New ebike rider looking for a pair of bikes for wife and I

[GrantMeThePower]

I've ridden plenty of bikes over the years-road, mountain and fixie-but its been some time since riding seriously at all. My wife has never really ridden mountain bikes. Until, that is, a recent trip to the Dolomites in which we rented a couple of eMTB that had a Bosch mid-drive...and she loved it. We have some property in a rural area near a sandy beach that she would like to ride so now I'm doing research. There is so much to learn but I've got my mind wrapped around a lot of it. The biggest challenge (despite understanding the pros and cons)-is it worth it for a mid drive? Is a torque sensor on a hub drive good enough? etc.

The type of riding is very steep and loose gravel fire roads combined with a small amount of paving and some beach. Most the steep loose stuff. It makes me think a fat tire solution is ideal.

Her birthday is Feb 15 so I would be looking for something that is available and not a pre-order or back order. I'd like to spend under $2500 if possible. I am ok with just pedal assist-no need for electric only. I do not need a fancy display. It does not need to be full suspension but a front fork suspension would be nice.

These are the ones I've found though none are perfect:
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GHOST Hybride Square Trekking B1.8 AL Electric Bike | REI Co-op

The GHOST Hybride Square Trekking B1.8 AL electric bike features a stiff alloy frame for a fast riding feel and comes equipped with fenders and luggage carriers for everyday use. Available at REI, 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

www.rei.com

All Terrain Ultra HT

The All Terrain Ultra HT is one of the most powerful electric fat bikes on the market. The new Bafang Ultra Max motor provides up to 1500 watts of power to help riders conquer the steepest hills while enjoying a comfortable ride thanks to the 4.5" fat tires that offer incredible traction and a...

shop.m2sbikes.com

Luna Fat BABE (Bad Ass Belt Ebike)

Providers of quality ebikes, electric bike batteries, motors and components at affordable pricing.

lunacycle.com

RipCurrent S: Electric Fat-Tire Bike

Our RipCurrent S is the ultimate fat tire electric bike. Powered by a 750 Watt motor, it is capable of top speed performance with torque-sensing pedal assist perfect. Shop RipCurrent S now!

www.juicedbikes.com

Thanks so much for any help/insight/direction!!

 

[Baco Noir]

I’m a relative newbie to ebikes but have 35 yrs on man bikes and about 5 on fat bikes. If your riding sand, you’ll want fat tires, unless it’s the kind of hard packed sand you can drive a car/truck on like Daytona beach.

Also, for the flats and steep climbs you’ll want a wide range of gear ratios.

 

[GrantMeThePower]

I’m a relative newbie to ebikes but have 35 yrs on man bikes and about 5 on fat bikes. If your riding sand, you’ll want fat tires, unless it’s the kind of hard packed sand you can drive a car/truck on like Daytona beach.

Also, for the flats and steep climbs you’ll want a wide range of gear ratios.

Thanks for the response! That was my thought also. The lack of gears is the problem with the Luna BABE bike (despite how great the rest of the specs are) and the lack of fat tires the problem with the Haibike and Ghost.

Is there an bike you can think of that would fit my bill?

 

[AHicks]

This would likely justify the extra money to go mid drive - "The type of riding is very steep" and "Most the steep loose stuff". This requires plenty of grunt. Actually, about the most grunt available from an e-bike unless you are a very light weight rider. Hub drives, even geared hub drives, can't compete on loose terrain with big hills. I would add that you should likely be looking at 750 watt plus motors. I know I would be.

And as you sound like a recreational only rider, I would insist on having a throttle, even if you don't use it full time. They're great to get you moving from a stop (especially when stopped in loose stuff) and can help get you out of a bad spot (when in doubt, power out!).

 

[Martinet]

Several years ago Court did a video about his riding in Cabo. As I recall some of the sandy dunes were hilly and most of the fat tire bikes were hub drives. The key was reducing tire pressure.

 

[MikeDD]

You did not say what your wife's inseam is. Mine is 29". I had a hard time finding a bike under $2500 that would fit unless it was a step thru. I mostly ride similar areas as you except for the beach, i.e. steep gravel roads. I would up with a name brand full suspension emtb. l would try to rent bikes prior to buying.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Perhaps that could do
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Bosch mid motor, quite fat tires, respectable brand, the price not far above the limit.

 

[SumanthJois]

My personal recommendation would be QuietKat Apex. However, I do think you should go through this article about how to buy the right ebike for you. Might help you out to make the right decision.

 

[TomD]

You'll want a mid-drive for steep fire roads.

In your price range that M2S with Bafang Ultra (M620) motor will simply blow away any euro spec. Probably a lot more power than she needs, but if she gets tired she can just hit the throttle and it will oblige without complaint. It also has a much larger 920 WH battery (steep fire roads will devour battery quickly, even 920 WH if you aren't pedaling much)!

You could also consider the All Terrain FS Max. It has the Max motor which is going to be less than half the power of the Ultra (M620) and NO throttle. Closer to a euro spec (350W nominal) motor but will have more peak power (800W). You're saving some money and getting full suspension (how good I have no idea). It has a smaller 768 WH battery but still more than you're going to get with some budget euro-spec bike.

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Or the HT version (but no front fork and only one frame size):

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Those bikes are going to be heavy and M2S shipping can be expensive ($275 shipping to WA, but may be cheaper where you live).

