should i get an ebike or escooter?

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DigiRyder@reddit

I have one of the first gen Jetson e-scooters from Walmart. It’s a sit down and has front and back racks and the flat foot board in the middle. I actually really love it and ride it over to the grocery store all the time. But keeping it real - the wheels are 10”, this means the steering is very sensitive, you cannot just get comfortable and balanced and take a hand (or both hands) off of the handle bars, so i would not want to ride it very far; also the tires are cheap Chinese crap and can’t hold pressure even overnight, so taking it out involves filling up the tires every time. I bought extra bicycle lights for it for safety but they are not really good for night riding on streets. My husband will not ride it, saying it’s small and dangerous and can’t go on the streets. I ride it around the golf cart paths in our area. We also have 2 e-bikes: Lectric XP 4 750 Long Range. Those are more comfortable, feel more street worthy (up to 20-25 mph) have great lighting with tail light and turn signals, and with 20+ inch 3 inch wide tires you can find your balance point easily in motion and it’s a lot less stressful for longer distances and with front and seat suspension it soaks up the small road bumps easily. The variety of accessories available for e-bikes now is amazing. If you’re commuting for work i would say eBike

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KostyaFedot@reddit

Escooter where you have to stand still on tiny plate with tiny wheels?

Try to stand still with hands infront for five minutes.

10 miles...

Honestly, all you need is bicycle. No need for anything e.

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Inciteful_Analysis@reddit

They make escooters with seats.

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KostyaFedot@reddit

Not legal where I'm. But normal escooters are. If you know what I mean:)

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Inciteful_Analysis@reddit

Adding a seat doesn't make an escooter illegal. We are still talking about motors under 750W and top speeds between 15mph and 20mph.

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KostyaFedot@reddit

Stand on scooters are illegal if seat is added where I'm. I know because I was interested in one.

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Inciteful_Analysis@reddit

That's odd. Did your city/county give an explanation for this.

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KostyaFedot@reddit

I live in country where odd is second name of it.

But... wait ... all EU is the same:

Requirements for Seated Scooters: To be road-legal, a seated scooter usually requires: European type-approval (homologation). Registration/License plate. Specific insurance. A helmet (often a motorcycle helmet). Minimum age requirements (often 16+).

With only exceptions I know been mobility scooter and two wheels scooters with under 25kmph speed.

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Bob-at@reddit

see in Canada there are some places can "rent" an escooter for hours at curb side, not sure if there is somewhere can do an e-bike, if there are similar places around you, you may try first?

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Temporary_Big5686@reddit (OP)

We used to have that but people kept stealing them

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Rare_Tea3155@reddit

I have both. If I was only gonna have it would be the ebike as long as it has dual suspension.

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rshetts1@reddit

Get ahold of or borrow a cheap regular bike and learn how to ride first. You do not want to learn on an e-bike they are heavy and powerful. That is a dangerous combination to learn on. Scooter are more dangerous, I recommend a e-bike myself. So learn how to ride and then work on getting your e-bike.

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DirtyoldTurtle@reddit

Since you don’t drive at all I would recommend a bike. It’s the better car replacement. A couple panniers and you can carry a week’s worth of groceries, case of beer, litter of puppies… whatever. Also I after you get used to it you will probably find you can ride the five miles on an acoustic bike, say if your electric is getting repaired/serviced.

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Temporary_Big5686@reddit (OP)

the litter of puppies example feels way to specific.

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DirtyoldTurtle@reddit

My daily driver since 2011 has been a long tail cargo bike. I’ve carried everything and anything. I mean mostly drunk friends to the next bar but still.

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funcentric@reddit

It's not bias. I ride all the major PEVs and there's objective reason to get an escooter over an ebike. The rule of thumb is that if you can get away with a scooter, a scooter. Way better value, easier to maintain, easier to transport in a car/bus, easier to carry, takes up less space at home and more easily able to bring up stairs, indoors, rather than lock up. The thing that wasn't so good about escooters back in the day was its ability to go up hills, but many scooters can go up hills now and prices have come way down.

