eBike choices and Local Bike Shops

E-bike is too broad a term. Many Class II fat tire bikes made in China and shipped out to markets and these weigh 70 lbs and are not something one can carry up stairs and require special bike racks to support their weight. I bought two of these and needed a motorcycle ramp to get them on the $800 bike rack that was hitch mounted.

I replaced them with Specialized Turbo Creo bikes that have a weight of 26 lbs and for all intents and purposes are like a standard road bike. They provide pedal assist that is like having a strong tailwind on the roads.

REI in the USA has excellent road bikes that use standard tires that are easy to repair in the event of a flat and that weigh about 55 lbs and sell for less than $3,000. Going below that is a risk in terms of reliability and ability to get repairs or firmware updates. If the controller fails a e-bike is worthless if the unit cannot be replaced and if the bike was not bought from a local shop one is pretty much on their own.
 
I'm not on the position of many of you here. I'm going to be 87 next month. I'm not motivated to do my own wrenching, in fact I don't see myself repairing a tire on the road. I have ridden a trike for the last ten years. Last year I converted to an ebike. It was hard to get Catrikes at the time so I thought why not get an ebike? It was easier to obtain and I liked the idea of being back on a regular frame bike as long as I didn't have a serious fall and distrurb my pacemaker. Ha, ha.

And so I purchased a store-bought Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0. What a bike. Absolutely perfect for me!

But I had forgotten how a regular bike tested my body. I hurt everywhere I touched the bike, After10 months it was still painful to ride. I sold the bike to a lucky guy who was younger and used to road bikes. By that time Catrikes were a little more available. I purchased a Catrike Expedition with Bosch drive. Everything works as it should. The battery pack will not explode. I've been very happy with it through 2000 miles.

What's the moral here? Some people, for whatever reason, may have to suck it up, bite the bullet and buy a major brand, relatively reliable and able to be serviced by the dealer. The cost may be worth it for some.

On the other hand, I admire the do-it-yourself people and their interesting solutions!
As someone that has never worked on a bike, much less an ebike, I understand completely. I've been watching YouTube videos etc. just to learn how to align the brake pads & rotor lol. If I could afford it I would definitely purchase an expensive ebike I could buy from a local shop and have it serviced there but alas I'm poor so have a cheapie Chinese. Just from my experience with their customer service so far I know if I ever need a part or something it will be a nightmare. You get what you pay for
 
The shop I just bought my Aventon Level.2 from is an Indian motorcycle dealer. They had a few other e-bike brands, I can’t remember which; never heard of them.

The sales guy was surprisingly helpful and knowledgeable about them. He said they started carrying eBikes to get them through the pandemic when they couldn’t get motorcycles.

I think a motorcycle dealer is a good place to sell eBikes, because the mechanics won’t be intimidated. It’s a bit of the opposite situation compared to a bike shop: these are the slower, low end transportation that they offer.

I have two local bike shops: one is in its final closing sale; the owner wants to retire and he got an offer on the building. Too bad, he’s been at it for 40 years. They carry Trek, Electra and Giant eBikes ranging from about $1700 to $3,500.

The other is downtown, more expensive. I don’t remember what brand they carry, but it’s very minimal in the eBike area. I can tell he’s got a bad taste from eBikes, but doesn’t want to be left behind either.
 
The shop I just bought my Aventon Level.2 from is an Indian motorcycle dealer. They had a few other e-bike brands, I can’t remember which; never heard of them.

The sales guy was surprisingly helpful and knowledgeable about them. He said they started carrying eBikes to get them through the pandemic when they couldn’t get motorcycles.

I think a motorcycle dealer is a good place to sell eBikes, because the mechanics won’t be intimidated. It’s a bit of the opposite situation compared to a bike shop: these are the slower, low end transportation that they offer.

I have two local bike shops: one is in its final closing sale; the owner wants to retire and he got an offer on the building. Too bad, he’s been at it for 40 years. They carry Trek, Electra and Giant eBikes ranging from about $1700 to $3,500.

The other is downtown, more expensive. I don’t remember what brand they carry, but it’s very minimal in the eBike area. I can tell he’s got a bad taste from eBikes, but doesn’t want to be left behind either.
Kinda off topic but Rad has been expanding shops for their brand west of the Mississippi, idk about east. They have mobile repair and for a cheaper brand I think they're pretty decent and now, if you're in the right area, the ease of repairs, parts, and advice is great especially for new riders. Hopefully others will follow suit.
 
Kinda off topic but Rad has been expanding shops for their brand west of the Mississippi, idk about east. They have mobile repair and for a cheaper brand I think they're pretty decent and now, if you're in the right area, the ease of repairs, parts, and advice is great especially for new riders. Hopefully others will follow suit.
This is one area where Rad leads, and it helps to justify their somewhat high prices for minimally-spec’d bikes.
 
Yep! Do whatever you need to do. There are people in the business think you will just toss a 2K bike and buy new because it is 'broken'. There is a market for that but it is not for most of us. I am a farm boy from the 50s. If you could not fix it you did not deserve it. So if LBS don't care about service or parts you become a survivor and rely on forums like this for information to help you survive. 2003 I bought my first Shwinn E bike. It was big and heavy welded steel with a 24v lead acid battery box behind the seat post. Wore out chains and sprockets and of course brakes, but zero E problems. The Ranger with fat tires and center drive (love that bike) now with several thousand miles on it. When I bought the new folder I knew what I wanted and bought online because of availability. Stay with generic or replaceable e parts and the rest is just 'bicycle'. It may be tough to know what you want to buy but when you do look at the LBS and give them a chance for a sale, but be ready to be on your own. Mobile service is part of that.
Learn how to service your bike.there are so many videos on utube.my neighbor just paid $150.00 for a bike tuneup?.clean and lub the chain ,adjust the derailleur, replace the brake pads,make sure all bolts are tight and fix 1 flat ,grease the stem.I have never had enough money to throw away like that. Besides it's good to learn things,even changing the flat on your car
 
Learn how to service your bike.there are so many videos on utube.my neighbor just paid $150.00 for a bike tuneup?.clean and lub the chain ,adjust the derailleur, replace the brake pads,make sure all bolts are tight and fix 1 flat ,grease the stem.I have never had enough money to throw away like that. Besides it's good to learn things,even changing the flat on your car
Me too I always have. I've got 2 T-1's so far I've modified the center stand as it was about to fail ( broken leg ) reinforce weak areas, change stowed positon so leg won't drag curbs. So they send me a replacement T-1 with side stand... Mounted with 2 thru bolts to the long drop out on frame.dont know why they thought a good idea to mill a pocket to bolt side stand to inside of drop out. If that's not enough... look closer how they have removed more material from drop out casting leaving in a more weakened state. Now I'm documenting a fix for this.


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We have a great bike shop in town called Scooter's (they sell bikes not scooters!) and I was able to buy two Cannondale Metro Neo e-bikes form them within two days.
 
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