Whenever possible, 64-year-old Dartmouth resident Joan Dalton says she'll opt to ride a bicycle to her daily destinations and errands, as she's done for most of her life. So naturally, the prospect of keeping pace with her on a bike ride can be daunting for many people her age, as she says it was at one time for her partner, Steve.
Then, they got their electric bikes.
"He said I want one so I can keep up with you. I said oh no, I already know how this goes: If you get one and I don't, I won't be able to keep up with you!," Dalton said of what led to their electric bicycle, or "e-bike," purchases coming up on two years ago. "I have an aunt and uncle who got e-bikes a long time ago and that's what happened with them."
As local bike shop owners attest, there's no denying that e-bikes have grown in popularity over the years. But they also warn that this is a realm in which it's very easy to make a regretful purchase without having done sufficient research. With cycling season now upon SouthCoast, we spoke to experts at YesterYear Cyclery in New Bedford and Scottee's Westport Bicycle in Westport to get the rundown on what consumers should keep in mind when considering their e-bike options.
Are e-bikes like mopeds?
While any form of motorized bike may elicit images of youngsters weaving dangerously through traffic, the local experts who spoke to The Standard-Times recently say it's a common misconception that e-bikes are simply electric moped alternatives. In fact, according to Scott Martin, owner of Scottee's Westport Bicycle, most of his e-bike customers' stories are more like that of Dalton's.
"It's generally older people, for sure," Martin said, noting a recent sale as a retirement present. "But not always. Sometimes it's just people who live in Westport or South Dartmouth and they have their whole families that come down for the summer so they want a couple of bikes for relatives to ride. Some of those people go with e-bikes."
How are e-bikes different from other motorized bikes?
While Dalton says the type of e-bike she rides — bought from Scottee's — does ease some physical strain of riding, she's still putting in work to get where she's going.
"Sometimes people will notice I'm riding an e-bike and they'll say 'Hey! That's cheating!,'" Dalton laughed. "I just think, 'Cheating? You drove here!'"
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Martin says the e-bike options he carries are "pedal assist" e-bikes, which do not move unless the rider is actively pedaling. Once they do, there are different levels of assistance that can be selected, capable of helping a rider pedal up a hill with relative ease.
"So say you're riding and you come to this big hill that you normally wouldn't make it up — this just opens the door to be able to do that," Martin said, noting there's only one longstanding e-bike brand he trusts enough to carry.
Dalton, who gives the example of a ride from her Dartmouth home to Our Sisters' School in New Bedford for volunteer work as a typical cycling distance for her, says she finds the four assistance levels her e-bike provides are plenty to help her adapt to any situation she might encounter.
"In eco mode, pedaling at a normal rate, I'd go 12 mph; in tour mode I'd be going 14-15 mph; in sport I'd be doing 15-16 mph; and in turbo I can go 20 mph, then the assistance cuts out," Dalton said. "It's also nice that if the battery dies, you can still pedal it like a regular bike, so you won't get stuck somewhere."
Throttle e-bikes work more like a moped, but not quite
While Scottee's Westport Bicycle Shop limits its e-bike inventory to pedal-assist options, at the other end of the spectrum are throttle-driven models. While these may be more comparable in function to the way a moped or motorcycle works, Adam Iacaponi, manager at YesterYear Cyclery in New Bedford, says there are big factors to consider in the difference between a throttled e-bike and a gas powered bike, and even between the throttled selections YesterYear carries vs. other options, including the ability to DIY.
"Electric bikes are generally going to be restricted to 20 mph with throttle, 28 with pedal assist," Iacaponi said, noting YesterYear's options stay within that parameter. "When you start exceeding those limitations, you get into that kind of legal gray area where in some places they could consider that an electric motorcycle. At that point you would need a VIN number; it'd have to be registered and insurable."
According to Iacaponi, who says YesterYear first started carrying e-bikes in 2011, e-bikes are often an attractive alternative to gasoline powered bikes.
"I just think it's easier to have — you can lock it up in more places, you can bring it into a building, it doesn't smell like gasoline, it's not loud," he said. "I think we've seen less gas-powered bikes out there and overall we've certainly seen more e-bikes."
How much do e-bikes cost?
When it comes to the price point, YesterYear offers a range of e-bike options — both pedal-assist and throttled —starting at $1,000. Scottee's base pedal-assisted model starts at $2,300, Martin said, noting he's kept e-bike options limited to a single, reputable brand he knows he'll be able to provide service for in the future. Both Martin and Iacaponi say that while much cheaper options are available, it's advisable to steer clear.
"The problem is 99.9% of e-bikes come from China and there's no support, so people are buying them and then finding there's nowhere to get them serviced; you can't get parts," Martin said.
Both Martin and Iacaponi also highlighted battery safety as a factor to consider, as e-bike batteries — like many rechargeable lithium ion batteries — have become known in recent years for starting fires, even while not in use.
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"With battery fires, really the only time we've heard of that is with the cheaper electric bikes, especially those bought online from companies that are not adherent to any type of guidelines," Iacaponi said. "Anything we would bring into the store for sale has to have met the most current UL guidelines for battery safety."
"You might be paying a premium for something like we offer but you're getting a premium product that's safe and repairable," Martin said.
What are the rules for e-bikes?
Martin said e-bikes can be a somewhat touchy subject in the cycling community, with some riders being less than mindful of the power they sit upon.
"It's mostly the throttle e-bikes that people have complained about — companies are making bikes that can go 35-40 mph and it's causing problems on bike baths," Martin said. "People are just zipping along way faster than you should on a bike path. People might be there pushing strollers, walking dogs...."
For bikes that do stay within speed parameters, Iacaponi says they are legal to take to a bike path, state park or anywhere traditional bicycles would be allowed, at least in Massachusetts. This is another advantage over gas-powered bikes, he said.
"Gas bikes cannot go on things like bike paths or the state forest. They are considered a motorized vehicle and they do have to be registered as kind of a subset of a moped," Iacaponi said. "Those are relegated to street-use only and even then there are pretty strict guidelines governing how fast they can go."
When it comes to Mass. state guidelines, the state website refers to a link on www.massbike.org. According to the information found there, the state has two classifications for e-bikes. Class 1 encompasses pedal-assisted options with an electric motor of 750 watts or less, and an assisted speed of 20 mph. Class 2 encompasses throttled options with the same parameters. Those definitions were set as of Aug. 10, 2022, according to the site.
To get in touch with YesterYear Cyclery, 330 Hathaway Rd., New Bedford, visit yesteryearcyclery.com or call 508-993-2525. For Scottee's Westport Bicycle, 1125 State Rd.,Unit 1, Westport, call 508-636-1266.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Electric bike sellers and cycling experts explain the pros and cons
