Ebike for commuting / carrying mid size load

[cgo]

Hi all,
I've been researching a bit (online only), looking for an ebike for a commute about 12 mile one way, 3-5 days a week.
I currently do that with a normal touring bike.
I was first looking at the Blix cargo bike, but noticed that it does 20mph max and it's somewhat on the heavier side.
I looked at the Dost Kope, and that one seems like a good alternative, albeit quite a bit more expensive.
The Aventon Level also sounds like a contender.

I would like to be able to carry Panniers and occasionally a child seat with a child in it.

Do people here have experience with the above three bikes, or similar ones, for this kind of use case? If so then your comments
would be much appreciated.

One particular question: I would like to commute quickly and not sweat too much, so I expect to see myself using a high level of motor support.
Are the number of miles per battery charge that the manufacturers post normally meant for a lower level of motor support? Any experiences with the accuracy of
those numbers?

EDIT: I should add that I am 187cm in height, or just about 6'2.

Thanks a lot,
Christian

 

[HIMI-RICK]

I suggest you check out the Highway Cruiser..........

Fat Tire Electric Bike for Sale | Himiway Cruiser Ebikes

Discover the Himiway Cruiser, a stylish and sustainable electric bike offering an impressive 60-mile range. Experience powerful performance and embark on long-range adventures with this sleek fat tire e-bike.

himiwaybike.com

I just got one 2 weeks ago and have put 200 trouble free miles on it. I luv it!

 

[cgo]

I suggest you check out the Highway Cruiser..........

Fat Tire Electric Bike for Sale | Himiway Cruiser Ebikes

Discover the Himiway Cruiser, a stylish and sustainable electric bike offering an impressive 60-mile range. Experience powerful performance and embark on long-range adventures with this sleek fat tire e-bike.

himiwaybike.com

I just got one 2 weeks ago and have put 200 trouble free miles on it. I luv it!

That doesn't look bad at all. Do you know if you can program this bike to be a class 3 also?

 

[HIMI-RICK]

That doesn't look bad at all. Do you know if you can program this bike to be a class 3 also?

You sure can.....out of the box 22 mph. After speed adjustment 30 mph.
Also comes with a 2 year warranty.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwim7f6subjyAhXOQTABHRxJAo0QtwJ6BAgKEAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMEet9tELssE&usg=AOvVaw2PxjIlzM0bVAc8Jl809yWk

 

[CantPassGo1!]

I have a Ride1Up 700XR, which is very similar to the Aventon Level. These are mid-range bikes that will get you about 25-35 miles fully loaded, using the battery assist #3 on level ground and #4 on hills. Maybe 40 miles if you really budget your battery use and do some work yourself. Stay off the thumb throttle as much as possible, and allow some stinging in those quads a bit on hills.

In the end, range is totally dependent upon how much you rely on that battery. Every commute is different. Every rider is different. Sometime you might just not feel like working that hard, and your battery will show you the results.

Unless you have bikes to compare on straight level ground so you can go back and forth until it dies, there's no way anyone can nail down the range.

Those miles I quoted are mine at 235lbs, with a full pannier of raingear, jacket, a heavy cable lock, and a cooler with a working man's lunch - about 17lbs pounds over my weight. I recharge every three days. With a life of about 500-800 charges, I'll probably recharge 75 times a year (over maybe 5years) before I have to get a new battery at $600 current price, or junk the thing.

 

[cgo]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! After looking at all the options, I went for a kit to convert my regular trekking bike into
an ebike. I really like that bike, and it has nicer components than the ready made ebikes that I was looking at.
While I was at it, I exchanged the chain, and I also got a better chain ring than the stock one from the Bafang motor.
It seems to work really nicely and gets me the 11 miles to work and back without sweating at all; no need to shower at work.

That way I can just keep using the setup I had before (pannier bags and an office bag with bike rack clips) to take my stuff with me.

If anyone else has a bike they like and want an ebike, I can only recommend this. Installation was fairly striaghtforward; I am not a mechanic and I don't do much work on my bike safe for small repairs and cleaning it now and then, and it was no problem for me to install the kit.

 

[HIMI-RICK]

Nice job....good luck with it and be safe!

 

[Hoggdoc]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! After looking at all the options, I went for a kit to convert my regular trekking bike into
an ebike. I really like that bike, and it has nicer components than the ready made ebikes that I was looking at.
While I was at it, I exchanged the chain, and I also got a better chain ring than the stock one from the Bafang motor.
It seems to work really nicely and gets me the 11 miles to work and back without sweating at all; no need to shower at work.

That way I can just keep using the setup I had before (pannier bags and an office bag with bike rack clips) to take my stuff with me.

