Battle of Value MidDrive

[BigNerd]

So Ride1Up finally came out with a lower priced Prodigy mid-drive bike, the Prodigy V2 Eco for $1295:

Prodigy v2 ECO - Ride1Up

Shop the Prodigy v2 ECO, an affordable Class 3 mid-drive e-bike with a German-engineered Brose motor. Performance starts at just $1,295.

ride1up.com

For the last few months I've been eyeing the HeyBike Alpha for $1299:

ALPHA

Heybike ALPHA delivers 105 N·m of torque with a mid-drive motor and 26 x 4-inch fat tires, built for demanding all-terrain rides.

www.heybike.com

The Alpha is heavier but has a throttle (only when pedaling) and the Eco is lighter. I can check out the Alpha locally... and possible the Eco but much farther away in San Diego.

Never had a mid-drive so I'm tempted... will also cut down on those rear flat repairs because local bike shops charge extra for hub motors.

 

[gromike]

As far as battle of the value middrive I'd offer up the Hyper middrive: $350 including shipping!
They got down last year to $250 shipped for a brief while.

Albeit, it's a cheap bike. But the middrive motor and battery work surprisingly well.

 

[Dave Rocks]

Were can you buy that bike for that $ ?

700c Hyper E-Ride City Mid-Drive E-Bike​

HYP-E700-1300
Regular price$1,498.99
Free Shipping

 

[gromike]

I don't know what the model number was on the bikes I bought. $350 shipped was the price summer before last. I bought 3 of them at that price, then Walmart dropped the price to $250 shipped to finish off the liquidation. I felt ripped off that I paid the $350 for them.
The battery was dated 2022, and that's probably why they got rid of them. That, and the market had spoken: 20 inch fat tired step thru geared hub motor ebikes, not skinny tired middrives.

Don't be fooled, the bike is cheap in both ways, but with a few parts upgraded it works well. Just rode one of them to the library, post office, and downtown to a department store, then back up the hill.

 

[PedalUma]

Are you saying that you can get a 28 mph Brose motor on a starter bike that costs less than $1300, German engineered and made in China at the Brose plant (using child and political prison labor) for less than 1/4 of what that E. European guy spent for a 15 mph bike that requires clipping-in and Lycra? Who cares if it needs new tires, brakes, shifter, derailleur, chain, touch points. It is a deal for any commuter. Even if it last only 3-6 years. Brose are touchy, proprietary. Even at that price you are kind-a screwed with no right to repair. Still it is almost unbelievable, shops want that much just to replace a motor.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

German engineered and made in China at the Brose plant

Made in Berlin Germany.

 

[PedalUma]

Okay, It is like Specialized saying 'designed in California'. The Companello factory is empty except for some executives. I am sure that they keep some appearances to say 'Made in Germany.' Still motor failure is almost 30%. Battery cells are not made in Germany.

Brose operates multiple manufacturing and development facilities across major automotive hubs in China, headquartered in Shanghai. [1, 2]

Key Locations and Plants in China

• Shanghai (Headquarters & Sites):
  • Brose China Co., Ltd. (Jiading District) – Main Chinese headquarters and component operations.
  • Shanghai Brose Automotive Components Co., Ltd. (Jiading District) – Focuses on vehicle doors, electric motors, and drives.
  • Brose Sitech (Shanghai) Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. (Baoshan Urban Industrial Park) – Joint venture supplying seat systems to SAIC-Volkswagen. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
• Taicang:
  • Brose Taicang Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. – A major Asian manufacturing facility featuring digitized control systems for door, seat, and drive systems. [1, 2]
• Beijing:
  • Brose Beijing Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. (Daxing District). [1]
• Changchun:
  • Brose Changchun Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. – Serves regional northern automotive manufacturing. [1]
• Shenyang:
  • Brose Shenyang Automotive Systems Co., Ltd.. [1]
• Wuhan:
  • Dongfeng Brose Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. – A joint venture focusing on door and seat systems. [1, 2]
• Chongqing:
  • Operations supporting southwestern automotive production. [1]
• Guangzhou:
  • Brose Guangzhou Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. – Supplies door systems, window regulators, and seat systems in southern China. [1, 2]
• Hefei (Anhui Province):
  • Brose Sitech (Anhui) Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. – Joint venture plant supplying seat systems for Volkswagen Anhui and Cupra Tavascan. [1, 2]

 

[Stefan Mikes]

It is like you were trying to prove Bosch made e-bike motors in China (it makes them in Hungary). Brose like Bosch is an automotive company (making, e.g., car wiper drives). My Brose motor is labelled "made in Berlin, Germany".

None of the Asian sites you listed reads "e-bike motors".
--------

It is like Specialized saying 'designed in California'.

Even that is wrong. Specialized e-bikes are designed in Cham, Switzerland and made in Taiwan.

 

[boatworksjon]

Pressemeldung

Brose ist weltweit der viertgrößte Automobilzulieferer in Familienbesitz. Das Unternehmen entwickelt und fertigt mechatronische Systeme für Fahrzeugtüren und -sitze sowie Elektromotoren und Elektronik, unter anderem für Lenkung, Bremsen, Getriebe und Motorkühlung.

www.brose.com

Looks like Yamaha own it now.....

Bafang M620 or the smaller M560 is the only mid-drive that make it easy for DIY types.
I love mine
I'm not a purest bike type I came from the dirtbike world before moving into MTN bikes with and without drives.
Rolling Coastside South of San Francisco on my bikes that don't know what class they are......

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Looks like Yamaha own it now.....

It does not matter. Specialized has a contract with Brose, which Yamaha has to respect.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

Don't buy that new crap. The market is flooded with great deals on Bosch equipped ebikes that have some miles on them. Get something like that for $1k, money much better spent than buying some new mid drive pile for $1299 or whatever.

There are so many bikes from 2020-2023 that are on the pre owned market. Your dollar goes much farther in the pre owned land. Don't be afraid of a bike with miles too. Make sure it has a Bosch diag report so you can get an idea of mileage and battery health.

EDIT:
Just to please Stefan there are tons of Specialized Como and Vado bikes from 2017-2021, the first gen, that are a great deal too. The motors can be rebuilt if need be, just make sure the battery has the dealer report for it's health.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Don't buy that new crap. The market is flooded with great deals on Bosch equipped ebikes that have some miles on them...

Make sure it has a Bosch diag report so you can get an idea of mileage and battery health.

The motors can be rebuilt if need be, just make sure the battery has the dealer report for it's health.

My main hesitation with a used ebike is the battery fire potential, as there's no way to know how the former owner actually treated the battery.

Do you think the safeguards you mentioned are adequate in this regard?

 

[Brendon@OEB]

For Bosch equipped systems absolutely the safeguards are in place and intact if the bike still works. The Bosch BMS will shut down any irregular cells in the battery if there's a voltage issue.

Even if you can't get a report on the battery health, replacement Bosch System 2 batteries are still available new and there's lots on the pre-owned market too.

 

[PedalUma]

What part of the Republic of China are Specialized bikes made in? My 2024 Vado just said Made in China. What language do they speak there and what kind of food do they eat? Chinese? There is nothing wrong with it, I wouldn't expect them to speak Hungarian or to eat German or Swiss food. Mandarin Chinese is Mandarin Chinese. My batteries are shipped from Hong Kong. Anyone remember when Made in Japan generally meant low quality, before Walkmans and VCRs? Now it is the same with Made in China. Where do the best electric cars come from?