The latest trend that’s helping reduce e-bike prices - Single-speed electric bikes

[smorgasbord]

My first e-Bike experience was in Monterey, renting Rad Power bikes. Their instruction was to leave the shifter at "7" (it was a 7-speed), and then to change PAS levels or use the throttle if we needed. These are hub-motor bikes, so they don't care what gear you're in. That said, the paths and streets along the ocean are, well, almost as flat as the ocean itself.

 

[6zfshdb]

The popularity of SS bikes depends entirely on how and where you ride. Although a motor does reduce the need for the old style 21 or more speeds, 7 to 10 are handy if you ride trails or hilly city streets.

 

[FlatSix911]

I have always enjoyed riding Single Speed analog bikes for the ease and simplicity of the design.
Try riding a Fixie (fixed gear) if you want a challenge of maintaining the cadence with no backpedaling!

 

[WattsUpDude]

In our early 20s, a friend and I really got into road riding. He really got into a SS Bianchi and I stuck to my 3*10 Raleigh. I was really, really jealous of how light his bike was...until we needed to get up a hill.

 

[john peck]

The one thing that appeals to me is ease of maintenance, no derailleurs, cassettes, shifters, & cables to complicate & confound one.
Changing a rear tire has to be 100% easier. I´m still too damn big to ride one. That´s one reason why I abandoned my elegant, but fragile
road bike. skinny tires just bottom out or pop, & rims just end up tacoed. That blue Rad bike looks pretty substantial, tempting, but how
well does it climb? There´s some rather salient topography ´round here.

 

[kmccune]

I agree that a SS has a limited use case and can be a polarizing subject.
For me, the simplicity and ease of use makes the SS an attractive option for a quick town run.
I have a SE Lager analog bike that I have enjoyed riding both SS and fixie over the last decade... just flip the rear cog.

View attachment 70602

Man thats sharp!

 

[FlatSix911]

Man thats sharp!

Thank you... here's another beauty shot.

 

[mogulskier]

People who don't shift don't live in hilly or mountainous areas.

True. A single speed ebike would be just the ticket if you lived urban/flat/commute areas. But even then, I still shift through the gears if I am a little tired, or vice-versa have energy and want to ride faster. But I would suspect most of us live or ride in mountainous or hilly areas where shifting through the gears is mandatory.

Single speed really limits where you can ride, but that is OK for some people and obviously a market for them.

 

[john peck]

Thank you... here's another beauty shot.

View attachment 75101

If it would take 700/47s & I was a flatlander. I´d love that bike. Unfortunately, I´m a mite ´over the hill´ at 72
for a fixie.

 

[kmccune]

If it would take 700/47s & I was a flatlander. I´d love that bike. Unfortunately, I´m a mite ´over the hill´ at 72
for a fixie.

We are not"spring chickens" anymore. My ''grind days" are long gone.

 

[Gordon71]

"removing just $30-$50 in shifters, cables, derailleurs, derailleur hangers, guards, cassettes, and other related parts can mean shaving off several times that much on the bike’s MSRP."

OK so how does that work? Usually these guys figure out a way to reduce their cost but only pass a little of that on to the consumer.

 

[john peck]

We are not"spring chickens" anymore. My ''grind days" are long gone.

I´m really tempted. Maintenance would be so much simpler. I think I could get by on 700/38s with
a 32 pd. bike. My current bike weighs twice what the ride1up roadster does, & once I get my bike
rolling, the power bar frequently shows that I am using no power when pedaling. I have maintained
a lot more muscle mass than most men my age. I think I owe that to a cpl. herbal suppliments &
a fierce discipline of workout & diet. Still pretty creaky some mornings, & I have begun to give my body
a ´few´ more recovery days.

 

[creativepart]

I built my eBike with a rear hub motor. The donor bike was a 9x2 Specialized Crosstrail. I've removed the front derailleur and thought about removing the rear. But I do shift some for steep hills. Not really often enough to make it all that necessary but you never know when you might head out to new terrain and find the gears helpful. And, of course, the always present expended battery problem could suddenly crop up too.

If I could switch to a belt drive with a 5 speed internally geared hub that would be enough. Maybe my next bike.

 

[Ken M]

I tend to think that with higher assist power most riders can be by with a SS ebike. I understand that some hills may put more load on the motor and if your battery dies it's going to be a rough ride home but these are probably somewhat rare events. I'd say go with a belt set up such that you have your preferred cadence at your most preferred cruising speed and you will find out that it's a nice solution.

 

[Taylor57]

I rarely shift. 8th gear, PAS 3-5. I may downshift to 5th or 6th if I come accross the rare incline...

 

[legsofbeer]

I use everything from 2-6 out of 7 gears on every ride (mostly a five mile each way commute with one hill). I downshift to 3 at every stop and gear up from there as speed increases. If I'm feeling my oats and have a bunch of green lights lined up might use gear 7 and sustain low 20s (mph) with comfortable cadence. Yes, it's a rear hub fatty that I'm supposed to throttle around, call me a rebel. My BPM after I bring the bike inside measures at around 110, so I think I'm doing some work, my preferred effort level is breathing hard but not sweating.

 

[Gordon71]

I use everything from 2-6 out of 7 gears on every ride (mostly a five mile each way commute with one hill). I downshift to 3 at every stop and gear up from there as speed increases. If I'm feeling my oats and have a bunch of green lights lined up might use gear 7 and sustain low 20s (mph) with comfortable cadence. Yes, it's a rear hub fatty that I'm supposed to throttle around, call me a rebel. My BPM after I bring the bike inside measures at around 110, so I think I'm doing some work, my preferred effort level is breathing hard but not sweating.

That's pretty much what I do although I rarely downshift for a stop. At a stop I prefer a quick 2 second burst of throttle to get rolling which is pretty much the only time I use the throttle.

 

[Dewey]

Two other single speed ebikes that illustrate different approaches are the Detroit eSparrow which is a lightweight Class 1 with a 250w Bafang geared hub motor, and the Riide which uses a 500w direct drive motor and is Class 3

 

[Gordon71]

Two other single speed ebikes that illustrate different approaches are the Detroit eSparrow which is a lightweight Class 1 with a 250w Bafang geared hub motor, and the Riide which uses a 500w direct drive motor and is Class 3

No suspension or fenders for $900 or $2800.

 

[Dewey]

No suspension or fenders for $900 or $2800.

That's a weight saving benefit for the Detroit eSparrow that weighs under 35lb compared with 48lb for the RadMission that comes with fenders, other differences are the eSparrow uses a smaller 36v battery vs the larger 48v battery on the RadMission.