General Info

[Jim Connell]

Electric bikes:
I know I'm going to get one, but I have questions:
1. Do you just ride them in the park right out of your garage or take them to say a park. If so how do you transport them. I don't have an SUV or pickup. I don't think the traditional trunk mounted racks ( I have two ) will support them.I have a bumper hitch on my sedan but I don't want to pay $500 for a Thule piece of overkill,

2. Anybody tried taking off the front wheel and squeezing them into the back seat of their sedan, did it fit?

3. Anybody have a fold up Ebike, they are popular and can fit in a car trunk, but they have smaller wheels and are kind of limited to people under 5'10 ".

Whatcha think?

 

[fooferdoggie]

ride them to your destination? thats what I do.

 

[tomjasz]

The latest fad seems to be budget 20” wheeled folding fat bikes. Sadly destined for zero support and the broken toy box in two years. Either budget for a quality brand name supported eBike or convert you best ride with a quality kit. Budget bikes make you the repair guy. Quality kits make you the expert support person with a comm of support. IMNSHO

 

[6zfshdb]

Electric bikes:
I know I'm going to get one, but I have questions:
1. Do you just ride them in the park right out of your garage or take them to say a park. If so how do you transport them. I don't have an SUV or pickup. I don't think the traditional trunk mounted racks ( I have two ) will support them.I have a bumper hitch on my sedan but I don't want to pay $500 for a Thule piece of overkill,

2. Anybody tried taking off the front wheel and squeezing them into the back seat of their sedan, did it fit?

3. Anybody have a fold up Ebike, they are popular and can fit in a car trunk, but they have smaller wheels and are kind of limited to people under 5'10 ".

Whatcha think?

Welcome to the Forum!

All three are certainly options which many here do.

#1 is always easiest (and cheapest) but riding locally can eventually get boring. Being able to transport the bike to different locations will increase your enjoyment of the sport.
#2 requires some disassembly and a bit of work to put back together. It's certainly doable though but it would be best to check the bike & back seat dimensions first.
#3 may be your best option for convenience. I've seen many 6 foot+ riders on 20 and 24" foldable bikes. There are even a few 26" bikes that fold. Again, it's best to check the dimensions before buying.

The best advice I can offer is to test ride a few bikes to check comfort level and how well they work for your particular riding style.

Again, welcome and good luck with your quest for the perfect bike!

 

[Jim Connell]

Thanks for the input!

I live right by a park so I can ride 5 miles on pavement plus around the neighborhood, major State park is a few miles away, these would be about 99% of my riding. I don't plan on any dirt riding so I am not looking for a fat tire bike.Slight medical issues mean a step through bike is mandatory, I'm 5'9" and 166 lbs

This gets more confusing the more I research.
Some will tell you who made the gears and the motor and the battery (Panasonic, etc.)

Also any reviews that are 2+ years old might be based on technology that has been eclipsed.

Certain bikes do pop up on "10 best reasonable Ebike" lists and I have to research them. All seem to come out of China with the usual loose screws and wheels that may need adjustment.

I'm in Denver so I'll be hitting the bike shops

 

[Jim Connell]

Thanks for the input!

I live right by a park so I can ride 5 miles on pavement plus around the neighborhood, major State park is a few miles away, these would be about 99% of my riding. I don't plan on any dirt riding so I am not looking for a fat tire bike.Slight medical issues mean a step through bike is mandatory, I'm 5'9" and 166 lbs

This gets more confusing the more I research.
Some will tell you who made the gears and the motor and the battery (Panasonic, etc.)

Also any reviews that are 2+ years old might be based on technology that has been eclipsed.

Certain bikes do pop up on "10 best reasonable Ebike" lists and I have to research them. All seem to come out of China with the usual loose screws and wheels that may need adjustment.

I'm in Denver so I'll be hitting the bike shops

Online research for Denver Ebikes reveal lots of brands I haven't heard of in previous research ( best reasonably priced bikes ) plus they don't seem to handle any "budget" bikes.
I think that having a budget of $1000 ( maybe $1200 ) I should be able to get something that works for me but that doesn't seem to be happening in Denver retail.
That leaves mail order and the Amazon universe for my preferences:
1. Top speed of 20mph is fine.
2. Don't need any range over 25 miles.
3. Have to have step thru.
4. Need upright seating.
5. Narrow tires, pavement only

Ratings on Amazon can be manipulated as we know so I need real life advice and brand/model names that fit my parameters.

Suggestions:

 

[tomjasz]

Save you money. Those amazon toys makevyou the bike repair guy. A quality battery is an easy $500. Everything about those cheap eBikes will be cheap.

Electra has a couple of entry level ebikes. You’ve been warned…

Frustrating I know but we've see it all before,

Townie Go! 7D Step-Thru | Electra Bikes

Discover your next great ride with Townie Go! 7D Step-Thru. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

electra.trekbikes.com

Now you have support!

 

[tomjasz]

 

[AHicks]

I would be VERY careful prior to suggesting you ride right from your house! Riding in a so called "bike lane" separated from 40-50mph traffic by nothing but a white line has proven to be hazardous to your health. Many do it/have done it successfully, many others are in pine boxes because of it. Distracted drivers CAN be hazardous to your health. I flat refuse to roll the dice.

If you can get to a safe riding area via low traffic subdivision side streets, sidewalks, multi use trails, or some other method that doesn't rely on just a white line, NOW yer talkin......

 

[Jim Connell]

The Electra bikes seem very nice but still over budget, I'm a novice Ebiker and want to start somewhere to see if any Ebikes work for me and my bad leg. If I feel after a while that I need to upgrade I can do it.

