E-Bikes. Are they murderous?

I bought a fleet of new fat tire e-bikes for an expansion of my rental biz. No idea what I'm getting into since I'm not a bicycle guy. I guess I'll order spares, a couple service stands and tools.

Biggest concern is people crashing the bikes and jacking them up. I think spills are fairly natural for mountain biking and trails, so I probably just gotta roll with them. Maybe charge a "wear and tear" fee for crashes?

Trying to decide if I should offer kid's-sized electric mountain bikes so the little ones can tag along. Don't want to invite trouble tho.

Beginnings of a website here: www.beartoothebikes.com

I think there's someone here who does bicycle rentals? Any input is appreciated!

 

I own a small bicycle shop, I won't work on E bikes. Multiple reasons, liability on through to most on the market are complete piles of shit. I have more work than I can handle with analog bikes as it is anyway. What brand did you buy? I'm assuming they're hub drive and from Rad Bikes or a similar company from your description. The big mfgs like Trek, Giant, Specialized etc make a good product. Yamaha or Bosch mid drive systems and Panasonic built/sourced batteries.

There's Ebikes and pedal assist "Ebikes". For those that don't know about them, there are three tiers of bikes. Class 1,2 and 3. Class one is pedal assist only and limited to 20mph. Class 2 has a throttle, and pedal assist in most cases, also limited to 20mph. Class three is back to pedal assist only but limited at 28mph.

Hit or miss with "mid tier", for a lack of better word mfgs and downright dangerous with the cheaper ones from what I've experienced. This comes from what I see when people attempt to drop them off with me and the phone calls I get. Best of luck!

 

Get at least one mid-drive Rungu Dualie for the fleet, up charge accordingly. Don’t forget your checkbook.

 

Good luck . Just wait until someone gets hurt and sues you for their stupidity.
There's been numerous lawsuits .
I would suggest you talk to your insurance company to make sure you are covered.
Next if you're going to be working on them, you should have an electric hoist.
https://www.parktool.com/en-us/product/power-lift-shop-stand-prs-33-2?category=Shop

 

Fuck E-bikes.

 

E-bikes are awesome when youre doing a track walk and the only thing allowed are bicycles or walking. I dont know anything about them but an old guy I race with has one that allows him to get around. Hes beat to fuck and cant hardly walk

 

I got Aventon Aventures, which are pretty much the same shit as Rad bikes, but I think they look a little better. I watched all the youtube vids and people seem to really like the Aventures, so why not?

They'll pay for themselves within 3 weeks, so I can chuck them in the garbage and replace them as needed. They were only $2K each.

Am I delusional? hahaha

 

WTF are those things?

 

I may be sounding naive, but we dont sue each other in Montana. I'm prepared for the worst and hoping for the best

 

Better get used to them.
Standard pedal bikes are going the way of the Dodo bird .
I sell mostly cruiser & hybrids. Can't sell them at $50 over cost.
It's keeping up with the Joneses around here.

 

It won't be long until the government gets involved.
Currently it's like the Wild West . I have customers buying POS's from Amazon or other big box stores.
$900 shit boxes that I would not sell to my worst enemy .
I've already been sent samples from Speedbox {limiter bypass kit} .

 

Are you planning on renting only to locals ?

I would suggest you read up on your state laws


https://leg.mt.gov/content/Committe...opics/Autonomous-Electric/e-bikes-montana.pdf

 

Hate all you want but these things look bad ass. I think i want this one:

https://www.yamahabicycles.com/bikes/ydx-moro/

 

$5k and no cup holder? Eff that!

 

Or.....hear me out now....OR......you can just buy a fucking motorcycle for that money. These manufacturers need to GTFO with these bicycle prices.

Only the west could take worlds cheapest transportation and make it into a $10K hobby.

Fuck. Off.

 

I bought a used aventon sinch about 3 months ago with 37 miles on it. Turned 950 miles yesterday.I usually ride my gravel or road bike in the morning and the e bike in the afternoon. I don't use the throttle.So far it has been a good bike .You can unlock the speed with the aventon app. did 36 mph down hill the other day fun bike to ride. You should be able to limit the speed on the rental bikes through the app. if you want.

 

They are def too expensive. I think $2K is pushing it. There's a full carbon fiber, full suspension, mid drive 1000W bike on indigogo for about $2,500. That's more like it. Don't know how anyone can justify these $7500 bikes. They're all made in China.

 

Murrica! Fuck yeah!

Seriously though, you do make an excellent point!

 

I have no room to talk. I just spent 5k on mine and it doesn't even have a motor

 

I have plenty of motorcycles. Thanks though Karen.