Confusion Choosing a Second Ebike

[Joe Pipes]

It may be more difficult to choose my second bike than selecting my first bike. When starting out, you dont know the questions to ask. Once you get into it, er- addicted, you get kind of picky.

I am currently riding a Pedego City Commuter. 45v 15a battery the range is awesome. and comfort is sweet.

Here is my spec list, if anything jumps to your attention of a brand / model to look into. Let me know.
Front Suspension, If my pedego had front suspension forks, I prop would not change.
Pedal Assist, not throttle only / pedal mode
I prefer longer range over top speed. I can ride three four five hours and enjoy it. up to 50 miles +
relaxed / easy / upright position. I enjoy the cruising, not racing or in a hurry.
Rear fender rack, either standard or add on I like to pack a lot, too much
Front rack. Yes I told you I pack way too much s*it. But hey I am never hungry or thirsty.
digital display, battery life - miles - speed

If a particular model / brand comes to mind, please share.
thanks
Joe

 

[E-Wheels]

Joe,
Your list of requirements can be found on a lot bikes
To narrow the options, what is your budget and where are you located

 

[Joe Pipes]

I would guestimate between 3-5k. I am not opposed to spending the extra to get what I want.
I am in the Fort Worth Dallas area. but willing to drive if need.

 

[ROCebike]

A good bike shop can retrofit new shock forks on your CC. If it's great in every other respect, then upgrade is cheaper on a bike that already makes you happy. I just read a post from an Interceptor owner who made 20 upgrades. Forks and new fenders were shown. Not sure how to link it but will try.

 

[mrgold35]

Have you considered getting a second battery and making the upgrades to the suspension for your existing bike? I would even look into upgrading to a suspension seatpost like Thudbuster, Body Float, or Suntour. Adding the Sunlite cloud-9 11.5X12.5 seat and Suntour suspension post turned my Radrover into a very comfortable commuter bike.

Just adding a second 7lb battery in rack bag to my Radrover 4" fat tire bike could double my range at PAS 2-3 to about 80-100 miles.

 

[JohnT]

We've converted several City Commuters to front suspension at our shop, including my wife's personal bike. We've only done the 26", but I'm sure the 28" would be doable. ROCebike is right, any good bike shop should be able to do it, although some Pedego stores might not offer this service.

I found low end forks that work with the stock stem, but haven't tried them. Most better forks require converting to a threadless headset and new stem. We've installed adjustable stems on these, but they're adjustable with a tool, not quick release like stock.

By the way, just this week, Pedego announced a special edition Interceptor called Platinum. One of the upgraded features is a suspension fork. It also has an upgraded drivetrain and hydraulic brakes. It's very cool!

 

[Nirmala]

Another option is this shock absorbing handlebar stem....probably easier to swap than a front fork:
https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/stafast-suspension-stem-review.2871/#post-35715

 

[TrevorB]

Test ride one factory middrive eg Bosch, Shimano. They are pedal assist only and have excellent ranges. The plus side of these drives is option of belt drive with internal hub, clean maintenance free drive train, plus you (or drive) can changes gears when stopped at lights.

As for suspension, air forks, Rockshox Paragon is about as good as it gets for commuter/trekking fork.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

It may be more difficult to choose my second bike than selecting my first bike. When starting out, you dont know the questions to ask. Once you get into it, er- addicted, you get kind of picky.

I am currently riding a Pedego City Commuter. 45v 15a battery the range is awesome. and comfort is sweet.

Here is my spec list, if anything jumps to your attention of a brand / model to look into. Let me know.
Front Suspension, If my pedego had front suspension forks, I prop would not change.
Pedal Assist, not throttle only / pedal mode
I prefer longer range over top speed. I can ride three four five hours and enjoy it. up to 50 miles +
relaxed / easy / upright position. I enjoy the cruising, not racing or in a hurry.
Rear fender rack, either standard or add on I like to pack a lot, too much
Front rack. Yes I told you I pack way too much s*it. But hey I am never hungry or thirsty.
digital display, battery life - miles - speed

If a particular model / brand comes to mind, please share.
thanks
Joe

I am on my 4th (yes, number 4) ebike. That's how pathologically addicted I am to ebikes. My profile shows the list of the 4. After the first 3, my goal for the next ebike included the following.
1. Versatile handle bar that can let you sit upright or do aero position - done
2. High capacity battery with inexpensive replacement - done (700wh, 52v/13.5ah)
3. Comfortable full suspension- done
4. More powerful motor than the factory class 3 ebikes - done (BBSHD)
5. Mid drive with continued support at high cadence above 100 rpm - done
6. User programability - done
Of course, not everything is perfect but tinkering is also what I love to do so I am still in the honeymoon stage with my 4th ebike.

 

[mrgold35]

I really like my ebike with the PAS and throttle.

- When my bike was new, I lost my bolt securing my pedal crank and the crank fell off half way into a 6 mile ride. I just used the throttle to head back instead of having to push the bike. I think the crank was damage during shipment and Radrover sent a new crank.

