E-Bike reviews

[cbo111]

Any E-bike enthusiasts out there? I am looking for websites that conduct independent review on the ever-expanding choices. So many choices makes it tough to actually choose. I am looking for a comfort/ road bike for 20-40 mile rides. Budget is $2,500 max.

 

[Earl E Retyre]

Any E-bike enthusiasts out there? I am looking for websites that conduct independent review on the ever-expanding choices. So many choices makes it tough to actually choose. I am looking for a comfort/ road bike for 20-40 mile rides. Budget is $2,500 max.

I like the electricbikereview.com site. I bought the Juiced cross current: see
https://electricbikereview.com/juiced-bikes/crosscurrent/ and like it alot.

 

[Ronstar]

I bought a Specialized Como last July. I really enjoy it. Getting DW one in the spring, and a trailer hitch bike rack for my truck.

I put about 500 miles on it last summer and fall. Great on hills and against the wind. Battery probably lasts about 4 hours, but I have never ridden it more than 2-3 hours. Usually go about 25-30 miles.

Make sure you get a helmet. The ebike has a little surge when you take off.

I also recommend electricbikereview. They have some great ebike reviews on YouTube

 

[Animorph]

I enjoy reading the reviews on Electrek.co, though I'm mostly there for Tesla and electric car news.

https://electrek.co/

 

[ransil]

We have Rize Leisure ST longest ride was 62 miles, most are 30-40 , have had them since September put 500 miles on so far.
Basic the ebikes are 60% the effort 500% more fun and distance over a regular bike.

We live near a rail trail ,Use to load the bikes on a rack to drive to the trail due to the hills , now we just ride to and from the trail. Local trail has become boring so we have driven 100 miles to different trails.

Helmets we picked up Sena R1 , they have blue tooth and we can talk to each other up to about a 1/4 mile or listen to music.

Most brands have an Facebook page go the ask first hand opinion, I made a spreadsheet of features and prices and narrow down to my wants i.e battery size, hydraulic brakes ,bang for the buck and fitment.

 

[street]

Not to hi-jack the thread from OP sounds like he is learning the ropes also.

I have one question for you owners. What is the pro's and con's of center drive vs hub drives?

Do you get as much physical exercise from the E-Bike a standard bike?

 

[GenXguy]

Check out Ride1up.com

$1000 to $1800 for an ebike shipped.

There's also a Ride1up Facebook community page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/264729534163214

See reviews and the forum at electricbikereview.com

The Ride1up bikes let you fine tune the power settings of each assist level so that you can get as much exercise as you want without having to ride any faster than you want. Four of their e-bikes have 2.2" to 2.4" tires to give a more comfortable ride than skinny road tires, and the gearing is higher than a lot of similar bikes including mountain bikes, with assist to 28 mph.

 

[Ronstar]

Not to hi-jack the thread from OP sounds like he is learning the ropes also.

I have one question for you owners. What is the pro's and con's of center drive vs hub drives?

Do you get as much physical exercise from the E-Bike a standard bike?

My bike is a mid mount drive. I don’t know the pros and cons other than what I read. https://electricbikereview.com/foru...ifference-between-electric-bike-motors.22745/

I get about the same amount of exercise on my ebike as I did with my conventional bike. Conventional bike is more intense exercise than ebike, but I ride farther and for a longer time on the ebike.

 

[street]

Thanks Ronstar.

I was very interested last year when you were in the processes of purchasing an E-Bike. I learned some then and was interested in getting one but never did. I ride about 6 miles a day on average in the summer.

When I'm home I do like to ride.

 

[savory]

A few things I think I learned. A mid drive provides better weight distribution. It should help with balance.

A UK study I read a few years ago confirmed the fitness benefits of ebikes. Their centralized medical program provides great access to data. I felt confident in the report.

I would urge those of you who see your bike to be only used for recreation consider it as a replacement for your motor vehicle as much as possible. Having said that I would not suggest you try it until you have spent some time on the net taking online training Smart Cycling from the League of American Bicyclists or Cycling Savvy. LAB are free. CS is cheap.
The other tip is route selection. Find quitter roads than those you would select for a motor vehicle ride. It could be the ones that run parallel with fewer lanes, lower speeds. Check out Google Maps bike directions

 

[cbo111]

I bought a Specialized Como last July. I really enjoy it. Getting DW one in the spring, and a trailer hitch bike rack for my truck.

