.. (rather than a Ready-Made Electric Bike)
When my doctor looked me in the eyes and said “I don’t want you riding your bike anymore”, I immediately went through the first three of the five stages of grief:
Denial – “No, you gotta be kidding me!”
Anger – “Why is this happening to me; I work out!”
Bargaining – “How about if I get an electric bike?”
She stopped me right there with “That could work,” so I didn’t have to go to the last two stages: Depression and Acceptance. Great – nothing feels better than being able to avoid accepting bad news!
My BionX - electric powered bike
I did a lot of research into the best electric motor for bicycles, and eventually decided to retrofit my Devinci hybrid bike with a Bionx electric bike kit, instead of buying a custom electric bike. In six years, I have never regretted this decision. These are the reasons why:
1. I got to keep riding my beloved Devinci hybrid
I already had a great bike that I loved, so why waste it? The BionX electric bike kit transformed my Devinci into an electric bike.
2. My BionX bike rides like a real bike!
Riding my BionX bike feels exactly the same as riding a regular bike. Whether you’re cornering or climbing or freewheeling downhill, you get that same great, fun cycling feeling on a BionX bike. Sure, it’s an electric bike – but it’s also just a bike.
3. My BionX bike looks like a real bike
OK, so this is probably just about my pride – but that’s important too. I wouldn’t be seen dead on one of those tiny scooters, but peddling my BionX bike is another story. I feel like an athlete, and hardly anyone knows that the completely silent BionX electric motor is secretly helping me. I fit right in with the other bicycle commuters!
4. BionX offers upgrade options
I started out with a BionX PL-250, and soon was using it every day, because I quickly discovered that an electric bike is the ideal way to commute to work. But then I got a job on the other side of a giant hill, and the PL-250 just wasn’t powerful enough. Instead of having to buy a whole new electric bike, I just bought a BionX PL-350 electric bike kit. Man, is it powerful – the PL-350 climbs that giant hill like a goat!
5. BionX offers great after-sales service
I have had only one serious problem with my BionX, when the axle of my PL-350 BionX electric wheel broke clean in half. BionX swapped it out for a brand new one, completely free, even though it was over two years’ old and I couldn’t find my sales receipt. No questions asked – clearly this is a company that backs its products!
By the way – six years of riding BionX electric bikes has made me so fit and healthy that my doctor has cleared me to ride anything I like – but as it turns out, I now like my electric bike best of all!
By guest blogger Average Joe Cyclist
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
6. BionX is by far the best there is. Yes there are $500 systems out there but try to ride that and a BionX side by side and you’ll understand.
7. Its a smile machine. Use to be stuck in traffic, but since I use me BionX electric bike that frown went upside-down.
8. That battery is very, very, very expensive – but for a good reason. I also ride my BionX motor kit for about 4 years now and still use the original battery. I think its made by Sony and we all know they make great stuff – but not cheap. My calculations for cost per mile blow away any discount kit that will be dead in a year or two – max. Bionx must have one of those energizer bunny’s in it.
9, 10, 11, could go on all day
Randall
Hi Randall. I agree. Some of the guys in my electric bike group CANNOT BELIEVE that I am still using a 6-year-old BionX system, with no upkeep costs and the SAME battery (that’s my original PL-250 system). On my PL-350, the battery is 2 years old and it is just as zippy as the day I bought it. Sure, it’s more of an outlay up front, but then you just relax and enjoy for years and years …
By the way, I also LOVE not being stuck in the traffic – I actually wrote about how my BionX is faster than my wife’s Mustang in traffic, here: http://bionxbikemotor.com/blog/2010/10/15/the-top-five-reasons-why-i-commute-by-electric-bike/
No comparison! Bionx every time hands down! Love my Bionx
– electric bikes half the time look stupid, main thing is the performance you get out of Bionx can’t be compared – surprised you didn’t mentoin that, avergae joe.
Hi Simon. Yep, I guess I am so used to my high-performing BionX I have started to take it for granted. For a bike, it’s so powerful that you need to get used to it, and you need to be a pretty skilled cyclist to use it at full throttle – for example, you have to be careful not to take corners too fast. And sometimes hold on tight! On the other hand, most of the time you can just use it for that bit of extra power you need to zip across a light before it goes red, or to take off on an uphill. I am very, very satisfied with the power of my BionX PL-350!
One of the advantage of the front hub motor is the ability to install internal hub gears inside the back wheel. This type of low-maintenance electric bike, with a front hub motor and rear hub gearing, has practically no problems as an everyday commuter bike.
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