GrogHeads Forum

IRL (In Real Life) => General Discussion => Topic started by: Toonces on December 31, 2018, 05:15:00 PM

Title: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on December 31, 2018, 05:15:00 PM
I'm not really a bike enthusiast.  I decided to get my son an ebike for Xmas; we live about two miles from the beach and there are a bunch of good surf spots within about 5 miles of my house, but we live up a pretty steep hill.  Parking is a huge pain in the bum in the summer downtown, so a bike is super useful, but that last half mile on the way home is some serious suck.  So we decided an ebike would be a good present and I had the opportunity to do some research on ebikes. 

I have to say that after reading up on them and watching some videos, I became intrigued with the concept.  In just a few days, my son is zipping all over the area and I decided that an ebike would be pretty useful for me as well.  I have a hell commute to work, but there is a train station right down the road that will drop me off about 4 miles from my work.  I'd been hesitating to use it because I just don't like the idea of that bike ride on both ends, but I am hoping that the ebike will take some of the pain off and make this a feasible commute option.

I'm pretty stoked.  I ended up spending more money than I wanted, but if I use it to commute for 6 months it will have paid for itself in gas savings, not to mention wear and tear and such on the car.

Well, I guess that's it for now.   8)
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: DoctorQuest on December 31, 2018, 05:38:35 PM
What kind did you get?
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on December 31, 2018, 05:54:35 PM
(https://cdn.hiconsumption.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Radmini-Fat-Folder-Exterior-1.jpg)

I got this one.  It's called a RadMini by Rad Power Bikes.  It was pretty pricey at $1700, but I'm spending about $10/day on gas so it will pay for itself in less than a year.  I wanted a mountain bike kind, but after seeing my son's, I am way too short to ride one of those.  I watched some videos of these little ones and they seem to get the job done for what I need, which is to get to and from the train station, and to surf spots around town.  I don't plan to do any hardcore biking like JD and MikeGER do.

This one has the added benefit of being completely foldable.  The downside is it's about the ugliest bike I've ever seen.  I'm looking forward to giving it a go and seeing how it works.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on December 31, 2018, 06:23:17 PM
That is so ugly, it's beautiful. I love it. Living in a very hilly area myself my calf muscles would burst out of my legs after about a week.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: DoctorQuest on December 31, 2018, 08:22:30 PM
I like it. Let us know how it works out.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: MikeGER on January 01, 2019, 04:32:25 AM
Congrats  :D
it looks perfect for the task planed. its a commute tool    ...did you know there is a tactical all-black colorpattern version too?

the "uglyness" helps that it don't get nicked as fast as a 4k-$ not-foldable MTB stunner.
nevertheless i would still install a geotag (backlight) plus get frame marked with a ID number, and buy some sturdy theft protection.
(as a rule of thumb: the theft protect invest in a bike should be calculated up to a 10th of the worth to get a good one)   
You will use it one day to quick check on the beach, or just get a single item from a deli, forced to take an unwanted dump on the commute... its those unplanned impromptu situations, only 3 min out of sight and gone
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: demjansk1942 on January 01, 2019, 07:40:59 PM
I ride thousands of miles and these bikes will be something that might catch on.  I ride the old fashioned way and do a little racing on the side.  Good job and keep us posted on how it stands up.  How is the security aspect of these bikes?
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on January 01, 2019, 07:47:33 PM
I guarantee that if you use it every work day you will also lose weight.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Sir Slash on January 01, 2019, 11:23:23 PM
Don't try to 'pedal' that stuff around here.  :2funny:  I got my wife a new bicycle for X-Mas, she asked Santa for it. Not many places left that sell bikes retail anymore-- Wal-Mart was my only option.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: demjansk1942 on January 02, 2019, 05:25:34 AM
Sir, try Nashbar.com
Also no local bike shops?
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Sir Slash on January 02, 2019, 11:05:05 AM
Nope, none in my neck of the woods. Wal-Mart had what I needed but they wouldn't let me test-ride it around the store.  :'(
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 02, 2019, 12:38:34 PM
@ Demjansk- the battery has a lock on it that you lock/unlock with a key, similar to a car lock.  The lock also serves to power on the battery, which is a bit of a bummer because that means I have to have the key with me to use the bike.

