Does anyone have an E-Bike?
A work colleague who lives in Weehawken has one. If you're familiar with that area, you know how much of it is atop cliffs on the west side of the Hudson. He loves the e-bike for making it easier to get up the hill there, and he says the battery boost is also helpful when riding in Manhattan traffic. His bike is a single-speed, the "Rad Mission" model from Rad Power Bikes. He said, quote, "It's kind of a tank—without accessories, I think it comes out to about fifty pounds? It's possible to lug it up and down stairs, but doing so is affirmatively a pain. I've been very happy with it." He said the battery compensates for the fixed gearing and that usually he can throttle up a hill if he wants, except for one near his house where he needs both the full pedal assist plus leg action.
I find the concept interesting, but I am more likely to go over to my mom's house and retrieve my late father's bike and take it to a shop to get it fixed up. He hadn't ridden it for several years before he died as he was no longer able to do so, which means the tires at a minimum are surely shot. Given that it would be essentially free, aside from the cost of repairs, it's hard to pass that up. What I would really like is a recumbent trike, but I'd have trouble storing it in our garage. I can hang a standard bike from the ceiling easily enough, but a trike is trickier.
