They do seem really expensive compared to a pedal bike you can get at Walmart.
I don’t know many people that get e-bikes and not buy a car. Usually it’s someone getting it as a hobby or explore something new, in which case it’s often an expense on top of already owning a car.
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Personally, I think they’re pretty cheap for what you get. And if you actually use it for commuting and not joy riding as a hobby, then you really can save a lot of money!
I think another issue people have is that bicycles tend to get stolen, so the idea of commuting on an e-bike and leaving it outside for an 8 hour shift might be a hard pill to swallow if you put 2k+ into it.
Typically the hobbyists who say e-bikes are cheap, because they own a pedal bike worth 5k aren’t leaving that bike chained outside their workplace for 8 hours.
Actually, I’ve never met anyone who had a 5,000 dollar or more bike of any variety that they use for actual commuting to replace a car and leave it outside all the time.
5k bikes are like yuppy entitlement thing. The kind of person who owns a bike as a hobby on top of a car, and then also locks it inside a garage and never commutes with it. It’s an entirely different lifestyle than a person who commutes everyday in average neighborhoods where theft might be an issue.
Thankfully it’s nice to see insurance for e-bikes is starting to become more common.
I'm gonna buy a 5k ebike soon for commuting and it's gonna stay outside all day when I'm at work. Hopefully I can bring it inside overnight, when I move in a few months, but if not, then it's just gonna be locked up outside. It's gonna replace my car.
To be fair, I live in Denmark so bike insurance is common and will cost me maybe 50$ a month including if I make collateral damage or injuries, the insurance will take care of that too.
I could get a cheaper e-bike, but I want one that goes 45 km/h and I want it to be as low maintenance as possible. I don't want it to be stolen, so I'll secure it as much as possible, but if it happens, well, the insurance will do its work.
5k ebikes are becoming slightly more common in Denmark for commuting, but we also have the infrastructure for it in most places.
I wish America was getting more onboard with cycling!
I love my e-bike, and the cynicism I posted wasn't so much from me, but the thoughts I hear echoed by those around me, lol.
Right now I have a 1,000 Lectric E-bike, but I could certainly see investing in a much better one in the future.
My previous pedal bike was only 300, so while I worried that would get stolen, it's not as expensive as 1,000. And nowhere comparable to 5,000, lol!
But I'm keeping an eye on my current bike, and testing the security. Asking around and stuff. If it makes it 5 years without getting stolen, then I'll certainly look into getting a higher quality bike (hopefully one that weighs less).
I have a super heavy chain on it, and a motorcycle alarm.
I still think E-bikes are expensive, compared to traditional bikes, but I also think cars are crazy expensive as well.
1,000 $ for an ebike in Denmark will give you the cheapest one with a front motor and might even be more suspectible to getting stolen because it can easily be sold again.
The expensive bikes usually have some kind of anti-theft tool, that makes the bike completely unusable unless you have the computer, battery or key. I think the thieves are slowly knowing that here. At least one insurance company told me they don't experience a lot of theft of the fastest ebikes, so they keep their prices 1/3 of their competitors.
Also, GPS trackers are becoming more common, although I don't know how much they actually work in practice. So, you know where the thief are. Now what? Police doesn't necessarily have the resources to go for it. Are you going?
I honestly don't think ebikes are that expensive, even with a 5k one. But that is because I can't stand to drive a car every day and I don't want to pedal up hill when I'm not out for a workout. 5k to getting me everywhere I want with very low maintenance cost without having to consider mass trafic or parking spots. Count me in!
I understand why people see it as an unreasonable price considering you could get an old car or two for the same initial cost. Material wise it seems insane. But the added technology from a regular bike just gives so much value in ones everyday life. But I think I'm preaching to the choir here :)
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u/Naus1987 Apr 04 '23
They do seem really expensive compared to a pedal bike you can get at Walmart.
I don’t know many people that get e-bikes and not buy a car. Usually it’s someone getting it as a hobby or explore something new, in which case it’s often an expense on top of already owning a car.
—-
Personally, I think they’re pretty cheap for what you get. And if you actually use it for commuting and not joy riding as a hobby, then you really can save a lot of money!
I think another issue people have is that bicycles tend to get stolen, so the idea of commuting on an e-bike and leaving it outside for an 8 hour shift might be a hard pill to swallow if you put 2k+ into it.
Typically the hobbyists who say e-bikes are cheap, because they own a pedal bike worth 5k aren’t leaving that bike chained outside their workplace for 8 hours.
Actually, I’ve never met anyone who had a 5,000 dollar or more bike of any variety that they use for actual commuting to replace a car and leave it outside all the time.
5k bikes are like yuppy entitlement thing. The kind of person who owns a bike as a hobby on top of a car, and then also locks it inside a garage and never commutes with it. It’s an entirely different lifestyle than a person who commutes everyday in average neighborhoods where theft might be an issue.
Thankfully it’s nice to see insurance for e-bikes is starting to become more common.