Delivery e-bike

[Voodoosix]

hey all, my wife and are kicking around the idea of using an ebike for an around town fast food delivery service. Ill list my setup idea as far as the bike is concerned but I'd like feedback from those with more ebike exp as to wether it would be viable or not.

The bike- Juiced CC Air with the ext 12ah battery. I'm going with the 2 12ah batts as they would have longer range than 1 21ah batt for almost the same cost. There is also the option of purchasing two CCAs and keep one stored as a backup but use both batts as needed.

I looked at the ODK but I don't think its the right bike plus the u500 is sold out and who knows when of if it'll be back and so are the parts needed to upgrade a u350 to be as useful, so its pretty much out of the running.

I'm picking the Air over the S due to its rigid fork making front rack mounting less of a hassle- here is the rack I'm looking at - (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Rear rack is a PDW payload which i already have on hand and will prob slap on a set of their soda pop fenders as well.

Im not hell bent of getting the Juiced bike but just looking at costs, speed and fairly reputable company it seemed like a solid choice. Alternate suggestions are appreciated.

So are ebikes at the point where they'd make viable workhorse delivery vehicles? Post your thoughts.

Thanks.

 

[Va. Bch. Electric Bike Center]

hey all, my wife and are kicking around the idea of using an ebike for an around town fast food delivery service. Ill list my setup idea as far as the bike is concerned but I'd like feedback from those with more ebike exp as to wether it would be viable or not.

The bike- Juiced CC Air with the ext 12ah battery. I'm going with the 2 12ah batts as they would have longer range than 1 21ah batt for almost the same cost. There is also the option of purchasing two CCAs and keep one stored as a backup but use both batts as needed.

I looked at the ODK but I don't think its the right bike plus the u500 is sold out and who knows when of if it'll be back and so are the parts needed to upgrade a u350 to be as useful, so its pretty much out of the running.

I'm picking the Air over the S due to its rigid fork making front rack mounting less of a hassle- here is the rack I'm looking at - (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Rear rack is a PDW payload which i already have on hand and will prob slap on a set of their soda pop fenders as well.

Im not hell bent of getting the Juiced bike but just looking at costs, speed and fairly reputable company it seemed like a solid choice. Alternate suggestions are appreciated.

So are ebikes at the point where they'd make viable workhorse delivery vehicles? Post your thoughts.

Thanks.

Pedego Stetch..hot box rear, cold box on front rack

 

[Over50]

In case you look at purpose built bikes: Like what I see from the Tern GSD as far as versatility and range with dual battery. One size fits all. Not sure when available.

Then there's the Felt Bruhaul which Court has reviewed:

http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2016/Bikes/electric/Cargo/bruhaul.aspx
https://electricbikereview.com/felt/bruhaul/

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Check out all the cargo ebikes at EBR.
https://electricbikereview.com/category/cargo/

 

[Voodoosix]

I'm trying to keep speed and range up while keeping costs and weight down so Ill prob steer clear of the cargo bikes.
That Tern GSD looks like a winner but will prob cost more than I can spend as well.
The Radwagon is in the right price range but size and weight (70lb) would prob be an issue as the bike will need to on a trunk rack on occasion.
Motive Sherpa may be doable but it'll be slower, heavier and have less range than the CCAir.

The CCAir is coming in at $1400 with class3 speed and 30+mi range with the upgraded 614wh battery. I'm not seeing much that can hang with it for near the cost.

One thing I'm not liking is the proprietary battery casings, not just for Juiced but for all ebikes that have one. It just seems inevitable to me that with all the start up ebike companies, sooner or later some will go under and leave people without the ability to buy a new battery when the time comes.

 

[rich c]

Tern GSD. Two cradles for batteries already on the bike. 100+ mile range, 400 pound capacity, no longer than a standard bike, double kickstand, Bosch reliability. Delivery can be a dangerous job in a lot of the neighborhoods, now add in leaving something so easy to grab and take off with. Hopefully she can get the people to come down to her in a walk-up. You'll need great locks if she has to leave the bike for more than a minute or two. I sure wouldn't consider a cheaper bike with Chinese components. Reliability is a major business consideration.

 

[Voodoosix]

I'd definitely have some peace of mind buying a Bosch or Yamaha equipped setup, the cost for those is getting out of what i can actually afford. One option I've been kicking around is shopping around for end of year left over inventory sales, my selection will be pretty narrow but i could swing it that way.

How are the Bosch/Yamaha battery packs range wise though?

 

[rich c]

Bosch sells 400wh and a 500wh battery packs. I have one of both on two different bikes, and never have taken them below 30%. Pretty flat riding, I weigh 250 pounds, average around 15 mph on rail trails and streets. I'd say realistically, at least 45 to 60 miles on the packs respectively. I bought one bike as a demo with 150 miles on it, the other off season. Paid $2800 for one, $2600 for the other. Haibike XDURO Full Seven S RX, and XDURO Trekking S RX. Both are class III, 28mph bikes. I ran a sole proprietor small business. With good equipment, you make money. It should cost you nothing if you correctly calculate your overhead and have a good accountant at tax time. A single year depreciation write off if used solely for a business.

 

[Dewey]

Acquire a Worksman delivery bike or trike and kit convert it with a wheel hub motor. Keep the original wheel and if the motor conks out swap out the wheel, remove the heavy battery, and you’ll still be out making deliveries while the problem is fixed.

https://www.worksmancycles.com/cargo-bikes.html

 

[Voodoosix]

Another issue I've been thinking of is how the cold will affect the bike. I'm assuming cold/rainy weather will be busier times for deliveries as people don't want to go out in it- but being electric how much range can I expect to lose during the winter months? Ill have 3-4 month stretch where temps will be in the teens to twentys.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

When it comes to value, the Juiced ODK is very hard to beat as a purposely built cargo ebike.

It also has the biggest battery options with 48v 32ah which is more than double or even triple that of other ebikes.

 

[Over50]

Another issue I've been thinking of is how the cold will affect the bike. I'm assuming cold/rainy weather will be busier times for deliveries as people don't want to go out in it- but being electric how much range can I expect to lose during the winter months? Ill have 3-4 month stretch where temps will be in the teens to twentys.

It definitely reduces your range so I wouldn't let the battery sit outside for long periods of time in the cold. For some batteries there are aftermarket sleeves that can be purchased. I have one for my Bosch and I use it when temps get around 40F or below.

On stability: I have a human powered bike that I use for grocery runs (a Tern). It can carry quite a bit of stuff but, if I really load the back-end it can be a bit fishy and unstable. Fast food probably won't be very heavy but if you buy a bike with a rear mounted battery and then carry your load on the rear, you might not have the most stable ride (particularly if it isn't a purpose built cargo bike that distributes the weight well).

 

[Sonoboy]

Here’s a medley of cargo bikes as reviewed by Kelly at Citrus Cycle...

 

[Over50]

I saw a restaurant delivery guy today on a regular bike with an attached single wheel trailer. He was zipping in and out of traffic during the lunch hour in our downtown - and the whole rig seemed a lot more stable than I would have thought it to be. I've never tried towing a trailer. Unfortunately no way for me to see the brand and the restaurant had created signage for the sides of the trailer and for the flag on the back - of course the restaurant bag was visible inside the trailer. Something very similar to this Topeak but all branded for the restaurant:

https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/journey-trailer-&-drybag/387-journey-trailer-and-drybag