Bike for 25 mile commute + wife

stuwags

New Member
Hello -

I've recently joined the forum and have been reading it on and off for some time. It'd be helpful to get a few perspectives here, but I suspect my need isn't too uncommon.

I currently commute by bike 12.5 miles each direction seattle -> redmond. I live on an over 10 degree grade hill but otherwise it's a relatively long and flattish commute. My goal is to get to work as fast as possible while getting exercise, and to be able to to carry stuff. I'd love to have some battery left after the commute as well to run some errands.

I have a standover of 29" and my wife has a standover of 26". My wife is not experienced so larger wheels probably are less great for her, and step through is likely mandatory.

Budget is flexible based on the ability to achieve the wants and competitive offerings.

List of Wants/Requirements:
1) 28 MPH+ E bike step through
2) Mid-drive or rear hub (open to suggestions on this, as seattle does have some big hills)
3) A high lumen front light, and a rear brake light (or the ability to install these). I'd like them to run directly off bike battery
4) USB charger from battery
5) Step through
6) Large battery so I can run it with max assist longer

Bikes considering:
Juiced CCX
Stromer St1x, st2, st3
Biktrix Stunner LT
Haibike

Any suggestions or considerations I'm missing?
 
As a Haibike owner I am happy with mine and I used it for a commute of 20 miles roundtrip for quite some time. It will do everything you need except keeping very high speeds.

If you have a long section that you can keep higher speeds, you want to go as fast as possible and you will not be taking the bike to trails then imo a hub motor commuter like Stromer or Juiced is a better choice. They are better at keeping higher speeds and come with higher capacity batteries than the mainstream mid drive systems (which are usually 500wh batteries these days).

Now you can definitely go fast on a mid drive but all of that power is transferred through the drivetrain and at higher assist levels the power is simply too much hence chain, sprocket etc. wear a lot sooner than a hub motor bike like Stromer. On the other hand I love my mid drive I like being able to change the flats easily, I like it being pretty much a normal bike.

Light/ fender/ rack etc. all of the companies have bikes that come with them so that should not be a problem.

This was my small input you will have good feedback from many people in the forums good luck in your search. Of course the best thing to do is to try them and see how you feel...
 
Thanks Johnny, I actually am finding the light options to be quite a problem. Few bikes come with brake lights. I am looking closely at this (https://www.haibikeusa.com/2018-xduro-trekking-s-9-0-low-step.html) and test rode it. Agree, it wasn't as fast on long straight aways as the stromer but price is compelling. However, once I did all the math, I probably would need a second charger at minimum. Also, the dealer said adding the M99 brake lights to the bike wasn't possible. Do you know of a way to get brake lights linked to the front/rear brake added?
 
I am just north of you in Bellingham and ride a bike that meets most of your specs.

If you can afford it, the Riese & Muller Homage hits on all cylinders.

  • Step throuigh
  • 2 battery option - 1000 watt
  • Supernova m99 mini pro 45 1400 lumen headdlight with high & low beam
  • Supernova rear light with brake light
  • micro usb charging
  • Bosch mid drive which is great on hills
It is also a full suspension, very comfortable bike. A bike buddy called it the "S class of e-bikes" Comes with the carbon fiber belt drive as well, full fenders, welded-in cargo rack, Abus folding alarm lock keyed the same as the battery. No reviews of that particular model are up yet but @David Berry just started riding his with the CX 20mph drive. I have last year's model which has the manual shifter, and old school chain.

If you get serious about looking at them, I would strongly recommend going for the Rohloff with E14 electric shifting, it makes climbing a breeze with super low gearing and allows you to easily sustain higher speed with it very tall gearing.

This bike is not sports equipment....it's a vehicle, one you can rely upon to get to work safely. The only down side is price and the fact that they are made to order in Germany so it is a 2 month wait.

Homage picture & specs

19_Outdoor_Homage_HS_001_7f329212-783d-462d-aa12-d7fe9e7508e5.jpg
 
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For the smaller person Riess & Müller make a 26” wheel step thru called the Nevo. It’s designed for persons 5’ to 5’5”. It comes in a high speed version and a variety of drivetrain options.
 
