$1500 price range bikes

[birdman518]

I am just now researching for my first ebike... I saw a YT video that said many of these brands
are really from the same Chinese manufacturers.

After trying to make a spreadsheet with 5 or 6 of my favorites around the $1500 (+/-) range,
they *do* seem suspiciously similar in their specs.

Clearly they differ by some things, such as the exact components, or whether they come with
a rack or fenders, but am I right? If so, other than customer service, does it really matter that much?

FWIW, I am looking at Ride1Up 700, Aventon Level, Rad City, Charge City, Electra Townie Go, and Propella
7-Speed.

I'll be back soon with other questions... I did not want to create one giant post.
Thanks,

Mitch

 

[birdman518]

I did not mean it was suspicious like they were trying to hide it... just "similar".

 

[indianajo]

It is not the country of origin that is a problem, it is the quality assurance practices of the builders and importer that can be a problem. At $1500 I suspect you are going to buy a lot of parts that look just like they are made of steel or aluminum. People buy on features, not reliability. There are lots of stretchy imitation steel spokes & cables out there. I was used to that riding kid bikes that fit me, refugees from the grocery store that were sold off by their original owners. Diamondback broke a shimano 6 speed rear axle, tires would fall off the undersized rim. Pacific wore out a crank in 3000 miles, Pacific rear axle ( 7 speed shimano) came unscrewed & dropped the bearings on the road. Both required frequent adjustment of brakes and shifters.
I lucked into a Chinese built bike that was built of real steel & aluminum, just because it was the only thing on the market that fit my short legs and wouldn't throw me off. I didn't adjust cables for a year, have never adjusted the spokes, and other than tires brake pads & chain, things are just now wearing out at 3 1/2 years & 7500 miles.. It was $1900 without electric drive. It arrived perfectly adjusted, only pedal and handlebar had to be installed. A yuba, which probably is not what you need. BTW the 8 speed shimano rear axle has been totally reliable & long wearing.
Some indication of reliability is given by the number of known problems on the brand forums below, although they are heavily influenced by market share. Propella for example has 23 entries, and charge city doesn't even have a section. Rad's list of known problems is as long as your arm. Rad is glad to mail you a part to replace the garbage they sold you the first time. One spoke at a time, 4 in a few months for a lady in Scotland.
Price is not everything, but some bikes with short lists of known problems are kona, trek, pedego, reiss & mueller, gazelle. Trek & pedego are not zero, but have huge market share.
Happy shopping & later riding.

 

[ElevenAD]

Yeah most online and low priced E-Bikes are made in china but that does not mean they are all the same bike or that the companies are the same. All the bikes OP listed vary from each other in more than just name. Stick around, do your research, ask questions here and dont rush!

 

[retiredNH]

There are many satisfied users of inexpensive ebikes like you want, and many frustrated users who bemoan the lack of post sale support. You get what you pay for, unfortunately. It might be worthwhile, if you're not an experienced bike mechanic, to see what your LBS are selling. That way, you have an option for support. It might be more expensive, and it might be worth it. $1500 broken hard to repair bikes are poor investments.

 

[arcom]

Electric Bike | Quality Ebikes and Accessories

Shop the best value electric bike, ebike battery and accessories. City, commuter, mountain ebikes, folding fat tire and step through. Direct to customer prices.

dj-ebikes.com

Couldn’t be happier with my mountain bike from them. They have several models right in the ballpark of your price range. Excellent customer service, very responsive. My biggest issue was rust that developed on the brake calipers which I now know was due to the fact that I kept the bike in a salt air environment for an extended period of time. Took two pictures of the rust, and they sent me brand new calipers within a week. They use brand-name components throughout, although maybe the lower tier of those brands.

Full disclosure: One poster to here had an apparent serious problem with a frame failure on the step through model. DJ was addressing the issue but I don’t know the final outcome.

 

[Katzenjammer]

Another vote for looking hard at the offerings at your LBS before launching off into the internet in search of the "best deal". Unless you're a mechanic you'll appreciate having someone local to help you out.

 

[antboy]

Like others have said, checking your LBS is always a good idea, though in my area, the only stuff in stock at all are high-end bikes.

Other than that, now that you have a shortlist based on price, I'd recommend asking yourself questions (roughly in order of importance).

What kind of seating position do I prefer? Sporty vs upright - For example, the Townie is a very upright relaxed ride compared to the Aventon Level which is sporty. If you'll be mixing it up, then the Charge City and the Propella are somewhere in-between.
Where will I be doing most of my riding? Paths/streets/trail/offroad may influence whether you want/need front suspension, and what type of tires will best suit your plans)
Will I be making use of panniers and trunk bags? If so, put some extra emphasis on the bikes that come with rear racks.
Do I want a throttle? I don't think all these bikes have throttles, so that may not matter.
How long will my rides be? Though there's some variance based on different motors, tires, bike weight etc, you can expect the larger batteries to take your further, but this is less relevant if you are only doing shorter trips.

The first 3 questions aren't even related to e-bikes, just biking in general. Your list includes a mix of styles, so I'd focus on questions 1 and 2 first, which will immediately cross some of the bikes off your list.

 

[chunk]

On inexpensive, Chinese bikes you want to stay away from ones that use proprietary parts. If you need parts and the are "off the shelf", they are easy to source from all the usual Internet vendor sites. That's my take on low buck bikes at least. Happy searching.

 

[ElevenAD]

I am just now researching for my first ebike... I saw a YT video that said many of these brands
are really from the same Chinese manufacturers.

After trying to make a spreadsheet with 5 or 6 of my favorites around the $1500 (+/-) range,
they *do* seem suspiciously similar in their specs.

Clearly they differ by some things, such as the exact components, or whether they come with
a rack or fenders, but am I right? If so, other than customer service, does it really matter that much?

FWIW, I am looking at Ride1Up 700, Aventon Level, Rad City, Charge City, Electra Townie Go, and Propella
7-Speed.

I'll be back soon with other questions... I did not want to create one giant post.
Thanks,

Mitch

Well in this price range i would not waste my time at a LBS, you cant find anything with good performance in a shop for $1500. I would not buy the Propella,Charge City or Townie go as they are just over priced trash imho, super underwhelming. $1700 For the Charge City and Townie Go,cheap 250watt 36volt hub motor bikes with no suspension and an 11ah batteries, this has to be joke! A $999 Ariel Rider Rideal would crush all three of those bikes in every single way except color choice. The best bikes you have selected are the Aventon and the Ride one up, they are very close in stats and look like pretty good bikes for the cash.

 

[Widgets]

It has already been suggested that you look to the forums and check out the known problems threads for the brands you are considering. Some will indicate the post count is a good metric, but you really should spend sone time to scan the posts in thd thread and other threads in the various manufacturer forum sections. A low post count may just be a unpopular brand. A high post count may be a popular brand with owners providing help and insight to issues. A simple post count cannot tell you the difference.