Juli lived in Whaletown when she first got the bike. We asked her how long it takes to get to\u00a0Mansons<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Whaletown<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 and how far her range is.<\/p>\n She said that her child didn\u2019t like going very fast, so it was about an hour. But on her own it was 40-45 minutes. And she could do that twice on a single charge.<\/p>\n Juli says that the bike paid itself off in the first 10 months. She didn\u2019t have a car during that period, so she used the bike almost exclusively. Between getting last year\u2019s model in 2019, and the\u00a0scrap-it rebate<\/a>, it only cost her $1000.<\/p>\n \u201cScrap-it\u201d is a BC Government rebate program that provides funding to individuals for electric car and bike purchases when they recycle their older or more polluting vehicles. You can get $1,050 from\u00a0SCRAP-IT<\/a>\u00a0when you purchase your new electric bike.<\/p>\n Mike Brown was a cyclist and a hitchhiker, until the pandemic cancelled hitchhiking. He dislikes product research, so he called a friend who had an e-bike for advice. His friend Mark Appleyard had a\u00a0Rad Rover<\/a>\u00a0and said he liked it. So Mike got one too. Mike says, \u201cit\u2019s good\u201d.<\/p>\n Mike describes the Rad Rover as the one with the fat tyres. He doesn\u2019t think the tyres need to be 4\u201d wide, but maybe it helps on gravel roads.<\/p>\n Mike says he thinks the the Rad Power Bikes excel at providing a decent bike for a good price. He compared the Rad Rover, which cost him $2000 plus tax, with an entry level model from Specialized at $3000. To hit that price point, Mike says Rad uses cheaper components \u2013 but he\u2019s happy enough with the balance they struck.<\/p>\n Mike likes the fact that the bike comes with front and rear lights \u2013 which he says is a requirement for safety on Cortes.<\/p>\n Mike thinks people should know that it is heavy, so if you have to lift it for some reason as part of your lifestyle, that\u2019s something to be aware of.<\/p>\n We asked Mike about his range. He said that a benchmark for him is whether he can get to\u00a0Campbell River<\/a>, gather a bunch of supplies, and get back again without worrying about his battery quitting \u2013 and the Rad Rover does that. He can also ride from his place on Olmstead to Smelt Bay, load up with what-have-you, and get home with one or two out of five bars remaining on his battery indicator.<\/p>\n Chris Napper \u2013 Chris is a homesteader, retired.<\/p>\n Chris wanted to keep his bike, rather than buy a new one, so he looked into a conversion kit to add electric power to his mountain bike. After doing much research, he decided on a 1000W\u00a0Bafang BBHSD<\/a>\u00a0mid-drive, bottom bracked mounted motor that drives the chain \u2013 so each gear can be powered.<\/p>\n Chris says he doesn\u2019t use all the power his motor can put out, but he\u2019s glad it\u2019s there if he needs it.<\/p>\n He likes the motor being centrally mounted, with the weight down low. And the conversion was relatively easy to do.<\/p>\n Chris looked into getting a complete bike and found that an affordable model would cost $2200, his conversion kit cost $1600. He already had a nice quality bike, and it would be hard to get it\u2019s value back by selling it, and he really wanted avoid it ending up in the scrap heap \u2013 so for him, a conversion kit was an easy decision.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, keeping the bike he had and converting it to electric meant that he wouldn\u2019t qualify for the scrap-it program \u2013 you can only get a rebate for new ebikes.<\/p>\n Despite missing out on the rebate, Chris says the cost savings have been numerous. He says that he avoids fuel costs, ferry costs, vehicle maintenance costs and insurance costs \u2013 the e-bike allows him to qualify for a low-kilometer 10%\u00a0discount from ICBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n As for range, Chris says that he typically charges after 70-80 kilometers and has tested his theoretical maximum range at 100 kilometers.<\/p>\n Chris says that there can be technical issues with any e-bike, and he has had some trouble with his battery management system, the circuitry that protects the cells in the battery. It takes some time to work things out and you need some help from the internet.<\/p>\n Chris acknowledges that many folks conversing online fear that the mid-drive systems cause excessive wear on the drivetrain of the bike. One could carry a spare chain to address this, but he has not found the wear to be an issue. Regardless, Chris says that annual replacement of the chain and cassette is a small price to pay if someone needs more insurance against breaking down and being stranded with a bike and no way to power it.<\/p>\n Photo courtesy Andy Baskin of Dandy Horse Bikes<\/p><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n For a different perspective, Cortes Currents contacted the Owner and Operator of\u00a0Dandy Horse Bikes<\/a>, Andrew Baskin. Dandy Horse is the only bicycle repair shop on Cortes.