From SoCal and looking for a "value" ebike (that's full size and maybe folds)...

I didn’t realize that was already posted in the R1U forum. Seems like a low cost alternative to FLX’s bikes.

But yes, I would want a multi speed.

I was hoping there would be a forum member who actually owned an Espin Sport to give me their perspective but no one in the Espin forum has commented yet.
 
BigNerd said:
Now I realize value is relative and many will probably recommend name brand expensive bikes but I'm trying to keep it under $1k (closer to $700) but am willing to look as high as $1500.

The one I'm interested in is the folding mountain bike like the X-Treme Baja (I also see it under other names like Samebike, etc). But I don't see many around which makes me think it's not a very good bike.

I would post links but I don't want anyone to think I'm advertising any store. Not really looking for an electric mountain bike to ride on trails, just something for a little assistance up small hills on paved trails around where I live. I was also looking at Aventon (have a local ebike store that sells them), Ride1Up and Sondor but I really like the folding feature of the X-Treme. It also comes in different prices, as low as $900 for the 300/350w and then as high as $1600 for the 500/750w.

I did a search on this forum and I couldn't find anything for X-Treme. Also found quite a few Chinese brands via AliExpress. I'm hesitant to order an ebike from an online store but those seem to be the only way to fall withing my price range. My other consideration would be the Sondors Smart Step... it also folds and the review here seems pretty good.

I don't really plan to use it for commuting anything, just something me and my kids can ride around and we can put in the back of a car.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
Click to expand...
Is the London based Volt Bikes the same company as the US VoltBIkes? Anyway, I have recently purchased an e-bike for local excursions, camping holidays and maybe even working on sites. The two Bromptons have recently been sold and replaced with two e-bikes from Volt Bikes. Mrs altvic2 is pretty hopeless on a pushbike so a battery model seemed the way forward for her cycling jaunts and I followed suit as didn’t wish to get left behind.

The model I purchased was a Volt Axis comprising an internal geared hub with 8 gears from Shimano (Alfine) and a Shimano ‘Steps’ motor on the crank; and a chain drive. Mileage range so far is considerable with an average over 70 miles

Weight without the battery is c.16kg (35ib) and battery weighs about 2.5kg (5.5lb) (t=41lb). Heavier than the Brompton and larger when folded we will travel in the VW California Ocean camper with the two bikes in the ‘lounge’ area; when camping there will be some considerations to keeping safe vs living space. I was thinking of either chaining to the vehicle wheels or bringing inside to front seats or ???

The only issue I have found with the Volt Axis is part of the gearing system, which is either Manual change or Automatic. The manual works fine but the auto changing is unworkable on any slight incline as it cannot ‘make its mind up’ what gear to be in and makes grinding noises when it changes down. On the flat automatic gearing is not too bad so I’ll keep the bike in the hope that Shimano will come out with a fix (not holding breath).



The other purchase is a Volt Metro LS is a rear hub drive with Deraileur gears. This has not arrived yet due to backlog of Covid-19 sales boost; I will give an update.

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@altvic2 Thanks for the post and pics.

That's a nice looking bike but I'm looking more for a full sized bike (folder or stealth). The preference is one I can still peddle (just kidding... pedal) with zero assist.
 
BigNerd said:
What happened to the sages?

I think the Espin Sport is at the top of my list but I just want to make sure I've looked at all the options. Are the ones I listed the best ones? It seems like if I keep looking, others pop up.
Click to expand...

As someone who often suffers from decision paralysis, there comes a point where you need to stop looking and go with the one you like best at the moment. There are a lot of great e-bikes out there. As long as you verified that the company making the bike has a good track record of supporting their bikes, you should be good to go. :)
 
Yep. It's good though because others see things I don't.

I thought I had done a good amount of research and was settled on an Aventon... but then EBR led me to Sondors and Ride1Up. And if not for someone pointing out Espin, I would have never saw the sale price on the Sport as Espin never came up on my searches.

It's just tough because I guess most people here are higher-end ebikers so I can't get a many first-hand user opinions on these lower value brands. Reviews are nice, but it's better to hear from someone who has actually assembled the bike, rode it, and has gone through the pros and cons for a while.
 
BigNerd said:
There is a full size fat tire folder called Wallke but I think that even folded that would be too big to fit in the van but I do have fat tire envy when I see people ride them around. The other problem with a fat tire full size bike is that it's probably harder to ride with 0 pedal assist.
Click to expand...

