@@kookamunga2458 Its the combo of being wet while wearing clothes thats uncomforable... If i was able to be naked riding in a tropical rain thatd be a much more pleasant experience haha
Rain can be avoided with rain radar websites. Most showers are under 30 minutes. Good raingear keeps you dry for 30 minutes. Most people heat up their bodies during cycling. I am warming on my bike than in my car the first 5 miles. That is why I wear windproof clothing. During summer heat cycling provides air cooling, that is why convertibles are popular.
especially in the summer with the sun out. just getting a little bit of exercise saving some money and enjoying the beautiful sunlight it's tough to pass up!
Sold my truck last weekend. Bought an ebike and a train ticket this week. Cancled my insurance too. Im a month in riding so far 240 miles this month. Its fun
I was legally blinded a few years ago and no longer able to drive , so I pedal everywhere now , it's not always easy, but I thank God that I can still do it 😊
This is my fifth week of recovery from detached retina surgery. I took the keys to the car away from myself. Started riding my commuter bike all over town. It’s doable but sometimes I still need someone to drive me around. Keep pedaling!
Full time ebiker here, 365, even through the snowy Canadian mountain winter where I live ( I go studded tires). You are right that the #1 most important piece of advice is "don't cheap out". Buy the best bike you can afford. Like you my decision wasn't about the environment, but cost.
I'm in Maine and also bike year-round. Work, recreation, run errands. The ebike was very beneficial, especially on those windy days when it seems it's always blowing against you, lol Or I bought heavier things, and the extra power just makes it more doable. Windproof/waterproof outwear, a face mask and goggles, and I'm good! Oh, and I got ice breaker tires this winter and absolutely loved them.
My boyfriend did this a month and a half ago, and I haven't seen him so happy and excited before. He got an e-bike secondhand for $600 and bikes to work five days a week. He seems so freespirited without his car. I was inspired to follow him (Though I will still be keeping my car, hopefully this means less spending on gas). I'm getting my bike this Saturday and I can't wait for all the adventures we're going to have!
I love my car. I also hate the idea of buying a new one with what they cost. My ebike allows me to keep miles off the car and use it when I want to, not have to. Also has saved me thousands in fuel and maintenance reduction (actually tens of thousands probably)
I couldn’t afford a 3000$ e bike unfortunately. I did buy one for 1200$ for my first one and I hope it pans out for a while. We lost our car a few mths ago and I’m excited for a lifestyle change.
There are plenty of good ebikes around the $999 mark. Most of the cost for more expensive bikes are in components you can add to your own bike incrementally.
@@KozyKubGam3r No problem! There are videos on how to maintain and install hydraulic brakes, upgrades to lights, derailleurs and more all over youtube. The important thing is if you're fine with what you have, there's no immediate need to do anything more than maintain what you have. Stay safe!
For the people who want to get an e-bike, don't buy the name-brand ones, they charge a premium that's unjustifiably high, instead you just choose a nice regular bike you like and get a Bafang e-bike kit, it's a mid-drive motor, this will save you thousands. Of course, if you don't mind giving thousands away or that you don't wanna build an e-bike yourself (there are tons of step by step tutorials), just get any e-bike you can find, some bike shops also sell ready made e-bikes with Bafang (and other brands) mid-drive motors. Other than saving money, the more important reason I'm recommending this is that these name brand bikes have increasingly locked down proprietary software and hardware, with the goal of making repairs impossible and having a complete control over what we bought, this already happened to everything we paid money for from phones to computers to appliances, bikes are our last refuge, we need to do everything we can to fight this and not reward and grow the companies that are dragging us to the same anti-consumer hell hole.
This is a sentiment that I've heard a few times. Building your own or supporting open-source brands sounds like it's something really worth looking into, thank you for sharing this 🙌
There are tradeoffs, though. Some bike frames aren't great at accommodating battery. Also, since bafang motors are hanging down from bracket, it is easy to get hit if you ride offroad a lot. Only thing I want to see is universal integrated middrive-bracket ebike frames what work with whatever motor/gearbox customer choose to use.
Nice video. I got rid of my car in January 2011. I haven’t needed to buy one since. One thing I can recommend is looking into car share services. They offer access to a car for the few times you really need it without all the baggage that comes from owning a car. Anyway, I really enjoyed your perspective! Enjoy your bike and be safe 😊
I bought a 2021 Trek Allant Plus S7 and have since put 6400 miles on it and about 900 miles in 2024 alone. I feel better when riding. The birds are my radio. The smell of trees and flowers is my air-freshener. People who wouldn't give me a glance in a vehicle will smile and say hi when I'm pedaling. Even children, who I will not look their way if I'm driving will give me a smile and a wave when I'm bicycling. I can't get rid of my car, Idaho Winters will not allow it. But during the warmer months the car parks in the garage. I love cycling!
I have a non-e bike (just a bike) that I commute in and my mental health has benefitted tremendously. Driving in traffic is not a great way to chill out after work. Used to hate driving to the store for just eggs, now I'll go gladly. I have extra bikes (mountain bike and my wife's) and my friends and family are always like "no, let's just drive to the bakery" when they visit but then later they're like "let's go for another bike ride"
Meh plenty of days that riding a bike isn't chill either. The rain. The hail. The snow. The burning sun. The strong headwinds. The blinding headlights of cars.
@@QoraxAudio I ride in all those conditions and never has it not felt fun. I have full fenders and a bike-specific poncho for rain, bar mits (pogies) for my hands in winter (I live in Montana so I still have mine on, we just got snow 3 days ago) studded tires for snow too. Since I go to work early, summer heat isn't an issue and I don't pedal too hard to get too sweaty - after work can be a bit hot, but it's never that bad where I live. Sun sets long before I'm done with work in the winter here, so I have a nice light. Most of my commute is bike paths so I don't have to worry about car headlights. But if the weather ever does seem rough enough, I can always take the car. This last year I don't think I ever did though. Weather is an inconvenience, but most days are sunny and dry (even if it's cold). A common saying where I live is there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes
@@jadinc77 Sure, most of the times when it comes to "bad weather" it's just a matter of clothing and bike type, but that doesn't make shitty weather less annoying IMO. But YMMV... There are just two weather types that are actually bad weather in that literal sense: storm and black rain. I've had both once, both lead to an accident - lessons you don't forget that easily 😅
There is an easy way for the US to make biking safer and with less conflict between cars and bikers... Just build dedicated and safe bike lanes, separated from traffic, preferably in nice and enjoyable green environments. That's what we do in Sweden and to be honest, it's one of the best investments a city can make. Because it takes away car ridership. Because people can choose to bike safely instead of feeling the need to own a car. I remember when they built a new bike line from the suburbs to the city 30 years ago. It has never been repaired, and there's not a single pot hole in it and the surface is still super smooth. why? Well, there's no real weight put on the asphalt for it to crack, and since there's no crack, the asphalt doesn't rupture due to rain, snow, ice, and hot weather.
Yes - a lot of bike lanes I ride on are just road shoulders with a bike painted on the pavement. Dedicated, blocked-off lanes are lovely, I've seen them around Boston but they haven't spread too much beyond. I hear a lot of lovely things about Sweden, and hope to travel there one day!
That's a nice idea if you're building a city from scratch, but if you're trying to add bike paths to an existing city you have to work around existing infrastructure. That almost always means adding bike lanes (i.e. some paint) to existing roads, or allowing bikes to share footpaths. The frustration of cycling on footpaths is that many pedestrians straggle all over the path and are blissfully unaware of other people using the path.
In my area there are quite a few households who have replaced one of their 2 cars with an e-bike. I kept my old, paid-off car when I bought an e-bike 4 years ago and that’s allowed me to stretch out its useful life for a few extra years. To make it easier, I moved 5 miles closer to my friends and the places I typically go. Once the car needs a really expensive repair, I’ll get rid of it and transition to car-share, carpooling, or Lyft for some nearby stuff, and car rentals, buses, trains, and planes for longer trips.
I left a longer comment about cycling in the rain above. Get a good big rain poncho. Covers you completely from the back of your seat to over your handlebars. Completely open underneath and let's lots of air circulate. And it's covering your battery and mid drive motor even in the heaviest downpours which is also good for your e-bike. Win-win all around.
I went the e-bike route recently. I still have to take the bus to get to work, but I bike to the bus stop (normally a 35 minute walk!), pop the bike on the bus's bike rack, then get off downtown and bike to work from there. It's made my day easier. And yes, not having to pay for a car is a plus. I love riding my ebike. It's fun to cruise around downtown here too; I live in a fairly small city so it's not crazy traffic-wise.
Main thing I’ve noticed (no e-bike yet, but doing pretty well whatever I can by analog bike) - no more “autopilot/ I don’t remember the drive home”, ever bike trip is memorable in a way car trips just blend into the monotony - even if it’s just to get groceries.
They call this "cyclist memory." You remember a lot more on a bike since you're going slower and you're exposed to your environment. You can remember every part of a road 😁
From my experience, even if I bought a new ebike every year, and I took a taxi into work on bad weather days, working 5 days a week, I'm still saving thousands of dollars a year. People don't believe that because either don't know how expensive cars are, or they've accepted it as a fact of life.
Ebikes are disposable items, sadly. After 2 years the battery & motor are finished, repairs to the motor under warranty can take months & you will NOT be provided with a courtesy bike, insurance is ridiculously expensive, etc. If it's just for weekends, fine, but if you're using it as everyday transport that must be relied on, budget for replacing every two years, maybe even every one year.
@@papalegba6796 Cars are also disposable items as well. I literally save enough money by using an ebike to get a new ebike after 6 months. My experience of being on a motorcycle with liability insurance tells me that the same kind of coverage is probably roughly $20 a month, which is nothing compared to a car. Cars are definitely better in a lot of categories, but it's primarily because US infrastructure has such a heavy bias toward automobiles that it heavily tilts the scale in their favor, but the costs all around are ridiculous for automobiles.
Love this idea. I’ve been going down the e-bike black hole here on TH-cam. And I’m ready to get rid of the car for sure. Having three kids is the main issue haha. Being connected to the community and getting fresh air is a major plus. Great video!
in my opinion having a family is a pretty good reason to have a car, but it’s also a good reason to have some bikes. getting your kids used to riding for utility and not just pleasure will make their lives so much better now and in the future. get some panniers for you and for your kids and make a family trip for groceries to the closest market instead of costco across town (or whatever your situation is), stuff like that. sure a car is probably a necessary thing to have in the case of being late for school or taking the kid to medical care or whatever, but it doesn’t have to be the only tool or even the main tool
I did just that. Only it was a recumbent e-trike.. I have a 200 mile range.. I have full coverage and liability including road side assistance/tow... I was spending over $400 per month on the car..repairs, gas, insurance, parking... Now i save $400 per month.. it now only cost $0.17 to charge my batteries that provide 200 miles..
I sold that old chevy cavalier. that cost me $400 per month.. (it was paid off) I bought a nice AZUB T-Tris and upgraded with a BBSHD and added a solar trailer that extends my range indefinitely in the sun.. BTW my hair got thicker and i have more stamina today.. I look younger and feel better than i have in over 40 years.. E-trikes are the best.. because you can haul a lot of groceries home and carry a lot of weight.
