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Re:It’s not an electric bike craze. You’re looking at the fu... by lm28469 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @04:16PM (#37227970)
Aren't you confusing hub vs mid motors ? There is no reason for pedal assist to be more expensive, some of them are as dumb as "is pedal turning > assist". I've even seen people remove the chain of their bike and still get the electric assist while providing next to zero effort

https://wheretheroadforks.com/mid-drive-vs-hub-motor-e-bike-...

Re:It’s not an electric bike craze. You’re looking at the fu... by seanmcdirmid on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @04:19PM (#37228012)
Even the pedal/chain setup is an extra cost that doesn’t make sense in a cheap e-bike. We are talking $2-300, there isn’t a lot of margin for superfluous features.
Re:It’s not an electric bike craze. You’re looking at the fu... by lm28469 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @04:22PM (#37228038)
But then again it wouldn't be a bicycle, and according to a lot of western countries you'd need a license, insurance, plate, helmet, &c.

> We are talking $2-300

Nah, you can get a basic setup for < 100, maybe lower fi you're mass manufacturing, most are fixies, plus you have a backup when the battery dies

Re:It’s not an electric bike craze. You’re looking at the fu... by seanmcdirmid on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @05:10PM (#37228567)
I would say $100 was possible 5 years ago, now I’m sure inflation has made the market a bit more dear.