Best choice for dirt/gravel road w upright comfort

[Phil M]

We live 5 miles from Buena Vista CO on improved dirt road and want ebikes that provide upright riding comfort for commute but also allow access to nearby ATV trails. We are looking at the Trek Lift and Pedego Cruiser and wanting advice on either or both models..... or additional choices ??? I am 6'1" 250 lbs and my wife is 5'7"" 150 lbs.
Thanks for your help

 

[Chris Nolte]

I would get something with a wider tire and ideally a center drive. Check out the Haibike Trekking 4.0 or the Riese & Muller Charger.

A cruising style bike like the Lift and a Pedego will make it challenging to handle some off road trails. You'd be better off with a bike with a suspension fork and a riser handlebar. It will give you an upright position, but you'll still be able to control the bike well on tough terrain.

 

[Phil M]

I would get something with a wider tire and ideally a center drive. Check out the Haibike Trekking 4.0 or the Riese & Muller Charger.

A cruising style bike like the Lift and a Pedego will make it challenging to handle some off road trails. You'd be better off with a bike with a suspension fork and a riser handlebar. It will give you an upright position, but you'll still be able to control the bike well on tough terrain.

Thanks for the info Chris I agree w your assessment .... I've never been comfortable on a Mtn bike because I couldn't sit upright and Lesa needs the upright to take the pressure of her wrists and hands, she has RA. Wish the ebike shops had the riser handlebar setup available for test drive so we could make sure they fit our comfort needs prior to making this big $$ investment

 

[Chris Nolte]

Also - Make sure you opt for Ergonomic Grips. Ergon is the leader in this space. They help to spread the pressure more evenly and prevent the grips from cutting off your circulation. This and a riser bar and potentially a riser stem will get you where you need to be. We deal with this sort of thing all the time, eventually these product managers will realize that everyone doesn't want a racing bike. Some brands like Riese & Muller seem to understand that pretty well which has been part of their success I think.

 

[emco5]

[Chris]... A cruising style bike like the Lift....

A Lift isn't really a cruiser. I've been riding a Trek Shift for 18 months on undeveloped roads and gravel paths with no difficulty. Recently, I tested the new e-assist Lift on pavement and gravel. The Shift and Lift models share very similar geometry. The main difference both bikes have over standard frames is a few degrees of added angle to the seat tube. That very slight crank-forward design allows good pedaling leverage with a more upright riding posture. Crank location on the typical "cruiser" is more forward which does interfere with efficiency.


[Phil M]... I've never been comfortable on a Mtn bike because I couldn't sit upright and Lesa needs the upright to take the pressure of her wrists and hands...

I'm on that wavelength. Those reasons are why the Lift should be on your test-ride list. It's a very comfortable riding bike which handles well, and has a surprising amount of muscle for climbing [smaller chainring option, too]. If your ATV roads are extremely rough, just add more aggressive tires and a Serfas EG8000 seat.

 

[Phil M]

[Chris]... A cruising style bike like the Lift....

A Lift isn't really a cruiser. I've been riding a Trek Shift for 18 months on undeveloped roads and gravel paths with no difficulty. Recently, I tested the new e-assist Lift on pavement and gravel. The Shift and Lift models share very similar geometry. The main difference both bikes have over standard frames is a few degrees of added angle to the seat tube. That very slight crank-forward design allows good pedaling leverage with a more upright riding posture. Crank location on the typical "cruiser" is more forward which does interfere with efficiency.


[Phil M]... I've never been comfortable on a Mtn bike because I couldn't sit upright and Lesa needs the upright to take the pressure of her wrists and hands...

I'm on that wavelength. Those reasons are why the Lift should be on your test-ride list. It's a very comfortable riding bike which handles well, and has a surprising amount of muscle for climbing [smaller chainring option, too]. If your ATV roads are extremely rough, just add more aggressive tires and a Serfas EG8000 seat.

