In the market for a new e-bike, suggestions please.

[Realmswalker]

Hello everyone,

After owning my Pedego Ridge Rider for a few years, I am looking to upgrade my bike in terms of power, range, and maybe go full suspension.
My current setup has the following

Pedego Ridge Rider with 48V 14AH battery
500 watt rear hub motor
Bright eyes 1800 lumen bike light
Kinekt suspension seat post
extra battery carried in pannier bag which consists of a 48 11ah battery
two pannier bags
Ortlieb cooler on rear rack

On flat ground at a steady pace of 11 to 13 MPH I can go about 70 miles using both batteries, and both batteries equal about 1200 watt hours.

I normally ride on streets, beach paths, and mountains, pretty much a mix of all three, and I love this bike for it, and would like something for more mountain biking. So I would want something similar with panniers, cooler, light, etc. What I'm looking to have besides all that is:

1000 watt minimum hub motor, or at least 90 NM of torque mid drive
1200 or more Wat Hours without having to carry a spare unattached battery
Full suspension (not a must)
Front suspension is a must
local brand store support, like my Pedego which has amazing support.

I'm willing to swap over all after market parts to the new bike, seat, light, etc.

For example here are two dream bikes similar to what I want, but I don't want to spend what they cost.

https://www.r-m.de/en-us/bikes/supercharger/ close to $8000 without any upgrades

https://optibike.com/r22-everest/ My dream bike but close to $20,000

What I actually do want to spend is close to $5,000.

I am 6'3 200 pounds.

What I would love is suggestions from you all for bikes I may be missing in my search. Thank you!

 

[Deleted member 4845]

So, you want an optibike for one-quarter the cost, and you want local dealer support, while giving us no idea where you live and what dealers are local to you.

I want a mansion and a yacht.

Good luck to you.

 

[Realmswalker]

Ahhh, such a warm welcome, thanks mansion and yacht guy.

No, I'm not asking for an optibike for a quarter of the cost, I said those are my dream bikes and similar to what I want, the muller would work well and is only 3000 over what I want to spend.

All I was asking was for suggestions on possible brands or models I may not be aware of.

If my goals are lofty then so be it.

I live in Southern California. Is there any other info I should provide?

 

[Deleted member 4845]

You are looking at ridiculously overpriced, boutique bikes that are sold primarily to clueless fools. Not sure what advice could possibly be useful to you. Optibike is a JOKE. Riese and Muller are for people who buy porsche Jackets and Sunglasses.

Oh, I forgot, you are focused on dealer support in the ebike industry. The hits just keep on coming

If you can effectively handle a screwdriver, then the BEST way to go is to FIRST, decide what you want the machine to be able to do.
NEXT, research and choose a suitable donor bike. THEN, research and choose a suitable motor kit, while ALSO purchasing necessary spares, while ALSO avoiding any and all proprietary hardware and connections, purchasing the proper crimping tools, wire strippers, extra connectors, and good quality, selectable chargers and gaining the understanding of how to properly use them.

Deciding on battery type, size, shape, weight, suitability for motor, and where you intend to hang 1200 watts, and hopefully spending some time on whether or not that is really a good idea, will be another adventure.

You will have to decide the pros and cons of each decision you make, because they ALL have them. You will have BY FAR the best bang for the buck, the bike which best suits your needs as you have defined them, and dealer support will no longer be necessary.

Also, you will be much, much less likely to have your new, expensive ebike stolen as it will not LOOK LIKE a $5,000 mobile cash grab.

Or, you can just purchase one of many, many ebikes made by companies who do not care and possibly supported by dealers who choose to remain in the same business and associated with the same company for more than a few months, and designed by "artistes" who are more concerned with "looking cool" than actually being functional.

There are very, VERY few ebike companies that have anything remotely resembling a good, reliable, LONG-TERM "dealer support network". If you really need this, you have just eliminated over 90% of the industry.

 

[Realmswalker]

"There are very, VERY few ebike companies that have anything remotely resembling a good, reliable, LONG-TERM "dealer support network". If you really need this, you have just eliminated over 90% of the industry."