Thanks! This is a great video - encouraging and inspiring! I ride my bike and ebike as much as possible for my own needs and errands. But my husband is too visually impaired to drive or ride a bike, so I drive him to work and all the places he needs to go. We’re 70, and I love my bike and ebike! Thanks again Eric!
@@tconnolly9820 Thanks! This evening I took my husband to a meeting and got in almost 15 miles, ending as the sun was setting as I returned across the Arkansas River (flowing through my town in Oklahoma.) It was beautiful and I explored a few new spots and met some lovely people! Then back to 4 wheels and picking up my husband! 👏👏👏😊😊😊🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻♀️
Excellent video! Makes me want to go ride. I commute to work about 1/3 of the year and I love it. I don't have an e-bike but the sense of peace I have when I get to work is the best. It just sets the tempo for a great day!
I've been a long-distance bicycle commuter, since 2005. I was already car-free (I was a skateboard/bus commuter, before I got a job in an area with no bus service). I made the switch to an e-bike about three years ago. I love this thing. It flattens the hills. It allows me to haul stuff in my trailer that used to be huge chore. I occasionally still take my "pedal bike" out, around the neighborhood, but the e-bike is now my main ride.
Hi, I live in Europe and recently I have started commuting by ebike. My city subsidies a company that rents an ebikes for $18 per month. I love this bike and I love this everyday trip (I have 10 miles distance to ride). The only concern I have is that since ebikes are so expensive, I do affraid leaving it in the grocery store bike stand.
Excellent video about e-bikes. I've never rode one. I'm kinda in-between... I ride a motorcycle. Got rid of my car 6 years ago. It's my daily ride too. I'm retired and don't commute. My costs are so much less than my car was. I'm glad to see more people on 2 and 3 wheels saving money and having fun. I really enjoyed the video. Thanks....
I did this myself back at the start of the pandemic. When work shifted to remote, I really didn't need the car anymore (I loved my Chevy Volt). I sold my car at CarMax, used those funds to get my eBike, and never looked back. No car insurance. No car payment. No oil change. No car inspection. No worrying about traffic tickets. No worrying about car accidents. With the right equipment, I can go grocery shopping, to the Dr Office, out to eat, out to the local coffee shop to work, and visit friends. Everything Erics says about meeting friendly people wanting to talk about your bike is true. There are tons of little things that make bike commuting enjoyable. My only downside is that I had a friend who disapproved of my decision which strained our relationship.
@@ericebikes I really love it. I switched my eBike to a cargo eBike and I really love that bike (Specialized Globe Haul ST). The only negative is that here in South Texas, the summers are brutal with 100+ degree heat!
I'm waiting on my first e-bike but as a utilitarian shopping and commuting cyclist for years, good racks front and back for baskets and pannier bags is essential for a real car replacement bike. I also have two trailers. A large sized dog trailer with a 250 litre completely covered and enclosed cabin I use as my main cargo and shopping trailer. Just load everything in, zip it up and go. It's fully enclosed and nothing will fall out. And an actual cargo trailer I use less but can comfortably carry a full sized lawnmower or let down the back section and I can fit a large 400 litre container with a lid which gives a great deal of versatility and options for carrying almost anything. The trailers were €131 and €105 each respectively 3 and 2 years ago. I'm in Ireland by the way. And this is just using an ordinary hybrid no e, just me bicycle. A good sized trailer turns a €600 bicycle into a €6,000 cargo bike and a real world alternative to a car. I've had over 70kg on a trailer behind me with just an ordinary bike but I average between 30-50 most weeks when I'm using one. Take it off and you've got your bike back again.
@@tconnolly9820 I've also got a dog trailer that I use for my grocery shopping! My dog runs alongside the bike to the grocery store, hangs out in the trailer (his safe space) while I'm shopping, and then runs back while the groceries ride in the trailer 🙂 It works great! I've got a tween and a surly teen, so I still need a car to transport them to appointments and the like, but I'm trying to do as much as I can on my ebike. Better for my health, my wallet, and the planet 🌏
I'm a 16 year old with a onewheel and a car. In my small town, a onewheel or any other PEV like that is all i need. I rarely drive my car and only use it if it's wet outside or if i need to drive out of town. people think im weird for not driving my car as much but i love shredding on my PEV and saving the miles on my car for when i really need it. plus it is faster to commute around town on because you are very zippy and arent necessarily restricted on laws as much as cars are. much ontop of that i've found a new hobby, a fix for my mental health, and something else to do to kill the time without wasting gas. 2500+ miles on my onewheel so far and im going to keep climbing up. I do not regret buying a used onewheel.
Those one wheels look so cool, and I think that system is something that so many people (especially young people) can get behind. I got my first car at 16 and never questioned it. But this would have been so much better. Thanks for sharing 🙌
I've been commuting 3 years now. Living in Kingston Ontario means I have snow tires for my ebike. Have a Trek as well but last year bought a specialized with a belt drive. Less maintenance.
great video! I haven't given up the car, but became about a 80%-20% bike commuter for work, and use it for about 60-%40 on errands etc. and you were spot on!
Good Morning, I just subscribed to ur channel. My E-bike is my main source of transportation. Before I bought it, I used to ride the bus, I quit driving years ago. I bought my e-bike 14 months ago (March 2023) from Ride the Glide, a local e-bike shop and I rode over 6,000 miles. My e-bike has changed my life completely and I absolutely love it. Back in July 2021 I fractured my spine and I had 3 crush virtabre bones in my lower back, I couldn't feel my legs and walking would hurt my back very much. So, I use pedal assist 3 and ride about 10-15 MPH on average and I ride about a distance of about 15-25 miles on daily rides. Now I DON'T hardly have any back pain and have full mobility of my back and continue to ride. I still have 3 crush bones, but I don't hardly feel the pain because of my e-bike. Thank You & Good Video 😎
Never been an e-bike person but I’m 21 I drive a 5.0L V8 mustang as my daily driver, my monthly payment is $680 and insurance is another $380 and fuel with my “heavy” foot is about $250 a month that’s $1110 a month on my car not counting maintenance or other things that can happen. I just sent the last payment for my car, after working hard to pay it off and I’m done with getting scammed on insurance and not having money to live and enjoy life. My plan now is to get an e-bike not selling my car however won’t go that far I will just put it on non-op and take off insurance and store the car in my garage. The bike I’ve been looking at if a $3500 Talaria XXX they can do about 50mph good range and they look nice. I can’t wait to start my e bike journey and start living life with more money in my pocket to do things I want 💯💯 not only that saving over 1k a month will help me pay off other debt which I have a total debt of about 9k from a personal loan and family, so paying 9k will be a breeze and when all that’s payed off I will hope to be debt free by my mid 22s and travel the world for some time 🌎
@@ziploc2000 nope I was just dumb, always wanted a mustang so I got one however It did come with an interest rate of 18% 🤦🏻♂️ but hey payed it off in a year and a half lost 4K in interest over that time don’t have much bills besides rent little to no debt that’s how I was able to get the car and no help from anybody to pay the car off or the monthly payments.
@@ziploc2000 and honestly here in the U.S a mustang is common for kids my age now in this generation, a cheap car too at that, most kids I see now have 80k hellcats and other expensive cars that make mine look like I’m in poverty 🤷🏻♂️
Some have no choice. I might not be able to pass my next vision test for a car license, so I already have it figured. The nearest town is within range using vacated back roads. What me worry?🙂
Two weeks ago, I donated my truck to charity. It was time to quit driving at almost 67. I bought 3 ebikes since last winter, 2 recently. It wasn't the money at all in my case. Winter will be hard on me, but I can do it. No rain thiugh.
@@ericebikes yeah my partner loves her e scooter, it's great because it can hop up to road speeds, but is still very intuitive to ride. I commute on an EUC, because I'm the person who always rode my bike without using the handlebars anyways. I'm thinking about getting a fat tire EBike for my winter commute for the wide studded tire's extra traction.
thing that puts me off scooters etc is their lack of storage capabilities. Sure you can carry some stuff but if you need to replace the trips to the shop you limit yourself more
@@JFat5158 that makes sense, especially if you have a lot of people to get groceries for, or need to move large things regularly. For us, we go to the grocery store once a week and pretty much everything we buy regularly can fit into my 40L backpack. We do occasionally do go to Costco or get bigger items and if they won't fit in our bags we'll usually just get a taxi or ride share. Essentially we think about it as a $20 surcharge, which even if we did that every week would be cheaper than a car payment and insurance. If we had a garage I'd probably want a cargo bike, but we live in a 3rd floor condo with no elevator so we're a bit size limited on what we can get. The most difficult thing for us is that we have a few events each year that need us to go about 50+ miles from home, and then camp a few days. Like this year it's a week long kayak trip, so we'll be renting a truck of Turo for the whole week, which is a bit expensive.
I have a non e-bike but I'd love to be able to ride E-bikes to work everyday if only it was legalized on busy roads in my country. Anyway, I'm still happy to be able to ride non e-bike to work 🥰 Good video it motivates me to continue riding!
@@ericebikes E-bike are too fast apparently can be dangerous on public street, cause people usually breaks law cause they like going fast, which can be very dangerous. This is exception for when you're just riding on local areas to go to store. Malaysia btw
@@ericebikes After draging the bike out of the box and putting it together I just found out that the bike had punktured front tire, so.. Right now life is abit flat so to speak. Will see what to make of it tomorrow! LOL
I did the calculations and got rid of the car. Renting a car, public transportation or taxi/uber as needed, came out as less expensive when commuting by bike every day.
@@playlist5455 Do not you mean: "came out as less expensive when commuting by CAR, instead of bike every day?"? Cycling is the most inexpensive form of transport at 5.5 USD cents per mile. Or 3 Euro cent per kilometer. Cycling is only expensive when you have to buy a bike, which when new and buying a quality bike can costs thousands of Dollars/ Euros. But after that, the maintenance is cheap.
I bought my first ebike around 2 months ago due to the brakes on my car failing. Sure, I could have used the money I paid on the bike to fix my brakes, but I've also been wanting to get healthier for a long time and I believe this was god's way to make me stop talking about it and do it. For a little context I'm 43, 5'10" and 300 lbs. The town I live in isn't great for biking, but thankfully the ride to and from work for me is just under 4 miles, but there are 3 rather large hills on the way. When I arrive at work (or back at home), I'm a little tired and winded for like 10 minutes, but after that I feel absolutely amazing! Far better way to wake up than any cup of coffee could ever be. I have not turned the ignition of my car since my bike arrived and I'm about to post it for sale.
Hi Paul, I would disagree. Had my ebike for 3years now, after scraping my car. I have gold locks and only lock it in safe busy areas in city and rural. Correct about police, especially now the coppers been told not to arrest people for low level crime as our prisons are full...
I made custom e bike, 500W motor and 48V24 Ah battery, total cost was 1600$, range w/o pedals assist is 100 km when 30 kph speed and 70 km when averaging 40 kph speed. I usually don't use legs because I don't like to sweat, only spinning pedals when I am cold. E Bike is the best thing ever I bought, probably even more fun than PC.
I did. Its been great. I got cold and wet once and did a little Amazon shopping for rain suit and snow gear. I have no car payment, no insurance payment, and no gas bill. I had a 4x4 avalanche previously. It's so quiet plus i have a Bluetooth helment for tunes. I also have racks I can interchange with an extra seat and an xlg dog trailer for bigger groceries.
