Electric bicycles

Hi everyone :)
I am electrosensitive and I consider converting my bicycle into electric one. I was wondering, does anyone here already have experience with e-bikes? I am curious about either good or bad experience.

I would expect two separate issues:
 - high-frequency radiation coming from "too smart" control unit - e. g. bluetooth connection with smartphone and other "absolutely necessary" features. This could likely be avoided by choosing "simple enough" control unit, or at least it should be easy to shield.
- magnetic field coming from the motor itself (and possibly from battery), since e-bike drives need large electric currents. This is the part I am most curious about - are these magnetic fields "weak enough" to be ok even for electrosensitive people? Would e. g. using front-wheel axis motor move the motor to safe distance? Does anyone have experience with DIY shielding solutions for this specific probelm? Or is it unbearable no matter what? :)

If you're interested about my motivation - I am using bicycle as my main means of transport for a very long time, for way longer than I know about my electrosensitivity. Recently I purchased cargo bike to get my kid to kindergarten, and I have to admit, the physical strain from year-round daily commute is getting quite high. Commute on bike is my preferred choice, so at first I'll explore what options are available without switching means of transport for upcoming few years.

Thank you,
Rumcajz

You might have more success with getting an answer to this on the Facebook group, as it might be hard to find people with e-bike experience (unless it's a large and active group like you'd find on Facebook).

Marc

Hi Marc,
thanks for suggestion, but Facebook is not an option for me. The list of Facebook's negative side effects is way too long for me to use it ;) Because of that, I was quite happy when I found this forum. I do not have unrealistic expectations on activity.

Specifically for my problem with e-bikes - currently I am exploring last option - fine tuning my "biological motor", taking inspiration from professional athletes on regeneration and training. If this is not enough, I will need to add some kind of motor to my cargo bike before next winter. Maybe someone with both ES and e-bike will write their experience here before that happens.

If not, I'll probably rent an e-bike specifically for measuring the magnetic field (+ to try some lightweight shielding) and post my experience here for future reference.

Rumcajz

I just checked the archives on the Facebook group -- someone did ask about e-bikes a couple years ago. There were a few responses from people who said that they were NOT bothered by their e-bikes, so possibly not so bad after all. Okay brands included Pedego, Ebgo, and Townie.

Thanks a lot for forwarding that info, it gives me hope :)

Hi, I haven't dealt with electrosensitivity myself, but I think starting with a simple conversion kit would make sense. Some systems have fewer connected features than others, so you may be able to avoid Bluetooth and smartphone connectivity altogether.

Regarding the motor, I imagine the distance between it and your body, along with the specific motor design, could be worth considering. Rather than investing in shielding straight away, I'd try to test a few different setups first, if you have the opportunity. That way, you can see how comfortable you feel before spending money on a conversion kit.

Hopefully, someone here who has actually converted a bike can share some first-hand experience.