Hey Alaskan - Thanks for the suggestion, it's very close to hitting everything! I have looked at the Homage and I think the dual suspension + rack is very interesting, and I really like the degree of customization. I'd probably pay for a bike like that but I'm not loving the motor and the value of the bike as a consequence. That same motor is on the Haibike I linked above, and is literally less than half the price. In my experience with the bosch, 28 MPH consistently on flats or slight uphills was out of reach. If it could hold 28 MPH on slight uphill, I'd buy it in a second.
 
You are correct about the speed limitations. I can sustain 24-26 on flat ground/no wind in Sport assist mode and maybe 2mph faster in Turbo but the range drops down to about 20 miles per battery at that speed. Bosch has about the best rep for reliability, warranty service and parts availability. With the R&M bikes you are paying for cutting edge, solid frame design and fabrication along with A-list component specs. The motor and battery are not nearly that big a factor in price as compared with suspension components, Rohloff IGH & Shifter, etc. Heck the headlight alone retails for around $300
 
1) 28 MPH+ E bike step through
2) Mid-drive or rear hub (open to suggestions on this, as seattle does have some big hills)
3) A high lumen front light, and a rear brake light (or the ability to install these). I'd like them to run directly off bike battery
4) USB charger from battery
5) Step through
6) Large battery so I can run it with max assist longer


This bike fits most of those points. It does come with brake lights
You may want to keep a charger at work.
YOu could swap the front to this one: https://www.lightandmotion.com/shop/bike-lights/lights-for-e-bikes/seda-1800-e-bike/

 
On my bike, I ride the 520.

I've never seen any enforcement of any speed, and on the downhills, riders get up to 30 mph. Are you aware of enforcement at this time?
 
@stuwags I rarely ride that far south. Snohomish is about as far south as I ever go, unless I am packing the bike on a longer road trip. I would think that doing a daily commute, you might eventually run into some enforcement on the trails but I have no direct knowledge of same. What are the bike lanes like on 520 and the bridge. Are the bike well enough separated from the cars?

@Ravi Kempaiah that Bulls is a nice looking bike. I especially like the motor and battery integration. It looks like it might meet the specs and do the job. It does seem like a lot of money to pay for a bike with just a 10 speed derailleur and a rather cheesy spring fork (I have the same one on my Cube and it ain't much). If the bike could be found on year end, winter close out it would be a better value.
 
Thanks Johnny, I actually am finding the light options to be quite a problem. Few bikes come with brake lights. I am looking closely at this (https://www.haibikeusa.com/2018-xduro-trekking-s-9-0-low-step.html) and test rode it. Agree, it wasn't as fast on long straight aways as the stromer but price is compelling. However, once I did all the math, I probably would need a second charger at minimum. Also, the dealer said adding the M99 brake lights to the bike wasn't possible. Do you know of a way to get brake lights linked to the front/rear brake added?

I like trekking s 9.0 and I think with the current discount it is a good buy. You shouldn't get too fixated on a particular tail light.

If you can do with 18-19mph average (in your commute it will probably translate into 10 minutes so not a big deal) you will like it.
 
It does seem like a lot of money to pay for a bike with just a 10 speed derailleur and a rather cheesy spring fork (I have the same one on my Cube and it ain't much).

I agree and the components can easily be upgraded.
While R&M does have excellent frame design, their components like wheels, fork etc are just average for a lot of their bikes. They should spec FOX E-bike specific fork and DT Swiss hubs, wheels and rims on all E-bikes priced over ~$6.5K. Many of their bikes do offer FOX upgrade at extra cost. I like their designs a lot but not a lot of dealers carry them and I do think they are overpriced. Trek bikes are also overpriced but they have superb dealer network. It's almost impossible to travel 15-20 miles without running into a Trek dealership.

OP can get that Haibike or BULLS, upgrade the lights, tires etc and get an extra battery+charger and still save over $2K compared to an R&M. For $350, one can always add XTR Di2 to any bike.

The biggest advantage with BULLS is that @stuwags and his wife will have no problem with that step-thru design.
 