I put about 500 miles on it last summer and fall. Great on hills and against the wind. Battery probably lasts about 4 hours, but I have never ridden it more than 2-3 hours. Usually go about 25-30 miles.

Make sure you get a helmet. The ebike has a little surge when you take off.

I also recommend electricbikereview. They have some great ebike reviews on YouTube

I watched the Como 4 review and really like the simplified setup. I have spent many hours wading through dozens of brands (good for pandemic time use). So many of these companies have been around for less than 5 years and I wonder how many will still be in business in the next 5 years.
Now I am leaning toward an established quality brand with maintenance support available in the future. The Como 4 runs about $3.5K, which is higher than I wanted to spend, but it may pay off in the long run.

 

[ransil]

Most of the cheap bikes use bafang motors and controls they are not going anywhere soon , batteries can be purchased outside the manufacturer of the bikes , everything else should be common bike stuff .

 

[street]

^ thanks that is good to know.

 

[mageedge]

We have a Magnum UI6 and an Amego Infinite. Both are rear hub drives and are, essentially, the same bike made in Germany with a Das-kit motor. The infinite has a larger frame.
Like others I used electricbikereview.com a lot before settling on these 2.
The prices are very similar - currently around $1700 - Amego is a Canadian firm and the exchange rate to the $ was such that I saved $200 compared to the UI6 when I purchased.
About 1000 miles so far - trouble free and comfortable ride. 40-50 miles on a charge in a hilly area. The motor provides good torque for climbing.

On mid-drive vs. hub, I settled on the latter based on less maintenance and relative price for similar quality of machine.
However there are advantages to mid-drive - generally better torque and rear wheel is regular bike wheel (vs. having a motor in the middle!) - easy for tire change/flat repair etc.

My suggestion - look for bikes with quality parts, hydraulic brakes and, at least, partial suspension.

 

[eytonxav]

Having said that I would not suggest you try it until you have spent some time on the net taking online training Smart Cycling from the League of American Bicyclists or Cycling Savvy. LAB are free. CS is cheap.
The other tip is route selection. Find quitter roads than those you would select for a motor vehicle ride. It could be the ones that run parallel with fewer lanes, lower speeds. Check out Google Maps bike directions

Sounds like good advice. Didn't Simon Cowell suffer a back injury on an e-bike?

 

[ripper1]

I bought a Specialized Como last July. I really enjoy it. Getting DW one in the spring, and a trailer hitch bike rack for my truck.

I put about 500 miles on it last summer and fall. Great on hills and against the wind. Battery probably lasts about 4 hours, but I have never ridden it more than 2-3 hours. Usually go about 25-30 miles.

Make sure you get a helmet. The ebike has a little surge when you take off.

I also recommend electricbikereview. They have some great ebike reviews on YouTube

Yep, great bike. I also bought one this late past summer. A little pricey at around 3400 but is a lot of fun with pedal assist up to 28 mph.

 

[stepford]

Another threadjack...

I'm curious if any of you e-bikers ever ride with a heart rate monitor. I've been doing this lately on my (non-E) bikes and find that just riding around I sit in the zone of 60-80% of max HR. It takes a pretty hard grind uphill on the road bike for me to get above 85% (I just sit and spin), but hard climbs on the mountain bike will often get me to 90-95%. If I push past that and hit 95+ for any length of time I'll need to coast or stop for a bit to recover.

I'm really interested in e-bikes in my future, but wonder about what HR zones one gets into when riding and whether the cardio benefits really are comparable to conventional cycling.

On a different note I find these days that things like back soreness and saddle numbness (rather than just getting tired) limit my rides to 2-3 hours so I'm not sure if increasing the duration of rides on an e-bike would be an option for me.

 

[ransil]

Sounds like good advice. Didn't Simon Cowell suffer a back injury on an e-bike?

that was not an Ebike