Bike to Work Day 2019 - In praise of the simple e-bike (with Aventon Update)

For a guy who writes so much about this stuff, I've made a poor showing of riding to work on Bike to Work Week, but I did ride to work yesterday and today. And these are two days that point out the beauty of commuting on a very basic e-bike.

Yesterday morning, the weather was gorgeous - low breeze, temp in the low 60's, the sun was shining. Riding to work on pretty much any bicycle would've been really nice. Nine hours later, I went to leave work. It was overcast with winds gusting up into the mid 30's (miles per hour). I was really thankful for the e-bike!

Learn more on yesterday's MH post

This morning was a little different. It was overcast and the wind was blowing north pretty steadily at 20-30 miles per hour. My commute to work takes me south and west. Every time I turned south I understood why wind generators are such a good idea in this part of the world. Every time I turned south, I was thankful for a 48 volt battery and a 500 watt motor and a feature called pedal assist.

Not casting any shadows this morning

On mild days on a non-electric bike, my commute takes 22-25 minutes. This morning's commute in the wind would have taken more than 30 minutes and I would have arrived exhausted, sweaty, and smelling less than fresh.

Big shadow yesterday morn

Instead, I arrived in 18 minutes breathing somewhat heavily, but mostly feeling invigorated. For me, that's the real beauty of the e-bike as a commuter - consistency. You know how long it's going to take you to get there and what kind of shape you'll be in when you arrive.

So, what do I mean by "simple e-bike"? Well, just that - a simple bicycle with a simple electrical system. A simple bike is one with little or no suspension and very few gears. A simple electrical system is a single hub motor, a removable battery, and pedal assist.

The Aventon Pace - a simple e-bike

The bike I ride is mechanically very similar to the Aventon above. I've been very pleasantly surprised at how well it works for commuting. Most of the time, I leave it in 6th gear and put the motor in assist level 2, and I pedal it like any other bike. If the wind picks up, I can choose a lower gear or a higher level of assist. After a few days of commuting and running errands, I plug it in and let it charge.

None if this is to say that a high-powered and complicated e-bike won't do the trick, just that it's overkill if you're looking for an effective and efficient way to get around town. Also, the more complicated the machine is the more potential there is for things to go wrong. I'm a big fan of keeping it simple.

The Haibike SDuro Full Fatsix - a much less simple e-bike

Want to try one?

If you're e-bike curious here in Lubbock, a great (and low-commitment) way to get a test ride is to find and rent a Lime electric bike. Just download the app and use it to locate a Lime bike in your neck of the woods. If you're like me, you'll find your grin again!

In the next few weeks I'll post some of my favorite simple e-bikes. In the meantime, start thinking about it. Would an e-bike fit your commute or your errands? Would it help you to get outside and have a little exercise?

May you find that grin or something pretty darn similar this weekend and may you get up the momentum to start something new and healthy.

Aventon Update (6/14/2019)

Aventon sent me this email (below) this week introducing a new (slightly less powerful) Pace that should be a great fit for most people looking for a simple e-bike commuter for less than $1000. Check it out!

Find it here