Avid Night Cyclist Looking for Belt-Drive, Long-Time Replacement

[Nite-Rider]

Hello Forum Members! It's good to be here and finally posting as a member myself. For years I've been reading thru your comments and tips, thank you all.

I’ve been cycling for years and with the same e-Bike since 2018 (please read details below). Time has come after more than 15,000 miles to replace my faithful GenZe e101. It has given all that it has to give. My e101 is the very basic of e-Bikes and I’m looking for few requirements, but they are important and crucial. I’m 6’2”, 235lb so I need a large frame. I don't care about lighting or any suspension.

• Belt drive
• IGH, Enviolo preferred
• Throttle is imperative
• Disk brakes
• Target Budget: $1,800 to $2,400
• Open box, refurb or returns are all welcome

If not for the $4,000+ cost my # 1 option would be the Evelo Atlas with 2nd place Dost KOPE CVT. It’s fantastic that so many cyclists can purchase these very expensive e-Bikes, many priced like a car. I cannot! Budget is important. I’ve read thru hundreds of reviews, searched hundreds and hundreds of models yet I cannot find anything in this price target.

• Did I miss any e-bikes that fit my search criteria?
• Please provide suggestions.

Cycling is a near-daily passion. Departing each morning at 4:15 AM, I find there’s nothing better than riding in the cool early morning mist when dark outside. It helps that our South Florida weather is a huge ally with 70-72 degree summer mornings and 50-60 in the winter. There are many mornings that I don’t see a single vehicle on the road and sometimes, 3 or 4 cars pass me by. I started 5 years ago as my daily exercise when I used to ride 28 to 30 miles a day. Today my limit is around 24 miles per ride.

In early 2018, one of the first volume e-Bikes was the 47lb GenZe e101 with its lacking 250W hub motor and its 32 ah battery. With over 15,200 miles (odometer turned at 10k), this is still my only e-Bike. The Samsung quality battery with thousands of charge cycles probably lost over 40 to 50% of its output. This is irrelevant since I always ride with no pedal assist (set to level zero) about 85%, sometimes 90% of my rides and end up using less than 2 battery bars (of my depleted unit).

Thanks to a full set of tools and my faithful bike stand, I’ve always performed all my maintenance replacing my Shimano Tourney freewheel and bike chain HG40 every 3,000 miles after which, gears 6 & 7 become unusable; my rear Kenda K838 Cruiser tires every 2k and front every 5k; Sunlite bottom bracket once etc. Cleaning and lube…ahh, the bane of my weekly cycling, once a week or every 120 miles, clean and lube everything. I'm so tired of this clean and lube!

In my (tens of) thousands of miles night cycling, my critical safety gear without which I will not ride is:

• My bike helmet, of course
• NiteRider Lumina 1100 OLED Road Commuter LED Bike Light
• Mirrycle MTB Bar End Mountain Bicycle Mirror
• Canway Bike Tail Light LED Bicycle Light
• Blue or Red LED Arm band light
• Hyper Tough Anti-Fog Safety Glasses, best ever night riding goggles

 

[Dewey]

There are no new Enviolo CVT equipped Class 2 ebikes at your price point so if that is your preferred IGH option you might buy used via proscloset or bicyclebluebook, or consider going DIY and converting a pedal bike with the Enviolo Trekking hub such as the Priority Continuum. You may have to wait for the right bike to appear but they do come up from time to time, for example when Serial 1 introduced their 2nd generation ebikes last year there were several 1st gen models advertised on proscloset in your budget.

Alternatively consider another IGH, or even a single speed to keep the drivetrain simple, and accept a chain, eg the Biktrix Stunner pairs a BBS02 motor (Class 2 mid-drive with a throttle) with a Sturmey 5 IGH. Or a used VanMoof S3 which has an automatic Sturmey 4 IGH with a reasonably powerful front hub motor and a ‘boost button’ that acts like a throttle. Or a single-speed with a reasonably powerful hub motor plus throttle, eg an EBC Model A with the optional torque PAS sensor, suspension fork, and suspension seatpost would be my recommendation.

 

[Nite-Rider]

Dewey, thank you for the insight and the links. I was already fairly cognizant of the difficulty in finding such e-Bike in this price range. As mentioned, Enviolo is a only preference and other IGH is OK. Your suggestions are on-point as I was unaware of the used portals you've suggested and will be searching there.
Single-speed may be a deal-breaker since I usually ride at an average of 15 mph and would have way too much ghost pedaling. Three and four speeds would work.