OK, which are the 10% left who do have good a good dealer support network?

 

[Hoggdoc]

"There are very, VERY few ebike companies that have anything remotely resembling a good, reliable, LONG-TERM "dealer support network". If you really need this, you have just eliminated over 90% of the industry."

OK, which are the 10% left who do have good a good dealer support network?

I do a lot of research on E bikes also own an E bike. I have yet to see a reasonably priced, well-equipped dealer sold the bike. They tend to be at least twice as expensive when compared to non-dealer sold bikes.

Good luck in your search but here's a thought, why don't you take your current bike replace the rear wheel eliminating the motor, buy a good mid drive motor kit thereby adapting your bike for more power and having the ability to use the gear ratios of the derailer system to help you climb in the mountains.

 

[Deleted member 4845]

Well, let's see, now I have not researched my local market thoroughly, but as of 3-5 years ago, since I stopped looking, in MY metropolitan area of approx. 350,000, Bike shops, that have handled ebikes for 2 or more years, and have carried the same brand for at least two years, there were ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA.

In YOUR area, I have no clue. "Dealer support" is largely ineffective for many, many reporting customers. Training programs? None I have heard of. Factory support, in terms of technical expertise, is rarely available. Parts shipped out, does sometimes happen. Parts shipped out, which solve the customer's problem, is a bit less common.

Pedego does seem to do an acceptable job in this area. Rad Rover is another one. By this I mean significant numbers of customers who have received parts replacement warranty support from the factory with a minimum of hassle, and very small numbers of customers who have had a more negative experience.

"Dealer Support", for ebikes, is a pretty rare bird. Hard enough to find a good bike shop for ordinary bikes, I had one but they went under. Followed the mechanic to a new shop, which does not handle ebikes. The failed shop did, three different brands, none for more than a year.

It just does not pay for a small shop to train one or more employees on a completely different set of systems for a relatively small number of customers. Add in the proprietary systems designed to FORCE one and only one brand of replacement parts, each one totally unique to one and only one brand, each company constantly adding more untested doo-dads to complicate the system, it is hard to blame a shop for not wanting to spend time training a decent tech.

There is a guy right now posting here with a major problem on a high-end bike, supposedly with "dealer support", where one of his two bikes is not correctly calculating the calories his wife is supposedly burning. I am surprised no one has yet come up with a device to count how many times you scratch your ass per hour.

Pedego and Rad both seem to avoid the excessive use of these hardware strategies. The bikes themselves are decent but not deluxe.

Choose what YOU want, build your own, find a good mechanic who will work with the rest of the bike, and take care of the electric part yourself. I am not AT ALL mechanically inclined, and it was amazingly easy. Leave the extra, fancy crap for the guys with the Porsche jackets.

8 years. 25,000 miles. Daily driver. Wore out one donor bike, wore out one battery. Less than one hour to move entire kit to new donor bike. Less than one hour to mount new battery. Both bike and battery were entirely different from original brand. No compatibility issues. Other than brake shoes, tires, and tubes, some chain lube, which I like the wax-based as they are much cleaner, no other maintenance needed.

My kit does NOT tell me how many calories I have burned, nor how many times I scratch my ass per hour. Use the KISS formula.

 

[ptuner11]

Well, let's see, now I have not researched my local market thoroughly, but as of 3-5 years ago, since I stopped looking, in MY metropolitan area of approx. 350,000, Bike shops, that have handled ebikes for 2 or more years, and have carried the same brand for at least two years, there were ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA.

In YOUR area, I have no clue. "Dealer support" is largely ineffective for many, many reporting customers. Training programs? None I have heard of. Factory support, in terms of technical expertise, is rarely available. Parts shipped out, does sometimes happen. Parts shipped out, which solve the customer's problem, is a bit less common.

Pedego does seem to do an acceptable job in this area. Rad Rover is another one. By this I mean significant numbers of customers who have received parts replacement warranty support from the factory with a minimum of hassle, and very small numbers of customers who have had a more negative experience.

