Electric Bikes and Scooters in Beijing
Hi Guys,
I'm not sure which forum this should go in... I poked around on the forum and couldn't find a dedicated thread or section for this question. :)
We are considering an E-Bike or E-Scooter of some kind to shuttle us from our apartment to Qinghua University and back, but we aren't sure of the legalities.
Do E-Bikes and E-Scooters need to be registered?
Can anyone recommend a brand or model of e-bike, and possibly a place in Beijing to get one?
There seem to be a wide variety, from bicycles with tiny motors all the way up to "full size" Vespa-style scooters.
Thanks for any inputs you guys might have!
Re: Electric Bikes and Scooters in Beijing
My e-scooter can't be beat for zipping around the city on errands. But lugging a heavy battery around for recharging is a nuisance.
I own a XinRi which is supposedly one of the better brands, but who really knows - I've never seen any Consumer Reports review on Beijing e-bikes! :lol8:
I've owned it for about 4 years and had to replace the battery once (expensive! about 800 rmb). Otherwise, it has worked pretty well (little things break because I am rather hard on it).
You do need a plate (white with black numbers) for it, but it is only 10 rmb and it is handled by the store that sells them.
XinRi are for sale at shops on almost every street. It is a locally made brand.
If you buy a used one, calculate the price of a new battery into the purchase price. Lots of people sell them when the battery is on its last legs, instead of replacing it.
If you are thinking about a motorized scooter, that is an entirely different kettle of fish. You need a motorcycle driving license (for > 50cc) and a license plate/insurance. You can find info about which plate is required elsewhere on this site. My wife just bought a Suzuki 125 scooter with a Jing A plate and the total price was around 15,000 rmb (including the very expensive "A" plate, which cost far more than the bike itself).
If you are thinking about the gasoline-powered Vespa copy, don't! They look cool, but are extremely poor quality. There is now an electric version of the Vespa copy, and some people say they are fine, but I have no personal experience with them. I think they're about 4,000 rmb new and only require the 10 rmb plate. I've heard that you can get quite fancy batteries with them, some options costing 10,000 rmb, or even more!
Re: Electric Bikes and Scooters in Beijing
Hi,
Hi Lao Jia Hou,
What kind of range do these scooters have? Could we ride from Wudaokou to Chaoyang and back with one?
Can you recommend a specific (reputable) store or area to look for a scooter?
We spent a few minutes looking at bikes in Carrefour today, but didn't get a chance to try them out.
I think we've decided on one that has pedals, in the off-chance something goes wrong with the battery while we are out. The bikes range from 'bicycles with motors' (which have bike-style seats) all they way up to almost Vespa-style', but with pedals (these have more traditional scooter-style integrated seats).
We saw a bike-style one for 2399 RMB (about $340) with a Lithium battery pack that mounted above the rear wheel. It was pretty convenient and the battery was light enough for my wife to carry easily. The sales guy said it lasted 5 years. I don't really like this style though because the rear seat requires the passenger to ride side-saddle.
I'm not sure exactly which model we saw (I guess I need to do more research), but it looked something like this:
http://www.geobyev.com/productImages...rolite2000.htm
Geoby has a whole range of bikes like that here:
http://www.geobyev.com/en/Products.aspx
On the other end of the spectrum, there was a Vespa-style one for $2099, I think a XinRi, with a huge lead acid battery, probably a bit to heavy for my wife to carry up to our apartment (which we don't have yet!)
I like it because I think its better for two people to ride together, but it looks a bit heavy to pedal and I'm not sure which would be better for a single person:
http://www.xinri.com/en/index/product_fla.aspx?PID=95d5a079-61fd-44cd-9f1c-b8ac6225c28f
The ones we saw at Carrefour were not as stickered-up as that one, but looked similar shape wise.
Any thoughts would be appreciated...
Re: Electric Bikes and Scooters in Beijing
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CantDecide
What kind of range do these scooters have? Could we ride from Wudaokou to Chaoyang and back with one?
You could probably make it from WDK to Sanlitun/CBD and back, once, before requiring a recharge. However, you can purchase upgraded batteries that are designed for distance. You would need to talk with one of the shops about the options. A place like Carrefour or Metro would have no idea about upgraded battery options. I've heard that there is a shop selling upgrade kits that permit a range of 200 kms (hmmmm, probably with no hills, no head wind, no stop & go traffic, and a 50 gram gerbil riding it at 5 km/h)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CantDecide
Can you recommend a specific (reputable) store or area to look for a scooter?
I wish I could help, but my experience has been that one day the shop I frequent provides great service, the next day it is awful. Hit & miss. I would definitely go to a shop that sells ONLY e-bikes, though, as opposed to Carrefour where the salesperson might have just been rotated out of women's lingerie.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CantDecide
I think we've decided on one that has pedals, in the off-chance something goes wrong with the battery while we are out.
Smart move. What will certainly "go wrong with the battery" is you will run out of charge. It has happened to me a few times. My e-scooter has pedals but they are completely useless (only designed into the scooter so that it will fall into the category of an electric bicycle).
There is no perfect bike. It is always trade-offs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CantDecide
... the battery was light enough for my wife to carry easily.
This is VERY important - I hate carrying my battery around. Just hate it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CantDecide
The sales guy said it lasted 5 years.
I bet he was talking in "dog years". If you are like everyone else who doesn't follow the rigorous regiment of treating the battery like a newborn baby, it will last a year or two.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CantDecide
I don't really like this style though because the rear seat requires the passenger to ride side-saddle.
In my view, the very best bike is one that you use all the time because it is comfortable. An uncomfortable bike is dangerous because it makes you angry & that is not the correct frame of mind to be in when you are navigating Beijing traffic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CantDecide
... with a huge lead acid battery, probably a bit to heavy for my wife to carry ...
Mine is a huge lead acid battery, and I hate carrying that ridiculously heavy thing around. But, it is a necessary evil, because I really enjoy riding the larger scooter style I have. And I have no problem taking a passenger, although it does drain the battery more quickly.
You may want to see if you can try out a few, either borrowing friends, renting, or even buying cheap used ones that you resell if you do not like. Many shops have used ones that they will buy back from you for 100 rmb less, or so, after a week if the shop knows you want to buy a new one at some point.
Happy riding.
