On 1/17/2011 9:49 AM, Fred wrote:
SMS wrote:
On 1/10/2011 3:37 PM, Fred wrote:
I think I might add an electric bike to my collection of trusty and
rusty two wheelers. . They look like a bit of fun with a practical
use. Am looking at the Trek sprint 7 or the Wisper 905. Anyone know
much about these things? Or any other brands?

I met the owner of Pacific EBikes at Interbike, waiting for an airport
shuttle. He was quite a character. He was railing about the $2000
poorly designed e-Bikes, of which there were a great many at the
show. He has a factory in Suzhou China which produces his products,
which are all under $US 1000.http://www.pacificebike.com/

You really want to avoid an eBike where the battery pack is placed
over the rear wheel. It should be in the center of the bike. The
Wisper 905 line looks good. The Trek Sprint 7 must be a model not
sold in the U.S., but all the Trek electric bikes on the U.S. web
site look like a regular bike that they just stuck a motor and
battery onto.

Thanks for that. Brain was asleep when I posted that. The models I am
considering are the Wisper and the Ezee sprint 7. (Dn't know why I put
Trek.)

Some of the conversion kits cost nearly as much as a whole bike from
Pacific EBikes.

The bottom line here is that this isn't rocket science, it's a motor,
battery, and controller, but you really need a frame that's designed
with a good place for the battery to be placed with a low center of
gravity. You don't want the battery sitting on a rack over the rear wheel.

Also, don't get carried away with range. If it's a commute bike you know
how far you're riding each day, and carrying more battery than you need
is not necessary.