"Dealer Support", for ebikes, is a pretty rare bird. Hard enough to find a good bike shop for ordinary bikes, I had one but they went under. Followed the mechanic to a new shop, which does not handle ebikes. The failed shop did, three different brands, none for more than a year.

It just does not pay for a small shop to train one or more employees on a completely different set of systems for a relatively small number of customers. Add in the proprietary systems designed to FORCE one and only one brand of replacement parts, each one totally unique to one and only one brand, each company constantly adding more untested doo-dads to complicate the system, it is hard to blame a shop for not wanting to spend time training a decent tech.

There is a guy right now posting here with a major problem on a high-end bike, supposedly with "dealer support", where one of his two bikes is not correctly calculating the calories his wife is supposedly burning. I am surprised no one has yet come up with a device to count how many times you scratch your ass per hour.

Pedego and Rad both seem to avoid the excessive use of these hardware strategies. The bikes themselves are decent but not deluxe.

Choose what YOU want, build your own, find a good mechanic who will work with the rest of the bike, and take care of the electric part yourself. I am not AT ALL mechanically inclined, and it was amazingly easy. Leave the extra, fancy crap for the guys with the Porsche jackets.

8 years. 25,000 miles. Daily driver. Wore out one donor bike, wore out one battery. Less than one hour to move entire kit to new donor bike. Less than one hour to mount new battery. Both bike and battery were entirely different from original brand. No compatibility issues. Other than brake shoes, tires, and tubes, some chain lube, which I like the wax-based as they are much cleaner, no other maintenance needed.

My kit does NOT tell me how many calories I have burned, nor how many times I scratch my ass per hour. Use the KISS formula.

"how many times I scratch my ass".....lol

 

[xs2]

Check out eunorau. Have 1000 watt mid drives with full suspension for 2799 also have quick secondary battery option

 

[HumanPerson]

It's important that I have dealer support because I'm not the tinkering type. I have a couple ebikes now, an Aventon Level and a Bulls E Stream 45AM. The dealer I bought them from has been excellent with the support they provide.
I was in the market for another bike and last month I ordered a Biktrix Monte Capro from Canada, I was hesitant to pull the trigger at first, But Biktrix has a dealer in Hawaii so I ordered it through them, I will post pictures of the Monte Capro, It will be here sometime next week.
If anyone is planning on spending thousands on an ebike, going to dealer I believe is the way to go. IMO.

Aloha!

 

[PaulT]

Hello everyone,

After owning my Pedego Ridge Rider for a few years, I am looking to upgrade my bike in terms of power, range, and maybe go full suspension.
My current setup has the following

Pedego Ridge Rider with 48V 14AH battery
500 watt rear hub motor
Bright eyes 1800 lumen bike light
Kinekt suspension seat post
extra battery carried in pannier bag which consists of a 48 11ah battery
two pannier bags
Ortlieb cooler on rear rack

On flat ground at a steady pace of 11 to 13 MPH I can go about 70 miles using both batteries, and both batteries equal about 1200 watt hours.

I normally ride on streets, beach paths, and mountains, pretty much a mix of all three, and I love this bike for it, and would like something for more mountain biking. So I would want something similar with panniers, cooler, light, etc. What I'm looking to have besides all that is:

1000 watt minimum hub motor, or at least 90 NM of torque mid drive
1200 or more Wat Hours without having to carry a spare unattached battery
Full suspension (not a must)
Front suspension is a must
local brand store support, like my Pedego which has amazing support.

I'm willing to swap over all after market parts to the new bike, seat, light, etc.

For example here are two dream bikes similar to what I want, but I don't want to spend what they cost.

https://www.r-m.de/en-us/bikes/supercharger/ close to $8000 without any upgrades

https://optibike.com/r22-everest/ My dream bike but close to $20,000

What I actually do want to spend is close to $5,000.

I am 6'3 200 pounds.

What I would love is suggestions from you all for bikes I may be missing in my search. Thank you!



View attachment 3445View attachment 3444

Check cell ebikes

 

[Pine_marten]

Perhaps give Matt a shout; https://www.empoweredcycles.com/ He has built a ton of bikes for people and seems quite knowledgable.

