Closing in on my first bike

[zachpas]

Good afternoon everyone,
I'm getting pretty close to buying my first bike and I wanted some perspective. I'm going to be using this bike mostly to commute to work, it's about 35 mi round trip with a big hill at the end going into work, it'll also be for odds and ends around town . I'm 6'2" 240lbs and right now I'm looking at an iZip Dash and a Pedego City Commuter. Both feel like they have enough power and range to make the commute without getting me completely drenched in sweat.

I'm wondering if anyone has any other suggestions or opinions on something else I should be looking at. I'm pretty sure I'll need a 48V battery & 500W motor since I'm a bigger guy. I'm open to all suggestions as this is my first bike since I was in grade school.

 

[grench]

Both of your choices are nice bikes. The part which worries me is your weight. Both of the bikes you mention work well for lighter type guys. Just my opinion.

What is your budget?

 

[zachpas]

Both of your choices are nice bikes. The part which worries me is your weight. Both of the bikes you mention work well for lighter type guys. Just my opinion.

What is your budget?

My budget is 3-4k.

I rented a CC from a local pedego shop for about 2 hours and rode it about 18+ miles mostly in PAS and when I got back to the shop it was still showing a full battery. The owner thought I had only used about 15% of the battery. That was a 48V/10ah. I don't know if that info helps or not but thought I'd throw it out there. The Dash I rode was almost discharged so I can't really too solid an opinion on that one.

 

[grench]

Lot of good options in your budget. I would advise ride all you can before making a decision. Go to a shop which has different brands so you have the one after the other feel. Think about frame flex and body position while riding. The other things to consider are your terrain and how hard you will be on the bike. If you are easy on your equipment...your original choices would be fine.

 

[Deleted member 803]

Grench gives solid advice. Ride as many as you can and understand the difference in performance between a mid drive and rear hub motor. Easy Motion makes wonderful bikes as well. Size of motor is not necessarily a deciding factor. Some smaller geared rear hubs work very very well. 35 miles is probably at the outer limit of range for these bikes. Range is a combination of battery size, weight of the rider, terrain, and what power level you use during the ride.

Little things may make a difference to you such as the ease with which you can remove the battery and take it into work to charge for the ride home. Other considerations are frame geometry, and suspension.

Ride as many bikes as you can find.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[Steve Ryu]

Good afternoon everyone,
I'm getting pretty close to buying my first bike and I wanted some perspective. I'm going to be using this bike mostly to commute to work, it's about 35 mi round trip with a big hill at the end going into work, it'll also be for odds and ends around town . I'm 6'2" 240lbs and right now I'm looking at an iZip Dash and a Pedego City Commuter. Both feel like they have enough power and range to make the commute without getting me completely drenched in sweat.

I'm wondering if anyone has any other suggestions or opinions on something else I should be looking at. I'm pretty sure I'll need a 48V battery & 500W motor since I'm a bigger guy. I'm open to all suggestions as this is my first bike since I was in grade school.

@zachpas where are you located? Definitely as stated. Test ride the bikes before choosing as both bikes are weighted a little different and feel different. The Pedego CC has a rear rack battery and the IZIP E3 Dash has a center mounted battery. In the performance dept, the Dash is a little more free-flowing being 28mph capable. I'm able to do a 15 mile commute using a little less than a quarter of the battery and i'm 5'9 230lbs. I'd love to get you on a Dash or point you to a dealer so you could compare. FYI, also have a pretty sweet deal on the Diamondback Trace (Diamondback version of the Dash)

 

[JoePah]

@zachpas 35 mi RT is a long commute, like 2 hours a day on your bike. I wouldn't worry about a 36 or 48v systems, but look for battery size. They all will be around 1 bhp peak, but the 48v may go a little faster; regulations are limiting to top speed.

And negotiate an extra battery charger when you buy the bike. You're not going to get there and back on one charger, esp in winter, that is unless you have a huge battery like the Juiced Riders V3 http://electricbikereview.com/juiced-riders/odk-v3/