Hello, hope to be a new rider soon

[Mkaiju]

Hello. I got my kids bikes recently and after setting them up rode one around the parking lot and (remembered?) how much fun it is to ride a bike. Haven't really been on one in 20+ years since I was a kid.

Started looking at bikes online and discovered ebikes and that really made me sit up and take notice. Then I stumbled onto the WickedThumb/Cheetah style of ebikes that look like old motorcycles and have a more relaxed seating style than bikes that usually have you hunching over the bars. ... sort of fell in love with these ebikes. I like the idea of leaning back and not hunching over the bars. (I have a back injury from years ago, hunching over sort of hurts.)

Hope to be ordering a Cheetah soon, probably this upcoming week. Can't wait to get it put together and start riding.

Glad I found this forum, it's already been pretty helpful and informative.

Cheers.

 

[indianajo]

Welcome the site and the renewal of the hobby.
I thought leading with the top my head was stupid when I was ten. Still do. I sat up on my "English Racer" then and on my cruiser now.
Read about comfy seat selection on the parts & accessories thread. There are a lot of choices besides the plastic blades bikes are sold with. BIke shops seem to be full of even skinnier ones. I don't intend to stand up all day like the racers. I don't care who gets there first; it was never going to be me.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Welcome to EBR!

There are definitely many bikes (any?) that can be set up in such a way as to sit upright. It feels better for my challenged back too.

I've only been excited about ebikes for a couple of months. Rented several different brands and different models before we bought ours.

 

[Bigal1463]

Welcome Mkaiju, there are many bikes out there and like Merle Nelson stated, most can be set up for a comfortable ride without hunching over. It’s important to get the right bike. Read the reviews on this site and definitely buy from your local bike shop. Talk to them and try out their brands and if not happy go to another shop. At some point you’re going to need service and they’re the one that will help you. Good luck and ride safe and responsibly.

 

[Mkaiju]

Yes I've checked the local shop, it's actually only a couple miles from my house; there's no Ebikes.

So I've been learning as much as I can on my own. Watching every video I can find about changing tires, bedding brakes, changing/fixing chains, etc.

All ready to order my ebike tomorrow. I'm really excited!

 

[Bigal1463]

That’s a nice looking bike.

 

[Mkaiju]

ok it's ordered and I ordered a black Thousand bike helmet also. Probably going to take a week to get here.

man this is going to be a long week. If I'm super lucky maybe it'll be here in time for the weekend but I don't think I'm that lucky since it has to cross the country.

 

[Mkaiju]

after 5 pm, I was so hoping I'd get a shipping notice today.

it's only 2 pm where the bike is, maybe there's still hope.

this wait for it to arrive (and then assemble) is going to be brutal. I feel like a kid on December 15th!

 

[PedalUma]

@Mkaiju, It is fun! Welcome. I am in the SF Bay Area and a friend is selling his black one that is almost new. These bikes rent in this area for $95 per day to tourists. If you rented one two-times per-week at $95 for a year that would be about 10-Grand! I also like bikes with some style. This bike definitely has style.
Speaking of the Bay Area, off topic, today is scary. Fire trucks are racing around and we are having a wind storm. The wind is so strong it will knock you off a bike with these gusts.

 

[J.R.]

after 5 pm, I was so hoping I'd get a shipping notice today.

it's only 2 pm where the bike is, maybe there's still hope.

this wait for it to arrive (and then assemble) is going to be brutal. I feel like a kid on December 15th!

Great you were able to find your first choice in stock. That is lucky enough these days. Enjoy! Looking forward to a ride report with pics.

 

[Mkaiju]

I'm pretty nervous, I hope I get a shipping confirmation soon. They said 1-3 days to process the order and 3-5 days for shipping.

 

[PedalUma]

The new shipping boxes make assembly easy.

 

[Mkaiju]

omg

are there vendor reviews anywhere? I didn't see any. I'd like to see a review of the place I bought from.

Man I'm so nervous buying something expensive online from some store I've never bought from before. I wanted to order from Bolton Ebikes because I see his videos on youtube all the time but he's sold out of Cheetahs.

I ended up ordering from Killowatt and crossing my fingers they're reputable..

killowatt.store - killowatt Resources and Information.

killowatt.store is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, killowatt.store has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!

www.killowatt.store

was hoping I'd get a tracking number or something by now. I know I only ordered yesterday morning but it's nerve wracking sending so much money to 'strangers'

 

[Mkaiju]

starting to get worried I haven't gotten a response to my email and havent' gotten a shipping number yet. I ordered very late Sunday night (after midnight). Their site says they ship in 1 - 3 days,.. but today is Thursday. Still no email reply or shipping number?

