First ebike, female, 5'8, 65/35 paved/trails

[ebiker]

Hey folks -

This is my first electric bike and I've been doing research, but am still a bit confused.. I'm a 5'8", 155 lb female. I started out looking at the ezip on amazon and walmart, which led to the izip, which led to the EBR site, which led here to these forums. I'm looking for a "fun" bike (yeah, they're all fun) with about a 65/35 split between paved roads and trails. I'm a decent trail rider, but not looking to do competition trails, just an occasional diversion. I'm getting old so don't want a suicide machine, but I don't want a "girlie" bike either. Most rides will be around 20 miles with only a couple of longer 40-50% grade hills on the paved roads. Running errands would be a secondary concern.

After reading through the forums and doing research, the Currie Dash and Peak seems to fit the bill, but the Volton Alation looked like another option (the Peak may be overkill). The MSRP for the Alation is $2200 and the Peak is $3k, so obviously the Alation is higher on my list, but is it the best choice? I like the look of the izips much better. Pretty sure I want a center battery bike.

One of the problems is trying to compare models - they don't all use the same nomenclature nor do they have the same features and it's the features that I'm stuck on at this point. Do I need/want a removable battery? Is pedal assist a good thing? Should I get a second battery? Is a twist throttle a good idea? I don't care about the display option thing i.e, how fast I'm going or how many miles I've ridden, but I do need a battery usage display.

Any other bikes I should be considering? Should I just buy a cheap ezip from Walmart so I have something to judge the e-bike by?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[EddieJ]

Coming from the UK, I have no idea of how costs compare/relate to bike prices over where you are, but have you looked at any of the BH range of bikes?

The NEO Xtrem could suit your needs.

 

[Vern]

I hate to be another Neo fanboy, but I agree with Eddie.

 

[ebiker]

Thanks eddie and vern - will take a look at the neo.

ps - Just did a quick search and looks like there's only two dealers in US - one in California and one in Colorado. Only the one in Cali had a website, but there was little info in the way of prices or shipping. The bikes looks awesome though. Thanks again for your input!

 

[Vern]

Thanks eddie and vern - will take a look at the neo.

ps - Just did a quick search and looks like there's only two dealers in US - one in California and one in Colorado. Only the one in Cali had a website, but there was little info in the way of prices or shipping. The bikes looks awesome though. Thanks again for your input!

Have you gone on the BH Easymotion website in search of the Neo line? They have a dealer locator. I don't know where you are at, but they are pretty widespread throughout the US. Definitely more than two dealers.

 

[ebiker]

Nope - just tried BH neo. I saw the easymotion links, but thought they were for a different product. Will check out the easymotion sites. Thanks.

 

[BMC]

I don't know where you are at either but being able to ride the bike before you buy is very important as is dealer service.

So what you buy might be determined by the availability of dealers in the area in which you feel comfortable driving to. The I zip bikes have wide dealer availability - Have you looked at the zuma?

Easy motion has fewer dealers but their evo eco looks interesting as well. Peddle assist and throttle are both a good idea and depending on where you live a removable battery is probably less frustrating and if you live in a cold climate (the battery will be better off in a heated place but too much heat can also damage it). Make sure that you get a new model - not one of last year's since the technology changes so fast. If you get the right bike you will not need the second battery. The batteries are expensive if you get the lithium ion with a reputable maker. If you get the cheaper bike ($700 to $1000) you probably will feel that it is a waste of money and not bother with it after a few times. Hill climbing takes a lot of power.

Bruce

 

[ebiker]

Hey Bruce -

Thanks for shedding some light on the options.

 

[Admin]

Hey Bruce -

Thanks for shedding some light on the options.

Welcome to the forums! thanks for sharing your thought process

As I read through your list of bikes I noticed that none of them were step-thru and I assumed that given your 5'8" height and experience riding this was intentional? A couple of guys here (who are shorter) have expressed interest in the Neo Jet which is a low-step ebike from Easy Motion similar to the Neo Cross. It's not as rugged as the Xtrem or others (the 650b is a nice choice with larger wheels for better rolling on pavement) but you could always add knobby tires to one of these city oriented bikes and do alright off road. Volton also makes a low step called the Alation 500 ST that's pretty great. The big difference here is availability (more Easy Motion dealers), a more polished design and torque sensing vs. cadence sensing assist (torque being smoother on the Easy Motion bikes). I'm a big fan of all the Easy Motion ebikes I've reviewed (yes they do sponsor the site but this is also my honesty opinion and why I invited them to do so). My personal favorite are the full suspension Jumper models. The extra support is great if you've got a neck or back issue (like me) and worth the money if you ride all the time (I replaced my car with the Neo Jumper living in Austin, TX).

So back to the options... It's great to try these things out as BMC suggests. There are more and more shops carrying electric bikes so you could use Google maps to find one and even if you have to drive for a couple of hours to do it, spending $2,000 is quite a bit so it's nice to feel like you got it right. A solid Easy Motion dealer that I've met in person who sells online (and is on this forum) is Chris Nolte who runs Long Island Electric Bikes. He even has a form on his site to help you choose a good bike and his support is great. The categories on my site are designed to help you narrow down, feel free to chime in again if you have questions about one bike vs. another. I personally like ones with assist, a bit of suspension and a throttle mode