I’m 44 and never had a license. I’ve moved from NC to OR on a bicycle, and own a bosch powered DIamondback union 2. I love it. It’s my commuter, my fitness rider, and my adventure bike all in one.
When you sit in a car, you are encased in an environment that is completely artificial. That can't be good for the health. Just on that basis it's a good idea to move away from cars as an everyday transport option.
Sadly North American suburbs are designed to make driving almost a requirement, you're easily driving 20km+ just one-way to work, riding that distance everyday is simply a bit too much for most people.
Thanks for this very enjoyable video. I live on a farm that's 90km from the nearest town so a vehicle is a necessity. Luckily I work only 12.5km away from home, so I am able to bike. I have to ride straight into strong winds on many days home and I started riding less as I didn't want to get home so late. Last year when the price dropped I bought a Trek Powerfly and I absolutely love it for commuting. I still like to take my regular bike on some days as I can get to work faster since I'm not speed limited, but I make sure to look at the forecast and only do that on days that aren't windy.
Hey Eric, Did you ever ridden the Potrero loop?? Newbury park to Thousand Oaks to Westlake Village back to Newbury park(Hidden Valley., Lake Sherwood area)!!I did it a lot in the 70s and 80s!! I loved it!!
Thanks for the video. Loved it. I ran numbers on how much our cars were costing us, and because of this we're moving closer to the city, bought a Prius, are parking one truck, and buying two e-bikes.
Hi, saw your comment and thought, this is how we begin to transition. I have 2 cars, one is an EV my wife commutes in, expensive luxury for us but she works 40km 27 miles away and not on a transit line. I have a 2011 Land Rover I'm only using as necessary and as a hobby overland vehicle. Everything else we do is walk, bike, bus, train, subway etc. Car is useful but is the last resort kind of thing. We live in a Toronto suburb not too far from transit. Car mania still abound around here though. I love it when I am not driving and I'm a total car nut. I have a cargo bag on my bike and just zip down to the shops for little things when I need them. The freedom is remarkable.
Hi, 61 yo here and I'm doing this. Just about all the people I know think it can't be done (the 'yes, but...' and 'how about...' I hear frequently. I'll admit I miss the convenience of a car at times but overall I'm glad. I will not tell you how easy it's for you to do this: I live in The Netherlands and comparing cycling here to other places seems a bit unfair to me.
Although I can’t get rid of my car, I did invest about $1000 on a new bike and some kit. I intend to run errands on weekends with it, or maybe after work if there’s time. I work from home, so car usage is already pretty sparse for me unless I go out of town occasionally. Bike ridership is a challenge outside of urban areas however. I’ll need to share the road and use backstreets when available.
I currently own one new car (commuter) because my home base is Texas which is a sprawl, one Truck, one road bike. (retired), one HT trail bike, One gravel bike I took with me to Washington and as of this past weekend - one fat tire Ebike. I feel like this was the best purchase I made this year bc I can see now how enriched life can be on this thing. Really loved the premise of this video and stumbled upon it whilst doing some basic spec research on mileages. Only a few days into owning this and I'm already aware I need to cut the ownership down a few notches and sell off a car and a few bikes. Keep up the shares man!
Literally just took the plunge and sold the car and bought an e-bike yesterday (probably why the algorithm gave me this video lol). Can’t wait to start commuting and adventuring on my new bike 😊
I bought an adventure motorcycle (ADV) with aluminum panniers, top box, tank bag and a tall windscreen. I have a Gore-Tex riding suite and heated vest. I can carry more crap, ride in more cold rainy weather than I thought. But I'd never sell my small truck. It's old, dented, runs when I need it. Most of all, I can drive it in the snow. Life doesn't stop when it snows. Things still need to be accomplished in the 4 months of ice, snow and freezing weather.
Amazon has 20inch fat wheel trike ebikes that are more stable in winter. That can adapt a 2 person seat or large cargo basket at the back. They look way cooler than the 26inch trike bikes
I've always been a cyclist as a means to get from A to B. Bikes are just a win on so many accounts in my book, which your video covered very well. We did opt to keep our 1 family car, but both my wife & I have an annual target of each putting more miles on the bikes than on the car collectively, and given that's no longer a challenge we might have to up the stakes! Unfortunately e-bikes are a bit more restricted over here in the UK, limited to 15.5mph instead of 20(?)mph, and a 250w motor. They're still worth it for some people, especially in urban or hilly areas, but I'll continue to be a fan of the humble "acoustic" bike, mainly because I know how to take one apart and service it! As for what we should be doing for the environment, bikes + e-bikes are leagues above electric cars. The battery from one electric car could power 100-200 e-bikes (~50-80kwh car vs ~500wh for a bike), and then you've got all the other considerations of space on the road, parking, tyre wear etc. A recent stat I heard was that if globally everyone cycled as much for transport as the Dutch do, we'd be saving 700 million tons Co2 annually.
@@DanielLoveReelUnfortunately it's an eu-wide regulation, anything above that is essentially classed as a moped and requires insurance. Which would be fine if local governments allowed mopeds to use bike paths where it makes sense, but most don't.
It's nice to see this video. I personally made this transition 10 months ago. I live in mountainous terrain (the sierra foothills) and have to be able to carry fairly large loads so I opted for a cargo bike. I got extra batteries and very large panniers to be able to transport groceries or store purchases more easily. For me a trip to the hardware or grocery is around 5-7 miles each way and involves climbing 800 to 1000 feet. Even with a motor it is definitely a fair bit of exercise. So far I have travelled just over 2300 miles on the bike. Like the video says, interactions with cars can be interesting, but in my case have been mostly positive. I'm not sorry I did this when my car died. Im better off financially to the tune of many thousands of dollars of investment. I do find that maintenance is a constant need. The ebike wears out parts at a much faster rate than a car does. For example, I find that a set of tires (only about $50) lasts around 1000 miles. Brake pads are good for about 700 miles, after 2200 miles I needed a new chain and rear sprocket set which set me back a few dollars and a couple days at the bike shop. Luckily for me the weather where I live is dry much of the year so I don't have too serious a problem with rain. so the big question is if I had known last October what I know now, would I have gone ahead with an ebike or would I have replaced my car? I think I would still have gone with the ebike. The drastic reduction in operating expense combined with very noticeable health improvements from the additional exercise make this choice obvious for me. I would have done a few things differently though... I would not have bought the cheap cargo bike (Lectric XPedition) but would likely have gone with a better built unit. I really cant tell you how much I would give to be running a bike with some suspension and 4 inch wide tires instead of 3 inch tires and no suspension. I would love to have more low speed torquie on the motor in order to make hill climbing easier, though I manage quite well up to about 15% grades. Given the combination of my weight (250+#) and the cargo bike (70+#) I would really have liked to see better brakes. 180mm rotors are the very minimum edge of what is needed for safety and that is the reason I have to replace pads so often. 205's would be much safer and have less of a tendency to overheat. I'd also have changed out the seat for a more comfortable one much sooner than I did if I had the chance. Even with all of the above I remain a committed ebike commuter. Im healthier, happier, and can ALWAYS find a parking space.
Cool video, I've had my pedal assist eBike for coming up to 6 years (since 2018), more than 7000km of short trips. Gradually phasing out car trips instead of going 'cold turkey' like you, recently added a trailer so can now do grocery shopping on the eBike, started off with 1-2 work commutes per week & increased from there 🚴
Best regards fro, Germany from someone who commutes to work (10 miles) by EBike on a daily base and who‘s wife does the same. I fully agree to all that was mentioned - the bike commuting situation is propably better in Europe. Have always a safe trip.
This video was great! I haven't sold my car, but since early 2022 I have been riding e-bikes almost exclusively, long distance trips I still use a vehicle. I have done some long distance trips with my bikes though, it's something that I plan, charging points and such. I own a commuter and a cargo model, I have two batteries for each plus accessories and a trailer, so it hasn't really been about cost saving. Between the two bikes and all of the added things it's more than my Honda Civic is worth, but I ride one of them every day. I've ridden 14k miles between the two since 2022 and don't intend to quite riding, barring something that forces me to do so. They have been extremely reliable so no complaints there and now my community knows me as the guy that is out riding year round. At this point I feel like people would be disappointed if I started driving a car more instead.
😂 I relate so much to that "guy riding year round." Drove a car the other day and I feel like people were looking at me weird. This is so cool to hear, thank you!
Thanks for the video, really enjoyed watching it and fully understand your choice :). I'm an avid cyclist since my childhood and being in Germany it's fairly easy to just use everyday. I'm riding several older non-e bikes, my girlfriend has an e-Bike and it's been our main transportation within the city and beyond. And if the weather is really too bad (which happens just a handful of times over the year) we can always hop on public transportation if we need to get somewhere. Our "latest" discovery are folding bikes. I did pick up an old one last year which turned out to be a really awesome bike. Since you can take it for free on city transport or trains it's just easy to take it if you go for a weekend trip. And discovering new places by bike is always the best :).
I'm just now hearing about folding bikes! I was kicked off of public transport once because of my e-bike (green line train in Boston). They sound like a good solution. Such a cool story, thank you for sharing 😃
I love everything you mentioned here. I can't wait to move to a centrally located city so I can sell my car. Bravo!! New subscriber here! Keep making videos! You're a natural.
My ebike is the best thing ive ever purchased. It has done so much for me... for my life. It feels close to me like a family member. Treats me better than my mother ever did.
Love my ebike, we share a car between 3 of us and the ebikes get used plenty. Here in the uk though its tough with the weather , terrible roads and drivers and bike theft, I get around that with good clothing, good locks and staying off road as much as possible. One thing is certain , i enjoy riding the bike a lot more than driving the car.
I use armor-dilloz inside my tires, double the recommended amount. In 2500 mikes I got 2 punctures i know about, just lost a few psi. I also use Bluetooth tire pressure sensors, makes checking the tires pressure easy
Love your vid! I'm making a compromise and going for 3 wheels 😝 Cargo trike with a mobility permit (sidewalk access) 😬 Plus a canopy! Having only a campervan has been rough-- Super cool for trips and even as a base for weekends in the city, but basic everyday commuting is a nightmare! I honestly miss having a commuter car but I need way more time outdoors, can't yet afford the car my disabilities need, and don't want two cars worth of maintenance again! Especially when my van also has "home" maintenance too!
I just recently bought a basket for my bicycle, hoping to start grocery shopping with it. My grocery stores are between 1 and 4 miles away, depending on which one I want (from Aldi to Co-op). I can take mostly lakeside trails with a few blocks of suburban residential streets for the co-op... But need to cross a highway for the cheaper options. I'm hoping at least during the non-freezing months, I can do this. If so, I might invest in an e-bike. I wouldn't sell my car nor motorcycle... But I would get exercise I desperately need, and reduce vehicular usage expenses. My return on investment would be much longer, but I still think it could be worth it. Thanks for sharing your experience! Pretty cool.
That's why I bought an electric scooter/moped. It does around 40mph and has a range of 40 miles. Cost around a 1000bucks, battery is removeable. The legs stay dry in any weather. Now I'll get a windshield for the upper body and covers for the gloves. Perfect for my city commuting.
Well China delivers them rather cheaply. Good also if you have a campervan. Without the battery they're light enough to not exceed the tongue weight. Mine is about 60kg empty and that is light enough to even carry it on the tongue of my car.