- Last week during my 5:30am work commute, my right shoe lace became untied and wrapped around the front crankset. Too dark to fix on the spot, just used the throttle to ride to an area with more light 1/2 mile down the road.

Nice to have that feature if you need to push your bike up a hill, ride in and around obstacles that would catch your pedals, turns too tight to pedal and you need full power, need to take a break from pedaling for a while, whenever you need full power, or just doing a slow roll and you don't want to change gears or PAS level.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

I really like my ebike with the PAS and throttle.

- When my bike was new, I lost my bolt securing my pedal crank and the crank fell off half way into a 6 mile ride. I just used the throttle to head back instead of having to push the bike. I think the crank was damage during shipment and Radrover sent a new crank.

- Last week during my 5:30am work commute, my right shoe lace became untied and wrapped around the front crankset. Too dark to fix on the spot, just used the throttle to ride to an area with more light 1/2 mile down the road.

Nice to have that feature if you need to push your bike up a hill, ride in and around obstacles that would catch your pedals, turns too tight to pedal and you need full power, need to take a break from pedaling for a while, whenever you need full power, or just doing a slow roll and you don't want to change gears or PAS level.

The nice thing about Luna (or other Bafang for the matter) is that it also has a throttle on top of the PAS. Not only that, the throttle itself can be programmable and you can make it work above 20 mph. The 20 mph throttle cutoff on my other ebikes is very frustrating since the power can't be accessed when you need it the most (esp on quick and safe passing).

 

[mrgold35]

I can set my motor cut off from 32 km/h up to 40 km/h (touch under 25 mph) in the LCD set up screen for throttle and PAS. The throttle always give me the full 750w of power at any PAS level. Some ebikes limit throttle power depending on PAS level.

 

[Christopher]

It may be more difficult to choose my second bike than selecting my first bike. When starting out, you dont know the questions to ask. Once you get into it, er- addicted, you get kind of picky.

I am currently riding a Pedego City Commuter. 45v 15a battery the range is awesome. and comfort is sweet.

Here is my spec list, if anything jumps to your attention of a brand / model to look into. Let me know.
Front Suspension, If my pedego had front suspension forks, I prop would not change.
Pedal Assist, not throttle only / pedal mode
I prefer longer range over top speed. I can ride three four five hours and enjoy it. up to 50 miles +
relaxed / easy / upright position. I enjoy the cruising, not racing or in a hurry.
Rear fender rack, either standard or add on I like to pack a lot, too much
Front rack. Yes I told you I pack way too much s*it. But hey I am never hungry or thirsty.
digital display, battery life - miles - speed

If a particular model / brand comes to mind, please share.
thanks
Joe

JoeT, you asked and Pedego listened!

Based on your needs listed above, I highly recommend the Pedego Interceptor Platinum Edition:

1.) New front suspension feature added (RST Zeus).

2.) New and improved Panasonic 48V 15a battery for longer range over top speed. Pedego is transitioning from Samsung to Panasonic battery cells (Tesla electric vehicles use the top of the line Panasonic battery cells).

3.) New and improved swept back handle bars for a more relaxed / easy / upright position.

4.) The Pedego Interceptor Platinum Edition is hands-down the ultimate cruiser-style e-bike on the market today.

5.) Rear fender rack with optional clamp.

6.) Solid frame built pannier blockers. Instead of a front rack, I recommend a pannier for increased storage since you like to pack a lot. Or you could always add a basket to the front if you need more storage than a pannier can handle.

7.) Last but not least, priced at the low end of your 3-5k budget, listed for $3,795.


Cheers,

Christopher

 

[Helena Wolfenstein]

I think Ariel Rider C-class fit for your requirements.

Their rear rack is integrated into the frame so can carry a heavy load. Also has a very nice front rack with some bungee ropes to fix things you carry + cup holder for coffee.

And as i know they use the same Dapu motor like Pedego and also come with standard torque sensor.

Now they have a 40% discount which i am not sure still continue or not . But if it continues it maybe a good deal .

It may be more difficult to choose my second bike than selecting my first bike. When starting out, you dont know the questions to ask. Once you get into it, er- addicted, you get kind of picky.

I am currently riding a Pedego City Commuter. 45v 15a battery the range is awesome. and comfort is sweet.

Here is my spec list, if anything jumps to your attention of a brand / model to look into. Let me know.
Front Suspension, If my pedego had front suspension forks, I prop would not change.
Pedal Assist, not throttle only / pedal mode
I prefer longer range over top speed. I can ride three four five hours and enjoy it. up to 50 miles +
relaxed / easy / upright position. I enjoy the cruising, not racing or in a hurry.
Rear fender rack, either standard or add on I like to pack a lot, too much
Front rack. Yes I told you I pack way too much s*it. But hey I am never hungry or thirsty.
digital display, battery life - miles - speed

If a particular model / brand comes to mind, please share.
thanks
Joe