Know of any cheap 28mph city-commuter bikes, with Nuvinci N380 hub?

AlexZ

New Member
Looking for the cheapest comfortable, city-commuter bike that has the following:
-28mph
-Nuvinci N380 hub (or Rohloff)
-Belt Drive
-Full suspension (not mandatory)
Would like to spend sub $4k
 
Electra Cafe Moto has those features AND was available for $3500 sale at some point online, at Holland’s bike shop in San Diego, I think I recall.
I find it comfortable. And I had mine in a week whereas so many models are sold out til fall.
you will want LBS to optimize the NuVinci/Enviolo hub for going the 28mph. Enviolo provides video support for techs. Enviolo tells me by email any LBS can work with their hub, use their tech support, and support their warranty.
 
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Electra Cafe Moto is now $4,500 according to their site. AlexZ, did you have a preference for throttle or no throttle?
 
Electra Cafe Moto is now $4,500 according to their site. AlexZ, did you have a preference for throttle or no throttle?
Throttle great question.

Re: Cafe Moto, thank you for the list price note. I was offered better than 10% discount from 3 more stores, purchased for $4,000 plus tax. never hurts to ask.
 
The Evelo Aurora mid drive has those specs, not FS. Also see Watt Wagons, @pushkar could build something https://electricbikereview.com/foru...onal-electronic-shifting-shipping-july.33992/

Wow, very informative. Thank you. Looks like I might just go with an Evelo Aurora Limited Edition Mid-Drive, It has all my basic qualifications and costs $4k. Sadly, the only Watt Wagon I could find on their site with a Nuvinci hub was $6k+. Do you know the exact model of Watt Wagon? Focus Aventura Impulse Speed 1.0 also doesn't have a Nuvinci or rohloff, and is $5k. Really helpful Though. Evelo looks like the best option.
 
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Wow, very informative. Thank you. Looks like I might just go with an Evelo Aurora Limited Edition Mid-Drive, It has all my basic qualifications and costs $4k. Sadly, the only Watt Wagon I could find on their site with a Nuvinci hub was $6k+. Do you know the exact model of Watt Wagon? Focus Aventura Impulse Speed 1.0 also doesn't have a Nuvinci or rohloff, and is $5k. Really helpful Though. Evelo looks like the best option.
July 20 delivery not bad.
 
It's worth knowing what kind of range you want. I have tried out the Aurora Limited and even with peddling and capping at just 20 mph, I could barely cover 20 miles.
 
It's worth knowing what kind of range you want. I have tried out the Aurora Limited and even with peddling and capping at just 20 mph, I could barely cover 20 miles.
Good point. Guess I want at least around 500wh+ battery. The more battery I can get for sub $4k, the better.
 
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Here is a quote from another Evelo Auora Limited owner. He gave a rather lengthy review of the bike but this part referred to his battery range experience.

"Battery Range. Have never ridden it down to dead. Estimate my riding style has a 35-37 mile battery range. I use PAS 1-2 as much as possible but don't hesitate to use 3-4 on hills and 5 on the really big hill"
 
I tried an Aurora Limited myself coincidentally. It's a class-2 ebike so that's no good for 28mph. I couldn't really hit that kind of speed even after toying with the settings. At full PAS on a 14.5Ah battery, I just about sucked the life out of it and the return trip felt like I had PAS 1 outside of 4 miles home from a 24-mile run. The bike was acting up but I think I was more constrained by raw numbers than anything else.

Regarding the transmission, I was pedaling at 20mph but it wasn't really doing much. So if you're looking at a Nuvelo, you're probably going to have to mess with the gear ratios. I mean, you'll have basically two of them between the outside of the motor and transmission.
 
sdtr443w, thank you for that. I was on the fence about the Aurora, and your post tipped the scale for me to not buy it. I should stick with an e-bike that is specifically made for 28mph. Watt Wagons City Commuter looks like a good fit for me... It's actually rated for 28mph. Unfortunately, the Bafang M600 motor it uses is too powerful for Eviolo's Nuvinci CVT 380 hub. Guess I'll have to settle for the Rohloff speed hub instead. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice upgrade, but more money than I'd like to spend.
 
