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Rivian's TM-B electric bike

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188 points hasheddan | 1 comments | 22 Oct 25 18:00 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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barbazoo ◴[22 Oct 25 21:24 UTC] No.45675341[source]▶
Not affiliated but I'm looking into converting my commuter bike with a kit from https://ebikes.ca. Seems to make more sense to turn any of the million bikes out there into an electric one using a reusable kit than buying a single purpose electric bike that will end up on the landfill once the company goes bust because no one wants to push around a bike that heavy.
replies(2): >>45675634 #>>45675819 #
1. r0me1 ◴[22 Oct 25 22:12 UTC] No.45675819[source]▶
I disagree, I went that route and ended up regretting it. While converting a regular bike to an e-bike does work, a standard commuter bike is designed to carry a person’s weight with the center of gravity in mind. Adding an electric hub motor and a 20 lb lithium battery to a frame with cantilever brakes just feels sketchy. A properly designed e-bike typically comes with four-piston hydraulic brakes, and the placement of the motor and battery is engineered to maintain balance and handling.