I'm not on an ebike, but I have an escooter (Gotrax Flex Ultra). Can't tell you how immensely this thing improved so much of my daily life. I don't work far from home so commuting to work isn't a problem. Also, I don't hate going to the grocery store or going on a food trip. I would ride to the front door of Ralph's, walk in the store with my escooter, put the items im buying in the basket of my escooter, pay at self check out, and then ride off! Even went into the McDonald's drive thru with the thing and it makes all the small tasks fun!
I lived in Vegas for a few weeks - if I stayed out there I think I would've gotten a scooter. Scooter/public transportation combo would be great in a city. That's awesome 😂
Just saw this. I have a good e-bike. The main thing I worry about is the tires. However, it came with bombproof (according to bike mechanics) Schwalbe Marathons and I got 5000 miles on the original pair with no flats, riding on and off pavement. I even took my Dutch comfort style bike on single track. I live in goathead country too. I'm on my second pair of Schwalbes and hope to continue to avoid flats. Also, the riding score here would be maybe a 1. A bridge has a bike lane, I think, but nothing else does. I try to wear bright clothes as there are many distracted drivers and I often smell pot smoke wafting out of windows. That's legal here. There is no traffic enforcement so got to be careful.
I did the same, although I never owned a car, but having an Ebike make mobility so more accessible than before for me. we just need to push for more bikealbe city wherever we are.
thanks for the vid! I did this a month ago and I have noticed financial stress is so much less! no registration fees to dread, no services to put off. only thing is i ride a mid range road bike because in Australia ebikes are speed limited to 25kmh and thats not as fun as getting into an aero position and hitting 35 on a road bike. happy riding!
worth mentioning my girlfriend has a car we use between us, I commute to work by bike every day. remember everyone a 30 minute bike commute means your daily exercise is done! so if you think about it it's SAVES time compared to driving then going to the gym.
There arre just so many situations where cycling isn't ideal. Long distances, places where you just can't arrive sweaty, weather conditions like snow, hauling larger items, being in a hurry, just to name some. Obviously you can overcome these things but you have to ask yourself if it isn't just worth it to get a small cheap car instead.
I moved to a place where a car is just more f__king trouble than it's worth in too many ways. I'm retired so no commuting, just shopping and errands on mostly flat roads so don't even need e-bike. I HAVE e-gravel bikes for fun though when I want to go out to where the hills are and the traffic isn't. In the USA it's almost $10K a year to own/operate a car so pretty much ANY e-bike is gonna save you $$ and improve your life and health, Go for it!
Too much hatred for cycling exists for me to commit to this. I tried and got a milkshake thrown at me and called a stupid c*nt on separate occasions. I live in the UK.
I’m a car guy and never plan on selling my car realistically because to me it’s more then just driving the car…but I’ve biked ever since I could remember and a majority of my life during my childhood was spent biking…I also biked to school for about 6 years back when I was in middle/high school. Few years ago I started getting the biking itch that I haven’t had in a while so decided to build myself a E-mountain bike. Let’s just say it’s been awesome…it definitely forces me to go outside on days where I wouldn’t have much to do outside in the first place and being able to ride my bike and do simple tasks that I could of used my car for is very relaxing and enjoyable.
In Phoenix, this wasn't terrible when I did it. Have a truck now because of my job, but otherwise it worked well for me for about 2 years. Still have my eBike and ride when I was only going 10 or so miles.
I never gave up cycling, now in my mid 50's I was an early adopter to Ebike's got my first Ebike around 2001 and have never been so happy, e biking is a great way for me to get around London.
If you're concerned about your battery getting low, here's some advice based on personal experience: 1. Know your range If you don't want to struggle with a dead ebike, then you should learn how far it can go based on pedal assist strength. You wouldn't drive a car so far if you knew there wouldn't be any gas stations around a place, so that doesn't change with an ebike. 2. Use alternatives on the return journey I live in a city with public transit, so I could use the full battery and then just bring it on the train or bus for my ride home. 3. Get extra batteries if you can. If your e-bikes battery or batteries are removable, then perhaps purchase an extra or two and carry them in a pannier while you ride. You can hot swap them when one dies and probably almost double the range. 4. Bring your charger This is only recommended if you're saying...biking to work or gonna be in one place for most of the day. Be sure there's even functional outlets at the place first. A park might appear to have outlets, but they might not have electricity. E-bikes will take some time to charge, so if you're relying on this, make sure you'll have time for it to charge long enough for it to at least get you home.
I just have put 5000 Kilometers on my 5000 dollar E-bike. No car. No car insurance, no gas stations, no parking fees. No parking hassles. I live in A small city in Mexico so everything, and I mean everything is within fifteen minutes. There are pickup truck taxis and Didi Package delivery for large items, and when we go to the Opera there is Didi ride. Rain is on a pretty predictable schedule and the auto traffic is extremely deferential. I have never had anybody yell or even glare at me. I have been honked at, but only when I am doing something wrong, or frankly, stupid. I have it so easy. I admire anybody who tries to accomplish this in the USA or Canada.
I have a 1996 Oldsmobile, it's in fairly good condition and it gets OK gas mileage. And in the cost of basic maintenance and insurance, I could buy a new ebike every year and still spend less than owning that car. This is before concerning myself at all with fuel and tolls, that's extra money I'd never have to spend on top of never having to change motor oil ever again. Folks always stop at gas prices and forget the big picture.
Awesome video! For the rain, I've heard rain capes are really nice, although I haven't actually used one. If I was riding in rain more often I'd probably get one
You’ll get wet when it rains. You’ll be colder when it’s cold and you’ll be warmer when it’s warm, but you’ll enjoy your rides.
Yes. Exactly. Not avoiding reality, finding peace with it 🤝
Plus all humans spent the first nine months of life being surrounded by water while inside the womb . So wet is definitely part of life
@@kookamunga2458 Its the combo of being wet while wearing clothes thats uncomforable... If i was able to be naked riding in a tropical rain thatd be a much more pleasant experience haha
There is no such thing as bad weather - just inappropriate clothing; But I've never seen a person go rusty yet! 😂
Rain can be avoided with rain radar websites. Most showers are under 30 minutes. Good raingear keeps you dry for 30 minutes.
Most people heat up their bodies during cycling. I am warming on my bike than in my car the first 5 miles. That is why I wear windproof clothing.
During summer heat cycling provides air cooling, that is why convertibles are popular.
I know this one. You would have one e-bike more, and one car less.
Haha but for real, you can save up to .50¢ a mile :)))
I was just about to comment this 😂
@@SonneyLouisthere’s no way it’s only 50 cents a mile considering insurance and maintenance
minus gas, note, insurance, repairs, traffic, tags,
Good job. You used the brain power you had when you were five. Unless you’re five, in which case that’s awesome! Genuinely great job! Keep it up!
The most enjoyable part of my working day is cycling to work and cycling home again.
The absolute best feeling 🙌
Yes, on a regular bike. No battery or charging needed.
Most enjoyable part of my working daybis getting in the car, turn the radio off and enjoy the peace and quiet
E-job?
I bought a new Giant Cypress comfort bike last week and I woke up this morning actually looking forward to riding to McDonald's for coffee
The changes ive seen to my mental health are amazing since ive started comuting only by bike a year ago
I love hearing this 🙌
especially in the summer with the sun out. just getting a little bit of exercise saving some money and enjoying the beautiful sunlight it's tough to pass up!
Absolutely!!
I sold mine to a lady who needed it more than I did, and I’m buying another one
@@ericebikes what city are you in? I am up here in Maine Bangor, Maine.
What city are you in? I think it’s interesting to find out what cities people are in because I live in a very cold snowy state.
Sold my truck last weekend. Bought an ebike and a train ticket this week. Cancled my insurance too. Im a month in riding so far 240 miles this month. Its fun
So great to hear this 🙌
How much did ya save
I was legally blinded a few years ago and no longer able to drive , so I pedal everywhere now , it's not always easy, but I thank God that I can still do it 😊
I bet you’ve taken out a few pedestrians being blind and all that!
An inspiration 🙌
I'm very short sighted so I couldn't drive without without glasses. But I could cycle. Keep up the good work man! 💪
@@tconnolly9820 thanks man
This is my fifth week of recovery from detached retina surgery. I took the keys to the car away from myself. Started riding my commuter bike all over town. It’s doable but sometimes I still need someone to drive me around. Keep pedaling!
Full time ebiker here, 365, even through the snowy Canadian mountain winter where I live ( I go studded tires). You are right that the #1 most important piece of advice is "don't cheap out". Buy the best bike you can afford. Like you my decision wasn't about the environment, but cost.
The scariest piece of advice. But the best long term, both with my bike and with my camera gear. Appreciate you!
I'm in Maine and also bike year-round. Work, recreation, run errands.
The ebike was very beneficial, especially on those windy days when it seems it's always blowing against you, lol
Or I bought heavier things, and the extra power just makes it more doable.
Windproof/waterproof outwear, a face mask and goggles, and I'm good!
Oh, and I got ice breaker tires this winter and absolutely loved them.
My boyfriend did this a month and a half ago, and I haven't seen him so happy and excited before. He got an e-bike secondhand for $600 and bikes to work five days a week. He seems so freespirited without his car. I was inspired to follow him (Though I will still be keeping my car, hopefully this means less spending on gas). I'm getting my bike this Saturday and I can't wait for all the adventures we're going to have!
THIS IS SO COOL. Keep me updated with how you like e-bike life!!
I love my car. I also hate the idea of buying a new one with what they cost. My ebike allows me to keep miles off the car and use it when I want to, not have to. Also has saved me thousands in fuel and maintenance reduction (actually tens of thousands probably)
"Bike first, car second" seems like a super awesome way of doing it 😃
Ya im trying to make my e bike my primary. But it's nice having the car still, especially when it rainy lol
Man I feel and do the same 🤝
I couldn’t afford a 3000$ e bike unfortunately. I did buy one for 1200$ for my first one and I hope it pans out for a while. We lost our car a few mths ago and I’m excited for a lifestyle change.
Still figured out how to make it work! Awesome. Enjoy the ride 😃
There are plenty of good ebikes around the $999 mark. Most of the cost for more expensive bikes are in components you can add to your own bike incrementally.
@@cjl2351 very good to know thank you! I’ve been worried if we made the right choice, but seems like a decent bike for the price. Many good reviews.
@@KozyKubGam3r No problem! There are videos on how to maintain and install hydraulic brakes, upgrades to lights, derailleurs and more all over youtube. The important thing is if you're fine with what you have, there's no immediate need to do anything more than maintain what you have. Stay safe!
@@cjl2351 Tsm:) appreciate the info!
For the people who want to get an e-bike, don't buy the name-brand ones, they charge a premium that's unjustifiably high, instead you just choose a nice regular bike you like and get a Bafang e-bike kit, it's a mid-drive motor, this will save you thousands. Of course, if you don't mind giving thousands away or that you don't wanna build an e-bike yourself (there are tons of step by step tutorials), just get any e-bike you can find, some bike shops also sell ready made e-bikes with Bafang (and other brands) mid-drive motors. Other than saving money, the more important reason I'm recommending this is that these name brand bikes have increasingly locked down proprietary software and hardware, with the goal of making repairs impossible and having a complete control over what we bought, this already happened to everything we paid money for from phones to computers to appliances, bikes are our last refuge, we need to do everything we can to fight this and not reward and grow the companies that are dragging us to the same anti-consumer hell hole.
