My wife and I are avid lifelong cyclists. We are primarily road riders who added e-bikes to our quivers. The e-bikes are used for longer, hillier rides. Otherwise, we’re on pushbikes.
I’m a bicycle industry veteran, having owned several e-bikes, and having test ridden dozens.
We both have Specislized Creo 2’s.
E bikes are great for people like us, overcoming age, disability or riding with faster riders. Our bikes are Class 3, 28 mph pedal assist no throttle. I recently sold my Spec Turbo Levo e mtb (Class 1 20 mph no throttle) as my heart condition concerns me being in the backcountry, usually alone.
I love riding, usually with others.
Class 2 20 mph w throttle is fine for many people IF YOU PEDAL. But lots of riders treat Class 2 like a motorcycle and get very little exercise,
Then there’s e-bikes that are overpowered, sometimes even without pedals. They’re not street legal and really are emotorcycles, not bicycles. As such they should be registered insured and made street legal.
E-bikes are typically 250 watt of power, sometimes more. Legal max for an e-bike in California is 750 watts. The higher the power, the faster you’ll drain the battery and the less cardio benefit you’ll get. But even a typical 250 watt has around 60nM of torque, so acceleration is surprisingly quick.
Premium brands do have better components: battery, power management, and motor. Smoother and more efficient. You get what you pay for, as they say. Cheaper bikes and conversion kits generally do not have a torque sensor, only pedal speed; a very unnatural feel.
E-bikes have their place for many people in many different circumstances. For carrying on a motorhome, look critically at the rack options and ease of loading and unloading.
Ride On! Wind at your back or electrons helping your legs!
and therefore under-the-aged-and-unregistered
