[hamdingers]

A bicycle and moderate fitness is the ultimate in self-reliance but you never heard them promoting that either.

[com2kid]

Bicycle doesn't carry a family of 4, or carry loads of dirt or pick up lumber or tow a trailer.

Also my e-bike needs more maintenance than my EV. Go figure.

[mylifeandtimes]

carry a family of 4 where? if you rely on that other location exisiting, you are not self-reliant.

tow a trailer where? see above.

Pick up a load of dirt or lumber-- how did those materials get to the pick-up point?

And the road you are driving on, where did it come from?

[traderj0e]

Being conservative doesn't mean I don't want roads or businesses to exist.

[dylan604]

I was very pleasantly surprised at how much my single cargo e-bike can handle. It is big, nearly the size of a tandem bike, but it served me well for 5 years of not having a car.

Curious about your maintenance needs. I have a guy that comes out once a year for service and tunes it up for me. After 3 years, I replaced the chain. I've upgraded to hydraulic brakes by the same guy. Other than that, it's been smooth riding. Or are you saying your EV needs so little maintenance that even the low maintenance on a bike seem high?

[com2kid]

I haven't had to do any work on my EV in the 2 years I've had it.

I'm due for a cabin air filter change in another couple years.

So yes the bike is costing me more in maintenance! It is hard to compete with 0.

[dylan604]

Does the eBike have a monthly payment plus a required insurance policy? The EV still costs way more to own which is the most important factor

[com2kid]

Definitely, the car costs more.

But speaking purely in terms of maintenance, costs are nearly 0.

Assuming I don't but a pot hole, the tires will last me 7-8 years at minimum (I drive a bit under 3000 miles a year).

Brakes are barely used with an EV.

Insurance + tabs is my largest cost.

I bought my EV cash a few years back when prices were super low thanks to hertz offloading their fleet.

[hamdingers]

Maintenance should be amortized. The first time you do brakes and tires it will cost more than 5+ years of ebike maintenance. It adds nothing to the conversation to pretend otherwise.

[olyjohn]

It does carry a family of 4 in a lot of places. I've seen entire clothing stores set up on bicycles in places like Thailand.

[BobaFloutist]

>carry a family of 4

Why are you carrying them? They should be self-reliant too.

[xboxnolifes]

2 bicycles can.