Just now saw this thread. I've had my Wallke X3 Pro W-PAS bike for about a month now and put 120 miles on it (per the odometer). I've changed out a few things over time that suited me better (saddle, pedals, grips), filled up the front air suspension higher to better compensate for my riding style & weight (6'3" @ 225 lbs), adjusted the advanced settings with the power/wattage specs her e-level that best works for me, and recently changed a flat and added Mr. Tuffy liners to my tires. When I bought mine back in mid-May, I found a coupon code in their blogs on their website that knocked off 15% from the purchase price on Wallke's website. After sales tax, I paid around $1600 shipped for the bike, and it came from Ontario so shipping was 1-2 days and I received my bike in less than a week.

Folded up, it easily fits into the back of most SUV's. I had it in the back of my friend's Tesla Model Y (about the size of a mid-size SUV like a Honda CRV or Toyota Rav 4), but here's a picture of my bike in a Honda Pilot. There's lots of room in the back for a lot more stuff, which we've put in there a few times to ride at the beach. It's too heavy for my Thule bike rack.

Overall, it's a great cruiser bike with MTB qualities, but if you want to do some more serious trail riding than this bike isn't for you. Around my area with different (and some steep) elevation changes, lots of wider walking trails, and even some street riding, this bike works out great when I just want to cruise around at higher speeds. Otherwise for a bit more fun and to get a workout, I'll ride my hardtail 29er a little more often. After having ridden this around for a bit to get a good feel for it and , I've got a better feeling of what type of eMTB I want to get next, so I may consider selling this one. Nothing against the Wallke X3 Pro bike, as it's a great starter eMTB for a lot of people, but it's given me a chance to better dial-in what I'm looking for out of an ebike.


BTW, I'm in So Cal so if you're nearby me then you can ride my bike to see how you like the Wallke X3 Pro.


Wallke-SUV.jpg
 
SDM44 said:
Just now saw this thread. I've had my Wallke X3 Pro W-PAS bike for about a month now and put 120 miles on it (per the odometer). I've changed out a few things over time that suited me better (saddle, pedals, grips), filled up the front air suspension higher to better compensate for my riding style & weight (6'3" @ 225 lbs), adjusted the advanced settings with the power/wattage specs her e-level that best works for me, and recently changed a flat and added Mr. Tuffy liners to my tires. When I bought mine back in mid-May, I found a coupon code in their blogs on their website that knocked off 15% from the purchase price on Wallke's website. After-sales tax, I paid around $1600 shipped for the bike, and it came from Ontario so shipping was 1-2 days and I received my bike in less than a week. Folded up, it easily fits into the back of most SUVs. I had it in the back of my friend's Tesla Model Y (about the size of a mid-size SUV like a Honda CRV or Toyota Rav 4), but here's a picture of my bike in a Honda Pilot. There's lots of room in the back for a lot more stuff, which we've put in there a few times to ride at the beach. It's too heavy for my Thule bike rack.
Overall, it's a great cruiser bike with MTB qualities, but if you want to do some more serious trail riding than this bike isn't for you. Around my area with different (and some steep) elevation changes, lots of wider walking trails, and even some street riding, this bike works out great when I just want to cruise around at higher speeds. Otherwise for a bit more fun and to get a workout, I'll ride my hardtail 29er a little more often. After having ridden this around for a bit to get a good feel for it and, I've got a better feeling of what type of eMTB I want to get next, so I may consider selling this one. Nothing against the Wallke X3 Pro bike, as it's a great starter eMTB for a lot of people, but it's given me a chance to better dial-in what I'm looking for out of an e-bike.
BTW, I'm in So Cal so if you're nearby me then you can ride my bike to see how you like the Wallke X3 Pro.


Wallke-SUV.jpg
Click to expand...

Welcome to EBR and thank you for the review. ;)
 
@SDM44 Thanks for the post!

See, I have a minivan, and based on your photo I won't be able to fit the Wallke and 2 other bikes in the back with the 3rd row down. Those tires are ginormous!

I'm not looking for an off-road bike actually... since I started this thread, I 'm actually leaning towards more stealth/0-power rideable bikes. The Wallke definitely fits the stealth as the battery is inside the frame but I think the weight will require me to use PAS more often than not. It's double the weight of my 29er.
 
I guess Sondors was having a sale. Many of their bikes used to be $999 and now they are $1199, including the Smart Step.

I wonder why... $999 was a more compelling price point.
 
Seems like my goalposts have moved a bit.

I'm leaning towards a lighter ebike because I really want to be able to pedal it without power. I want to get something I can replace my regular bike with to take on main paved paths/roads but have that extra power just in case for any hills/inclines or if I feel like cruising (so a throttle might be good). Doesn't seem to be many multi-speed ebikes... most are just 7-speed but I usually just stay in the top main gear on my 27-speed only using the lower 2 for inclines.

So I really don't need long range (other than being able to pedal on my own) or high power... but want something more reliable, lightweight and preferably stealthy.

I tried looking at LBS in my area, but most are $2500 and up and I think I can go up to $2k now... but would prefer to stay less than $1500 because I know there will probably be another $500 in other costs.

