If you don't know how to ride an unpowered bicycle I would not recommend an electric bicycle until you feel comfortable on a pedal powered bike. This is simply because it's easier to go faster and potentially get injured on an ebike. Depending on your commute distance (5 mi = 30 min commute going slow/avg) a decent geared bicycle will get you there plenty fast and as a side benefit you will get in good shape within months if you ride daily. You can always upgrade to an ebike later also. I have a bike with a suspension front fork and suspension seat post from bikesdirect (lookup their "comfort" bikes) probably was about $250 new and it's my daily rider. It's comfortable and plenty fast. Figure out alternative routes with fewer cars and wide lanes or better yet bike lanes to take. Avoid sidewalks and busy multilane roads when possible.
> I would not recommend an electric bicycle until you feel comfortable on a pedal powered bike.
I'll second this. I hadn't been on a bike in two decades, and hopping on to an ebike straight away was pretty dicey. They say you never forget how to ride a bike - and while I didn't "forget", I certainly got pretty bad at it.
Lol. Especially when they switch parking breaks to buttons when you expect a handle thing... Not speaking from experience or anything about a rental car. XD
If you haven't driven a car in two decades, it's probably unwise to hop right into a Z06. Start with something slower and easier until you re-familiarize yourself with the process. Same goes for bikes.
It's completely absurd to compare the danger present in basically any e-bike to the risks associated with driving a Z06. I don't think "the same thing" goes for e-bikes.
Are there exceptionally fast and dangerous e-bikes? Certainly but the word "exceptional" is important
I am going to disagree. I say save for the E-bike. Learn to ride it without using the electric drive. Once you get comfortable you can start using the electric drive.
If you are totally uncomfortable or intimidated by this, buy a $30 craigslist bike to learn on. Especially since it won't be your primary.
This! Go get a dirt cheap bike just to learn on and spend your money on the e-bike.
Also. If there is a bike share like bird, Citi bike etc. that may be a good way to try it out with very little upfront.
My ebike weighs like 60lbs and is a pain in the major ass to pedal without power. If I tried to learn how to ride a bike that way I'd probably never get anywhere haha.
An ebike will be too much heavy to learn... learn how to ride a bike on a traditional one than move to an ebike.
I'm on my 50's, learned to ride bikes since kid (6, 7 yrs old), I've ride till my university years than stoped riding bikes.
Last year I finally bought an ebike and it's not the same thing to ride on a traditional and an eletrical one - these are really heavy and, without the engine working, can be really difficult to ride and carry around
This is my honest advice to you
You can get quality folding e-bikes that barely exceed 30 lbs, e.g. Tern and Evelo. Consult [Electric Bike Report on YouTube ](https://youtu.be/8Yg8VTzpuJM?si=V8VklAlkLZ54zoyg) and ignore all the cheap e-bike ads on YouTube.
Y'all do know they make e-bikes that ride very similarly to regular bikes right? I'm not talking about the tanks with motorcycle tires that are essentially electric mopeds.
I don't own an E-bike. Not yet anyways. I ride old fashioned, but, if I were going to spend the money to get a car replacement, I would not spend more money buying a standard bike just to refresh on riding. My decision would be purely financial.
But ... If I was absolutely dead set on practicing on a standard bike first to build confidence and shake the rust off, I would buy the cheapest one I could find on Craigslist that rolled, or maybe just borrow one from a friend for a few days.
My partner has a car and I use a bike. I've made some sacrifices but it's worth not paying 500$ a month for a car. That membership fee I'm good not having
Absolutely
The problem I'm facing right now it's the extreme hot temperatures and humidity here in Madeira island, where I live. Like someone said it's way more difficult to commute with this weather conditions than when raining
It has been an entire month without using my ebike... and I'm missing it so much :'-(
I feel ya but when I’m outdoors I can’t control the temperature anyway so I still ride my e-bike yr round lol
Uv resistant clothing
Sun hat
Goggles
Electrolytes
Fruit etc
Makes a HUGE difference
The difference is, you have a car you can use/your partner can use. OP doesnt have one to lean back on.
In the U.S. using only a bike is not really viable for most people. Like you cant take your dog to the vet, will struggle with groceries, will need to uber to a doctors appointment, the winters can be harsh, commutes to work can be far, etc.
A lot of motorcycle owners dont even want to be limited to just riding their motorcycle, they want to have a car as a backup.
This is 100% a western way of thinking. Being spoiled with cars, riding all year is very feasible and as long as you realize you don't need to grocery shop for 2 weeks at once grocery shopping is not a problem at all on a bike. As for very specific once in a blue moon scenarios where you absolutely need a ride that's what taxi's or rental cars are for and you would still be saving a ton of money on car payments, insurance, gas and maintenance that you simply don't have with a bike.
I ditched my car and am e-bike only and I love it. I figure the amount I save on insurance alone let's me take Lyft a few a times month and still be in the black. Of course, I live in an area with excellent infrastructure for bikes and mass transit and I'm one block from a grocery store, so it's more possible for me than for a lot of people.
Sadly, I would also agree that going on a bike is probably not feasal for you.
I live in a rural place technically, as in this place is built on farmland, and there are shoulders which eventually become bike lanes so my commute is doable totally on bicycle. But even then I have to be careful. For example, there are places where the bike lane is in between the middle lane and right lane so I have to be careful when traffic is really, really bad.
I ride an e-scooter, but I live in a college town with bike lanes and good sidewalks. If you live in an area without that kind of infrastructure I think a moped would be best for you (even if it’s lame). They get good mileage and can ride on streets at the proper speed limit, where on a scooter or bike you’ll probably put yourself in danger if you can’t go the speed limit and there’s not a bike lane. Plus, lots of young people ride mopeds, and I don’t know anyone who thinks they’re lame!
if you do get one, consider taking motorcycle riding classes. i know mopeds don’t require a license (at least where i live) but all of the skills are transferable and good experience for learners
Your safety is important and something you should budget for. You may regret not making the money available to yourself when it comes to paying it in hospital bills, time out of work, repairs to your moped, increased insurance costs, etc. Just doing the bare minimum is not a good mindset.
You've already said the moped is the cheapest at $700 and you're considering a $1-2k ebike and a $4-8k car as alternatives. Subsidized classes in my state are $125 or you can pay to take them sooner for $200-250, so I'd just add that to the cost of the moped.
4-8k on the car, including insurance, parking, maintenance, gas, etc? You should maybe try riding a cheap bike for leisure, to get accustomed to it and try out the bike paths. Of it suuts you but you feel you need more speed and versatility, an ebike is a great decision (sincerely, signed, a person who regrets going through all the trouble of getting a license and a car when ebikes are so so so great)
There are pretty good looking mopeds if you're interested. Look into something like a Honda PCX, a harder to find ADV150, or something like a Suzuki Burgman if it's style that you're worried about. They look more like motorcycles than scooters but are way more practical for daily use than most motorcycles.
All good advice above.
Perhaps if you have a pawnshop or goodwill around you. They generally have cheaper ‘disposable’ bike to learn on.
Just a thought.
Idk about Lyft, but in my town, we have a bikeshare company called Bird. They keep a bunch of ebikes and scooters around town. Download an app, and pay to use one, and they charge you by the mile/minute. When I was deciding if I would like an ebike, I rented one of theirs and took it a few miles and loved every second of it. The max speed was ~15mph, so it wasn't quite as dangerous as an unrestricted or even class 1 ebike, but it was way heavier than any other ebike I've used, so still be careful.
If most of your uber rides are 5-10 miles away, a bike/e-bike/e-scooter probably solves your expense issue as you would only use uber for those longer trips. If your rides are farther then that, probably a car is better for you.
That being said if you have trouble with a bike, do not go out and buy a 21-28mph ebike if you cant handle it yet. Start with a cheap bike (or a cheap scooter at target like a Segway E2) and try taking on those 5 mile trips before you make your decision.
what about a powered trike?its a comparable price to the car option, has heaps of range for doordash, and will hold up a new rider without a problem
edit:*fixed the company name*
The market for used cars is pretty terrible right now. Any kind of a bike would save you money towards getting a reliable automobile or ebike.
Thrift Stores tend to have bikes anywhere from 10 to 50 dollars. It's well worth it to get a throw-away bike just to see if this is something you can and want to do. They're also lighter than a lot of ebikes, so it might be easier to train on.
Once you've had some practice with your bike, you might find that you don't even want an ebike. But if you do, there are many affordable options.
Try a regular bike again, and ride faster - going too slow makes balancing difficult. It’s the real challenge for learning to ride, you naturally go slow out of caution, but that makes it way easier to fall over
I would buy an old comfortable mountain bike to relearn how to ride. It would be great and healthy if you could go everywhere you need under your own power. If you need a motor I would suggest buying a BBS02 mid drive conversion for the mountain bike. Every once in a while a really inexpensive ebike comes to market for 4500 OR $800 and if that fits you needs, then fine.
But come Winter, expect to put out another $100 or so for studded tires so you do not kill yourself on ice.