Thanks for your input Chris... we did test ride the Lift and it was very comfortable on the asphalt....that said my biggest concern is the lack of front suspension and most of our riding will be on uneven dirt/gravel so leaning twd's modified suspension ebike thinking that additional suspension will make for a better experience in the long run w the goal of 'it feels good' we'll be riding more

 

[Larry Juiced rider]

We ride Juiced Ocean Currents they are a cruiser style with Body float
seat post
The body float makes the ride so much better and you are sitting up straighter so not as much pressure on the hands but you will still get some shock from the front
We ride both paved (are roads are crappy )and un paved roads and trails nothing to rough it just not our style
That being said we love our bikes

 

[e-boy]

The Easy Motion 2017 EVO Cross may be just what your looking for .
It's also available with an adjustable stem , but you may not need it .
With Schwalbe Big Apple 28" x 2" tires , suspension fork , and upright riding position , I found it comfortable during a short test ride .
But it's rear hub , if that makes a difference .

Here , I think this is the current model :
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[mrgold35]

I'm 6'3" 270lbs and the wife is 4' 11" 130 lbs. We were extremely new to ebikes and only started riding bikes again about 3 years ago after a +25 year break. We went with Radrover 4" fat tire bikes back in Sept/2016 and have about 1600 miles between both of them. What I like about them are:
- very affordable at $1500+shipping each
- upright riding position, ego hand grips, front suspension, very comfy
- Class II, 750w rear hub motor, 20 mph, throttle, 7 speed, headlight, 20-40 mile range
- fat tires are very comfortable and transition very easily from paved road, hard packet and soft trails, gravel trails, sandy trails, and mud.
- excellent customer service and a 1 year warranty

I upgraded my Radrovers with Bodyfloat v2.0 orange springs seatpost and Sunlite Cloud 9 seat for added comfort. I use mine to park my car and work commute now between 45-75 miles per week (depending on the weather). I figured I can get two Radrovers for the price of one of the other ebikes. I also get to see what I like and don't like in an ebike if I wanted to upgrade a few years down the road.

 

[Phil M]

We ride Juiced Ocean Currents they are a cruiser style with Body float
seat post
The body float makes the ride so much better and you are sitting up straighter so not as much pressure on the hands but you will still get some shock from the front
We ride both paved (are roads are crappy )and un paved roads and trails nothing to rough it just not our style
That being said we love our bikes

Thanks Larry... we'll check them out

 

[Phil M]

I'm 6'3" 270lbs and the wife is 4' 11" 130 lbs. We were extremely new to ebikes and only started riding bikes again about 3 years ago after a +25 year break. We went with Radrover 4" fat tire bikes back in Sept/2016 and have about 1600 miles between both of them. What I like about them are:
- very affordable at $1500+shipping each
- upright riding position, ego hand grips, front suspension, very comfy
- Class II, 750w rear hub motor, 20 mph, throttle, 7 speed, headlight, 20-40 mile range
- fat tires are very comfortable and transition very easily from paved road, hard packet and soft trails, gravel trails, sandy trails, and mud.
- excellent customer service and a 1 year warranty

I upgraded my Radrovers with Bodyfloat v2.0 orange springs seatpost and Sunlite Cloud 9 seat for added comfort. I use mine to park my car and work commute now between 45-75 miles per week (depending on the weather). I figured I can get two Radrovers for the price of one of the other ebikes. I also get to see what I like and don't like in an ebike if I wanted to upgrade a few years down the road.

Thanks for intro to Radrovers... really like the price compared to other models w similar components .... so w you and your wife's size difference how is the fit for her? On the Radrover website looks like there's only one size?

 

[mrgold35]

I have the seatpost on the max height while the wife is at the lowest setting. The standard fix handlebars were at comfortable height for both of us for an upright riding position. I ended up getting into a wreck on a tight muddy turn and breaking 2 of the 4 bolts and bending a 3rd that secure the handlebars to the stem. I don't think any handlebars can handle a +270 lbs person landing on them at the speed I was going (I know my helmet saved me from a concussion +4 miles from home). Decided to upgrade the stem on both bikes to the Sunlite 0-60 degree 95mm adjustable stem. Adjusting the stem to about 35 degrees up for me and level for the wife makes it so we can trade off bikes at anytime.