If anyone else has a bike they like and want an ebike, I can only recommend this. Installation was fairly striaghtforward; I am not a mechanic and I don't do much work on my bike safe for small repairs and cleaning it now and then, and it was no problem for me to install the kit.

So what kit did you go with? Lets have some details and pictures for others that maybe thinking of doing the same as you.

 

[cgo]

So what kit did you go with? Lets have some details and pictures for others that maybe thinking of doing the same as you.

I went with a Bafang BBS02 kit from Ebike Essentials in southern California. It's vital to measure your bike frame before using those, but they supply really good documentation on how to do that, and their customer support was pretty good in helping me to figure out what I need and if it works.
Installing was not too hard, if you're not afraid of screwdrivers and wrenches then it should be fine for anyone to do.
Make sure to tighten the lock nut at the bottom bracket very well, and use threadlocker. Mine was wobbling loose after a few days, because I didn't tighten it enough at first. Now it's fine.
Works like a charm so far, I am having convenient commutes without a sweat. I don't mind exercise, but it became a nuisance when biking to the office
My bike is a Radon Sunset 10.0 from, I think, 2011 or so.
The motor has 750 Watt power, and I find that to be more than enough for my commute, which is mostly flat. There is a bridge that I have to go up a ramp to get over for, and that is a breeze for the motor. The display says it is delivering about 1kW at that short stretch, and it keeps me steady at 20mph as if the incline was not there.
It's run about 320 miles so far, I can't comment on the long term performance.
Hope this helps!

 

[Hoggdoc]

I went with a Bafang BBS02 kit from Ebike Essentials in southern California. It's vital to measure your bike frame before using those, but they supply really good documentation on how to do that, and their customer support was pretty good in helping me to figure out what I need and if it works.
Installing was not too hard, if you're not afraid of screwdrivers and wrenches then it should be fine for anyone to do.
Make sure to tighten the lock nut at the bottom bracket very well, and use threadlocker. Mine was wobbling loose after a few days, because I didn't tighten it enough at first. Now it's fine.
Works like a charm so far, I am having convenient commutes without a sweat. I don't mind exercise, but it became a nuisance when biking to the office
My bike is a Radon Sunset 10.0 from, I think, 2011 or so.
The motor has 750 Watt power, and I find that to be more than enough for my commute, which is mostly flat. There is a bridge that I have to go up a ramp to get over for, and that is a breeze for the motor. The display says it is delivering about 1kW at that short stretch, and it keeps me steady at 20mph as if the incline was not there.
It's run about 320 miles so far, I can't comment on the long term performance.
Hope this helps!

Thanks for giving us a heads up on your build. I currently have a Himiway All Terrain Fat Tire and really like it but have been researching using a Bafang kit sometime in the future if I experience any issues with the 750 W hub drive motor. What battery did you get?

 

[cgo]

Thanks for giving us a heads up on your build. I currently have a Himiway All Terrain Fat Tire and really like it but have been researching using a Bafang kit sometime in the future if I experience any issues with the 750 W hub drive motor. What battery did you get?

I got a 17.4Ah 52V battery. It seems like it would be at about 40% charge after about 30 miles, but
I don't have many data points. I go 23 miles a day normally, and the battery appears to be about 50-55% charged after that (I start at 100% in the morning). I am using a lot of assist, I am not putting much muscle power into pedaling

May I ask, what terrain are you normally riding the fat tire bike on? How does this feel on asphalt/road compared to a 3-4cm wide tire? I never tried a fat bike, but I think they look exceedingly cool.

 

[Hoggdoc]

I got a 17.4Ah 52V battery. It seems like it would be at about 40% charge after about 30 miles, but
I don't have many data points. I go 23 miles a day normally, and the battery appears to be about 50-55% charged after that (I start at 100% in the morning). I am using a lot of assist, I am not putting much muscle power into pedaling

May I ask, what terrain are you normally riding the fat tire bike on? How does this feel on asphalt/road compared to a 3-4cm wide tire? I never tried a fat bike, but I think they look exceedingly cool.

I have ridden on and off for years, anything from a thin tire road bike, to a cross over tire bike now I have the 4" fat tire bike. The fat tire bike seems to be the most stable of the three types. It doesn't seem to matter what type of terrain I'm on. I have ridden it with no power one and it rolls pretty well.

I did kinda a range test and got around 38 miles and still had one bar on the battery display. My rides are between 5 and 12 miles consisting for about ⅔ flat ground paved and light gravel paths. The other ⅓ is paved steep climbs that I do with pedal assist 3 & 4.

BTW I weigh about 200 lbs most of the time and am 75 years old. Hope that helps...