I’ve been writing about e-bikes off-and-on for 18 months now.
Since getting one of my own, I’ve kind of fallen in love with the thing.
But this Memorial Day I decided to find what it could really do. I set out on a route through Buckhead and Brookhaven, mostly avoiding four-lane roads but not entirely. I had to skirt along a sidewalk on Buford Highway, against traffic. Later, I raced down a hill near Tucker and crossed three lanes of cars. I couldn’t do this route on most weekdays. Too many cars.
This illustration shows the result. While I’ve been a bicyclist all my life, remember that I’m 69. But neither I, nor my battery, were completely done-in when I arrived home, after averaging 13 mph over 30 miles. I ate, rested, had a single Ibuprofen, and was back at my desk this morning.
Now for the bad news.
The Bad News
Over 30 miles I rode down most of the battery, even while consciously trying not to.
An e-bike may be too heavy for conventional bike racks. If you’re going to travel with one, you need to invest in a hitch rack. Amazon sells them for a little over $300. That doesn’t include installation, which brings the total cost to near $1,000.
On the other hand, today’s e-bikes are nothing like what is to come. Longer ranges are coming. Many already let you replace the battery easily. Market competition means you can expect rickshaw e-bikes, cargo e-bikes, and proto-scooters, at $2,000 and less, within a year. A lot of today’s brands won’t make it through the consolidation.
Infrastructure around e-bikes needs to improve. Not just roads and paths, but laws and repair. When I first went shopping many shop owners said they refused to service anything they didn’t sell. That’s changing, as the parts are similar. Car advocates will fight this, but the fact is cars don’t scale. If you want urban density, you need to support e-bikes.
This is going to be a tough year for e-bike makers, a good time to buy one. See how many car trips you can replace and get used to the feeling. I’ll see you on the road.