 

[Dewey]

Are you a Costco member? The Costco Next program enables members to buy a Priority Current for 20% off or about $2600 for the version with the Shimano Nexus 5 IGH. While the Priority Current is sold as a Class 1, other EBR forum members report the bike might be able to be converted to a Class 2 with a throttle. Other Class 1 Enviolo ebikes in your budget are the Proxima and Sirius models from Vvolt which you can buy used, but I think those can’t have a throttle added.

 

[Nite-Rider]

Are you a Costco member? The Costco Next program enables members to buy a Priority Current for 20% off or about $2600 for the version with the Shimano Nexus 5 IGH. While the Priority Current is sold as a Class 1, other EBR forum members report the bike might be able to be converted to a Class 2 with a throttle. Other Class 1 Enviolo ebikes in your budget are the Proxima and Sirius models from Vvolt which you can buy used, but I think those can’t have a throttle added.

Yes, I absolutely, wouldn't shop anywhere else. I've seen the Priority Current at their CostcoNext site and the price is very attractive. The only missing item for me is lack of throttle. I've contacted Priority directly and they replied that they have NO plans for adding throttle to the Current and that conversion kits aren't available. Furthermore, I was told that if I did install the throttle it would void the warranty. Their newer model the Priority E- Coast has throttle but regrettably no IGH.

As per EBR forum, one member who installed the throttle posted his how-to experience with the conversion kit and parts - great post and video BTW. It was then confirmed the parts/ kit is no longer available for purchase as Priority didn't want its availability to its customers.

 

[Dewey]

You could still use your Costco Next discount to buy a Priority pedal bike to convert. You might like to read this thread where another EBR forum member did just that. I would not recommend going as far as he did to route the cables through the frame, rather zip tie the cables to the downtube. Also I’d recommend replacing the bottom bracket with a torque PAS sensor and fit a CA3 Cycle Analyst. Grin Tech could advise on the parts you would need to order.

 

[PedalUma]

Here are some ideas for starter bikes. The KMC eH1 chain is as strong as a belt and does not require a break in the frame's seat stay. Just strip the chain and soak it in nano-wax. The cogs on Gates are brittle, fragile, and very expensive. The belts are also costly and do require cleaning, lubrication, and replacement.
My search criteria was Large Nexus. The you just need to install the battery and motor. Budget $1,000 over the cost of the starter bike. You don't want to invest anything in a bike with things such as cheap bearings and wheels. Cheap is expensive.

Black Amsterdam Electra City Bike - bicycles - by owner - bike sale

Comfortable bike for riding around the city in style. Classic Dutch style design made by Electra. Amsterdam Original model with 3 speed internal nexus hub. Large frame for someone about 6' tall. 700...

sfbay.craigslist.org

8 Speed Nexus Hub Gear Commute Bike - bicycles - by owner - bike sale

Unique and unusual bike from Europe. Check out the pictures for manufacturer's name and what looks like some sort of license from Germany. Rides and shifts excellent. I just installed a trigger...

sfbay.craigslist.org

 

[BlackHand]

Luna Fixed Stealth? It meets you criteria, but I'm not sure if frame size and range would be practical for you.

Luna Fixed Stealth Ebike

The most Stealthy bike on the market, with a hidden battery and discreet mid drive motor... this bike looks like an ordinary road bike but packs a big punch.

lunacycle.com

 

[Nite-Rider]

Here are some ideas for starter bikes. The KMC eH1 chain is as strong as a belt and does not require a break in the frame's seat stay. Just strip the chain and soak it in nano-wax. The cogs on Gates are brittle, fragile, and very expensive. The belts are also costly and do require cleaning, lubrication, and replacement.
My search criteria was Large Nexus. The you just need to install the battery and motor. Budget $1,000 over the cost of the starter bike. You don't want to invest anything in a bike with things such as cheap bearings and wheels. Cheap is expensive.

Black Amsterdam Electra City Bike - bicycles - by owner - bike sale

Comfortable bike for riding around the city in style. Classic Dutch style design made by Electra. Amsterdam Original model with 3 speed internal nexus hub. Large frame for someone about 6' tall. 700...

sfbay.craigslist.org

8 Speed Nexus Hub Gear Commute Bike - bicycles - by owner - bike sale

Unique and unusual bike from Europe. Check out the pictures for manufacturer's name and what looks like some sort of license from Germany. Rides and shifts excellent. I just installed a trigger...

sfbay.craigslist.org

Thank you for the tips. The KMC is a chain bike which is completely out of the question given the maintenance required.

