experiences shopping for an upgraded bike

[vincent]

this has been an interesting and frustrating journey

there are a few "dealers" in phoenix of electric bikes but these are regular bike shops that may have one or 2 electric in stock

first bike shop never even mentioned frame fit or that there were different size frames in the 2-3 times i have been in there

second shop had the 29 in large haibike that i was scared to even try to ride and a couple of step through magnums that i liked ok

considering heading over to san diego or los angeles and looking in shops there

if i did not have a job i love now would seriously consider opening an electric bike shop just because i feel really frustrated with this whole deal


have done a ton of reading over the past week
sticking to the full suspension mtn bikes because i really like the way my cheap one rides, imagine upgraded components would make it even better and think my older body needs it


it is frustrating to be willing to spend 3-4 grand on a bike and not have one to buy even if i ordered one

still want the throttle override and as much great stuff as i hear about haibike not an option at all there

which leaves me with the flux or the easy motion where i have to scroll through to turn off assist to get throttle

think the flux is a decent buy for what is has but am concerned about reach/frame fitting me

and i do not think it is as nice of a bike as the easy motion

if haibike had a throttle it would most likely be the one for me
but trying to learn anything about haibike, frame size geometry etc is awful
and if they are expecting the dealers to do it forget it

kudos to easy motion for having a decent site where i can use it to compare etc

i know a lot of you said having a throttle doesnt matter much, but it does have advantages and as far as i can tell zero drawbacks

almost every single review, comparison, feedback post etc i read about throttle the people said it would have been nice to have

no one said it was a deal breaker but all said they wish their bike had it


since for whatever reason the bike companies are not putting throttle on it would be cool if the bikes were pre wired for throttle and if you wanted that option you could just buy it and plug in the switch for it

same for front and rear lights, if you dont want them dont buy that option
if you do the bike is pre wired and you buy the kit and plug it in

anyway a little more research and i will decide between the flux and the easy motion

 

[grench]

this has been an interesting and frustrating journey

there are a few "dealers" in phoenix of electric bikes but these are regular bike shops that may have one or 2 electric in stock

first bike shop never even mentioned frame fit or that there were different size frames in the 2-3 times i have been in there

second shop had the 29 in large haibike that i was scared to even try to ride and a couple of step through magnums that i liked ok

considering heading over to san diego or los angeles and looking in shops there
if i did not have a job i love now would seriously consider opening an electric bike shop just because i feel really frustrated with this whole deal

have done a ton of reading over the past week
sticking to the full suspension mtn bikes because i really like the way my cheap one rides, imagine upgraded components would make it even better and think my older body needs it


it is frustrating to be willing to spend 3-4 grand on a bike and not have one to buy even if i ordered one

still want the throttle override and as much great stuff as i hear about haibike not an option at all there

which leaves me with the flux or the easy motion where i have to scroll through to turn off assist to get throttle

think the flux is a decent buy for what is has but am concerned about reach/frame fitting me

and i do not think it is as nice of a bike as the easy motion

if haibike had a throttle it would most likely be the one for me
but trying to learn anything about haibike, frame size geometry etc is awful
and if they are expecting the dealers to do it forget it

kudos to easy motion for having a decent site where i can use it to compare etc

i know a lot of you said having a throttle doesnt matter much, but it does have advantages and as far as i can tell zero drawbacks

almost every single review, comparison, feedback post etc i read about throttle the people said it would have been nice to have

no one said it was a deal breaker but all said they wish their bike had it


since for whatever reason the bike companies are not putting throttle on it would be cool if the bikes were pre wired for throttle and if you wanted that option you could just buy it and plug in the switch for it

same for front and rear lights, if you dont want them dont buy that option
if you do the bike is pre wired and you buy the kit and plug it in

anyway a little more research and i will decide between the flux and the easy motion

@vincent I have enjoyed reading about your eager Ebike journey. All of us want and expect different things. I would offer a POV - find someone with a Stromer St1 and a Specialized Turbo and take a test ride before you put your money in play. These two bikes represent a part of the market you are not considering. The fit and finish on these two is as good as it gets. These bicycles feel like they are part of your pedal effort and not just giving you a free ride. They make you want to pedal harder and faster. If you want to come to Wichita KS you can ride my Stomer and we can drive to Tulsa OK and you can test the Turbo. Any way good luck in your search.

 

[vincent]

Grench thanks so much for your feedback

actually did consider the stromer , they look like awesome bikes but thought i would miss the full suspension... And the throttle
And i really noticed how rough the ride was on that easy motion eco lite was the other day

There is a really nice stromer that has been on craigslist in tucson for a long time, but it a large frame
Good chance i would have bought that one if it was smaller

You are absolutely right that i have not been able to ride a lot of different bikes and types so am not making an educated decision, very aware of this

Thinking san diego and LA have more e bike shops that are hopefully better stocked, that is close enough to drive over for a few days and look, but then i am buying out of state and have to work with a dealer here for warranty things

Hate to drive to san diego and waste a dealers time there only to buy here in az, just a tough deal all the way around

Already fround a guy in cali that will beat the dealer in phx by 1400 on a 2015 haibike
200-300 and i would eat it and work with someone in town but for that kind of money i have to buy somewhere else

Appreciate the offer or riding your bikes in kansas but have no reason to head to that part of the country right now

Personally i would be willing to rent bikes or pay to ride several in one spot, really screwed up missing the bike expo here in phx in feb



realize ebikes are in their infancy and probably 5years from now this wont be as hard to do


Will look back over the specialized line, thinking i did not see any with throttle

Definitely limiting myself when looking only at full suspension....
But it has seemed so great on my cemoto

 

[Chris Nolte]

@vincent Can I ask how tall you are? I agree with @grench, with a proper pedal assist system you generally don't miss the throttle at all. We get this all the time in the shop. Someone is convinced they want a throttle until the hop on and ride a Stromer or a Bosch powered bike. Easy Motion is great too, but frankly their pedal assist isn't as advanced as some of the other bikes out there.

Keep in mind you could always throw a suspension seat post on a bike to make it perform very similar to a full suspension bike. I should also note that the Stromer and the Specialized have a boost mode that act very similar to a throttle. Some have adjusted the top speed on their Stromer boost mode too which could interest you.

 

[Va. Bch. Electric Bike Center]

Pedego Ridge Rider with a thudbuster. well built, great warranty and customer support with many stores across the country including two in your area...one in Phoenix, one in Scottsdale.

 

[vincent]

if most people think a high quality suspension seat post would make the ride similar to full suspension i would consider that, but really leaning toward full suspension for the 1-2 times a year i want to ride with my friend who is a pretty serious mtn biker
but i could get a hardtail instead
thought the main difference was price, and i was fine paying the extra for the full suspension

havent looked at the pedego bikes, will check them out

chris i am 5 ft 6 in 210-220 lbs

i can understand about the throttle not being as big a deal on the higher end pas bikes but it still seems to give you a back up if maybe the chain or something else breaks, or you dont want to pedal at all for some reason

just annoys me to pay a lot more money for a bike and lose that option, even knowing i may not use it often
mainly like it there as backup

and wish the bike manufacturers would give me the option of having it or not rather than take it away completely, i would certainly be willing to pay more for it

and like why would haibike take away the walk feature in the US....

would be super cool if the bikes were prewired and you had a switch you plugged in, then if maybe you are somewhere throttles are not allowed you could take it off really quick

thanks so much for all the feedback