Help choosing a bike for fun and exercise?

[bigcanoe]

I am a looking for recommendations for a bike. I had a Lectric XP in the past but didnt find it comfortable. I then bought a Rad Bikes Radrover and better with an aftermarket seat, but also found it tall and heavy.

I am looking for a bike that I can ride on gravel and sand roads, and strap on a fishing pole, tackle box, etc. I am looking for top speeds of 25+. For range, I dont expect to ride more than 30 miles at a go. This will be for fun and recreation, not commuting or errands in general. I want something fun with a throttle but also want to be able to pedal. I am semi-handy so I am ok with doing my own maintenance. I have a budget of $2000 or less ideally. I am 6' and 250lbs and am leaning towards a step thru type frame due to my age and inflexibility

Let me know if there are any other parameters I can provide to assist in recommendations!

 

[indianajo]

I carry boards, conduit, boxes, groceries, spare parts & tools on my stretch frame cargo bike. The long items tie to the carrier and run through my legs then a loop tied to my handlebar. You see in the picture it is drop frame and suitable for short people even though it has 26" wheels. There was a taller frame available for big people. I have a throttle and 2.1"x26" tires are great off road. This model is no longer for sale, but the blix packa is on sale for $1899 + freight+tax today. https://blixbike.com/products/packa-electric-cargo-bike
Packa has 24x2.4" tires that are high pressure (55 psi) for least resistance. 400 lb limit. It has a throttle. With the bags and step platforms, cargo can be carried low for easy balance. The 2 leg stand is great off road. Last I checked there was only one complaint on the known problems thread for this brand. Don't try to climb a sierra or rocky mountain with packa, long slow grades can burn up a geared hub motor. I climb 77 short hills in 30 miles with my geared hub motor. Packa has bosses welded in the frame to mount a front basket that does not steer with the wheel. Weight up front helps to balance the bike when you are pushing it around, like into my garage.
The replacement for my bodaboda is the yubabikes kombi. https://yubabikes.com/compact-cargo/ With a shimano mid drive I don't think it has a throttle. Mid-drives consume more chains than geared hub drives. I get 5000 miles out of mine. The yuba bodaboda has been extremely high quality.
The trouble with the radwagon is the weird 22" tires. Sole source and went out of stock for almost a year. With all the complaints on known problems thread, Rad was using imitation steel for spokes and control cables and imitation aluminum for the rims. Yuba is the real metal, very infrequent adjustments required. Another more expensive similar bike is the Giant Momentum Pakyak. That can be bought at dealers for warrenty work.
Any bike you probably will want to change seats. People have different pelvises and hips. The bodaboda came with a seat for a woman. I've tried 7 seats before settling on a selle royale. I still have to wear padded shorts to ride more than 3 hours without pain. Fat on the hips melted off in my mid sixties. Off road a suspension column for the seat could help the ride. I can't use one on the bodaboda because the seat column is a non standard diameter.

 

[bigcanoe]

I thought about a cargo bike, good points here! Can one pull a small trailer with a kayak on it do you think?

 

[bigcanoe]

I like the looks of this one. Not over the top with the rear rack, for me:

Electric Cargo Bike For Sale - Himiway Cargo Ebike Big Dog

Himiway Big Dog electric cargo bike with a front-mounted basket, it can carry all sizes and shapes of your daily cargo, it's the best cargo bike in the market. HIMIWAY Big Dog sustains the legal speed at 15.5 mph in the United States.

himiwaybike.com

 

[indianajo]

I would find 20"x2.1" tires jaw rattling with the pavement we have in my city. I could not read the specs, himiway website locked my computer up & I had to reboot. But if 4" tires, fighting the drag of 20 psi tires is not fun if the power fails in the rain. I lost one phase last Sunday in the rain and had to pedal unpowered 14 miles until I reached my home (where there is a hairdryer). I ride a grocery bag tied over the throttle in the rain, which helps prevent that from quitting.
Blix known problems list is still 1 entry. They are 8 or more years old. Himiway known problems list is 78 items. For $50 more than packa you buy ****? Many brands are using the same **** components as sold on a $229 unpowered bike in discount stores. I was constantly adjusting brake & shifter cables on the Pacific & Diamondback bikes due to stretch. The diamondback wheels were too small to hold a tire on the rim, and I broke the rear axle on the diamondback at my enormous 180 lb weight. I do not jump rocks or picnic tables. The Pacific the crank arms wore out at 2500 miles and I could not get them off to replace them. The Pacific 7 speed rear axle the cone came unscrewed and dropped the balls on the road requiring a push home. The shimano 8 speed rear axle on my yuba bodaboda has 12000 trouble free miles on it.
On level or low grades I suppose a canoe could be dragged. I would not try to ride 25 mph with that attached. I do not have a trailer, but I do carry up to 330 lb gross (80 lb groceries or ag supplies) up 12% grades. On 2 tires. The stretch cargo frame, your weight is on the front wheel which stabilizes streering somewhat. Plus whatever weight is in the front basket.
I have carried an 8' board vertically in the bag. So you would not have to step over the fishing pole laying down. An 8" wide board vertical has considerable drag and could knock the bike over in a 25 mph crosswind, but a fishing pole has negligible drag. A taller bag like I have is an advantage. 24" high.
Happy shopping and later riding.

 

[Ben J]

> top speeds of 25+ ... something fun with a throttle but also want to be able to pedal

A throttle means a class 2 bike and the throttle will be limited to 20MPH. To get to 28MPH you are class 3 and you'll have to pedal above 20MPH. So going 20MPH with a throttle can be zero effort, but going 25+ will be "a lot" of effort.

> I had a Lectric XP in the past but didnt find it comfortable. I then bought a Rad Bikes Radrover and better with an aftermarket seat, but also found it tall and heavy.

It would help a lot if you figured out why you don't find those bikes comfortable. A lot of comfort comes through adjustment and custom stuff (like seats and grips) that suit you personally.

 

[bigcanoe]

So the bikes come as class 2 and some can be unlocked to class 3? I saw the other Blix too, the Dubbel, it has 20x3.2 I think. I think the XP was seating/handlebar position, I felt unnatural. The Rad just felt like the bike was too big with those huge tires I guess.

 

[sc00ter]

Ride1up is doing overstock sales on ebikes right now. The cheapskate in me is considering a Cafe Cruiser step-thru for a hair over $1000. It could also double as a loaner.

 

[bigcanoe]

Can anyone recommend a cargo bike with throttle, front suspension, 20" wheels, hydraulic brakes, and a shorter rear rack. The Aventon Abound looks nice but not sure I need a rear rack that long on my bike. Maybe something more like a Rad Power RadRunner 3 Plus?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Can anyone recommend a cargo bike with throttle, front suspension, 20" wheels, hydraulic brakes, and a shorter rear rack. The Aventon Abound looks nice but not sure I need a rear rack that long on my bike. Maybe something more like a Rad Power RadRunner 3 Plus?

The Specialized Globe Haul has some fans on this forum, and there have been many recent posts from owners. You can find them with the forum search function.

Whatever you do, ride before you buy and make SURE you can get local service. (Some shops won't work on bikes they didn't sell, and some won't work on ebikes at all — even for purely mechanical problems.)

Those criteria will narrow the field considerably.

 

[Doom1]

I'd highly recommend either the Velotric Nomad 1 or the Velotric Discover 2. I have a Nomad 1 and it can go anywhere and can climb hills with ease. The Discover 2 is new and is a pretty hot ebike right now. Watch some reviews on Youtube. Plus, here's a 15% off Friends and Family code: VI2X2F2 (the second character is an "eye", not a "one").