FLX has a few budget mid drives with the lighter M600 motor and they will do fine on fire roads. No fat tire M600 mid-drives though for the beach other than the Luna BABE which may not have enough gearing for steep fire roads. If not crazy steep maybe the 5 speed gearing is enough? I'd ask Luna if they think it would perform any worse than a rear hub on fire roads. I know folks that take Rad Rovers up mountain fire roads. Not ideal with a rear hub, but it's certainly doable.

Honestly, I think you might be rushing to a sub optimal decision with your budget and short time frame but good luck.

 

[GrantMeThePower]

You'll want a mid-drive for steep fire roads.

In your price range that M2S with Bafang Ultra (M620) motor will simply blow away any euro spec. Probably a lot more power than she needs, but if she gets tired she can just hit the throttle and it will oblige without complaint. It also has a much larger 920 WH battery (steep fire roads will devour battery quickly, even 920 WH if you aren't pedaling much)!

You could also consider the All Terrain FS Max. It has the Max motor which is going to be less than half the power of the Ultra (M620) and NO throttle. Closer to a euro spec (350W nominal) motor but will have more peak power (800W). You're saving some money and getting full suspension (how good I have no idea). It has a smaller 768 WH battery but still more than you're going to get with some budget euro-spec bike.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Or the HT version (but no front fork and only one frame size):

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Those bikes are going to be heavy and M2S shipping can be expensive ($275 shipping to WA, but may be cheaper where you live).

FLX has a few budget mid drives with the lighter M600 motor and they will do fine on fire roads. No fat tire M600 mid-drives though for the beach other than the Luna BABE which may not have enough gearing for steep fire roads. If not crazy steep maybe the 5 speed gearing is enough? I'd ask Luna if they think it would perform any worse than a rear hub on fire roads. I know folks that take Rad Rovers up mountain fire roads. Not ideal with a rear hub, but it's certainly doable.

Honestly, I think you might be rushing to a sub optimal decision with your budget and short time frame but good luck.

thanks for such a great and detailed post. My big question is you refer to “euro spec” quite a bit. I understand you mean the difference between Bosch and Bafang but what about the specs are not apples to apples? I understand that the features are not always the same (controllers/configurability/gears switching sensor/etc) but what about the power numbers changes? THANKS again!!

 

[TomD]

Yes, euro spec would be Bosch, Brose, Shimano, Yamaha which are all going to be limited to 250W (or 350W) nominal to comply with european regs. You'll also pay a premium for those motors and for the brands than use them which won't help given your budget. Luna, FLX, M2S, etc. market bikes for the US. They use less expensive Bafang mid-drives with 2-3x the power since the limit is generally 750W in the US.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

If I were you @GrantMeThePower, I would kiss Lenny's ass for that deal... Especially LYNX 6.
Lynx 6 is a full suspension e-MTB with silent Brose mid-drive motor from a renowned Spanish brand.

Overstock on BH Easymotion Bikes over 50% off on some models

Hey ebike community, we have some older models of hardtail and full suspension emtb's that may interest you. These models still carry BH's warranty and have all been checked out. I have around 8-10 of each model left so we're just blowing out the prices on them to make room for some newer stuff...

electricbikereview.com

 

[TomD]

I agree, that is an awesome deal for the one with the Brose motor and 600 watt hour battery. Not sure it will suit your needs for beach riding but you really should be looking at different bikes for beach cruising vs steep fire roads. With the money you save you can probably buy a cheap fat tire cruiser for the beach. I think your wife will be much happier with a much lighter and more capable emtb.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The one with Yamaha is not bad either.

 

[TomD]

I'm not sure if you are still looking but if you just want a pair of relatively inexpensive mid-drive bikes these are going to be hard to beat and will probably do just fine on the beach and fire roads without breaking the bank.

BicycleBlueBook

www.bicyclebluebook.com

They don't have the largest battery but they are pricing less than the cost of a replacement battery and the Yamaha motor is one of the most reliable there is. I am seriously considering picking up one just for a backup bike.

 

[GrantMeThePower]

I'm not sure if you are still looking but if you just want a pair of relatively inexpensive mid-drive bikes these are going to be hard to beat and will probably do just fine on the beach and fire roads without breaking the bank.

BicycleBlueBook

www.bicyclebluebook.com

They don't have the largest battery but they are pricing less than the cost of a replacement battery and the Yamaha motor is one of the most reliable there is. I am seriously considering picking up one just for a backup bike.

Thanks for sending this over-i think I am about to pull the trigger today. What is that bicycle blue book site? Is it reliable?

 

[TomD]

Never used them but they are on eBay as well with 5% higher prices. They have a 100% ebay feedback rating (with some neutral).

Feedback Profile

www.ebay.com

If you search their eBay ratings for item title keyword "Easy" you'll see their feedback for the 2018 Easy Motion bikes they seem to be clearing out. Seems the price has been higher in the past. I'm guessing the reviews mentioning dents are from shipping damage which can happen to any bike. If you are near San Jose you can pick up to save shipping.

 

[TomD]

FWIW, I emailed them on ebay about condition (since it's listed as used) and warranty. This is their reply:

New message from: bicyclebluebook Top Rated Seller (4,338 Red Star)
Hi,
The are at 0 miles. They do not have a BH warranty as we are not a dealer. It does have a 30 day guarantee and free return shipping if needed.
We appreciate your interest.

 

[GrantMeThePower]

FWIW, I emailed them on ebay about condition (since it's listed as used) and warranty. This is their reply:

Very interesting!!! Thank you sir!!

 

[EMGX]

I bought one of their Gravel X bikes. It was well packaged and arrived new condition with zero miles. I really like the Yamaha mid drive. The other two bikes look like unbeatable deals but I wanted a lighter bike without a suspension fork.