MikeGER has a good point about the security though.  I'm not worried about it at work; the  place I work is very secure.  And the beaches around my house aren't bad either.  But the beaches where I work are seriously sketchy.  I'm still not certain it will be viable to bike there, even with a very secure lock.  I'm going to have to figure that part out still.  I might just end up biking farther down the road to the adjacent town, which is much safer and nicer.  It becomes a matter of time though, you know?
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on January 02, 2019, 01:07:18 PM
We are blessed to have an awesome local bike store. They have had a series of those Fat Boy bikes in their windows for a while. I would love to get one but I want to ride on trails only, not near car traffic. There are also tons of trails literally ringing my house - I want to get to know them better before I get a bike though. But you have got me starting to think, Commander. One day I won't be able to run daily like I can now, and biking seems to be a good natural, progressive step.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Dammit Carl! on January 02, 2019, 01:20:19 PM
A folding e-bike with fat tires?  Cool!

Love fat bikes in general and am jelly at being able to bike to work; not a very bike friendly area per se outside the "big city," around here (i.e. dedicated bike lanes) and the prospect of getting jammed up under 4x4 Man's tires worries me - but I'm an old scardy cat too.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on January 02, 2019, 07:58:17 PM
^Totally with you on that.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 02, 2019, 08:19:13 PM
It's hit or miss with bike friendliness here in SoCal.  Where I live, there are some great bike paths into town and along the coast, and biking is very popular.  In downtown San Diego where I work, the train dumps me off in Old Town and then it's about 4 miles +/- to work.  There are bike paths along one route, but it is a very busy street with a lot of lights and buses also use the route.  It's the fastest route to work, but I have real concern about driving along that road during rush hour.  On the way back to the train station, the road goes along a bunch of strip malls and that, combined with the traffic, makes me very worried about surviving long term. 

An alternate route goes along the harbor, and should be safer, but I'm not sure about the pedestrian traffic along the harbor road.  Also, the first part of the bike route has to negotiate some seriously challenging car traffic before it gets on to the bike/ped path.  And it's an extra 10 minutes on the train, plus an extra mile of biking. So, while safer, you're adding 15 minutes each way to an already long commute.

I'm probably going to try the shorter, more dangerous route first and then, if it's just not working out, try the other route.  My boss does the more dangerous route every day, and he's got some shortcuts that bypass some of the worse parts.

I guess like getting shot in the butt during war, the golden bullet would be to get hit by a car hard enough to get me on permanent disability without, you know, killing or crippling me.  Maybe this whole biking thing is my ticket out of the rat race.  LOL.

Anyway, the bike shipped today, and I got the little basket thing to go on the back.  Things are gettin' REAL.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on January 02, 2019, 08:53:27 PM
Did you get a bell?
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Staggerwing on January 02, 2019, 09:05:06 PM
Skip the bell- get one of these instead:

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41%2BJVaOEqvL.jpg)

https://www.amazon.com/Bell-Honker-300-Horn-Silver/dp/B000HACTZC/ref=asc_df_B000HACTZC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312066961874&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16809797423912784161&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003320&hvtargid=pla-433840871883&psc=1
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 02, 2019, 11:10:18 PM
LOL, you know, I think it does come with a bell!
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Pete Dero on January 03, 2019, 04:10:35 AM
Quote from: demjansk1942 on January 02, 2019, 05:25:34 AM
Also no local bike shops?

Every town over here has more then one bike shop !

