What are the problems with e-bikes?

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ZhakirSetie

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Hey guys!

I'm currently working on a personal electric vehicle, with the purpose of solving some of the problems of modern urban cities transportation. Right now i'm focusing on identifying the market's needs and problems to better develop my product, and I wanted to ask you - what are the everyday problems and minor (or major) inconveniences that you have with your e-bikes (or electric scooters, if there are any here). I'm interested in anything you have in mind - storage, transportation, battery, safety, everything that comes up.

Thanks a lot!
 
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Low quality
Gimmicky features
Difficult maintenance
Hustlers and non-cyclists trying to cash in
 
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If you could figure out a way to use the heat generated by the motor to recharge the battery, that would be cool.
 
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"CARS!" Best answer yet! People are getting mowed down constantly by drivers who either aren't paying attention or are too stupid to care.

Before I read that answer, I agree on theft, but also they aren't enough of them, so short supply is an issue.
 
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To reiterate:

Theft

Cars

and the companion to Cars: Infrastructure. If we had a protected lane to ride in, cars wouldn't be running over us and parked cars wouldn't be dooring us.
 
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Hey ZhakirSetie, Can't answer your question, but wondering why your signature consists of links to fake local router address, intentional or what?
 
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by ZhakirSetie » Aug 07 2021 10:17am

Hey guys!

I'm currently working on a personal electric vehicle, with the purpose of solving some of the problems of modern urban cities transportation. Right now i'm focusing on identifying the market's needs and problems to better develop my product, and I wanted to ask you - what are the everyday problems and minor (or major) inconveniences that you have with your e-bikes (or electric scooters, if there are any here). I'm interested in anything you have in mind - storage, transportation, battery, safety, everything that comes up.

Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...

1. Cars, this one word covers a whole host of issues. Roads that are E-bike/small EV friendly from separate lanes or if mixing with traffic it's speed and accountability or the lack of either. Traffic signals are not small EV friendly but we have tried to let people have cross walks, they get hit and killed.

2. Theft. Most of the time there is no parking for smaller EV's. The one that can be loaded into a truck in a few mins. Don't know an answer but cages and or camera's. Not the biggest issue because I stress over leaving my E-trike alone locked up in public. One thing that helps me is it draws attention and that in it self is a deterrent.

3. General access to electricity. We don't mind paying. Typical outside outlet would be fine. EV charging stations could put a typical outlet and charge for power. If you read "Endless Sphere" some are trying to figure out how to gain access to the Large EV system using large EV sockets. Cities could make money on this and road tax. Could put these with the small EV parking. Lock it up charging and go shopping or have a drink, (Coffee, Water or something stronger.)

How soon will this get done?
 
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Battery cost.
Flat tires.
Hit and run drivers.
Constant desires to deploy spike strips to deter cagers.

:twisted: :bolt:
 
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I'm only using my e-bike for recreational mt biking, but I would like the system to be about half the weight it currently is (BBS02 + 52v 8ah battery) and lower profile, with minimal decrease in torque and efficency.
 
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Grantmac said:
Heavy and expensive, even the very best factory EMTBs are just too damn heavy.
Click to expand...

Motors weigh what they weigh, and so do batteries. How do you propose to make them lighter? Plastic e-bikes that you have to throw away if they get scratched? Magically weightless batteries?
 
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Grantmac said:
Heavy and expensive, even the very best factory EMTBs are just too damn heavy.
Click to expand...

Grant, I too would love to have a 25 pound emtb capable of going off road with 6-8 inches of travel, but I'm being facetious, of course...LOL! After many years of mountain biking from the early days of long travel bikes being 3"...remember the Judy DH at a whopping 3"?...I think our bikes may have come up against the wall of physics, metallurgy, and design...generally speaking. So the only category to actually drop any noticeable weight is going to be the battery and motor. Some inroads there are possible, but I wonder how that will affect affordability for the common user being that emtb's are decently expensive.

