Ask Engadget: best electric bicycle under $1000 for college campus cruising?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Jonathan, who can't be bothered to burn off calories on a normal bike once he heads of to university next year. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
"My college of choice has a big, hilly campus, and driving is pretty heavily discouraged, so I've been looking at getting an electric bike. I have to keep it under $900 (I may be able to up to around $1100, but that would be a tough sell). I'd like it to look somewhat low-key, not unlike a typical street / mountain bike. It doesn't have to be crazy powerful, but it does need to be strong enough to tackle hills on a regular basis, and it needs batteries to match that usage pattern. I prefer the flexibility of a mid-drive mounted motor, since that would let the motor take advantage of the gears, and it would let me easily switch between power-assisted and all-electric pedaling, but I wouldn't mind a different setup. Finally, the university has a lot of fog and rain, so weather-resistance is probably important. I already own a street-bike with 26-inch wheels and a diamond-frame body, so if a conversion kit would be a strong option, I'm also open to modifying my current bike. Finally, if the bike most suitable for my needs falls outside of my price range, what would the price-range for that bike be, and what alternatives could I pursue? (I don't really want a motorbike or a scooter / moped.) Thanks!"
Phew, looks like this guy's going to be quite the wordsmith! For those of you currently cruising around campus on a power-assisted bike, which did you use? And how'd you secure it while in class? Throw this fellow a bone -- he's obviously more interested in nabbing a 4.0 than cranking on a set of pedals, and that's a-okay with us.