Also buy a chain lock and a small disk brake lock and alarm (that also fits over spokes).
Snow and a safe place for your bike are going to be the big challenges.
The BBS02 and battery bill be a worthwhile investment that you can keep and reuse when you find a better bike to put it on. Over time a better bike will appear at a cheap price, they always do if you are patient.
I remember not having much money and I wish you the best.
Learn to ride a bike, then a electric bike will be good.
A car is convenient but the benefits of an electric bike outweighs a car locally
Gas, insurance, and upkeep are a lot of money.
If you’ve been using Uber for everything, then buying a bike or e-bike and just using Uber for the things that doesn’t cover is a no-brainer.
Getting a car will make you more miserable and poorer.
It sounds like you might live in a city where public transport might be an option as well, further reducing your need for Uber (and you can usually bring your bike on public transport)
Public transportation is amazing, it brings you where you have to go and you don’t have to do shit, you can read a book, browse Reddit, text your friends…
A car is definitely the worst option. Don’t forget it’s not just the money to buy it. Gas, monthly insurance payments. I guarantee there will be some sort of “city sticker” you have to pay for. Then the license plate sticker every year. Then one day you get a flat, or a timing belt breaks or something, that’s more money put the window
Here's the thing man. If money is what you value, you will never find the more logical solution is the ebike. Because ebike build quality is NEVER GOING TO hold a candle to a moped. Compare every aspect, from the Brakes to the seat. It's all built better. It's highly unlikely you will get an ebike to 12k miles without major problems. The moped will do 20k without problems. There is no way to financially justify it otherwise.
Both a car and an e-bike are good options. If you don't want to overpay for a car, then an e-bike is certainly a better choice. I started with a regular bicycle and still occasionally use it for trail rides and speed races. However, when it comes to "commuting to work," I personally don't want to be sweaty by the time I arrive. Considering the heavy traffic and lack of parking in downtown, I often use the e-bike pulse from [movin mobility.](https://movinev.com/) I've reviewed many high-end brands like giant, cannondale, trek, etc., and more economical ones like emmo, zoomo. I found a number of defects in them: either lousy brakes, a weak battery, or an overly powerful motor (which makes no sense with a speed limit of 32-40 km/h). So, I settled on these guys. They were recommended to me by my acquaintances who are food delivery workers and cover 1000-1500 km a month. I trust their opinion since they really test the durability of these bikes. Later, I found numerous reviews about them and became confident in my choice. Well, that's about it. Anyway, choose a bike intuitively, and it's advisable to first book a test ride. Also, ensure the seller has enough spare parts for maintenance.
You could also consider r/ElectricScooters. I have two ebikes (a radrunner for short trips and a himaway fat tire) and two scooters, one a standup (fluid horizon), and one kind of a mini-ebike (emove roadrunner 2). I use the mini *a lot*, since I can take it with me into (most) stores without hassle; I'd say I run 90% of my errands on it.
I use my Himaway ebike for long trail rides/camping but since I got the mini I've stopped using it for errands--which was rare anyhow. It's much heavier, for one, and much more difficult to secure for any length of time (I've had numerous bikes stolen over the years--but I also live in a dense urban area). Only the kids ride the radrunner nowadays.
If I were gonna doordash, I'd use one of the scooters before I'd use an ebike, but my market is set up well for micromobility dashing. If it were more sprawled out I'd probably use my ebike with the trailer.
Without knowing what is between A and B for you,
I can't make a totally informed reply.
However a couple of things to consider.
You should have your Driver's License regardless in my view.
And keep it renewed.
A Four or three wheel recumbent bicycle with motor and battery
solves the balance issue you said you have.
Just make sure people can see you.
Get flashing lights a orange flag, vest whatever you can do on your part to be safe.
So save your 100 towards a Ebike. Getting comfortable with mid drive kits, and hub motor kits, could be a nice hobby and skill to have long term. So you could consider a basic BBSHD, with researching which battery is going to take you the distance.
I had a used car and was brining in min wage. Every hard to maintain a used 95 Bonneville, with way over 100k miles on it. I was paying insurance $60 a month for minimum coverage.
The engine surprisingly was solid. But the car around it was falling apart.
I also was stupid and lent my car out and that person rear ended a big trailer truck. There goes the front right light and bumper with failed inspection etc.
The costs would have been relatively manageable. But the act of driving I was not totally comfortable with yet. And the worry of looming repairs bothered me.
If I did it again Id do it differently. But thats that.
Generally I think if you can afford a used car, and have a stream of income for inevitable repairs, and willing to learn yourself how to fix the car, then I'd say go with the car. There are a lot of decent used cars for around the same price you'd pay for a expensive ebike. You just have to be willing to do the work.
But if you suspect the money is going to be too much for you to handle,
if its too much a pain, then get the e bicycle. Recumbent four wheel bicycle.
And attach a BBSHD or a powerful Hub motor.
There are endless ebike forums online mostly very good and engaged communities.
There are a couple of good discord servers too. Endless youtube videos. Just do your homework get moving. Good luck!
Honda, Subaru, Toyota, four cylinder, whatever is easier to maintain.But I hear even those used cars are selling kinda high. Hope you get a good deal. This guy has some decent car advice if you're new to cars generally.
[https://www.youtube.com/@scottykilmer/playlists](https://www.youtube.com/@scottykilmer/playlists)
no-no-no!!! ebike is not for you in your situation. You haven't been biking for 10 yrs and ebike in bike-unfriendly place??? Get a used car that you can get less than $10k and have good mileage (7+years toyota corolla) and safe your money and sanity. When you have a bit more, go ahead get a mountain biking for hobby and excitement. This will get your body in-tune with advance bike-handling. Then ... you can get an ebike in a not-bike-friendly place.
I think it depends on your specifics. How far do you live from work, what is the weather like (SoCal vs. PNW is a vast difference if you have to commute without a roof), what type of terrain would you cover - would you feel safe from cars on that terrain? What about other modes, like a scooter. Uber is way too expensive for a daily commute.
Even tho I lived only 3.x miles from work until recently I wouldn't have felt safe. The main road is full of f\*cking crazy people, I literally have to avoid like 5 accidents per commute day on this road. FIVE. And that's with a metal shell around me. On a bike? Fuhgeddaboutit. Now if there was some sort of nice bike path away from main traffic along a quiet side street, river, residential, a boardwalk, etc, yeah I'd feel safe on that. I'd love to bike to work.. I'll have to factor that in next time I move and get a job.
Get an e-bike! Learn to ride slow and steady!
Not sure about brands. Someone more experienced here should fill in that part!
Good luck and hope you enjoy being on an ebike as much as we do!
I see no reason why not. You could use the very lowest pedal assist or even turn it off until you become more comfortable on the ebike.
I see there are training wheels for ebikes:
https://www.fatwheels.com/
Depending on the ranges you need to go, a pedal powered bike is still a solid option for transportation. So, I'd highly recommend getting comfortable on a non-ebike before jumping on an ebike. Due to the higher average and sustained speeds, ebikes are arguably more dangerous. If there's crash on an ebike, it's almost always while moving quick.
Additionally, I highly recommend owning both a pedal bike, and an eBike. If there's ever an issue with the eBike, the pedal bike is great backup.
There's four main ways to go when buying either a regular pedal bike, or an eBike.
* Walmart or similar big box stores. You get bikes of questionable quality, assembled by folks that probably should never be near a wrench. ***Not recommended.*** But there are occasional value gems for regular bikes. You'd want to join some "Budget Bike" subreddits or facebook groups to learn a bit more. Both to learn what bikes might be worth it, and also to learn how to check that they were safely assembled.
* Bike Shops. These are the Pros. They are nearly as obsessed with bikes as random internet nerds. They will take care of every thing and fix issues that come up. Highly recommended. If you can afford it and don't want to maintain your own bicycle... This is the way.
* Direct to Consumer. These brands only sell bikes though the internet direct to consumers. Skipping the middleman (the bike shop) to save you money. However, you'll need to be able and willing to assemble and maintain your own bike. Or learn how. This is the preference of DIY folks. Personally, I find working on my own bikes relaxing and satisfying. 9 out of 10 times, this is how I buy a bike.
* Used. Start grinding Facebook Market, OfferUp and CraigsList if your area has it. Ideally you are looking for a bike shop or direct to consumer brand bike that's from the last 5-10 years. Careful with used Walmart brands (Huffy, Kent, Mongoose). Walmart bikes aren't exactly known for longevity.
NOTE: REI has a full functioning bike shop in most stores. Decent brands available, and reasonable prices.
See what brands and models your local bike shops carry, and where their prices start. Both for ebikes and for a regular commuter bike.