I'm lucky that I can go probably 10 miles on no car/motorcycle paved walkways to do my bird watching and photography. People in my Denver suburb don't even see cars never mind bikes. Riding on any city streets is not an option. Friend in Olympia,Wa rides with lights on and a "loud" vest and that is still iffy in any traffic.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I would be VERY careful prior to suggesting you ride right from your house! Riding in a so called "bike lane" separated from 40-50mph traffic by nothing but a white line has proven to be hazardous to your health. Many do it/have done it successfully, many others are in pine boxes because of it. Distracted drivers CAN be hazardous to your health. I flat refuse to roll the dice.

If you can get to a safe riding area via low traffic subdivision side streets, sidewalks, multi use trails, or some other method that doesn't rely on just a white line, NOW yer talkin......

Been doing it for many years though I don’t ride too much on really fast roads.

 

[AHicks]

Been doing it for many years though I don’t ride too much on really fast roads.

Ever consider the law of averages when making comments like that? You do as you like. I've seen too many accident reports. Had a 79 year old good friend end up in a ditch with serious injuries that took nearly a year to heal well enough to ride again, because some yahoo driving a pick up got a little too close, and his mirror clipped my buddies - turning the handlebars into a 6' ditch in the blink of an eye....

 

[tomjasz]

Ever consider the law of averages when making comments like that? You do as you like. I've seen too many accident reports. Had a 79 year old good friend end up in a ditch with serious injuries that took nearly a year to heal well enough to ride again, because some yahoo driving a pick up got a little too close, and his mirror clipped my buddies - turning the handlebars into a 6' ditch in the blink of an eye....

Sad frvyour buddy but in agreement.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Ever consider the law of averages when making comments like that? You do as you like. I've seen too many accident reports. Had a 79 year old good friend end up in a ditch with serious injuries that took nearly a year to heal well enough to ride again, because some yahoo driving a pick up got a little too close, and his mirror clipped my buddies - turning the handlebars into a 6' ditch in the blink of an eye....

Yes and being in a accident in a car is more likely. I am very careful good mirror Garmin radar. Bike paths can be bad too.

 

[tomjasz]

I’m happy riders have devices that make the m feel more confident. Me? When i feel i need radar ti be safe, I’m done. Lights, yes, horn yes, bell ok, mirrors good, the same crap as in our cage? Adios. (Almost true…)

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I transport my bike just about every time I ride. What you do will really depend on your situation.. You don't need to buy a Thule rack. There are plenty of others out there. Just be sure you pick one rated for ebikes. As far as fitting inside your back seat or trunk, it's gong to depend on the bike and the size of your car. A rack is the way to go for me.....

$1200 isn't much of a budget. Spend at least a little more and spend it once. A cheap bike is likely to mean buying another bike in a year or two or being out of the ebike business by then. That said, if you're somewhat handy mechanically, Rad Power Bikes are pretty good. (Not so sure about their single speed low end bike.) I've had a Rad Rover for almost 4 years; it's still going strong and I've had good experiences with their support.

If you aren't much of a mechanic or aren't interested in learning to turn a wrench or spend some money on tools, haunt your local bike shops and talk to people there.

TT

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I’m happy riders have devices that make the m feel more confident. Me? When i feel i need radar ti be safe, I’m done. Lights, yes, horn yes, bell ok, mirrors good, the same crap as in our cage? Adios. (Almost true…)

I like Garmin and I like gadgets and I'm not saying I agree with you entirely, but so far I haven't been able to convince myself that spending that much money for rear radar is what I need for the kind of riding I usually do. I can see why some people would like it.

TT

 

[fooferdoggie]

I’m happy riders have devices that make the m feel more confident. Me? When i feel i need radar ti be safe, I’m done. Lights, yes, horn yes, bell ok, mirrors good, the same crap as in our cage? Adios. (Almost true…)

The radar is just a tool I rode 10,000 miles without one now I ride with one and it has saved my life. You can hear cars without having to look in the mirror as often and it lets you know how many and how fast. I use the mirror at the same time. I was on a slow road with no passing all the way to the left about ready to turn left. 4 or so cars behind me and this truck with flags flapping doing at least 60 screamed past the line. The radar went off and stopped me from turning

 

[CodyDog]

Online research for Denver Ebikes reveal lots of brands I haven't heard of in previous research ( best reasonably priced bikes ) plus they don't seem to handle any "budget" bikes.
I think that having a budget of $1000 ( maybe $1200 ) I should be able to get something that works for me but that doesn't seem to be happening in Denver retail.
That leaves mail order and the Amazon universe for my preferences:
1. Top speed of 20mph is fine.
2. Don't need any range over 25 miles.
3. Have to have step thru.
4. Need upright seating.
5. Narrow tires, pavement only

Ratings on Amazon can be manipulated as we know so I need real life advice and brand/model names that fit my parameters.

Suggestions:

As others have mentioned, your budgets a bit low for any type of quality e-bike. There's a lot of low quality e-bike out there and they will offer a lot of problems. Stay away form any Amazon bike purchase. Educate your self by going to a couple LBS and talk about e bikes.

 

[tomjasz]

The radar is just a tool I rode 10,000 miles without one now I ride with one and it has saved my life. You can hear cars without having to look in the mirror as often and it lets you know how many and how fast. I use the mirror at the same time. I was on a slow road with no passing all the way to the left about ready to turn left. 4 or so cars behind me and this truck with flags flapping doing at least 60 screamed past the line. The radar went off and stopped me from turning

Good on you. Me? No just no! But I totally respect your choice and commitment.