jeffjot
New member
I'm curious what people on this forum think of the comparison between e-bikes vs 2-stroke gas powered bicycles as a transportation and commuting bike. I'm talking about the common ones that involve a kit, and putting an engine on decent 10-speed bike with a wheel rag.
At first, my thinking was a 2 stroke with its light engine and very low gas cost (compared to car) would be superior because of course, e-bikes have batteries which can eventually wear out and be expensive to replace. A 2 stroke can go on endlessly right, and no battery needed, lower cost. And in theory if you ever found yourself on a very long commute, you would never have worries of needing to stop and recharge. Simply pull into a gas station, and a few bucks later you're topped off and ready to go again. Provided you bring some oil to mix, and all that.
However there are some significant drawbacks, at least from my point of view. I'm really revisiting this now that I have experienced riding an e-bike and appreciated some of the benefits of the e-bike side.
First, the noise. A 2 stroke bike is going to be much louder, which can disturb neighbors as well as making late night and early riding somewhat problematic.
Also there is the engine smoke with gas engines, not an issue with e-bikes. And finally there is the maintenance of the motor, which I feel is more involved (though don't know from personal experience) than an e-bike. I imagine these engines do wear out eventually. I feel that there is a lot of tweaking going on with these type of bicycles, and maybe they aren't as reliable? A 2 stroke bike maybe, is more of a hobby than simply a bike.
Does anybody have any thoughts on this? I am rather inexperienced with both. I imagine that e-bike batteries can be swapped out and replaced when they die, but what if your brand of battery can no longer be found for sale, isn't manufactured? How long do you find they last and how much do they typically cost to replace.
At first, my thinking was a 2 stroke with its light engine and very low gas cost (compared to car) would be superior because of course, e-bikes have batteries which can eventually wear out and be expensive to replace. A 2 stroke can go on endlessly right, and no battery needed, lower cost. And in theory if you ever found yourself on a very long commute, you would never have worries of needing to stop and recharge. Simply pull into a gas station, and a few bucks later you're topped off and ready to go again. Provided you bring some oil to mix, and all that.
However there are some significant drawbacks, at least from my point of view. I'm really revisiting this now that I have experienced riding an e-bike and appreciated some of the benefits of the e-bike side.
First, the noise. A 2 stroke bike is going to be much louder, which can disturb neighbors as well as making late night and early riding somewhat problematic.
Also there is the engine smoke with gas engines, not an issue with e-bikes. And finally there is the maintenance of the motor, which I feel is more involved (though don't know from personal experience) than an e-bike. I imagine these engines do wear out eventually. I feel that there is a lot of tweaking going on with these type of bicycles, and maybe they aren't as reliable? A 2 stroke bike maybe, is more of a hobby than simply a bike.
Does anybody have any thoughts on this? I am rather inexperienced with both. I imagine that e-bike batteries can be swapped out and replaced when they die, but what if your brand of battery can no longer be found for sale, isn't manufactured? How long do you find they last and how much do they typically cost to replace.
