Hello Everyone - First ebike purchase

ThomasB

ThomasB

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Trying to make a semi-well-considered first ebike purchase. I'm probably trying to cover too many bases, trying to do too many dissimilar activities; but I hope to get a bike that I'm reasonably satisfied with to get started.

M/ late 50s, 210#, fitness is ok but (beer) always a work in progress. Spend time between S. FL and rural WNY.

Goals:
Hiking shuttle: I like to backpack hike. Generally do sections of longer linear trails. Getting back to the car from a trailhead to the trailhead where I started. Country roads, forest service roads generally decent condition but hills/mountains. 40miles+ at times.

Bikepacking: Never did this but would love to try long(ish) distance bike trails. Paved, gravel, dirt (C&O, Erie Canal). Not sure what I can expect here, just sounds cool. I have ultra lightweight backpacking gear so I shouldn't need a ton of new extraneous gear beyond paniers.

Local Use: Roads/paths for daily fitness. Grocery runs.

Currently looking at Rize RX and similar (open to other ideas). Don't want to break the bank but willing to spend a little extra on quality, service and features/performance. (Is that ambiguous enough?)

Don't need to be a speed demon but want extra torque in the bank. Feel systems will last longer if used at 50% capacity rather than 90%. I think i prefer mid motor rather than hub for mtn/hilly terrain (although neither place I live has much of those). Range seems important. Maybe need to get a spare battery (or 2)?

I have some reading to do!
Thanks everyone!
 
I don't own one but the Priority Current seems to have the golden trifecta of a mid drive motor over 250W, a belt drive and a Enviolo CVT hub. A belt/ Enviolo mean you don't have to mess with constantly replacing the chain and gears. I believe you can get a discount on the bike if you have a Costco membership.
 
ThomasB said:
Trying to make a semi-well-considered first ebike purchase. I'm probably trying to cover too many bases, trying to do too many dissimilar activities; but I hope to get a bike that I'm reasonably satisfied with to get started.

M/ late 50s, 210#, fitness is ok but (beer) always a work in progress. Spend time between S. FL and rural WNY.

Goals:
Hiking shuttle: I like to backpack hike. Generally do sections of longer linear trails. Getting back to the car from a trailhead to the trailhead where I started. Country roads, forest service roads generally decent condition but hills/mountains. 40miles+ at times.

Bikepacking: Never did this but would love to try long(ish) distance bike trails. Paved, gravel, dirt (C&O, Erie Canal). Not sure what I can expect here, just sounds cool. I have ultra lightweight backpacking gear so I shouldn't need a ton of new extraneous gear beyond paniers.

Local Use: Roads/paths for daily fitness. Grocery runs.

Currently looking at Rize RX and similar (open to other ideas). Don't want to break the bank but willing to spend a little extra on quality, service and features/performance. (Is that ambiguous enough?)

Don't need to be a speed demon but want extra torque in the bank. Feel systems will last longer if used at 50% capacity rather than 90%. I think i prefer mid motor rather than hub for mtn/hilly terrain (although neither place I live has much of those). Range seems important. Maybe need to get a spare battery (or 2)?

I have some reading to do!
Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...
Welcome! Depending on your budget I really like the Ariel Grizzly. I borrowed a friend's for a couple of weeks while he was out of town and absolutely loved it compared to similar models that cost much more. https://arielrider.com/products/grizzly
 
socialfilter said:
Welcome! Depending on your budget I really like the Ariel Grizzly. I borrowed a friend's for a couple of weeks while he was out of town and absolutely loved it compared to similar models that cost much more. https://arielrider.com/products/grizzly
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Thanks! This company was not on my radar. I am a little afraid of bikes thar look similar to motorcycles. I want to ride the Erie Canal towpath and other trails where ebike have restrictions. I think a bicycle-looking platform would not cause trouble as long as you are courteous and speed conscious. Really like their Kepler model a lot.. really a lot. It's on backorder wait but definitely one I will be searching user reviews.
 
