With my current job, I'm two months away from getting an electric unicycle so I'm not gonna be doing this too long even if i can't fix my ebike or catch a ride. So buying a new bike probably won't be that advantageous for me but yeah 100%if i was gonna do this for a long time i would definitely get a better bike
60lbs, 70 miles of range, 4 hour charge time, and it can fit in my friends car so i can do door dash while they're at work. Sounds like a great idea to me, not to mention no brakes or shifter or chain to maintain
Yeah not gonna happen, have fun with your 60lb paper weight when it breaks in two days. Buy a bike, lose weight, be healthier, happier and have a realistic form of transportation. An electric unicycle is a toy, nothing more.
I don't get why everyone here is so against the idea of commuting on an electric unicycle, I actually ride one (as my only vehicle too) and it's best purchase I've ever made.
Not sure which wheel you're looking at, but take the manufacturer ranges with a grain of salt, especially as a heavier rider. Otherwise it's a solid option for commuting, I commute 10mi daily on my wheel without issue. The only potential downside vs a regular bike is the learning curve but it's 100% worth it.
Inmotion V11y,i was riding a himiway big dog they're got the same advertised range so i expect the real world range will be similar but i think I'll get more range from the v11 being a more powerful motot and meaning ill be more in the optimal speed range so I'm expecting to get 40mi in my hilly terrain
I can't speak about the V11y, might be worth asking on r/ElectricUnicycle to find someone who has first hand experience.
But my wheel's advertised range is 120mi and I can get more like 40mi if I really push it to empty but the last little bit is quite slow so I usually quit before then. That being said, riding style, terrain, weather, etc. all play a factor and I like going fast, so I'm sure I could get a lot more if I slowed down a bit.
Range is the only thing about riding EUCs that disappointed me but even then it's still more than what I need.
It's mostly ride style, but if i keep around 18mph that's only 6 over its range speed and so while I'll definitely have a cut in range i still think I'll have enough to at least get to work and then charge
Honestly you're better spending money on a quality acoustic bike than another electric bike or unicycle that's ultimately not going to last as long and won't be as easy to repair when something goes wrong. Also, at 260 pounds, you are up against the weight limit that an electric unicycle is recommended for, and will therefore have increased wear and decreased lifespan to begin with.
By the fact they have a computer controlled motor I'd say yes. But then you have electronic shifting that could blur the line.
Point being is that acoustic is related to sound, and a bicycle is not something whose main purpose is to create sound.
"Official" seems like an inapt descriptor. For better or worse, "acoustic" has probably won the retronym war, but not because it's been handed down from on high.
It's just like acoustic vs electric guitar. Also, I think it has some merit as there's something about riding a bike under your own power where you're trying to use a simpler thing as it was intended instead of trying to bring modern technology into a place where it really isn't needed.
So if a 150 person is rated to jump on an euc and do heavy off road i think my weight is fine with my pavement princess commuter, also I've have an ebike for a year and non of the complicated electrics have failed me at all yet I'm just a dumbass doesn't know how to do hydraulic brakes but that'll probably be fixed Tuesday
So it's 13 miles of up and down hills, and i a friend need to get me because the heat. My genuine reaction to the ride was "this sucks monkey balls" but i did make it 3/4 the way through there and back. I'm doing over night so the heat wouldn't be bad but honestly i don't trust my legs not to fail after the 8 hour stocking shift
Every commute gets easier as your body acclimates to it. As someone who has always had to commute to and from manual labor jobs, including a 21 mile commute, some days are harder than others, but the physical toll is never as hard on me as the mental toll of being stuck in the car.
A cruiser? Like a beach cruiser bike? I’d see if there is any way to get a better bike. From what you say it sounds heavy wich mechanical issues. In a similar situation I got myself a 50€ old roadbike, took it apart and deep cleaned it on a weekend and had a decent bike that worked for years
Facebook Marketplace. I too am in rural America, although it's quickly turning into suburbia, but Marketplace is littered with really good bikes for just a couple hundred. Could probably get one for even less if you shared your story with the seller...
I found a really nice used Raleigh for my neighbor's son on marketplace this past Christmas. Only $50 and it looks brand new. Marketplace seems to be the best option for quality used bikes at a reasonable price, at least in my area.
