Electric bike or second car

biker72 · #1 02-03-2020, 10:55 AM

I've been considering getting a second car for light grocery shopping and errands. Normally I use my Specialized Diverge and a backpack to do this but sometimes things get a little heavy.

I started thinking about a second car but why not a electric bike. Lots cheaper to buy and own. Of course the practical thing to do is to buy a rack and panniers for my Diverge.

Anyone have any experiences with electric bikes??? I've been looking at mainly Specialized and Trek models.

vqdriver · #2 02-03-2020, 11:24 AM

would you be comfortable locking it up? even mid range ebikes can be pricey. if so, and you're already accustomed to the pragmatics of running errands on a bike, i say go ebike with a rack or trailer.

Jeckel30 · #3 02-03-2020, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biker72

I've been considering getting a second car for light grocery shopping and errands. Normally I use my Specialized Diverge and a backpack to do this but sometimes things get a little heavy.

I started thinking about a second car but why not a electric bike. Lots cheaper to buy and own. Of course the practical thing to do is to buy a rack and panniers for my Diverge.

Anyone have any experiences with electric bikes??? I've been looking at mainly Specialized and Trek models.

I am getting close to pulling the trigger on a Surly Big Easy or a Tern GSD. I have too many cars and want to consolidate.

unterhausen · #4 02-03-2020, 11:51 AM

I seriously thought about this, but decided on the car. If you virtually never make longer trips with it, I think a utility ebike makes a lot of sense. Still might get an ebike

A lot of the shopping areas I frequent are on the other side of town, and it's a car-centric wasteland over there. I would not want to ride to Home Depot, for example.

buddybikes · #5 02-03-2020, 11:59 AM

Guess depends upon time you have. I got a Lynskey backroad with their matching rack, fortunately I live next to bike trail and town services are basically connected to this artery.

oldpotatoe · #6 02-03-2020, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biker72

I've been considering getting a second car for light grocery shopping and errands. Normally I use my Specialized Diverge and a backpack to do this but sometimes things get a little heavy.

I started thinking about a second car but why not a electric bike. Lots cheaper to buy and own. Of course the practical thing to do is to buy a rack and panniers for my Diverge.

Anyone have any experiences with electric bikes??? I've been looking at mainly Specialized and Trek models.

Get a scooter. More versatile, probably less $...

JAGI410 · #7 02-03-2020, 01:41 PM

I agree with the spud. Get a scooter and a nice backpack. A new Ruckus is the same price as a nice ebike and can do 40mph. No moto license needed. Huge aftermarket if you like to tinker.

https://powersports.honda.com/street/scooter/ruckus

The Surly Big Easy is amazing, but it's $5000. FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. In some cities that makes sense, but hard to justify for only grocery shopping.

Robot870 · #8 02-03-2020, 01:51 PM

Deff a E bike over a car! How bout this https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Sports-...f=cts_ba_3_vtp
100.00 bucks and your done. I used to put my dog in one to get to the park and would still be going fast!

Dude · #9 02-03-2020, 01:55 PM

I have a Tern GSD. It's awesome I love it. I live in the suburbs, everything I need is within 5 miles from my house, everything I need on a weekly basis is within 2 miles. I haul one 60lb 6 year old on it to school and groc shopping. We have a newborn who will eventually go on it too. It was expensive and it will take a few years for the cost of it to be worth it. We have 2 cars, one of which is paid off and the other is our family hauler - if we hadn't paid off one car I would've gotten rid of it by now, insurance is the only fixed expense associated with it.

The rack situation is much better on a GSD than a road frame with a rack. I can do a full groc shopping load (for a family of 3.5) on the tern. I could not do that on another bike with a rack bolted on. The GSD does all the "practical" stuff phenomenally well. The cargo bags are water proof, have drain holes in them, secure everything perfectly and easily. Every detail is thought through very well.

