Getting what you paid for?

[tom9779]

Hi e-bike community,

My first post. I’ve found this forum as I look for an e-bike. All my prior bikes have been regular mtb or road bikes.

Finding the whole world of e-bikes a bit overwhelming and confusing. I generally find you get what you pay for but the price range is so Wide!

For those with a little money to spend but also like good value, how did you decide on a budget?

I’ve decided I want a hybrid or city bike as that’s most if not all of my riding. Also decided I don’t want an e road bike.

Any suggestions would be welcome, I’m hoping to load the bike with panniers/baskets and I probably need a bike where I can remove the battery(due to lack of power point access outside)

So far I’ve ridden a Norco and a Bianchi Omnia. The Bianchi was like a tank and whilst super stable was probably too much bike(felt more like a motor bike). The Norco was probably a touch too upright.
(The bianchi was obviously more expensive)

I’m old school in that I know traditional bicycle brands. Can anyone recommend quality e-bike brands?

Cheers

Tom

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Specialized.

 

[tom9779]

I like specialized bikes. I used to have a mountain bikes of theirs.

The cost of a specialized is some 3 times some similar brands. I know workmanship on specialized is A1.

What is battery replacement like? Ideally I’d like choice around that as it’s a perishable. (Much like replacing wheels/tires/groupsets etc).

Also do their bikes come with decent warranty on the motor?

 

[tom9779]

And are specialized integrated or removable batteries. A removable battery is important for me. Which means the form factor won’t be as nice I know.

 

[teskow]

Ride1Up Prodigy.
It feels a lot like the machine Stephen Mikes mentioned.
Real decent quality machine, great price for a mid drive, quiet, quality Brose German motor, natural feeling ride with a smooth power delivery. You can bet burned here.
I have Ride1UpProdigy so speak from experience. It is my third electric (the other two were a different brand) and this one is a keeper.
There is a lot of crummy riding crap out there with atrocious power delivery.

 

[tom9779]

Ride1Up Prodigy.
It feels a lot like the machine Stephen Mikes mentioned.
Real decent quality machine, great price for a mid drive, quiet, quality Brose German motor, natural feeling ride with a smooth power delivery. You can bet burned here.
I have Ride1UpProdigy so speak from experience. It is my third electric (the other two were a different brand) and this one is a keeper.
There is a lot of crummy riding crap out there with atrocious power delivery.

I’ll check it out. I’m limited with brands as I live in Australia. Hopefully we have a distributor for a test ride.

I agree, think I want to spend the money on a mid drive motor as yes riding them they feel really natural.

We have Giant here and I was also looking at the Giant FastRoad e+, it seemed to come fully loaded but just weighed a bit less. I liked how it had a stiff fork. But not much info on that model here on EBR for example.

I don’t usually go for a suspension fork unless I’m mountain biking.

 

[Dewey]

Merida produce good ebikes, the eSpresso L EP8-Edition EQ model for example comes with the latest Shimano EP8 motor

Kona are another good brand, the Dew-E models with Shimano e6100 motors offer similar geometry to their well regarded Kona Dew commuter pedal bikes.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

What is your budget? Like, the Max you are willing to spend?

 

[rich c]

I decided on my budget after visiting a high quality eBike store and tried out several brands and models. I went past all the sub $1,000 because my very first eBike that I bought used only had 1,700 miles on it when the Bafang geared hub motor failed one of more Hall Sensors. I then bought a Haibike Full Seven Mtb, and Haibike Trekking (both with Bosch motors), then a tad pole off road trike, then a Ruffian with Bosch motor, and finally a BMC with a Shimano E8000 motor. I plan on only buying Bosch powered if I buy another, but probably not likely since I am near 8,000 miles on the Trekking bike and it is the perfect machine for me. They have all been super dependable and am nearing 17,000 miles when you add all of them up. I haven't paid over $5,000 for any of them, and both Haibikes and the BMC I bought on old model year deals, or one of them was a demo. Since you are in Australia and most here are American, not sure many models will be sold in both countries.

 

[tom9779]

What is your budget? Like, the Max you are willing to spend?

Probably about 4k USD.(converting from Aussie dollars)

Would be on the lookout for a few run out 2021/2022 models still in my LBS here.

Eg I considered a Bianchi eOmnia here that was on sale for 4K USD but on conversion at full price was probably around 5.5k USD today?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

What is battery replacement like? Ideally I’d like choice around that as it’s a perishable. (Much like replacing wheels/tires/groupsets etc).

And are specialized integrated or removable batteries. A removable battery is important for me. Which means the form factor won’t be as nice I know.

I ride a pre-2022 Vado 5.0 (a little bit old now) and a current Vado SL. I have owned as many as three 604 Wh batteries to rotate them for longevity and bigger range. The batteries on "full power" Specialized e-bikes are removable. That also pertains to the new/current Specialized "full power" (2022-) e-bikes, only the battery format has changed.

