I Sold My Ford F-150 And Bought An E-Bike Instead
In a city dominated by cars, I found a cheat code: e-bikes. Being nearby to Boise's best bike path and having a wife who owned a car, I sold my single-cab 5.0 Ford F150 and bought a used Tern GSD Cargo Bike. I haven’t looked back since.
With a payload capacity of 440 lbs, the Tern GSD has done me well. The e-bike has taken me to job sites, the office, frequent hikes, the DMV, and many more. It's always fun to pull up to site visits and park the bike between the contractors' F-250s. Additionally, it's hauled my large self with the wife on the back to coffee shops, concerts, and dinner dates. It's felt oh so satisfying to see cars in traffic or stuck at the farmer's market's single exit as we zip by with ease. Ironically, the one thing it hasn't done is carry kids, its intended purpose, but hopefully my youngest step-siblings will change that this summer.
Doing quick math, I've saved roughly $2,000 dollars in planned costs, but I like to think it's far greater with how often vehicles break down. The monetary savings have been fantastic thus far, but the mental peace has been the best. No longer do my wife and I have to stress over apartment parking, leave early for events, or have to worry about vehicle breakdowns.
After a year of primarily using the e-bike, here are the additional thoughts:
*E-bikes with throttles shouldn’t be allowed on bike paths. You’re on a bike, not a motorcycle.
*E-bikes with fat tires and/or off-road tires. They’re loud, overkill, slow (but always have throttles), and look stupid.
*Children and adolescents should not have e-bikes.
*Electric scooters are lame as hell. Shouldn’t be allowed on bike/pedestrian paths.
*Internal e-bike speed limits are definitely needed and warranted, but are annoying. It’d be great to not feel the motor's resistance and free pedal after the speed limit is reached.