First post, trying to decide which ebike to buy to join the club. I hope to be an active member of the community moving forward.
I'm not a cyclist (yet? Is there such a thing as an e-cyclist? I don't really ever see myself riding a non-electric bike) but am looking at an ebike as a way to get some exercise and get some variety into my commute. I'm 45 and in good shape as I play soccer regularly and have previously run marathons so I have the cardio but have developed some knee issues due to weaker quads and cycling would help with the quad strengthening, but I also don't want to do all the work on the commute/ride.
Things I think I want in a bike:
Lightweight (I may bike all the way into work or may bike to/from train/subway, so being able to carry bike for a short stretch would be nice)
Simple/low maintenance (not a bike guy, not mechanically inclined)
Versatile, able to handle some rocky gravel for short distances
I intend to use it for mostly road/ paved bike path, some gravel, some hills, no hills longer than 0.5 miles, most 0.25 or shorter
Use it mostly for commuting, either 13 miles one-way or 4-5 miles to/from train/subway, but if I enjoy riding as much as I think I will, I may do some rides on the weekends as well.
Can bring bike into office and charge there so don't need a removeable battery
Planning to purchase used, with one or two possible exceptions
Here are my options if I decide to purchase a new bike:
Ride1Up Roadster V2 Gravel Edition, AKA the Gravelster ($1300ish after tax and I'd need to add lights and a lock). I like the lightweight, simplicity of single speed, Gates Belt Drive, and ability to handle gravel.
I know it has a weaker motor and less range but I'm not too worried about either of those things.
I know the Flx Babymaker II just dropped and it has a range of 20-70 miles, single speed with Gates belt drive, hydraulic disc brakes and is currently $1,222, $1000 off it's "normal" price but that sale price may end tomorrow. I think I prefer the Gravelster to the Babymaker from an aesthetic standpoint (if nothing else the Gravelster doesn't have the word Babymaker anywhere on it like the Babymaker II does) and ability to handle gravel.
Other options (all used, varying distances away from me):
Cannondale Treadwell Neo 2020 ($1300- 1 owner, unknown mileage but doesn't sound like it's been used much and the bike looks well maintained in the photos). It's the lightest weight of the bikes I'm considering outside of the Roadster. I'm guessing the Cannondale and Gravelster are both right around 35 lbs. Has 250 watt rear-mounted motor (MAHLE ebikemotion X35) whereas the Gravelster has 350 watt Shengyi. The Neo has hydraulic disc brakes vs mechanical for the Gravelster. Range is 25- 45 miles vs 20-30 for the Gravelster. Gravelster can go up to 24 mph vs 20 but I doubt I'll be looking to go over 20 mph so that's not a big deal. It's used but being a Cannondale I should be able to get it serviced rather easily (I'm in Atlanta), unlike the Ride1Up. Although it's used I'll know exactly what shape the bike I'm getting is in (reading about wheels being out of true and axle cones being too tight scares me. I don't know what an axle cone is or what "out of true" means or how to fix it). Price-wise they're about the same and the Cannondale comes with lights that the owner added. It's also relatively close to where I am, although I haven't been able to arrange a test drive.
Specialized Turbo Como 2.0 ($1500- 2 owners, 500 miles). Quite a bit heavier at 47 lbs, but has a mid-drive Brose motor (250 watt) and a 25-60 mile battery range. Battery is removable, unlike the other two, but I don't anticipate needing to remove it as I can charge the bike at work or in my basement where it will be stored when not riding. Both the Cannondale and Specialized are 9 speed but I'm not used to shifting a bike. When I've test ridden a few e-bikes I used the PAS as my shifter essentially, cranking it up a bit until settling into a speed and using it rather than the gears on the bike when I've needed assistance on hills. I'm sure that as I get more familiar with bicycling I'd make use of the gears but it's also one more thing to have to maintain and I like the simplicity of a single speed belt drive. This bike is listed at $1500. (After typing all this up, I don't think there's anything the Specialized offers that's worth the extra $, so I don't think it's an option but I'm leaving it in in case I'm missing something about the Specialized that makes it worth the extra $).
