Thread by @LdnOntBikeCafe

Been struggling with writers block lately. My e-bike blog I promised a while back has been a whole lot of "DELETED" and a lot less "save and publish". So I'm going to try to outline it here to figure out what's important. 280 is such a great limit for summarizing important stuff.

Why E-bikes? The E is for enabling. The electric motor is a game changer for carrying loads (groceries...), kids, and cargo - suddenly that 50 lbs of mulch doesn't seem so bad on a bike. It's also enabling for people of varying abilities: an e-bike makes two wheels possible. 🚲⚡️

The important thing about E-bikes is that they give E-quity to using a bicycle for transportation. For people who aren't strong enough to climb hills, or have trouble with the heat (or cold), or people with medical limits on exertion, E-bikes are enabling

For me, as a business owner, my E-bike means I don't think twice about how I'm going to get my logistics done. I do it by bike, every time. Hardware, lumber, bakery items for the cafe, popup events in the park, all of it happens by bike.

Whether it's rainy, snowy, windy, whatever, I don't think about the weather past the point of putting on appropriate clothes to go outside. I know that if I'm not feeling up to 100% exertion in a day, my bike will cover for me.

E-bikes let you go further. Most people feel comfortable riding a regular bike about 5 km to a destination. What does that look like in a single trip? Masonville/Fanshawe College/Oakridge/White Oaks. I can get to each of these places in 20 minutes from the store.

Doubling the "comfortable travel" distance covers the entire city, easily. There is nowhere in the entire city that isn't accessible (but for safety) by ebike in half an hour. This is why e-bikes are the future. But wait, there's more.

People who ride e-bikes get as much exercise than people on regular bikes. Wait, what? Yep. It's true. You'll ride longer, and more often, replacing more car trips with an e-bike. treehugger.com/bikes/study-fi…

So these are all the reason why you'd want to ride these wonderful machines, but what are they exactly? There's tons of confusion in Ontario about what's called an e-bike, so let's do a little clarification. None of these are true pedal-assist e-bikes.

All of these are pedal-assist e-bikes.

What's the difference? The second group can all be pedaled like a normal bike without assistance. The electric assist motor *helps* you pedal, but doesn't do the work for you. They're all amazing bikes to ride, unassisted, too.

E-bike technology is changing faster than I can tweet. But the core market is this: mid-drive e-bikes led by global companies Bosch, Shimano, and Yamaha are the technologies you want to be looking at. They can be found on a variety of bikes from your LBS; we carry all three.

The Bosch mid-drive system was the first on the market, and arguably still the best. It's essentially a power steering mechanism from a Mercedes-Benz attached to a battery from your cordless drill. Go figure.

What Bosch does really well is sensors. Every millisecond, the motor is sensing your speed, torque, and cadence to give seamless delivery of power. You don't even notice you're riding an assisted bike most of the time, it's just easy.

Shimano and Yamaha also have great e-assist systems. You'll find Shimano on some of our Gazelles and Larry vs Harry, whereas Babboe uses the Yamaha system. They're all amazing, really, you're not missing out on anything by choosing one over the other.

The thing that makes all of these systems excellent is that the *rest* of the bike is just a regular bike. Changing a flat tire is the same. Maintenance and parts are the same. There's nothing "weird" about your e-bike that any bike shop couldn't help with.

All three companies have support systems that extend globally, meaning you can get parts easily, and the motors/batteries are easily serviceable. You get real warranty, too. Bosch offers 2 years/500 charge cycles on all its e-bikes.

There are other e-bike systems out there, but the quality-service-warranty doesn't compare with mid-drive. If you want to spend your weekends building a DIY e-bike, that's great. For regular people who don't want to spend their weekends working on their bikes, there's mid-drive.