What happens when you need repairs ?
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: MikeGER on January 03, 2019, 04:32:02 AM
i think the path will be ok, because in comparison to a bike the ebike is fast and surfs more with the stream of traffic

Don't forget to shop a good ventilated but sturdy enuf bike helmet
I also recommend some elbow-protection
(i hide mine, that was once in a set for inline skating, under a light jacket. it looks a little odd on a hardtail MTB when not downhill on a tricky single trail. but i once had fallen on the elbow bad and it had hurt for weeks, luckily nothing broken then)
and some gloves with free fingers
(when you topple your body will by instinct use the hands in some way ...you want to have some material between palm and abrasive tarmac)   


(https://s2.gifyu.com/images/2019-01-03-09.54.37.gif)
^ my safety gear in action in the animated gif


Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: JasonPratt on January 13, 2019, 09:45:53 AM
Quick question about the gear sprocket on the front wheel: is that just because the wheels (not only the tires) are interchangeable?
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 13, 2019, 11:44:08 AM
^ Is that for me?  I don't know.  It came with a wheel, so that's what I'm using.  It is removable so I guess you could put a different wheel on there if you chose.

I got my safety gear and a big chain lock so I think I'm ready to give it a go tomorrow.  It's assembled, but the front brake needs to be adjusted so I haven't taken it for a drive yet.  It's on the list for today.  I'll let you know how it goes.   ???
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 13, 2019, 03:20:10 PM
Alright, I took the ebike out for a test ride.  The front wheel isn't true.  I thought at first it was the front brake, so I loosened it up and did some troubleshooting and that isn't it.  Finally, I loosened up the front wheel, sort of re-mounted it, and took it for another ride.  I'm almost positive that it's simply not true, and it's wobbling enough that a portion of it is hitting something and causing the wheel to rub.  It's like a periodic light braking feeling when I stop peddling, even with the front brake loosened completely so that it doesn't work.  I don't think it's the disk; I am pretty sure it's the actual wheel.

It's certainly rideable, but definitely not "right" so I'm going to put it on hold until I talk to the company and see about getting it fixed.  It's kind of frustrating.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 13, 2019, 09:04:13 PM
Damn Mike, that fall looks worse than my skateboarding accident!

Alright, so I went to the bike's website and apparently some rubbing is normal until you get 25-50 miles on the bike.  Who knew?  And then there's a whole troubleshooting guide to adjust the brakes.

So I'm already committed to driving tomorrow, but I'm going to give the bike a go on Tuesday now.   More to follow...
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: MikeGER on January 14, 2019, 03:13:51 AM
is there no local little bike shop (heh, its Southern California after all isn't it?) who can give the bike a short glance over and do the little adjustments while you wait.

place the bike upside down with the wheels in the air. stand perpendicular infront of the wheel and give the front wheel a spin with your hand, so you can see if the wheel(rim) itself and the disk of the brake wobbles or if the rim is mounted straight but just the tire on the rim is a little uneven deformed. and has to adjust/flex itself on the rim by use, i have no experience with those monster tires so, but the wheel should spin free.

concerning my somersault over the handlebar
i walked away without wounds cause of the safety gear (and guardian angles) 
later at home i found a stone shaped like a stoneage arrow tip pressed in the vents of the helmet, without helmet the skull bone would had to absorb that instead. also the gloves took the beating instead of the palm 
(my summer gloves are actually a left over from my fixed-route mountaineering set, so actually are summer fingerless climbing gloves made by Camp. for me its all about the sturdiness when falling not the non-sweaty grip on the handlebar.)                
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 14, 2019, 05:43:39 PM
There is a local bike shop.  Since they specifically say that some rubbing is normal, I'm going to follow the instructions and see how it rides after a trip or two to work- about 15 miles round trip.  There are some additional videos on how to adjust the brake tension, so if it's still rubbing in a day or two I'll start working through those.

Worst case, I spend an hour or two of my time trying to learn how to fix the bike myself before taking it to a professional shop.  We'll see how it goes...
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 14, 2019, 08:57:07 PM
W00t!