If 20mph and 20mi range works for you, definitely consider an escooter. Strongly consider it. Your 10mi max round trip falls in that range easily. There's too many benefits to ignore. I come across too many people who want to just go 5mi and end up getting an ebike only to regret how heavy and bulky it is along with all the limitations.

Yes, budget ebikes are faster than budget escooters. We're talking 20mph vs 28mph (legal top speed in most jurisdictions in the USA). You do still need to be concerned about ebike batteries. Neither an escooter nor an ebike should be ridden w/o electric power. It's a myth to think you can and should do it with an ebike. Unless it's a stealth style ebike like an Aventon Soltera, you absolutely should be running it with electric assist at all times.

Another benefit people think an ebike has is the ability to take passengers but they don't realize how terrible the handling is with passengers, especially an adult passenger.

Let's get back to pricing. For $1,000, you're getting an overpriced $700 ebike. For the same $1,000, you're getting a pretty sweet escooter. Don't forget an ebike comes with hidden costs like a bike rack/hitch/ramp/stand and lock. You likely don't need a lock for an escooter. You shouldn't be leaving it out unattended.

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Worldly_Policy_6473@reddit

I have both. My e-scooter is nice cause I can be lazy but because I been tryout to get my exercise in the ebike is nice for that and it’s goes further. If you wanna also use it to maybe go to the grocery store etc I would say the bike. If your funds are limited I would say the scooter.

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AceOfGH@reddit

I have an e-scooter that goes 28 and can do 20 miles on one charge that I got for $225. It really depends if you like standing or sitting. Obviously ebikes are more expensive than e-scooters so it really just comes down to preference.

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Temporary_Big5686@reddit (OP)

where did you get it if i may ask.

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AceOfGH@reddit

Amazon

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silenceispower26@reddit

both need mauntanace do you intend to pull wrench or not ? if not you are limited to buying from a shop and paying them to work on it.. also most shops won't touch cheap knock off ebikes .. me I won't ride scooters ..wheels are too small and potholes are to big ..and I like my front teeth ..

good luck

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Verneff@reddit

Yep, tiny wheels are why I stay away from scooters. I had a kick scooter when I was a kid and the fear of any mild bump on the road has stuck with me.

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MaxTrixLe@reddit

Scooter is better for short rides, and when you can bring it inside to prevent theft or weather damage

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Empty_glass_bottle@reddit

I feel safer on an ebike and I know peddling a dead ebike is a lot faster then pushing off on a dead escooter

Also storing an ebike is actually easier than storing an escooter for me. I know I can leave my bike at the bike rack with a heavy duty chain lock that will deter all but professional bike thiefs.

There's no way I can confidently lock an escooter to a bike rack, I'd have to bring it into every store I enter which would be annoying

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allmightylemon_@reddit

Man, I glanced at the title really quickly and I read. Should I buy an E bike or an escort? Lol

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Temporary_Big5686@reddit (OP)

look i only have so much money and just want a good time.

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o_Divine_o@reddit

I have both. Scooters can be faster.

For first time learning to ride, cheap quality ebikes/scooters are going to be jerky when the throttle kicks in. Unless it's anemic in power.

You want * mid drive *52V (can't always find that with high quality ebikes) * full suspension * Torque sensing is better for learning and feeling more natural. Cadence sensor with garbage controller (vast majority of ebikes) is jerky when power kicks in.

You could buy a good bicycle, then add a BBSHD kit, 52v battery, and whatever else.

I would also stay away from fat tires. You see them a lot because the hub motor needs a wider rim/drop out. So you end up with far more weight to drag around and more rolling resistance.

You can see what a quality ebike price range is here https://www.jensonusa.com/electric-bikes

Stay far away from a hub drive. They flood the market because it's more profitable for the seller. They have a huge list of cons. I've owned hub and mid..

Higher voltage escooters usually come with knobby tires. if you go that route and plan on riding pavement mostly, get some road tires. Knobby tires are less safe off dirt.

Most scooter tires aren't even rubber, so they don't have the grip that motorcycle and road scooters have, unless you buy PMT tires for the escooter.

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thereal_greg6@reddit

Sounds like you’re best off getting a conventional bike.

