Ebikes for apartment and condo dwellers

[lenajc]

Good land Alaskan, I doubt a petite 5'3" woman will over stress a step through. Every one of my step through frames, Schwinn, KHS, and Marin have zero flex issues. As a matter of fact every build I've done with ST frames have not had a flex issue. FWIW

Oh, and I am far from petite . That being said, I never heard of this "flexing" thing until I started watching bike reviews. If I've experienced flexing, I've never noticed it on my previous or current bikes with stepthrough frames.

 

[lenajc]

Am I wrong to think that if you buy a decent size small, carbon frame commuter bike, then pull off the battery and front wheel, you're left with about 32lbs?

I would think there should be lots of options if your willing to go thru the daily chore of bringing your bike up and down the stairs in pieces?

I break mine down into pieces daily because hefting 50lbs into my car is just too difficult. After I pull out the battery, seatpost and front tire, carrying it by the frame isn't so bad.

I think I could make two trips. I thought of taking the battery off but I suppose it depends on the bike's overall weight. Like the RadPower commuter bike weighs 65 lbs. But if the battery weights 10 pounds (guessing here), then it would still be hard for me to carry up a 55 pounds bike. But that's a good consideration though.

 

[The duke]

I think I could make two trips. I thought of taking the battery off but I suppose it depends on the bike's overall weight. Like the RadPower commuter bike weighs 65 lbs. But if the battery weights 10 pounds (guessing here), then it would still be hard for me to carry up a 55 pounds bike. But that's a good consideration though.

My BH emtb is 51 lbs and isn't a 'light' ebike. Battery is 8lbs. Front tire and seat+seatpost are maybe 5lbs more.

As long as you dont mind the hassle of the daily disassemble, you'll have lots of choices in the sub 50lb range. Good luck!

 

[hamidlmt]

I have quite enjoyed my Qualisports Volador. Weight and the ability to fold were crucial for me, as I live in a second floor apartment with a narrow staircase. The Volador is under 40 pounds with rear rack and fenders. My commute is 7.5 miles and I bring my charger with me to work, though I can make the round trip on a single charge using mostly lower pedal assist levels, with very light throttle usage and very occasional usage of higher levels of assist.

Here's my 2000 mile report on the Volador:

 

[tomjasz]

i’m Really liking my new folding eBike. Fits in a suitcase made for folding bikes. Still looking for the right case, but very doable. eBikes.ca has a great Brompton motor kit. My Zizzo is a budget folder with a 250W mid motor. I have several small 36v batteries. I get 15 miles out of 1, and with an identical battery I can plug in bothe for extended rang.

we are retired and will sell our house in 2020 and our best option is a folding eBike. I think I’ll come in around 40lbs. I’m disabled and have poor leg strength but the cool part is folding into a much more convenient package. No ungainly long bike to struggle with.

there are a number of good folding reviews here. Court has done a good job!

this is my first ever folder and I’ve a lot to learn yet, but so far the pros outweigh the cons for apartment living.

 

[lenajc]

So I went to my local REI a few weeks ago to get my regular bike a tune up and I saw that they had in stock a few ebikes, and one of them was an Electra Townie Go! 8i that I had been eyeballing online. I was able to test ride it and take it up a flight of stairs at a nearby building with outside stairs to see if I could carry it up to my 2nd floor apartment. The bike is 54 pounds but I was able to do it by picking it up at the bottom of the curved "top tube". It's not fun but is doable for me.

So that is what I ended up getting. I commuted with it to work twice this week without any issues; 14 miles is the round trip. Getting up hills with my weight was a bit more challenging in the sense that I had to pedal harder, but I didn't have to walk it uphill and that is a vast improvement. And I wouldn't recommend this bike for places like Seattle or San Francisco (or even west Austin) but for my commute with some minor hills, it works. I am happy so far!

 

[tomjasz]

Congratulations. I Love that frame design.

 

[Marci jo]

So I went to my local REI a few weeks ago to get my regular bike a tune up and I saw that they had in stock a few ebikes, and one of them was an Electra Townie Go! 8i that I had been eyeballing online. I was able to test ride it and take it up a flight of stairs at a nearby building with outside stairs to see if I could carry it up to my 2nd floor apartment. The bike is 54 pounds but I was able to do it by picking it up at the bottom of the curved "top tube". It's not fun but is doable for me.

So that is what I ended up getting. I commuted with it to work twice this week without any issues; 14 miles is the round trip. Getting up hills with my weight was a bit more challenging in the sense that I had to pedal harder, but I didn't have to walk it uphill and that is a vast improvement. And I wouldn't recommend this bike for places like Seattle or San Francisco (or even west Austin) but for my commute with some minor hills, it works. I am happy so far!

Congrats! Loving that color.
That’s a wonderful commute distance, especially on an ebike.

 

[Edge]

I don't see the point of a ebike motor kit as they are so expensive while ebikes themselves have come down a lot. Here is a 37.5 lb ebike from Green Bike, the GB Carbon Light:

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)