In any of SL ("superlightweight") e-bikes, the main battery is irremovable (that is, it can be replaced in need but it is not a daily routine). You can use any number of SL Range Extender batteries that are removable. Currently, I own as many as 4 Range Extenders and rotate them. I have set my Vado SL the way it feeds on the Range Extender first, saving the main battery from the excessive number of recharge cycles.

Also do their bikes come with decent warranty on the motor?

It is two years on the motor. (The user shall register their e-bike with Specialized.com online to qualify for the full warranty).

I only do not know what availability of Specialized e-bikes in Australia looks like.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@tom9779
Google Specialized dealers near me.
Yamaha ebike dealers near me. Haibike and so on.

Romeo: Australia does not have the best e-bike availability in the world. It is not your United States or my Europe. Just saying.
I wish Tom all the best on his e-bike quest.

 

[AHicks]

Just a quick opinion on front forks. My experience has been when talking the kind of riding you mention, ANY kind of front suspension, including the inexpensive spring type, is better than a straight fork. Straight forks transfer a high speed vibration straight to your wrists on about any surface (other than freshly paved) that contributes to rider fatigue quickly. ANYTHING to dampen that will be welcome.

I do all of my own work, so not a fan of bikes using proprietary parts where I'm forced into returning to a dealer for anything. I also consider the lack of a throttle a total deal breaker (my opinion, but very debatable). I like the idea of an inexpensive geared hub powered bike in areas without a lot of challenging hills. They're dead simple to ride, they'll teach you a TON about e-bikes, they'll get you out on one right away so you don't miss out on a lot of riding, AND they'll give you a chance to see what you're really looking for in that NEXT e-bike through the eyes of a much more experienced rider. VERY few e-bike owners started out on high end bikes. Most come up through the ranks.

Save any idea of a fat tire bike for situations that need the flotation frequently (sugar sand, snow, etc). They're huge heavy bikes with similar handling manners.

I like recommending something like a RAD City 5 for a first bike, the latest version using using a geared hub motor and hydraulic brakes (NOT the older RADCity4!). I don't know about your local market, but stateside RAD has developed a reputation that's second to few others making resale values one of the best on the market.
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/collections/electric-city-commuter-bikes/model-family_radcity

My latest purchase, just a little over your budget, the result of experience gained to date (my 8th e-bike). The Evelo Atlas is a very unusual combination of components. Might be worth a look.
https://evelo.com/products/atlas/

There is a similar bike that's on sale right now, that comes with higher end parts and a conventional derailleur suspension. A good looking bike that may have made my decision (above) much more difficult at the current price level.

F5 Trail eMTB

Our F5 Trail 27.5 electric mountain bike is your ticket to adventure. This electric mountain bike has an incredible 840Wh battery and a powerful M600 Bafang 500W mid-drive motor to electrify your ride.

flx.bike

 

[Roamers]

Probably about 4k USD.(converting from Aussie dollars)

If you have LBS that has them, you probably won't be disappointed with Gazelle, Trek, or Specialized. No experience, but I've heard positive about Giant also. All have models within your pricr range.

 

[procreator]

I have a Ride1Up Series 500. It is a hub drive with presumably a cadence sensor. However, it feels closer to the Specialized, Trek, and Giant mid drives I test rode than the Velotric Discover 1 I bought for my wife. I am impressed with the quality of the build and components. Their support is outstanding, granted, I haven't asked them to pay for warranty work or anything like that yet. Don't get me wrong - I like the Discover 1 and it appears to be well built and is a beautiful bike to look at. The Series 500 looks kind of drab in comparison, but I think my wife would have liked the Series 500 more as she is not yet comfortable with the way the PAS is implemented on the Discover 1.

 

[teskow]

I’ll check it out. I’m limited with brands as I live in Australia. Hopefully we have a distributor for a test ride.

I agree, think I want to spend the money on a mid drive motor as yes riding them they feel really natural.

We have Giant here and I was also looking at the Giant FastRoad e+, it seemed to come fully loaded but just weighed a bit less. I liked how it had a stiff fork. But not much info on that model here on EBR for example.

I don’t usually go for a suspension fork unless I’m mountain biking.

My Prodigy has a very nice smooth power delivery, but I must say my that hub drive also had a smooth natural feeling power delivery. I sold it because I needed a step-through. Good power delivery is not just a charactist of mi-drives. I sent a beautiful mid drive bike back because the power delivery was so erratic, jerky and surged terrible that it was no fun to ride at all! I believe the key is a well designed bike with a well designed controller.

 

[procreator]

I believe the key is a well designed bike with a well designed controller.

I agree with this. My limited experience is Ride1Up spent a good deal of time developing the software to give a very smooth riding experience with the 500, anyway.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Many of the brands you mention guys are not available in Australia. The Land of Oz mostly gets European e-bikes (limited to 25 km/h) with the British brake setup.

 

[procreator]

Maybe if you click your heels together twice you'll be in Kansas.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm absolutely sure if OP wants a Specialized Ebike he can have whatever he wants from Specialized.

I'm absolutely sure the distributorship is not as simple as you think.
Yes, Riese & Mueller is very well represented in Brisbane. We even do not know where Tom lives, and Australia is a big big country by area. (The sixth world-largest country by total area).