Background
Before the pandemic began, I wasn’t much of a bicyclist. I had never really biked until my adult life, when I got a cheap road bike in college and used it to get around for a year before selling it (I was poor and needed to pay rent). In late 2018, I started to get the bicycle itch. At the time I lived in the suburbs across the street from a multi-use trail, and I bought a Trek FX 2 so I could get out and ride on it. However I never biked off of that trail, and my car was still my primary mode of transportation.
Then the pandemic happened. At this point I was living in the urban core of Cincinnati, and on most weekends I would tie my bike up to my car and drive 30 minutes to a park near my old apartment in the suburbs and ride on the trail. I had never ridden in the street in the city because Cincinnati has absolutely horrendous bike infrastructure, and I never felt safe enough to try biking in traffic. However, there were barely any cars on the roads in April 2020, and I decided to take advantage of it. I lived close to one of Cincinnati’s only bike lanes, so I started biking on it most mornings for a few miles. It was fun! I started to discover a love for bicycling. I even experienced some road rage early on and while it shook me for a bit, it didn’t keep me from getting out.
At this point, I was really getting into bicycling. I was riding only in streets that had bike lanes. I averaged around ~20 miles a week. My car was still my primary mode of transportation. I thought about trying to decrease my car usage and use my bike more, but I decided against it. I was too nervous to ride in streets that didn’t have bike lanes, and most of Cincinnati’s streets did have any. Cincinnati is also a pretty hilly city, so I knew I’d be drenched in sweat if I tried regularly biking to destinations like work. Eventually, I ended up learning about Ebikes, getting my hands on one, and going from depending on my car as my main mode of transportation to using Ebikes to get around in the span of six months.
What is an Ebike?
An Ebike is a bicycle with a small electric motor that helps you pedal, referred to as pedal assist (PAS). Usually how it works is an Ebike has several levels of pedal assist, which corresponds to the amount of power the motor is providing. For instance, the RadRunner Plus from Rad Power Bikes has five levels of pedal assist. PAS 1 means the motor is providing a very minimal amount of power, and PAS 5 means the motor is providing maximum pedal assist power. Ebikes fall into three different types of classes that refer to how fast they can go:
Class 1 - PAS only, maximum speed of 20 MPH
Class 2 - PAS and throttle, maximum speed of 20 MPH. The throttle is similar to a motorcycle throttle. You can set the PAS to a level and have the motor give you a certain amount of power, but you can also use the throttle to override the power setting and give you maximum power. Having a throttle can be helpful for getting the bike up to speed if you’re coming from a complete stop
Class 3 - PAS only, maximum speed of 28 MPH
The classes aren’t strictly rigid, and some Ebikes borrow features from multiple classes. For instance, the ScorpionX from Juiced Bikes is a Class 3 Ebike with PAS up to 28 MPH, but it also includes a throttle that provides power up to 20 MPH.
Ebikes have actually been around for decades, but weren’t really popular in America until recently. Historically they have also been pretty expensive, with an average one setting you back several thousand dollars. Over the last few years, direct to consumer Ebiker makers like Rad Power Bikes and Vanmoof have spun up and started mass producing more affordable and accessible Ebikes. Nowadays, you can get a dependable and good quality Ebike for around $1000.
How did I get into Ebikes?
In July 2020 I was still riding my non-electric Trek FX 2 on most days for leisure, and relying on my car to get around. One day, I was browsing a tech news website I frequent called The Verge and came across an article they had published about Ebikes and their rising popularity during the pandemic. I had never heard of Ebikes before, but as someone who was starting to get into bicycling I found it intriguing. The entire premise of the article is that more and more people were buying Ebikes because it allowed them to get out and about and also avoid public transportation (which felt unsafe to use at the time), among other reasons. People were also replacing car trips with Ebikes, which is what really caught my attention.
Many of my friends know this about me, but I fucking hate driving. I abhor it. I hate the entire experience of it, being stuck in traffic, dealing with dipshits who tailgate me because I’m not going the speed they want me to go, etc. I dreamed of being in a place in my life where I could use my car less. Around this time I was getting ready to move from Cincinnati to Atlanta, and one of the biggest reasons I had decided to do this was because Atlanta had a robust public transportation system and more bike infrastructure. After reading The Verge’s article I spent the next month learning about Ebikes. I was amazed at how they seemed to solve a lot of problems I had with regular bicycles, while enabling you to do more with them. Ebikes allowed you to bike places without getting terribly tired and sweaty, because they gave you control over how much the motor assisted you. This meant you could travel further on an Ebike than you would on a regular bike, because you can conserve your energy. Ebikes can help you get up hills easier than a regular bike. I even learned there were cargo Ebikes, which were Ebikes with extra space that allowed you to carry a lot of things on it (like groceries). The more I learned about Ebikes, the cooler they sounded and the more it seemed they could help me reduce my car use.