We've got some rain here, so I decided no better time than to give the bike a test ride.  Turns out there's a mall about a mile or two from my house (who knew?) with a Sears.  I had hoped to get some rain gear so I decided to ride the bike instead of drive and see how the whole process works.

Oh man, you guys seriously need to get one of these things!  That was so damn fun I can't even believe it.  It's like having bionic legs.  It was so incredibly easy to ride and get where I needed to go, and coming off of a stop light, I can give it a goose of throttle to start moving and I'm up to speed in a second or two with some pedaling.  Then, going uphill on the way home, I just clicked up the assist, dropped a pedal gear, and it felt like pedaling on a straight and level street.  Just so awesome!

After the unsuccessful Sears run (man, an absolute ghost town, but they are practically giving things away there...going to have to stop there this weekend and stock up on workout gear) I decided to ride the bike downtown and pick up some wine for the wife.  This takes me to the bottom of the worst hills before my house.  Got some wine, put it in my backpack, strapped the pack to my little My Little Pony carrier thingy, and then simply cruised up the hills back home.  Sweet!

I was pretty sweaty at the end of it all, so I guess I was actually using my heart a bit, but man, I felt like I could bike forever. 

So tomorrow I'm going to try it out to work and back.  I bought my train ticket, and I worked out the kinks of how to pack up the bike with all my work gear and whatnot.  If this works out, this could be a game changer, because that commute by car is absolutely killing my soul.

More to follow.  Stoked!
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: MikeGER on January 15, 2019, 02:40:14 AM
 woot O0

believe it or not, i didn't had a chance to test an ebike yet :-X
i always wanted to rent one for a day for a test ride, but didn't had that done yet 
(...well, i don't have the spare money to get a decent one atm anyway, upcoming car repairs/ truck-restauration are eating me alive atm, so better i don't get addicted to get an additional expensive new toy) 

if all works well, and you really love your new bike don't forget to consider getting one of those 21century geo-locater thingies

its a situation like you just described above. At dawn you rush to a 7/11 for a missing ingredient for to pimp a meal. lock the bike to a pol - of course. come out of the shop and the bike is gone, and one of the chain-links must have been cut with the mother of all boltcutters ... if you concentrate hard you think you may remember some empty beaten up van or rusty pickup in the parking lot, that is now gone also... a crime of opportunity
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 17, 2019, 12:34:21 AM
Still here and alive. On kindlenso thisnwill be short.  Of wtf.

Day 3 to.borrow.  weather is bad.  Had first fall; good call on gloves.  Heavy rain tomorrow.ngut check.  Inshall prevail.  Jesus thisnisnworse than a drunk post.  F you kindle.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: JasonPratt on January 17, 2019, 01:07:11 PM
That was sig worthy...
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: DoctorQuest on January 17, 2019, 02:47:23 PM
Quote from: Toonces on January 17, 2019, 12:34:21 AM
Still here and alive. On kindlenso thisnwill be short.  Of wtf.

Day 3 to.borrow.  weather is bad.  Had first fall; good call on gloves.  Heavy rain tomorrow.ngut check.  Inshall prevail.  Jesus thisnisnworse than a drunk post.  F you kindle.

BEST POST EVER!!!!  O0

You in direct competition with my wife texting without glasses.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 17, 2019, 08:19:50 PM
I should have just bailed on that post.  I got so tired of deleting and re-typing only to have it f up again.  Ah well, now we know that Kindle is worthless for posting on internet forums.

So like I tried to say last night, I managed to get the bike out on the road and do the whole bike-train-bike thing to work and back.  It was definitely a learning experience.  The bike ride to the depot here in town is short, about 9 minutes.  I'm the second stop southbound so there is plenty of room for the bike.  I chose to get off at the "safer" albiet farther stop in downtown San Diego.  It's just under 5 miles from the depot to work; I've got it down to 20 minutes now that I have the route down.  It's pretty straightforward, but not as easy as described.  The first part of the ride is along the harbor with a lot of tourist attractions and therefore people, so I have to slow down through there, especially on the way home.  Then the majority of the rest of the ride is along a dual-use sidewalk.  It's pretty wide, but there are a lot of joggers that have to be passed and dodged.  And, when I crank the pedal assist on I'm faster than normal bikes so I find myself needing to pass other cyclists which can be challenging.  Anyway, neither ride is particularly hard, but allowing a few minutes on either end means I'm spending about 40 minutes biking each way, with a 1-hour train ride in the middle each way.  Today I drove due to the weather and it was 1:05 door to door.  The drive is stressful, while the train is great because for an hour I can turn off my brain and read and/or listen to Howard.