Here's the link to what we carry in terms of personal e-bikes.
It's only one brand: Gazelle. Gazelle uses mostly Bosch w/Shimano on the EasyFlow - which creates the lowest stepover height in the industry.
londonbicyclecafe.com/bike-store?cat…

Our cargo section is more diversified, and it's where e-assist really shines.
Babboe - Yamaha
Urban Arrow - Bosch
Larry vs Harry - Shimano
londonbicyclecafe.com/bike-store?cat…

Once you start thinking about how families, freight, and other logistics are going to move in the 21st century, it's clear that electric cargo bikes are going to be a dominant player in cities. They're faster than trucks (no parking!), and cost less to operate. And near-zero GHGs

Let's talk batteries for a while (see, I promised a minimally cohesive thread not worthy of a blog post). Most e-bikes carry 0.5 kWh batteries, compared with Tesla's 55-75 kWh. This means lower cost (and lower GHG) of production, due to smaller material inputs.

Let me say that again, differently. An electric car needs a battery 100X bigger than the battery for an e-bike. That means 100X more material inputs. 100X more waste. 100X more emissions during manufacturing.

An e-bike battery gives range that's entirely dependent on the user and conditions. Some people on lightweight e-bikes get 150 km on a charge. Me, on a cargo bike, hauling a dog or groceries, I get something like 60 km on a charge, on average. bosch-ebike.com/ca/service/ran…

60 km is a TON of range. That's roughly 3 hours of city riding, certainly enough to go from downtown to Byron to Argyle and back again, and still have 50% battery remaining. If you love Turbo mode, you get a bit less range. If you use battery-sipping Eco mode, you'll get more.

60 km gets you comfortably to Port Stanley, where you can plug in and recharge while you consume fries and orange-ade. It takes about 3 hours to charge a battery from empty, so enjoy the beach before you head for home. Cost of electricity? Budget breaking $0.05/charge.

So your e-bike can be your family adventure mobile, too. There are a couple families in #LdnOnt who have used their bikes for family camping weekends and LOVED it. What better way to get connected with nature than doing the whole thing by bike?

Who's buying e-bikes? Everybody. While electric cars remain heavily subsidized in most of Europe, e-bikes are outselling electric cars by a factor of ten. In North America, we're just taking off.

Those hippies at

*checks notes*

@Deloitte

"says it expects 130 million e-bikes to be sold globally between 2020 and 2023. It also noted that “the number of e-bikes on the roads will easily outpace other e-vehicles by the end of next year.”

theverge.com/2019/12/16/210…

So that's the scoop. E-bikes are on the rise. E-bikes replace car trips. E-bikes help you exercise. E-bikes are powered by proven technologies (with an assist from your LBS). E-bikes generate less waste, and emit way less GHGs than EV's like Tesla. treehugger.com/corporate-resp…

The e-bike, and electric cargo bike, are the future of how people in cities will move in the 21st century. They're too efficient, too inexpensive (compared to cars), and too capable to be left out of our transportation mix for too long.

I think that's the end, but I'll probably have more to add. There's so much out there, and so little good information to get started. The best thing you can do is visit us and take one for a test ride. Your bike life will never be the same.
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Questions, please! 👇
🚲⚡️

Not the end. It's 12C and raining right now so obviously I forgot to write about #Frostbike. Winter cycling on e-bikes is basically the same as recommendations for regular bikes. Things like choosing an aluminium frame, studded tires, and internal gear hubs are a must. 🚲❄️

All the mid-drive systems are weatherproof and fully sealed. The batteries stop working in *very* cold temperatures, so bring them inside when it's chilly. In my experience, I've never had a battery stop working *unless* I left it on the bike for hours outside.

Once the battery's core temperature gets too low (below -10C) it automatically shuts off as a safety measure so you don't damage the most expensive component on your bike. Annoying, yes, but pedaling home is better than buying a new battery.

I didn't mention charge cycles in the thread. Batteries are generally good for 1000 charge cycles, and start to lose a bit of juice after 500. This means replacing a battery every five years or so. Not cheap (~$900+) but over five years, that's still under $200/year in "fuel".

E-bike battery recycling is a brand new field, but so far companies in Europe have been able to recycle 70% of the materials. That's going to get better, too. Batteries are getting cheaper, and we're getting better at recycling, win win for futureproofing.

Little more on logistics. This is being way underappreciated in North America. We have the technology to end trucks in urban areas, decreasing pollution, increasing safety, and speeding delivery while decarbonizing. All the things. core77.com/posts/95724/Th…