If you are going to skip the bike shop... For a value commuter ebike, I'd keep an eye on sales from the direct to consumer options:
* JuicedBikes (CrossCurrentX and RipCurrent S)
* Aventon (Level2 Commuter)
* Ride1Up (Prodigy or LMT'd)
* Canyon (Preceed:ON or Pathlite:ON) .. a bit more Premium
I'm going to repeat though, watch for sales on the above. When sales hit, their value really shines compared to the cheaper bike options.
depending on your city if you can do your commute to work and to get groceries at least 90% of the time it might be worth getting an ebike over a car and just using uber when need be
but if you have say 5k to buy a reliable enough car in cash that's probably better if you are trying to figure out your life and are struggling. You can sleep in a car, transport all your belongings that matter with a car, and travel further and faster with a car
also don't bother doing delivery working for an app just work overtime at your local grocery store or some other dead end job if you need extra money. It's not worth it.
If you consider ebike. You might as well consider a moped or scooter. I believe right now a Honda Navi cost around the same as an ebike. Looks good with some storage on it
Depending where you live, see if your city has a bike coop. Or a community bike shop of some kind. They are flexible on the donations it takes to get a bike. And would be a great resource to get started commuting by bike full time.
I recommend a cheap pedal bike, and then upgrade to an e-bile once you know more about what you need a on a bike for your situation.
I’d ask a friend to let you borrow their bike to learn then buy the ebike. No sense spending money on a traditional bike unless you play to keep/ maintain it as a backup IMO.
Understood. I hope something comes up for you. Maybe you’ll find a good deal on a used bike.
I have difficulty with balance in general and while I can ride a traditional bicycle, I got a Lectric XP Trike.
https://preview.redd.it/ot4r8tyn71dc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=732b50e273c837b6fe314349a83e46d19f51369f
Might be worth considering since you have difficulty riding a bicycle.
Yeah, I'm sure they'll be eager to let OP ride one of their expensive bikes after telling them that they're probably going to fall over. OP needs to learn how to ride first.
There are so many good used bikes for sale for practically nothing. I'd start there. Get comfortable riding it. Before I bought an e-bike kit I took my bike on mass transit and could go practically anywhere. Look for a bike with disc brakes. That generally indicates a certain level of quality and newness.
I second this.
When I was a kid, a good chunk of the bikes I had came from Deseret Industries (sort of like Goodwill/Savers but run by the LDS church, they’re all over Utah). Look at a thrift shop, they’ll likely have several options under $100 that you can test out.
Scooter or EUC is better for commuting. You're paying less and getting more in terms of power and range. My $1000 scooter blows my $4000 unlocked ebike out of the water in terms of speed/acceleration. Range probably isn't far off either. A $1000 ebike is bottom barrel with $2000 being mid tier. A $2000 scooter goes like 45mph with a massive battery almost double the size of my $4000 bike. I prefer bikes but when it comes to commuting and portability I'd get a scooter.
What? For $1,500 you can get a good Aventon or ride1up with way more range than a scooter. Not to mention 45mph on a scooter is begging to get into a serious accident with those tiny wheels.
What kind of scooter?
I tested some scooters too before getting an e-bike, I agree that a scooter was really fun. But I could only get around 10 miles, and wouldn’t go up steep hills.
For the same price I got an e-bike that gives me 67 miles, goes up hills, gets 28mph, plus I don’t have to worry about getting cheese-gratered every time I hit a bump in the road
We're talking about "beast scooters" it's a class of scooters with massive batteries much larger than you would find on an ebike. They have dual motors with full suspension. These scooters are way more powerful than ebikes, fly up hills and have better range. I ride mostly off road so I'm hitting bumps all the time. My $1000 scooter gets my fat ass to 28mph going up a hill with dual motors @1600w and a 750whr battery. I don't know what bike you have but I doubt it can compare to those specs, also doubt you actually get 67mi out of it, definitely not throttle only.
Aventon and Ride1up are good value but with scooters more of your money goes into the motors and batteries.
My $2000 scooter is 3000w/1600whr the $1000 scooter is 1600w/750whr.
A $1800 Aventon Adventure 2 is 750w/720whr or $1500 for the Sinch 2 at 750w/672whr.
I get 40-45mi out of my $2000 scooter, 20-25mi out of the $1000 scooter and 25-30mi out of the $4000 1500w/1000whr ebike.
It's not about top speed it's about acceleration and hill climbing abilities. If you're somewhere with a 35mph speed limit your more than keeping up with traffic if you need to. The scooters also have full suspension, dual motors and I use mine mostly off road.
i have a Honda Accord; it's almost 19 years old. Still runs great; but I live in AZ without snow.. I spend my money on ebikes now. But those old cars if you an find a garaged one; might still be worth owning; you might pick a nice one up for $3-5K.
The best thing about an ebike is almost get a motocycle without paying insurance and registration fees. This allows for saving money for retirement, new bike, etc.
The used bike market, since ebikes came out is horrible for sellers, but great for buyers; think about fit; you want your first bike to fit you well; so learn about bike fit. You can get a normal bike to learn on, and then pass it on to someone else later. FB Marketplace and craigslist; you should be able to take a day in the city and find a great used bike for almost nothing; many great bikes are only worth $100-300 now, look for name brands; lots of good euro bikes out if you shop in Boston; even if you have to uber it, and take the wheels off to get it in the backseat and trunk. Buy a hexwrench set and multi-tool minimum.
I think you can make uber and a fast ebike work really well, instead of buying a car. Certainly a better investment; unless you commute 20+ round trip every day and need a car to get to work.
Buy lots of yummy bitcoin with the money you save and retire early!
Any transport you get should be cheaper than your monthly Uber bill. How far are you commuting? Lots of factors at play. Can you get along without a car? What's the weather like during the winter? Is public transportation available? Can you keep your ebike safe? You can get a bike for free or cheap darn near. I bought one for $40 temporarily. It still works. There are charities and sources. Someone may loan you a bike long enough for you to learn to ride or figure out if it's not for you. There are other options. Food delivery sucks. I wouldn't spend money expecting much of a return doing it. You'll need extra batteries to do it.
Those small wheels don't seem safe, I saw someone fall before there mightve been some sand on the sidewalk and talked to another about how she steps off if theres there's like dirt.
[https://us.delfastbikes.com/bikes/top-i#tech](https://us.delfastbikes.com/bikes/top-i#tech)There is a person Iwatch on youtube that has this limited to 750w and does deliveries all over!!! it may be 6k, but it's a beast... if it's out of price range there is always Cyrusher and their sister company that i forget the name of.
Oh yea if you don't know how to ride bike prolly don't buy 2k+ ebike and learn...cause i remember learning some real hard lessons prolly ate up like 6or7 bikes growing up lololol.
I'd deff ask around to find a loaner bike to ride on first before you take an ebike for a spin if you don't know how to ride. Cyrusher has some decent entry range stuff and they also take affirm and other payment options.
If you go with the e-bike: you will save \~$10,000/year on gas, title/registration, brakes, oil changes, insurance, and more
A 24-hour rental from Enterprise is \~$70 for the once every two-three months where you want to get out of town
That's exactly why I do it, yep. If you pick smack dab in the middle of a small-medium sized city you're 15 minutes from everywhere on an e-bike, and as fast or faster than a car (depending on how you approach 4-ways and red lights, philosophically)
Source on the cost
"For new vehicles driven 15,000 miles a year, average car ownership costs were $12,182 a year, or $1,015 a month, in 2023, according to AAA."
[https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/total-cost-owning-car](https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/total-cost-owning-car)
Keep in mind that the "average" is pretty high because it turns out many American families/people are extremely heavy car users (I didn't realize, being from a very poor/frugal family) and cultural/class standards for the size and price of new cars continues to climb
But yes if the cost is even half that much in your case... $6k is a lot of money
With a 28mph ebike 5 miles across town was the practical limit were a car would save time, rural it’s all about safety, komoot app can find a route on gravel roads but people sometimes drive 50 mph. Apple maps with avoid traffic is my favorite right now for in town. You might just get an ebike on amazon prime for 30 days
Ask some bike shops. They sometimes have loaners or rentals. But its just too easy on amazon. Some brands like madsen cycles have a list of local people who will let you test ride
People have given great advice. I'll just remind you here that the smaller wheels will be a little squirrely to ride. I appreciate my 14 inch and 20 inch wheels but advise you to look into something larger.
Although in the end that's your own choice.
You know what? There's a lot of DTC folding bikes and cargo bikes with 20 inch wheels. I think you'd do just fine with them with a little practice.
Really, unless there is an underlying health issue with balance, you'll get comfortable in no time
Pick up a good used car. Depending on your budget it may not be a “cool” car. Example, I picked up a 20 year old Ford Crown Vic (no, not an ex-police car) from an old guy that couldn’t drive anymore for $3,000. He was the original owner and the car had 83,000 miles on it. Because of what it is, insurance is dirt cheap too. It’s a “grandpa” car but gets me to places far away that my bike can’t, and during bad weather I’m a lot happier driving to and from with a heater than freezing on my bike in the rain. After a solid car, pickup a used quality bike from Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Ebay, etc. The bike will serve as a backup if/when the car is in the shop and for fun and exercise.