Well said, it's very important people are educated on these issues.
This is a sentiment that I've heard a few times. Building your own or supporting open-source brands sounds like it's something really worth looking into, thank you for sharing this 🙌
@@ericebikes Thank you for the support, if enough us work together championing what's best for the people we'll all be better for it.
I just put a payment on the Swytch ebike kit. It's only a few pounds and probably the easiest kit to add to your bike.
There are tradeoffs, though. Some bike frames aren't great at accommodating battery. Also, since bafang motors are hanging down from bracket, it is easy to get hit if you ride offroad a lot. Only thing I want to see is universal integrated middrive-bracket ebike frames what work with whatever motor/gearbox customer choose to use.
Nice video.
I got rid of my car in January 2011. I haven’t needed to buy one since. One thing I can recommend is looking into car share services. They offer access to a car for the few times you really need it without all the baggage that comes from owning a car.
Anyway, I really enjoyed your perspective! Enjoy your bike and be safe 😊
Great tip 📝📝📝
Thank you!
Uhaul is decent for those days where you really need a truck to move something too, especially if it's more of a planned thing
Unfortunately they aren’t readily available in some states and cities.
Tomorrow I will sell my 4Runner and I will buy a e-bike my job is about 2 or 3 blocks from my house.
This is the kind of boldness we need in this world
2 or 3 blocks is walking distance. Dude at 2 or 3 blocks you can probably look down the road and see your work😂
@@Machasnofunds yes but I want the bike to get my groceries and other stuff around and I will save a lot of money. We have to play smart.
@@Machasnofunds - Yep! Haha. If all of us can be so lucky to work within 5 miles to work, I would probably use my ebike 90% of the time.
Get a regular bike. You need that exercise 😢
I bought a 2021 Trek Allant Plus S7 and have since put 6400 miles on it and about 900 miles in 2024 alone. I feel better when riding. The birds are my radio. The smell of trees and flowers is my air-freshener. People who wouldn't give me a glance in a vehicle will smile and say hi when I'm pedaling. Even children, who I will not look their way if I'm driving will give me a smile and a wave when I'm bicycling. I can't get rid of my car, Idaho Winters will not allow it. But during the warmer months the car parks in the garage. I love cycling!
Poetry in motion 🚲 You get it!
I would love to do it in the winter too here in Nevada - we could get snow tires
I just ordered the same bike, the allant plus s7 and I can't wait to ride it!
I have a non-e bike (just a bike) that I commute in and my mental health has benefitted tremendously. Driving in traffic is not a great way to chill out after work. Used to hate driving to the store for just eggs, now I'll go gladly. I have extra bikes (mountain bike and my wife's) and my friends and family are always like "no, let's just drive to the bakery" when they visit but then later they're like "let's go for another bike ride"
TREMENDOUSLY. I don't realize just how much until I'm in a car
Meh plenty of days that riding a bike isn't chill either.
The rain.
The hail.
The snow.
The burning sun.
The strong headwinds.
The blinding headlights of cars.
@@QoraxAudio I ride in all those conditions and never has it not felt fun. I have full fenders and a bike-specific poncho for rain, bar mits (pogies) for my hands in winter (I live in Montana so I still have mine on, we just got snow 3 days ago) studded tires for snow too. Since I go to work early, summer heat isn't an issue and I don't pedal too hard to get too sweaty - after work can be a bit hot, but it's never that bad where I live. Sun sets long before I'm done with work in the winter here, so I have a nice light. Most of my commute is bike paths so I don't have to worry about car headlights. But if the weather ever does seem rough enough, I can always take the car. This last year I don't think I ever did though. Weather is an inconvenience, but most days are sunny and dry (even if it's cold). A common saying where I live is there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes
@@jadinc77 Sure, most of the times when it comes to "bad weather" it's just a matter of clothing and bike type, but that doesn't make shitty weather less annoying IMO.
But YMMV...
There are just two weather types that are actually bad weather in that literal sense: storm and black rain.
I've had both once, both lead to an accident - lessons you don't forget that easily 😅
There is an easy way for the US to make biking safer and with less conflict between cars and bikers... Just build dedicated and safe bike lanes, separated from traffic, preferably in nice and enjoyable green environments. That's what we do in Sweden and to be honest, it's one of the best investments a city can make. Because it takes away car ridership. Because people can choose to bike safely instead of feeling the need to own a car.
I remember when they built a new bike line from the suburbs to the city 30 years ago. It has never been repaired, and there's not a single pot hole in it and the surface is still super smooth. why? Well, there's no real weight put on the asphalt for it to crack, and since there's no crack, the asphalt doesn't rupture due to rain, snow, ice, and hot weather.
Yes - a lot of bike lanes I ride on are just road shoulders with a bike painted on the pavement. Dedicated, blocked-off lanes are lovely, I've seen them around Boston but they haven't spread too much beyond.
I hear a lot of lovely things about Sweden, and hope to travel there one day!
Unfortunately in America most of those sylvan ways were destroyed to lay concrete for cars!
That's a nice idea if you're building a city from scratch, but if you're trying to add bike paths to an existing city you have to work around existing infrastructure.
That almost always means adding bike lanes (i.e. some paint) to existing roads, or allowing bikes to share footpaths. The frustration of cycling on footpaths is that many pedestrians straggle all over the path and are blissfully unaware of other people using the path.
In my area there are quite a few households who have replaced one of their 2 cars with an e-bike.
I kept my old, paid-off car when I bought an e-bike 4 years ago and that’s allowed me to stretch out its useful life for a few extra years. To make it easier, I moved 5 miles closer to my friends and the places I typically go. Once the car needs a really expensive repair, I’ll get rid of it and transition to car-share, carpooling, or Lyft for some nearby stuff, and car rentals, buses, trains, and planes for longer trips.
not getting a car and getting an e-bike was one of the best choices I've ever made. sure rain sucks but damn is it good exercise. great vid!
“what gets wet will dry” is my mantra when I get caught in some rain 😂 thank you! 🤝
@JS-yi9cr I disagree. at least with the one I have, there are modes to turn down the assist to negligible amounts
@JS-yi9cr actually nvm, you’re right. Selling the e-bike, running everywhere from now on 😂
We get flash floods here. I'm not working currently so hopefully I can pick my days. Here the weather's weird lol
I left a longer comment about cycling in the rain above. Get a good big rain poncho. Covers you completely from the back of your seat to over your handlebars. Completely open underneath and let's lots of air circulate. And it's covering your battery and mid drive motor even in the heaviest downpours which is also good for your e-bike. Win-win all around.
This is an excellent video. The commentary, the filming, all top notch.
Thank you 😃
I went the e-bike route recently. I still have to take the bus to get to work, but I bike to the bus stop (normally a 35 minute walk!), pop the bike on the bus's bike rack, then get off downtown and bike to work from there. It's made my day easier. And yes, not having to pay for a car is a plus. I love riding my ebike. It's fun to cruise around downtown here too; I live in a fairly small city so it's not crazy traffic-wise.
Love to hear this 🙌
Main thing I’ve noticed (no e-bike yet, but doing pretty well whatever I can by analog bike) - no more “autopilot/ I don’t remember the drive home”, ever bike trip is memorable in a way car trips just blend into the monotony - even if it’s just to get groceries.
🎯 Couldn’t have said it better myself
They call this "cyclist memory." You remember a lot more on a bike since you're going slower and you're exposed to your environment. You can remember every part of a road 😁
From my experience, even if I bought a new ebike every year, and I took a taxi into work on bad weather days, working 5 days a week, I'm still saving thousands of dollars a year. People don't believe that because either don't know how expensive cars are, or they've accepted it as a fact of life.
"Accepting it as a fact of life" 10000000% 🙌 It's amazing what happens when you start questioning your own biases and thinking outside the box
Ebikes are disposable items, sadly. After 2 years the battery & motor are finished, repairs to the motor under warranty can take months & you will NOT be provided with a courtesy bike, insurance is ridiculously expensive, etc. If it's just for weekends, fine, but if you're using it as everyday transport that must be relied on, budget for replacing every two years, maybe even every one year.
@@papalegba6796 Cars are also disposable items as well. I literally save enough money by using an ebike to get a new ebike after 6 months. My experience of being on a motorcycle with liability insurance tells me that the same kind of coverage is probably roughly $20 a month, which is nothing compared to a car. Cars are definitely better in a lot of categories, but it's primarily because US infrastructure has such a heavy bias toward automobiles that it heavily tilts the scale in their favor, but the costs all around are ridiculous for automobiles.
@@papalegba6796 this is why you pay the extra for quality to begin with. No issues at all with our 4 year old cargo bike.
@@stephaniethompson469 it's a bosch. Still trash
I like how you went over different parts of your life and how the bike can affect that.
Thank you for the kind words 🙌
Love this idea. I’ve been going down the e-bike black hole here on TH-cam. And I’m ready to get rid of the car for sure. Having three kids is the main issue haha. Being connected to the community and getting fresh air is a major plus. Great video!
I'm happy its led you here! Best of luck and thank you 😃
Have a look at cargo bikes
in my opinion having a family is a pretty good reason to have a car, but it’s also a good reason to have some bikes. getting your kids used to riding for utility and not just pleasure will make their lives so much better now and in the future. get some panniers for you and for your kids and make a family trip for groceries to the closest market instead of costco across town (or whatever your situation is), stuff like that. sure a car is probably a necessary thing to have in the case of being late for school or taking the kid to medical care or whatever, but it doesn’t have to be the only tool or even the main tool
I did just that. Only it was a recumbent e-trike.. I have a 200 mile range.. I have full coverage and liability including road side assistance/tow...
I was spending over $400 per month on the car..repairs, gas, insurance, parking... Now i save $400 per month.. it now only cost $0.17 to charge my batteries that provide 200 miles..
I sold that old chevy cavalier. that cost me $400 per month.. (it was paid off) I bought a nice AZUB T-Tris and upgraded with a BBSHD and added a solar trailer that extends my range indefinitely in the sun.. BTW my hair got thicker and i have more stamina today.. I look younger and feel better than i have in over 40 years.. E-trikes are the best.. because you can haul a lot of groceries home and carry a lot of weight.
Thanks! This is a great video - encouraging and inspiring! I ride my bike and ebike as much as possible for my own needs and errands. But my husband is too visually impaired to drive or ride a bike, so I drive him to work and all the places he needs to go. We’re 70, and I love my bike and ebike! Thanks again Eric!
Simply amazing. Thank you!
You are amazing. Keep on doing it for as long as you can. 👍❤️
@@tconnolly9820 Thanks! This evening I took my husband to a meeting and got in almost 15 miles, ending as the sun was setting as I returned across the Arkansas River (flowing through my town in Oklahoma.) It was beautiful and I explored a few new spots and met some lovely people! Then back to 4 wheels and picking up my husband! 👏👏👏😊😊😊🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻♀️🚴🏻♀️
Excellent video! Makes me want to go ride. I commute to work about 1/3 of the year and I love it. I don't have an e-bike but the sense of peace I have when I get to work is the best. It just sets the tempo for a great day!