I decided to take a risk. Without ever riding an Ebike, I ordered a RadRunner Plus in August, scheduled to ship in October. I chose the RadRunner Plus because I had heard nothing but good things about Rad Power Bikes, and it seemed like a bike that would be a good commuter but also something I could take on rough terrain if I ever wanted to have fun with it. Also, I’m a Big Guy™, and the RadRunner Plus and its motor seemed like it could support my weight well. When I ordered this bike, my intentions were to use it to get to work and do some leisure riding on weekends, but still use my car for things like groceries, hauling large objects, and errands I wouldn’t be able to use a bike for.
While I spent the next few months waiting for the RadRunner Plus to arrive, I was browsing the RadPowerBikes subreddit sometime in September and saw a post from someone in Atlanta selling a 2019 RadWagon (a cargo Ebike) for an insanely good price. I spent the entire day thinking about the bike and if it would make sense for me to buy it. Having a cargo ebike would allow me to replace all of my car trips to the grocery store with it. Also, if I ever needed to haul something large, I could use the bike instead of my car. Even though I already had an Ebike on the way, I decided to buy the RadWagon because it would allow me to replace even more of my car trips.
Hauling the RadWagon home after buying it. Cargo bikes are large!
What happened and what have I learned?
I took a risk on buying an Ebike without having ever ridden one before, and it paid off. The used RadWagon I bought in September 2020 was the first Ebike I had ever used. Before that point, I was still using my car fairly regularly and as my main mode of transportation. By April 2021, Ebikes had taken over as my primary mode of transportation. I use Ebikes to get to work, to get to appointments, to get groceries, to run errands, to get dinner, really for everything. I use my car maybe once a week now and drive only a few miles when I do, usually for date nights with my girlfriend.
When I first started using an Ebike, it was more for leisure. I’d ride around my neighborhood on weekends and occasionally bike to a nearby Starbucks for coffee. The more I kept riding my Ebike, the more fun I had biking and the more I wanted to keep using it to get places. One Saturday in October, I decided to use my RadWagon to pick up groceries from Kroger instead of driving like I usually did. I had such a fun time doing it that I decided to keep doing it every week instead of driving. I kept looking at the ways I used my car and slowly started replacing car trips with Ebike trips. Living in Atlanta and having more bike infrastructure also helped me want to bike more, as I felt safer with being able to use bike lanes to get around. However the more I biked around the more comfortable I became with biking in traffic too, which enabled me to bike to even more places that aren’t directly connected to my home via bike lanes. A lot of car drivers tend to be impatient babies who lose their shit whenever they see someone riding on two wheels in traffic. Having an Ebike made me feel more comfortable being around cars though, because I could get up to speed from a complete stop faster without having a car impatiently on my ass. Eventually I got to a point one day in April where I realized my car was having issues and took it to a shop for a few days, and realized I wasn’t even inconvenienced because I barely used it anymore - Ebikes had become my primary mode of transportation and I hadn’t really noticed. I also ended up buying a third Ebike in April, the RadMission.
Picking up groceries!
I’ve always hated when people say things like “X changed my life” or “my life will never be the same because of Y,” because it sounds overly superfluous. However, Ebikes really did do that for me. Ebikes are a transportation alternative that freed me from my car and gave me a healthier and more enjoyable way to get around.
See if you can spot when i got an Ebike based on my Strava weekly mileage
Here are some things that I’ve learned over the last year:
How are Ebikes on hills?
Ebikes are pretty great on hills. You still have to put in work to get up them by pedaling, but you definitely get up hills easier than you would on a non-electric bike.
Are Ebikes cheating?
Absolutely not. I still get a workout using an Ebike. The cool thing is that you’re just in more control of your energy. Want to sweat and get a workout? Turn your PAS down. Are you in traffic and just want to get to your destination quickly? Turn the PAS up and let the Ebike assist you more.
How do you secure your Ebike outside when you’re shopping or something?
