a total of 34 miles. After riding today I was left with one bar of five left of my battery. It's capacity has notably decreased over the almost 4 years of use. The last thing I want to do is push that 80 pound bike home. I see a replacement battery necessary this summer. I can purchase the exact battery replacement for $800 or buy the econo battery with less amp hours for $500. Either one is not a small investment. Am I upset? Not really. I fully expected the lithium battery to fail as they all do in three or four years. It's just hard for me to comprehend how fast the four years since purchase has passed.
 
It was too nice to ignore so I got the bike out and rode my 17 mile loop. It felt great to ride and I met or passed a number of other riders out enjoying the day. I wish there were more bike paths in my area. If I had a bike carrier, I'd drive to the city and enjoy their bike paths. There is one in particular that I would love to ride. It is an old railroad track that has since been removed and converted into a bike / hike path. It winds its way from the city to another town. It has to be a fun ride crossing creeks and traveling through rural country. A bike rack for my fat tire bike runs around $600 and is constructed so the bike rests on its tires vs the normal bike racks where the bike hangs. My bike is too heavy for a hanging sort of rack. Someday....
 
Unforgiven said:
I have this one for my camper but it fits a 2" reciever. I carry my FIL's hey bike with it no problem.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001VO1YY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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I haven't seriously looked for a rack. The one I've looked at that is carried by my bike manufacturer is rated to carry 200 pounds per bike and your rack only 35 pounds. My bike weighs 76 pounds. I just looked at my suggested rack again for its ratings and noticed it is now $529 but it also fits a 2" receiver.
 
I was fighting a motor shut down last fall. It was found to be a break sensor problem. Without a bike jack, I was using a house jack that I had to set and balance the bike on. I ultimately snapped a small piece off of my rear (plastic) fender in my efforts to diagnose and fix my problem. That stand would have been quite useful.
 
It was super nice here today and supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. I missed a great day for riding today but have cleared my schedule so that I can enjoy some quality time on my bike tomorrow. It's uncommon to see low seventies in February in Kansas.
 
I passed up my weekend option to ride to play a round of golf. I haven't given up on riding today but the wind is increasing along with the temperature.
 
It is supposed to get into the low seventies tomorrow. If it isn't too windy I plan to knock out a few miles. I have around 30 miles left in my battery which is about what I need to knock the rust off of me after being idle for two weeks.


It is now Sunday and it's already 62° at 11:15 AM. I would be all kinds of excited but the wind is gusting just under 40 mph. Figures o_O
 
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I was hoping and waiting for the prices to go down on E-Bikes, but in my area they just seem to keep rising 😢
 
I've seen a slight decrease in my bike's price since I purchased. It's not a significant amount and I doubt it is enough to increase sales. Considering the price of everything has increased over the last couple of years, the decrease is notable. I think the E-bike industry needs a lot more consumers and market competition before prices really drop. The bikes are a luxury item and not a necessity so I don't see it happening very soon.

I can't blame you for waiting and wanting. A good bike is not a cheap investment.
 
Out here in San Diego they are taking parking spots away to make more room for Cyclists and joggers, so that should help on commuting.
 
That's encouraging news. I live in Kansas where we are always behind the trends. Here, there is some effort by different bike and jogger clubs to convert abandoned rail lines into bike and jogger paths which is cool, especially if you are into nature. I've seen very little effort to accommodate a bike commuter in the metropolitan areas. I've seen countless YTs depicting excellent bike paths in cities of other states. Not just site seeing paths but actual paths to navigate the city. They make me all kinds of jealous and give me hope that the bike commute has some future.
 
Man that's cool. That sort of accommodation has to entice additional consumers. More consumers will surely increase accommodations. That is super encouraging! I live in a suburb of Wichita Ks. which is the largest city in Kansas. There are a few commuter paths in Wichita but I have no safe path to ride to them. I have to load my bike up and then park in the city to ride what they have.
 
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