I do a 25 mile round-trip commute on my bike, which goes up to 25mph, from the Eastside to Seattle. I mostly stick to 20mph and below. Most of my commute is on residential and arterial city streets on the Eastside, and I get on the 520 bridge in Medina, and after exiting the bridge am on Seattle streets and then UW campus streets and paths. For my application, I think going faster than 20mph would compromise safety because it would give less time for cars (such as cars exiting driveways) to see me, and a longer time for me to stop, so while I ride fast on the bridge if it is cold and windy, otherwise I stick to 20mph or lower speeds. It takes me 45-50 minutes door-to-door, each way, to do my commute. I like the length of my commute, with 45-50 minutes of pedaling. It's been great for improving my fitness level.

My bike model, though, is now limited to 20mph. I'm super happy with the dealer and customer support at Pedego Redmond. I wanted a Class 2 ebike because I live in an area with 20%+ grade steep hills and need the throttle to start if I am faced uphill when I have to stop for some reason.

Look for me on the 520 bridge, and if you find me, say "Hi!" My seafoam green bike is kinda hard to miss! There are more ebikers every day, it seems to me, and I think it's great! I'll be out there again as soon as all of this snow thaws!
 
This bike fits most of those points. It does come with brake lights
You may want to keep a charger at work.
YOu could swap the front to this one: https://www.lightandmotion.com/shop/bike-lights/lights-for-e-bikes/seda-1800-e-bike/


Bulls is a great brand but imo Haibike Xduro trekking s 9.0 is a better bike compared to this one and is $500 cheaper atm.

Deore XT , slx m7000, mt4 brakes. All of the components are better. Also Mobie air fork should be significantly better than an NCX coil fork. Even my Cross RC came with same drivetrain but a better Air version of NRX fork (the air version of these hybrid forks are decent, quite a bit better than the coil ones and but around two times the price) . I really am puzzled how these "luxury" brands like Trek, Bulls etc. put these low quality $80 coil forks on their $3500+ bicycles.
 
Bulls is a great brand but imo Haibike Xduro trekking s 9.0 is a better bike compared to this one and is $500 cheaper atm.

Deore XT , slx m7000, mt4 brakes. All of the components are better. Also Mobie air fork should be significantly better than an NCX coil fork. Even my Cross RC came with same drivetrain but a better Air version of NRX fork (the air version of these hybrid forks are decent, quite a bit better than the coil ones and but around two times the price) . I really am puzzled how these "luxury" brands like Trek, Bulls etc. put these low quality $80 coil forks on their $3500+ bicycles.

Yes I agree, but I don’t get the rear brake light. If I get rear ended because they didn’t notice me braking, I suspect I’d prefer the brake over the coil shock. Not sure how probable that is to happen, but I’d think about it if it happened to me.
 
Yes I agree, but I don’t get the rear brake light. If I get rear ended because they didn’t notice me braking, I suspect I’d prefer the brake over the coil shock. Not sure how probable that is to happen, but I’d think about it if it happened to me.

You have to have bright rear light or lights!. These lights must be blinking whether you break or not. Even though ebikes are faster you are still way slower compared to cars so you braking or not does not make much of a difference , you have to be visible at all times.

If you are going to ride at night and share the road then make sure you have more than one light, on your helmet and maybe an additional light on the frame, backpack etc.

Yes it is convenient if the light is connected to your ebike battery but rechargeable tail lights can go for a long time before needing to be recharged.

So my point was brake activation is not a big deal being visible is the important part.
 
Just found this FYI - https://www.amazon.com/Light-Sensin...ocphy=9061300&hvtargid=pla-592632238718&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Sensing-Waterproof-Intensity-Aluminium/dp/B07FKKWLMB

https://www.amazon.com/Sensing-Bicycle-Taillight-Rechargeable-Mountain/dp/B07G43R41L#customerReviews

The problem with these is that I need to remember to charge them, and I already have enough things to remember to charge between my bluetooth headphones, my bike, my laptop, and my phone and possibly my watch. Now I need to remember to charge my rear taillight and if I get a front light, my front light. I'd prefer it all be nicely integrated, or there be USB charger ports on front and rear that I could "set and forget" for my devices on the bike.
 
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