It may not be an issue for your wife; but, I added the ISM Touring seat to the wife's bike. She was having issues straddling the bike at stops because the nose of the Sunlite Cloud-9 seat stuck out too far causing her to move up the downtube that was too high for her. The ISM seat doesn't have the long saddle part (just the padding for the cheeks) and she can now straddle the bike at a stop with both feet flat on the ground.

I use both bikes for my work commute and trade off to keep the mileage and wear/tear about the same. I just have to exchange seatposts and raise the handlebars to since both bike are identical. My bike with 350mm Bodyfloat v2.0 with orange springs wife's bike with ISM seat and regular fixed seatpost:

 

[Phil M]

I have the seatpost on the max height while the wife is at the lowest setting. The standard fix handlebars were at comfortable height for both of us for an upright riding position. I ended up getting into a wreck on a tight muddy turn and breaking 2 of the 4 bolts and bending a 3rd that secure the handlebars to the stem. I don't think any handlebars can handle a +270 lbs person landing on them at the speed I was going (I know my helmet saved me from a concussion +4 miles from home). Decided to upgrade the stem on both bikes to the Sunlite 0-60 degree 95mm adjustable stem. Adjusting the stem to about 35 degrees up for me and level for the wife makes it so we can trade off bikes at anytime.

It may not be an issue for your wife; but, I added the ISM Touring seat to the wife's bike. She was having issues straddling the bike at stops because the nose of the Sunlite Cloud-9 seat stuck out too far causing her to move up the downtube that was too high for her. The ISM seat doesn't have the long saddle part (just the padding for the cheeks) and she can now straddle the bike at a stop with both feet flat on the ground.

I use both bikes for my work commute and trade off to keep the mileage and wear/tear about the same. I just have to exchange seatposts and raise the handlebars to since both bike are identical. My bike with 350mm Bodyfloat v2.0 with orange springs wife's bike with ISM seat and regular fixed seatpost:
View attachment 15962 View attachment 15963

We just ordered 2 Radrovers! Thanks again mrgold35 for turning us on to this ebike.... came down to affordability and features for 2 novice riders... I'm sure we'll have many miles of enjoyment on these bikes.... will comment after we get the bikes and put a few miles on them... WooHoo!

 

[Lost]

We just ordered 2 Radrovers! Thanks again mrgold35 for turning us on to this ebike.... came down to affordability and features for 2 novice riders... I'm sure we'll have many miles of enjoyment on these bikes.... will comment after we get the bikes and put a few miles on them... WooHoo!

I seriously doubt you will regret the Rovers. Love mine, I have a brand new Mustang GT, and I look forward to riding the Rover more! Congrats!

 

[sexton Tom]

Lost, maybe you should send your GT to get the Super Snake package !!! I'm on the verge of ordering a Mini but just need that nudge !!!

 

[Lost]

Lost, maybe you should send your GT to get the Super Snake package !!! I'm on the verge of ordering a Mini but just need that nudge !!!

LOL, it's pretty fast the way it is! Anymore, and I'll have Johnny Law after me.

 

[mrgold35]

Congrats on the new rides!

A few things I did (probably be the same for any bike):
- Mr. Tuffy liners for 4" fat tires. It is amazing the amount of debris, broken car parts, and broken glass you find in the road bike lanes. Trails seem to be less hazardous to tires compared to roadways.
- added Stans tire sealant (two 2-0z bottles per tire). We have a lot of goat heads in the southwest and Stans helps seal minor punctures that make it through the tire, Mr. Tuffy, and tube.
- Added a suspension seatpost like the Suntour NCX SP-12 or Bodyfloat v2.0. It helps smooth out the ride even more with the 4" fat tires
- I added the Sunlite Cloud-9 12.5X11.5 cruiser seat. A little more comfy for my 51 year old bottom