Bike to work?

biker2b

I would like to start riding my bike to work, but the roads are less than prime condition. I mean, no shoulders or bike lanes and crazy drivers. Would this still be feasible? It's only about 5 miles one way, but what sort of precautions should I take? I was also considering getting an electric bike because parts of the route are hilly, do these makes hills easier?

Answer
My boyfriend wants to do the same thing....you're not him are you? Hmmm....

Anyway, its a good idea to wear a helmet and bright, reflective clothing.

The electric bike would make the hills much easier. I don't know from experience, but apparently you just pedal normally to charge it and you don't put forth any extra effort when going up hills. Just keep pedaling.

Also consider the weather. If it's not too hot where you are 5 miles would be ok...if you are in shape. You should do a practice ride when you don't need to go into work to see if you could make it. Also, will you have a backup plan if it's raining when it's time to go home? I would wear clothing specifically for the ride and have water and a backpack with clothes to change into once I got to work and a rain pancho just in case ...as well as some deodorant!

You could also ride your bike to a VIA bus stop and load up your bike.

Best electric bike for under $900?

Jon

I'm a senior and I'm about to go to college. I'm looking at getting an electric bike, because my college of choice discourages cars but has a large, hilly campus. I think that I've got a pretty good shot at getting my parents to buy me a bike, but I have to keep it under $900 (I may be able to push them up to around $1100, but that would be a tough sell).

I'd like it to look somewhat low-key, not unlike a typical street/mountain bike. It doesn't have to be crazy powerful, but it does need to be strong enough to tackle hills on a regular basis, and it needs batteries to match that usage pattern. I prefer the flexibility of a mid-drive mounted motor, since that would let the motor take advantage of the gears, and it would let me easily switch between power-assisted and all-electric pedaling, but I wouldn't mind a different setup. Finally, the university has a lot of fog and rain, so weather-resistance is probably important.

I already own a street-bike with 26" wheels and a diamond-frame body, so if a conversion kit would be a strong option, I'm also open to modifying my current bike.

Finally, if the bike most suitable for my needs falls outside of my price range, what would the price-range for that bike be, and what alternatives could I pursue? (I don't want a motorbike or a scooter/moped)

Thanks for reading this and considering my question. Let me know if I should include any additional information.

Answer
Hi John,

Instead of just broadly answering your question with an obvious sales related link, I would like to take the time to Recommend the Crystalyte line of electric bicycle conversion kits.

Since you already mentioned that you have a bicycle that you like, you can buy and apply this kit to your already purchased bicycle. 16", 20", 24", 26", and 700c sized wheels can all be built when you order the kit.

Some of the electric bikes look like motorcycles and attract a lot of attention (perceived as a motorcycle, not a bicycle). The Crystalyte motors are built into the rear hub of your bicycle wheel, so you will be seen as a regular pedaling cyclist.

There are different ranges and torque capabilities, and if you are going to be tackling hills on the regular, you will want to look into the Crystalyte Phoenix Brute electric bicycle conversion kit. The Phoenix Brute is the most powerful motor that Crystalyte makes and the torque is all in the bottom end of the power-band, so you will handle the hills with this selection.

If you would like to read about the different Crystalyte Electric Bike Conversion Kits, you can go here and read all the specifications, requirements, and installation instructions. I think that this motor is the best for your needs. Pedaling is not something that you "switch" between with the Crystalyte Motors too, because the bike drive and electric drive are separate. You can use just the pedals, pedals and motor, or just the motor at any time in your ride. :)

http://urbanscooters.com/cgi-bin/urbanscooters/PHX-Brute.html#descrip

-Jackson
UrbanScooters.com

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Title Post: Bike to work?
Rating: 83% based on 9498 ratings. 4 user reviews.
Author: Unknown

Thanks For Coming T0 My Blog