New bike day. Trigger warning ebike content.

[Dude]

Picked up a new long tail cargo bike the other day. Most of my car mileage is all within 5 miles of the house so I’m challenging myself to do 30 car free days so we can become a 1 car family. (we’ll still have 1 car so it won’t be that hard).

I do the kid pickup/dropoff everyday, all of the grocery shopping and other errands with them after school so I needed something that could handle 2 kids and a load of groceries.

I loaded it up yesterday with 1 kid and 3 full bags of groceries. The pedal assist made the hills very easy with ~80lbs of stuff on the back.

[joosttx]

Love. This is a good looking bike.

[citycyclist247]

Very practical solution. Saves money, helps the environment and makes for fun transportation.

[FlashUNC]

Killer. The ideal eBike implementation.

[pasadena]

Get a good chain and u-lock for outdoor security.

I have a u-lock and cable but I know the cable can be cut easily.
With the ulock, they can't ride the bike and would have to carry it (It's gotta be around 65lbs at least)

[donevwil]

Question: Do (any) e-bikes incorporate some integrated anti-theft protection (lockable on/off switch, frozen crank, etc.) so one can't jump on and ride away?

[arimajol]

Yes! So functional, good for you.

[azrider]

[KidWok]

We have one of those. FWIW...I've had a lot of issues with mine. A few things to look out for:

- Freehub: It's been known to lock up. Tell-tale sign is that the cranks will move as you're walking along with the bike. It will cause the chain to drop off the cranks constantly.

- Speed sensor: They've been known to fail. There's an error message you'll see and then motor cuts out.

- Back wheel: Mine broke a few spokes with normal use. Make sure it gets re-tensioned after some break-in time.

- Kickstand: The stock one is known to break suddenly. Don't let kids climb in without holding the bike.

- Battery not charging: Needed some software update for that, which the dealer handled.

- Chain wear: Expect to replace chain every 1,000 miles. You need to take two chains to make one, then keep excess length to make the next one.

- Motor seizing: There's some documented issues with water getting into the bearings in the motor housing that cause the motor to seize up. I had to get my motor warranty replaced at under 1,000 miles.

Tai

[benb]

Sweet... I think eBikes make tons of sense for Cargo bikes.

Just don't let me catch you commuting on that with a backpack on your back and nothing mounted on the bike!

I am joking but I did see a guy doing that yesterday. You're riding a Cargo cycle that can carry hundreds of pounds. It's heavy, so now you want electric assist.

But then you carry all the weight on your back anyway???

[Dude]

Originally Posted by donevwil

Question: Do (any) e-bikes incorporate some integrated anti-theft protection (lockable on/off switch, frozen crank, etc.) so one can't jump on and ride away?

Mine has an integrated wheel lock (where a front rim caliper brake would be there is a wheel lock. I also have a u-lock that I lock to something. The abus wheel lock has another 'port' that you can use one of their chain locks with so one key will lock the wheel in place and a chain that you can loop around other stuff.


@kidwok, thanks for the heads up.
- I was a bike mechanic for years so I'm pretty in tune with drivetrain noises/quirks though the whole "cranks don't move the chain" thing is a little hard to get my head around.
- It came with their redesigned kickstand but they have a new cable actuated one rumored to be out "by the end of the year" with an upgrade program for existing owners. The rolling jackass seems fantastic, I just can't afford a $300+ kickstand right now.
- I have the clubhouse on the back, the challenge for my daughter is that she can't really climb in/out on her own as the side bars, meant to keep her from falling out, also keep her from climbing in. Any recommendations for that?

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by donevwil

Question: Do (any) e-bikes incorporate some integrated anti-theft protection (lockable on/off switch, frozen crank, etc.) so one can't jump on and ride away?

Probably not quite what you were you thinking, but there are several dockless bike rental systems that have e-bikes. The e-bikes have to be activated (unlocked) and de-activated (unlocked) through a user app.

[KidWok]

Originally Posted by Dude

- I have the clubhouse on the back, the challenge for my daughter is that she can't really climb in/out on her own as the side bars, meant to keep her from falling out, also keep her from climbing in. Any recommendations for that?

We've never used the clubhouse so I couldn't comment about getting in and out. We use a Control Tech stoker stem with shim plus a fairly wide and sweeping handlebar attached to the seatpost. I have two kids. Bars are long enough for both of them to hold on with bigger kid on the back. They don't get on until I'm ready.

Tai

[Nomadmax]

Originally Posted by KidWok

We have one of those. FWIW...I've had a lot of issues with mine. A few things to look out for:

- Freehub: It's been known to lock up. Tell-tale sign is that the cranks will move as you're walking along with the bike. It will cause the chain to drop off the cranks constantly.

- Speed sensor: They've been known to fail. There's an error message you'll see and then motor cuts out.

- Back wheel: Mine broke a few spokes with normal use. Make sure it gets re-tensioned after some break-in time.

- Kickstand: The stock one is known to break suddenly. Don't let kids climb in without holding the bike.

- Battery not charging: Needed some software update for that, which the dealer handled.

- Chain wear: Expect to replace chain every 1,000 miles. You need to take two chains to make one, then keep excess length to make the next one.

- Motor seizing: There's some documented issues with water getting into the bearings in the motor housing that cause the motor to seize up. I had to get my motor warranty replaced at under 1,000 miles.

Tai

Other than that ^^^^, it's trouble free

All that said, one day I'll have an e-Road bike for easy training days, commuting and to loan to friends (non cycling) so they can ride with me.

[raygunner]

My wife wants that bike!