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sdtr443w, thank you for that. I was on the fence about the Aurora, and your post tipped the scale for me to not buy it. I should stick with an e-bike that is specifically made for 28mph. Watt Wagons City Commuter looks like a good fit for me... It's actually rated for 28mph. Unfortunately, the Bafang M600 motor it uses is too powerful for Eviolo's Nuvinci CVT 380 hub. Guess I'll have to settle for the Rohloff speed hum instead. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice upgrade, but more money than I'd like to spend.
Why not go with the Shimano 5-speed option on the city commuter? Btw Rohloff is not an option on the City Commter, only Sturney Archer 3-speed, Shimano 5-speed, and Kindernay 14-speed.
 
byunbee: Well, I figured go big or go home. But seriously, Rohloff is better than the Shimano 5-speed. I also figure it will last longer and give a better range. I also asked the owner (Pushkar) why a Rohloff wasn't an option for the City Commuter. He said that it would be no problem to add one. I believe it's an added cost of $1,099.00, so not cheap.
 
AlexZ, thanks for the update from Pushkar but the Rohloff at 1,000 probably is out of my range so I would probably be looking at the Shimano 5 speed. Are there some concerns I should have with that setup. I don't know much about the Shimano. Any negatives I shoukd becaware of. Thanks
 
I understand if your budget is constrained by your circumstances. However let me share my experience. The first ebike I bought had a derailleur system, an inexpensive front shock but otherwise decent components. I found I was riding way more often and further than I could have imagined. I was hardly driving my car any more. But my bum constantly ached and it did not go away, various saddles, and two suspension seat posts later, along with frequent chain and cassette changes, I decided I needed and better bike, with better suspension, internal gearing and belt and better lighting for visibility and personal safety. So getting the right bike cost me more in the long run by starting cheap and then moving up to what I should have bought in the first place. When I sold the first bike I lost only got half the money I paid for it back.

As John Ruskin said about 150 years ago:

"It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better."

I find the pain of paying more than I planned for the right bike faded quickly and I was left with the pleasure of riding a bike that ticks off all the right boxes every day I ride.
 
I would probably be looking at the Shimano 5 speed. Are there some concerns I should have with that setup.

Is it this one, Inter-5E, SG-C7000-5D, first gear is the 1:1 direct drive ratio, if you have a torquey powerful motor with good controller mosfets that don't overheat when climbing hills it shouldn't be a problem. You can change the rear sprocket, I think your choices are 24t, 27t, or 30t, if you want a different pedal cadence in first gear. Sorry I can't speak to reliability, it's a new design.
 
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I understand if your budget is constrained by your circumstances. However let me share my experience. The first ebike I bought had a derailleur system, an inexpensive front shock but otherwise decent components. I found I was riding way more often and further than I could have imagined. I was hardly driving my car any more. But my bum constantly ached and it did not go away, various saddles, and two suspension seat posts later, along with frequent chain and cassette changes, I decided I needed and better bike, with better suspension, internal gearing and belt and better lighting for visibility and personal safety. So getting the right bike cost me more in the long run by starting cheap and then moving up to what I should have bought in the first place. When I sold the first bike I lost only got half the money I paid for it back.

As John Ruskin said about 150 years ago:

"It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better."

I find the pain of paying more than I planned for the right bike faded quickly and I was left with the pleasure of riding a bike that ticks off all the right boxes every day I ride.
Ah, Ruskin! Long time since grad school! Bravo!
 
AlexZ,

How far do you need to ride at 28mph? When you zoom along at 28mph keep in mind your battery will drain quickly.

On my bike these are the numbers I typically get at various assist levels and speeds with a 500wh battery, pretty flat terrain and a total weight of rider, bike, bag with stuff and locks of 320lbs +

Assist levelAverage Speed (low number is easy and higher number is hard pedaling)Average Maximum Range
120-25 kph / 12.4 - 15.5 mph100 km / 62 mi
225-30 kph / 15.5 - 18.6 mph60 km / 37 mi
332-39 kph / 19.9 - 24.2 mph45 km / 27 mi
Turbo40-45 kph / 24.9 - 28 mph25 km / 15.5 mi


I live in Toronto and typically travel downtown where stoplights, oblivious pedestrians and erratic traffic make riding at 28mph at best annoying and at worse unsafe. I typically use level 3 in the 20 to 23 mph range exclusively for commuting to work which isn't that much slower than Turbo but that slightly less speed keeps me from getting stopped at a light stuck in the highest gear or dying a lot less than travelling in the 28mph zone.

However lately I've been using mostly level 1 with a bit of level 2 and 3 because I want to get more exercise and I only go to the office a few times each week. Interestingly my average speed is hardly affected due the many stoplights I encounter.

Just remember that speed kills range! So try and get a big battery if you have want to travel a far distance at a high speed. A 900wh or more battery if you want to go far, fast.



Cheers,
 
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