Now for the mixed news. The rear hub blew up after 100 miles and one week on the job and took 4 weeks to be replaced, Then, at mile 195, the throttle stopped working. I’m currently at mile 362 and things have worked great since. I went with this system because there is a dealer close by and they performed all the warranty work on the bike, a clear benefit over mail order solution.

I would buy this system again mostly because the Ecospeed and Stokemonkey are the only systems that solve the issue of low end torque but they are ~$5000 and I can suffer a little on the steepest climbs. I assume that all lithium batteries perform the same on long climbs though. The downside of the Eco and Stoke however is that their power is put through your drivetrain and I’m not crazy about putting 500 watts regularly on the crankset end of the chain because of replacement costs. So I’m sticking with this one and enjoying it for what it is. Cruising on the flats at 20 with two kids ain’t all that bad, a little risky, but super fun and a real car replacement.

The Bionx system looks pretty good, and I do like that it’s basically a turnkey option. but I’m leaning towards a kit from ebikes.ca configured for my application.

Check out http://www.endless-sphere.com forums if you are interested in tinkering with building your own setup. I’ve been checking in there over the past year, lurking and learning.

That actually makes the bike go, full power, even if you’re not pedaling. It’s like an on/off throttle. It’s kind of a weird concession to a throttle.

If the chain were to break, or if (as happened to me last year) you have an injury that prevents you from pedaling, you could still get around with just the red button. This sounds like it might be dangerous unless you understand that e-bikes are not motorcycles. They aren’t even scooters. The surge of power you get when you press that button is not so much that the bike will fly out from under you — not by a long shot.

Using the bike without pedaling would be a pretty slow experience — especially up hills. And you could moderate your speed with a simple system of press… coast… press… coast… You’d only be able to achieve the full speed of 20 mph on flat or downhill.

I am not anti-electric bicycle assist. I believe they have a place in the transportation system.

Not having a throttle would be an argument supporting their inclusion under bicycle laws that the user MUST pedal in order to use electric power propulsion. Electronically, someone could argue that hitting a red button “full power assist” is the same as twisting a throttle but the red button assist is still dependent on pedal movement and it only provides a percentage of the assist, not complete locomotive power.

Resistance from voters might also be overcome by limiting the electric assist to smaller wattage amounts and user speeds to 15 mph with full assist and 20 mph with reduced assist.

These ideas might sound like acquiescence to the motorists lobby but as of now, we have nothing to lose. Maybe by getting some reasonable e-bikes on the roads, people will realize that they are as safe as bicycles and their safety will depend on the rider. Licensing and insurance will not be required if it is done properly; otherwise, they will go the way of MOPEDS and become completely regulated, taxed, licensed, and insured which defeats the economy of the intended use.

I like the throttle (because I’m an old motorcycle dude). Most of the time I don’t crack it open, I just twist it slightly by sort of leaning on it with the web between my thumb and forefinger. The slight boost the electric motor gives the heavy bike simply serves to take the sting out of the pedaling.