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Comment by dawhizkid | Hacker News Reader

Awesome! Having used Jump this weekend, I wouldn't say dockless is the main value prop to me as a customer - it's the power assist that makes it feel more like a scooter than a bike. Going medium distances (1-2 miles) and up and down steep hills in SF was a breeze. If you're commuting, it's "sweat free."

IMO Uber Pool/Lyft Line has gotten so slow (I'm sure Pool/Line's share of total rides vs regular X/Lyft is more than 80% in many cities now) for short to med distances that powered bikes has become more and more appealing.

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it's the power assist that makes it feel more like a scooter than a bike

There are many comments online about how awesome electric bikes are and many skeptical responses. I think the basic divide comes down to one thing: Has the person tried an electric bike? Almost everyone who has immediately sees them as awesome. Many who haven't don't get the point.

There are finally some reputable electric bikes available for around $1,000 (https://www.propella.bike/products/singlespeed), but most people want transportation without having to deal with hassle on either end.

> Has the person tried an electric bike? Almost everyone who has immediately sees them as awesome. Many who haven't don't get the point.

Probably depends on your goals as well.

I got one of those 2-stroke engines to put on my bike a while ago and when it arrived I was looking at it and thinking "if I put this thing on my bike I'll never get any exercise". Instead I went to the pawn shop and got another bike and put it on that one instead -- and it sits in the corner unused to this day. One of these years I'll get it out and ride it around because it's actually pretty nice looking, a "lowrider" beach cruiser that fits the engine perfectly like they were made for each other.

I had a similar response. I bike to work, and one of my coworkers got an electric bike that he let me try. I was very tempted to get one, as it would make longer distance much more viable, but I was also afraid I'd always use the electric bike and not get any exercise.

I'd love something like Jump in Austin for trips when it's hot out, or longer distances.

2 strokes are still leagal ?

My first experience with an electric bike was pretty fun. I was at a stop light in front of a car and looked back to see a very angry look that I was on a bike...I cleared the intersection before they even entered it. It was a custom bike capable of 60mph

60mph capabilities on a bicycle-like frame sounds very dangerous.

And illegal in most places. Usually you are capped at 25KM/h

Ebikes in general were and probably still illegal there at any speed.

I've seen that removable battery style before in an ebike, and a friend that had a DIY version of that said vibration eventually caused heat problems that caused something to catch fire. Does this bike deal with that? Do you latch the battery to avoid vibration problems?

I've had a Juiced Cross Current (The newer better version is this: https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/crosscurrent-s) for over a year. I've put around 1k miles on it between commuting and doing long weekend bike adventures here in Los Angeles. I can't even begin to express how much I love my eBike. I peddle pretty hard with the assist so I get a good workout and 2x my effort. I agree - anyone who is skeptical simply hasn't tried one.

I had an electric bike for a while. It worked well but it couldn't last my daily trip of 70KM so for a decent chunk of the time I was dragging along all the extra weight so I sold it and got a nice light road bike. If you are only going about 40km between charges it's perfect.

Have you tried Uber Pool Express instead of regular Uber Pool. I use it for commuting daily and it usually only takes 10 minutes longer than an UberX.

How is Express better than Pool? It's the same or slower. Same issues for me (waiting 5-10 minutes for pickup, then the unknown factor of whether there's 2 others already in the car or the driver will need to pick up 1-2 after you are picked up).

Express trades off time for money. It's more effort and slows down your trip, but it's much cheaper.

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