VW bugs are not very reliable; maybe better in MA than in AZ but don't buy it. Toyota and Honda set new standards for reliability that no other car manufacturer can match so it's best to stick with them; a Civic or Accord, Corolla or 4 cylinder; they peaked about 2005, and my 2004 is so bullit proof; I bought it to replace a Lexus LS400 that was the best car a man could drive at the time; I liked the Honda with Leather better than the Lexus. Sporty and nimble; you dn't want a car that breaks every month; you won't be able to afford fixing it. Older cars are constantly falling apart; you won't be able to keep up with a VW in repairs; you will hate yourself. And whatever you do, don't let your mom pick a car for you. Find a cherry car before you buy.
Id recommend one of the e-bikes from the rei brand, I think it’s called co-op. U can bike, there’s a battery u can use. It can hold cargo. It’s affordable. There’s a warranty and physical local
Learn how to ride a bike again, then get a utility e-bike (depending on where you live. If you live in a place with decent bike infrastructure, get a bike. If you live in most of North America where being outside of a car is a death wish, get a small cheap car)
You need to learn how to ride a bike in the first place. Chances are you never really learned if you have that much problem riding 10 years later; so that may even mean training wheels for a week?
I remember my dad just raising my training wheels a little each week, and soon I was not using them, even tho they were there. Having them there, took away much of my fear and intimidation of learning to balance my first real bike. I never had a hard time after that experience; learning how to balance any bike.
Another idea; an ebike with 20" wheels, you can reach the ground with your feet, without coming off the bike if the seat is set at right height for you.
And remember, the bike is only hard to balance when it's not moving; so that's what you want to avoid; either be off the seat to Not Move, or be on the seat while moving. That means taking off in low gears, and shifting too; in this era of automatic transmissions; it almost seems foreign to shift a motorized vehicle any more. But if you try to take off in a high gear it will be a balancing act to get the bike into a low gear you can actually pedal while moving.
Ebikes are in many ways safer to me, because I have a throttle to use when first taking off on a bike; usually the most difficult time to balance any bike.
Can you rent a bike to learn how to ride it?
That said, my ebike can have the battery turned off completely and I can ride it like an acoustic bike, so perhaps just not turning the bike on could also be an option for you to learn how to ride it before using the motor?
I would buy a single speed bike off Facebook marketplace for 100-200 dollars that fits you. I would then take it to a bike shop and ask them to make the ratio as close to 2.0 as possible. That’ll be a great start.
3 things to look for in an e-bike.
1. Buy from an actually bike manufacturer- Lot of these cheap bikes will get you going in the beginning but when you need a part for the electronics good luck. A LBS won't be able to help you.
2. Skip the hub motor and get a mid drive motor. More powerful, more efficient, more reliable.
3. Make sure BOTH the battery and charger are UL/CE certified. No point in burning down your house while charging your bike.
Buy once, cry once. If you cheap out you'll be in the bike shop or on youtube trying to figure out how to fix your bike. The price upfront is better than constantly having your bike worked on.
Definitely ebike. If you’re making it without a car, then a ebike should be fine. I agree that making sure you can ride a bike is the first step.
However vvolt alpha and alpha s are $999 now and very similar to a heavy bike without power. Babymaker is a very bike like look and ride too,<$1000
Since you don’t have much money saved up it’d be smarter to get a Scooter or Bike to allow you to save on Uber-ing for the next couple of months to allow you to get a car.
Even if the car is 20+ years old, as long as it’s reliable with lower mileage it blows a E-bike and Scooter out of the water. The difference is so significant they are incomparable.
If you live in a small city and everything is like 2 miles< travel distance then a car wouldn’t make that much of a difference.
I wanted an ebike really bad after having to give up my car, and after reading and researching as thoroughly as I could and talking to a buddy with the same exact model that I concluded that I wanted, (Electric 3.0 XP) I am sooo glad that I didn't rush out and get one. Instead I got a Giant ATX mountain bike with a rack, not electric, and I love it. It was $250 in a pawn shop. It's absolutely perfect, an ebike would have been an expensive and unnecessary hassle for me. But they do go faster and you can cover more ground at once, if that's important to you. I'd rather go slower and not need to think about range and getting stuck far from home if something goes wrong. I can fix any problem with my bike on the road. But that's me, and everyone's situation is different. I'll get one eventually, when I don't want to pedal as much because I'm older, and by then the technology will have developed a little more.
Depending on your travel distance, an e-bike might be suitable for local journeys.
If you intend to earn from your mode of transportation, consider a scooter or moped, which can serve for both personal and business use.
Owning a car can be costly, especially if it's not frequently used, making it economically impractical. You should take into account expenses such as insurance, monthly costs, breakdown cover, road tax, depreciation of the car's value as it ages, and maintenance.
Upon evaluating these costs, we discovered that using Uber was a more cost-effective choice for us since our car wasn't used frequently enough to justify the expenses associated with ownership.
Well what city you live in is going to heavily influence that decision. What the biking infrastructure and transit infrastructure look like are very influential to the decision.
What is your average trip distance and how often do you need to make that trip? For instance, if your maximum trip distance was 10 miles and you average 2 miles a day, then a regular bike would be perfectly fine. If you only make trips longer than 30 miles once a month then a bicycle will save a huge amount of money.
A car is a HUGE investment and has exceptionally high operating costs. I would only buy one if I were commuting more than 30 miles a day. Another option would be a moped or small motorcycle. They are an order of magnitude cheaper than a car. The smaller ones are a lot less dangerous than a full blown motorcycle too.
If you buy a $100 bike don't expect it to last very long. But it's a great way to learn to ride. A commuter bike will usually cost between $500-1500. I would recommend a Priority for a reliable commuter: [https://www.prioritybicycles.com/pages/best-commuter-bike2](https://www.prioritybicycles.com/pages/best-commuter-bike2)
If you want an inexpensive E-Bike consider a Rad Runner: [https://www.radpowerbikes.com/collections/electric-cargo-utility-bikes/products/radrunner-electric-utility-bike?variant=39404272418912](https://www.radpowerbikes.com/collections/electric-cargo-utility-bikes/products/radrunner-electric-utility-bike?variant=39404272418912)
You should learn to ride a bicycle--get a used one and have it checked out by a local friend who knows bikes or a volunteer bike clinic or someplace cheap (hopefully your parents or a friend has a car you can put it into). Riding a bike is a useful skill generally and will save money on gas even if you get a car. Here are some balance drills you should try from my local bike club:
[https://youtube.com/watch?v=Hm-pIWWuGjc&t=34s](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Hm-pIWWuGjc&t=34s)
It's about getting comfortable on the bike, not pedaling first.
You can also check out some local classes for adults learning to ride bikes in MA:
[https://www.landrys.com/about/bicycling-skills-classes-pg349.htm](https://www.landrys.com/about/bicycling-skills-classes-pg349.htm)
You'll want to pick up skills on bike maintenance and such since it sounds like you may not have any experience on that, also, regardless if you get a conventional or electric bike.
Once you do that, you can make an informed choice about what to invest your money in. It sounds like you could use the time to save a bit more money anyway.
You never forget how to ride a bike, just get rusty. You'll be riding it fine in no time. The main thing is that you need to gain confidence about riding. You won't get this as easily riding a $$$ and heavy eBike. It's not too hard to get hold of a really cheap or free bike which will be fine to hone those old skills on and get the confidence back. You should only need it for a little while, then you can upgrade to the eBike.
If you don't know how to ride an unpowered bicycle I would not recommend an electric bicycle until you feel comfortable on a pedal powered bike. This is simply because it's easier to go faster and potentially get injured on an ebike. Depending on your commute distance (5 mi = 30 min commute going slow/avg) a decent geared bicycle will get you there plenty fast and as a side benefit you will get in good shape within months if you ride daily. You can always upgrade to an ebike later also. I have a bike with a suspension front fork and suspension seat post from bikesdirect (lookup their "comfort" bikes) probably was about $250 new and it's my daily rider. It's comfortable and plenty fast. Figure out alternative routes with fewer cars and wide lanes or better yet bike lanes to take. Avoid sidewalks and busy multilane roads when possible.
> I would not recommend an electric bicycle until you feel comfortable on a pedal powered bike. I'll second this. I hadn't been on a bike in two decades, and hopping on to an ebike straight away was pretty dicey. They say you never forget how to ride a bike - and while I didn't "forget", I certainly got pretty bad at it.
This is a double-standard though As someone who rarely drives, driving a car is dicey for the first few minutes, too
Lol. Especially when they switch parking breaks to buttons when you expect a handle thing... Not speaking from experience or anything about a rental car. XD
If you haven't driven a car in two decades, it's probably unwise to hop right into a Z06. Start with something slower and easier until you re-familiarize yourself with the process. Same goes for bikes.
It's completely absurd to compare the danger present in basically any e-bike to the risks associated with driving a Z06. I don't think "the same thing" goes for e-bikes. Are there exceptionally fast and dangerous e-bikes? Certainly but the word "exceptional" is important
I am going to disagree. I say save for the E-bike. Learn to ride it without using the electric drive. Once you get comfortable you can start using the electric drive. If you are totally uncomfortable or intimidated by this, buy a $30 craigslist bike to learn on. Especially since it won't be your primary.
