E bike recommendations?

[3 Horse Ranch]

Just saw this on Facebook - you dont need a $200 Ebike when you can get this baby that does "50-60 mph" (with what looks like no front brakes) for a mere $200.

Good lord, someone is going to die on that thing.

I'm gonna get one of those right after my $1200 2016 Kubota with backhoe and $1500 2 year old John Deere Gator arrive

 

[bdhsfz6]

An update. We are in the middle of a stay in Moab Utah. We brought the bikes with us. I’ve got about 550 miles on mine. They have a couple of nice trails here. Unfortunately I came down with COVID and that put the kibosh to the bike riding and hiking for a while. I’m vaccinated and it’s about like having a bad cold or a normal case of the flu. A couple pics of the bike paths.
View attachment 719051View attachment 719052

Bummer! Too bad about the Covid. Hope you feel well enough to ride there again!

My wife and I were there 2 years ago and we were told e-bikes were not allowed on that same trail. E-bikes were also banned on other trails and only permitted on some of the back country trails east of Moab.

Moab is Mecca for hard core MTB'ers who lobbied hard to ban e-bikes.

Have the laws changed recently?

 

[dodge man]

I’m a fairly new e bike owner but from what I’ve read enforcement anywhere is spotty. Ours are class I bikes, no throttle, the electric boost kicks out at 20 mph and my understanding is most places allow them on trails. I have seen other e bikes including a couple of class III ones, which boost up to 28 mph, the one guy wasn’t even pedaling.

 

[jmc]

Ebikes on trails controversy sounds a little like the controversy decades ago about restricting access to wilderness public land to the extent that only young, hardcore hikers could access it. Seems like older citizens should be able to access trails too, if they don't do inconsiderate stuff that you can't do on a mountain bike.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Ebikes on trails controversy sounds a little like the controversy decades ago about restricting access to wilderness public land to the extent that only young, hardcore hikers could access it. Seems like older citizens should be able to access trails too, if they don't do inconsiderate stuff that you can't do on a mountain bike.

This is a complex subject. There are many ongoing discussions in the e-bike forums. If you're interested, check out Electric Bike Review (EBR).

 

[dodge man]

I joined the EBR forum, it’s not bad. It seems the general consensus is most trails allow class I bikes.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I joined the EBR forum, it’s not bad. It seems the general consensus is most trails allow class I bikes.

I've been on EBR since 2018. It's a great site for ebikers.

My member name is the reverse of the one I use here.

 

[Code54]

Never understood the idea of restricting bikes on a bike trail because they could go over ___ speed. That would be the same as saying no car that can go over the speed limit is allowed on a road - wait that would be 99.99% of everything made nowadays.
Set a darn speed limit on the trail if that is a concern, a decent analog road bike could easily go over 20 without much effort....

 

[dodge man]

The one bike trail I rode earlier had a very long up hill grade, the total length is about 10 miles one way. Coming back downhill they have 20 mph speed limit signs all over. I hit 30 mph a couple of times just coasting.

 

[3Ts]

Let's see, paved bike trails and ebikes. It seems to me that all the discussion so far is 2 wheel bikes, what about 3 wheel trikes? Are they allowed on the trails? My wife & I are old enough and concerned about balance that we would not get on a 2 wheeler anymore, but 3 wheel trikes are another story. I've seen them on-line. I've not seen any ebike. Closest bike shop I know of that might have one is 3 to 4 hours away.

 

[CobyRupert]

The one bike trail I rode earlier had a very long up hill grade, the total length is about 10 miles one way. Coming back downhill they have 20 mph speed limit signs all over. I hit 30 mph a couple of times just coasting.

Your photos at the Colorado River bike bridge are good. I rode that path back from the “Moab Brands” mountain bike trails that are north of Moab and north of Arches N.P. a couple months ago. I would think riding an ebike around Arches would be a good way to see the park and avoid parking issues on busy days.

