Countless companies and industries enjoy making up scary stories when it comes to justifying their opposition to making it easier to repair your own tech. Apple claims that empowering consumers and bolstering independent repair shops will turn states into “hacker meccas.” The car industry insists that making it easier and cheaper to repair modern cars will be a boon to sexual predators.
This is one of the reasons I haven’t bought an E-bike yet. You can buy a road-legal motorcycle for the price of some E-bikes. It’s just too much for what they are.
I mean sure, but at the low end of the market you can get a decent ebike with Shimano Altus shifters, disc brakes, etc for like ~$1000 which is basically getting a $700 regular bike + $300 for the ebike components.
Right, you’re better off building your own.
I got one for ~$700 with that (though Tourney, not Altus). The tradeoff however was power (it’s 250w) and size (plus build quality, probably… also, no suspension or ignition) but it does work. I’ve tried an XP 2.0 so I do have some frame of reference, it still works for me.
I wonder if I’d like an even smaller bike (currently already 20" wheels, somewhat short wheelbase, 45lbs), though I might just want a lighter bike (which would cost more). Well I would wonder, but from what I’ve seen I’d need to buy something used (and it’s more of a UK thing) to get a small (non-electric) bike for under $700. Sometimes just the frames for those cost over that. Also, searching for this size of bike is difficult (results give small motorized things (even w/bicycle), bike models, clown bikes (no gears)).
Even a cheap car in my country. The car might actually cost less
Ar one time that was true here, but anymore used cars have become as expensive as a new car.
I bought and sold my kawasaki ZR7 for around ~3k, half of what even some of the cheapest road legal E-Bike costs, more like a third of the price if you look at average.
The inclusion of “even some of the cheapest” here confuses me. And the idea that 3k is a third of the AVERAGE price?
Some of the cheapest from specific brands, maybe. A Trek eBike will put you out a significant chunk of cash, sure.
But the cheapest eBikes are not $6k, and the average eBike is not $9k.
My Aventon Level.2, a class 3 eBike which will pedal assist up to 28mph/45kph and which I regularly ride on roads, was a little under $1800. Plus $40ish dollars for the oval 52T chainring so I can actually sustain that 28mph. And Aventons are sort of middle-of-the-road, price-wise. Not cheap, not excessively expensive.
I think it’s the terminology. I was referring to an EMotorcycle, something that is street legal on every motorway, including highways. Those tend to range between 10-25k, there are cheaper models for like 5-6k, but most don’t have the best reviews.