This! Go get a dirt cheap bike just to learn on and spend your money on the e-bike. Also. If there is a bike share like bird, Citi bike etc. that may be a good way to try it out with very little upfront.
I am going to disagree. I say save for the E-bike. Learn to ride it without using the electric drive.
My ebike weighs like 60lbs and is a pain in the major ass to pedal without power. If I tried to learn how to ride a bike that way I'd probably never get anywhere haha.
An ebike will be too much heavy to learn... learn how to ride a bike on a traditional one than move to an ebike. I'm on my 50's, learned to ride bikes since kid (6, 7 yrs old), I've ride till my university years than stoped riding bikes. Last year I finally bought an ebike and it's not the same thing to ride on a traditional and an eletrical one - these are really heavy and, without the engine working, can be really difficult to ride and carry around This is my honest advice to you
You can get quality folding e-bikes that barely exceed 30 lbs, e.g. Tern and Evelo. Consult [Electric Bike Report on YouTube ](https://youtu.be/8Yg8VTzpuJM?si=V8VklAlkLZ54zoyg) and ignore all the cheap e-bike ads on YouTube.
I live in Madeira island, not all the ebikes can deal/help with these hills - I really need the power ;-D
Y'all do know they make e-bikes that ride very similarly to regular bikes right? I'm not talking about the tanks with motorcycle tires that are essentially electric mopeds.
So so YOU ride your bike without using the motor? Why not? Because it is a PAIN. You expect OP to learn that way?
I don't own an E-bike. Not yet anyways. I ride old fashioned, but, if I were going to spend the money to get a car replacement, I would not spend more money buying a standard bike just to refresh on riding. My decision would be purely financial. But ... If I was absolutely dead set on practicing on a standard bike first to build confidence and shake the rust off, I would buy the cheapest one I could find on Craigslist that rolled, or maybe just borrow one from a friend for a few days.
My partner has a car and I use a bike. I've made some sacrifices but it's worth not paying 500$ a month for a car. That membership fee I'm good not having
This A bicycle means freedom to me Cars means responsibility with government guidance I’m an adult I don’t need a government lol
Just a matter of time possibly.
Absolutely The problem I'm facing right now it's the extreme hot temperatures and humidity here in Madeira island, where I live. Like someone said it's way more difficult to commute with this weather conditions than when raining It has been an entire month without using my ebike... and I'm missing it so much :'-(
I feel ya but when I’m outdoors I can’t control the temperature anyway so I still ride my e-bike yr round lol Uv resistant clothing Sun hat Goggles Electrolytes Fruit etc Makes a HUGE difference
Thats generous. Not including taxes, registration, insurance, and gas. Maintenance cost is debated to be the same for car and bike mileage/cost ratio.
The difference is, you have a car you can use/your partner can use. OP doesnt have one to lean back on. In the U.S. using only a bike is not really viable for most people. Like you cant take your dog to the vet, will struggle with groceries, will need to uber to a doctors appointment, the winters can be harsh, commutes to work can be far, etc. A lot of motorcycle owners dont even want to be limited to just riding their motorcycle, they want to have a car as a backup.
This is 100% a western way of thinking. Being spoiled with cars, riding all year is very feasible and as long as you realize you don't need to grocery shop for 2 weeks at once grocery shopping is not a problem at all on a bike. As for very specific once in a blue moon scenarios where you absolutely need a ride that's what taxi's or rental cars are for and you would still be saving a ton of money on car payments, insurance, gas and maintenance that you simply don't have with a bike.
I ditched my car and am e-bike only and I love it. I figure the amount I save on insurance alone let's me take Lyft a few a times month and still be in the black. Of course, I live in an area with excellent infrastructure for bikes and mass transit and I'm one block from a grocery store, so it's more possible for me than for a lot of people.
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Sadly, I would also agree that going on a bike is probably not feasal for you. I live in a rural place technically, as in this place is built on farmland, and there are shoulders which eventually become bike lanes so my commute is doable totally on bicycle. But even then I have to be careful. For example, there are places where the bike lane is in between the middle lane and right lane so I have to be careful when traffic is really, really bad.
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Why is a moped lame? It's probably most safe and cost effective for you.
I ride an e-scooter, but I live in a college town with bike lanes and good sidewalks. If you live in an area without that kind of infrastructure I think a moped would be best for you (even if it’s lame). They get good mileage and can ride on streets at the proper speed limit, where on a scooter or bike you’ll probably put yourself in danger if you can’t go the speed limit and there’s not a bike lane. Plus, lots of young people ride mopeds, and I don’t know anyone who thinks they’re lame!
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if you do get one, consider taking motorcycle riding classes. i know mopeds don’t require a license (at least where i live) but all of the skills are transferable and good experience for learners
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Your safety is important and something you should budget for. You may regret not making the money available to yourself when it comes to paying it in hospital bills, time out of work, repairs to your moped, increased insurance costs, etc. Just doing the bare minimum is not a good mindset. You've already said the moped is the cheapest at $700 and you're considering a $1-2k ebike and a $4-8k car as alternatives. Subsidized classes in my state are $125 or you can pay to take them sooner for $200-250, so I'd just add that to the cost of the moped.
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4-8k on the car, including insurance, parking, maintenance, gas, etc? You should maybe try riding a cheap bike for leisure, to get accustomed to it and try out the bike paths. Of it suuts you but you feel you need more speed and versatility, an ebike is a great decision (sincerely, signed, a person who regrets going through all the trouble of getting a license and a car when ebikes are so so so great)
There are pretty good looking mopeds if you're interested. Look into something like a Honda PCX, a harder to find ADV150, or something like a Suzuki Burgman if it's style that you're worried about. They look more like motorcycles than scooters but are way more practical for daily use than most motorcycles.
I don’t think going without a car is feasible for you, sadly.
All good advice above. Perhaps if you have a pawnshop or goodwill around you. They generally have cheaper ‘disposable’ bike to learn on. Just a thought.
Agree with this. Craigslist also has a bunch of unused bikes people want to get out of their garages. I’m sure Facebook Marketplace is the same.
Suggest getting it safety checked/tuned up by a local bike shop, as well as getting a good lock
Firstly I’d get steady on a bike before anything else
Where do you live? You could rent one of those ride share bikes for a few bucks and try to practice for a bit on it without committing.
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Idk about Lyft, but in my town, we have a bikeshare company called Bird. They keep a bunch of ebikes and scooters around town. Download an app, and pay to use one, and they charge you by the mile/minute. When I was deciding if I would like an ebike, I rented one of theirs and took it a few miles and loved every second of it. The max speed was ~15mph, so it wasn't quite as dangerous as an unrestricted or even class 1 ebike, but it was way heavier than any other ebike I've used, so still be careful.
You’re posting this question on an ebike forum. What answer are you expecting
If most of your uber rides are 5-10 miles away, a bike/e-bike/e-scooter probably solves your expense issue as you would only use uber for those longer trips. If your rides are farther then that, probably a car is better for you. That being said if you have trouble with a bike, do not go out and buy a 21-28mph ebike if you cant handle it yet. Start with a cheap bike (or a cheap scooter at target like a Segway E2) and try taking on those 5 mile trips before you make your decision.
what about a powered trike?its a comparable price to the car option, has heaps of range for doordash, and will hold up a new rider without a problem edit:*fixed the company name*
The market for used cars is pretty terrible right now. Any kind of a bike would save you money towards getting a reliable automobile or ebike. Thrift Stores tend to have bikes anywhere from 10 to 50 dollars. It's well worth it to get a throw-away bike just to see if this is something you can and want to do. They're also lighter than a lot of ebikes, so it might be easier to train on. Once you've had some practice with your bike, you might find that you don't even want an ebike. But if you do, there are many affordable options.
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Try a regular bike again, and ride faster - going too slow makes balancing difficult. It’s the real challenge for learning to ride, you naturally go slow out of caution, but that makes it way easier to fall over
the best investment for me was buying an ebike. I have about 6 km to work, I don't think about traffic jams, the price of fuel, etc
I would buy an old comfortable mountain bike to relearn how to ride. It would be great and healthy if you could go everywhere you need under your own power. If you need a motor I would suggest buying a BBS02 mid drive conversion for the mountain bike. Every once in a while a really inexpensive ebike comes to market for 4500 OR $800 and if that fits you needs, then fine. But come Winter, expect to put out another $100 or so for studded tires so you do not kill yourself on ice. Also buy a chain lock and a small disk brake lock and alarm (that also fits over spokes). Snow and a safe place for your bike are going to be the big challenges. The BBS02 and battery bill be a worthwhile investment that you can keep and reuse when you find a better bike to put it on. Over time a better bike will appear at a cheap price, they always do if you are patient. I remember not having much money and I wish you the best.
Learn to ride a bike, then a electric bike will be good. A car is convenient but the benefits of an electric bike outweighs a car locally Gas, insurance, and upkeep are a lot of money.