As a long time MTB guy, I can't believe I'm saying this, but the weight of emtb's surprisingly turned out to not be that big of an issue. It's still hard to perceive how the 50 pounds of my emtb sort of melts away on the trail with the magic of PAS and the occasional throttle. But coming from dirt motorcycles, maybe I shouldn't be shocked. I actually like the planted and stable nature of a 50 pound emtb. It still carves the corners and actually seems to get traction and stick to the ground better in sketchy conditions. These bikes need to be burlier than the average MTB because of the power and speed being fed into them IMO.
 
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Yes, this. And it really comes into play on the steep climbs and on the transitions from down to up where you can get up to speed faster and maybe climb faster. Honestly I don't ride the MTB flats and downhills any faster with the motor than I do pedaling... limited by the terrain. But even my old school short travel Stumpy does just fine with the extra weight.

And really the same on the road. XX watts makes the heavier bike disappear. But heavier e-bikes are and will continue to be more difficult to handle and transport... but the irony is that they are not too heavy to steal and roll or and carry off.

TNC said:
As a long time MTB guy, I can't believe I'm saying this, but the weight of emtb's surprisingly turned out to not be that big of an issue. It's still hard to perceive how the 50 pounds of my emtb sort of melts away on the trail with the magic of PAS and the occasional throttle.
Click to expand...
 
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With respect to theft, I use these when I can, but they need to install more of them in places like malls or grocery stores so that I'd be able to use my bike more like a car for shopping, etc. They are pretty secure, and I haven't heard about anyone breaking into them to steel bikes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WykiXw0ahU
At a nickel per hour, they're cheap for adding peace of mind when leaving your bike unattended.

https://www.bikelink.org/
 
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Yeah, cost, safety, and theft are barriers to ebike adoption. I would also say that the lack of a network of ebike mechanics/technicians would be a barrier to some, although probably not the DIY types on this forum.
 
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I think EMTBs can get lighter through better battery tech and possibly some motor optimization. 40-45# has been done in the DIY world by keeping power low enough to be an assist rather than offering Olympic sprinter power on top of what the human produces.
 
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raylo32 said:
Yes, this. And it really comes into play on the steep climbs and on the transitions from down to up where you can get up to speed faster and maybe climb faster. Honestly I don't ride the MTB flats and downhills any faster with the motor than I do pedaling... limited by the terrain. But even my old school short travel Stumpy does just fine with the extra weight.

And really the same on the road. XX watts makes the heavier bike disappear. But heavier e-bikes are and will continue to be more difficult to handle and transport... but the irony is that they are not too heavy to steal and roll or and carry off.

TNC said:
As a long time MTB guy, I can't believe I'm saying this, but the weight of emtb's surprisingly turned out to not be that big of an issue. It's still hard to perceive how the 50 pounds of my emtb sort of melts away on the trail with the magic of PAS and the occasional throttle.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

raylo, I'm with you on not gaining any real speed on the decents...I think. However, I'm noticing having to lay on the 4-piston brakes a lot sooner than normal on trails I've ridden for years. I think this may be due to being able to crest a climb/ascent up to a downhill a little faster, therefore attaining speed quicker...if that makes sense. It may just be due to the weight of the emtb or I'm approaching the descent at a faster pace...hard to tell for sure.

I've been getting to ride off road every other day for awhile now, and I am stoked with this bike.
 
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Grantmac said:
I think EMTBs can get lighter through better battery tech and possibly some motor optimization. 40-45# has been done in the DIY world by keeping power low enough to be an assist rather than offering Olympic sprinter power on top of what the human produces.
Click to expand...

The friction drives I've seen posted on here are sub-35 lbs I think. However those have significant drawbacks. There is the "Lightest" motor but as far as can tell that's barely out of the POC phase.
 
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COAR, I've seen one of those friction drives done probably about as well as can be done by that Keppler guy, but is there really any way that is suitable for off road? But since this thread is about ebikes in general, I guess application would dictate the suitability. Keppler's setup was pretty clean and minimal, but that kind of drive just sounds weird and antiquated to me. Don't take that as dissin' his effort there, but I guess I'm just a mid-drive guy.
 
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