Inexperienced Buyer Looking for Help! :)

[lambi]

Hi E-Bikers,

I was hoping for some help regarding which e-bike I should purchase. So far, my search has focused on Ride1Up and Espin so would love to hear about other options.

Requirements:
- Battery cannot stick out/be visible. I live in a high crime area (NYC) so want to minimize the electric look.
- Can't be to jumpy off the get go since the roads are busy (as some have mentioned Aventon is).
- I like the idea of it not being too scooter-like, and to have the option to actually feel like I'm peddling.
- Should be able to handle potholed city streets, but won't go off-road.
- Minimum range 20 - 25 miles
- Ideal weight is below 40lbs but would go up to 50/55lbs.
- I am 5,4 so crossbar cannot be too high, or there should be a step-through option.
- Budget: ideally below $1,500 - slightly flexible.

Any help/explanations about pros and cons would be incredibly helpful!

Thank you!

 

[Trouble&Strife]

Lambi, I'm also in the market for an eBike. Other than the fact I live in Maine and not NYC my wish list is similar. Born and raised in The Bronx, so I totally understand the need for something that looks boring to a thief. How are you going to use it? You can remove the battery and take it with you - stealing an electric bike without the battery may not be as enticing to thieves.

Have you test ridden any eBike? I'm going on Saturday to our local bike store (LBS) as they are starting to get some more stock in and it hasn't snowed in 10 days so the roads a clear. I'm currently riding my 1992 Specialized Rock Hopper with Schwalbe Winter Plus studded tires to work so anything is going to be super fancy and technologically futuristic. My LBS calls her the OG when I bring her in for service and as my husband likes to point out she's held together by love and stickers.

Anyway I have been intrigued by the Ride1Up, Rad City and my coworker has the GIANT Explore E+3 which he loves (that one is above 1500, but he got it on special as it was a previous year model; unfortunately I don't think that'll happen for those of us shopping for bikes during a pandemic).

Anyway good luck and I'll be lurking seeing what others say about the bikes you are interested in.

 

[BarryS]

Hi E-Bikers,

I was hoping for some help regarding which e-bike I should purchase. So far, my search has focused on Ride1Up and Espin so would love to hear about other options.

Requirements:
- Battery cannot stick out/be visible. I live in a high crime area (NYC) so want to minimize the electric look.
- Can't be to jumpy off the get go since the roads are busy (as some have mentioned Aventon is).
- I like the idea of it not being too scooter-like, and to have the option to actually feel like I'm peddling.
- Should be able to handle potholed city streets, but won't go off-road.
- Minimum range 20 - 25 miles
- Ideal weight is below 40lbs but would go up to 50/55lbs.
- I am 5,4 so crossbar cannot be too high, or there should be a step-through option.
- Budget: ideally below $1,500 - slightly flexible.

Any help/explanations about pros and cons would be incredibly helpful!

Thank you!

In The video Reviews of the Espin Sport Which is Class 3 (IMO the way to Go). It was pointed out in almost every different Review I watched . How un-electric like the Espin Sport appeared . I would say it's what fits your purchase requirements best . Only thing is I couldn't locate Frame size on the Website. So I assume it's on size fits all. Not sure of that

 

[lambi]

Lambi, I'm also in the market for an eBike. Other than the fact I live in Maine and not NYC my wish list is similar. Born and raised in The Bronx, so I totally understand the need for something that looks boring to a thief. How are you going to use it? You can remove the battery and take it with you - stealing an electric bike without the battery may not be as enticing to thieves.

Have you test ridden any eBike? I'm going on Saturday to our local bike store (LBS) as they are starting to get some more stock in and it hasn't snowed in 10 days so the roads a clear. I'm currently riding my 1992 Specialized Rock Hopper with Schwalbe Winter Plus studded tires to work so anything is going to be super fancy and technologically futuristic. My LBS calls her the OG when I bring her in for service and as my husband likes to point out she's held together by love and stickers.

Anyway I have been intrigued by the Ride1Up, Rad City and my coworker has the GIANT Explore E+3 which he loves (that one is above 1500, but he got it on special as it was a previous year model; unfortunately I don't think that'll happen for those of us shopping for bikes during a pandemic).

Anyway good luck and I'll be lurking seeing what others say about the bikes you are interested in.

Hi Trouble & Strife!

I was hoping to use it to commute about 8-10 miles each way (across the Williamsburg bridge) and for errands etc. Essentially as a subway replacement weather permitting. I have test ridden by brother's Specialized eBike which was a dream but much much too expensive for me - that's what got me hooked.

My one concern with the removable battery is the additional weight of having to carry it around and the danger of it getting damaged! That is how I ended up looking at Ride1Up and ESpin. I have seen a few more expensive models on sale at Crazy Lenny's if that helps at all - just nothing that tickles my fancy.

Good luck to you too!

 

[lambi]

In The video Reviews of the Espin Sport Which is Class 3 (IMO the way to Go). It was pointed out in almost every different Review I watched . How un-electric like the Espin Sport appeared . I would say it's what fits your purchase requirements best . Only thing is I couldn't locate Frame size on the Website. So I assume it's on size fits all. Not sure of that

Thanks Barry! My one concern is the shipping there is quite delayed so was hoping to see if anyone had other recommendations.

