Court, please advise.

[Eric J]

Court (and other experienced Ebike riders),

I am going crazy with all the choices. Maybe you could just tell me what to get. I am 47 years old, 6'3" 230 pounds. My wife and I run a business from our RV, so we are pretty much in all kinds of areas in the US. She is sold on the EVO Street. This seems like a good choice for her.

I on the other hand am struggling on what to get. I test drove the prodecotech Phantom XRS. I loved everything about it, but it was throttle only, no pedal assist. I just wonder if I would regret that? I also drove a EVO 29.5. Great bike, but it was a 2015 and I uderstand in 2016 they will not offer this with the throttle, but rather pedal assist only. Not sure if that means there were problems?

Bottom line is, I want a mountain style bike. I imagine I will mainly ride on smooth roads, with some light off roading. I just like the feel of a mountain bike. Im willing to spend about 3k, but of course less would be better, and I would do a bit more if I thought it was worth it.

I want good power, long lasting battery. Your reviews are awesome.

Any ideas on what you suggest for me?

Thanks,
Eric Johnson
technorv.com

 

[grench]

What is your budget? What body position do you prefer? Is 20mph fast enough? What kind of hills do you plan on riding? What kind of range do you want?

A few to look at:
Juiced Riders cross current
Any of the Haibikes
Easy motion makes solid bikes

Stromer ST1 is always worth a look.

 

[Eric J]

Budget is around 3k. I like the mountain bike positioning. 20 mph should be fast enough. Long range is best, and moderate hills.

Thanks for the input.

Eric

 

[Hong]

Budget is around 3k. I like the mountain bike positioning. 20 mph should be fast enough. Long range is best, and moderate hills.

While Court has yet to review our Koben S, that's precisely what I'd recommend. But of course I'm biased.

 

[Josh]

I have an Ejoe Epik SE. Great for my use. (Short distances to work up and down the extreme hills of South Korea + Long rides in the parks) Anyway, I will not be able to get another E-bike without both throttle and pedal assist. Pedal assist lets you relax on the long rides, and throttle gives you that immediate power. Can be annoying to hold the throttle at 1 speed for a longer duration of time.

 

[Ian]

Can be annoying to hold the throttle at 1 speed for a longer duration of time.

I've got a Juiced Bikes ODK U500 - it is throttle only but it has a cruise control function for longer stretches. I use it every time I ride in a straight line on a smooth path - I pedal along so it sort of acts like a pedal assist.

 

[Scooteretti]

Court (and other experienced Ebike riders),

I am going crazy with all the choices. Maybe you could just tell me what to get. I am 47 years old, 6'3" 230 pounds. My wife and I run a business from our RV, so we are pretty much in all kinds of areas in the US. She is sold on the EVO Street. This seems like a good choice for her.

I on the other hand am struggling on what to get. I test drove the prodecotech Phantom XRS. I loved everything about it, but it was throttle only, no pedal assist. I just wonder if I would regret that? I also drove a EVO 29.5. Great bike, but it was a 2015 and I uderstand in 2016 they will not offer this with the throttle, but rather pedal assist only. Not sure if that means there were problems?

Bottom line is, I want a mountain style bike. I imagine I will mainly ride on smooth roads, with some light off roading. I just like the feel of a mountain bike. Im willing to spend about 3k, but of course less would be better, and I would do a bit more if I thought it was worth it.

I want good power, long lasting battery. Your reviews are awesome.

Any ideas on what you suggest for me?

Thanks,
Eric Johnson
technorv.com

Hello Eric,

Indeed the choices can seem very overwhelming. The Evo Street is a really nice bike and is perfect for those riders looking for an easy entry and comfortable upright seating position, so I think your wife will be really happy with that bike.

By reading your requirements (you travel with your RV, like the MTB type position and frame style and want long range). Correct me if I am wrong but I have the impression you won't be doing much mountain biking, but rather more hard compact terrain such as paved/unpaved roads and through some forest type terrain? If yes you may want to take a look at the Cube SUV Hybrid Pro as seen here: https://shop.scooteretti.com/products/cube-suv-hybrid-pro-27-5



The reasons behind this recommendation are as follows:

- It can be used on both paved and unpaved roadways
- Has a suspension fork for rougher terrain (can be locked out as well)
- Has the Schwalbe Super MotoX tires for fantastic puncture resistance, wear resistance, comfort and traction
- Has an integrated Shimano Alfine internal 8 speed hub that is incredibly smooth. Because it's internal, it requires substantially less maintenance than a derailleur. So great for traveling on your RV
- Has Shimano Hydraulic disc brakes for awesome braking and will require less maintenance than a bike with cable brakes especially if attached to an RV where it will most like be more exposed to the elements when traveling
- Has a Bosch Perfomance Series (North American Models Only) drive unit so the range and orque is really impressive. You can easily remove the battery and Intuvia display when transporting on your RV
- Has 4 levels of Pedal of assist and a really nice power output for flat and hilly terrain.
- Specs for Canada & USA are different than in Europe. In NA the bikes have a top speed of 20 MPH (32 KPH). In Europe the specs are less.
- Has a Mountain bike geometry
- The bike is very well balanced
- Made in Bavaria Germany by CUBE
- Hits exactly at your price range


Court (EBR) did a review on it's big brother bike last year which was the 2015 Cube SUV Hybrid SL 27.5 https://electricbikereview.com/cube/suv-hybrid-sl-27-5/. The new 2016 is now called the Cube SUV Hybrid Race 27.5 https://shop.scooteretti.com/products/cube-suv-hybrid-race-27-5.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions. Welcome to the ebike community and regardless of which bike you get you will love an ebike!

hope this helps,


Will

 

[Ann M.]

@Eric J , if you really like the Phantom XRS, Prodeco Tech offers an after market pedal assist system you can add and still be under your 3K budget.

 

[Vern]

Court cannot ethically recommend one bike to you. I wouldn't trust anyone who says get THIS bike.
My two cents:
If your wife wants an Easy Motion, go that route too. They are great bikes and definitely meet your requirements. If you guys have the same brand of bikes it will make looking for service locations easier. Also they are a large brand with many dealers.

Other options:
Pedego Ridge Rider: You should be able to easily find great service locations throughout the country. Meets your requirements.

Currie Dash: Another big brand and a popular bike. You can get a boost button as throttle.

Haibike if you want more of a capable mountain bike with more of a Bike feel.

Cross Current new and becoming popular. A very good value.