First Ebike Help, Steep Hills in Reno

[Cruz]

Hello,

I've been saving for a car over the summer to commute to university through next semester. I'm thinking an ebike may be a reasonable option instead. Please share some ideas if you have the time!

My price range is around $1200, I weigh 140 pounds, and live in Reno, Nevada where there are many hills throughout streets. The round trip to school and back is 20 miles.

I've seen options such as the Aventon Soltra so I have some direction. I don't feel like I have a good idea of what to start looking for and don't want to pay car insurance lol.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Smaug]

I wouldn't go with an Aventon. Their after-sale support reputation is pretty spotty.

I'd probably go with a Lectric XP 2.0 in your shoes. They're $1k and are well-regarded. One member here "A" who lives in NYC says he sees Lectrics everywhere, in all weather, being used by bike couriers. It's fast enough and will have enough range, especially if you help a bit with the pedaling. The weather in Reno is pretty friendly to eBikes.

RadPower Bikes has a good reputation, too; they're quite popular.

Invest in a good chain & lock.

The only question is whether you have a route that is safe to take at eBike speeds? A scooter might make more sense.

 

[JerryB]

I agree....Lectric XP 2.0 might work well for you. I got one a little over a month ago....have put on 135 miles thus far....we live in pretty hilly area.....I weigh 230 lbs......my ebike handles the hills with ease....I ride in pedal assit 1 about 90% of time on small hills......move to PA 2 on steeper hills.....once in a great while......a higher PA is needed but rarely. At your weight....you would have no issues with a 20 mile round trip. I usually charge my battery after 20 to 25 miles......my battery still has 30 to 35% left when I recharge. Good luck.

 

[rgsparber]

I have watched many people in the forums about poor support from aventon.
Unless you can pick one up at your LBS.
I have an aventon and within first month of ownership spokes started to fall out or the rear wheel. I took it to the shop and they got a new wheel for it from Aventon.
Lectric has good reputation on their support side.
But I were to ride one it would probably fall apart within 100miles.
Just saying.
@Cruz hope you find one soon.

My Lectric XP 1.0 is built like a tank. I do the recommended monthly and quarterly maintenance and the only touch-up I do is to pump the tires up from about 18 PSI back to 20 PSI. After 3200 miles, I replaced the rear brake pads because I didn't like the sound they made. However, about half of the pad was still there and I live in a hilly area. I did have my battery fail after 11 1/2 months. With ZERO hassle, Lectric replaced it with a new one. Can this bike fall apart? Sure, if you used it like a mountain bike and jumped off six-foot cliffs.

 

[Snoop]

I think riding an ebike to school is a great alternative to driving, regardless of the model you settle on. Probably a good idea to make sure you won’t still need a car as well, however (bad weather, carrying large items, need for trips farther away from school, picking up a date <grin>). You might not want to be in a bind where you end up needing an ebike and a car.

On the plus side, since you’ve been saving money…..I just filled my vehicle’s tank with gas, and it was the first time I have filled it in 5 weeks. Using my ebike to commute to work has definitely saved me money at the gas pump.

 

[MWRider]

Hello,

I've been saving for a car over the summer to commute to university through next semester. I'm thinking an ebike may be a reasonable option instead. Please share some ideas if you have the time!

My price range is around $1200, I weigh 140 pounds, and live in Reno, Nevada where there are many hills throughout streets. The round trip to school and back is 20 miles.

I've seen options such as the Aventon Soltra so I have some direction. I don't feel like I have a good idea of what to start looking for and don't want to pay car insurance lol.

Any help is appreciated!

Given your budget, and if you have some mechanical aptitude, for that money, you could easily have a kit build ebike. So far, I am liking the Bafang middrives.

 

[rgsparber]

The Lectric XP 2.0 is $1,000 plus tax, shipped assembled to your door. If you need it to carry a lot of cargo, spend $150 more for front and rear metal baskets. The one downside to adding these baskets is that you won't be able to completely fold the bike.

As long as you stay under about 17 MPH on the XP, going 20 miles should not be a problem. It is all about "ampere-hours". If I go full throttle up a steep hill, I can draw 20 amperes. This means my 10 ampere-hour battery is dead in (10 ampere-hours)/(20 amperes) = 1/2 hour. By slowing down to about 8 MPH on this killer hill, I draw 13 amperes.

Usually, I spend about 2 minutes going up such a hill and far more time on the flats or going downhill. On my normal ride of 1 1/2 hours, I use about half of the battery's capacity. I always run out of enthusiasm before I run out of battery power ;-)

 

[Smaug]

Sheesh$
Buy an ebike already and tell us if good or not.

That’s easy to say, but it’s a lot of money for a young buck. ;-)

 

[rgsparber]

That’s easy to say, but it’s a lot of money for a young buck. ;-)

I agree. IMHO, this is a lot of money and takes a lot of space. I thought long and hard about what problems my eBike would solve before putting down my money.

 

[HumanPerson]

I agree. IMHO, this is a lot of money and takes a lot of space. I thought long and hard about what problems my eBike would solve before putting down my money.