Rad Power RadMission 1 (+ accessories listed below - $800- 1 owner, 162 miles). Similar weight to the Como, single speed like the Gravelster (but not a belt drive), mechanical disk brakes, 500 watt motor and a 25-45 mile battery range. 48 volt removable battery vs 36 for the others and also takes longer to charge. But this bike comes with lights, a rear rack with panniers, fenders, a phone pouch, a bike lock, and an upgraded soft gel seat cover with rain cover, all for $800. As someone who is coming into this with nothing but an oldish helmet, I like having the accessorizing already having been done for me. About 2 hours away from me. Worry a bit about finding a place to service it.
Batch E-Commuter ($850- 2 owners, around 400 miles, 3 years old, battery sounds like it's in great condition). Another bike around 47 lbs, Bosch Active Line mid-drive motor and 36 v battery, 30-80 mile range, hydraulic disc brakes, comes with rear rack and fenders but no lights on front or back. Would take most of a day to travel to get this one (cost of gas factored into price listed). Aethetically it's fairly boring looking; heck, even the name is boring- in fact there's a wired.com review called Boring but Reliable- I drive a Camry so I'm not opposed to boring but reliable transportation, but is sexy gonna get me out the door on the bike or will something reliable- hard to say. Not much info on the forums about this bike either although there was a review of it: https://electricbikereview.com/batch-bicycles/e-commuter/. Bike is no longer made but the webpage for it is still available: https://www.batchbicycles.com/e-bike/
I found an almost new Flx Babymaker Pro a few hours away from me but the min range of 10 miles really scares me.
I know that's a lot of info and I know you're going to say that I need to test ride them, but outside of the Cannondale, these bikes are all 1-4 hours away (one-way). Are there any aspects of the bikes that I did not include that should factor heavily into the decision, like tire width possibly? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Are there any bikes I haven't listed that you think would make sense to consider?
My thoughts on these different options seem to change hourly, but currently I think Cannondale is #1, Gravelster and RadMission 1 are close behind, and Batch is #4 right now.
I'm not a cyclist (yet? Is there such a thing as an e-cyclist? I don't really ever see myself riding a non-electric bike) but am looking at an ebike as a way to get some exercise and get some variety into my commute. I'm 45 and in good shape as I play soccer regularly and have previously run marathons so I have the cardio but have developed some knee issues due to weaker quads and cycling would help with the quad strengthening, but I also don't want to do all the work on the commute/ride.
Things I think I want in a bike:
Lightweight (I may bike all the way into work or may bike to/from train/subway, so being able to carry bike for a short stretch would be nice)
Simple/low maintenance (not a bike guy, not mechanically inclined)
Versatile, able to handle some rocky gravel for short distances
I intend to use it for mostly road/ paved bike path, some gravel, some hills, no hills longer than 0.5 miles, most 0.25 or shorter
Use it mostly for commuting, either 13 miles one-way or 4-5 miles to/from train/subway, but if I enjoy riding as much as I think I will, I may do some rides on the weekends as well.
Can bring bike into office and charge there so don't need a removeable battery
Planning to purchase used, with one or two possible exceptions
Here are my options if I decide to purchase a new bike:
Ride1Up Roadster V2 Gravel Edition, AKA the Gravelster ($1300ish after tax and I'd need to add lights and a lock). I like the lightweight, simplicity of single speed, Gates Belt Drive, and ability to handle gravel.
I know it has a weaker motor and less range but I'm not too worried about either of those things.
I know the Flx Babymaker II just dropped and it has a range of 20-70 miles, single speed with Gates belt drive, hydraulic disc brakes and is currently $1,222, $1000 off it's "normal" price but that sale price may end tomorrow. I think I prefer the Gravelster to the Babymaker from an aesthetic standpoint (if nothing else the Gravelster doesn't have the word Babymaker anywhere on it like the Babymaker II does) and ability to handle gravel.
