Why I Purchased A NON Electric Cargo Bike

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Support the channel on Patreon:

Interested in My Kona Roves Specs? Check out this video:

DISCLAIMER: Below is a list of what I use to make these videos and what I use on Most of my bike rides. If you purchase something through the links below it will give me a small commision at no extra cost of the original product to you. By doing this you are helping the channel out so if you choose to do so, thank you in advance.

Cameras I Use

Cameras I take on Rides

Riding Camera

What I take on ALL my bike rides.

Tech

Lights
How I Mount Front light and Wahoo.

Bike tools
My bike pump is so old they don't sell it anymore

Get a free WHOOP 4.0 and one month free when you join with my link:

[een_schildpad]

Great points! I carry our kiddos/ groceries around on a traditional cargo bike (Yuba Mundo Lux) and besides price the other big factor for me was a desire for mechanical simplicity. The bicycle is beautiful to me in it's simplicity and I love being able to work on any part of it. An e-bike loses this for me since it layers on all sorts of sensors, motors, computers, etc..

For me, there is joy in propelling myself around using only my own power on this simple machine.

I'm glad ebikes exist for those that need them and can afford them, but that's part of why I opted for the traditional (which we love!)

[masoodsiddiqui]

I too struggled when I was deciding on e-bike vs not... Eventually I decided to get the e-bike because my main goal was using the bike as transportation and not for exercise. The e-bike has allowed me to commute to work regularly for the last 3 months whereas for the last 10 years I was very hit or miss (more miss than hit :) ) Anyway, no regrets here on the e-bike purchase.

[kgilliagorilla]

My 35yo kid has a Bullit. Roloff 8speed (I think it’s 8), and front generator hub. He has two kids that have loved it. I have ridden it, it’s a tank! He had a hard time justifying the purchase, but with all the trips with the kids to school, parks, town concerts, grocery it really has earned it’s keep. We live in the western suburbs of Chicago. Cheers!

[johnzarubajr]

I'm 59 years old and just took the electric motor off of my commuter bike. I found it was becoming a crutch, over time watching my speed go up and my heart rate go down in my workout stats. Maybe it's human nature, but I found it was just too easy to push the boost a little more, then a little more, and a little more. One of the reasons I bike commute is to get some exercise so I was defeating the purpose. I originally put the motor on to use the bike for rehab and physical therapy for my arthritic hips and back, and the motor and accessories are now in a box in my bike room in case I ever need them again for that purpose.

[alans]

As an old retired old guy that has ridden many motorcycles and bicycles all my life I am happy with my city E bike . I have no children to worry about what they think or learn. When selling any used vehicle you walk away if you can that’s especially true of a two wheeled vehicle. Maybe when you get old/ older you can have an E bike ? Thanks for sharing your journey, your decision makes perfect sense for you at your time of life.

[Sla-fzxp]

Hello, my name is Sla, I'm French and I wanted to thank you for this little video that will help me a lot when buying a bullitt: I can say right now that it won't be electric!! ! I'm going to announce the news to my legs.... Thanks again to you!

[wam]

Hi! I was looking for pros and cons about e-bikes, so it's my first time in your channel and I thank you for giving me new approach.
Wam.

[jeremycrabbe]

I’ll start off by saying, price and parenting are both enough to justify the decision.
But, motors require very little maintenance already, and any performance improvement would be slight. Batteries are modular and replaceable when they’re inevitably improved.

Health is maximized when you have the right exertion to rest ratio, high intensity efforts to go above the motor cut off speed, balanced by low intensity to maintain speed on long trips. Also, the E bike provides a lot of assistance if sick, allowing you to meet your transportation needs without overexertion.
Motor: The extra power also aids navigating dangerous situations (crossing streets).
most E bikes are also functional without the battery or functional when it’s dead (though it is 30 pounds heavier 😅) plus you have to do some serious trips to kill an ebike battery

[Arunnejiro]

As an avid cyclist(for years) I find most of these points bizarre and misleading.
You do realize if you have an electric motor you don't have to use it? Additionally the extra weight(probably around 15 lbs) would just be added exercise. I am going to make a few counter points for you though. Theoretically its a mental battle whether or not you use your electric motor if you have it, it might tempt you to cheat. Because I use my bike for transportation and not for leisure there are many more benefits to have a motor, that mental battle is probably worth fighting. If you use it primarily for recreation I suppose outside of using it for your kids you would be better off getting a non cargo bike.

How much maintenance the electric part requires is typically pretty negligible. In my experience hub motors over years require virtually no maintenance. At most you might have wires coming from the controller overheating or getting wet, so they might need to be replaced which isn't that crazy of a repair job, but that's speaking from a diy kit perspective, the wire management system is probably much better on a premade kit.


