400 miles on an ebike
Some considerations after a few months of use
Starting in January, I began a new job as a Population Health Analyst for Equality Health in downtown Phoenix. After commuting by car for a few weeks, I decided that I really wasn’t a fan of even an hour total per day in the car. I started to think about some alternative ways of commuting even to utilize on occasion simply as a way to reduce the monotony of driving. The distance between my home and office at about 14 miles was too much to do by bike. Recent bus route changes that greatly increased the number of stops for any likely routes made that option a non-starter for the sake of time.
Between my last trip to Europe in Fall 2019 vs. the previous trip 1 year prior in 2018 I had seen an explosion in the number of ebikes cruising around. Granted, this would make quite a bit of sense in a place like Europe which gives righteous preferential treatment to bicyclists and pedestrians. The somewhat restrictive laws regarding top speed and power assistance (wattage of motor) seemed to keep things in check. The U.S. is much more hodge podge in it’s laws with some states having a max wattage motor to still fall into the “bicycle” bucket vs. a registered moped. Electric motors and battery tech have made significant gains in recent years. The price now being affordable enough to start major consumer markets has launched a new age for transport, just look at Tesla for example. On a related note it seemed like here in the US that we experienced a period where all of a sudden every major city had rentable, insanely fun scooters on every corner. While the debate over the pros and cons of the electric scooter use is hotly contested, it’s brought some of the larger last mile transport issues to the spotlight.
After some exploration, I decided the best way forward would be to use an ebike. While I enjoy the thought of passing cars in the bike lane, I also needed a boost in order to stretch my physical limits to accomplish 14 miles each way. Browsing for pre-built bikes came with a few challenges, including but not limited to, the sticker shock of spending $1,500+ on another bike for my garage. (Currently, I’ve got an aluminum fixie for mashing around and a beach cruiser for guests). The second challenge was that the adrenaline junkie in me was not a fan that manufacturers erred on the “safe” side and went towards the legal floor for state ebike restrictions. Power restrictions vary wildly between states for those that have put in regulations, ebikes commonly will typically come equipped with either a 500 or 750 watt motor. Where I live, in Arizona, does not have any restriction for the wattage power of an ebike motor. This meant that building my own would give me an advantage of being able to grab a higher watt motor to help with the speed and acceleration of the bike.
My regular bike is an aluminum Aventon Mataro fixie that has served me well over the years as being a speedy, simple bike that was easy to throw around with the aluminum frame. Through college I used it as my main source of transportation even through the winter months in St. Louis. All that being said, it did not make a good option as an ebike conversion due to the lack of front suspension and rigid frame. Technically speaking, it’s also considered a track frame so the convenient water bottle holes, mounts, etc. didn’t exist on the bike.
After not having much luck with Facebook marketplace and Craigslist hunting, I bit the bullet and opted for a relatively generic mountain bike off Amazon for $300. Assembly was straightforward enough as 80% was already complete. The bike seemed to have the requisite sturdiness to take on sections of road in Phoenix that are less forgiving. For the electric motor and controller, I opted for a 1200 w kit from Ebikeling, also off Amazon for just under $200. The battery which for many is both the most important and expensive part of an ebike build ran me $330. I had a decision between the 48v and 52v batteries, but the napkin math I had done on the speed and range couldn’t justify spending another $120 for an upgrade from 48v to 52v. After riding for a while, I’ve reached the conclusion that going fast than 30 mph on a bicycle isn’t all that comfortable nor is it worth the risk considering even my disc brakes aren’t rated for anything higher than that.
Outside of the battery, front wheel motor and controller, I also added a triangle bag to house all the wiring and a rack for using pannier bags. I have no issue now carrying a week’s worth of groceries with the bike now. A benefit for commuting is that I can put my laptop and other work items in a pannier bag rather than carrying everything in a backpack. Previously, I’d end up with a sweaty back regardless of the outdoor temperature. It’s been on the chillier side in Phoenix for most of my riding so I haven’t encountered the sweating problem too much, but we’ll see how that plays out in the warmer months. I do have a feeling that the added speed boost of using an ebike will confer some benefits by essentially having a 20 mph breeze while putting around.
Thus far, I’ve been pretty positive about my experience using an ebike, but I would be remiss not to include some negatives I’ve experienced as well. Riding on city streets is always risky, but the most common issue I’ve run into when dealing with cars is having people pull out in front of me, usually without any signal to give me a warning. I was riding about 10 mph down the bike lane next to stopped traffic when a large SUV pulled out in front me so quickly that I ended up only being able to steer right and bounce off the side. I tried to explain to the driver they needed to use their turn signal and pay attention, but upon realizing they only spoke Spanish I used a few simple hand motions that seemed to have been understood.
My commute route could still use some optimization, but as of right now my usual route involves about 4 miles along the canal which provides a brief respite in the middle for not having to deal with cars. One morning I was riding along the canal when I spotted a man with two dogs off leash up ahead. Given that the dogs were all over the place on the path and I would most likely run into them if I approached at speed, I slowed down and paused behind the man. Upon pausing, one of his German Shepard variants walked up to me. It’s owner told me to not to worry and that the dog was friendly. After making a very slow courtesy gesture to the dog by moving my hand out for them to sniff and ensure I was okay, the dog lunged and bit my hand. Luckily the angle was that where the bite mostly pinched the back of my hand, but was still enough to draw blood even through the glove liners I was wearing. After getting my hand, the dog also lunged toward my right thigh, but luckily was only able to bite through fabric which ripped my dress pants open. The owner at this point was finally able to get control of the dog and was apologetic. In hindsight I should have obtained the man’s information, but I was in shock to the point where my only priority was to get as far from the dog as possible so I took off to continue the rest of my route. After getting to work and realizing my hand was worse than I initially thought, I did have it cleaned at an urgent care where they also gave me some broad-spectrum antibiotics as a precautionary measure. Dog bite injuries are obligated to be reported to animal control so I did fill out the paperwork and receive a call. After some consideration, I did decide to press charges should the owner matching my description were to ever be found. Apparently, the city of Phoenix does do occasional stake-outs in problematic areas like the canal to watch for owners tempted to go off-leash. Hopefully they end up finding the guy, but I’m not holding out.
All in all, my ebike experience has been mostly positive. There’s a bit of adrenaline rush when having something with a kick from the power like a moped. My beer runs are a bit more entertaining cruising around on the bike and it seems like running an errand is less of an ordeal vs. starting up the car, hunting for a spot, etc. I’m paying attention to electric vehicles as a whole. While I’m certainly optimistic about the prospect of electric cares and have my eye to purchase one in the next 3-5 years, I think ebikes might be the bigger boom in adoption. An ebike allows for the benefits of skipping the traffic aspect with just enough boost to make things easy and fun.