by Kevin Connelly

Notes on My E-Bike Experiment ⚡🚲

The top three expenses for the average American are housing, transportation, and food. Living in a reasonable domicile, bike commuting to work, and cooking your own food will free up most budgets. I’m here to talk about transportation today.

I have been bicycling to work for 6 years. Living 1-3 miles from my office, this was no problem. All that changed when I moved 10 miles north in May and bought a car…

Until I bought an e-bike on Craig’s List. I’m happy to report that e-bikes do, in fact, kick-ass and render a 10-mile commute a non-factor.

58 minutes on a regular bike, 40 on my e-bike.

Baltimore isn’t exactly known for its safety, bike lanes, or well-paved roads. My commute does take me along the Jones Falls Trail to one of the few bike lanes going south, found on Maryland Ave. Having a shower at my office makes this much more doable as well. Access to a shower is a big unlock for the bike commuter.

Let’s briefly touch on some back-of-the-napkin math on e-biking and why you might want to consider doing this.

💰 + E-Bike

  • Upfront cost – I got a lightly used e-bike for about $1k on Craig’s List.
  • Ongoing savings – modest savings. The bike will pay for itself in roughly two years, with ~$35 per week saved with my current commuting schedule (2x per week + errands).

Why E-Bike? ⚡🚲

  • Google estimates my ride to be 58 minutes by bike and 24 minutes by car; the super boost my E-Bike gives me gets me there in about 40 minutes. So for 16 extra minutes in my day I get to be in the sun getting zone 2 cardio for 40 minutes, and NOT SIT IN TRAFFIC.
  • Biking is a mood enhancer. If it is cold, wet, or hot – I rejoice when I get to my destination and feel as if I have already done something difficult in my day. If it is a nice day, I am pumped that I got to be outside.
  • The E-Bike especially has made driving situations biking situations. There is no way I would be able to pull off this commute on my old set of wheels or be inclined to ride up the super steep hill I need to take home from the grocery store.

In conclusion, bicycles are still one of the best inventions ever – and the e-bike is worth the investment if it will keep you on your bike more often.

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