Thank you! I'm glad 😃 I agree 100%
I've been a long-distance bicycle commuter, since 2005. I was already car-free (I was a skateboard/bus commuter, before I got a job in an area with no bus service). I made the switch to an e-bike about three years ago. I love this thing. It flattens the hills. It allows me to haul stuff in my trailer that used to be huge chore. I occasionally still take my "pedal bike" out, around the neighborhood, but the e-bike is now my main ride.
The life 🙌 that's so cool to hear
Hi, I live in Europe and recently I have started commuting by ebike. My city subsidies a company that rents an ebikes for $18 per month. I love this bike and I love this everyday trip (I have 10 miles distance to ride). The only concern I have is that since ebikes are so expensive, I do affraid leaving it in the grocery store bike stand.
That's so cool! And yes - that was (and still is) a concern of mine too.
Excellent video about e-bikes. I've never rode one. I'm kinda in-between... I ride a motorcycle. Got rid of my car 6 years ago. It's my daily ride too. I'm retired and don't commute. My costs are so much less than my car was. I'm glad to see more people on 2 and 3 wheels saving money and having fun. I really enjoyed the video. Thanks....
I appreciate your story and kind words! Ride safe!
I did this myself back at the start of the pandemic. When work shifted to remote, I really didn't need the car anymore (I loved my Chevy Volt). I sold my car at CarMax, used those funds to get my eBike, and never looked back.
No car insurance.
No car payment.
No oil change.
No car inspection.
No worrying about traffic tickets.
No worrying about car accidents.
With the right equipment, I can go grocery shopping, to the Dr Office, out to eat, out to the local coffee shop to work, and visit friends. Everything Erics says about meeting friendly people wanting to talk about your bike is true. There are tons of little things that make bike commuting enjoyable.
My only downside is that I had a friend who disapproved of my decision which strained our relationship.
Sounds like we have the same experience - not a bad life!
@@ericebikes I really love it. I switched my eBike to a cargo eBike and I really love that bike (Specialized Globe Haul ST). The only negative is that here in South Texas, the summers are brutal with 100+ degree heat!
I'm waiting on my first e-bike but as a utilitarian shopping and commuting cyclist for years, good racks front and back for baskets and pannier bags is essential for a real car replacement bike.
I also have two trailers. A large sized dog trailer with a 250 litre completely covered and enclosed cabin I use as my main cargo and shopping trailer. Just load everything in, zip it up and go. It's fully enclosed and nothing will fall out.
And an actual cargo trailer I use less but can comfortably carry a full sized lawnmower or let down the back section and I can fit a large 400 litre container with a lid which gives a great deal of versatility and options for carrying almost anything.
The trailers were €131 and €105 each respectively 3 and 2 years ago. I'm in Ireland by the way. And this is just using an ordinary hybrid no e, just me bicycle.
A good sized trailer turns a €600 bicycle into a €6,000 cargo bike and a real world alternative to a car.
I've had over 70kg on a trailer behind me with just an ordinary bike but I average between 30-50 most weeks when I'm using one. Take it off and you've got your bike back again.
@@tconnolly9820 I've also got a dog trailer that I use for my grocery shopping! My dog runs alongside the bike to the grocery store, hangs out in the trailer (his safe space) while I'm shopping, and then runs back while the groceries ride in the trailer 🙂 It works great! I've got a tween and a surly teen, so I still need a car to transport them to appointments and the like, but I'm trying to do as much as I can on my ebike. Better for my health, my wallet, and the planet 🌏
@@RayGarza-sr3zjwhere at in south Texas? I’m in the valley
I'm a 16 year old with a onewheel and a car. In my small town, a onewheel or any other PEV like that is all i need. I rarely drive my car and only use it if it's wet outside or if i need to drive out of town. people think im weird for not driving my car as much but i love shredding on my PEV and saving the miles on my car for when i really need it. plus it is faster to commute around town on because you are very zippy and arent necessarily restricted on laws as much as cars are. much ontop of that i've found a new hobby, a fix for my mental health, and something else to do to kill the time without wasting gas. 2500+ miles on my onewheel so far and im going to keep climbing up. I do not regret buying a used onewheel.
Those one wheels look so cool, and I think that system is something that so many people (especially young people) can get behind. I got my first car at 16 and never questioned it. But this would have been so much better. Thanks for sharing 🙌
I've been commuting 3 years now. Living in Kingston Ontario means I have snow tires for my ebike. Have a Trek as well but last year bought a specialized with a belt drive. Less maintenance.
Less maintenance is always nice. I lived in Quebec City for a few weeks! Awesome bike infrastructure
great video! I haven't given up the car, but became about a 80%-20% bike commuter for work, and use it for about 60-%40 on errands etc. and you were spot on!
I appreciate that! Awesome approach 😃
My 1000watt fat tire 20ah ebike is my 2 wheeled work truck, bicycle and motorcycle all in one. couldn't be happier.
I’ve been hearing a lot about fat tires..need to do some research
@@ericebikes yes you do, there are considerations too be met with them. although, no regrets on my part coming from a unreliable gas bike.
Good Morning, I just subscribed to ur channel. My E-bike is my main source of transportation. Before I bought it, I used to ride the bus, I quit driving years ago. I bought my e-bike 14 months ago (March 2023) from Ride the Glide, a local e-bike shop and I rode over 6,000 miles. My e-bike has changed my life completely and I absolutely love it. Back in July 2021 I fractured my spine and I had 3 crush virtabre bones in my lower back, I couldn't feel my legs and walking would hurt my back very much. So, I use pedal assist 3 and ride about 10-15 MPH on average and I ride about a distance of about 15-25 miles on daily rides. Now I DON'T hardly have any back pain and have full mobility of my back and continue to ride. I still have 3 crush bones, but I don't hardly feel the pain because of my e-bike. Thank You & Good Video 😎
WOW. What an impactful story, I feel like people need to hear that! Thank you for sharing 😃
@@ericebikes Thank You ❤
Never been an e-bike person but I’m 21 I drive a 5.0L V8 mustang as my daily driver, my monthly payment is $680 and insurance is another $380 and fuel with my “heavy” foot is about $250 a month that’s $1110 a month on my car not counting maintenance or other things that can happen. I just sent the last payment for my car, after working hard to pay it off and I’m done with getting scammed on insurance and not having money to live and enjoy life. My plan now is to get an e-bike not selling my car however won’t go that far I will just put it on non-op and take off insurance and store the car in my garage. The bike I’ve been looking at if a $3500 Talaria XXX they can do about 50mph good range and they look nice. I can’t wait to start my e bike journey and start living life with more money in my pocket to do things I want 💯💯 not only that saving over 1k a month will help me pay off other debt which I have a total debt of about 9k from a personal loan and family, so paying 9k will be a breeze and when all that’s payed off I will hope to be debt free by my mid 22s and travel the world for some time 🌎
Man you've got a solid approach and sound like the type of person who will figure it out no matter what. This is so cool. Thank you for sharing!
A Mustang is a peculiar choice for a 21 year old, unless someone else is paying for it or you have inherited money to burn.
@@ziploc2000 nope I was just dumb, always wanted a mustang so I got one however It did come with an interest rate of 18% 🤦🏻♂️ but hey payed it off in a year and a half lost 4K in interest over that time don’t have much bills besides rent little to no debt that’s how I was able to get the car and no help from anybody to pay the car off or the monthly payments.
@@ziploc2000 and honestly here in the U.S a mustang is common for kids my age now in this generation, a cheap car too at that, most kids I see now have 80k hellcats and other expensive cars that make mine look like I’m in poverty 🤷🏻♂️
@@jonathan_s1977 have you looked into getting mileage based insurance?
we bought our e bikes in 2021, still use our non e bikes and folding bikes but the joy of an e bike is something everyone should experience!
That's awesome thank you for sharing that!
Some have no choice. I might not be able to pass my next vision test for a car license, so I already have it figured. The nearest town is within range using vacated back roads. What me worry?🙂
You got this!
Two weeks ago, I donated my truck to charity. It was time to quit driving at almost 67. I bought 3 ebikes since last winter, 2 recently. It wasn't the money at all in my case. Winter will be hard on me, but I can do it. No rain thiugh.
This also pretty much all applies to just about any PEV too, so if you're not into a bike, there are also Escooters, EUC, and even onewheels.
💯. Scooter would be my #1 choice in a city
@@ericebikes yeah my partner loves her e scooter, it's great because it can hop up to road speeds, but is still very intuitive to ride. I commute on an EUC, because I'm the person who always rode my bike without using the handlebars anyways. I'm thinking about getting a fat tire EBike for my winter commute for the wide studded tire's extra traction.
thing that puts me off scooters etc is their lack of storage capabilities. Sure you can carry some stuff but if you need to replace the trips to the shop you limit yourself more
@@JFat5158 that makes sense, especially if you have a lot of people to get groceries for, or need to move large things regularly. For us, we go to the grocery store once a week and pretty much everything we buy regularly can fit into my 40L backpack. We do occasionally do go to Costco or get bigger items and if they won't fit in our bags we'll usually just get a taxi or ride share. Essentially we think about it as a $20 surcharge, which even if we did that every week would be cheaper than a car payment and insurance. If we had a garage I'd probably want a cargo bike, but we live in a 3rd floor condo with no elevator so we're a bit size limited on what we can get.
The most difficult thing for us is that we have a few events each year that need us to go about 50+ miles from home, and then camp a few days. Like this year it's a week long kayak trip, so we'll be renting a truck of Turo for the whole week, which is a bit expensive.
Good on you, bro. This is something I've been considering a lot lately.
If you have any questions about it, I'm here! 🤝
I have a non e-bike but I'd love to be able to ride E-bikes to work everyday if only it was legalized on busy roads in my country. Anyway, I'm still happy to be able to ride non e-bike to work 🥰 Good video it motivates me to continue riding!
Didn’t know e-bikes weren’t allowed in places! Where do you live?? That’s good though, can’t go wrong with a classic bike 🚲
@@ericebikes E-bike are too fast apparently can be dangerous on public street, cause people usually breaks law cause they like going fast, which can be very dangerous. This is exception for when you're just riding on local areas to go to store. Malaysia btw
So interesting 😮
@@LeeBurnorit’s illegal here in uk we’ll not really you’re limited to a 250 watt bike
Just did it ! 🤩 Living 6 miles out of town and just ditched my car and got myself a cargo bike.
Woo! Keep me updated with how life goes!
@@ericebikes After draging the bike out of the box and putting it together I just found out that the bike had punktured front tire, so.. Right now life is abit flat so to speak. Will see what to make of it tomorrow! LOL
I've been ebiking since 2011, but i never sold my car. I just drive it drastically less. I filled up my tank for the second time this year... in May.
😮 that’s awesome
I agree that going complete car free is a step too far for most people. But going car lite, like you it great.
I did the calculations and got rid of the car. Renting a car, public transportation or taxi/uber as needed, came out as less expensive when commuting by bike every day.
@@playlist5455 Do not you mean: "came out as less expensive when commuting by CAR, instead of bike every day?"?
Cycling is the most inexpensive form of transport at 5.5 USD cents per mile. Or 3 Euro cent per kilometer. Cycling is only expensive when you have to buy a bike, which when new and buying a quality bike can costs thousands of Dollars/ Euros. But after that, the maintenance is cheap.