So I'm faced with a longer, less stressful trip, or a stressful but shorter drive.  I'm not entirely sure which one I prefer.  I'm going to stick with the bike a while longer to have a better frame of reference- I'll bet it's a lot better when the weather is good- but I'm just not entirely sold that biking/train is the final solution.

On the first day, on the way home, I was riding the bike from work to the depot, and I was about 10 feet from the train ramp when I had my first fall.  I was turning left on the road across a couple of lanes of traffic and the railroad tracks to get onto the train ramp at the depot.  It was raining and I failed to account for the slickness of the tracks due to the rain.  As I was crossing the tracks, I think I tapped my brakes to slow down and caused my rear tire to lose grip, and I dropped onto my side as I tried to correct the skid.  Fortunately I was wearing jeans and a jacket, so while I banged my elbow pretty good, I didn't lose any skin.  Like I said, it was a bit of a learning experience.

So that's it for now.  The bike is super easy to ride.  I've been limiting the pedal assist to get a workout, but it would be just so easy to crank it up and do almost no work biking.  Again, it will be interesting to do this when the sun is out and it's a nice day; the weather has been really miserable here this week.

Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on January 17, 2019, 08:23:32 PM
I haven't had a chance to bike to go surfing yet at lunch, but I hope to do that next week.  It's about 5 miles from my work to Mission Beach, my preferred surf spot near my work, which is nothing on the ebike.  I'm curious to see how that goes.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: MetalDog on January 17, 2019, 11:04:47 PM
That hour long down time on the train is going to be key.  You should certainly take advantage of that.  I expect you will come to look forward to it.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Sir Slash on January 18, 2019, 11:40:59 AM
I LOVE 'down-time'. It's like 'up-time' for me. I also like train rides. The people on trains however....
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on February 02, 2019, 05:27:20 PM
It's been a couple of weeks now so I guess it's time for an update.

I'm still liking the bike.  I've got about 130 miles on it now.  I haven't had a chance to take it surfing from work yet, but I've taken to riding it around town when I go surfing locally and that is definitely the way to go.  It's 10 minutes from my house to my usual surf spot, and there's a good bike lane most of the way so it's an easy ride.  The pedal assist eats up the hills on the way back.  What's great is that I can bike literally up to the surf, whereas when I drive it's kind of a hassle to find somewhere to park.  In the summer this bike is going to pay for itself in convenience.  I'm trying to use the bike any time I hae to go into town.  Like last night I went for a surf and then stopped at the grocery store to pick up booze and dinner.  With a big backpack I had just enough room to cart it all on the bike, and it is just so nice to not have to worry about parking.

On taking the train to work, I guess I like it better than driving, but just barely.  I missed something that, in retrospect, is blindingly obvious.  When one takes public transportation, one has to deal with...the public.  Ugh.  I'm not diggin that at all. 

Thursday the weather was really bad here, so I drove.  41 minutes door to door on the way to work; 1:05 on the way home.  So taking the train is much longer....but damn that drive is the suck, even when the traffic isn't too bad.

I'm going to continue to stick with the train/bike for work for now.  Also, tomorrow I'm going to get some decent rain gear so I don't have to drive when the weather is bad.

One of these days I'll give myself some extra time and take some pictures.  Some of the route is pretty scenic.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on April 14, 2021, 11:47:38 PM
'sup fellas.  I can't believe it's been more than two years since my last post in this thread!  Anyway, I'm at about 1500 miles on my bike and figured it's time for an update.  I read through the whole thread to see where I left off...