I hope I didn't get ripped off.

I wish this EBR site had vendor reviews so someone purchasing a new electric bike had an idea which sites are reputable and which ones to steer clear of.

Maybe they're just slow and they're a good vendor, but it's seriously nerve wracking when you send thousands of dollars to some internet company and by day #4 you still haven't gotten a tracking number or an email. I got one email before I bought when I had a question, they replied in less than a day. But now after purchase I haven't gotten any replies.

 

[PedalUma]

@Mkaiju, Do you know where it is shipping from? If it is shipping from an agent it will be bundled with many other items headed in your direction at a transportation hub warehouse. When it hits the final leg by a domestic carrier such as UPS as a separate item domestic tracking will be generated and you will get the item a day or two after. This is how it is normally done.

 

[Mkaiju]

I got it at killowatt.store which the site says is also civibikes (which is now revibikes?) .. not sure how one store has 3 names....

says Shipping From : 4055 East Guasti Rd.,Ste #111, Ontario, California 91761

the site says:
WHO WE ARE
We sell electric bikes at manufacturer-direct prices and sell tens of thousands of ebikes annually all over the world. We aim to distribute the best electric bikes at affordable prices that everyone can afford. In 2017, we set up our office and warehouse in Southern California and started CIVIBIKES. Attracted by California’s beautiful scenery, an awesome bike culture, we are now living the true American dream.


I'm hoping it's all on the up and up and I'm just stressing out because it's the most expensive thing I've bought online. But like Killowatt site said 6 were in stock when I bought it (now it says 5), but the Civibike site says they're expecting them in early June.

According to the shipping policy on their site I should've heard something by now:

killowatt.store - killowatt Resources and Information.

killowatt.store is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, killowatt.store has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!

www.killowatt.store

also the fact I've sent a couple emails and gotten no response is troubling. I wouldn't sweat if it were a $20 record, but when you're talking about a bike that costs $3,000 with accessories it's pretty stressful not to have heard anything all week.

 

[john peck]

Yes I've checked the local shop, it's actually only a couple miles from my house; there's no Ebikes.

So I've been learning as much as I can on my own. Watching every video I can find about changing tires, bedding brakes, changing/fixing chains, etc.

All ready to order my ebike tomorrow. I'm really excited!

View attachment 87751

That´s a cool lookin bike, I might just have to check the specs.

 

[Mkaiju]

Finally got in touch and they say the bike isn't in stock even though the site still lists as being in stock.

Got a refund and will be ordering a WickedThumb 750 Destroyer when the refund clears. There's a month wait on the 750 but at least he was upfront about it and answered my email immediately.

The 750 is basically the same bike only it's completely black and it has street tires instead of knobby off-road tires, which I actually prefer. So ... back to waiting I guess. But pretty excited still to get my first ebike.

 

[J.R.]

Finally got in touch and they say the bike isn't in stock even though the site still lists as being in stock.

Got a refund and will be ordering a WickedThumb 750 Destroyer when the refund clears. There's a month wait on the 750 but at least he was upfront about it and answered my email immediately.

The 750 is basically the same bike only it's completely black and it has street tires instead of knobby off-road tires, which I actually prefer. So ... back to waiting I guess. But pretty excited still to get my first ebike.

Shame! Kinda like finding coal in your Christmas stocking

Onward and upward. Best of luck!

 

[Mkaiju]

I'm just glad I was able to get a refund issued. If I'd been scammed (like I spent the last 2 days thinking I had been), it would've been a very long time before I'd saved up the money to try and buy an ebike again. Yeah, should've been a great week and finally get my ebike, and instead I spent a couple days wondering if I'd been robbed. Not a good feeling.

But the WickedThumb guy (Rob) seems on the up and up. So far the customer service and transparency has been excellent. He's been very upfront about delivery times and he's answered all my questions super fast. (like within an hour of emailing he'd responded.)

I do like the option for smooth street tires anyway, I'm not going to be doing off-road stuff and the knobby tires on the Cheetah were one thing I wasn't crazy about. I actually prefer the look of this bike so I guess it all is working out ok.

this has the same battery and motor though, so it's all good. I'll need to order the rack and fenders later but I can live with that.