I need some advice here--getting a different bike ... or a second battery?

[Sandee]

So here's the scoop. I have an Evelo Luna electric bike I got a couple of years ago. I love the quality of the bike and the wonderful customer service. Although I'm not 100% crazy about the NuVinci shifting I've learned to live with it. Other than that, I LOVE this bike. My husband had a regular bicycle and we would go on bike rides that were on the average 20 miles. By then we were both ready to quit for the day. That is until a few weeks ago when hubby decided he was having trouble managing the hills and he decided to get himself a Radcity electric bike. Now I am the one having trouble keeping up. The problem is his bike is more powerful than mine. Before he got an electric bike he only wanted to go between 9 - 12 mph. Now he thinks that is too slow and he wants to go about 14 - 16 mph. And he does this in a PAS level of 1 or 2. I need to put mine in level 4 or 5 in order to keep up. This means I drain my battery way before he does. And now that he can go faster, we can potentially go for longer rides in less time but I can't manage much more than 24 miles or so in that higher level of assist before I run out of power. And yes, he is stronger than me but when we switch bikes I notice how significantly easier his bike is to pedal. Even he has to keep the Evelo in PAS of 4 or 5 to maintain a speed of about 15 mph.

So what should I do? I've been looking at getting a different bike. Two that I really like are The Blix Aveny and the Electric BikeCompany Model S. I absolutely need a step through model and it must have a throttle that works from a standstill. I like that the Aveny is lighter and not quite as expensive. I also prefer the plastic fenders rather than steel which The Model S has. I'm not crazy about the two step process of turning on the battery and then turning on the motor display. I live in central WI and although I don't think there are any Blix dealers here I think I could find one in MN or IL, another plus. I would probably have to get the higher powered battery to keep up with my husband's Radcity.

The EBC's Model S is a single speed which doesn't really bother me (unless you think it should). It is powerful. I don't like steel fenders so much because I'm one of those type A people who is super fussy and I would be concerned about dents or rust. And I did find one customer review that said their Model S arrived with scratches, which would disappoint me a lot. And with getting a few extras such as fenders, maybe a basket and the cost of shipping we are talking approx. $500 more than the Aveny.

My other option would be to stick with my Evelo and spend $$$800 for an upgraded battery. That is almost half of what some new bikes cost. I paid $2500 for this bike but we certainly can't afford to keep spending that kind of money every couple of years for a bike. Why not just go with a Radcity step through which would match my husband's bike in speed and battery power, you ask? While I haven't completely ruled that out, I just don't feel it has the quality of my Evelo. Maybe I'm wrong. What do you think? I know no one can make a decision for me but with some advice you can surely help me decide what to do.

Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this entire post and can offer some help.

Sandee

 

[larry-new]

Rad City has a step-thru and the batteries are interchangeable with your husband's bike.

An extra upgraded battery for your Luna will give you many years of service at a reasonable price, given how you love your bike. I bought a second battery for my Rad City, as I figured we're in this for the long haul.

 

[ebikemom]

Hey, @Sandee , welcome! Great to see other women ebikers here! And two years ago? That makes you a pioneer!!! I wish I'd been ebiking since two years ago, for sure.

In terms of the questions you posed ... I really like the "buy an extra battery" option you suggested.
It's a lot cheaper than buying a whole new bike. And, you LIKE your bike. Why fire it when you can keep enjoying it? You can strap the extra battery on the rack or put it in a pannier, use it when you need it, and keep enjoying that great Evelo that you love!

Awesome that your husband got an ebike. I see lots of adventures ahead!! Our family has had tons of fun enjoying ebiking together, both me and my husband and one or both of us with one or both kids.

Ride on! ?

(BTW, can I add a "subtitle" to your thread title so folks can see more what it is about when scanning thread titles? I was thinking something like: "I need some advice here--getting a different bike ... or a second battery?")

 

[harryS]

Central WI. You can't be too far from Crazy Lennys in Madison. Bring your Evelo and compare it with other bikes.

 

[Sandee]

Hey, @Sandee , welcome! Great to see other women ebikers here! And two years ago? That makes you a pioneer!!! I wish I'd been ebiking since two years ago, for sure.