 

[BarryS]

Thanks Barry! My one concern is the shipping there is quite delayed so was hoping to see if anyone had other recommendations.

yeah I see that . You could DIY Save money . It's pretty Simple with Bafang Motors and frames made to fit them.

 

[Dewey]

Re: DIY a basic front hub motor kit is the Hilltopper Sprinter, it does not offer pedal assist, just a throttle so it would be a Class 2 ebike, but is relatively lightweight and simple to fit to a pedal bicycle. The small bottle battery is less obtrusive than most and lighter for carrying. At $550 you would still have nearly a grand to spend on a pedal bike, which you would pedal as a normal bike most of the time - the motor plus battery adds 13lb to the weight of the bike, you would ride just using the throttle when you need a boost. I quite like the Kona Coco as a step through commuter weighing about 34lb so with the motor you would still be under 50lb. There don't appear to be bottle cage bosses on the downtube so you would need to attach the battery with Grin Tech's Bottle Bob mount. Kona make their own electric version, the eCoco, with a good Shimano e6100 mid-drive motor that as a Class 1 ebike offers pedal assist and no throttle but it looks a lot more like an ebike.

 

[lambi]

Re: DIY a basic front hub motor kit is the Hilltopper Sprinter, it does not offer pedal assist, just a throttle, but is relatively lightweight and simple to fit to a pedal bicycle. The small bottle battery is less obtrusive than most and lighter for carrying. At $550 you would still have nearly a grand to spend on a pedal bike, which you would pedal as a normal bike most of the time - the motor plus battery adds 13lb to the weight of the bike, you would ride just using the throttle when you need a boost. I quite like the Kona Coco as a step through commuter weighing about 34lb so with the motor you would still be under 50lb. There don't appear to be bottle cage bosses on the downtube so you would need to attach the battery with Grin Tech's Bottle Bob mount. Kona make their own electric version, the eCoco, with a good Shimano e6100 mid-drive motor that as a Class1 ebike offers pedal assist and no throttle but it looks a lot more like an ebike.

Thank you for the info but I am not looking for DIY! Right now I am leaning towards the Ride1Up Core because it is lighter than the espin and available now. Do you have any thoughts for other brands I should be looking at?

 

[Dewey]

Crazy Lenny's in WI has a couple of step through's on sale, the Magnum Cosmopolitan is a Class 2, while the Genze Commuter is a Class 1 with a front Sturmey Archer drum brake which would be as close as you can get to owning an NYC electric CitiBike - I rode this model when it was in service as an ebikeshare bike in Washington, DC, the microshift shifters worked fine, the drum brake stops you in wet or dry, and the motor is a generic 36v bafang rear hub motor that felt strong enough to push me up inclines. Genze have withdrawn from the US market but spares for the bafang electrics are fairly common and the frame battery could probably be repacked with fresh cells when it wears out.

 

[lambi]

Re: DIY a basic front hub motor kit is the Hilltopper Sprinter, it does not offer pedal assist, just a throttle so it would be a Class 2 ebike, but is relatively lightweight and simple to fit to a pedal bicycle. The small bottle battery is less obtrusive than most and lighter for carrying. At $550 you would still have nearly a grand to spend on a pedal bike, which you would pedal as a normal bike most of the time - the motor plus battery adds 13lb to the weight of the bike, you would ride just using the throttle when you need a boost. I quite like the Kona Coco as a step through commuter weighing about 34lb so with the motor you would still be under 50lb. There don't appear to be bottle cage bosses on the downtube so you would need to attach the battery with Grin Tech's Bottle Bob mount. Kona make their own electric version, the eCoco, with a good Shimano e6100 mid-drive motor that as a Class 1 ebike offers pedal assist and no throttle but it looks a lot more like an ebike.

The eCoco actually looks quite nice! The battery doesn't stick out

Crazy Lenny's in WI has a couple of step through's on sale, the Magnum Cosmopolitan is a Class 2, while the Genze Commuter is a Class 1 with a front Sturmey Archer drum brake which would be as close as you can get to owning an NYC electric CitiBike - I rode this model when it was in service as an ebikeshare bike in Washington, DC, the microshift shifters worked fine, the drum brake stops you in wet or dry, and the motor is a generic 36v bafang rear hub motor that felt strong enough to push me up inclines. Genze have withdrawn from the US market but spares for the bafang electrics are fairly common and the frame battery could probably be repacked with fresh cells when it wears out.

Thanks for the tip! I wasn't able to find weight for either of these and am concerned they are heavier than I would like. Also, I would like the option of a throttle.

 

[Dewey]

The eCoco actually looks quite nice! The battery doesn't stick out

I agree. Kona also offer a 2nd more expensive electric version of this bike the eCoco DL that has an even more hidden frame battery but for some reason it's rather a lot more expensive than the eCoco. Kona are well regarded commuter bikes, I'm glad they've expanded their electric offerings beyond the Dew-E model.

 

[Dewey]

You might also like to look at the Detroit Bikes e-Sparrow. It is an inexpensive ($900) single speed, very light around 32-36lb, available in a small frame size to fit riders 4'11"-5'4", with a 250w Bafang rear hub motor offering pedal assist plus a throttle making it a Class 2 ebike, the 15A controller integrated into the battery tray would deliver a maximum 540w / 32nm torque power output, fine for climbing moderate inclines.