VeloChef: It's All About The People Who Use Electric Bikes

Electric bikes to fit any body

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Unless you're from another planet there is probably an electric bicycle style to fit your desires.  Here, we'll briefly cover the topic of popular bike designs and how they might meet the average rider's needs.  Following the KISS tradition, the explanation that follows will be generalized and simplified.

First of all, we're talking about 2 wheeled bikes that are vertically oriented, (with all due respect to recumbent, tricycle, and unicycle owners).  Let's consider what's important for the average person who wants to ride an electric bike;

1. Comfort:  With the technology available today, there's really no reason people cannot be comfortable while riding an electric bike. Whether a person wants to take an occasional trip to the market, or commute for 2 hours a day the objective is the same.  Arrive feeling relaxed, happy, and walking pretty much the same as they started.  Of course, if you want to work up a sweat along the way that's perfectly acceptable and the goal of many.

Accomplishing this is relatively easy given there is a wide variety of comfort producing choices.  Let's take a look at several which produce the greatest benefits starting at the road and working our way up;

• Tires are the points which contact the road or gravel surface and can provide a level of cushion. I'm a big fan of inflating my tires to the maximum stated (in P.S.I.) on the side of the tire. The trade off here is the more air, the easier it is to push the tire forward, but the rougher it will ride because it's hard.
• Suspension - even though there will be a weight penalty the benefit of having the rider cushioned from the road always welcomed. This can be a simple rubber grommet under the saddle or a pogo-stick like seat post to absorb the shock; both fairly light and inexpensive. Next, is a shock in the front fork to disperse the energy experienced by the tire hitting holes and rocks. Finally, there can also be rear suspension which coupled with a front shock absorber, will allow the rider to less be affected by the vibrations of the tires and wheels.
• Position - Whether the person is leaning forward a little or a lot will have an effect on the overall weight distribution on the electric bike, but as well could make the person's arms tired. On the other hand, sitting up board-straight on the saddle, without a hint of suspension could cause back pain, as well as posterior discomfort. Finally, for many people, being able to touch the ground while stopped is a big benefit. This can be accomplished with a new design of frame often called "crank or pedal forward". Here, the rider is lower than a traditional looking electric bike, and can place their feet squarely on the ground will stopped.

2. Effort - The amount of effort the rider will need to contribute is dependent on the environment, the bike, and the electric motor drive system.  Most people think of hills as the greatest obstacle to forward motion, but one should always be aware of our friend the wind.  Well, the wind is our friend as long as it's at our back, but what happens when we need to turn around and make the return trip?  Pushing the electric bike along, on level ground, at speeds of 10 - 15 mph is not too difficult for a human or electric motor.  However, when a hill or headwind are introduced we, the human, experience something similar to what the electric motor drive of the bicycle will feel - exertion.  The lesson to be learned here is to plan the route, and if possible plan the timing to avoid afternoon winds that usually start picking up around lunch time and diminish when the sun sets.  With today's technology finding out the wind direction and speed is as simple as a few well placed clicks.
3. Speed - Most people are quite happy doing the cycling equivalent of "strolling along".  For others the only time they'll use the pedal assist or throttle is on a climb, against a tough headwind, or carrying a load.  Whatever the speed, it's important to always be aware of your surroundings, and protect your head by wearing a helmet.  My experience is it's really a question of when, or how often, and not if a person will fall while riding.  I know from experience from exceeding my skills and abilities.
4. Utility - An electric bike can help people carry more stuff.  Put on front and rear rack, and carry more stuff. Another idea is to just pull a trailer.  If you just can't leave home without your kitchen sink, then a motorized bike can help - a lot.
5. Style - Thought you'd never ask.  Frankly, there is some room for the great design ideas which have evolved in the non-motorized cycling market.  Colors, paint jobs, carbon fiber swooping curves, oh yah.  As a man, I'm not generally into accessorizing, but a nice set of wooden fenders or brightly painted rims would suit me just fine.

Hopefully, this information helped clarify a few things for you.  There's more, and it'll be forthcoming in other posts where I can develop a single idea a bit further.