this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2024
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Literally the only criticism I have about my longtail cargo ebike is that the bike shop culture is still dreadful about them. Many flat scoff and tell you they refuse to do ANY kind of work on any ebike that they didn't themselves sell. It's so ridiculous. I went to my local shop after accidentally popping a piston out and did a surprise full bleed during a brake pad change and asked if they could just top of me off or loan me a funnel, and they went on a whole rant about "insurance" because of the battery (which is removable you dumbasses) and how "specialty mechanics" tools were needed for that kind of thing. Nope, it was just a $20 kit from Amazon and some mineral oil.
Other than that it is a dream. Fits four fullly-loaded grocery bags in the panniers and could easily be expanded with a front/tail basket, cargo net, passenger/child seats, etc.. Easily takes me around town, typically with shorter trips than driving thanks to it being uncongestable and my full comfort with the Idaho stop. I also don't need to find and pay for parking, aside from the occasional place that makes it remarkably hard to lock up your bike through unintentional hostile design choices.
Anecdote aside, I can basically do all necessary service work on it myself, in the climate controlled living room. And the good eBike brands have very responsive customer support, in my experience.
For $2 grand all in, I have a vehicle that serves me better than the car rotting in my driveway. I often go months between cranking the ignition on it. I'd even be able to get lumber on the ebike if I got a cargo trailer if not for the fact that you have to take sidewalks for much of that route because it's on an insane stroad.
sounds like there exists a niche for an ebike mechanic that'll work on stuff judgement free
The problem is they don't only get people with their cargo bikes trying to do the right thing, they will also be getting dickheads with unregulated imports that go >50km/h and have subpar electrical design. If there were import controls and regulation on electric bicycles to ensure that people don't have access to dangerously fast house-fire machines there would be more shops willing to work on them.
Anecdote != Evidence but, I work with a guy who bought his kid an insanely fast electric motorcycle that is technically an electric bicycle because it has tiny cranks. He's asked me several times if I would do work on the bike and I always say no, it's a deathtrap for the rider and a hazard to motorists and cyclists.
These kind of products should never make it into Canada and the people who sell and ride them should be fined. They are full blown vehicles intended for use on roads (example): https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2023-New-EEC-Model-15000W-Powerful_1600988110312.html
I have been into bikes for nearly 30 years now and in all that time I have only ever found 1 bike shop that isn't up its own arse. Even if I go in an speak in a knowledgeable way about exactly what I want I will nearly always get condescending answers in return. They all act like this clique that you are not a part of and so look down upon you as an inferior.
So your experience doesn't surprise me in the slightest. On forums and the internet in general people bang on about your LBS and supporting your "local bike shop" and all that trash but why would I want to support a bunch of cunts who think they are better than me and actively go out of their way to try and prove that in every interaction.
Yeah, I got a racing bike from a local brand that was mainly known for cheap supermarket bikes. However, they did sell small series of high quality bikes directly out of the factory as well. My racing bike is one of those. It was a lucky, heavily discounted grab at their outlet shop sitting there for ages due to the horrendous colour combination of Telekom magenta and sperm white (great theft deterrent 😋).
In the almost 30 years I own this bike now, every bike shop I went to scoffed at the brand and refused to work on it. The only exception was a bike shop at my university town specialising in buying scrap bikes and building new Frankenbikes out of them for the students.
He took one look at my bike when I brought it in, smiled, immediately identified it as a factory bike. He complimented the quality and ease of maintenance, congratulated my purchase (on a 15 year old bike lol) and said he's looking forward to working on it. Save to say he had a loyal customer for the whole time I was living there.