[IrritatedWithUS]

So, I am seriously considering buying an electric bicycle.
I haven't even looked at one since the late 90's because they only got 3-5 miles on one charge.

With fuel being $3.28 a gallon here for unleaded I took a serious look at them. I know $3.28 isn't too bad
for gas here but I've seen it at $4.05 last year. If I buy an eBike I plan on using it occasionally around the
city as well as for preparation.
It's been awhile since I have looked at these bikes. In 10 years of technology, these eBikes sure have
changed! I'm looking at a Currie Technology electronic fold-able mountain bike. These things are very spendy
($1,200-$3,500) but its looking like a real efficient piece of machinery. On a single charge without peddling
it can go 20-30 miles at 20+mph. According to my state law these bikes are not allowed to exceed 1000w
and go no more than 15 miles an hour without a special license. Joy.

I'm thinking I want to buy one in case my car dies and I need transportation when :shtf: and
replace the tires with airless puncture-proof tires. Even in the most dire of situations I think it
would be nice to get 20-30 miles away from a situation if I'm lazy and don't want to peddle (haha!)
and probably 40-50+ miles away with long intervals of peddling on a single charge even if that would
be the only charge it would have in that situation. That extra mileage would really help.

Would you buy an electric bike just in case? And would you replace the tires with airless tires?

And some of these bikes come with options of folding up as well.

 

[GXLancer]

Unless you just have unlimited anounts of cash I wouldnt waste my money. Buy a real mnt bike and start riding. Its fun and great exercise. And the money you save you can use for more prep. You can get a real nice mnt bike for three to five hundred dollars. I bought a full suspension mongoose for 1k but I love biking. A decent gary fisher or giant for a few hundered bucks plus a few spare tires would be the way to go IMHO. I have my doubts that an electric bike is going to go very far once you put a heavy pack on and start hitting the hills. For the money Id just buy a used dirt bike.

 

[The_Blob]

airless solid tires are heavier (and a bit rougher ride) than you would think, if you're not used to them...

e-bike seems pretty expensive, you might be better served with a small motor minibike or a kit to add a very small (<35cc) engine to a bicycle that you could engage/disengage at will :dunno:

that's just my $0.02

 

[IrritatedWithUS]

I made this post 2 months to the day without a reply until now :wave:

eBikes are expensive but it's like a normal bike that you can ride. you can switch it to intervals of manual and then electric and vice versa. So it doubles your 'mileage'.

 

[GXLancer]

either way I dont think I would want to have to rely on an electric bike even if you can pedal it for when SHTF. But thats just me. Not a bad idea though. I always planed on driving my car as far as it would take me, than pulling the mnt bike out of the trunk and getting the rest of the way on it. But everyones situation is different. My mane issue will be getting from eastern North Carolina back to north Georgia where my family is, that is if SHTF before I get out of the military.

 

[nj_m715]

I posted about my bikes before. A front wheel motor is under $100 if you shop around. You really don't need a controller and they are pretty pricey. You can find a few small sealed lead acid batteries online. The last one's I picked up were 12v, 7-8 amh batts for about $20. You can use a push button switch like a horn button for a throttle. The higher the voltage you run, the faster the bike, they higher the amh, the further you can go before recharging. My wife has a 24v kit and my bike has a 72v kit. It's faster, but not fast enough to be worth the extra money. I think anyone should be happy with 24 or 36v. Remember you can always peddle to increase speed and range. You can "overvolt" a motor. They really can take it. I built a 72v 3 wheel motorcycle from a 36v golf cart motor. It clipped along at 40 mph.

As long as you "bog down" the motor with a heavy load of steep hill and over heat it, it can take extra voltage. So for about $150 you can do a diy conversion on any bike you already have. If you put you batteries into a small toolbag you can plug it in at your desk to have enough power to drive home. Wires/horn button $10, batteries $20-30 ea, hub motor $75-100.
I'd say start cheap, see if you like it and upgrade from there. Add batteries as needed. I ran errands and got to work plenty of times with mine. I use the motor on the flats, and peddle maybe 50/50 uphill and coast down hill. It makes biking less work and more like transportation. Sure you get less of a workout than biking, but on the flip side you get more workout than driving.

 

[Davo45]

I'll pass on the ebike for a back up vehicle, chances are prety good that the power would be out for an extended period of time if I decided it was time to bug out.