Someone asked why ebikes often get banned from bike trails. It’s because they’re technically motorcycles.
Personally, I have no problem with them. They get people enjoying the outside. People are going to be either responsible or reckless on them just like with analog bikes.

 

[CalG]

The "ride into town" (15 miles rt) electro bike. ;-)

 

[bdhsfz6]

Let's see, paved bike trails and ebikes. It seems to me that all the discussion so far is 2 wheel bikes, what about 3 wheel trikes? Are they allowed on the trails? My wife & I are old enough and concerned about balance that we would not get on a 2 wheeler anymore, but 3 wheel trikes are another story. I've seen them on-line. I've not seen any ebike. Closest bike shop I know of that might have one is 3 to 4 hours away.

There are many E-Trikes on the market but as you've discovered, dealers can be hard to find. They are available on-line but you'll have to find someone who will do repairs or do the work yourself.

In many places, E-trikes are treated the same as E-bikes and are allowed on most trails. The regulations do vary though so it might pay to check where you plan to ride.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Never understood the idea of restricting bikes on a bike trail because they could go over ___ speed. That would be the same as saying no car that can go over the speed limit is allowed on a road - wait that would be 99.99% of everything made nowadays.
Set a darn speed limit on the trail if that is a concern, a decent analog road bike could easily go over 20 without much effort....

The speed of a conventional bike can indeed exceed that of an e-bike. The problem is, e-bikes, on average, travel at a faster pace and frequently pass other riders. This leads to complaints, especially if the e-bike rider rides in a reckless or unsafe manner.

Most responsible e-bikers understand this and treat other bikers, as well as pedestrians, in a courteous and respectful manner. Unfortunately, there are always a few out there who ride like idiots and generate all the controversy.

 

[dodge man]

There are e trikes available but I’ve never seen one in a store.

I average somewhere around 14 mph on my e bike. Sometimes a little faster if I ride alone. The difference is I may do that for 2 or 3 hours where on a analog bike it’s probably less than an hour. On my analog bike I probably average 11 to 12 mph.

I‘d love to ride in arch’s but traffic is bad and some of the roads are pretty narrow. Apparently because people are busting loose from Covid-19 the parks are very busy.

 

[Roric]

Federal E-Bike regulations. Keep a copy with your bike.
Any LEO has to abide by this. Supercedes all State law.

 

[dodge man]

I can actually feel the assist go away on mine at a little below 20mph. They make devices you can add to the bike to disable that but 20 is plenty fast enough for me. The bike will go faster than 20, it’s just all you pedaling or a hill.

 

[Jim Shooz]

That's an unusual front suspension mounting. Is it effective ? It would appear to put all the stress through the steering head.

 

[Code54]

Federal E-Bike regulations. Keep a copy with your bike.
Any LEO has to abide by this. Supercedes all State law.

That regulation actually only applies to class 1 bikes. If you have a class 3 bike like a LOT of newer bikes this will not help as they are 28mph max speed so the regulation would not apply.
I do agree that if some people would use good sense half of these regulations would never be needed. I have never found it difficult to slow down for other people on a trail or yield to a horse rider. A few weeks ago I passed a young lady on a horse (on a public road) and she thanked me twice for moving to the edge of the road and passing her very slowly. I was shocked by this but she said most people. give her no space and the horse was a bit jumpy of vehicles.

 

[Yander]

Bumping this old thread. Was going to start a new one but didn't think it necessary.

So I bought this Himiway C3 Cruiser yesterday for $800 used. Not a super deal but not bad either because he had some aftermarket stuff on it that helped it's value. I took it out this morning and boy, I'm an eBike fan. The great thing about it is that if it is windy I can still ride. It is still a good workout if you use a low pedal assist or no pedal assist and just use assist on hills or into the wind.

They are now affordable!

Himiway D3 Cruiser Electric Fat Tire Bike – 750W Motor

Explore the Himiway Cruiser Fat Tire eBike: 750W motor, 80Nm torque, 80-mile range, Shimano 7-speed gearing. Ideal for city streets, rugged trails and long-range adventures.

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My bike at the sellers house.