Future proofing argument is bizarre as well. An electrified version of a bike typically is worth more than the non electrified version that's the same. Again even if the electric part is inferior it can still be used as a normal bike. Many electric bike parts are interchangeable as well. Some have some onboard bms systems that might make it a little iffy but for the most part most batteries can be repurposed. Although if your argument is more along the lines of you shouldn't use an ebike I would argue that it is better to purchase a non electric cargo bike then upgrade it to electric with a hub motor or perhaps a mid drive. If your going to commute or need to pickup furniture or an item over a long distance Like cabinets over a distance of 30-40 mile round trip you would need the electric motor, or if you want to give someone a ride home and get there in a reasonable time or it starts raining and you need to get home quickly or do anything more quickly its great to have that backup there.

[tconnolly]

Unless your level of fitness allows you to be able to push yourself and your bike to do all you need to do, an e-bike will allow everyone else to do more, go further and carry or pull more cargo.
Although I am still finding where I live that the majority of people who buy e-bikes tend to be only using them for leisure and recreation rather than for utilitarian transport or commuting as I plan to (I haven't got one yet).

[Liefpj]

im 2 years into a NCM Milano for $1, 400cdn.
Pro's - throttle for winter commuting(8kms) is nice esp in deep snow. No heavy breathing in cold air. 120kms summer range. Not arriving sweaty/out of breath. 4yr old son loves the electric speed. Pulling Chariot or sled is effortless. It's paid off compared to other modes.
Cons - throttle removed when my Shotgun seat is installed in summer. 70lbs Weight. 50kms winter range. 6yr old son gets motion sick w electric torque.
My 2 kids just started riding on their own and do not complain of the slower pace. They both did a 8km group ride. I rarely use more then 1-3 on pedal assist when with kids. While commuting I have to be extra careful with the lvl 6 which gives 32km/hr speed. My wife says she just wants to upgrade to a bigger Chariot since we have a 3rd child coming this spring.
I would love a cargo bike but it still seems too much. Electric or not.

[giellekefietst]

Overhere in the Netherlands, electric bikes are restricted at top speed (25 km/h) A non-electric Bullitt can easily be driven above that speed if you feel like it (and when it's safe to do so). Sometimes I catch up with road bikes a do 32KM/h in their wheels. Won't happen with an e-version 🙂 Oh, and if you fit a 2" tyre on the back and 1.15" in front, hardpack gravel is lots of fun ;-)

[joshuaparr]

Its a fair assessment you've done there, I'm pro e-bike and a big fan of the Bullitt

Personally, 4 out 6 of those I can provide counter arguements too as much as you have put them in your video. But again subjective from my point of view as well.

[knarf_on_a_bike]

Agree with all of your reasons. For myself, I would add that I just don't want to have to plug in a bike. I want it (and me) to be completely independent of any grid or energy infrastructure.

[joergresch]

great points, Josh. As a 65yr old Cyclist I moved from e-bie back to bio-bike /Gravel) a few years ago and never regretted it for exactly the reasons you describe. Mainly, there is so much less that can go wrong on a bio bike than on an e bike. So, I agree with all your arguments, but nevertheless I will build an electric X Bullitt with an aftermarket motor (the main difference between ready-to-ride ebikes and DIY ones is that you avoid vendor lock-in i.e with regards to the battery choice if you build your own one) because its goal will be to accompany groups of gravel bikers over the Alps and carry their luggage. The bike will have a large battery combined with solar panels for very long reach even in alpine conditions with heavy luggage. And it will have the best brakes you can fit to the bullitt.

[Gatitasecsii]

Man these are some really dumb reasons.
Other than price, everything else you said can be done with an e-bike, in fact an ebike would push you further to your limits than a normal bike.
1. An E-bike weighs more, so you have to push more, isn't that one of your reasons? You can turn pedal assist to 0 and do all the work yourself.
2. An ebike's funcionality isn't limited by its range. Again, you can pedal an ebike even when it's off; so what if you run out of battery? that's the whole point of them having pedals to begin with
3. future proof? what does that even mean? A regular bike will age the same as an ebike.
4. What the heck is that reasoning? news flash, you can go slow on an e-bike. What are all these non-problems

just say you didn't wanna waste money on an e-bike. I feel like all those reasons are sorta gatekeepy, fear mongery stuff to keep others away from ebikes. You have a horribly skewed perspective on what an e-bike is and how it should be viewed.

[abittwisted]

Being old is on argument for the electric but with my knowledge and experience converting things to electric I’d still buy the non electric. If I were going to use it to haul goods and people around the city for a business I’d for sure want the electric. Done right you use the pedaling to control the electric motor so you still get some exercise. Converting to electric is not as daunting as one might think.

[QBziZ]

If you are :
* carrying small loads
* young
* not doing other, very exhausting, activities
* always riding on flat stuff
* have other means of transportation ( like a car )

Then you can perfectly do non electric.
I electrified mine, after five years of ownership, because of all those conditions, none apply to me.

[ianmcgregor]

#6 Non e-bikes are silent. My urban arrow has a distinct electric hum when I'm riding around. I turn off the motor any time I'm going down hill or coasting just for the silence.

[townhell]

Also: frame integrated motors, like any bike part, will break, but they are the only bike part you won't be able to keep replacing. Even major companies like Shimano seem to change the size and shape of the bottom bracket cutout every year. Although tbh for me the deciding factor was cost.