Talk e bikes to me like I'm 10

[DaftyLass]

I've ridden a friend's e bike, I loved it, but only did it once, for an hour, so I know shit about it

I'm about to change roles, and will be commuting in the city , with great bike paths.

I am kissing fifty, and fat but enthusiastic

Am I crazy? Is this a viable option? What am I missing?

Definitely viable. Love my e-bike, did the nursery run on it (with DS on a child seat at the back until he learnt to ride his own bike), 8km there and back so 16km a day done really quickly (well, not so quickly once DS was riding his bike, then I turned my battery off for the legs I rode with him and turned it on for the legs I was riding by myself) and easily on the bike.

They are great but buy a well known brand through a local cycle shop. Some repair shops are now refusing to do simple repairs such as changing a tyre, on bikes that they have not sold.

They are amazing. I have a cargo e-bike and can carry passengers up to 70kg on mine. I’m not very adventurous and stay on cycle paths to and from work and the school run. I bought mine via a cycle scheme at work so I was able to get a high-end brand.
I love it and actually laugh on my way to work I’m having so much fun on it.

There are multiple types of e-bikes. I have one with the motor in the pedals which is the most natural cycling style, but you can get front wheel or back wheel motors. Then there is where the battery is and the power of the battery. The battery power you need is how far you willl cycle on a single charge. Battery location - in the frame or above the back frame doesnt matter, but the in frame batteries are more modern and more expensive. I almost bought an expensive one with a battery in the frame because it was purple but thought that was not very sensible.

Also you can get chain driven motors or belt driven motors. The latter are more expensive but need less maintenance.

Most e bike systems are made by Bosch (at least here in the Netherlands). I love mine and it makes it a pleasure to cycle to work especially when it is windy.

I know naff all whereas partner is e bike bonkers, has 2 and is part of an e bike mountain biking group with friends (all over 50).

So, my perspective
Absolutely brilliant. Just makes biking so joyful. I dont mountain bike...roads or trails only for me. I have a hybrid so it's great for lots of terrain. As has been mentioned a lot of motors are bosch...mine isn't as I have a Specialized and they make their own.

I got mine via cycle2work scheme...saved a lot of money. Have you looked into that?

They are brilliant. I don't use mine much when it's pissing down but otherwise they are glorious.

They are brilliant. The most two most important things are the torque in the motor and the battery life. Torque is how much help it gives you when pedalling, the more the better. Make sure you try several before you buy. Maybe go somewhere and hire one for a day to see what they can do.

Buy the best you can afford and enjoy. It is a gone changer particularly for the older, larger lady!

Yep I am older than you and have been known to cycle an hour to work and back without too much effort. Only thing I would say is have a plan B for when the weather is shite.

I am so excited, and thank you all for the help!
I think trying out a few different ones is the right way to start, and go from there.
I am in Canada, so no scheme here, but I don't mind, I have wanted one for a while, so I think it will happen soon.
I will be on mostly paved paths, some packed dirt, so I won't need to be too rugged, I hope

I'm a sedentary chonky bird, also knocking 50, and I love my ebike. My knees are fucked, so it really helps me get up hills, also I like freewheeling down hills too. It's great for a gloomy mood. I also find I can get to certain places by bike quicker than the bus, which I find brilliant.

I agree with everything people have said here. My e-bike is the only way I could possibly fit some kind of exercise into my very busy weekly schedule. I can get to work about 15-20 min faster on my bike then in a car or bus during rush hour. I have a very fancy Trek (Dutch bike) and I highly recommend the brand. I never leave mine outside and have it insured to the hilt.
I can dress for work and do my makeup before leaving the house and arrive without having broken a sweat.
I put more effort in on my way home to get some more exercise. Good luck!

Love my e bike. Definitely doable for you. Buy from a local store preferably the one most convenient for you to get to, rather than online, so you get the practical support. I had a few issues with mine and needed to transport it back to the shop a few times. They need more maintenance than a push bike.

