First e-bike

[whaleRider]

Hi,
Total newbie here.
I'm very new to e-bikes, in fact I've never owned one. I am glad I found this site and I enjoyed the detailed reviews of many ebike models.
From what I've seen so far I think I like the Radrover and the Voltbike Yukon 750 the most. Budget, look, type of uses, etc.. ..or maybe you think there's another model I should seriously consider?

I have a specific question regarding those two bikes. How heavy would the bikes feel without the battery power? Let's say it's totally out of juice and I have to ride home some 20+ miles - would it be a choir or would it feel like riding a regular mountain style bike? Appreciate your perspective on it..

 

[Ann M.]

Welcome, @whaleRider! Both are fun to ride, reasonably priced fat tire ebikes. IMHO, 20 miles on any unpowered electric bike is going to be a challenge . With these two, there's more rolling resistance and more weight with the wider, heavier tires. Most folks don't get stuck to ride that far without power and might choose to stop somewhere for a quick charge since lithium batteries can get a pretty good partial charge in a short time. Both bikes are highly rated with their respective owners; just check in each brand specific forum and read a bit.

For more suggestions, try out EBR's online review search and select the 'all features button' where you can set the price, style (off road, fat tire, etc) and get back a comprehensive list with the pics and links to reviews that Court has done. Enjoy the journey!

 

[Deleted member 803]

The only way to find the right bike:

a. determine the type of riding you will be doing. This affects suspension, geometry, range, power assist.
b. ride as many bikes that fit your criteria as you can. Every bike feels different in terms of fit, application of power, reach, and other factors. You will ride bikes and come back to the shop and say, I do not like this one at all, and you will ride others and come back to the shop with a totally different opinion.

If you outline your intended use, range required, frequency of use, any physical limitations, and budget it will help the community respond.

 

[Ann M.]

Agreed! Test rides are the quickest and best route to finding the ebike you really like. This also helps you build a relationship with a shop that's going to help you maintain that bike over the long term.

 

[whaleRider]

Thanks for the welcome and for the advice.

- As far as my initial question - so would you say that riding an ebike without electrical power is like riding a regular bike but uphill? Are there any e-bikes where you can put the power assist into "neutral" or freewheeling mode so there's no additional friction and resistance? (besides the extra weight of the battery and the e-power module).
Hope my question makes sense?

It's probably a great idea to try out as many as possible but I haven't run into any e-bike shops in Hawaii? Sort of new to the island and for now mostly a vacation place but I plan on coming here as much as possible.
- Realistically I'm looking at riding the bike every second day, maybe even every day I'm here so let's say 7-14 days a months.
- Range? Yeah, not sure? I just want to ride until I'm too tired and then turn back.
- My only physical limitation is my laziness and the fact I'm always busy and come up with excuses.
- I'm average height and weight, mid-40s and want to get in better shape. When I was younger I'd go on very long bike rides, then my lazy-gene kicked in.
- I'm still trying to figure out the best places for bike rides on Oahu and it's not easy, lots of tourist who seem to be lost and swerve on the roads.. However, I'm sure I'll figure it out..
- I tend to lean toward mountain-bike- looking bikes because that's what I've done on the past. A few years ago I was very interested in buying a recumbent (sp?) bike, I got to try a friend's cattrike and felt it was absolutely amazing. Fun and ultra comfortable. So initially I was looking into a Cattrike with battery assist for those times you're just out of strength and need some help to get home. However, that was on the mainland. I think the roads are too narrow in Hawaii and so I started looking into a mountain style bikes instead.
- The thick tires sound fun and since there are many beaches here the tires would help if I ever ended up on a sandy part of a trail. However, my plan is to use concrete and gravel roads 90% of the time.
- Budget? Well, I have many bills to pay, like we all do so I don't want to go crazy. ..and I'd feel very guilty if I spent an insane amount of money on a 'silly bike' instead of surprising my parents with a nice gift for example.. However, I value craftsmanship and quality work and I realize that often an expensive items turns out to be the cheapest when it lasts forever and doesn't require expensive upgrades that cheaper items so often do. After re-reading my comment I do sound kind of vague but I hope I'm making sense to you all. From my perspective I felt that $1,500 was a great price for what seems to be a very nice bike however, I could definitely be talked into something more expensive if it made sense to me.. Also, ideally I'd like to know a place to turn to in case I have a problem or a malfunction I can't fix on my own.

- Appreciate your time, mahalo.

 

[MLB]

Hi,
Total newbie here.
I'm very new to e-bikes, in fact I've never owned one. I am glad I found this site and I enjoyed the detailed reviews of many ebike models.
From what I've seen so far I think I like the Radrover and the Voltbike Yukon 750 the most. Budget, look, type of uses, etc.. ..or maybe you think there's another model I should seriously consider?

I have a specific question regarding those two bikes. How heavy would the bikes feel without the battery power? Let's say it's totally out of juice and I have to ride home some 20+ miles - would it be a choir or would it feel like riding a regular mountain style bike? Appreciate your perspective on it..

Yes it would be a choir and it would be like you are all singing soprano.

Joke aside: geared hubs don't have any drag when not in use. The bike is HEAVY and those big tires DRAG (stop and air up if you have to peddle it), so you'll swear that motor is dragging you down. LOL I peddled my Big Ben pro (hubs in both wheels) and it had me sweating hard in 2 miles, but it's not the motors (other than extra weight)

 

[Ian1]

Whalerider, you crack me up. I've got the same lazy gene and I'm looking at the same bikes: Yukon 750 and RadRover. They look extremely similar, likely from the same Chinese factory. Differences seem minor ( seats, handles, etc). Price is also very similar, except the rover charges an extra $100 for shipping for some reason, even though they're US based.
I'll probably go with the RadRover as there are more reviews on line of people that have actually bought them and they mostly seem very happy with it, but I'd love to also hear from people with actual experience.