I just bought an ebike last week. I ended up looking at bikes that were "ugly" (no attempt to hide what it is), cheap ($1250-$1500), and fast (class 3, up to 28 mph):
Out of those I went with the Aventon, which had a local bike shop selling and supporting it.
50-mile impressions: it's fun; being a cross between a motorcycle and a bike is the fastest way I know to get around Boston at rush hour; it feels safer than biking, because I can almost always go the speed of car traffic and take the whole lane without getting passed; 28mph is handy, even in rush hour city traffic.
It's interesting knowing that these things can be made much more beautifully -- it's still such a young industry that there's lots of room to figure out new standards that will improve things for everyone. It will be neat to see them evolve.
Wow, that is really fast for a bike. Are you allowed to drive these bikes on all bike paths and such? Where I live (Sweden) they are limited to 25 km/h (~16 mph).
California is the farthest ahead in regulating them in the US. 28 MPH is the top speed for a "Class 3" bike, and is barred from some bike paths in California:
In practice I ride it like a car when I'm going car speed, and like a bike when I'm going bike speed -- my goal is for it to always feel safe to people around me given where it is.
https://www.aventon.com/products/aventon-pace-500-complete-b...
https://ride1up.com/product/city/
https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/crosscurrent-s
Out of those I went with the Aventon, which had a local bike shop selling and supporting it.
50-mile impressions: it's fun; being a cross between a motorcycle and a bike is the fastest way I know to get around Boston at rush hour; it feels safer than biking, because I can almost always go the speed of car traffic and take the whole lane without getting passed; 28mph is handy, even in rush hour city traffic.
It's interesting knowing that these things can be made much more beautifully -- it's still such a young industry that there's lots of room to figure out new standards that will improve things for everyone. It will be neat to see them evolve.