When I first heard about electric bikes, they struck me as the ultimate life hack.
I decided to find out.
The 3 Classes of Ebikes
First, lets define our terms.
An electric bike, or ebike, is any bike that has an electric motor.
There arethree main classesof ebikes.
Pedal-assist bikes, or pedelecs: The electric assist on these bikes is activated by pedaling.
Theyre legally classified as bicycles.
I tried two Class 1 ebikes over the course of a few months.
(Surely weve all had a dream like this, right?)
Well, riding with pedal assist is like that dream, but its real.
Youre cycling along, you come to a hill, youre exerting effort.
Youre still pedaling, but youve got help.
you might save money
Theaverage cost of a new caris around $36K.
Theaverage used carcosts over $19K.
The ebikes I tried cost about $3000, which is about average.
Is that a lot for a bike?
Its not as simple as cars spew exhaust, bikes dont.
Oneoft-cited experimentdeclares you burn about 20% fewer calories with electric assistance as you do without.
You save time
It takes me 25-35 minutes to commute by subway.
It takes a cool 20 to commute by ebike.
But the thing is, I dont ride my commuter bike everywhereI barely ride it anywhere.
I usually opt for public transportation.
With the ebike, these considerations fall away.
On group excursions, Im able to keep pace with the front of the pack if I desire.
Are you going to ride this bike enough to make it worth the cost?
You need a safe, climate-controlled place to store the bike
These bikes are magnets for thieves.
you might certainly keep biking beyond the batterys capacity, but youll be doing so without assist.
Check your states requirements.
People might hate you
Ebikes are zippier and faster than regular bikes.
To him, youre a cheater.
To others, youre a menace.
So ebikers need to be extra-considerate of other cyclists.
You might hate yourself
Im not joking.
If youre used to a regular bike, you may feel like an ebike is cheating.
Cycling is transportation, but its also a workout.
A challenging ride is rewarding because youve made the trip on your own steam.
Of course, a life hack by very definition is a shortcut to a goal.
It allows you to reach the same end with less stress, time or effort.
Yes, its faster and easier than an analog bike.
But is a certain amount of suffering to reach a goal important?
Do we appreciate things more when weve sweat for them?
For the moment, the pros of ebikes outweigh the cons for meIm in.
Unlike a moped or scooter, using electricity with ebikes is optional.
you might choose when to life hack, and when to just live.