So with respect to the train/bike thing, once I got the routine nailed that pretty much became my preferred means of getting to and from work until March of last year when the pandemic took hold.  I never did do the more risky/shorter bike ride on the busy road.  I basically would take the train all the way downtown (if you're familiar with San Diego, it is the last stop that drops one off by the USS Midway museum/Embarcadero area) and then ride along the Harbor to my work just past the airport.  Once I got the drill down it really was quite pleasant.  I would get on the train and then read on my Kindle for an hour.  Once I got off downtown I'd put on Howard Stern on my phone and then bike the 20 minutes into work.  While riding an ebike doesn't get your heart moving anything like a real bike, it was just enough to get the blood moving and, honestly, I found that I'd arrive to work in a much better frame of mind, and ready to jump right into working vs. when I would drive the car in, and then it would take about an hour of drinking coffee before I felt my brain had warmed up.  I know Sir Slash and I kinda bashed on biking in R&P a while back and I will say that, yes, I would ride my bike in the rain, cold, whatever.  In fact, it became a point of pride to not be deterred by the elements (and, proof that pain is a great motivator, you haven't faced frustration until you've tried to drive in SoCal during a rain event...maybe DC in any kind of snow comes closest to that frustration).  I got some really ridiculous looking rain gear off Amazon and even though I looked stunningly foolish, it kept me dry and everytime I rode the bike and saved that $10 I felt like I beat the world a little bit.  A small personal F-you to the MAN.  By the end there I was basically riding the bike/train every single day without fail.

I didn't advertise it on the public forums, but around winter in 2019 I started to get chest pains when I was riding the bike to/from work.  I noticed it first when I was surfing, but after a few weeks when I got the pains every time I rode to/from work I finally went to see a doctor.  It turns out I had a 95% blockage of a heart artery and, had I not been in as good shape as I was and not exercising every day on the bike, I likely would have had a heart attack and died.  So I saw a doctor and 2 days later was having heart surgery to have a stent put in.  It would not be any sort of exaggeration to say that riding the bike likely saved my life; that's what my cardiologist said anyway.

A bunch of things were going on in my life (besides the whole heart/almost died thing), a lot of international travel for work, and then Xmas, and then the pandemic, all of which really limited my biking after late fall 2019. 

By March 2020 we were heavy into the pandemic here and the interstate completely thinned out to where the car drive into work was about 35 stress-free minutes.  Thus, while it was much cheaper to bike, it was hard to justify adding that extra hour each way to bike in.  Once I got off the bike routine, I never got back into it again; between the pandemic and then more travel, and then now having a new job working from home, once I stopped biking to work around Oct 2019 I never picked it back up.

That's not to say, though, that I don't bike.  It is hard for me to overstate just how much the ebike has changed my life.  Besides saving it, I find myself trying to bike anytime I going within 5 miles of my house, especially outside of about Nov-Feb when it's warm and easy in SoCal.  A few months ago I added some panniers to the back of the bike, and those little pouches make it just oh so easy to throw some fins, a handplane, water, wetsuit, a few beers, a towel, and basically disappear for the day to the beach to pretty much surf and drink all day...with a slightly buzzed bike ride 10 minutes back home.  It's virtually the same amount of time to drive as bike to the beach from my house with all of the traffic lights, and if you add parking time, it's actually faster to bike than to drive.  With the ebike it's not even necessary to pedal unless I want to; the throttle will easily take care of the whole ride if that's the choice.

WRT maintenance:  So far I've had 2 flat tires.  Fortunately, both took place in town near my house so I was able to lock the bike locally and walk home, get the car, then drive back to pick up the bike.  It's just not possible to walk the bike with a flat tire.  I paid to have the first flat fixed; I figured it out for the second one.  Now I carry the repair parts in the panniers so if I get a flat in the future I'm able to fix it on-site.