But in answer to your question, everyone who rides an e-scooter looks weird just standing there while riding along. Get a bike.

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Inciteful_Analysis@reddit

They make escooters with comfortable seats and foot pegs. They even make escooters that look identical to ebikes with 20" fat tires that are just missing the mechanical drivetrain.

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g2murph@reddit

If you can't ride a normal bike, then sorry to tell you but you can't safely ride an ebike either. The scooter will be more dangerous overall in my opinion but I would not just jump out and buy something without knowing how to safely operate it. Your state laws may come into play as well so I would research your state and town ordinances regarding bikes and scooters so you can be educated on the law. If you live in a bigger city, you can try renting a scooter like a lime or bird. You can also check to see if you local town has a bike share so you get on a bike without having to pay a ton of money

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Temporary_Big5686@reddit (OP)

i am aware before buying either i was going to put put the time into learning how to ride a normal one.

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g2murph@reddit

Please don't underestimate how dangerous these things are. Not kidding, people get seriously hurt every single day. One little rock could throw you off a scooter 10ft in the air if you aren't paying attention. Buy a good helmet and don't go fast would be my advice!

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Temporary_Big5686@reddit (OP)

trust me i know. im only getting one because i have to and it does scare me a bit. but ive looked into the safety measures intend to ride them like a grandma.

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Miao_Mix@reddit

If you don’t know how to ride, do NOT get either to learn how to ride, you will definitely hurt yourself badly, buy a regular bike for like $100 and learn on that doing small laps in an empty parking lot first, then once you’re used to that after a few days you can try the ebike

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g2murph@reddit

I'd check FB marketplace for the best deals. Tons of older people buy ebikes every year and ride them once or twice, those are the diamonds you are trying to find. Make sure it's a bigger brand (aventon, ride1up, velotric, rad, lectric) so you can get support but there are tons of amazon/alphabet soup brands that are very poor quality.

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FigNinja@reddit

I think either one you get, you should practice on to feel comfortable before you try riding it regularly in traffic. Do you know anyone who would let you borrow either kind of thing to try out. Even a non-motorized version would give you a feel.

A big reason I have a bike rather than a scooter is that many of my trips involve carrying stuff. I wouldn't ride a scooter (the kind you stand on with the tiny wheels) with anything but a light backpack. I wouldn't want something throwing off my balance. My bike has a rear rack with panniers. They keep the load stable and low. I regularly have over 10 kg in there and don't even notice. Though this transition was also easy for me because I was already comfortable riding a bike. My first ebike was a kit that converted my existing bike that I had been riding for years.

I've rarely ridden a scooter, so I have some bias there. I might consider it if what I needed was a fairly short, predictable route. Like if I was commuting using my local train station. It's a mile away with only one little hill. It's got a good bike lane where the pavement is in good condition. I could take it on the train more easily. I would only have a light backpack. I wouldn't want to take it anywhere with rough conditions, like my bike which is made to handle things like our gravel paths.

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Temporary_Big5686@reddit (OP)

the plan is to practice on the regular versions first and go to an e store to try them out first.

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YagiAntennaBear@reddit

Electric scooters are the wild west. Things like the Wolf King GT can go 60 mph. There's far more variation in e scooter performance than in ebike performance.

With that in mind, a 10 mile commute could easily be handled by low to mid end e scooter or any ebike. My main question for you would be:

How will you be storing your bike or scooter? Are there bike racks, or will you have to bring it into your office or home? E scooter is definitely easier to store.

How are the roads on your commute? Ebikes with larger tires handle rough roads better than scooters.

Will you be carrying cargo? You can carry a backpack on your e-scooter but an ebike can fit panniers and baskets. If you want cargo capacity ebike is better.

If you do go with an e scooter I highly recommend you pick one with mechanical front brakes. I committed with a ninebot es2 and the lack of a mechanical front brake made it hard to stop. To the point that if I needed to stop quickly I would just hop off the scooter and stop with my feet.

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SlashNreap@reddit

I've commuted 7km there and back to and from work with an Escooter (Kugoo S1) and wow. Never again will I hop on one of these. 3rd mode was 30km/h, it's more than enough on these things.