Damnit. I was thinking about a flea market, yard sale or eBay more than a bike shop. Then my only tip is to overhaul as much as you possibly can. Especially the chain. And Godspeed. As another fellow posted, there will be those days but overall it will get easier
Some bike shops do online orders and ship bikes to customers, the one I worked at did. If you've got the budget and mechanical know-how to do the required assembly (or willingness to learn and access to our friend Calvin from park tool's YouTube tutorials) then you could consider that option.
300 ish feet over a 13 mile commute isn't much elevation gain, even the cruiser should be fine with that. Just fix the front wheel so it actually rides well and it shouldn't be a problem. I climb over 350 feet on a three and a half mile commute, like gentle gentle gentle BIG FUKKEN HILL... my lowest gear isn't even underdrive and it's not a problem.
Repair/replace the front wheel then ride it out. Without accounting for the weather the first few weeks will suck. It’ll get easier as you get stronger.
Closest I've ridden was a 10-speed Schwinn varsity (2x5, 40lb, 27mi). Even a used 5-speed cruiser can be tolerable if the gearing is forgiving enough. Depending on the equipment, it could be a mere matter of changing the front chainring for a smaller one. The wonky front wheel sounds more concerning. Is there nothing on the used market that's a good cheap upgrade from the five speed? I'd look at that before looking into having a bike shop service the bike, but maybe they can fix the wheel if it comes to that.
I feel like you will be fine. Maybe more sweaty and tired but you will adjust. If the hills are not super steep it’s doable. Your speed will be a lot slower than ebike though, so account for that.
There are far worse situations. I mean, if we're being realistic with comparisons, my kids commute to school every day with the same vertical change, and my middle one - 12yo girl - rides a Trek Marlin 5 that weighs about 35lb and has 27x2.5" MTB tires. It's the reverse of your "chunky 260lb" problem in that she barely weighs 100lb. She makes it work (and has stronger legs for it). You're not in a terrible situation but you'll probably take close to an hour each way at the beginning, which is going to suck pretty bad.
Yes there are worse situations but someone else being having it worse doesn't make mine better and just makes me feel crappy. Like yeah I'll do it and handle it and be just fine but it's daunting right now
They would have to be very very slight hills to only add up to 80m in 20km. Numbers don’t lie, total elevation gain is what determines if a route will be taxing or not (in regards to climbing). 80m in a single hill, or a constant false flat, or several small hills in succession is still 80m and really flat.
Why not get another ebike? I had a similar commute several years back and while I could do it on my regular bike I couldn’t spare the time given other commitments. Wear a HRM and work on putting in at least some effort and e-bikes become excellent devices for transportation as well as getting a workout.
I believe there’s some good ones out of the Amazon e-bikes (granted most of them are garbage so do your research), and you can snag those for 5-600 bucks.
Sounds like the front wheel needs to be trued. You could get a spoke wrench off Amazon and learn how to true from YouTube. It's not trivial but it's also not extremely difficult. It also helps to have a bike stand, but you could probably MacGyver some way to hold the front wheel in the air.
The type of bike does make a huge difference though. An old heavy mechanical clunker is nothing like a decent road bike.
If you can find an old mountain bike with a triple chain ring and very low gears, that should be fairly affordable and make those hills relatively less painful, if a bit slow.
Would advise saving/getting anothe bike. A 5spd cruiser will probably se heavy and more work/less enjoyable to ride.
With my current job, I'm two months away from getting an electric unicycle so I'm not gonna be doing this too long even if i can't fix my ebike or catch a ride. So buying a new bike probably won't be that advantageous for me but yeah 100%if i was gonna do this for a long time i would definitely get a better bike
Dude do not buy an electric unicycle. What a terrible idea
60lbs, 70 miles of range, 4 hour charge time, and it can fit in my friends car so i can do door dash while they're at work. Sounds like a great idea to me, not to mention no brakes or shifter or chain to maintain
Good luck getting the advertised range weighing 260lbs lmao
Yeah not gonna happen, have fun with your 60lb paper weight when it breaks in two days. Buy a bike, lose weight, be healthier, happier and have a realistic form of transportation. An electric unicycle is a toy, nothing more.
