I had the same dilemma. The only way I solved it was to ride 20 different bikes which required me to make numerous trips to various dealers over a 3 month period. I enjoyed the education though. I went with a Neo Carbon as I wanted solely a road/city bike and got it at a terrific price. Here is a primer I used for my own purposes:I'm having a hard time deciding what to buy. I started out testing one of the clearance Turbo's in Vienna, VA. Its a lot of $$$ to spend and not be happy. I've talked to a few of the folks in this thread already; its funny to find this forum via google and then end up seeing names I've spoken to on the phone.
Peak and Haibike SR have nothing in common. Geometry is different, componentry is different, and motor/electronics are radically different.
"..I'd probably use another car analogy as the Civic is a significantly better automobile than a Cadillac (yuk)..."
I can only imagine..which is why I have a hard time even considering paying more than we did for our Peak (approx. 25% of what some of the bikes mentioned above are MSRPing for)...then turning around and trying to sell an obsolete boat anchor 2 years later for...what?This is true for many industries. Having spent years in China you'd be amazed at the various well known world brands that come from a single factory.
You should be thrilled that the Obama administration stepped in to loan money to GM. It is estimated that GM's return to health saved 176,000 jobs. The loan was paid back with interest so the net result is that folks like you got to keep your job and the American public made a profit.
Lastly, value is a personal thing. There is a point in every purchase where incremental improvements in quality and performance meet a steep pricing curve. Value has many definitions: only one of which is price.
"...I think pricing is relative...The cost of an e-bike is peanuts compared to a car, especially after 2-5 years.
Of course, I'd rather buy a 2k e-bike then a 7k e-bike. However, I really want to be educated. I don't commute in a Civic for a reason.
From what I've learned so far, price does effect:
1. Weight
2. Components
3. Technology
Bottom line, I want my primary mode of transportation to be
1. Trustworthy
2. "Fun"
3. Light (there will be times when I run out of juice and I'll need to pedal)
4. Ability to purchase two batteries
5. Not have that "e-bike" look. I want it to look nice.
Technologies are changing
hub vs mid-level: GoSwiss vs Bosch
There is no car show or magazine I can go to to be informed. This is it. I find everyone's input useful.
I'm even considering purchasing in Europe or doing a group buy.
I could care less about GM or Obama or Sunglasses.....just help an idiot out![]()
As you may know there is a dealer in the UK selling a Gen 2 dongle but it appears as if he restricts sale to bikes purchased. If you have a friend in the UK near this shop perhaps you can obtain one.I'm close to pulling the trigger on a Haibike but there's no dealer I can find on the east coast. Maybe that will change soon but I'll be SOL for any reflashes that need to happen. Wonder if I can buy the dongle and software myself.
I'm close to pulling the trigger on a Haibike but there's no dealer I can find on the east coast. Maybe that will change soon but I'll be SOL for any reflashes that need to happen. Wonder if I can buy the dongle and software myself.
Where are you located? I'm on the east coast. In NY to be precise (my shop is longislandelectricbikes.com), but I'm actually in Germany at Eurobike till the end of the week. Shoot me an email at [email protected] and I'll be happy to help you with both matters.I'm close to pulling the trigger on a Haibike but there's no dealer I can find on the east coast. Maybe that will change soon but I'll be SOL for any reflashes that need to happen. Wonder if I can buy the dongle and software myself.