At about 1200 miles I took my bike to a local ebike shop and had them give it a tune-up for $150.  They washed the bike, tuned the rims, brakes, tightened up all the bolts...stuff I could have done but it was worth the money to have it professionally done after struggling with the brakes for so long.  For $150 a year to tune the bike up it's still a deal compared to driving.

So that's it.  I am still using the bike a lot; not as much as I wish I did (some days you just don't want to deal with locking the fucker up, dealing with the weather or the hassle of just preparing to ride a bike) but I use it far more than I probably would a regular bike that required, you know, sweat and work.

Last week I bought two of the Costco ebikes for $350 each.  15 miles range and cheap enough for casual use, and essentially disposable.  I haven't assembled them yet, but the intent is for us to use them during the summer to go to the beach and back and not have to deal with parking.  Also, the wife and I can take them downtown, bar crawl all evening, and bike home on the back roads without a designated driver.  The hills would make a regular bike likely not feasible for this (we've tried, it's not) but being able to just twist the throttle suddenly it's totally feasible.  No, Slash, I might not take my date out on a bike for our first date, but after 22 years?  Baby, you wanna go drinking downtown get on the damn bike because I'm not driving 1 freaking mile in a car and not drinking!

I snapped this pic off of the Surfline camera last month; that's my nerdy ass getting ready to park and surf at my local beach.

(Edit: Apologies for the multiple edits; Groggys is giving me some issues tonight for some reason.  I'm chatting up JH offline).


(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50960407258_90c8f4b79e_b.jpg)
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: demjansk1942 on April 15, 2021, 03:48:56 AM
Good job, I am getting ready for my ride to work as well.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Dammit Carl! on April 15, 2021, 07:29:11 AM
Cool stuff!
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: steve58 on April 15, 2021, 08:32:48 AM
Ebikes, sound cool.  Wish I lived in a place where I could use one.  Roads around me here in N. Virginia are either too curvy or too much traffic.

p.s.  not to be a buzz kill, but you might want to check out this link (https://www.californiabicyclesafety.com/bicycling-safety/laws/dangers-biking-influence/) about CUIs...
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Sir Slash on April 15, 2021, 10:06:43 AM
That does look cool. Uhhh... You don't actually bike and surf at the same time do you?  :hide:  I'm glad it's working out for you and hope your health situation is allowing you to bike and other things you love too.  O0

I had to go through the treadmill thing to keep my doctor off my ass, hated it at first but now....I still don't look forward to it but I DO IT anyway. And it's not that big a deal. As soon as the pool gets a little warmer, I'll hit that some too--great exercise. You can't buy good health, unfortunately.



Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Dammit Carl! on April 15, 2021, 10:22:22 AM
Yeah.  Once I retired from the military in late '19, I said, "why, hello my old friends buffet and beer," way too often since and I'm right properly fat now.  Time to get the bike workin' and hit that trail near the house.

Right after I finish this beer.  :))
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Toonces on April 15, 2021, 12:50:37 PM
Ah man, Steve58, you suck, bro!   >:(   :peace:
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: steve58 on April 15, 2021, 01:34:48 PM
Time for an upgrade!  :bd:

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pedegoelectricbikes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F08%2FWhite-Tandem-650x584.jpg&hash=91c726fbb98a05effe6e86deef5e14fd227c425c)
https://www.pedegoelectricbikes.com/product/tandem/
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on April 15, 2021, 02:14:42 PM
...and a basket with plastic flowers and a little clown horn.