<\/p>\n Dandy Horse is a supplier of\u00a0Grin Technologies<\/a>\u00a0which sells e-bike conversion kits and parts. He likes that their parts are broadly compatible with each other and with many other conversion kits sold by other companies. The company is fairly local, supplying parts they design and manufacture, as well as parts from overseas. Andrew says that they thoroughly test everything they sell and provide excellent support for customers.<\/p>\n Andrew says that the major manufacturers of complete e-bikes have made it difficult to work on their bikes without buying their parts, and often would risk voiding the warranty. Sometimes, you even have to ship the whole bike back to their factory. He says that it is important to consider that, living on Cortes, we have a greater need for self-sufficiency, local supplies, locally repairable equipment and inter-changeable parts \u2013 \u201cand that\u2019s the way it should be\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n So, we\u2019ve heard about a few different e-bikes and the cost savings these riders have experienced. Next, they describe other motivations at the heart of their decision.<\/p>\n Chris says that the environment is a factor. Another big benefit is not having to wait in lines for two hours or more to get on the ferry. He can arrive five minutes before sailing and expect to roll right on. Chris does acknowledge that he still has a car, but it does just sit there for many trips.<\/p>\n Juli says that the fun and cost-savings are as big a part of her decision as is the environment. She thinks about it everytime she buys gas, \u201cit doesn\u2019t feel great\u201d. And she says that she loves the e-bike, especially how it allows her to experience the world with her sense as she moves through it. For Juli, every trip on the e-bike is an adventure.<\/p>\n For Mike, it\u2019s all about the sense of freedom. He feels like a teenager again, pushing boundaries and experiencing a fresh sense of mobility. He says that he feels liberated from the feeling of tension that many of his friends describe when they wish they would drive less, but have to keep driving.<\/p>\n Andrew says that e-bikes are a huge step in reducing our climate emissions and are accessible to a large percentage of people.<\/p>\n Cortes Currents reached out to local climate journalist Barry Saxifrage to get a sense of just how big a reduction in climate pollution an e-bike has over an internal combustion engine. He said, by email, that \u201can internal combustion engine (ICE) is80x more climate polluting than a similar electric vehicle (EV) in BC(or you could say it as: EVs in BC are 99% less climate polluting than ICE). [And]\u00a0e-Bikes use 1\/10th to 1\/20th the amount of electricity per kilometre as an EV. So they will only use 5% to 10% of what an EV does per mile. That means they are 99.9% less climate polluting in BC than an ICE car.<\/p>\n Next we asked our interviewees some of the common questions that come up for those interested in e-bikes.<\/p>\n We began by wondering if the riders still get exercise.<\/p>\n Juli says that she gets more exercise. For her the e-bike replaces driving, it doesn\u2019t replace walking or riding a bike without the electric assist. But it\u2019s not too much exercise, generally she doesn\u2019t want a hard workout before spending the day outside, walking and exploring.<\/p>\n Chris also says that he figures he gets more exercise because the e-bike replaces car trips, not bike trips.<\/p>\n Mike says that he gets enough exercise just by living on Cortes. His goal was to get less exercise. He says he keeps his assist level at maximum and that works for him, but if one wanted to get exercise, they could just dial it down.<\/p>\n Next we asked if these riders felt safe riding on Cortes and whether there is anything that could make riding safer.<\/p>\n Juli says that people in cars can become desentized to how dangerous the activity is. Not so on the bike, she says that she is more alert and aware and can more easily keep herself safe. She has had a few close calls and thinks drivers should slow down, especially on the tight corners, and remind themselves that there are other people on the roads. Juli doesn\u2019t feel, however, that the roads should be expanded, \u201cthat wouldn\u2019t feel good\u201d.<\/p>\n Juli also says that she appreciates not being a source of danger to others. By avoiding car trips, she avoids the risk that she could be responsible for an accident that hurts another being. And she adds that on an e-bike, one can see just how many animals get squished on roads by cars and one is much less likely to be squishing them.<\/p>\nMike Brown<\/h2>\n
Chris Nappier<\/h2>\n
Range<\/h2>\n
![\"Dandy](\"https:\/\/cortescurrents.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/0-1-800x600.jpg\")
Andrew Baskin of Dandy Horse Bikes<\/h2>\n
Why buy an e-Bike?<\/h2>\n
Do e-Bike riders exercise?<\/h2>\n
How can riding e-Bikes be safer?<\/h2>\n