Ross Grady on Nostr: I have been riding an #ebike for around 6 months / 150 miles (I got it for around ...
I have been riding an #ebike for around 6 months / 150 miles (I got it for around town, so that’s actually a lot of 2-mile trips!). The one I have, the Velotric Discover-1, cost me around $1200.
Here is what I have learned in that time:
It is impossible to build an ebike with any expectation of durability for a retail price point of US$1200.
Thus far I have repaired or replaced the following:
Rear inner tube (flat/punctured in the box from the factory)
Front brake pads (they’re the resin type because all of the components are low-end Shimano, meaning the rotors aren’t hard enough steel to be able to use non-resin pads)
Rear derailleur (the bike fell over, and since it weighs ~65 pounds, just the force of falling over bent the shit out of the derailleur, and bent the H-limit screw at like a 30-degree angle)
I’ve also had to learn how to true a rotor, and how to fix sticky hydraulic brake pistons. Last time I did any significant bike maintenance work, brakes were mechanical :)
One thing to note about replacing that rear derailleur: the identical replacement was literally $19 from Performance Bike. I could have upgraded, obviously, but I don’t know that most upgrade options would be any less susceptible to being bent all to shit when a 65-lb bike falls over. Plus I honestly rarely ever shift gears (it’s an ebike with a rear hub motor, so all I have to do is turn the pedals a bit & the motor kicks on, and it doesn’t even need a chain to operate, technically).
Having said all of that: The bike does exactly what I bought it to do – errands around town – and it does it well. I will absolutely buy another ebike (hopefully not because this one completely shits the bed, but who knows . . .)
When I do buy another ebike, I’ll spend a lot more time looking at the mechanical details, and I’m guessing I’ll be shopping in the $2k range.
Here is what I have learned in that time:
It is impossible to build an ebike with any expectation of durability for a retail price point of US$1200.
Thus far I have repaired or replaced the following:
Rear inner tube (flat/punctured in the box from the factory)
Front brake pads (they’re the resin type because all of the components are low-end Shimano, meaning the rotors aren’t hard enough steel to be able to use non-resin pads)
Rear derailleur (the bike fell over, and since it weighs ~65 pounds, just the force of falling over bent the shit out of the derailleur, and bent the H-limit screw at like a 30-degree angle)
I’ve also had to learn how to true a rotor, and how to fix sticky hydraulic brake pistons. Last time I did any significant bike maintenance work, brakes were mechanical :)
One thing to note about replacing that rear derailleur: the identical replacement was literally $19 from Performance Bike. I could have upgraded, obviously, but I don’t know that most upgrade options would be any less susceptible to being bent all to shit when a 65-lb bike falls over. Plus I honestly rarely ever shift gears (it’s an ebike with a rear hub motor, so all I have to do is turn the pedals a bit & the motor kicks on, and it doesn’t even need a chain to operate, technically).
Having said all of that: The bike does exactly what I bought it to do – errands around town – and it does it well. I will absolutely buy another ebike (hopefully not because this one completely shits the bed, but who knows . . .)
When I do buy another ebike, I’ll spend a lot more time looking at the mechanical details, and I’m guessing I’ll be shopping in the $2k range.