To hell with the internal combustion engine....where's me bike?!

I'd do it if i could. 28km drive to work equals an hour cycling on a good road bike.

No showers at work so I'd stink the place if i cycled in mornings. I could get train once or twice a week then cycle home, but that is €7 of a fare, and the diesel isn't probably even that price yet.

I don't live in the city, I drive to the next town over for work, plus I drive my kids there for school too.

When I'm home, I'll walk or cycle to the local shop for bread and milk etc. The week's shopping, though is done in another town, as there are no supermarkets in our village, so that's a drive

The Giant Cadex I got here will be my "work" bike. I'll use it to nip downtown at lunchtime or whenever instead of taking the car.

However, I wouldn't get rid of my car. It's too useful a tool for both practical stuff I need to do, and for leisure stuff I want to do.

If I got rid of my car it would mean either increased awkwardness in my day to day life, or relying on other people who have a car to do the driving that I can't do

Ok. What speed can ebikes do so I won't get sweaty- genuine question.

Started a new job in January and it's 12.5km or so away in Swords, which for me is a bit much every day on a normal bike in howling winds against me.

Got an e-bike a few weeks ago so it'll be an easier commute, so wind/hills are just not an issue any more. So glad I don't have to drive to work.

Interesting question, and I'd also like to know how long the battery lasts. But would you not just turn off the pedal assistant when not needed? Therefore prolonging the life of the battery? Excuse my ignorance if this is a silly question as I've never owned/ridden an electric bike.

The car might be a dying form of transport for a certain cohort of people, but that's seems to be a very urban-centric view of things. Most definitely, living in a rural village with limited amenities, and even more limited public transport, the car is far from dead

I actually love my vehicle - driving over 25 years and this is the first one. However, I accept it's less sustainable being a combi van (although it did replace a car and an old dirty campervan). We chose to live in a rural location, in my wife's homeplace. Biggest impediment to more active travel is motorist behaviour - I prefer to blame that than a lack of footpath, as if we had a better cohort of motorists, then the lack of footpath wouldn't matter.

I currently drive part of the way, and cycle the rest. I've considered an ebike to do a full commute, and to be honest it's the standard of driving on the rural roads before I hit the N11 that continues to put me off. I've been commuting from here nearly 20 years, and have continually witnessed craziness in rush hours by motorists.

An ebike would let me push the cycle commute side up a bit though - prevailing head wind + family time pressures mean I usually drive in further than my fitness allows. Also not necessitating a change and shower would also save a bit of time. I guess the current prices changes the equations a bit.

I'm another convert. I've commuted by ebike for the last 4yrs, current commute is 32km round trip over backroads and its fine, I actually get very little bother from cars even though the roads are busy - I actually think driver behavior is getting better. I don't need to shower in work, I don't sweat on the bike unless its a warm day and most days wear my work trousers with a cycle top / jacket. If its raining I go lycra as it dries relatively easily. I sold the car and find that the ebike will push through most weather up to storms etc. I've been out in snow / sleet / torrential rain and its not that bad - Nothing is as bad as sitting in traffic.

For me, wired in lights, mudguards and a pannier rack are essentials btw.

Btw. its not just the fuel cost. Tax / insurance / servicing / wear items and the big one, depreciation, are likely greater.

My commute used to be 27km each way and I charged the battery in work and at home - you need a battery that can detach from the frame for that to work which is worth noting. 40k means ~90-120min cycle at a 25kph average which takes commitment, I used to do mine in 50min. Worth noting that you can exceed the 25kph limit but the power assist will be cut so if you are downhill or have a tailwind you can still go faster, its just that your uphill sections will likely still be in the 20-25kph range.

My commute, when I'm in the office, it about 13km each way with no viable public transport. Pre covid I'd almost entirely abandoned the car, hail rain or shine. Since then I've been working from home and only in the last month or two going in for a half day or so for meetings. Annoyingly that half day for the past few weeks has coincided with 40+km/h winds and/or torrential rain, so I've wussed (40km/h winds forecast is really my limit)

What's the killer for us is the kids activities. They're for the most part in places either really awkward to get to other than by car and/or time constrained in that there's no other way you'd get them there after school. There are a few that are more local and when at all feasible, they're on their bikes for these.

I long for the day I can stop paying the legalised gangsters of the insurance industry on at least one of our cars. The missus does commute every day, and while I was trying to drop broad hints on ebikes, she was having none of it. Even if she was to do it, she'd still occasionally need a car anyway. Unfortunately this means we're most probably stuck with being a 2 car family while there're complicated logistics around the kids.

E-bikes are completely brilliant though. Having only tried one a handful of times, there's just something fun about being able to sail effortlessly up a 7% grade. There certainly will be one in some future of mine (I have a long simmering project to add power to my old 26" wheeled workhorse to use as for shopping, as it's very under utilised at the moment).

I should say that I use the highest assist level all the time, one of the best ways to increase range is by pedaling yourself. I can significantly increase range by dropping the assist levels (which I have had to do due to forgetting to put the battery on charge - more than once).

Another way I suspect is to reduce drag. My ebike is a MTB, something lower, slimmer and with drop bars would be more efficient. Additionally a geared hub motor is more efficient than a mid drive (what I have - bosch Gen2) and both are a lot more efficient than a non-geared hub motor.

Another thing to consider is bike maintenance and wear and tear. I do it myself, brake pads, cassette and chain swaps etc. I also always keep spare wear items.

I commute into Waterford along the greenway most fine days. 35ish km return trip and there's really only a handful of days the rain has stopped me. I've been using an e-bike the last while purchased from the wonderful people in Altitude and it means I get into work sweat free now. The government really need to be subsidising e-bikes not e-cars.

A mate at work got one recently, and commutes in town everyday now. I had a chance to take it for a spin, as I’d never ridden an e-bike before. I was slagging saying I can’t wait until I’m old enough to need an e-bike, but they are class. The simplicity of pedalling it a low speeds is brilliant. I’m giving serious consideration to getting one now, even just for the ‘non-sweaty’ aspect of getting around on it.

id still prefer the normal road bike, but can definitely see the benefit of it.

His has a Bosch battery, which I think is pretty good, what have you got in your shop @8valve ?

Your typical ebike is a brilliant choice for commuting; proper lights, mudguards, hub gear and chain guard would be typical on a lot of them.

I currently live in Clonmel and nearly all the roads serving town would be pretty unpleasant to commute on especially during peak hours. A bit of thought and planning would eliminate the need to use nearly all those roads and the ebike would level out the lumpier nature of back roads.

For example people commuting for the Dungarvan direction ( on what is a cnut of a regional road but popular with cyclists) the route below is one of many options which avoids most of regional road; at the cost of a little more climbing

Generally ebikes are brilliant for allowing people to cycle who normally wouldn't have. I've met a local man who's about 80 who's back cycling for the first time in 50 odd years. I've met him on the road below twice and nearby roads two other times

Dropped pin

https://maps.app.goo.gl/oifH2k3JoDDjaSU19

When out on the very lumpy backroads around the Waterford Greenway I've met an odd elderly ebike rider on roads they would never have seen otherwise.

Our lumpy and extensive back road network might be our get out of jail card for no cycling infrastructure