I remember getting caught in storms because I had literally no other choice than to take the scoot, and my throttle would get stuck open because of water ingress. So I had to flick the throttle manually back to the closed position. In dry weather this never happened, so it wasn't a lack of maintenance.

I ran 8 inch tires, once hit a small rock head-on when riding on a slow road and the scooter went over my head and I landed hands first thankfully, but that shit is scary, because it's completely unexpected and happens so fast. At least on an Ebike, you *feel* yourself lose control usually before you crash.

I'd like to say I'm definitely never getting one again, but, if I ever were, I would get those big frame scoots with spoked bicycle wheels or something + a seat at minimum. Like this:

But honestly I would just get a cheap Ebike lol.

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One_Toe1452@reddit

My son can’t ride a bike, but he rides his e-scooter everywhere, all over town. (We do have bike lanes and good pathways.) he has no issues with rides of 5-10 miles each way, carrying guitars, backpacks, etc. It’s a practical way to travel, and he can lock it up or fold it and take it with him into classes or buildings without issues.

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VinceTheVibeGuy@reddit

What’s your budget?

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DeepBlackShaft@reddit

Whatever you pick definitely get it from a reputable dealer as getting a cheap Amazon scooter or bike ensures noone will want to work on it for repairs. Also I'll just say this: scooter tires are a bitch to replace and they tend to pop quicker then bike tires unless you get a scooter with solid tires.

I do think bikes offer far more functionality and ease of maintenance if you have the space to store it.

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SlashNreap@reddit

Yeah, the general gist with E-scooters vs E-bikes is that:

E-scooters: Less mechanical parts, but physically lower electrical parts (battery, etc) so those break first. Which is arguably more expensive. Lower stability. If you ride in any other weather than dry & sunny, you're likely to slip out and eat concrete.

E-bikes: More mechanical parts, they're the first to give out, but most are consumables anyway. But they're also more stable, their electrical components sit higher, and they have usually more durable frames anyway.

In either case, no matter what the machine is, I always recommend basic, preventive maintenance. You have people here with really expensive E-bikes that'll post about something not working, and then when they post a picture it looks death because they've never bothered to even take a look prior to it breaking. Nobody can buy their way into neglecting maintenance.

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Inciteful_Analysis@reddit

The best answer may depend more on your local laws. Some jurisdictions treat escooters more strictly than ebikes...for instance, they may permit ebikes on sidewalks but not escooters.

Legality aside, a seated scooter may be your best bet. Five miles is a long way to stand at one time. A seated scooter is more comfortable than a bike and easier to get on and off. It still provides much of the stability of a bike if you get 12" or larger wheels.

Many are capable of 20mph making your commute time about 15 minutes. You won't save more than a couple of minutes with an ebike. Scooters are cheaper, have less to maintain, and are often smaller and lighter.

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SlashNreap@reddit

I've had cheap e-scooters because they work for basic transportation, and honestly they're the lesser vehicle, especially if you ride in anything but dry, sunny conditions. I'd rather have bought a cheap E-bike. They're less stable, slip way more easily.

Here's the reasons:

When something breaks on an E-scooter, it's probably going to be electrical first rather than mechanical. There are fewer mechanical parts on an E-scooter. However;

Cheap E-bikes are made with, surprise, cheap parts. But! The thing that they have is components that are generally higher from the ground than most E-scooters + mud guards generally. So, if you ride in the rain or are caught in a storm, your battery is less likely to catch water. Unlike an E-scooter where the battery sits extremely low to the ground.

The drawback with the cheap Ebike is that you have more mechanical parts on there than a scoot. However, if they're generic, you can do your own replacements. Provided you do basic maintenance, it should last okay because they're consumables rather than purely structural.

- If you end up getting yourself a high-quality E-bike, like a lot of people here will most likely recommend you to buy, I must warn that, it doesn't save you from doing your own maintenance. Or, I guess bring it to shops once in a while if you don't fancy getting your hands dirty. Inspect your components once in a while regardless. -

Either way, never neglect basic maintenance, regardless of what you get, and you will most likely have something that'll get you from A to B reliably.

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Lucidlie@reddit

Inmotion v11y