Legit bike, or a scam?

[none416]

I'm brand new to e-bikes. I'm buying one for my less than 10 mile commute to work. I was originally looking for an izip dash http://electricbikereview.com/izip/e3-dash/ but looking on craigslist, this one caught my eye http://tampa.craigslist.org

I'm concerned that it's "too good to be true" and is a scam. Where I live, it can rain at anytime, and I want something of quality that won't get ruined in a rain storm or two.

Anything I should look at if this is legit? Is there such a thing as test rides when buying a bike like this? Anything I should know?

 

[Deleted member 803]

Some of the "kit" experts should probably weigh in on an opinion.

 

[George S.]

The Mac is a real motor. It would probably do about what they say. There's a good reason to ride the bike, and really test it: All the weight is in the back. That generally creates handling problems.

The battery is LiFePo, which will be heavy, maybe 25 pounds. The motor is another 15 or so, with the electronics. It could be a fairly unstable bike.

 

[scmike]

I'm with George... appears to be a really heavy bike and it will probably handle squirrelly... try riding it... Is there any way to mount the
battery more forward.... similar to the Steaths??

 

[JoePah]

Not a good design. Rear battery in a cantilever rack heavy battery

That rack will fail in a year. The rear weight bias will make handling weird.

There's a Stromer for sale in Miami with two batteries. Check it out

 

[pxpaulx]

The rear shock is also a lot more likely to fall with their setup, assuming the rack doesn't just drop right off the bike. The cost a poor bike for their build, only way to save it would be move the battery and motor to another setup, just not worth the time imho!

 

[J.R.]

@JoePah hit the nail on the head! The battery rack will likely fail, too much weight on the seat tube and when it fails it could really hurt someone.

 

[flymeaway]

I'm concerned that it's "too good to be true"

The cost and specs. as advertised are correct, so the price is attractive, but the bike design and location of the battery pack make it a poor choice. I ride a tandem with a 26 lb battery on the rear rack and even with two people on a big heavy bike, I still feel the rear weight in turns.

I would pass on it.

I also wouldn,t ride this bike anywhere near the top speed advertised. What's an inexpensive bike worth if you dump it going too fast on a corner? The first thing to be destroyed on this bike, even if it falls over parked, is the battery.

Court J.

 

[none416]

Thanks everyone, I'll pass on this one.

The bike mentioned in miami is 4-5 hours away, a full day driving round trip. What do those bikes usually run, 3-4k? I'll contact the owner to find out more info.

 

[MLB]

Boy do I disagree with these opinions! That's a really nice bike setup with great suspension components and a HUGE ($$$$$$) battery. With the geared (?) hub motor it would be a strong performer. Way better suspension than the Izip.
IF the battery is too big to fit on the downtube of the frame, you could sell it and buy a smaller battery and pocket money. That's a $1,000 battery eh? Cycle Analyst is the best there is. Good controller............ what the hell are you guys talking about for 1999???????????
The components probably cost that.........

If it rides nice and looks decent up close I'd buy that in a minute.

 

[George S.]

The battery is widely sold on Ebay for, well, four...

http://www.ebay.com

You could move the battery to a basket in front, but I've found that creates problems. It almost always depends on the bike. The best place tends to be a triangle deal, in the middle of the frame.

I'd find a decent bike, put a MAC or BBS02 on it, and settle for a speed in the 20's. It's easier to buy a production bike, on the first purchase.

 

[JoePah]

@none416 I own a Stromer and they are very good quality bikes.. Just remember when you buy used bike a couple of years old there is no warranty. So negotiate hard.

 

[flymeaway]

The components probably cost that.........

No doubt they do. So why the low price? Maybe he has to sell the bike; cash issues, who knows??? What I do know is the CG is way too high on the bike and it won't handle well. It doesn't look like mounting the battery on the main connecting frame member is an option, but maybe a creative builder could come up with a solution. Sell the battery? Used batteries aren't really worth much. The Grin CA is a nice unit, although I'd want the V3. Can't speak for the quality of the bike. So yeah, the bike might be worth the money in parts...

Court J.

 

[MLB]

The battery is widely sold on Ebay for, well, four...

http://www.ebay.com

You could move the battery to a basket in front, but I've found that creates problems. It almost always depends on the bike. The best place tends to be a triangle deal, in the middle of the frame.

I'd find a decent bike, put a MAC or BBS02 on it, and settle for a speed in the 20's. It's easier to buy a production bike, on the first purchase.

Wow, that's cheap. I AM surprised how cheap that one is! He(she) certainly didn't skimp on any of the other components, so I'd doubt he cheaped out on the cheapest no name, chinese sourced, battery pack.

 

[MLB]

No doubt they do. So why the low price? Maybe he has to sell the bike; cash issues, who knows??? What I do know is the CG is way too high on the bike and it won't handle well. It doesn't look like mounting the battery on the main connecting frame member is an option, but maybe a creative builder could come up with a solution. Sell the battery? Used batteries aren't really worth much. The Grin CA is a nice unit, although I'd want the V3. Can't speak for the quality of the bike. So yeah, the bike might be worth the money in parts...

Court J.

I hear these blanket condemnations of rack mounted batterys and doubtless many of them do suckage there. But there are also many positive reviews of rack mounted battery bikes. Hell of a lot more to do with how STIFF the rack and mounting (frame) are than the blanket "up too high" that many harp on.

 

[JoePah]

When you put a 22 lb battery on a seat post rack that has one point of support, and it is 3 feet above the ground, nothing good will come of it.

And that is the rub with DIY eBikes. It takes quite a bit of knowledge and several false starts to get one that rides, look and performs well..

This one isn't it!

 

[MLB]

You know what, I didn't see the lack of stays from the rack to the bike. Yeh, that's can't be good. My bad. LOL