I've given up....at least for now....

MAPC

Active Member
Well, the 'shopping for an eBike' process has been frustrating:

1. decided to buy a very slightly used Pedego Ridge Rider and the seller, who had agreed to sell to me, canceled as I was about to go pick it up, saying 'his son sold it to someone else without telling him'

2. My back up bike sold to someone else while I was trying to pick up the Ridge Rider (Pedego Interceptor)

2. have been trying to try out other brands within a 1 hour drive of me and striking out left and right
  • can't find any dealers who actually have bikes in stock
  • 'sent all bikes back for the season'
  • 'end of season- waiting for 2020 to restock inventory'
  • 'we don't really stock them but we can order them'
  • 'we only have one size in stock'
I guess I am forced to wait for Spring....until then...I will keep reading.
 
The end of the season is the best time of year to purchase an eBike at a substantial discount... just ask you LBS ;)
 
The end of the season is the best time of year to purchase an eBike at a substantial discount... just ask you LBS ;)
Yes but as I said none of them have any bikes- except for Pedego but I really wanted to try out more than 1 mfg.
 
Enthusiast bike shops can't decide if this Ebike thing is really going to take off.
And I think the average ebike buyer is considerably different from their average or normal customer.
I found most successful shops with higher end bikes were almost totally focused on mountain bikes or racing road bikes, and kids bikes, with just a few examples of other types of bikes, and especially ebikes.

A couple shops nearby were either nearly all or all ebikes, and lots to choose from. They were committed to the trend. It's still not easy going from what I can tell.
 
The end of the season is the best time of year to purchase an eBike at a substantial discount... just ask you LBS ;)
Maybe even cheaper after they sat on the floor all winter. But we forget about how that battery was stored, that extra $100 off may be not such a good deal in the spring.

There's an old fella here that decided eBikes were gonna be the next big thing. He bought 10 from a somewhat sleazy source. 6 are now 4 years old, unsold with batteries that have been stored in a garage with temps ranging from -20F to 110F. I may be wrong on the count, but he's still got stock to sell. They look great. Bafang GD motors and Dolphin battery packs, but some poor shlep is gonna get burned. My biggest concern as I look fora used or discounted NOS Bosch/Yamaha mid drive.
 
Keep searching. Perhaps there are other LBS that you are unaware of that sell or can order E-bikes. Is there a chance you could plan an "extended" road trip to a shop that has many models you could try? Sometimes it is worth the extra effort to find what you are really looking for. Good Luck and Happy Shopping! ;)
 
I have been trying that but here in the Northeast most bike shops don't stock many bikes in the fall/winter. I have been able to try Specialized and Pedego. Many shops will order but I have no idea what to order until I can sit, size and demo more bikes.
 
I have been trying that but here in the Northeast most bike shops don't stock many bikes in the fall/winter. I have been able to try Specialized and Pedego. Many shops will order but I have no idea what to order until I can sit, size and demo more bikes.
FYI- Chris Nolte is the owner of Propel E-bikes and is a well known member on this forum. He has a nice shop in Brooklyn, NY. Perhaps that may be a candidate for you to check out as well? Perhaps there are other shops in that neck of the woods as well.
 
I tried to go there 2 weeks ago...they aren't open on Sundays and had limited stock as well...but I will likely find a time to get there regardless.
 
FYI-Found these others listed on another post if interested: Greenpath in Brooklyn, NYCEwheels and Bike Habitat in the city.
 
Yes. I’ve spoken with greenpath. Again- most of the dealers near here have minimal stock right now.
 
Sounds like it's time to make a road trip to me....
 
Sadly, I believe NYCEwheels has closed.

Like some others here, I was a big fan of Bert Cebular back in the day.

Finding ebikes in your frame size to demo can be very difficult, especially if you ride a S or an XL frame.

The payoff of finding the right bike makes the search just part of the fun.
 
Sadly, I believe NYCEwheels has closed.

Like some others here, I was a big fan of Bert Cebular back in the day.

Finding ebikes in your frame size to demo can be very difficult, especially if you ride a S or an XL frame.

The payoff of finding the right bike makes the search just part of the fun.
I hear ya! I have gone leaps and bounds to find a SM in an E-bike I was shopping for. It actually did pay off in the long run. Many sales people would try to put me into a MD size, knowing full well it was not my correct size. Due diligence was key.
 
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