Advice on Trek vs. Raleigh vs. IZIP

[engprof]

Hello all! I've been lurking about this excellent forum for several weeks now and finally decided to join and ask for advice on my ebike purchase. Here are my stats:

• I am a 41-year old female, 5'10" and 135 lbs, physically fit, living in the center of Atlanta, GA
• I currently commute to work by bike around 3 times per week; I ride a Raleigh Capri 1.0 with rear pannier rack, about 4 miles each way
• I'm looking for an ebike to give me an option for work commute when it's ungodly hot (which is much of the year), so I don't show up in such a mess. My route is slightly hilly, but not San Francisco hilly; I do not plan to ride "off road"; I'll be on streets or paved bike paths.
• I think I would be fine with a 20mph max system and am looking to stay under $4000
• I can store my bike inside my house and inside my office.
• I'm a little concerned about how much these bikes weigh, but I do not expect to be hoisting it onto a bus rack or up/down stairs for example

Through lots of research and reading, I've tentatively focused in on these 3:

1. Trek Super Commuter+ 7
2. IZIP Moda
3. Raleigh Redux IE

A big issue is that I cannot find any of these bikes around the Atlanta area to do test drives. I found one shop that will be getting the Trek model in later this week, so I can test that one if it doesn't sell before I can get there. There are other options here that I could test drive, but they are completely different styles (e.g., cruisers, which I'm not interested in), so I'm not sure how useful it will be.

If anyone has experience testing these or comparing/contrasting any combination of the three, I would be so appreciative for any details you could give me. I'm interested in how comfortable the ride is, how well they accelerate from zero in traffic, and how easy it is to attach panniers to the racks because some of them seem to have no anchor point at the rack bottom for a bungee clip (I have 2 Arkel bags). Also, if you know of other ebike options I should consider, please share that as well!

Thanks so much!

 

[ebikemom]

Hey, @engprof, Jpnseprof here!

Do you have a Pedego dealer in your area? You might like the City Commuter and hub drive bikes are terrific for commuting. Local support is helpful too, because ebikes have lots of connectors and it's super helpful to be able to put the bike on a rack and take it to the store (or, when in a fix, have friendly and helpful store folks who come and get the bike and bring a loaner!!). BTW, Pedego recently has had some controller firmware issues--I understand a fix is out soon for the problematic controllers, but make sure you like the riding experience of a bike before you buy it. If you don't, ask if it is an "old" controller or one of the problematic "new" controllers. A good controller will give a great riding experience. It is easy for the shop to swap out the controller, but I wouldn't buy a bike unless it felt great to ride from the get-go.

That said, there are lots of great ebikes and brands out there. Reading and riding are two completely different things. My advice would be, since you live in a city where there should be ebikes in stores, to focus on bikes you can get your hands onto and actually test ride under conditions similar to what you will be doing with the bike. That way you won't have any unhappy surprises.

 

[Carterk]

I really like my 2018 Redux. If you search for my posts, you’ll find my review from back in May. It’s pretty much the same bike as the Moda. What I wanted was a bike that felt as much like a normal bike as possible, while allowing me to climb the hills that otherwise made riding so unpleasant. It totally does this for me. A lot of people on this forum talk about cruising along in the mid 20s (mph)- I’m NOT able to comfortably do this on the Redux, tho Indont really want to. I suppose using the highest assist setting gets me into that range, but it burns up the battery too fast. Feel free to ask me any questions about the Redux.

 

[engprof]

Hey, @engprof, Jpnseprof here!

Do you have a Pedego dealer in your area? You might like the City Commuter and hub drive bikes are terrific for commuting. Local support is helpful too, because ebikes have lots of connectors and it's super helpful to be able to put the bike on a rack and take it to the store (or, when in a fix, have friendly and helpful store folks who come and get the bike and bring a loaner!!). BTW, Pedego recently has had some controller firmware issues--I understand a fix is out soon for the problematic controllers, but make sure you like the riding experience of a bike before you buy it. If you don't, ask if it is an "old" controller or one of the problematic "new" controllers. A good controller will give a great riding experience. It is easy for the shop to swap out the controller, but I wouldn't buy a bike unless it felt great to ride from the get-go.

That said, there are lots of great ebikes and brands out there. Reading and riding are two completely different things. My advice would be, since you live in a city where there should be ebikes in stores, to focus on bikes you can get your hands onto and actually test ride under conditions similar to what you will be doing with the bike. That way you won't have any unhappy surprises.

Thank you for the reply! I actually do have a Pedego dealer in the metro area of my city. I will check them out this weekend. Thanks for the advice!

 

[engprof]

I really like my 2018 Redux. If you search for my posts, you’ll find my review from back in May. It’s pretty much the same bike as the Moda. What I wanted was a bike that felt as much like a normal bike as possible, while allowing me to climb the hills that otherwise made riding so unpleasant. It totally does this for me. A lot of people on this forum talk about cruising along in the mid 20s (mph)- I’m NOT able to comfortably do this on the Redux, tho Indont really want to. I suppose using the highest assist setting gets me into that range, but it burns up the battery too fast. Feel free to ask me any questions about the Redux.

Carterk - thank you! What you described is also exactly what I want; assistance riding up hills, but no desire for the cruising speed. I'm also looking for the bike that looks as much like a normal bike as possible. I will look for your reviews. I also need to find a dealer in the area so I can test drive one.

 

[Carterk]

Oh- my bike shop figured out a very simple attachment scheme for my panniers, a 5 minute mod which they did for free. I can post a picture if you go this route.

 

[johnt3]

REI is a dealer for Electra brand electric bikes. If they do not have in stock they can order. I m sure they have stores in your area. Also, you get 10% of purchase price in " dividends" that can be used during a certain time of the year, or get a check for that amount .

 

[ebikemom]

Cruising at 20mph? It can be fun! Especially on a hot summer day, to be able to cruise along without much effort, enjoying that beautiful ebike breeze.... makes me smile just thinking about it.

One thing fabulous about ebikes of any type is the ability to put in a lot of effort or less effort. It's a lovely thing. Love the non-sweaty factor for running errands and commuting, and the fun transportation factor even when I'm tired. It's like an energizing good mood machine!