I bought my first ebike around 2 months ago due to the brakes on my car failing. Sure, I could have used the money I paid on the bike to fix my brakes, but I've also been wanting to get healthier for a long time and I believe this was god's way to make me stop talking about it and do it. For a little context I'm 43, 5'10" and 300 lbs. The town I live in isn't great for biking, but thankfully the ride to and from work for me is just under 4 miles, but there are 3 rather large hills on the way. When I arrive at work (or back at home), I'm a little tired and winded for like 10 minutes, but after that I feel absolutely amazing! Far better way to wake up than any cup of coffee could ever be. I have not turned the ignition of my car since my bike arrived and I'm about to post it for sale.
WOW! Awesome story thank you for sharing this. Godspeed!
In the UK, it would get stolen the moment you leave it unattended and the police would do absolutely nothing.
This is not the first time I've heard this about the UK!
And we are stuck at 25 km/h
Hi Paul, I would disagree. Had my ebike for 3years now, after scraping my car. I have gold locks and only lock it in safe busy areas in city and rural. Correct about police, especially now the coppers been told not to arrest people for low level crime as our prisons are full...
I made custom e bike, 500W motor and 48V24 Ah battery, total cost was 1600$, range w/o pedals assist is
100 km when 30 kph speed and 70 km when averaging 40 kph speed. I usually don't use legs because I don't like to sweat, only spinning pedals when I am cold.
E Bike is the best thing ever I bought, probably even more fun than PC.
Wow thats so sick. I've heard a handful of bicyclists doing a custom build, sounds like a good option if you know what you're doing!
ironically if you lived where I live you would get hit by the person who bought your car
I did. Its been great. I got cold and wet once and did a little Amazon shopping for rain suit and snow gear. I have no car payment, no insurance payment, and no gas bill. I had a 4x4 avalanche previously. It's so quiet plus i have a Bluetooth helment for tunes. I also have racks I can interchange with an extra seat and an xlg dog trailer for bigger groceries.
🙌 I haven't heard about bluetooth helmets...such a good idea!
Please tighten your helmet strap. It is doing nothing for you that loose.
Will do 🫡
I’m 44 and never had a license. I’ve moved from NC to OR on a bicycle, and own a bosch powered DIamondback union 2. I love it. It’s my commuter, my fitness rider, and my adventure bike all in one.
Simply amazing 🙌
car addiction ruined north american cities
We can change that!
*car companies
I have 2 ebikes and one for my daughter. We often rode bikes all over and I have lots of fun and good memories.
Love to hear this 🙌
When you sit in a car, you are encased in an environment that is completely artificial. That can't be good for the health. Just on that basis it's a good idea to move away from cars as an everyday transport option.
convertibles my dude. at least with that i can carry passengers and other things that can't fit in a single backpack.
Sadly North American suburbs are designed to make driving almost a requirement, you're easily driving 20km+ just one-way to work, riding that distance everyday is simply a bit too much for most people.
I am guilty as charged - I try to intentionally live with only a backpack 😂
You get it! Probably my favorite benefit
I recently started mainly using a bike to get around too. it's been amazing
Thank you for sharing this 🙌 ride safe!
Thanks for this very enjoyable video. I live on a farm that's 90km from the nearest town so a vehicle is a necessity. Luckily I work only 12.5km away from home, so I am able to bike. I have to ride straight into strong winds on many days home and I started riding less as I didn't want to get home so late. Last year when the price dropped I bought a Trek Powerfly and I absolutely love it for commuting. I still like to take my regular bike on some days as I can get to work faster since I'm not speed limited, but I make sure to look at the forecast and only do that on days that aren't windy.
I appreciate that! And thank you for sharing your story 🙌 It sounds like you've found a good balance
Hey Eric,
Did you ever ridden the Potrero loop?? Newbury park to Thousand Oaks to Westlake Village back to Newbury park(Hidden Valley., Lake Sherwood area)!!I did it a lot in the 70s and 80s!! I loved it!!
I have not! I love bike adventures though...I'll add it to the list 📝
Thanks for the video. Loved it. I ran numbers on how much our cars were costing us, and because of this we're moving closer to the city, bought a Prius, are parking one truck, and buying two e-bikes.
Keep in touch and let me know how this goes! Best of luck 🙌
Hi, saw your comment and thought, this is how we begin to transition. I have 2 cars, one is an EV my wife commutes in, expensive luxury for us but she works 40km 27 miles away and not on a transit line. I have a 2011 Land Rover I'm only using as necessary and as a hobby overland vehicle. Everything else we do is walk, bike, bus, train, subway etc. Car is useful but is the last resort kind of thing. We live in a Toronto suburb not too far from transit. Car mania still abound around here though. I love it when I am not driving and I'm a total car nut. I have a cargo bag on my bike and just zip down to the shops for little things when I need them. The freedom is remarkable.
Hi, 61 yo here and I'm doing this. Just about all the people I know think it can't be done (the 'yes, but...' and 'how about...' I hear frequently. I'll admit I miss the convenience of a car at times but overall I'm glad. I will not tell you how easy it's for you to do this: I live in The Netherlands and comparing cycling here to other places seems a bit unfair to me.
I hear amazing things about the infrastructure in The Netherlands! Godspeed and enjoy 🙌
Although I can’t get rid of my car, I did invest about $1000 on a new bike and some kit. I intend to run errands on weekends with it, or maybe after work if there’s time.
I work from home, so car usage is already pretty sparse for me unless I go out of town occasionally.
Bike ridership is a challenge outside of urban areas however. I’ll need to share the road and use backstreets when available.
I currently own one new car (commuter) because my home base is Texas which is a sprawl, one Truck, one road bike. (retired), one HT trail bike, One gravel bike I took with me to Washington and as of this past weekend - one fat tire Ebike. I feel like this was the best purchase I made this year bc I can see now how enriched life can be on this thing. Really loved the premise of this video and stumbled upon it whilst doing some basic spec research on mileages. Only a few days into owning this and I'm already aware I need to cut the ownership down a few notches and sell off a car and a few bikes. Keep up the shares man!
The word "enriched" is 🎯. Those words mean so much, thank you! 😃
Literally just took the plunge and sold the car and bought an e-bike yesterday (probably why the algorithm gave me this video lol). Can’t wait to start commuting and adventuring on my new bike 😊
Woah!!! So cool. Keep me in the loop with what you think!
I bought an adventure motorcycle (ADV) with aluminum panniers, top box, tank bag and a tall windscreen. I have a Gore-Tex riding suite and heated vest. I can carry more crap, ride in more cold rainy weather than I thought. But I'd never sell my small truck. It's old, dented, runs when I need it. Most of all, I can drive it in the snow. Life doesn't stop when it snows. Things still need to be accomplished in the 4 months of ice, snow and freezing weather.
The dedication is real! 🙌 Best of luck this winter and thank you for sharing that good info!
Amazon has 20inch fat wheel trike ebikes that are more stable in winter. That can adapt a 2 person seat or large cargo basket at the back. They look way cooler than the 26inch trike bikes
I gotta check those out! 🚴🏼♂️
I've always been a cyclist as a means to get from A to B. Bikes are just a win on so many accounts in my book, which your video covered very well. We did opt to keep our 1 family car, but both my wife & I have an annual target of each putting more miles on the bikes than on the car collectively, and given that's no longer a challenge we might have to up the stakes!
Unfortunately e-bikes are a bit more restricted over here in the UK, limited to 15.5mph instead of 20(?)mph, and a 250w motor. They're still worth it for some people, especially in urban or hilly areas, but I'll continue to be a fan of the humble "acoustic" bike, mainly because I know how to take one apart and service it!
As for what we should be doing for the environment, bikes + e-bikes are leagues above electric cars. The battery from one electric car could power 100-200 e-bikes (~50-80kwh car vs ~500wh for a bike), and then you've got all the other considerations of space on the road, parking, tyre wear etc. A recent stat I heard was that if globally everyone cycled as much for transport as the Dutch do, we'd be saving 700 million tons Co2 annually.
This is an awesome breakdown. Also, "acoustic bikes" is now quite possibly my new favorite phrase
What car company paid the UK govt to limit ebikes to that speed? That's nuts.
@@DanielLoveReelUnfortunately it's an eu-wide regulation, anything above that is essentially classed as a moped and requires insurance. Which would be fine if local governments allowed mopeds to use bike paths where it makes sense, but most don't.
It's nice to see this video. I personally made this transition 10 months ago. I live in mountainous terrain (the sierra foothills) and have to be able to carry fairly large loads so I opted for a cargo bike. I got extra batteries and very large panniers to be able to transport groceries or store purchases more easily. For me a trip to the hardware or grocery is around 5-7 miles each way and involves climbing 800 to 1000 feet. Even with a motor it is definitely a fair bit of exercise. So far I have travelled just over 2300 miles on the bike. Like the video says, interactions with cars can be interesting, but in my case have been mostly positive. I'm not sorry I did this when my car died. Im better off financially to the tune of many thousands of dollars of investment. I do find that maintenance is a constant need. The ebike wears out parts at a much faster rate than a car does. For example, I find that a set of tires (only about $50) lasts around 1000 miles. Brake pads are good for about 700 miles, after 2200 miles I needed a new chain and rear sprocket set which set me back a few dollars and a couple days at the bike shop. Luckily for me the weather where I live is dry much of the year so I don't have too serious a problem with rain.
so the big question is if I had known last October what I know now, would I have gone ahead with an ebike or would I have replaced my car? I think I would still have gone with the ebike. The drastic reduction in operating expense combined with very noticeable health improvements from the additional exercise make this choice obvious for me. I would have done a few things differently though... I would not have bought the cheap cargo bike (Lectric XPedition) but would likely have gone with a better built unit. I really cant tell you how much I would give to be running a bike with some suspension and 4 inch wide tires instead of 3 inch tires and no suspension. I would love to have more low speed torquie on the motor in order to make hill climbing easier, though I manage quite well up to about 15% grades. Given the combination of my weight (250+#) and the cargo bike (70+#) I would really have liked to see better brakes. 180mm rotors are the very minimum edge of what is needed for safety and that is the reason I have to replace pads so often. 205's would be much safer and have less of a tendency to overheat. I'd also have changed out the seat for a more comfortable one much sooner than I did if I had the chance.
Even with all of the above I remain a committed ebike commuter. Im healthier, happier, and can ALWAYS find a parking space.
It's going to sound silly...but out of everything you just said, the "always find a parking space" hit the hardest. Maybe the best part about it😂
Cool video, I've had my pedal assist eBike for coming up to 6 years (since 2018), more than 7000km of short trips. Gradually phasing out car trips instead of going 'cold turkey' like you, recently added a trailer so can now do grocery shopping on the eBike, started off with 1-2 work commutes per week & increased from there 🚴
Yeah I'm much more of a cold turkey guy! That approach sounds awesome 🙌
Best regards fro, Germany from someone who commutes to work (10 miles) by EBike on a daily base and who‘s wife does the same. I fully agree to all that was mentioned - the bike commuting situation is propably better in Europe. Have always a safe trip.
That is awesome - thank you for sharing. Hopefully the US can adopt the bike-friendliness of Europe!
This video was great! I haven't sold my car, but since early 2022 I have been riding e-bikes almost exclusively, long distance trips I still use a vehicle. I have done some long distance trips with my bikes though, it's something that I plan, charging points and such. I own a commuter and a cargo model, I have two batteries for each plus accessories and a trailer, so it hasn't really been about cost saving. Between the two bikes and all of the added things it's more than my Honda Civic is worth, but I ride one of them every day. I've ridden 14k miles between the two since 2022 and don't intend to quite riding, barring something that forces me to do so. They have been extremely reliable so no complaints there and now my community knows me as the guy that is out riding year round. At this point I feel like people would be disappointed if I started driving a car more instead.