ThomasB said:
Thanks! This company was not on my radar. I am a little afraid of bikes thar look similar to motorcycles. I want to ride the Erie Canal towpath and other trails where ebike have restrictions. I think a bicycle-looking platform would not cause trouble as long as you are courteous and speed conscious. Really like their Kepler model a lot.. really a lot. It's on backorder wait but definitely one I will be searching user reviews.
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That does seem to be the trend, just slap some pedals on a mini-bike/motorcycle and call it an ebike. Like you mentioned in your post you may not find an engine that ticks all of your boxes. Good
 
Hi ThomasB! Check out the GinX via the link below. It has a suspension fork and both a throttle and 5 levels of pedal assist! Also, it has a ‘walk’ mode and a 7-SP Shimano derailleur. The bike weighs only 42-lbs. and with these and all the other features you can’t find an ebike of this quality and with this many features at this price point. And the Customer Service has been absolutely great! The 2 co-owners, Rahul and Marianna, have consistently responded personally to my emails because they are very customer focused. I ordered the 'X' with the mobile phone pack because it was about the same price as I could find on Amazon and the rear rack and panier packs, which I can't find on the website anymore, for some reason. I am 5-10, 195 and closing in on 71 yrs. old. I live in the Minneapolis Metro area and have ridden it in a couple of inches of snow and through some icy/slushy conditions this winter, although I have swapped out the orig. equip. CST tires for a set of 2.2 wide '45NTH' studded tires, which really helps in these conditions. When the snow goes away, I will swap back to the CST's or mount a set of 1.75 with an all-terrain tread that can be inflated to a much higher pressure and which should give me a longer range than knobby tires when I ride on our extensive paved and packed class 5 trail system. Also, you mentioned beer. That's ALWAYS my goal - to incorporate a visit to one of the 70+ craft breweries in The Metro area on almost every ride!

https://www.ginebikes.com/?ref=mikemehle
 
Minnesota Gin X Rider said:
Hi ThomasB! Check out the GinX via the link below. It has a suspension fork and both a throttle and 5 levels of pedal assist! Also, it has a ‘walk’ mode and a 7-SP Shimano derailleur. The bike weighs only 42-lbs. and with these and all the other features you can’t find an ebike of this quality and with this many features at this price point. And the Customer Service has been absolutely great! The 2 co-owners, Rahul and Marianna, have consistently responded personally to my emails because they are very customer focused. I ordered the 'X' with the mobile phone pack because it was about the same price as I could find on Amazon and the rear rack and panier packs, which I can't find on the website anymore, for some reason. I am 5-10, 195 and closing in on 71 yrs. old. I live in the Minneapolis Metro area and have ridden it in a couple of inches of snow and through some icy/slushy conditions this winter, although I have swapped out the orig. equip. CST tires for a set of 2.2 wide '45NTH' studded tires, which really helps in these conditions. When the snow goes away, I will swap back to the CST's or mount a set of 1.75 with an all-terrain tread that can be inflated to a much higher pressure and which should give me a longer range than knobby tires when I ride on our extensive paved and packed class 5 trail system. Also, you mentioned beer. That's ALWAYS my goal - to incorporate a visit to one of the 70+ craft breweries in The Metro area on almost every ride!

https://www.ginebikes.com/?ref=mikemehle
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Someone else mentioned this brand on here and I'd forgotten about it. What's the throttle only top speed? I can't find that info anywhere. It looks like a fantastic bike for the price kinda wish there were options to upgrade to 500, 750 watts but it's a great looking bike. I've got a fat tire folding bike atm with those CST tires. It doesn't matter if I'm going 2 mph if I hit any ice it's a miracle if it doesn't slide right out from under me. Do those knobby's help on ice too? Ebikes are addictive and before I got sick I was doing Door Dash on my ebike just to save money to buy another model. I think I may have just found it, at least until I can get my Grizzly. So glad to hear customer service is good. That's a rarity in the Chinese dominated ebike market imo. 4 1/2 stars on trustpilot.com?!!! That's unheard of for ebikes ime. Happy you're enjoying your ride, is this your first ebike? Thanks again for posting about this company again
 
ThomasB: This is my 1st ebike. I researched ebikes for 5-6 months before I kind of tripped over the Gin X. I really wanted a hub drive and carbon frame (for lighter bike and longer range) but was not going to spend $3500 - $6000 for one. THis bike seems to be a great compromise with features you won't find on other bikes at a price point close to the Gin X. I honestly don't know the top throttle speed but if you send them an email with your questions from their website they will have or get you your answers. Plain knobby's may help in snow/ice conditions but I would never ride it without the studded tires I put on. The only issue I see with the rims on the GinX is that the widest tire they can accommodate is a 2.2". Sp, if you wanted to go wider to a 2.5" wide or wider, you'd have to switch out the rims. And, of course, the ultimate limiting factor is how a tire will fit into the fork without the tire rubbing on the fork.
 