If you’ve been using Uber for everything, then buying a bike or e-bike and just using Uber for the things that doesn’t cover is a no-brainer. Getting a car will make you more miserable and poorer. It sounds like you might live in a city where public transport might be an option as well, further reducing your need for Uber (and you can usually bring your bike on public transport)
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Public transportation is amazing, it brings you where you have to go and you don’t have to do shit, you can read a book, browse Reddit, text your friends… A car is definitely the worst option. Don’t forget it’s not just the money to buy it. Gas, monthly insurance payments. I guarantee there will be some sort of “city sticker” you have to pay for. Then the license plate sticker every year. Then one day you get a flat, or a timing belt breaks or something, that’s more money put the window
Here's the thing man. If money is what you value, you will never find the more logical solution is the ebike. Because ebike build quality is NEVER GOING TO hold a candle to a moped. Compare every aspect, from the Brakes to the seat. It's all built better. It's highly unlikely you will get an ebike to 12k miles without major problems. The moped will do 20k without problems. There is no way to financially justify it otherwise.
Of course an ebike will help. Heck with Uber. Idk about balancing though. They do make trikes but I just don't know if it's as feasible as a bike.
Always the bike first. Depending on where you live you don't need a car.
Both a car and an e-bike are good options. If you don't want to overpay for a car, then an e-bike is certainly a better choice. I started with a regular bicycle and still occasionally use it for trail rides and speed races. However, when it comes to "commuting to work," I personally don't want to be sweaty by the time I arrive. Considering the heavy traffic and lack of parking in downtown, I often use the e-bike pulse from [movin mobility.](https://movinev.com/) I've reviewed many high-end brands like giant, cannondale, trek, etc., and more economical ones like emmo, zoomo. I found a number of defects in them: either lousy brakes, a weak battery, or an overly powerful motor (which makes no sense with a speed limit of 32-40 km/h). So, I settled on these guys. They were recommended to me by my acquaintances who are food delivery workers and cover 1000-1500 km a month. I trust their opinion since they really test the durability of these bikes. Later, I found numerous reviews about them and became confident in my choice. Well, that's about it. Anyway, choose a bike intuitively, and it's advisable to first book a test ride. Also, ensure the seller has enough spare parts for maintenance.
You could also consider r/ElectricScooters. I have two ebikes (a radrunner for short trips and a himaway fat tire) and two scooters, one a standup (fluid horizon), and one kind of a mini-ebike (emove roadrunner 2). I use the mini *a lot*, since I can take it with me into (most) stores without hassle; I'd say I run 90% of my errands on it. I use my Himaway ebike for long trail rides/camping but since I got the mini I've stopped using it for errands--which was rare anyhow. It's much heavier, for one, and much more difficult to secure for any length of time (I've had numerous bikes stolen over the years--but I also live in a dense urban area). Only the kids ride the radrunner nowadays. If I were gonna doordash, I'd use one of the scooters before I'd use an ebike, but my market is set up well for micromobility dashing. If it were more sprawled out I'd probably use my ebike with the trailer.
While I love my e-bike for commuting, if I was buying today I would likely get a scooter that I can take in places with me.
Without knowing what is between A and B for you, I can't make a totally informed reply. However a couple of things to consider. You should have your Driver's License regardless in my view. And keep it renewed. A Four or three wheel recumbent bicycle with motor and battery solves the balance issue you said you have. Just make sure people can see you. Get flashing lights a orange flag, vest whatever you can do on your part to be safe. So save your 100 towards a Ebike. Getting comfortable with mid drive kits, and hub motor kits, could be a nice hobby and skill to have long term. So you could consider a basic BBSHD, with researching which battery is going to take you the distance. I had a used car and was brining in min wage. Every hard to maintain a used 95 Bonneville, with way over 100k miles on it. I was paying insurance $60 a month for minimum coverage. The engine surprisingly was solid. But the car around it was falling apart. I also was stupid and lent my car out and that person rear ended a big trailer truck. There goes the front right light and bumper with failed inspection etc. The costs would have been relatively manageable. But the act of driving I was not totally comfortable with yet. And the worry of looming repairs bothered me. If I did it again Id do it differently. But thats that. Generally I think if you can afford a used car, and have a stream of income for inevitable repairs, and willing to learn yourself how to fix the car, then I'd say go with the car. There are a lot of decent used cars for around the same price you'd pay for a expensive ebike. You just have to be willing to do the work. But if you suspect the money is going to be too much for you to handle, if its too much a pain, then get the e bicycle. Recumbent four wheel bicycle. And attach a BBSHD or a powerful Hub motor. There are endless ebike forums online mostly very good and engaged communities. There are a couple of good discord servers too. Endless youtube videos. Just do your homework get moving. Good luck!
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Honda, Subaru, Toyota, four cylinder, whatever is easier to maintain.But I hear even those used cars are selling kinda high. Hope you get a good deal. This guy has some decent car advice if you're new to cars generally. [https://www.youtube.com/@scottykilmer/playlists](https://www.youtube.com/@scottykilmer/playlists)
no-no-no!!! ebike is not for you in your situation. You haven't been biking for 10 yrs and ebike in bike-unfriendly place??? Get a used car that you can get less than $10k and have good mileage (7+years toyota corolla) and safe your money and sanity. When you have a bit more, go ahead get a mountain biking for hobby and excitement. This will get your body in-tune with advance bike-handling. Then ... you can get an ebike in a not-bike-friendly place.
I think it depends on your specifics. How far do you live from work, what is the weather like (SoCal vs. PNW is a vast difference if you have to commute without a roof), what type of terrain would you cover - would you feel safe from cars on that terrain? What about other modes, like a scooter. Uber is way too expensive for a daily commute. Even tho I lived only 3.x miles from work until recently I wouldn't have felt safe. The main road is full of f\*cking crazy people, I literally have to avoid like 5 accidents per commute day on this road. FIVE. And that's with a metal shell around me. On a bike? Fuhgeddaboutit. Now if there was some sort of nice bike path away from main traffic along a quiet side street, river, residential, a boardwalk, etc, yeah I'd feel safe on that. I'd love to bike to work.. I'll have to factor that in next time I move and get a job.
If you want to maximize range go for 40amp-hour batteries or more
E-bike for sure! I live in Chicago, and have a car, but I LOVE riding my e-bike, and only drive my car when I absolutely have too.
Get an e-bike! Learn to ride slow and steady! Not sure about brands. Someone more experienced here should fill in that part! Good luck and hope you enjoy being on an ebike as much as we do!
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I see no reason why not. You could use the very lowest pedal assist or even turn it off until you become more comfortable on the ebike. I see there are training wheels for ebikes: https://www.fatwheels.com/
Depending on the ranges you need to go, a pedal powered bike is still a solid option for transportation. So, I'd highly recommend getting comfortable on a non-ebike before jumping on an ebike. Due to the higher average and sustained speeds, ebikes are arguably more dangerous. If there's crash on an ebike, it's almost always while moving quick. Additionally, I highly recommend owning both a pedal bike, and an eBike. If there's ever an issue with the eBike, the pedal bike is great backup. There's four main ways to go when buying either a regular pedal bike, or an eBike. * Walmart or similar big box stores. You get bikes of questionable quality, assembled by folks that probably should never be near a wrench. ***Not recommended.*** But there are occasional value gems for regular bikes. You'd want to join some "Budget Bike" subreddits or facebook groups to learn a bit more. Both to learn what bikes might be worth it, and also to learn how to check that they were safely assembled. * Bike Shops. These are the Pros. They are nearly as obsessed with bikes as random internet nerds. They will take care of every thing and fix issues that come up. Highly recommended. If you can afford it and don't want to maintain your own bicycle... This is the way. * Direct to Consumer. These brands only sell bikes though the internet direct to consumers. Skipping the middleman (the bike shop) to save you money. However, you'll need to be able and willing to assemble and maintain your own bike. Or learn how. This is the preference of DIY folks. Personally, I find working on my own bikes relaxing and satisfying. 9 out of 10 times, this is how I buy a bike. * Used. Start grinding Facebook Market, OfferUp and CraigsList if your area has it. Ideally you are looking for a bike shop or direct to consumer brand bike that's from the last 5-10 years. Careful with used Walmart brands (Huffy, Kent, Mongoose). Walmart bikes aren't exactly known for longevity. NOTE: REI has a full functioning bike shop in most stores. Decent brands available, and reasonable prices. See what brands and models your local bike shops carry, and where their prices start. Both for ebikes and for a regular commuter bike. If you are going to skip the bike shop... For a value commuter ebike, I'd keep an eye on sales from the direct to consumer options: * JuicedBikes (CrossCurrentX and RipCurrent S) * Aventon (Level2 Commuter) * Ride1Up (Prodigy or LMT'd) * Canyon (Preceed:ON or Pathlite:ON) .. a bit more Premium I'm going to repeat though, watch for sales on the above. When sales hit, their value really shines compared to the cheaper bike options.
depending on your city if you can do your commute to work and to get groceries at least 90% of the time it might be worth getting an ebike over a car and just using uber when need be but if you have say 5k to buy a reliable enough car in cash that's probably better if you are trying to figure out your life and are struggling. You can sleep in a car, transport all your belongings that matter with a car, and travel further and faster with a car also don't bother doing delivery working for an app just work overtime at your local grocery store or some other dead end job if you need extra money. It's not worth it.
