E-bikes are a thing

[scott62]

If I wreck my XO derailleur I will buy this….

Box Three P9 X-Wide Single Shift E-Bike Groupset

Our Box Three tier delivers many of the same capabilities of its more famous siblings yet it's built upon a simpler platform. The cassette is E-bike Optimized at 12-50T, adding an extra tooth to each of the three highest gears. The derailleur exploits our Limited Slip clutch technology without...

boxcomponents.com

9 speed, wide range and chains that cost nothing.

 

[mattybfat]

If I wreck my XO derailleur I will buy this….

Box Three P9 X-Wide Single Shift E-Bike Groupset

Our Box Three tier delivers many of the same capabilities of its more famous siblings yet it's built upon a simpler platform. The cassette is E-bike Optimized at 12-50T, adding an extra tooth to each of the three highest gears. The derailleur exploits our Limited Slip clutch technology without...

boxcomponents.com

9 speed, wide range and chains that cost nothing.

My only issue with that box set is that cogset, holes drilled makes me think it's no better then the S companys. Foldie McFoley.

 

[Ironjunk]

Where do you think the current generation of ebikes will be in 8 years? Sold for discount? landfill? Will they be truly obsolete?

Does any brand promise the same battery design forever?

 

[scott62]

Everything will be land fill…. Even you.

 

[rick81721]

Where do you think the current generation of ebikes will be in 8 years? Sold for discount? landfill? Will they be truly obsolete?

Does any brand promise the same battery design forever?

Eh like anything else, the top end ones will still be around, the cheap crappy bikes will be trashed.

 

[jdog]

Where do you think the current generation of ebikes will be in 8 years? Sold for discount? landfill? Will they be truly obsolete?

Does any brand promise the same battery design forever?

Bikes with bosch drive units should still be going strong unless they are a super high mileage rider:

"Bosch actually guarantees their batteries for 2 years or 500 charge cycles (whichever comes first). This doesn't mean your battery will pack up after 2 years and 1 day. In fact, Bosch themselves state that the battery should be good for around 10 years or 1500 full charge cycles"


But you are right to think that a uncomfortable amount of obsolesce is built into bikes of all kinds. E-bikes are more of the same. Propriety is the name of the game. Unique battery, charger, drive unit etc..

Here is a 2003 Santa Cruz. This wasn't a cheap bike and at best it might have a street value of $500 in very good condition.

 

[Steve Vai]

Companies don’t offer support for any of their regular bikes after 5 years so…

 

[Bike N Gear]

Companies don’t offer support for any of their regular bikes after 5 years so…

So...make sure you buy a new one before your bike's expiration date.

 

[mattybfat]

So...make sure you buy a new one before your bike's expiration date.

This ^

 

[Steve Vai]

So...make sure you buy a new one before your bike's expiration date.

I try to be on a new bike every 300 days 😂

 

[Bike N Gear]

I try to be on a new bike every 300 days 😂

Me too, but mine won't have 300 days of use on them.

 

[Santapez]

Bikes with bosch drive units should still be going strong unless they are a super high mileage rider:

"Bosch actually guarantees their batteries for 2 years or 500 charge cycles (whichever comes first). This doesn't mean your battery will pack up after 2 years and 1 day. In fact, Bosch themselves state that the battery should be good for around 10 years or 1500 full charge cycles"


But you are right to think that a uncomfortable amount of obsolesce is built into bikes of all kinds. E-bikes are more of the same. Propriety is the name of the game. Unique battery, charger, drive unit etc..

Here is a 2003 Santa Cruz. This wasn't a cheap bike and at best it might have a street value of $500 in very good condition.

I think you can make an argument that 2003 Santa Cruz is better than than any similarly priced bike you can buy right now for commuting or general cruising. So still very quite useful.

Used E-Bikes will probably be more likely to end up in a landfill but overall does it make a dent in all the other waste everyone dumps into landfills? I wouldn't be surprised if there's cheap AliExpress kits in the future to take out the motor guts and battery and convert to regular pedal bikes for cheap based on whatever motor platform the frame has.

The problem isn't really going to be 10k Specialized or Santa Cruz E-Bikes. The Landfills will be getting way more cheap Chinese E-bikes that people use a few times the first year and then let sit for the next 10 in the garage with a dead battery.

 

[Norm]

Who owns a bike for 5 years these days?

There's pretty much no concern about the cheap Chinese bikes. They will all basically self-destruct and catch fire. Problem solved!

 

[Patrick]

The ability to fix them?
If the motor is basically the same across them, i'm sure someone will come up with something.
Control boards? who knows.
Batteries - can always be rebuilt.
trade them in -> off to some other country

 

[Ian F]

Who owns a bike for 5 years these days?

Me? My Spot is a 2020 model and my two Santa Cruz frames are from 2019 - so the latter will be 5 years old next year. I have no plans to replace any of the three anytime soon. While there are newer models, the improvements are incremental and IMO not worth the cost. The only "new" tech they lack is UDH compatibility. I'll live not having that.

 

[Steve Vai]

Me? My Spot is a 2020 model and my two Santa Cruz frames are from 2019 - so the latter will be 5 years old next year. I have no plans to replace any of the three anytime soon. While there are newer models, the improvements are incremental and IMO not worth the cost. The only "new" tech they lack is UDH compatibility. I'll live not having that.

I have 5 bikes over 5-years old as well. 2 are 15 years old. I just sold my ‘96 Stumpy or it would be 6 😂

 

[Ironjunk]

I was going to upgrade my diy ebike then realized i keep things longer than they should and a broken frame on a 4k ebike means i have to drop another 2k for a frame.

 

[shrpshtr325]

Who owns a bike for 5 years these days?

There's pretty much no concern about the cheap Chinese bikes. They will all basically self-destruct and catch fire. Problem solved!

🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

I have a 2018 and a 2019 still in regular use.....I know I'm weird

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Companies don’t offer support for any of their regular bikes after 5 years so…

Intense still keeps me covered on my 2015 Tracer, just saying...

 

[SAM]

My ebike is a year and a half old. Should I get a new one?