I also think I am looking for a more upright profile so I guess I'm looking for a commuter-type bike (thinner wheels will also be lighter) but I prefer it to be full size.

So maybe a R1U Core-5, Biktrix Swift Lite... or even the Charge bikes look interesting. The Espin Sport is still on my radar but not sure if the riding position is upright enough (I'm 6ft tall).
 
BigNerd said:
Seems like my goalposts have moved a bit.

I'm leaning towards a lighter ebike because I really want to be able to pedal it without power. I want to get something I can replace my regular bike with to take on main paved paths/roads but have that extra power just in case for any hills/inclines or if I feel like cruising (so a throttle might be good). Doesn't seem to be many multi-speed ebikes... most are just 7-speed but I usually just stay in the top main gear on my 27-speed only using the lower 2 for inclines.

So I really don't need long range (other than being able to pedal on my own) or high power... but want something more reliable, lightweight and preferably stealthy.
I tried looking at LBS in my area, but most are $2500 and up and I think I can go up to $2k now... but would prefer to stay less than $1500 because I know there will probably be another $500 in other costs. I also think I am looking for a more upright profile so I guess I'm looking for a commuter-type bike (thinner wheels will also be lighter) but I prefer it to be full size.
So maybe a R1U Core-5, Biktrix Swift Lite... or even the Charge bikes look interesting. The Espin Sport is still on my radar but not sure if the riding position is upright enough (I'm 6ft tall).
Click to expand...

Based on your new $2K limit you can move into a much better class of mid-drive EBikes... better to buy once than twice. 😉

Take a look at BD for some deals on the EBikes with a Shimano mid-drive motor, fully integrated battery, hydraulic brakes, forks, etc.

2021 Motobecane Front Suspension Elite eAdventure Team Shimano Electric MidDrive $1999

Save Up to 60% Off HydroformALU Shimano STEPS Mid-Drive eBikes with Advanced Integrated Battery Motobecane Elite eAdventure TEAM, WTB Tubeless Compatible Wheels, FULL Shimano STEPS E5000 ELECTRIC Motor System 1X9 Speed, ROCKSHOX Suspension Forks with

Save Up to 60% Off HydroformALU Shimano STEPS Mid-Drive eBikes with Advanced Integrated Battery Motobecane Elite eAdventure TEAM, WTB Tubeless Compatible Wheels, FULL Shimano STEPS E5000 ELECTRIC Motor System 1X9 Speed, ROCKSHOX Suspension Forks with Hydraulic Disc Brakes
www.bikesdirect.com


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Thanks @FlatSix911

I've been looking at BD... how is after sale support with them? Or with Motobecane? I read a few posts here about them but no EBR reviews for any of their bikes.

I was actually considering one for a full suspension MTB but realized the MTB profile is not really for me.
 
BigNerd said:
Thanks @FlatSix911

I've been looking at BD... how is after-sale support with them? Or with Motobecane? I read a few posts here about them but no EBR reviews for any of their bikes.

I was actually considering one for a full suspension MTB but realized the MTB profile is not really for me.
Click to expand...

I have purchased a few regular bikes from BD and they quickly shipped some small parts when needed.

They have some really nice EMTBs and I'm currently looking at their Class-3 Gravel EBike when it's back in stock.

2021 Motobecane eMulekick Express, Bafang M800 MidDrive, SRAM Apex 1X11, Hydraulic Brakes, Carbon Fork $1,999


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Last edited:
Ok, so I have the Sport, but owning it has me thinking that my next ebike would be:

1. Rear hub drive (don't really need the mid-drive if hub is cheaper)... even 250-350w should do.
2. Multi-speed drivetrain (so I can use it without power)
3. Lightweight (less than 40lbs if possible)
4. Be able to handle a big rider (~6ft/270lbs)
5. Stand-up profile
6. $2k or less (rear hub drives are cheaper right?)

I think only the Propella 7-speed fits but their site doesn't list rider weight capacity.
 
BigNerd said:
Ok, so I have the Sport, but owning it has me thinking that my next ebike would be:

1. Rear hub drive (don't really need the mid-drive if hub is cheaper)... even 250-350w should do.
2. Multi-speed drivetrain (so I can use it without power)
3. Lightweight (less than 40lbs if possible)
4. Be able to handle a big rider (~6ft/270lbs)
5. Stand-up profile
6. $2k or less (rear hub drives are cheaper right?)

I think only the Propella 7-speed fits but their site doesn't list rider weight capacity.
Click to expand...

I have a Lectric XP that I might be selling. Let me know if you're interested. I'm in SoCal. Ticks almost all your boxes except it's 60lbs. It's more than 1/2 of what you're willing to pay though!
 
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