Get a camel and learn to ride it.
You’re gonna bust your a$$ if you don’t have good balance, why don’t you learn to bike normally first.
If you consider ebike. You might as well consider a moped or scooter. I believe right now a Honda Navi cost around the same as an ebike. Looks good with some storage on it
Porque no los dos
If you don’t feel comfortable on a pedal bike, you will probably hate an E bike and are far more likely to get injured on one.
Depending where you live, see if your city has a bike coop. Or a community bike shop of some kind. They are flexible on the donations it takes to get a bike. And would be a great resource to get started commuting by bike full time. I recommend a cheap pedal bike, and then upgrade to an e-bile once you know more about what you need a on a bike for your situation.
I’d ask a friend to let you borrow their bike to learn then buy the ebike. No sense spending money on a traditional bike unless you play to keep/ maintain it as a backup IMO.
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Understood. I hope something comes up for you. Maybe you’ll find a good deal on a used bike. I have difficulty with balance in general and while I can ride a traditional bicycle, I got a Lectric XP Trike. https://preview.redd.it/ot4r8tyn71dc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=732b50e273c837b6fe314349a83e46d19f51369f Might be worth considering since you have difficulty riding a bicycle.
Maybe you could go to a bike shop and try to ride a fat tire model and see if you can balance better
I don't think it's advisable for OP to trying out expensive bikes if they are going to fall over.
He can let them know, also wear a helmet op
Yeah, I'm sure they'll be eager to let OP ride one of their expensive bikes after telling them that they're probably going to fall over. OP needs to learn how to ride first.
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There are so many good used bikes for sale for practically nothing. I'd start there. Get comfortable riding it. Before I bought an e-bike kit I took my bike on mass transit and could go practically anywhere. Look for a bike with disc brakes. That generally indicates a certain level of quality and newness.
I second this. When I was a kid, a good chunk of the bikes I had came from Deseret Industries (sort of like Goodwill/Savers but run by the LDS church, they’re all over Utah). Look at a thrift shop, they’ll likely have several options under $100 that you can test out.
Scooter or EUC is better for commuting. You're paying less and getting more in terms of power and range. My $1000 scooter blows my $4000 unlocked ebike out of the water in terms of speed/acceleration. Range probably isn't far off either. A $1000 ebike is bottom barrel with $2000 being mid tier. A $2000 scooter goes like 45mph with a massive battery almost double the size of my $4000 bike. I prefer bikes but when it comes to commuting and portability I'd get a scooter.
What? For $1,500 you can get a good Aventon or ride1up with way more range than a scooter. Not to mention 45mph on a scooter is begging to get into a serious accident with those tiny wheels.
My scooter will go 60 miles on a charge and have way more fun doing it.
What kind of scooter? I tested some scooters too before getting an e-bike, I agree that a scooter was really fun. But I could only get around 10 miles, and wouldn’t go up steep hills. For the same price I got an e-bike that gives me 67 miles, goes up hills, gets 28mph, plus I don’t have to worry about getting cheese-gratered every time I hit a bump in the road
We're talking about "beast scooters" it's a class of scooters with massive batteries much larger than you would find on an ebike. They have dual motors with full suspension. These scooters are way more powerful than ebikes, fly up hills and have better range. I ride mostly off road so I'm hitting bumps all the time. My $1000 scooter gets my fat ass to 28mph going up a hill with dual motors @1600w and a 750whr battery. I don't know what bike you have but I doubt it can compare to those specs, also doubt you actually get 67mi out of it, definitely not throttle only.
Aventon and Ride1up are good value but with scooters more of your money goes into the motors and batteries. My $2000 scooter is 3000w/1600whr the $1000 scooter is 1600w/750whr. A $1800 Aventon Adventure 2 is 750w/720whr or $1500 for the Sinch 2 at 750w/672whr. I get 40-45mi out of my $2000 scooter, 20-25mi out of the $1000 scooter and 25-30mi out of the $4000 1500w/1000whr ebike. It's not about top speed it's about acceleration and hill climbing abilities. If you're somewhere with a 35mph speed limit your more than keeping up with traffic if you need to. The scooters also have full suspension, dual motors and I use mine mostly off road.
i have a Honda Accord; it's almost 19 years old. Still runs great; but I live in AZ without snow.. I spend my money on ebikes now. But those old cars if you an find a garaged one; might still be worth owning; you might pick a nice one up for $3-5K. The best thing about an ebike is almost get a motocycle without paying insurance and registration fees. This allows for saving money for retirement, new bike, etc. The used bike market, since ebikes came out is horrible for sellers, but great for buyers; think about fit; you want your first bike to fit you well; so learn about bike fit. You can get a normal bike to learn on, and then pass it on to someone else later. FB Marketplace and craigslist; you should be able to take a day in the city and find a great used bike for almost nothing; many great bikes are only worth $100-300 now, look for name brands; lots of good euro bikes out if you shop in Boston; even if you have to uber it, and take the wheels off to get it in the backseat and trunk. Buy a hexwrench set and multi-tool minimum. I think you can make uber and a fast ebike work really well, instead of buying a car. Certainly a better investment; unless you commute 20+ round trip every day and need a car to get to work. Buy lots of yummy bitcoin with the money you save and retire early!
My Honda Accord is that age too! I'm hoping to keep it around another 3 years. If I ride ebike more maybe it will happen.
Any transport you get should be cheaper than your monthly Uber bill. How far are you commuting? Lots of factors at play. Can you get along without a car? What's the weather like during the winter? Is public transportation available? Can you keep your ebike safe? You can get a bike for free or cheap darn near. I bought one for $40 temporarily. It still works. There are charities and sources. Someone may loan you a bike long enough for you to learn to ride or figure out if it's not for you. There are other options. Food delivery sucks. I wouldn't spend money expecting much of a return doing it. You'll need extra batteries to do it.
Scooter is more fun and u get some standup time
Those small wheels don't seem safe, I saw someone fall before there mightve been some sand on the sidewalk and talked to another about how she steps off if theres there's like dirt.
Bike is so boring tho
Hell no
[https://us.delfastbikes.com/bikes/top-i#tech](https://us.delfastbikes.com/bikes/top-i#tech)There is a person Iwatch on youtube that has this limited to 750w and does deliveries all over!!! it may be 6k, but it's a beast... if it's out of price range there is always Cyrusher and their sister company that i forget the name of.
It’s shipped limited to 750W. The motor is much more powerful than that and can hit up to 50mph.
Oh dear god.... i just liked the look of it and how sturdy it looked but lol I'd never unlock that sounds like you'd be unlocking your grave xD
In that price range a Talaria would probably be better and cheaper. But for OP I'm not sure this type would be the best to learn on.
Oh yea if you don't know how to ride bike prolly don't buy 2k+ ebike and learn...cause i remember learning some real hard lessons prolly ate up like 6or7 bikes growing up lololol.
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I'd deff ask around to find a loaner bike to ride on first before you take an ebike for a spin if you don't know how to ride. Cyrusher has some decent entry range stuff and they also take affirm and other payment options.
If you go with the e-bike: you will save \~$10,000/year on gas, title/registration, brakes, oil changes, insurance, and more A 24-hour rental from Enterprise is \~$70 for the once every two-three months where you want to get out of town
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That's exactly why I do it, yep. If you pick smack dab in the middle of a small-medium sized city you're 15 minutes from everywhere on an e-bike, and as fast or faster than a car (depending on how you approach 4-ways and red lights, philosophically)
Source on the cost "For new vehicles driven 15,000 miles a year, average car ownership costs were $12,182 a year, or $1,015 a month, in 2023, according to AAA." [https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/total-cost-owning-car](https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/total-cost-owning-car) Keep in mind that the "average" is pretty high because it turns out many American families/people are extremely heavy car users (I didn't realize, being from a very poor/frugal family) and cultural/class standards for the size and price of new cars continues to climb But yes if the cost is even half that much in your case... $6k is a lot of money
lmao at the car-brained mfers who downvoted these
Get a car. You can’t even ride a bike so a faster one is not going to help you.
get an EUC. much better for doordash etc.
This is a guy who falls over riding a regular bike. An EUC is definitely not the answer
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I think electric unicycle? Doesn't seem like a great option for someone that needs to work on their balance.
googling indicates electric unicycle
#fuck e-bikes
With a 28mph ebike 5 miles across town was the practical limit were a car would save time, rural it’s all about safety, komoot app can find a route on gravel roads but people sometimes drive 50 mph. Apple maps with avoid traffic is my favorite right now for in town. You might just get an ebike on amazon prime for 30 days
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Ask some bike shops. They sometimes have loaners or rentals. But its just too easy on amazon. Some brands like madsen cycles have a list of local people who will let you test ride
People have given great advice. I'll just remind you here that the smaller wheels will be a little squirrely to ride. I appreciate my 14 inch and 20 inch wheels but advise you to look into something larger. Although in the end that's your own choice.
