4K budget - mountain bike with twist throttle

B

Billy Burditt

New Member
I'm looking for an electric mountain bike. I'll mainly be using it to commute to work, so it will primarily be used as a road bike. I want a mountain bike in case I decide to take up trail riding in the future and for occasional off roading.

I rented a cruiser bike on vacation, and I really enjoyed the twist throttle. However, the only mountain bike that I could find with a twist throttle is the pedago ridge rider. Are there other mountain bikes with a twist throttle?

The pedago ridge rider seems like a nice bike, but I want to look at all options before making such a large purchase. I have a trek and izip dealer near me, so I was considering those too.
 
Most of the older easy motion bikes had twist throttles. Otherwise throttles are mostly on lower end bikes.
 
Right the older version of the BH Easy Motion Evo 29er has the twist throttle. There is a review of the bike on this site. The new version doesn't have the throttle but it has a more powerful motor. Rad Power bikes are lower priced but I think a lot of them have throttles too.
 
How do you think the easy motion bikes compare to the pedego? Also, I noticed the pedego only has one size. I'm 6ft tall 210lbs. Do you think it would be big enough for me?

I'm a little surprised more bikes don't have the twist throttle. I know I read the owner of this website said he likes it. It seems really nice starting from a dead start. Maybe I'm placing to much value on it? Maybe I should look at bikes without this feature?

What bikes would you recommend I look at that don't have this feature? Again I'll mainly be using it on the road. I wanted a mountain bike so I wouldn't be just limited to the road.
 
Never rode a Pedego but I actually just bought the EM 29er. I am happy with the purchase. I liked the throttle feature and that is one of the reasons I bought it. I was fortunate to be able to ride a dozen or so bikes before making the purchase. It wasn't a deal-killer, but it is a nice to have. There are plenty of ebikes without throttle that will get you going real fast in just ordinary pedal assist mode.

I am just a consumer, but it I am pretty sure throttle control is limited to bikes with rear hub drive motors (as opposed to a mid drive). There are pluses and minuses to each system -- I found mid-drive bikes are more expensive but more refined.

If you do find a rear-drive model you like without throttle, you might also be able to have one installed.

I found it was harder to buy an ebike than a regular bike because there were so many different options and choices. I'd first decide whether you want a 20 or 28 mph bike, and then decide on the rear vs. mid drive motor. After that I would try to take some test drives. I rode some bikes at one of the Electric Bike Expos, and at another shop, where I ultimately bought the EM 29er. I would check out the Top Rated bikes at the top this website's home page. There are many bikes marketed for both street and off-road use (like Haibike Cross and Trekking series).
 
Thanks for everyone's responses! I'm trying to make the most informed choice as possible, and hearing people's personal experiences helps with decision process. I've read and watched a ridiculous number of reviews from this site. With all the choices, it's a very hard decision!

I live in Memphis TN, and unfortunately we only have a Trek and iZip store. Both of these bike shops don't even have an electric bike in the store to test. I might take a trip to Nashville, which is about 3 hours from Memphis. They have a few electric bike shops.

I haven't seen any electric Trek bikes reviewed on this site. Has anyone ridden an electric Trek bike? Do you have any other reviews I should watch? Thanks again!
 
If you haven't ridden an electric bike yet, nothing will beat being able to test out a bunch of bikes so you can make the most informed decision tailored to your own needs.

I know exactly what I want right now (95 percent anyway!), but I'm still planning to drive 4 hours to Madison in a couple of weeks to ride a couple options just to be 100 percent sure. If your are spending a few grand or more, a weekend (or day) trip to make a final choice makes a lot of sense. And this will be my 8th ebike purchase between my wife and I in 4 years!
 
I'm now leaning towards getting a commuter bike instead of a mountain bike. Most of my riding will be on paved roads, and I now think I'll enjoy having the fenders, lights, and racks built into the bike. I'm leaning towards the izip bikes as they appear to be a great value and have the twist throttle. I'm trying to decide between the dash and the pro tour. Does anyone have any thoughts on each bike? Is the pro tour basically the same bike with a sleeker battery and fancier display system? I also saw that izip's website has a sale on 2016 dash for $1,000 discount. Has the 2017 dash changed much?
 
Billy Burditt said:
I'm now leaning towards getting a commuter bike instead of a mountain bike. Most of my riding will be on paved roads, and I now think I'll enjoy having the fenders, lights, and racks built into the bike. I'm leaning towards the izip bikes as they appear to be a great value and have the twist throttle. I'm trying to decide between the dash and the pro tour. Does anyone have any thoughts on each bike? Is the pro tour basically the same bike with a sleeker battery and fancier display system? I also saw that izip's website has a sale on 2016 dash for $1,000 discount. Has the 2017 dash changed much?
Click to expand...

They are 2 different motors, one 350w the other 500w - both are speed pedelecs, max 28mph. Both of the batteries are only 417wh - this is a little behind the bigger players (or a lot...) - bosch and yamaha motors now come with 500wh batteries, and bulls has a brose bike with 650wh batteries as well. Also, don't pay retail - shop around (local if possible and online) and negotiate a price you're comfortable with.

Check out these reviews - a little more money than the izip brand, but they are running the best motors in the business (transx is a known company, but not as established as bosch or brose):

Bulls six50 E2 Street:

https://electricbikereview.com/bulls/six50-e2-street/

Bulls Lacuba 45 (there is a normal high step version along with the step through Court reviewed):

https://electricbikereview.com/bulls/lacuba-evo-e45/

Haibike also has a couple of treking and MTB Xduro 'S' versions that are 28mph as well - check out their website as Court hasn't reviewed any of this year's models yet.

...also and a new raleigh 28mph with a brose motor, though no suspension:

https://electricbikereview.com/raleigh/redux-ie/
 
I was leaning towards the izip, since it's the only one that has the twist throttle (push button now). I rented a pedego a few years ago, and I really like that feature. It was great for crossing streets quickly or starting at the bottom of a hill. Maybe I'm putting too much value on the throttle? However, a few people have posted they'd only own one with a throttle.

Thanks for the advice on shopping. Unfortunately, we don't have any local ebike shops. We have a trek dealer, but they don't have one on their store. Nashville is the closest big city and they only have a Pedago store. Wish I could find an ebike store that was driving distance!
 
Billy Burditt said:
I was leaning towards the izip, since it's the only one that has the twist throttle (push button now). I rented a pedego a few years ago, and I really like that feature. It was great for crossing streets quickly or starting at the bottom of a hill. Maybe I'm putting too much value on the throttle? However, a few people have posted they'd only own one with a throttle.

Thanks for the advice on shopping. Unfortunately, we don't have any local ebike shops. We have a trek dealer, but they don't have one on their store. Nashville is the closest big city and they only have a Pedago store. Wish I could find an ebike store that was driving distance!
Click to expand...

You may want to contact @Chandlee EBS at (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
They are in Chattanooga and Juiced Cross current with 48V, 17Ah battery + throttle would be product to try out.
 
The Catalyst from Smart Motion is right up your alley. Hard tail, 28mph, full throttle plus cadence or torque sensing. Fantastic bike.
 
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