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Comment by dagurp | Hacker News Reader

Those of you who want to cycle but live far away from work or in a hilly area, get an ebike. I really think they are the future of commuting.

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A friend of mine recently got one, and she likes it a lot. Her commute is more than mine (nine miles over some of the hillier parts of Boston), so the electric assist makes it easier for her to get to work efficiently without excessive overheating.

That's me. 15.1 miles each way. Pretty flat (150 ft elevation change). Any recommendations for electric bikes at that range and use?

Assume an average speed of 15 mph will still take me an hour though...

I was hoping that someone more knowledgeable would answer this. I think they best community to look at is Endless Sphere[1] but you could also check out /r/ebikes[2] (although I warn you you that they are all about making DIY bikes that are unnecessarily powerful in my opinion.

Then there's electric bike review[3]. He's reviewed an incredible number of different bikes.

[1]https://endless-sphere.com/forums/ [2]https://www.reddit.com/r/ebikes/ [3]https://electricbikereview.com/

I have one and it is fantastic, I can dress for the destination as it's easy to ride without getting drenched in sweat. Also I'll take a pleasant or safer route even if it extends the journey. I'm usually doing 100+ miles a week on it.

The only downside is it does need more maintenance than my normal bike, chains only last for about 1200 miles for instance.

I did 24km one way in hilly terrain for a few months last year. The ebike was really a god send in that situation. Track is here: http://cyclehikemap.eu/view.php?id=95

I was thinking about an ebike to help battle the wind. I can manage the hills between my house and the office, but I never take my bicycle if the forecast projects 13 mph or higher wind. I hate the wind and it feels like I'm always riding into it.

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