I try to take several measures to keep my Ebikes secure and prevent theft when I lock them up. First, whenever I bike somewhere I try to lock up in a public place that has a lot of people around (by store entrances, near people sitting around outside, etc.). I also try to limit the amount of time I’m away from my Ebike. When I lock my Ebike up I use either a ulock or a Kryptonite New York Cinch Ring Security Chain to secure it, and I always make sure to lock it to the Ebike frame and around a wheel. If I’m parking somewhere where I’ll be gone a bit longer, I’ll use both the ulock and chain. I also have an Apple AirTag hidden in each of my Ebikes, which in the event of theft may be able to help me track it down and get it back. This website has some locking tips as well!
What if you don’t have a garage or a good place to secure an Ebike outside your home?
If you don’t have a garage or a safe place on ground level to secure an Ebike, you’ll probably want to bring it inside your home. Something to keep in mind about Ebikes is that they tend to be heavier than non-electric bikes, due to having a battery and motor and other electronic components - two of my Ebikes are ~70 pounds. If you live in an apartment or something you’ll probably want to bring your bike inside, and you’ll definitely want to get an Ebike that isn’t heavy as shit. For instance, the RadMission from Rad Power Bikes is 49 pounds, and is a bit more bearable to carry up stairs.
What are good features to look for when shopping for an Ebike?
Some important features to keep in mind when shopping for an Ebike:
Range - How many miles can you get on a single battery charge? Keep in mind that range will depend on several different factors like your weight and PAS level. The range estimates manufacturers provide are a good starting point, but your actual range could slightly differ.
Bike weight - Really important to keep in mind if you’ll be regularly carrying your Ebike up stairs.
Gears - Do you live in a hilly place? You may want an Ebike with gears, so you can downshift to climb easier. Gears can also be helpful in the case where your battery dies, because Ebikes can be heavy and downshifting will make it easier to bike home without power.
Customer support - If your Ebike’s battery starts to get wonky after 1000 miles or you have an issue with an electric component, a regular bike shop may not be able to help you. You’ll want to buy an Ebike from a company with good support that can help you if you ever run into issues.
Another thing to keep in mind is that there are two main ways to use an Ebike:
Essentially treating it like a regular bike - you’re pedaling all the time
Using it like a moped - rarely pedaling, primarily using the throttle to move
If you’re planning to use an Ebike like a moped, you're going to want to get an Ebike with a more powerful motor that can fully support you without any pedaling.
How do you deal with maintenance?
The cool thing about Ebikes is that they’re literally just regular bikes, but with a motor and battery. If you know how to maintain regular bikes, you’ll be able to maintain Ebikes. Even if you don’t have maintenance experienced, YouTube is a great resource for bike help. You can also just take your Ebike to a bike shop if you ever have any issues and need a professional’s help. I personally like to be independent and handsy, so I’ve been maintaining my own Ebikes. After a year of owning Ebikes, I haven’t had any maintenance issues apart from the usual bike stuff (adjusting brakes, lubricating the chain, etc.).
Installing new brake calipers on my RadWagon by myself
Do you still use your non-electric bikes?
Yes! I still use an Ebike 90% of the time to get around and run errands and such, but I’ll use my regular bike if I want to get more of a workout in on a lighter bike or something. Lots of people I know who own Ebikes also own non-electric bikes and switch back and forth depending on their needs.
What are some good affordable Ebike brands?
There are so many different Ebike brands at this point that it’s a bit hard to keep track of them all. However, some good ones that I’m aware of are Rad Power Bikes (I’m biased because I own three of their Ebikes), Aventon Bikes, Juiced, Super73, and Tern.
My RadRunner Plus
Me with my RadMission during a group ride
Finally, a consideration
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention climate change. On Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report detailing that humanity as a whole has dropped the ball on climate change so badly the earth is going to heat up by 1.1 degrees - whether we immediately get our collective shit together and cut back on emissions, or not. It’s damning news, but the good thing is we can stop the earth from heating up even more if we all start doing our part to fight climate change.
You may be wondering what you, one person out of seven billion people on earth, can do to fight climate change. Reducing car use is a proven way to cut back on emissions. Even replacing one car trip you take per week with walking, bicycling, or taking the bus makes a difference. Getting an Ebike helped me severely reduce my car usage, and not even in a painful way where I felt like I was making a major sacrifice! I have more fun using my Ebike to get around than I do driving. Regardless of if you decide to get an Ebike or not, let’s all do our part to make sure future generations can still call Earth home.