 

[Nite-Rider]

Luna Fixed Stealth? It meets you criteria, but I'm not sure if frame size and range would be practical for you.

Luna Fixed Stealth Ebike

The most Stealthy bike on the market, with a hidden battery and discreet mid drive motor... this bike looks like an ordinary road bike but packs a big punch.

lunacycle.com

The Luna Fixed is a nice option and one of my recent candidates. However, I don't know how long ago they removed the Small and Large frame sizes from the options where the only size available now is Medium. At 6'2" this frame would be small-ish. I'll keep monitoring to see if Large frames become available.

 

[Nite-Rider]

Luna Fixed Stealth? It meets you criteria, but I'm not sure if frame size and range would be practical for you.

Luna Fixed Stealth Ebike

The most Stealthy bike on the market, with a hidden battery and discreet mid drive motor... this bike looks like an ordinary road bike but packs a big punch.

lunacycle.com

Yes, agreed! The Luna Fixed is a nice option and one of my recent candidates. However, I don't know how long it's been since they removed the Small and Large frame sizes from the options where the only size available now is Medium. At 6'2" this frame would be small-ish. I'll keep monitoring to see if Large frames become available.

 

[rich c]

Don't just look for a belt drive, look for a Gates belt drive. Cheap Chinese belts are showing up in the low end eBikes.

 

[Nite-Rider]

Excellent point. I hadn't thought of that will keep Gates Belt as my target.

 

[PedalUma]

Again, If you use a Gates it requires a very special frame. One with a break in the seat stay. Then fragile, expensive, cogs. The chain line (belt line) needs to be perfect. You can't just retrofit any bike with a Gates belt. You can't get a $15,000 bike for $1,500.

 

[kevinmccune]

Again, If you use a Gates it requires a very special frame. One with a break in the seat stay. Then fragile, expensive, cogs. The chain line (belt line) needs to be perfect. You can't just retrofit any bike with a Gates belt. You can't get a $15,000 bike for $1,500.

as you have heard there used to be a drive belt with a splice link, do know whatever became of it,i have a feeling the nanowax(ot just plain paraffin wax would last most bikers over a year

 

[PedalUma]

as you have heard there used to be a drive belt with a splice link, do know whatever became of it,i have a feeling the nanowax(ot just plain paraffin wax would last most bikers over a year

The next town over has Veer, who makes a split-link belt system. It is not compatible with Gates or other systems. You can only use their stuff with their stuff. It uses pins or rivets to hold the tapered ends together. The best lube for them is DOT 5. It is pure silicone oil.

Split Belt Pro™ - Bicycle Belt Drive Kit

Veer's durable, robust bicycle belt drive kit lasts 3x Longer than traditional chain components and is just as strong and more efficient. Our bicycle belt drive kit is the next generation of belt drivetrains that enhances a seamless cycling experience without needing a split in your bike's frame.

www.veercycle.com

 

[kevinmccune]

The next town over has Veer, who makes a split-link belt system. It is not compatible with Gates or other systems. You can only use their stuff with their stuff. It uses pins or rivets to hold the tapered ends together. The best lube for them is DOT 5. It is pure silicone oil.

Split Belt Pro™ - Bicycle Belt Drive Kit

Veer's durable, robust bicycle belt drive kit lasts 3x Longer than traditional chain components and is just as strong and more efficient. Our bicycle belt drive kit is the next generation of belt drivetrains that enhances a seamless cycling experience without needing a split in your bike's frame.

www.veercycle.com

how good are their ancilliary parts? if durable generic is good enough for me,how can one use generic sealing wax to treat the chain?(am tired of the grit grinding away-thanks kevin

 

[PedalUma]

how good are their ancilliary parts? if durable generic is good enough for me,how can one use generic sealing wax to treat the chain?(am tired of the grit grinding away-thanks kevin

I do not know about the quality of Veer's parts. The have been around for a while and do have good reviews. This stuff is the best I have tried. First I strip the chain. Laundry soap in a peanut butter jar with agitation works then rinse it a bunch of times. It may help to paly Latin Jazz while shaking the chain.

 

[kevinmccune]

y cost,the cost-when the scalpers pricing goes away belt drives will become more common-if i were young again i would probably try a fractional hp vbelt with 3 steps on the front(or 2) and 3 on the back,would be interesting to see how much power this setup would consume it would be very durable but bulky( mr.spock on steriods in the gym" the vulcan was bulkin")