This hobby gets expensive for sure

 

[JerryB]

My Lectric XP 1.0 is built like a tank. I do the recommended monthly and quarterly maintenance and the only touch-up I do is to pump the tires up from about 18 PSI back to 20 PSI. After 3200 miles, I replaced the rear brake pads because I didn't like the sound they made. However, about half of the pad was still there and I live in a hilly area. I did have my battery fail after 11 1/2 months. With ZERO hassle, Lectric replaced it with a new one. Can this bike fall apart? Sure, if you used it like a mountain bike and jumped off six-foot cliffs.

So is my new Lectric XP 2.0.....very well built. Their customer service is outstanding as well. Had a small issue with display flashing misc codes periodically at start up.....I would power off bike.....turn key to off.....turn it back on and power up again to clear.....I called Lectric.....they listened to me.....suggested I check all connections on controller.....even sent me a video on how to access controller......took me 15 minutes.....problem solved. I was impressed with their service.

 

[Calsun]

Universities are target rich environments for thieves and an e-bike is going to be stolen very quickly.

 

[One Trippe]

I purchased an Aventon Soltaire 7 a year ago. Absolutely no problems with it. The big minus I see is the thumb throttle on the left side. I would prefer a twist throttle on the right handle bar. But since they use a twist shifter on the right that's not possible. 500 watt motor and battery would be a big plus if they offered it (I weigh 200 lbs). I like that's it's geared just in case the battery power get low you could pedal home without too much effort (I've rode a rental mountain bike all around Reno and the foot hills). It also has a integral battery that is locked in place (don't want your battery stolen as it's the single most expensive part on the e-bike). Image . . . it looks like a regular Trek style hybrid bike and mine is easily spotted being YELLOW (these e-bike manufactures should take a page from Lamborghini and get imaginative with colors!) Off the shelf rear rack easily fits the Soltaire 7. It does have the typical hybrid size tire. Probably not too good in soft soil or for beach riding . . . which will not be an issue for Reno riding. I also like the fact that it pairs with my iphone with the Aventon app and there is a power port. For me it is well worth the $1300 and is a better bike than my Rad Mission1 single speed for my use. BTW, I live west of Austin so we have hills . . . but not mountains.

 

[Smaug]

Universities are target rich environments for thieves and an e-bike is going to be stolen very quickly.

I'm not too sure about this. It COULD be hot-wired, but missing the key and ignition switch, it would be hard to resell it and convince anyone that it is not stolen.

 

[JerryB]

I'm not too sure about this. It COULD be hot-wired, but missing the key and ignition switch, it would be hard to resell it and convince anyone that it is not stolen.

If you take the battery with you.....they'd really be screwed.

 

[Snoop]

I imagine a good thing about universities is they are probably loaded with security cameras. Hopefully that would deter some thievery.

Get a good U-Lock.

 

[One Trippe]

Really folks . . . don't be naïve. I'm sure university bicycle parking areas are target rich environments. If someone is devoted to stealing your e-bike, or anything else, they will. "Locks are for keeping honest people honest." But as mentioned here, buy a good lock and help keep less than honest people honest. I still like the Aventon Soltaire integral battery. It makes my e-bike appear to be another Hybrid bike . . . only in yellow. But then I haven't had to buy a proprietary battery, yet.

 

[Snoop]

Really folks . . . don't be naïve. I'm sure university bicycle parking areas are target rich environments. If someone is devoted to stealing your e-bike, or anything else, they will. "Locks are for keeping honest people honest." But as mentioned here, buy a good lock and help keep less than honest people honest. I still like the Aventon Soltaire integral battery. It makes my e-bike appear to be another Hybrid bike . . . only in yellow. But then I haven't had to buy a proprietary battery, yet.

I did find this little chart (I think it was by Kryptonite) last night when researching locks. The highlighted numbers correspond to a product on my page at the time.

Of importance here is that the manufacturer does rate university settings as amongst the highest risk, similar to major metro cities.

Glad I live suburb/rural.

 

[Smaug]

I bet the acoustic bike owners on college campuses are happy to see eBikes taking over; maybe that will take some of the pressure off of them.

 

[hsdrggr]

Hello,

I've been saving for a car over the summer to commute to university through next semester. I'm thinking an ebike may be a reasonable option instead. Please share some ideas if you have the time!

My price range is around $1200, I weigh 140 pounds, and live in Reno, Nevada where there are many hills throughout streets. The round trip to school and back is 20 miles.

I've seen options such as the Aventon Soltra so I have some direction. I don't feel like I have a good idea of what to start looking for and don't want to pay car insurance lol.

Any help is appreciated!

I’m not sure how handy you are or mechanical skill level. But if your area has a lot of severe inclines plus if they are long, I’d stay away from hub motors and do a mid-drive set up. You will be much happier and not end up frying a hub drive. There are good mid drive conversion kits out there. I have a Bafang BBSHD mid drive hub kit on my touring bike and it is awesome. Hills are effortless. I run 2 batteries and get well over 100miles. I also have 4 other ebikes with geared hub motors. Mid drives will have more torque and use less energy on hills due to its internal gearing. Hub motors waste a lot battery energy by creating heat on inclines, mid drives just put that energy to the pavement. Check out Luna Cycle online. My kit about 3 years ago was $700. Plus a battery, I just bought a 48v 27ah ebike battery from China for $180 delivered. It replaces the crank and sprocket assembly on a conventional bike. Plus just running some wires with zip ties. So if you already have a nice road bike just convert it. That’s Just my 2 cents. Feel free to PM me if you need more info. I’ve been in the bike industry for way to many years. Happy to help you if you want.