[m_rcin]

I bought a £500 e-bike from a supermarket 3 years ago and I've been using it for daily commute since then. I have 9km to office, e-bike is a practical option. Cheaper models, like mine, have motor either in front or in rear hub. Both work fine, you don't really need a $2000 model with a crank drive. TFA claims that crank drive improves the bike's center of gravity :-). Actually it's more about being able to change gears between the motor and the wheel, but hub motors are also fine, at least up to the legal speed limit in Europe. The models sold in the E.U. are limited to 25km/h (15mi/h), I think in Japan the limit is even lower.

[mikekchar]

In Japan, unfortunately the opportunities for commuting are limited. Apologies if things have changed since I last looked at it (but I don't think it has): the limiter must be graduated. Under 12km/h it is full assistance and it gradually drops off until at 20km/h it is no assistance. Where I live (in the countryside) they are extremely popular with the elderly, but they are practically useless for anything else. Speeds between 12km and 15km are already pretty effortless for most people on flat surfaces (where most people will be riding) and the extra weight penalty means that you just have a very expensive, very slow bike.

Part of the problem is that cycling has been a utilitarian thing in Japan until very recently. When I moved here 10 years ago I never once saw a road bike. Bicycles were treated as the thing children rode to school or old women rode to the store to pick up 1 or 2 items.

Scooters have a speed limit of 30km/h (though only a few people obey the rule) and you must have a helmet. Bicycles have no such rules because the law makers can't really fathom that a bicycle can get anywhere near that speed. When I was riding regularly, it was not at all uncommon for me to pass scooters on the highway.

Things are changing very quickly (cycling is hugely popular now), so I'm curious to see how the laws change as a result.

[tdburn]

I decided to buy an ebike last month. Turns out there was a lot of information to take in. Hub motors are great and cheap for cruising on flat roads. Crank drive motors/mid drive are great for power and torque for hills and mountain biking. Lunacycle.com is the best value I've found, I had sticker shock at first until I learned what's what.

[m_rcin]

Yes, that's true for steep hills, but if the slope is about 10% hub motor will also manage.