😂 I relate so much to that "guy riding year round." Drove a car the other day and I feel like people were looking at me weird. This is so cool to hear, thank you!
Thanks for the video, really enjoyed watching it and fully understand your choice :). I'm an avid cyclist since my childhood and being in Germany it's fairly easy to just use everyday. I'm riding several older non-e bikes, my girlfriend has an e-Bike and it's been our main transportation within the city and beyond. And if the weather is really too bad (which happens just a handful of times over the year) we can always hop on public transportation if we need to get somewhere. Our "latest" discovery are folding bikes. I did pick up an old one last year which turned out to be a really awesome bike. Since you can take it for free on city transport or trains it's just easy to take it if you go for a weekend trip. And discovering new places by bike is always the best :).
I'm just now hearing about folding bikes! I was kicked off of public transport once because of my e-bike (green line train in Boston). They sound like a good solution. Such a cool story, thank you for sharing 😃
I love everything you mentioned here. I can't wait to move to a centrally located city so I can sell my car. Bravo!! New subscriber here! Keep making videos! You're a natural.
Holy smokes, Trent. That means so much 🤝 Thank you!
My ebike is the best thing ive ever purchased. It has done so much for me... for my life. It feels close to me like a family member. Treats me better than my mother ever did.
Commuting to work by bike is the best part of my day.
🙌
Love my ebike, we share a car between 3 of us and the ebikes get used plenty.
Here in the uk though its tough with the weather , terrible roads and drivers and bike theft,
I get around that with good clothing, good locks and staying off road as much as possible.
One thing is certain , i enjoy riding the bike a lot more than driving the car.
It seems like there is a big bike culture in the UK! Beautiful that you go through those challenges to still ride. Thank you for sharing!
I use armor-dilloz inside my tires, double the recommended amount. In 2500 mikes I got 2 punctures i know about, just lost a few psi. I also use Bluetooth tire pressure sensors, makes checking the tires pressure easy
Gotta look into that! I have these kevlar liners that have worked well so far *knock on wood*
Love your vid! I'm making a compromise and going for 3 wheels 😝 Cargo trike with a mobility permit (sidewalk access) 😬 Plus a canopy! Having only a campervan has been rough-- Super cool for trips and even as a base for weekends in the city, but basic everyday commuting is a nightmare! I honestly miss having a commuter car but I need way more time outdoors, can't yet afford the car my disabilities need, and don't want two cars worth of maintenance again! Especially when my van also has "home" maintenance too!
WOW! This sounds so cool. Best of luck with it 😃
I bought a Hey Bike for 1700, I use it daily in Denver and besides a flat tire its been great no issues. I think going a bit cheaper works too
That sounds like an awesome deal 🙌
I just recently bought a basket for my bicycle, hoping to start grocery shopping with it. My grocery stores are between 1 and 4 miles away, depending on which one I want (from Aldi to Co-op). I can take mostly lakeside trails with a few blocks of suburban residential streets for the co-op... But need to cross a highway for the cheaper options. I'm hoping at least during the non-freezing months, I can do this. If so, I might invest in an e-bike. I wouldn't sell my car nor motorcycle... But I would get exercise I desperately need, and reduce vehicular usage expenses. My return on investment would be much longer, but I still think it could be worth it. Thanks for sharing your experience! Pretty cool.
Of course! That sounds like a good plan 😃
That's why I bought an electric scooter/moped.
It does around 40mph and has a range of 40 miles.
Cost around a 1000bucks, battery is removeable.
The legs stay dry in any weather.
Now I'll get a windshield for the upper body and covers for the gloves.
Perfect for my city commuting.
The e-scooter seems like it's in a renaissance. Gotta check them out!
Well China delivers them rather cheaply.
Good also if you have a campervan. Without the battery they're light enough to not exceed the tongue weight.
Mine is about 60kg empty and that is light enough to even carry it on the tongue of my car.
I'm not on an ebike, but I have an escooter (Gotrax Flex Ultra). Can't tell you how immensely this thing improved so much of my daily life. I don't work far from home so commuting to work isn't a problem. Also, I don't hate going to the grocery store or going on a food trip. I would ride to the front door of Ralph's, walk in the store with my escooter, put the items im buying in the basket of my escooter, pay at self check out, and then ride off! Even went into the McDonald's drive thru with the thing and it makes all the small tasks fun!
I lived in Vegas for a few weeks - if I stayed out there I think I would've gotten a scooter. Scooter/public transportation combo would be great in a city. That's awesome 😂
Just saw this. I have a good e-bike. The main thing I worry about is the tires. However, it came with bombproof (according to bike mechanics) Schwalbe Marathons and I got 5000 miles on the original pair with no flats, riding on and off pavement. I even took my Dutch comfort style bike on single track. I live in goathead country too. I'm on my second pair of Schwalbes and hope to continue to avoid flats. Also, the riding score here would be maybe a 1. A bridge has a bike lane, I think, but nothing else does. I try to wear bright clothes as there are many distracted drivers and I often smell pot smoke wafting out of windows. That's legal here. There is no traffic enforcement so got to be careful.
Thanks for sharing! Holy smokes 5,000 miles with no flats is an accomplishment. Godspeed!
I did the same, although I never owned a car, but having an Ebike make mobility so more accessible than before for me. we just need to push for more bikealbe city wherever we are.
Yes! It's so counter-intuitive how a bike is more mobile than a car!
thanks for the vid! I did this a month ago and I have noticed financial stress is so much less! no registration fees to dread, no services to put off.
only thing is i ride a mid range road bike because in Australia ebikes are speed limited to 25kmh and thats not as fun as getting into an aero position and hitting 35 on a road bike. happy riding!
worth mentioning my girlfriend has a car we use between us, I commute to work by bike every day.
remember everyone a 30 minute bike commute means your daily exercise is done! so if you think about it it's SAVES time compared to driving then going to the gym.
Yes, yes, and yes 💪 I feel like this approach is so much doable than people think
There arre just so many situations where cycling isn't ideal. Long distances, places where you just can't arrive sweaty, weather conditions like snow, hauling larger items, being in a hurry, just to name some. Obviously you can overcome these things but you have to ask yourself if it isn't just worth it to get a small cheap car instead.
Yes - there are challenges and it wouldn't fit everyone's situations. But the cool thing about those problems - they're always worse in our heads 🙂
@@ericebikes Definitely agree, I commute 20 miles to and fro on e-bike in AZ and never arrive to work sweaty (thanks pedal assist!)
Well I did. Can’t say I regret much about it. But I never really minded cold,rain etc.. 8,000 + miles last year on my first e-bike.
8,000 miles??? You are a machine! Happy to hear this 🙌
Great video! I have been riding my ebike to commute everyday 42 kms in total in Perth Australia and I haven't own a car in the last 14 years! 😊
Beast!! That's awesome 🙌
I’m willing to give it a try for a few months! The thought of spending 11000 for a car is crazy… and the benefits.
The willingness to try new things is a great quality to have 🙂 Let me know what you think!
I moved to a place where a car is just more f__king trouble than it's worth in too many ways. I'm retired so no commuting, just shopping and errands on mostly flat roads so don't even need e-bike. I HAVE e-gravel bikes for fun though when I want to go out to where the hills are and the traffic isn't. In the USA it's almost $10K a year to own/operate a car so pretty much ANY e-bike is gonna save you $$ and improve your life and health, Go for it!
🙌🙌🙌 well said. Cars aren’t worth the trouble anymore! Especially with a lifestyle that values independence and flexibility
Too much hatred for cycling exists for me to commit to this. I tried and got a milkshake thrown at me and called a stupid c*nt on separate occasions. I live in the UK.
Great video, love the unbiased perspective
Thank you 😃
I’m a car guy and never plan on selling my car realistically because to me it’s more then just driving the car…but I’ve biked ever since I could remember and a majority of my life during my childhood was spent biking…I also biked to school for about 6 years back when I was in middle/high school.
Few years ago I started getting the biking itch that I haven’t had in a while so decided to build myself a E-mountain bike. Let’s just say it’s been awesome…it definitely forces me to go outside on days where I wouldn’t have much to do outside in the first place and being able to ride my bike and do simple tasks that I could of used my car for is very relaxing and enjoyable.
That's awesome - I feel like that approach is a happy medium 😃
Thanks for making this video !! I love the Internet❤
Love the intro. Great storytelling 😊
Thank you 🙌 that means a lot
In Phoenix, this wasn't terrible when I did it. Have a truck now because of my job, but otherwise it worked well for me for about 2 years.
Still have my eBike and ride when I was only going 10 or so miles.
I can imagine it would get quite hot out there - but those early morning/evening rides were probably wonderful!
I never gave up cycling, now in my mid 50's I was an early adopter to Ebike's got my first Ebike around 2001 and have never been so happy, e biking is a great way for me to get around London.
Way ahead of the curve! So happy to hear that 😃
If you're concerned about your battery getting low, here's some advice based on personal experience:
1. Know your range
If you don't want to struggle with a dead ebike, then you should learn how far it can go based on pedal assist strength. You wouldn't drive a car so far if you knew there wouldn't be any gas stations around a place, so that doesn't change with an ebike.
2. Use alternatives on the return journey
I live in a city with public transit, so I could use the full battery and then just bring it on the train or bus for my ride home.
3. Get extra batteries if you can.
If your e-bikes battery or batteries are removable, then perhaps purchase an extra or two and carry them in a pannier while you ride. You can hot swap them when one dies and probably almost double the range.
4. Bring your charger
This is only recommended if you're saying...biking to work or gonna be in one place for most of the day. Be sure there's even functional outlets at the place first. A park might appear to have outlets, but they might not have electricity. E-bikes will take some time to charge, so if you're relying on this, make sure you'll have time for it to charge long enough for it to at least get you home.
This is some good advice 📝
I just have put 5000 Kilometers on my 5000 dollar E-bike. No car. No car insurance, no gas stations, no parking fees. No parking hassles.
I live in A small city in Mexico so everything, and I mean everything is within fifteen minutes. There are pickup truck taxis and Didi Package delivery for large items, and when we go to the Opera there is Didi ride. Rain is on a pretty predictable schedule and the auto traffic is extremely deferential. I have never had anybody yell or even glare at me. I have been honked at, but only when I am doing something wrong, or frankly, stupid.
I have it so easy.
I admire anybody who tries to accomplish this in the USA or Canada.
Buenas neighbor! 🇲🇽🇺🇸 So happy to hear this and that the bike culture in Mexico is good! Ride safe!
I have a 1996 Oldsmobile, it's in fairly good condition and it gets OK gas mileage.
And in the cost of basic maintenance and insurance, I could buy a new ebike every year and still spend less than owning that car.
This is before concerning myself at all with fuel and tolls, that's extra money I'd never have to spend on top of never having to change motor oil ever again.
Folks always stop at gas prices and forget the big picture.
Cars' costs go way beyond the price tag!
Awesome video!
For the rain, I've heard rain capes are really nice, although I haven't actually used one. If I was riding in rain more often I'd probably get one
I'll look into rain capes! Thank you! 😃