2020 can definitely be described as a year of change. There are so many things that we took for granted that we can no longer do anymore, or have had to alter to fit the new reality of daily life. We have all had to learn to adapt.
Like many New Yorkers, part of that adaptation has been finding ways to avoid mass transit. Nobody here wants to be packed into a crowded bus or subway car anymore if we can help it.
Because of this, New York City has seen an explosion in bicycle usage. I personally have never seen so many people riding bicycles around town as I have seen this summer in NYC. A significant and growing number of these bikes are electric bicycles or “e-bikes”. E-bikes have batteries and motors and can usually reach top speeds of about 20 miles per hour (32 kph).
Most current e-bikes on the market today have three modes: “human powered” where you just pedal it like a normal bicycle with no assistance from the motor; a “pedal-assist” mode where you pedal and a sensor detects your pedaling cadence, turns the motor on, and augments your pedaling with help from the motor; and “full-throttle” where you can ride it like a downsized motorbike, no pedaling needed. Just sit down, twist the throttle, and zoom around.
The range of an e-bike is limited by its battery and how you use these modes. In real-world usage, most e-bikes have about a 35 mile (57 kilometer) range. You’ll get more range from the battery if you pedal more, and less range if you’re using the throttle all the time.
Yeah, So What E-bike Did You Buy?
I bought the 20-inch Ecotric Fat Tire Folding E-bike (20-inch refers to the size of the tires). So far, it’s been awesome. Using an e-bike to get around New York City is a wonderful experience (dare I say life-changing?). It’s great for commuting from one place to another, but it also opens up new possibilities. I can explore parts of the city that I couldn’t easily reach simply using subways and buses.
An interesting thing is how often I am stopped while riding it by people who want to know all about the bike. It seems like everyone in New York City has come across this particular Ecotric model while researching e-bikes to buy, and they have lots of questions about it. An MTA bus driver even stopped me to ask about it. The reason so many people are aware of the bike is because it’s available on Amazon and it’s much cheaper than many other brands of e-bikes (around $890 once you add taxes). And we all know New Yorkers are savvy shoppers, always looking for a good deal. I’m actually happy to stop and talk about it, so if you see me riding around, feel free to wave me down and say hello.
So, It Folds?
Yes, the bike really is a folding bike, and it’s pretty easy to fold it. Folding doesn’t mean portable, however – the bike weighs about 52 pounds (23.5 kilograms) and even folded it still takes up a pretty good amount of space. So don’t be under the impression that you can fold this bike up and tote it around like a Brompton. That being said, I have used the folding feature much more than I thought I would. It’s very convenient to be able to essentially cut the bike’s length in half to stash it in the corner of a room, get it on an elevator, or keep it out of the way while doing pandemic dining at an outdoor restaurant.
What’s Riding it Like?
The 20-inch fat tires help make for a smooth and stable ride. They can handle all of the things like gravel, sand, puddles, mud, grates and metal construction plates that you will find on the streets. Unfortunately, this particular model doesn’t have any suspension at all. This is part of the reason that Ecotric is able to keep the bike at this price point. What it means is that on some of the crappier New York City streets, you will definitely feel those bumps, and you’ll feel them in your arms and your butt. I swapped the seatpost with the seatpost from my old mountain bike, which does have seatpost suspension, and that has made for a much better ride. Simple suspension seatposts are inexpensive anyway, so if you buy this bike consider one as your first upgrade. My other solution to the problem is to avoid those crappy roads, and constantly be on the lookout for cracks and potholes.
As for the electric part of this electric bike, it’s fantastic. Pedal-assist makes pedaling almost effortless – no more arriving somewhere exhausted and drenched in sweat from the ride. The throttle has real power and you can accelerate pretty quickly to avoid a car or keep up with normal city traffic. It’s also great to use the throttle to just ride around when you’re feeling totally lazy. Battery life has been very good so far. The control panel has a simple four-bar battery indicator. After a long trip around the city – such as my typical Bronx to Manhattan to Queens then back to Manhattan and back to the Bronx route – I’m still usually left with one or two bars when I arrive at home.
But the best part is that the bike really has become a replacement for my mass transit commuting, which usually would involve an expensive and boring Express Bus ride or an annoying bus-subway-bus commute. I’m not sure how this is going to play out in the winter time when the bitter cold air and snow hit the city. For now though, I’m enjoying the summer of e-biking, and zooming around New York.
If you have any questions, leave it in a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer, or if you bought this bike or any other ebike let me know what you think about it! You can also follow me on Instagram.