E-Bikes. Are they murderous?

My 79 year old Dad has been off motorcycles for many years, but just bought a Velotric step through E-bike for ~$1k. I'm stoked for him and I think it will bring back that 2 wheeled excitement he used to get from motorcycles, while keeping him in good health. At first glance, it looks decent. The only real flaw I noticed was thin paint where you can see the shade difference between the metal frame and plastic battery cover. Considering auto manufacturers struggle with this, I'll let them pass. Also, there was some issues when he first assembled it with the brakes and motor controller. After a quick call to Velotric, they got both issues sorted quickly for him. Here's the basic thing he bought:
https://www.velotricbike.com/products/velotric-discover-1?variant=41525728215223

If I owned a bicycle shop, I would take a weekly trip to the local RV parks and setup a booth of sorts. Many older people really struggle getting into biking, but they are interested. Getting on/off bikes is really hard for the elderly. I think if you showed them some easy bikes to get onto with step through frames and/or dropper posts they would jump at the chance. Even just selling/installing dropper posts on existing bikes would make a world of difference. Also, the ease/security of having a electric motor to assist you in case you get tired would be a huge benefit to many.

 

Wait I got a dropper post on my mtn bike. Are you calling me geriatric? Prepare to die!!

 

ebikes and escooters were everywhere in Spain and Portugal. Barcelona has a monthly subscription that lets you ride the city ebikes for a very low fee. They were great to get around. i have a cheap escooter for when I go to the race track to bomb around on.

 

My mother in law broker her arm last year on an E bike. Can't remember the specifics but thought she said the throttle caught her by surprise.

 

I think pedal assist / non throttle ones are fantastic commuter solutions for around here. Atlanta is a pretty hilly city and not showing up for work sweaty as hell is good. And having the option to pedal with zero assist on the way home covers a daily workout during your commute. My Fiancé and her kids have done bike tours in different cities all over Europe. Great way to get to know the area an wake up from jet lag. I'm betting more and more pedal assists will be make there way into those fleets. Now if they start showing up in Denmark then the world may be coming to an end.

The top tier ones are expensive as shit though.

 

A guy on my REI Death Valley ride crashed on the downhill from Daylight Pass to the floor. I think he was on an ebike and grabbed every control at once. He ended up in an Ambulance to Vegas. Awesome descent if you ever get the chance. Start in Rhyolite at 3500' feet. Hit 4000' feet at the pass, then all downhill to 50 feet at the valley floor. The views are incredible.

 

Here's some info on regulation

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/opi...nt=240844910&utm_source=hs_email#.Y7tB6C-B35g

 

So no one??
I read it,but doesn't seem like anyone knows.
I think it's gonna be like the early skateboard and hoverboard. Lots of old folks hopping on them,and eating shit.
Makes me think of my old man wanting to ride my dirt bike and proceeded to go up the side of his camper then into some boxwoods.

 

With all the accidents & lawsuits, it can't be much longer before the government gets involved.

 

How much did she get for it?

 

I'm 41 and bought a new MTB because I wanted a dropper and figured it was cheaper to buy a whole new bike than just add a new seat. I expected that I'd use the dropper for jumping off the side of mountains, but 90% of it's use is to make it easier for me to flatfoot when stopped.

 

Hope you make it to Red Lodge! Its a great little town loaded with places to ride in every direction. My ebikes are something like 75lbs, so I don't think they'd work in that carrier.

 

Yeah, the Aventure is getting great reviews from pretty much everyone. I know all of these $1500-$2000 fat tire bikes are probably made by the same manuf in China, but it seems like the small details like electronics, design, display, etc are what differentiates them from each other. I feel pretty good about having the Aventures in my fleet, although they will probably have a new design before I start my summer season so my new bikes will already be out of date.

 

Could you do me a favor and post some pictures of the "Shitty Welds " ?

 

You have a shop full of them.

I'll just leave this thread to the garbage. My shop deals with nice bikes, not commodity junk, so I'll let the expert in that area continue.
My guys won't touch this crap or junky beach cruisers.

 

This is a lamer purse fight than in the pilot's thread.

 

pedal assist Ebikes rule.. wouldn't even consider owning a regular mtn bike.. if i'm driving an hour to one of 5 mtn bike parks near my house (all about an hour), i wanna ride for a good 1.5-2 hrs at least. Not be smoked in 20 min. Bikes are coming with bigger batteries too, not size, but power (400-500watt in earlier ones, now 650-700watt is pretty common).
Giant makes a darn good bike. Interesting input on the liability from renting them !

 

Well Bless Your Heart.
My shop is on the SE Coast of North Carolina . It's demographics are retirees & tourist's .
It's a beach town .Hence I sell what the demand calls for .
There is little to no demand for road bikes.
I won't even waste my time posting pictures of welds on any the of the bikes I sell.

 

My only experience with ebikes was last summer. We rented a couple for a week of riding with a bike club out of NYC. The bikes were heavy. Gave us between 4-6 hours of use depending on the mode you were in. We had 34 riders and we had one mechanical breakdown. Minor, a chain. As far as safety, I don’t believe there is any difference between them and a bicycle. By lunch on the first day we had had 3 accidents, only one involving the bikes.
I’m not sure where we will go this year but I can just about guarantee there will be a rental ebike involved. They were great. I would own one now but here I ride to improve my leg strength.