Other options (all used, varying distances away from me):
Cannondale Treadwell Neo 2020 ($1300- 1 owner, unknown mileage but doesn't sound like it's been used much and the bike looks well maintained in the photos). It's the lightest weight of the bikes I'm considering outside of the Roadster. I'm guessing the Cannondale and Gravelster are both right around 35 lbs. Has 250 watt rear-mounted motor (MAHLE ebikemotion X35) whereas the Gravelster has 350 watt Shengyi. The Neo has hydraulic disc brakes vs mechanical for the Gravelster. Range is 25- 45 miles vs 20-30 for the Gravelster. Gravelster can go up to 24 mph vs 20 but I doubt I'll be looking to go over 20 mph so that's not a big deal. It's used but being a Cannondale I should be able to get it serviced rather easily (I'm in Atlanta), unlike the Ride1Up. Although it's used I'll know exactly what shape the bike I'm getting is in (reading about wheels being out of true and axle cones being too tight scares me. I don't know what an axle cone is or what "out of true" means or how to fix it). Price-wise they're about the same and the Cannondale comes with lights that the owner added. It's also relatively close to where I am, although I haven't been able to arrange a test drive.
Specialized Turbo Como 2.0 ($1500- 2 owners, 500 miles). Quite a bit heavier at 47 lbs, but has a mid-drive Brose motor (250 watt) and a 25-60 mile battery range. Battery is removable, unlike the other two, but I don't anticipate needing to remove it as I can charge the bike at work or in my basement where it will be stored when not riding. Both the Cannondale and Specialized are 9 speed but I'm not used to shifting a bike. When I've test ridden a few e-bikes I used the PAS as my shifter essentially, cranking it up a bit until settling into a speed and using it rather than the gears on the bike when I've needed assistance on hills. I'm sure that as I get more familiar with bicycling I'd make use of the gears but it's also one more thing to have to maintain and I like the simplicity of a single speed belt drive. This bike is listed at $1500. (After typing all this up, I don't think there's anything the Specialized offers that's worth the extra $, so I don't think it's an option but I'm leaving it in in case I'm missing something about the Specialized that makes it worth the extra $).
Rad Power RadMission 1 (+ accessories listed below - $800- 1 owner, 162 miles). Similar weight to the Como, single speed like the Gravelster (but not a belt drive), mechanical disk brakes, 500 watt motor and a 25-45 mile battery range. 48 volt removable battery vs 36 for the others and also takes longer to charge. But this bike comes with lights, a rear rack with panniers, fenders, a phone pouch, a bike lock, and an upgraded soft gel seat cover with rain cover, all for $800. As someone who is coming into this with nothing but an oldish helmet, I like having the accessorizing already having been done for me. About 2 hours away from me. Worry a bit about finding a place to service it.
Batch E-Commuter ($850- 2 owners, around 400 miles, 3 years old, battery sounds like it's in great condition). Another bike around 47 lbs, Bosch Active Line mid-drive motor and 36 v battery, 30-80 mile range, hydraulic disc brakes, comes with rear rack and fenders but no lights on front or back. Would take most of a day to travel to get this one (cost of gas factored into price listed). Aethetically it's fairly boring looking; heck, even the name is boring- in fact there's a wired.com review called Boring but Reliable- I drive a Camry so I'm not opposed to boring but reliable transportation, but is sexy gonna get me out the door on the bike or will something reliable- hard to say. Not much info on the forums about this bike either although there was a review of it: https://electricbikereview.com/batch-bicycles/e-commuter/. Bike is no longer made but the webpage for it is still available: https://www.batchbicycles.com/e-bike/
I found an almost new Flx Babymaker Pro a few hours away from me but the min range of 10 miles really scares me.
I know that's a lot of info and I know you're going to say that I need to test ride them, but outside of the Cannondale, these bikes are all 1-4 hours away (one-way). Are there any aspects of the bikes that I did not include that should factor heavily into the decision, like tire width possibly? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Are there any bikes I haven't listed that you think would make sense to consider?
My thoughts on these different options seem to change hourly, but currently I think Cannondale is #1, Gravelster and RadMission 1 are close behind, and Batch is #4 right now.
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