The smaller wheelbase also makes things a bit easier. Think maneuvering on sidewalks (yeah sure, don't ride your bike on the sidewalk but there are times you have to to get to bike racks and such). Or loading the bike up and then having to walk it to a spot where you can mount and ride away. The big easy is great for 90% of those situations but the smaller wheelbase of the GSD makes a slight difference. Plus having the weight distributed closely together on the GSD vs a longtail helps with handling.

If i could do it all over again I'd consider an electric scooter. All the same versatility but more range and less work. Sure we all love riding bikes and "earning" whatever we did but it's nice to sit on your ass and let technology do the work for you.

Also, depending on your hauling needs the Tern HSD is a bit cheaper and can do all the same stuff as a GSD - except handle 2 kids.

The other other option I entertained was getting a non-electric long tail cargo bike and use that. If it was nice to use, I would add one of the bafang motors - that was cheaper in the long run than buying the GSD. Rei has a yuba sweet curry on sale (https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/produ...rry-cargo-bike).

Either way, once you test ride an ebike, you are going to have a smile on your face. They are so much fun to ride. Trek, Spec, whatever, they are fun. I went with a "brand agnostic" mid drive system. I feel like bosche and yamaha, with their breadth will support stuff further down the road than trek or spec. A bosche battery is a bosche battery. A trek/spec battery that fits inside a downtube is kind of unique and you can only get it from them.

mtechnica · #10 02-03-2020, 02:05 PM

I would get a used Nissan Leaf personally if I were in your situation.

cp43 · #11 02-03-2020, 02:06 PM

Not exactly to your question, but take a look at the bakfiets style, like the Yuba Front-Loader.

The issue I've always had with grocery shopping on a bike is that grocery bags don't really just drop in to typical bike bags. Even on my Big Dummy, loading grocery's that I don't want crushed is tricky. The big open box cargo area seems ideal for grocery shopping to me. I haven't ridden one though, so maybe I'm missing something.

Chris

Jeckel30 · #12 02-03-2020, 02:14 PM

Has anyone ridden a Radwagon?https://www.radpowerbikes.com/produc...ric-cargo-bike
At $1500 it is a lot easier to justify but I am sure it isn’t nearly as good as a Tern, Yuba, or Surly.

rnhood · #13 02-03-2020, 02:19 PM

You have a bike that's good for a lot of errands, and this, that & the other. Therefore, I would get a simple and reliable car, something like a used Toyota Corolla or that little Mazda (323 or whatever it is). Hyundai or Kia are fine too. There is just a lot more versatility at hand, not to mention going places in inclement weather or temps. And a car holds more than one person.

Having said this, if you just have to have a two wheel machine, I like the scooter idea.

benb · #14 02-03-2020, 02:25 PM

If you're thinking of your health/finances/the environment it's almost impossible to justify a 2nd car.

The only thing that truly justifies a 2nd car IMO is a 2nd driver in the family who needs to drive it to work, etc..

Get the eBike.

Unless you've got a Miata or a Ferrari or something as your only car you've already got a car that's good for a Home Depot run. Better to rent a truck if you need to haul a load of construction supplies once in a while.

Dude · #15 02-03-2020, 02:32 PM

The research I did, before landing on the GSD is that the radwagon rides a little wonky - there is lag between pedal input and power engagement and it's underpowered. That's internet commentary though, no first hand experience.

A few other things to consider (not advocating for a GSD but these are things I ran into during my research.
1) where is the weight going to be carried? bikes with a lower center of gravity will handle better when weighted - that's why some bikes have a 20" rear wheel or 20" wheels.
2) step through, when you have stuff on your bike, sitting above your rear wheel, throwing a leg over it is hard to do.
3) Storage, if you have a garage great. If not, where do you plan to keep it - will it be easy to get through the side door and down a flight of stairs into a basement? Do you want to do that every time you need it?
4) search craigslist and ebay for the bike(s) you want. Not just your local craigslist but i'd look at the top ten us metros too - and other cycling/commuting hotbeds.
5) james huang at cyclingtips has had a long running series of his cargo bike adventures. I found him to be a good resource.