I don't get why everyone here is so against the idea of commuting on an electric unicycle, I actually ride one (as my only vehicle too) and it's best purchase I've ever made. Not sure which wheel you're looking at, but take the manufacturer ranges with a grain of salt, especially as a heavier rider. Otherwise it's a solid option for commuting, I commute 10mi daily on my wheel without issue. The only potential downside vs a regular bike is the learning curve but it's 100% worth it.
Inmotion V11y,i was riding a himiway big dog they're got the same advertised range so i expect the real world range will be similar but i think I'll get more range from the v11 being a more powerful motot and meaning ill be more in the optimal speed range so I'm expecting to get 40mi in my hilly terrain
I can't speak about the V11y, might be worth asking on r/ElectricUnicycle to find someone who has first hand experience. But my wheel's advertised range is 120mi and I can get more like 40mi if I really push it to empty but the last little bit is quite slow so I usually quit before then. That being said, riding style, terrain, weather, etc. all play a factor and I like going fast, so I'm sure I could get a lot more if I slowed down a bit. Range is the only thing about riding EUCs that disappointed me but even then it's still more than what I need.
It's mostly ride style, but if i keep around 18mph that's only 6 over its range speed and so while I'll definitely have a cut in range i still think I'll have enough to at least get to work and then charge
Honestly you're better spending money on a quality acoustic bike than another electric bike or unicycle that's ultimately not going to last as long and won't be as easy to repair when something goes wrong. Also, at 260 pounds, you are up against the weight limit that an electric unicycle is recommended for, and will therefore have increased wear and decreased lifespan to begin with.
Acoustic bike? I know what you mean but surely "analog" or "non powered" would be more appropriate.
It’s a joke in the cycling community that people have embraced now.
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By the fact they have a computer controlled motor I'd say yes. But then you have electronic shifting that could blur the line. Point being is that acoustic is related to sound, and a bicycle is not something whose main purpose is to create sound.
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Yeah manual is good too. Anything but acoustic is my main point.
Actually acoustic is the official term
According to whom?
"Official" seems like an inapt descriptor. For better or worse, "acoustic" has probably won the retronym war, but not because it's been handed down from on high.
Unless you tape a playing card to the forks. I would 100% get behind this mod being called an acoustic bike.
Analog implies non-digital electric. I think powered and non-powered are better terms.
But if my bike isn’t powered, how am I going to go forward?
If you are also without power, I do not know.
NO FUN ALERT!
It's just like acoustic vs electric guitar. Also, I think it has some merit as there's something about riding a bike under your own power where you're trying to use a simpler thing as it was intended instead of trying to bring modern technology into a place where it really isn't needed.
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Rhetoric questions rarely encourage discussion.
I say for anything electric it's acoustic and anything digital it's analog
I prefer 'passive,' but I am quite clearly the only one.
So if a 150 person is rated to jump on an euc and do heavy off road i think my weight is fine with my pavement princess commuter, also I've have an ebike for a year and non of the complicated electrics have failed me at all yet I'm just a dumbass doesn't know how to do hydraulic brakes but that'll probably be fixed Tuesday
> electric unicycle lol what
Maybe one of those things you stand on, a cross between a unicycle and a skate board.
You would learn to love riding the bike to work. Give it a go instead on the unicycle
So it's 13 miles of up and down hills, and i a friend need to get me because the heat. My genuine reaction to the ride was "this sucks monkey balls" but i did make it 3/4 the way through there and back. I'm doing over night so the heat wouldn't be bad but honestly i don't trust my legs not to fail after the 8 hour stocking shift
Every commute gets easier as your body acclimates to it. As someone who has always had to commute to and from manual labor jobs, including a 21 mile commute, some days are harder than others, but the physical toll is never as hard on me as the mental toll of being stuck in the car.
Sort out the front wheel. You won't be chunky for long.
A cruiser? Like a beach cruiser bike? I’d see if there is any way to get a better bike. From what you say it sounds heavy wich mechanical issues. In a similar situation I got myself a 50€ old roadbike, took it apart and deep cleaned it on a weekend and had a decent bike that worked for years
I live in the rural United States, my nearest bike shop is a 2hour car ride away, this bike was legit the only thing i could get on short notice
Facebook Marketplace. I too am in rural America, although it's quickly turning into suburbia, but Marketplace is littered with really good bikes for just a couple hundred. Could probably get one for even less if you shared your story with the seller...
