Help Us Choose Bikes

[Mike787]

Greetings,

We really appreciate your site here, have read a lot of reviews and have seen your video reviews. Well done!

My wife and I are wanting to purchase two electric bikes and are wanting to get your input based on the following:

1. We want to be able to go far, as far as possible on a charge. It will only be riding on roads, not trails, but living in the Pacific Northwest we can ride the Olympic Discovery Trail (all paved) for a hundred miles or more.

2. We would like our bikes to be the same make and model, and be step-through bikes for easy entry/exit. My wife is 5'1" and I am 5'8".

3. We would like both pedal assist and throttle.

4. We would like to be able to put our bikes on a car bike rack and take them with us.

5. We would like the bikes to be around $2,000.00 each, if at all possible.

Do you have suggestions for bikes for us to consider?

Thank you.

Mike

 

[Tara D.]

Here are a few options that I think meet your list,
e-Joe Anggun 3.0
EG Maui 500 EX
Magnum Ui5
They are all in your price range, have the pedal assist and throttle, step through frames, and all appear to have a good range.

 

[Mike787]

Here are a few options that I think meet your list,
e-Joe Anggun 3.0
EG Maui 500 EX
Magnum Ui5
They are all in your price range, have the pedal assist and throttle, step through frames, and all appear to have a good range.

Thank you very much. We will look into these. We also came across Evelo Electric Bikes last night, any thoughts on those?

 

[Tara D.]

Here is Courts review of the 2014 Evelo Aurora. I did not see one of the Luna which has the real low step through frame. I looked at their web site and the company and the bikes look very nice, I do like that they are having the Labor Day deal which will be nice if you are looking at the upgrades. The upgrades are a nice option for the NuVinci N360 Hub ($425) and the extended range battery ($500) Supercharged: 500W 48V ($500) but would bring you above your price range. I think it looks like a very nice option.

 

[MLB]

They had been selling very highly rated 2014 Izip Path+ for about $1700 new at Performance Bike and other places. They are 2400? this year. FWIW

 

[MLB]

Thank you very much. We will look into these. We also came across Evelo Electric Bikes last night, any thoughts on those?

Those look nice. That's a decent older fork from Rockshox, nice battery upgrade available for that big range.
Step throughs tend to be a lot more flexy than the same bike with a top tube. There are some that are very nicely stiff and others that just aren't. If you are 200lbs, you want to try it out first for sure.

 

[harryS]

I bought a Swagman bike rack that suspends the bikes by the tires, and it's good but it uses a 1 1/4" hitch with a plastic adapter to fit a 2" receiver. That's not as strong as a 2" hitch. If I had $4K worth of bikes that weighed 120 lbs, I could justify a $599 Thule rack.

We have the LG Maui 500 EX. It's a well executed bike and was less than $1500, but it's long, like a battleship. I'm 5'7" and my wife is 5'4". Quite comfortable though. We like it. She takes it, while I pedal my new city bike. I did convert an old mountain bike to an e-bike, but that's my hobby bike for solo rides.

If you want to go as far as possible, then pedal as much as you can with the pedal assist at your normal bike speeds. I suspect the Maui will go 30-40+ miles if ridden at 10-12 mph in pedal mode 1. My wife will go about 15 miles at that speed, and the power level still indicates full. At 25 mph, pedalling as fast as I can, it might last only 15 miles. Who knows. That's too fast for a cruiser.