In terms of the questions you posed ... I really like the "buy an extra battery" option you suggested.
It's a lot cheaper than buying a whole new bike. And, you LIKE your bike. Why fire it when you can keep enjoying it? You can strap the extra battery on the rack or put it in a pannier, use it when you need it, and keep enjoying that great Evelo that you love!

Awesome that your husband got an ebike. I see lots of adventures ahead!! Our family has had tons of fun enjoying ebiking together, both me and my husband and one or both of us with one or both kids.

Ride on! ?

(BTW, can I add a "subtitle" to your thread title so folks can see more what it is about when scanning thread titles? I was thinking something like: "I need some advice here--getting a different bike ... or a second battery?")

Hi Amy, I can't believe the explosion in electric biking in the few short years since I got mine. And you are right, I should keep it. I have taken exceptional care of it and if I tried to sell it, I would take a considerable loss. And it has a lot of nice features you usually don't see on bikes in my price range. And when we take it down south for the winter it rides INSIDE the rv.

Feel free to add a subtitle to my post, whatever you think is best.

 

[Sandee]

Central WI. You can't be too far from Crazy Lennys in Madison. Bring your Evelo and compare it with other bikes.

I'm gonna write that down. Madison is completely do-able, about 130 miles from here. I called a few bike shops a little closer to home but most of them only sell class 1 electric bikes. There is a Pedego dealer not too far away and I love the idea of buying locally but they are simply out of my price range.

 

[Calicoskies]

You can ask me anything specific to the EBC, you mentioned the guy with scratches when it arrived that was likely my review. I did have a few spots but was able to use some auto paint to correct, I would say most people would not even noticed or care but I am very particular. The basket very bad but still believe that something happen during the painting process because it was flaking off. EBC sent me a new basket and let me keep the old one. The new basket has no marks and actually after more than a year there are no paint issues at all. I had one of my fender stops that the plastic broke at the screw, not sure if I tighten the screw to much or the fender hit something maybe while transporting. I sent email and they threw a set in a envelope and mailed them out, nice. I have had no issues with the bike that has about 1300 miles on it now, I have three bikes to ride. Single speed is no issue for me at all since the bike is so powerful (1300 watts when needed). The gear is high so would be difficult to get started if battery is dead but it is set like that for higher speed and you can still pedal easily. I have gone about 60 miles on the bigger battery and still had juice. This is a big bike so you need to find some measurements and compare to what you have now to make sure no issues. My wife likes to have feet on ground when stopped and we have to put a different seat on so when she rides it so goes down lower for it to be comfortable. May not be a issue for you but thought I would mention. Heavy bike, and with the great basket even heavier, holds 85 lbs. with the fancy basket, think they have two now. The basket is great for stopping for dinner or hitting the grocery store after a ride. The two switch thing is no big deal, when you slide the battery in you flip the switch. I will mention that after you turn the bike on you need to hold down the bottom arrow to turn on assist which is a third step, not sure why throttle only is default. Charger, the charger that comes with the bike is built into the bike as you likely know from watching the great videos on this site. The problem is that you will likely want to charge inside the house so you will need to add a external charger to the options. The external is also a 5 amp so charge full in less than 4 hours but the built in one is 2 amps so takes 7 or so hours. Before I forget they show that Orange bike as available now on the video, we would of went for that if available at the time (not on website). They had a two hundred off Labor Day Sale going on but may be over (code LABORDAY), I would send email and ask and they would just likely let you use it still, help with the $250 shipping charge. If you have the space I would not sell your bike and keep it around because having choices is great. Not a big fan of extra battery because you need to manage them to keep it great shape. I could not tell if you were thinking to carry two batteries or just a larger capacity. I would be more for just a larger but sounds like you would still be underpowered compared to the new bike.

 

[mrgold35]

How difficult is it to change out the battery if you had an extra? I would lean towards the extra battery and making your husband carry it since he has the extra power.

The wife and I have two Radrovers; but, she had more power and range because only pushing 130 lbs compared to +270 lbs. I would sometimes switch out batteries 1/2-2/3 the way into the ride to take advantage of her extra capacity. Eventually, I just got another battery to 2X my range or 2X my power/speed when needed (I put the extra 7 lbs battery in her rack bag).

 

[ebikemom]

I would lean towards the extra battery and making your husband carry it since he has the extra power.

Yeah, you can carry the sack lunches and he can carry your extra battery!!!