How To Buy An E-bike For Christmas
If you read this blog, much of the following will sound familiar. Still, one can’t wrap a conversion and buying online for a loved one is a lot more simple than hauling an e-bike to grandma’s house.
It is important to know that no bike is going to be comfortable if it is not properly fitted. Take in to account how far your loved one will have to reach to hold the handle bars, when the seat is at proper height. If your gift is for someone local, let me assemble and fit it for you.
Bicycles have evolved over more than a hundred years. Shapes, sizes, wheels, tires and drive trains are what they are because they are most efficient and comfortable. IF YOUR E-BIKE DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THE TRADITIONAL BIKE YOU WOULD CHOOSE FOR THE SAME RIDE, IT IS NOT GOING TO BE AS COMFORTABLE OR EFFICIENT AS IT SHOULD! This does not mean some close variants can’t be more comfortable. Just remember, the more you stray, the lower will be your performance whether we are talking comfort, range, handling or acceleration.
There are a few hard and fast rules. Geometry and proper fit make a bike stable amd comfortable. Marshmallow tires and suspensions do not!
Wider tires provide a marginal difference in comfort. That’s why racers went from 23 to 28, not 40c tires. Marginal gains mean the difference between first and fifth in a bike race, not on a Saturday afternoon stroll or even a century ride.
Bike tires are nothing like automobile or motorcycle tires. Wider bicycle tires have taller and softer profiles, not lower and stiffer. They have more squirm in cornering on hard, dry surfaces. They dive more, extending stopping distances too. They are heavier and/or provide greater road resistance. They just aren’t as efficient.
ALL fork suspensions were designed for off road control, not comfort. That’s why, for years, mtb’s only had front suspensions and why not everyone needs both a front amd rear suspension.
A suspension fork is at least an extra five pounds all the time, for something you will only use occasionally. It absorbs some energy with every pedal stroke. It extends stopping distance by magnifying dive and impairs handling by magnifying squirm on dry pavement.
Long bikes, huge tires, big wheels and heavy suspensions are hard for smaller or older people to handle. Don’t expect your tiny spouse or older parent to be able to handle an extra long or suspended bike with balloon tires or 27.5 (650B) wheels, much less 29″. I realize some of you are even older than I and can handle just about anything. You are the exception that proves the rule. Please don’t assume granny will want an aero race or Enduro bike.
Saddles can be replaced, if the saddle just doesn’t work. Remember, if your saddle is uncomfortable, your bike does not fit. As long as your bike is not too tall for you, it can be fitted to you. Bring it by, I’ll take care of it.
Many of you know that I am a huge fan of mid-drive e-bikes. Hub drives aren’t as efficient. Few have torque sensing for battery management. Changing a flat can be quite challenging and they aren’t as good at climbing hills quickly. Does your loved one really want to ride more than 30 miles at a shot? Will they really swap a tube if they have a flat on a ride (BTW, fatter tires are more likely to get flats). Do they care if they climb Brady at 15 instead of 8-10mph? How quickly do they really need to accelerate and whether you know it or not, few people are truly comfortable on a bike over 15mph (speed limit in lanes, on trails and MUP’s). For those folks, a more affordable hub drive bike, with comfy Dutch geometry, will be as good as any $7k alternative! We sell one for $995.
That’s below minimum advertised price so I can’t say or show who’s it is. You get the idea though.
No one needs super high wattage. Torque is key for hillclimbing, battery management and acceleration. Most of the world gets by with 250 watts and most of those bikes have less than 30nm’s of torque. This has 50% more wattage and 30% more torque. Don’t completely eliminate the options of a recumbent either (hard to haul, but supremely efficient). Any trike will be more stable than any bicycle. E-bikes are meant to make traditional cycling easier, more convenient and accessible, not faster.
Finally, excluding some extremely expensive mtb’s, it is not possible to get a factory e-bike as efficient, comfortable or reliable as converting the bike you already love. They just don’t make as high quality e-bikes because the traditional big names don’t take us seriously and few of us will ever ride far, fast and need handling. Please feel free to call with any questions even of you intend to do a conversion yourself.