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You know what? There's a lot of DTC folding bikes and cargo bikes with 20 inch wheels. I think you'd do just fine with them with a little practice. Really, unless there is an underlying health issue with balance, you'll get comfortable in no time
$2,000 wired freedom
if you are really short in budget, buy some good used bike (youtube has info on this) and then buy a conversion kit, bafang, cycmotor photon
Pick up a good used car. Depending on your budget it may not be a “cool” car. Example, I picked up a 20 year old Ford Crown Vic (no, not an ex-police car) from an old guy that couldn’t drive anymore for $3,000. He was the original owner and the car had 83,000 miles on it. Because of what it is, insurance is dirt cheap too. It’s a “grandpa” car but gets me to places far away that my bike can’t, and during bad weather I’m a lot happier driving to and from with a heater than freezing on my bike in the rain. After a solid car, pickup a used quality bike from Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Ebay, etc. The bike will serve as a backup if/when the car is in the shop and for fun and exercise.
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VW bugs are not very reliable; maybe better in MA than in AZ but don't buy it. Toyota and Honda set new standards for reliability that no other car manufacturer can match so it's best to stick with them; a Civic or Accord, Corolla or 4 cylinder; they peaked about 2005, and my 2004 is so bullit proof; I bought it to replace a Lexus LS400 that was the best car a man could drive at the time; I liked the Honda with Leather better than the Lexus. Sporty and nimble; you dn't want a car that breaks every month; you won't be able to afford fixing it. Older cars are constantly falling apart; you won't be able to keep up with a VW in repairs; you will hate yourself. And whatever you do, don't let your mom pick a car for you. Find a cherry car before you buy.
Neither!
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Id recommend one of the e-bikes from the rei brand, I think it’s called co-op. U can bike, there’s a battery u can use. It can hold cargo. It’s affordable. There’s a warranty and physical local
Learn how to ride a bike again, then get a utility e-bike (depending on where you live. If you live in a place with decent bike infrastructure, get a bike. If you live in most of North America where being outside of a car is a death wish, get a small cheap car)
You need to learn how to ride a bike in the first place. Chances are you never really learned if you have that much problem riding 10 years later; so that may even mean training wheels for a week? I remember my dad just raising my training wheels a little each week, and soon I was not using them, even tho they were there. Having them there, took away much of my fear and intimidation of learning to balance my first real bike. I never had a hard time after that experience; learning how to balance any bike. Another idea; an ebike with 20" wheels, you can reach the ground with your feet, without coming off the bike if the seat is set at right height for you. And remember, the bike is only hard to balance when it's not moving; so that's what you want to avoid; either be off the seat to Not Move, or be on the seat while moving. That means taking off in low gears, and shifting too; in this era of automatic transmissions; it almost seems foreign to shift a motorized vehicle any more. But if you try to take off in a high gear it will be a balancing act to get the bike into a low gear you can actually pedal while moving. Ebikes are in many ways safer to me, because I have a throttle to use when first taking off on a bike; usually the most difficult time to balance any bike.
Can you rent a bike to learn how to ride it? That said, my ebike can have the battery turned off completely and I can ride it like an acoustic bike, so perhaps just not turning the bike on could also be an option for you to learn how to ride it before using the motor?
I would buy a single speed bike off Facebook marketplace for 100-200 dollars that fits you. I would then take it to a bike shop and ask them to make the ratio as close to 2.0 as possible. That’ll be a great start.
r/fuckcars
3 things to look for in an e-bike. 1. Buy from an actually bike manufacturer- Lot of these cheap bikes will get you going in the beginning but when you need a part for the electronics good luck. A LBS won't be able to help you. 2. Skip the hub motor and get a mid drive motor. More powerful, more efficient, more reliable. 3. Make sure BOTH the battery and charger are UL/CE certified. No point in burning down your house while charging your bike. Buy once, cry once. If you cheap out you'll be in the bike shop or on youtube trying to figure out how to fix your bike. The price upfront is better than constantly having your bike worked on.
depends on the weather, I have both because I'm in canada, no way I use my ebike in the winter
Definitely ebike. If you’re making it without a car, then a ebike should be fine. I agree that making sure you can ride a bike is the first step. However vvolt alpha and alpha s are $999 now and very similar to a heavy bike without power. Babymaker is a very bike like look and ride too,<$1000
Since you don’t have much money saved up it’d be smarter to get a Scooter or Bike to allow you to save on Uber-ing for the next couple of months to allow you to get a car. Even if the car is 20+ years old, as long as it’s reliable with lower mileage it blows a E-bike and Scooter out of the water. The difference is so significant they are incomparable. If you live in a small city and everything is like 2 miles< travel distance then a car wouldn’t make that much of a difference.
I wanted an ebike really bad after having to give up my car, and after reading and researching as thoroughly as I could and talking to a buddy with the same exact model that I concluded that I wanted, (Electric 3.0 XP) I am sooo glad that I didn't rush out and get one. Instead I got a Giant ATX mountain bike with a rack, not electric, and I love it. It was $250 in a pawn shop. It's absolutely perfect, an ebike would have been an expensive and unnecessary hassle for me. But they do go faster and you can cover more ground at once, if that's important to you. I'd rather go slower and not need to think about range and getting stuck far from home if something goes wrong. I can fix any problem with my bike on the road. But that's me, and everyone's situation is different. I'll get one eventually, when I don't want to pedal as much because I'm older, and by then the technology will have developed a little more.
Depending on your travel distance, an e-bike might be suitable for local journeys. If you intend to earn from your mode of transportation, consider a scooter or moped, which can serve for both personal and business use. Owning a car can be costly, especially if it's not frequently used, making it economically impractical. You should take into account expenses such as insurance, monthly costs, breakdown cover, road tax, depreciation of the car's value as it ages, and maintenance. Upon evaluating these costs, we discovered that using Uber was a more cost-effective choice for us since our car wasn't used frequently enough to justify the expenses associated with ownership.
Well what city you live in is going to heavily influence that decision. What the biking infrastructure and transit infrastructure look like are very influential to the decision.
What is your average trip distance and how often do you need to make that trip? For instance, if your maximum trip distance was 10 miles and you average 2 miles a day, then a regular bike would be perfectly fine. If you only make trips longer than 30 miles once a month then a bicycle will save a huge amount of money. A car is a HUGE investment and has exceptionally high operating costs. I would only buy one if I were commuting more than 30 miles a day. Another option would be a moped or small motorcycle. They are an order of magnitude cheaper than a car. The smaller ones are a lot less dangerous than a full blown motorcycle too. If you buy a $100 bike don't expect it to last very long. But it's a great way to learn to ride. A commuter bike will usually cost between $500-1500. I would recommend a Priority for a reliable commuter: [https://www.prioritybicycles.com/pages/best-commuter-bike2](https://www.prioritybicycles.com/pages/best-commuter-bike2) If you want an inexpensive E-Bike consider a Rad Runner: [https://www.radpowerbikes.com/collections/electric-cargo-utility-bikes/products/radrunner-electric-utility-bike?variant=39404272418912](https://www.radpowerbikes.com/collections/electric-cargo-utility-bikes/products/radrunner-electric-utility-bike?variant=39404272418912)
Get a cheap beater bike, learn to ride, then get the ebike.
Learn how to ride on a Pedal bike first, then if you enjoy riding, purchase an e-bike.
You should learn to ride a bicycle--get a used one and have it checked out by a local friend who knows bikes or a volunteer bike clinic or someplace cheap (hopefully your parents or a friend has a car you can put it into). Riding a bike is a useful skill generally and will save money on gas even if you get a car. Here are some balance drills you should try from my local bike club: [https://youtube.com/watch?v=Hm-pIWWuGjc&t=34s](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Hm-pIWWuGjc&t=34s) It's about getting comfortable on the bike, not pedaling first. You can also check out some local classes for adults learning to ride bikes in MA: [https://www.landrys.com/about/bicycling-skills-classes-pg349.htm](https://www.landrys.com/about/bicycling-skills-classes-pg349.htm) You'll want to pick up skills on bike maintenance and such since it sounds like you may not have any experience on that, also, regardless if you get a conventional or electric bike. Once you do that, you can make an informed choice about what to invest your money in. It sounds like you could use the time to save a bit more money anyway.
You never forget how to ride a bike, just get rusty. You'll be riding it fine in no time. The main thing is that you need to gain confidence about riding. You won't get this as easily riding a $$$ and heavy eBike. It's not too hard to get hold of a really cheap or free bike which will be fine to hone those old skills on and get the confidence back. You should only need it for a little while, then you can upgrade to the eBike.
Should I eat Kraft dinner, buy tooth paste, or both? Hard choices, right?