5'8" 110 pounds $2k~

[Aerofeisst]

Hello EBR Forums! I'm looking for a good ebike that can handle dirt trails and can clear at least a 7% grade. A range of 20+ miles is preferable, and torque sensing pedal assist is more of my thing but throttle control doesn't bother me either. As for the frame I don't care at all, nor about seats, lights would be nice however.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could steer me in the right direction, I have been looking at all the bikes out there and many of them seem like they'd be a blast but I'm really just looking for reliability first and foremost, especially operating in high heat or rain, and something that won't fall apart on a dirt or gravel road.

I live in an area that can get some pretty bad weather, but is mostly fair during the summer aside from rain storms. 1,300 meters above sea level so on cold days the air can really tear up lungs, which is why I am going for an ebike so I can still keep up my pace even on the driest of mornings. Susanville, CA... so a ways away from any major cities or ebike shops I believe, other than perhaps Reno, NV. Hopefully something I can order on Amazon....


Any suggestions? Much appreciated :3

 

[Dave]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. In your price range of around 2K there are at least a couple of bikes I would think about. My first choice would be the Volton Alation 500. Very powerful bike with solid support. It does not have torque sensing, but instead uses a cadence sensor, but if you watch the review, it seems very well thought out. It's not avialble on Amazon to my knowledge but is avialable directly from Volton, the manufactuer. Joe, the owner is a great guy, and stands behind the product. The 2014's are shipping now.

The second bike would be the Emazing Apollo. The price is getting close to 2.4K but this bike uses both cadence & a kind of torque sensing and is also avialable directly from the manufactuer. The review by Court was very positive. If you can stretch your dollars a little more you can look at one of my favorite companies, Easy Motion, and their Neo Xtreme.

There are probably many more, I'm sure others will offer their opinions as well. Good luck and Happy Birthday!!

 

[Dave]

Another I just thought of is the Motiv Shadow. If you opt for the 36volt battery you can keep it pretty close to your price range and still have plenty of power. Cameron, the owner is a great guy and is a member and often posts on the forum. The bike is avialable from Certified Electric Bike Specilists, or direct from Motiv. The Shadow uses a cadense sensor but is, again, very well designed. Here are some thoughts from an owner of the Shadow:

http://electricbikereview.com/community/threads/i-got-my-motive-shadow-yesterday.188/#post-1829

 

[Larry Pizzi]

Check out the 2014 IZIP Dash and Path+. Both have top ratings and are great values.

• http://electricbikereview.com/izip/e3-dash/
• http://electricbikereview.com/izip/e3-path-plus/

 

[Admin]

Hey Aerofeisst, these are all great suggestions! I realize most of the bikes are a bit above what you'd like to spend but it's worth considering the warranty and resale value of a higher end mainstream ebike.

I'm glad Dave called out the Emazing Apollo because I think it's a pretty sweet bike and one that's not super well known. The Volton's are a good bet and the support is good but the highest quality and best support will come from Currie (that's the CEO Larry trying to help you out) or Easy Motion like the Xtrem Dave mentioned. All of these bikes will be ~$2,500 but you could seek out a last years's model and possibly find something a bit less expensive. Unfortunately the Dash and Path+ are brand new this year...

If you're really strapped for cash and simply cannot go above $2K then consider the Biria Electric City Bike which is available from Electric Cyclery in Laguna Beach. The e-Joe Anggun is another sub $2K option but it's also kind of a city bike vs. mountain/all terrain. I've actually created a section on EBR where I list more affordable ebikes so you can cruise through and compare. Most of these are under two thousand dollars.

One heads up, you're going to run into ProdecoTech on the site and on Amazon and their bikes will definitely speak to your wants (affordable, cool looking, suspension) but the battery pack design isn't great (high, heavy, can break if the bike tips) and they only offer throttle mode. Another couple of brands that have attractive marketing but are still refining their bikes are iGo and EVELO.

