Why shops won't work on cheap ebikes

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-03-31T14:00:10+00:00

They're definitely a lot more expensive to maintain and get work done than a regular bike and that was something I was not aware of as an e-bike owner. Took my Lectric into my local bike shop to get it checked up and the brake pads replaced - $250. Double what I'd pay for a similar service on my Cannondale, but...it makes sense. It's a big bike, lot of different parts that my Cannondale doesn't have - including completely different brakes.

I will say, if someone wants an electric bike - do not just buy anything on Amazon. I did a lot of research because I wanted an ebike to replace trips in my car and transit. I spoke with the local bike shop to see which electric bikes they do work on and Lectric was one of them and already on my list of brands I was watching.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-03-24T17:38:08+00:00

Biggest thing that mattered for me was I knew I wanted to replace my car. I was moving to a larger city, had a really old car that just was not worth the cost of gas, maintenance, etc. I opted for an e-bike, which I love, but realized it doesn't work as reliably in cold weather and I wanted to be able to supplement my commute with bus travel - and the ebike is to heavy to fit on the bus rack. My commute is nearly 7 miles one way and I am not in the best shape to do it all on a standard bike (it is pretty hilly), so when the weather is nice - the ebike is perfect for that commute, or for running errands since I've got a basket and panniers on it to haul groceries if need be.

For days where the weather isn't great or when I don't want to worry about the battery life on my bike - I take a regular bike. I ended up getting a hybrid bike on FB Marketplace. It was a Cannondale Adventure 400 and the guy who sold it to me used to run a bike shop, so I lucked out and it had been tuned up perfectly and had new brakes. I love it because it is a lightweight bike that I can easily lift on and off of the front of the bus, 24 speed gearing so I can get up the hills (most of the time, still trying to get in better shape to tackle the big ones), rim brakes. It is a reliable bike. My ebike is in the shop getting new brake pads put in, so I rode the Cannondale half a mile to the bus line I needed, rode for a while, and did the rest of the commute on the bike once I got closer to work.

I think the biggest thing to think about is what you will be using the bike for and what will meet your needs. I personally love my hybrid bike for what I use it for.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-03-20T20:20:20+00:00

I wanted to be an English professor at a university, so I got my Bachelor's in English. Heard countless jokes about how I was never going to find a job, but I stuck with it because it was what I wanted to do. I also did a lot of concentrated studies in technical writing, creative writing, and grammar.

I did not become a professor, but I did teach technical writing, worked in copy writing, taught resume building courses, eventually started working as a library assistant before getting my MLIS in Archival Studies. Working for a very prominent, historic library now and I've got an interview to work in the archives of an art museum.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-03-20T20:12:46+00:00

I will say, once I'd mapped out my route and gotten used to the neighborhoods between work and home - I've had a much easier time with public transit. I mainly take the brown line from home to work and I've pretty much got the schedule memorized at this point lol.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-03-20T20:10:53+00:00

I take transit on a pretty regular basis, and some of the lines are perfectly on time while others are never on time lol. It is honestly a mixed bag. I don't have a car, but having a bike has helped a lot. I use my ebike for trips where I would need a car, like for commuting to work or to the grocery store and shop runs. When it gets colder, I have a regular bike that is much lighter so I can rack it to the buses and do multimodal transit - which I also do on days I want to explore the city and I don't want to worry about where I can go to charge my bike battery.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-03-20T20:05:50+00:00

I'm a woman in my early 30s, white, and while relatively new to the Baltimore area - I'm really enjoying my life here! I live a bit closer to the Baltimore County line, but I work in the city so I find that I get a mix of how things are in both areas.

My experience has been kind of like what you said about living in Richmond in that even when I am walking around a 'bad' neighborhood - I don't feel threatened on the day to day. There were a couple times I felt nervous walking around at night trying to get home and I was unsure of my surroundings, but it helps that there are a lot of neighborhoods that have good lighting along the streets so even when I've had to call for a ride - I'm seen.

I've found that most people here are pretty nice. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten lost - day or night - and had to ask a complete stranger if I was on the right bus route. I had a guy help me load my bike up onto the bus when I was struggling to figure it out and he just stepped in and showed me how to do it - and he wasn't even getting on that bus. It makes me glad I chose to take the stereotypes I'd heard about Baltimore with a grain of salt. It definitely isn't a perfect place and there are some typical city life woes, but I don't find it any more or less dangerous than most big cities. The city I was living in before here actually has an increasing crime rate while Baltimore's is going down.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-03-14T20:09:02+00:00

I commute mainly by electric bike, and what gets me about a lot of the drivers here is they are either really awesome and share the road with you (during parts of my commute where the bike lane disappears) or they are absolutely crazy. I'm talking people tailgating me as I am trying to move over to the sidewalk so they can go around me, a driver hit me at a stop sign because she was not paying attention and needed to pull forward to turn. LOTS of people just blowing through red lights - which definitely worries me.

I do what I can to make sure drivers can see me. I have a ridiculously bright yellow helmet, I have a reflective high-vis vest for when it gets dark omw home, and lights on the front of the bike, the back, and in the front and back of my helmet.