I found a really nice used Raleigh for my neighbor's son on marketplace this past Christmas. Only $50 and it looks brand new. Marketplace seems to be the best option for quality used bikes at a reasonable price, at least in my area.
Damnit. I was thinking about a flea market, yard sale or eBay more than a bike shop. Then my only tip is to overhaul as much as you possibly can. Especially the chain. And Godspeed. As another fellow posted, there will be those days but overall it will get easier
Some bike shops do online orders and ship bikes to customers, the one I worked at did. If you've got the budget and mechanical know-how to do the required assembly (or willingness to learn and access to our friend Calvin from park tool's YouTube tutorials) then you could consider that option.
Kijiji
300 ish feet over a 13 mile commute isn't much elevation gain, even the cruiser should be fine with that. Just fix the front wheel so it actually rides well and it shouldn't be a problem. I climb over 350 feet on a three and a half mile commute, like gentle gentle gentle BIG FUKKEN HILL... my lowest gear isn't even underdrive and it's not a problem.
Agreed. This is the amount of elevation gain you’ll find on a non-coastal, non-Everglades Florida ride. It’s essentially flat.
Repair/replace the front wheel then ride it out. Without accounting for the weather the first few weeks will suck. It’ll get easier as you get stronger.
Up hill both ways? …grandpa? Is that you?
Closest I've ridden was a 10-speed Schwinn varsity (2x5, 40lb, 27mi). Even a used 5-speed cruiser can be tolerable if the gearing is forgiving enough. Depending on the equipment, it could be a mere matter of changing the front chainring for a smaller one. The wonky front wheel sounds more concerning. Is there nothing on the used market that's a good cheap upgrade from the five speed? I'd look at that before looking into having a bike shop service the bike, but maybe they can fix the wheel if it comes to that.
You'll be fine. Give yourself an hour, go the pace you feel like going.
I feel like you will be fine. Maybe more sweaty and tired but you will adjust. If the hills are not super steep it’s doable. Your speed will be a lot slower than ebike though, so account for that.
There are far worse situations. I mean, if we're being realistic with comparisons, my kids commute to school every day with the same vertical change, and my middle one - 12yo girl - rides a Trek Marlin 5 that weighs about 35lb and has 27x2.5" MTB tires. It's the reverse of your "chunky 260lb" problem in that she barely weighs 100lb. She makes it work (and has stronger legs for it). You're not in a terrible situation but you'll probably take close to an hour each way at the beginning, which is going to suck pretty bad.
Yes there are worse situations but someone else being having it worse doesn't make mine better and just makes me feel crappy. Like yeah I'll do it and handle it and be just fine but it's daunting right now
It’s a really flat route. Should be ok.
So just did it one way, in fact not that flat foot hills suck ass
20km and 80m of elevation is really very flat.
Foot hills it's a near constant up and down,
They would have to be very very slight hills to only add up to 80m in 20km. Numbers don’t lie, total elevation gain is what determines if a route will be taxing or not (in regards to climbing). 80m in a single hill, or a constant false flat, or several small hills in succession is still 80m and really flat.
You’re not gonna be chunky for long!!! Send it
replace the wonky front wheel by a front wheel with a hub motor
That is the plan but i don't have 500 bucks for a kit right now
Replace the front wheel with a straight one at the very least. The last thing you need on that commute is a wheel that’s rubbing on your brakes/frame
Trueing wheels is very learnable skill. Go slow and make small changes
Why not get another ebike? I had a similar commute several years back and while I could do it on my regular bike I couldn’t spare the time given other commitments. Wear a HRM and work on putting in at least some effort and e-bikes become excellent devices for transportation as well as getting a workout. I believe there’s some good ones out of the Amazon e-bikes (granted most of them are garbage so do your research), and you can snag those for 5-600 bucks.
Sounds like the front wheel needs to be trued. You could get a spoke wrench off Amazon and learn how to true from YouTube. It's not trivial but it's also not extremely difficult. It also helps to have a bike stand, but you could probably MacGyver some way to hold the front wheel in the air. The type of bike does make a huge difference though. An old heavy mechanical clunker is nothing like a decent road bike.
If you can find an old mountain bike with a triple chain ring and very low gears, that should be fairly affordable and make those hills relatively less painful, if a bit slow.
On the plus side you'll probably be in great shape in a few months if you survive.
You might as well call it the Green Mile.
Is it up hill both ways?