r/ebike

I’m looking for a lightweight e bike that I can lug up to a second story apt. I will most likely only be going like 3 miles so 6 miles round trip most of the time. It will be my daily commuter does anyone have any recommendations on where to even begin looking? I live in a big city and e bike theft is so real so I want to be able to store it in my apt.

Hi all, I have a 13 mile commute (26 in total) with 2 400ft hills to get thro, i currently ride on a normal bike but coming into winter id like to switch to an ebike, especially on the colder and darker uk nights, any recommendations on battery size, power etc (also not able to charge when i get to work) its very confusing so looking for some real world experiance, price range no more then 2k

Not NYC. I’m talking about the huge portion of the state that is not urban.

E-bikes are ONLY allowed on roads with 30mph limits or less. This includes classes 1,2 and 3.

E-Bikes are only allowed in neighborhoods in my suburban community. To commute requires access to roads with higher speed limits.

I have commuted on 40 and 45mph roads. I have even ridden my road bike non-e-bike on 55mph sections of a state highway.

The same laws govern E-scooters.
Why? In fact you have to be 18 to ride either in NY State.

I’m going to play devils advocate to try to understand why e-bikes and e-scooters have less road access than traditional bikes and scooters.

If you lump bikes and scooters with Electric motors together, then only allowing them in neighborhoods might makes sense because cars and trucks would have less time to react on roads where they travel over 30?

Seriously? I don’t get it.

Im looking to buy an e-bike to help supplement daily living and I’d love a way to get around without taking a car or uber everywhere. I’m pretty new when it comes to e-bikes though, and while I’ve familiarized myself with the different features and what all you get with them, I cannot tell what I actually “want” or what I’ll feel when I’ll ride an e-bike.

My general question is, what features might be overrated or undervalued by new e-bike purchasers? Is there a not-so-obvious feature that ended up being super valuable to you?

If it helps at all, I’m looking to spend around 3k and have considered the Specialized Turbo Vado, Aventon Level 4, Gazelle Arroyo, among others. I want something to help me get up hills but not completely bike for me. I want a removable battery in case I need to bring everything inside, but that seems to be locked to heavier e-bikes (which is fine, but would ideally have a bike on the lighter side in case I need to lift things).

Anyway, looking for any general tips! Thank you!

Hello all, so recently I've been very slowly upgrading my riding kit in response to close calls that are seemingly getting increasingly common with more and more tourists visiting.

Right now my "gear" consists of a normal bicycle helmet, some Mechanix gloves, shatter-resistant sunglasses and just regular long-sleeve shirts and sweaters, along with normal jeans and a yellow high-vis vest for low-light, rain or fog. In the past I've had much slower bikes, capped around 30km/h, but my current bike will gladly get up to 50km/h with a little encouragement. With the number of close calls lately, I know that what I've got isn't good enough.

When I'm riding, I'm usually moving between 30 and 50km/h. A slim majority is on urban streets running errands or going to see people throughout town, so almost 99.9% asphalt, but I also do a lot of rural packed gravel trails, dirt roads between towns, and the occasional multi-hour trip on the side of paved rural roads.

I'll be honest, I don't know what would be best to have and don't have a complete picture of what I'm looking for. I know I do want a moped helmet; that'll be the first thing I buy because the front is a little more open for when I go into stores but is better than a bicycle helmet. I know I also want Kevlar jeans, better gloves and a leather jacket.

But I don't have a full picture. I'm not super familiar with what brands are good for what and which ones aren't. I'm also open to adding gadgets to the bike, given they don't take up too much space and do something useful, so if you have any recommendations for any gadgets or safety gear that you stand by, please do recommend it for me to look into.

P.S. No bar-end turn signals; both bar ends are already used up by the mirrors.

This is Clifton Hill. A popular tourist area in our city. Definitely a must see for anyone not in our area.

Hey everyone, 55M here looking for advice on buying my first ebike.

I’m currently recovering from a surgery - no joint pain or mobility issues, just rebuild muscle strength via pedaling. I’m limited to the **EU market (shipping to Spain)** with a strict budget of **€1,900**. I've found some discount websites (like bike-discount germany) have some options to fit my limited budget. Would love to know more websites like that one!

**My primary use cases:**

1. **Vacation Motor-home / Grocery runs:** While on vacation , needs to handle varied terrain, from flat city roads to steep, hilly small villages.
2. **Rehab & Exercise in my neighborhood:** Starting with maximum assist and slowly dialing it down as muscle strength returns.

# The Drivetrain Dilemma:

I’m stuck between two approaches:

* **Chain + Cassette/Derailleur:** Cheaper, easier to service locally, and gives direct control over gears when tackling steep hills.
* **Belt Drive + Automatic / Internal Gear Hub:** I love the idea of zero maintenance, but automatic setups push the absolute limit of my €1.9k budget (though I've spotted a few discounted sales online).

Is the reliability and simplicity of a belt drive worth stretching my budget for, or is a traditional chain/cassette setup better value for mixed hills and exercise rehab?

# A Question on Hub Motors & "Phantom Pedaling":

I’ve noticed many YouTube reviewers seem to downplay or bypass cadence-sensor hub motors that allow "phantom pedaling" (spinning the pedals with zero resistance while the motor propels you).

For my specific rehab situation - where I might hit a wall on a hill and need the bike to do 90% of the work while my legs just keep moving gently - **is phantom pedaling actually a feature rather than a flaw?** How do cadence-sensor hubs hold up on steep village hills compared to torque sensors?

Would love to hear feedback on drivetrains, hub/sensor types, or specific models available in the EU under €1,900! Thanks!

Very interesting 🤔