Minnesota Gin X Rider said:
ThomasB: This is my 1st ebike. I researched ebikes for 5-6 months before I kind of tripped over the Gin X. I really wanted a hub drive and carbon frame (for lighter bike and longer range) but was not going to spend $3500 - $6000 for one. THis bike seems to be a great compromise with features you won't find on other bikes at a price point close to the Gin X. I honestly don't know the top throttle speed but if you send them an email with your questions from their website they will have or get you your answers. Plain knobby's may help in snow/ice conditions but I would never ride it without the studded tires I put on. The only issue I see with the rims on the GinX is that the widest tire they can accommodate is a 2.2". Sp, if you wanted to go wider to a 2.5" wide or wider, you'd have to switch out the rims. And, of course, the ultimate limiting factor is how a tire will fit into the fork without the tire rubbing on the fork.
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The specs are unbelievable for the price. Most carbon frames cost as much as the whole bike! I'm with you on the tires "2.5 is really the smallest I'd want so I'm sending an email about the speed and forks. I'll post the response I get. I haven't looked into studded tires yet but am going to now
 
socialfilter said:
The specs are unbelievable for the price. Most carbon frames cost as much as the whole bike! I'm with you on the tires "2.5 is really the smallest I'd want so I'm sending an email about the speed and forks. I'll post the response I get. I haven't looked into studded tires yet but am going to now
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I guess I'll wait until spring. They don't make 20x4" studded and at $280 each I'd feel stupid putting them on a 1k ebike
 
If you are looking at the GinX you might be confused. Its frame is aluminum and NOT carbon. Even with aluminum, the GinX is only 42-lbs. Most other ebikes (NOT the carbon framed ones!) are 50 to almost 70-lbs. Remember, the heavier it is the harder it is to lift onto a bike carrier or to lift into your van or truck. And the heavier they are the more unwieldy they get. And I noted that I purchased a set of 27.5 X 2.2" '45NTH' brand studded tires. They are the 'KAHVA' model and they cost me $100-ea., $200 total. And because the inside dimension of the GinX rims - bead to bead - is 17MM, the widest tire that will fit onto those rims is a 2.1 - 2.2" wide.
 
Minnesota Gin X Rider said:
If you are looking at the GinX you might be confused. Its frame is aluminum and NOT carbon. Even with aluminum, the GinX is only 42-lbs. Most other ebikes (NOT the carbon framed ones!) are 50 to almost 70-lbs. Remember, the heavier it is the harder it is to lift onto a bike carrier or to lift into your van or truck. And the heavier they are the more unwieldy they get. And I noted that I purchased a set of 27.5 X 2.2" '45NTH' brand studded tires. They are the 'KAHVA' model and they cost me $100-ea., $200 total. And because the inside dimension of the GinX rims - bead to bead - is 17MM, the widest tire that will fit onto those rims is a 2.1 - 2.2" wide.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info! My ebike weighs 65lbs and it's a b**ch to pedal father than 2-3 blocks. The link I got earlier took me to pics of tires that were $280 each! $100 isn't bad, my Shinkos were almost that much. I sent them an email and the ebike goes 22mph throttle only, they're going to get back to me on whether 2.5" tires will fit.
 
Thanks for all the info! I spent a little time on the GinX site and I think it might be underpowered for longish climbs when I am hiking. I am also stuck on mid-motor bikes for the same reason... So, Next post -->
 
I am looking really hard at the Frey Savannah - either the Hybrid Touring (which is a rear hub 1000W) or the Hybrid HT1000 (mid-drive 1000W). I love the published range (I get that I will never see those numbers in real-life but I hope all the mfg's lie about it equally) of the Touring - and I think the 1000W hub motor will likely do everything my body can tolerate +.

The HT1000 has half the published range of the Touring (still impressive tho) and is pretty much everything else on my list.....

One of my fears is to have a 30 mile ride assisted-pedal back to the car after a few days on the hiking trail, tired and smelly... and my return trip fails to cover the ground.... This scenario is like 1% of my total usage tho... I'm over thinking this.

Anyone here have a Frey? - Comments about the long lead time... satisfaction... gripes/warnings...
 
So I pulled the trigger and put a deposit on the Frey HT1000. There is a Frey bike shop here in the US, Hanover Bikes, (Hanover, MO) that has stock! The owner Jeff Shipman was great! Very patient with my litany of questions. He did indicate the bikes do run small and recommended the XL over the L for me at a little over 5'10". **nail-biting** Hope so, I went with his call.

Comes with a rack and shift sensor. Have to order a light kit and spare battery.

Price was surprisingly a bit less than the online pricing. I need to finish payment on it before it ships so might be a couple of weeks. So excited!!
 
This is the introduction forum; just leave it to that.

Then, post for advice elsewhere.
 

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