For me personally, it's worth the extra money to get a higher quality longer lasting ebike that's lighter, has a great warranty and is better balanced. My first ebike cost $2,200 and was purchased online... ended up being a bad choice, nobody could repair it and nobody wanted to buy it used. It was heavy, not fun to ride and it almost put me off of ebikes entirely... I kept kicking myself for not just adding a few hundred more and getting a quality system, that experience is part of what inspired me to make this site.

Hope this helps

 

[Chris Nolte]

Welcome to the forum Aerofeisst, I have read your post along with the responses. This is a common predicament many find themselves in and it makes me think of the "Fast/Good/Cheap" triangle. You can only have two, like fast and cheap but it's not gonna be good, this translates to many industries, especially the electric bike industry. I think what you're looking for is something that hits all of those marks, which makes sense.

I would really stay away from unestablished brands if you can as the electric bike business is tough and companies fold left and right and you're left stranded with a bike that you can no longer get service or parts for. Companies like Currie and Easy Motion have a long history and you can be confident that they're going to be around for years to come. Without them it becomes difficult to keep your bike rolling. Some people like to try bikes from these new brands, but I say it's very risky. I know you are probably super anxious to get out on your first ebike, but I think it make sense to practice prudence here and find the best bike to meet your needs and if it takes a little more time to save up to get it, do it. This way you don't end up buying a cheap bike and regretting it, only to replace it shortly there after like Court did.

Now that I got the whole, cost vs value spiel out of the way, on to my suggestions for a bike. Because you are looking for something that handle the trails, you're gonna want at least a decent suspension front fork and a bit more of an aggressive riding position. The Currie Peak and the Easy Motion Extrem will give you the most bang for your buck in this arena. There aren't really too many bikes in the $2000 price range that I would feel that confident riding in trails. I mean sure you can probably get away with it, but you're going to have repairs.

I'd be happy to elaborate further on why these bikes would be a good fit if you's like, but basically they are built from the ground up to ride on rough terrain, and they are built by quality companies.

I'm not one to try and push anyone in one direction or another, but I do feel strongly about cheap bikes, they're simply not worth it.

If you want we can keep you in the loop on demo models that we might be cycle out or other promotions we might be offering to help with the price bit.

 

[Aerofeisst]

I settled on a Volton Alation 500, it really stood out to me when I first looked at bikes but I wasn't certain. I've always had a preference for products that had great specs that isn't too hard on the wallet. My last major purchase was an Asus Laptop, very sleek and cool with high performance but none of the LED lights or custom engravings like similar performing laptops. The Volton bikes really stood out to me for a similar reason, everything I wanted and nothing I didn't. Plus white just looks gorgeous.. If only I had made sure to click it in my rush to order, but I sent off an email a few minutes after realizing I had ordered a black one... hopefully the correction can be made before the bike ships D:

 

[Dave]

Congrats on the purchase! I think you made a very good choice. It is a solid bike for the money. I wouldn't hesitate to call Joe, the owner about the color choice, just to make sure. Please let us know what you think of the bike after receiving and riding it, reviews from owners are really valuable tools.

 

[Aerofeisst]

I sent them a few emails, one with my transaction ID so they can verify what order so hopefully I'll get a response soon. Couldn't get through the phone lines so I was gonna wait a bit and try again.

I have a 720p camera, not what I was hoping to make a review video on but it'll work for a quick unboxing until I get a 1080p, but I will definitely post a written review of it and possibly a follow-up and take a few pics of it on the trails, lots of great scenery and with the weather recently there have been some amazing backdrops. The white bike would just look amazing framed against forests and billowing white storm clouds.

 

[Admin]

Hey man, glad you found an ebike that fits your needs! The Alation 500 was one of the first models I really liked for value between price and performance. Joe is a great guy and I also emailed him this morning on your behalf so I'm sure they'll get the color thing worked out.

Can't wait for your pics and thoughts on the bike. A lot of the earlier reviews I shot for the website were done with my camera phone so no worries on quality, just don't bite the dust while filming and riding... or maybe in your case, don't bite the snow