iZip E3 Peak vs. Stromer Sport vs. Pedego City Commuter

[Daikon38]

I'm looking to get an electric bike -- used. So I've been frequenting Craigslist and came across the following choices:

• iZip E3 Peak -- a few months old @ $1,500
• Stromer Sport -- a few months old @ $1,200
• Pedego City Commuter -- one year old @ $1,800

I'm curious which you would choose and why?

My priorities (in order of importance):

1. Reliability (company's reputation, history of repairs, likelihood of defects/problems/repairs)
2. Hill-Climbing Ability (I live in a neighborhood with rather steep hills to climb)
3. Price/Cost of Ownership
4. Ease of Maintenance (I'm a newbie to bikes so I prefer plug-and-play applications)
5. Comfort

Other background info:

• I have no intentions of doing off-road, off-trail riding.
• I'll be sticking to paved roads and well-traveled trails.
• Primary use is recreation and exercise. Not commuting.
• I'll likely be mounting a child seat on the back and taking my 1 year-old out on bike rides.
• I'm leaning towards the iZip E3 Peak.

Other Curiosity:

• I wonder if there's a consensus in the e-bike community regarding company reputation for reliability?

Thanks in advance for any input, advice, suggestion, information, etc. you can provide!

 

[opimax]

Izip, pedego,walk, crawl, give up, then get a stromer sport if you must. ....St1 probably....sport no....not my favorite experience

 

[Shea N Encinitas]

Get the Peak, put a BodyFloat on it, hope the battery is healthy. -S

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Agree with Shea,

Stromer Sport is outdated and has many weak components (Avid BB5 for such a heavy bike, cheap shifters etc) and they had mechanical problems with the motor.

Izip peak with a healthy battery is a great choice at that price point.

 

[gskbrew]

I have a City Commuter and it is just that, a commuter. The upright sitting stance removes any feel for recreation and delivers comfort for longer commutes. Additionally, the City Commuter is very rear-heavy and I'd be concerned about having the added weight of a child in a seat on the back. I have panniers on mine and typically carry a laptop, bike lock, repair tools and extra tube, and occasionally a change of clothes for work or a jacket. With just that additional weight the potholes hit hard on the rear wheel. The Peak and Stromer bikes do not have the battery mounted over the rear wheel, so although I don't have any experience with those bikes, my guess is that one of those two would be better for you than the City Commuter.

 

[ChrisD_]

I voted for the Peak since I like my Dash a lot, but I'd test out the hill-climbing ability before buying.

 

[JoePah]

You can't internet shop and make a decision...

Ride as many ebikes as you can and choose.

Any used ebike that has a transferable warranty would be a major plus in my book.. I think Stromer is transferable, but don't know about the others.

 

[Pace]

seems like a good price for the Peak, and the mid-drive setup should make it a better hill climber than the others. When (if) you check it in person, you can use the console diags ((Link Removed - No Longer Exists)) to check the amp hours of the fully charged battery to make sure it is in decent shape.

 

[FitzChivalry]

If you do the City Commuter route (I have one and LOVE it; I've done 2,200 miles on it since February), check with Pedego about getting one of their new control boxes. It gives you the ability to use the throttle while in pedal-assist mode. I mention this specifically because you mention hills. If you have to stop on the middle of a hill, getting started up is a lot easier if you can juice that first revolution on the pedals using the throttle.

 

[Daikon38]

Thank you all for your great advice!

Happy to report that I went with the iZip Peak. Picked it up yesterday with about 75 miles on the odometer.

One problem -- the bike doesn't have a kickstand. Any recommendations?

 

[Kaldeem]

@Shea N Encinitas What's a body float? Amazon link?

 

[Shea N Encinitas]

@Shea N Encinitas What's a body float? Amazon link?

http://www.cirruscycles.com/collections/all

Thudbuster is a bit cheaper, not as 'fast' IMO. -S

 

[JoePah]

http://www.cirruscycles.com/collections/all

Thudbuster is a bit cheaper, not as 'fast' IMO. -S

Is it worth the price?

 

[Shea N Encinitas]

Is it worth the price?

Don't get me started! Totally worth it, like a new bike with super reactive rear suspension. I could not shut up about it for a week. -S