TOOT TOOT
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: steve58 on May 16, 2021, 02:52:39 PM
Can you do stuff like this on an ebike?  :-"

Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on May 16, 2021, 03:59:29 PM
There's a bike in that video?
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Sir Slash on May 16, 2021, 09:06:34 PM
Damn, she's good. I was lucky to pedal with no hands.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: W8taminute on May 17, 2021, 03:20:37 PM
I can't see a bike in that video either. 
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: demjansk1942 on May 17, 2021, 03:27:18 PM
I rode to work today and home, no problem, 30 miles
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Sir Slash on May 17, 2021, 03:32:03 PM
Did you do any fancy tricks?  ^-^
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: demjansk1942 on May 18, 2021, 02:55:39 PM
Nope, avoided all the crazy drivers, roadwork detours and went home, going to try to ride to work each day
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on May 18, 2021, 03:55:30 PM
What do you do in the summer after you get to work on the bike? Just sit in your sweaty filth the whole day?
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Dammit Carl! on May 18, 2021, 04:09:18 PM
Quote from: Gusington on May 18, 2021, 03:55:30 PM
What do you do in the summer after you get to work on the bike? Just sit in your sweaty filth the whole day?

It's a power move.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Staggerwing on May 18, 2021, 09:02:42 PM
Dominate boardroom meetings with one's pheromones.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Sir Slash on May 18, 2021, 09:58:17 PM
Some people are so cool that they don't sweat. I don't think James Bond ever sweated, perspired perhaps. But only just a drop or two. I sweat so much my sweat glands have sweat glands.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: W8taminute on May 19, 2021, 10:25:59 AM
I'm sorry but I still can't see a bicycle in that video. 
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Sir Slash on May 19, 2021, 11:09:43 AM
I see a VERY lucky bicycle.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on May 19, 2021, 11:13:52 AM
I'm sweating just watching that video.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Jarhead0331 on February 17, 2022, 02:09:37 PM
On impulse, I picked up a little 800w electric scooter. Holy $hit is it a blast zipping around my neighborhood. i feel like i get a bit of exercise too when I get off of it just simply from maintaining balance while riding around. I must look hilarious on the little thing though as I cruise around at 20 mph, especially when I'm wearing my German style Stahlhelm as if I was riding a Harley. lol  The only problem I have is going up hills...it hates my guts on hills. Barely makes it up and I sometimes need to hop off and walk.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on February 17, 2022, 02:52:38 PM
^I will pay money for video of this.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Sir Slash on February 17, 2022, 04:14:45 PM
Does it have a rack for your AR-15 JH? If not, we know what to get you for X-Mas.  :bd:
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Jarhead0331 on February 17, 2022, 04:15:21 PM
Quote from: Gusington on February 17, 2022, 02:52:38 PM
^I will pay money for video of this.

Hmmmm...how much?

This can be arranged.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on February 17, 2022, 04:24:28 PM
Name your price. Stahlhelm must be clearly visible.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: W8taminute on February 18, 2022, 08:34:06 AM
^  ;D
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Dammit Carl! on February 18, 2022, 09:30:44 AM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on February 17, 2022, 02:09:37 PM
On impulse, I picked up a little 800w electric scooter. Holy $hit is it a blast zipping around my neighborhood. i feel like i get a bit of exercise too when I get off of it just simply from maintaining balance while riding around. I must look hilarious on the little thing though as I cruise around at 20 mph, especially when I'm wearing my German style Stahlhelm as if I was riding a Harley. lol  The only problem I have is going up hills...it hates my guts on hills. Barely makes it up and I sometimes need to hop off and walk.

Best part about people on scooters is when they lean down as far as they can get in order to go faster (at least, in their heads, maybe).

Bitch!  You on a scooter!  You ain't going nowhere fast!
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on February 18, 2022, 09:58:19 AM
 ;D
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: MikeGER on February 18, 2022, 11:53:13 AM
JH needs and electrified version of this   :D

Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Gusington on February 18, 2022, 11:58:08 AM
^Haha perfect - that's basically what I assumed he had anyway.
Title: Re: So I bought an ebike...
Post by: Dammit Carl! on February 18, 2022, 04:17:24 PM
Quote from: Gusington on February 18, 2022, 11:58:08 AM
^Haha perfect - that's basically what I assumed he had anyway.

Exactly.

-and one of those would be the bee's knees to putt around the farm on.