Avoid the heavy MTB ones. Look for something lighter that assists pedalling. Have a look on YouTube at different reviews.

Remember that when you are buying an ebike you are almost making two purchases - the bike and the "e" - so you need to make sure that they both meet your needs.
First of all figure out what kind of a bike you need. I'm guessing from what you're saying you'd probably be after a hybrid. Personally, unless you are planning on riding off road quite a bit I wouldn't bother with anything with suspension as it just adds weight and complexity. But don't forget you are buying a bike, so think about the type of bike you want and the components as a separate issue to the electronic side of things.
Then you need to decide on things like what kind of motor and battery you want. Will you be going up steep hills, in which case you want a motor with a lot of torque, which generally means a mid motor, that works on the bike's bottom bracket. And how much range do you need? Generally speaking, very torquey motors use your battery up more quickly so you'll either have less range or need a bigger, and crucially, heavier, battery.
So at one end of the spectrum you might have a big, heavy mid motored E mountain bike great for short, steep climbs on not terribly long rides and at the other an e road bike with a smaller battery, maybe a rear hub motor with a lot less torque but a great deal lighter and ideal for flatter road rides. Neither is "better" than the other, they're just designed to do different jobs.
Also consider practicalities. Where are you going to store/charge it? Do you need to be able to charge the battery separate from the bike - for instance, you can't bring the bike indoors and you don't have an electricity socket outdoors there's not much point in having a bike with a battery hidden in the down tube that you can't get out to charge even though they look much nicer! Will you ever have to lift it? For example, are there any steps into your storage area, will you be putting it on a bike carrier ever, or are there any obstacles on your route that you could potentially ever need you to lift your bike over? If so, weight is going to be a more significant configuration for you. All ebikes are heavier than their regular counterparts but there is a huge range of weights. Mine is one of the lightest around at 11kg but to put that into context my best "normal" road bike is a touch under 7kg. But I can lift 11kg and carry it for short distances if need be so that's ok. My husband's e MTB weighs over 25kg on the other hand and I can't even lift it onto our bike carrier.
If you can find a specific ebike shop they are, in my experience anyway, better than regular bike shops that sell a few ebikes as they're generally more clued up on the electronic side of things and are likely to have more different types for you to try. Happy hunting!

You’re not crazy, an e-bike is a fantastic idea for city commuting, especially with great bike paths and your enthusiasm. E-bikes have a small motor that helps you pedal, so you don’t have to work as hard, which is perfect if you’re easing into exercise or want to avoid getting too sweaty. They make hills and longer rides way easier, so you can enjoy the ride without feeling wiped out. Just make sure to pick one that feels comfortable and suits your needs, and check local rules about e-bikes.

E bikes are brilliant but do go for a known and reputable brand. In London there have been cases of cheap e-bike batteries catching fire when charging overnight and burning down the house. This happens with dodgy lithium batteries that are cheap and haven’t passed regulations. So do think about the fire safety aspect - where will you store and charge your bike?

I have 2 e-bikes. One is an expensive electric mountain bike, it’s powerful and reliable. I wouldn’t commute on it due to the risk of it being stolen. So do think about security. No idea what bike theft is like near you. But look at insurance and a gold rated lock. Or taking it in your office! Bike is heavy but not an issue when the motor is on.

a similar hybrid electric bike might be a bit lighter and slightly cheaper but still valuable enough to be a target for theft. You probably need a hybrid not a mountain bike.

then I have a normal hybrid bike which I converted to ebike with a Swytch kit. So bike is lighter but most importantly I think it’s much less attractive to thieves. Battery clips off and it’s not really a noticeable ebike then. It’s however not quite as reliable and the battery life is awful. It just gets me there and back on full power for a 14 mile round trip. I think they may have improved the battery since I got mine. It can be a bit temperamental and if it decides to switch off is nearly impossible to pedal without power.