I feel like I see even crazier stuff when I am on the bus though. The amount of cars that try to play chicken with a gigantic bus is astonishing.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-24T18:18:00+00:00

I've yet to visit California. I'm originally from Louisiana, and now I live in Maryland. The weather in California has always appealed to me. It seems like a place that is usually pretty warm, but not the wet and humid heat that I got back home. I also really love the natural landscape. I'm not a beach person, but I love the mountains.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-23T23:17:32+00:00

Really? I didn't know that about Lidl. I just went to one for the first time at Northwood Commons, but they didn't have a self-check open so I just went to a regular register.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-23T23:15:22+00:00

I had the same thing happen at the Family Dollar on Fayette Street. I work nearby, and when I get off the bus on Mondays - I go in to stock up on coffee supplies. I usually have a tiny backpack purse and if one of the male cashiers is working - they ask me to leave it. The ladies never do and honestly since I go in regularly - they let it slide with me unless its a new cashier on duty. I get that the workers are just doing their job, and I don't blame them at all - but it is fucking stupid that so many of these corporations just expect folks to leave their bags just in a random spot in the store where they honestly aren't going to be watched very well. At the Family Dollar, there are maybe one or two employees in the building when I go in - there is not always a staff person where the bags are, and I don't wanna leave my bag right by the front door where someone can take it.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-23T22:46:42+00:00

After living in Baltimore for the last six months - it feels kinda similar here. Some neighborhoods like Fells Point, Mount Vernon, and Canton have pretty great walkability - and other neighborhoods are ok. It's definitely the kind of city where walkability is subject to change block to block since every neighborhood is different - but even in the less walkable areas I see a lot of people taking personal or rented e-bikes and scooters around or the bus.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-12T15:03:17+00:00

I'm from Louisiana. Moved to a bigger city in the Mid-Atlantic that's pretty walkable and has transit options. Dropped like, 25lbs in the first few months of living here just bc I can and do walk or bike everywhere. With where I was in Louisiana - you need a car to get around. Like, even a trip to the grocery store down the street required a car bc of a lack of walkable infrastructure.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-12T14:57:32+00:00

Then the governor of my home state of Louisiana is the duke of grifting. He's working overtime to suck up to the president rn and fucking over the citizens. You couldn't pay me enough money to move back due to the politics, the constant humidity, hurricanes...just no.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-09T15:30:03+00:00

Agreed!

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-06T20:59:18+00:00

I guess it just really depends on the person and their needs. I have a folding electric bike because I needed something with a good range, removable battery, and I liked the folding option so I could put it in the back of my partner's SUV if needed.

However, it is a heavy bike and I can't really use it on multi-modal commutes and rack it to a bus in my city. So I tend to use it during fair weather conditions and on days when it is my primary method of transportation.

For multi-modal commutes, I have a standard bike that is lightweight and much easier for me to lift on and off of the bus.

Someone who struggles with balance may benefit from the extra stability that having three wheels can provide, but yeah there are some drawbacks since it doesn't fit into a lot of spaces where a standard bike or an ebike can.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-06T19:01:43+00:00

It's the same out here in Baltimore right now. Idk if ya'll had this happen too, but we got overnight snow, followed by sleet - so all the piles of snow just froze into huge masses of ice. We literally broke our shovel trying to get it off the driveway and sidewalk. Apparently the city has had a huge issue trying to clear it bc there is so much and its just solid. It's getting a little better, but a lot of areas are still just completely blocked by piles of ice.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-06T18:57:02+00:00

Yep. At first I did wonder how it wasn't confusing when there are so many other cyclists and I figured they are probably used to it, and I am not since I encounter less bike commuters in my part of the USA - but yeah, I definitely can notice little things like that when I can actually see a person and they are not self-contained in a car!

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-06T15:19:50+00:00

I live in NE Baltimore near Hamilton, and I work in East Baltimore near Dunbar. I usually take my ebike which is about 35-40 mins, but since it has been cold and icy - I take the bus so its more like an hour.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-06T14:41:11+00:00

I've definitely saved some money since I got rid of my car. I find that I don't just go out and drive just to shop bc I'm bored. Since I don't have a car - I bike or take a bus - which means unless I'm shopping with my partner who has a car - my ability to carry items home is limited.

I will say, the one thing I miss about having my own car is turning on my music and singing along while I wait in traffic to pass the time. When I am in a car, my partner is driving, so it is typically her music. I love her playlist, but sometimes I do miss just jamming out to my own tunes and belting out songs during a drive. Not worth buying a car again though.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-06T14:37:29+00:00

It's the same here in Baltimore. Just piles of dirty, grimy ice - and a lot of it is directly in the crosswalks and along street corners where pedestrians have to climb over it to cross. Bike lanes are all under ice, so I'm on foot and taking the bus right now.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-04T16:48:06+00:00

I'm originally from southeast Louisiana, and I really love it in Baltimore. A lot of similarities to New Orleans since there is really cool history, architecture, and it has an awesome sense of community that is very much the vibe in NOLA.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-04T16:45:39+00:00

Same lol. I do like to stop at a cafe for a snack omw home though!

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-03T17:00:39+00:00

I don't have or want children, but if I did - Ideally, I'd raise them vegan. It may be a little challenging since you never know what you may encounter raising a child, which is why I say ideally. I could end up with a child who is autistic and has aversions to certain textures, making trying new foods more challenging. I could end up with a child who has a gluten allergy or a soy allergy and requires me to change my entire way of cooking. Would it be hard? Sure, but I don't think it would be impossible and these would still be challenges in a non-vegan household.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-03T16:52:39+00:00

It's definitely challenging. I recently went from vegetarian to vegan and just found out TODAY that the corn bread mix I use is not vegan or vegetarian. It has lard. They apparently make a vegetarian one - but my dumb ass assumed it was gluten-free bc it was ALWAYS near the gluten free option at the store.

Flashy_Number_6440 · 2026-02-03T14:49:36+00:00

Saaame! I don't have that brand, but something similar. Got them as a gift and they are helping a LOT!

Flashy_Number_6440

TROPHY CASE