 

[Smaug]

OP - The legal US power limit for e-bikes is 750 W. Speed limit is 28 mph. Once you go above that, you're technically looking at electric motorcycles. Are you sure you want to go down that road?

At Optibike pricing, you might just consider going for an electric dirtbike by Zero. I think you're really on the edge of what can reasonably be done with an e-bike. Time to do a reality check.

 

[ISLANDER1089]

Check out RIZE ebikes. I love my RX PRO. https://rizebikes.ca/products/rize-rx-pro?variant=39844410130585

 

[Deleted member 4845]

There may be a bit of a loophole in max power restrictions.

Have now seen several ads, and two in person, of bikes with DUAL motors. Two 500w or two 750W are apparently sold legally, in the US.

You can also get stickers to put on your motor, also another loophole is the 28mph is for POWERED speed. There is no legal limit on PEDALED speed.

Too many people will do too many stupid things and the legal restrictions on the law-abiding citizen will be increased.

Don't do stupid things and the law will, for the most part, leave you alone.

 

[Smaug]

There may be a bit of a loophole in max power restrictions.

Have now seen several ads, and two in person, of bikes with DUAL motors. Two 500w or two 750W are apparently sold legally, in the US.

You can also get stickers to put on your motor, also another loophole is the 28mph is for POWERED speed. There is no legal limit on PEDALED speed.

Too many people will do too many stupid things and the legal restrictions on the law-abiding citizen will be increased.

Don't do stupid things and the law will, for the most part, leave you alone.

I was wondering about this. I’d like to ride my Class 3 on a local lakefront path. I figured I’d keep it at or below 13 mph and Officer Friendly will probably leave me alone.

I figure it’s safer to do that than to ride an unpowered bike at 20 mph. (Which some people do)

We’ll see how it pans out.

 

[biknut]

I recommend an Onyx CTY2. Street legal in eco, and 45 mph in sport mode, only for off road officer. Same price as a Super 73 but kills it in perofoamnce. https://www.onyxmotorbikes.com/pages/cty2

 

[Vaf513]

The money you want to spend you should get the least expensive Specialized, Trek, or Giant ebike. I would go with specialized.

 

[Vaf513]

You are looking at ridiculously overpriced, boutique bikes that are sold primarily to clueless fools. Not sure what advice could possibly be useful to you. Optibike is a JOKE. Riese and Muller are for people who buy porsche Jackets and Sunglasses.

Oh, I forgot, you are focused on dealer support in the ebike industry. The hits just keep on coming

If you can effectively handle a screwdriver, then the BEST way to go is to FIRST, decide what you want the machine to be able to do.
NEXT, research and choose a suitable donor bike. THEN, research and choose a suitable motor kit, while ALSO purchasing necessary spares, while ALSO avoiding any and all proprietary hardware and connections, purchasing the proper crimping tools, wire strippers, extra connectors, and good quality, selectable chargers and gaining the understanding of how to properly use them.

Deciding on battery type, size, shape, weight, suitability for motor, and where you intend to hang 1200 watts, and hopefully spending some time on whether or not that is really a good idea, will be another adventure.

You will have to decide the pros and cons of each decision you make, because they ALL have them. You will have BY FAR the best bang for the buck, the bike which best suits your needs as you have defined them, and dealer support will no longer be necessary.

Also, you will be much, much less likely to have your new, expensive ebike stolen as it will not LOOK LIKE a $5,000 mobile cash grab.

Or, you can just purchase one of many, many ebikes made by companies who do not care and possibly supported by dealers who choose to remain in the same business and associated with the same company for more than a few months, and designed by "artistes" who are more concerned with "looking cool" than actually being functional.

There are very, VERY few ebike companies that have anything remotely resembling a good, reliable, LONG-TERM "dealer support network". If you really need this, you have just eliminated over 90% of the industry.

Hey Reddit just called. They want you back.

 

[HumanPerson]

Hey Reddit just called. They want you back.

If I Recall Correctly....
That Deleted member has already been banned from Reddit as well as numuerous other places..or so I hear