Looking for a Grocery Getter and Exercise eBike

[Xytan]

Hi everyone,

Background:
I'm looking to get my first eBike. I'm 37M, 6'0", and 275lbs. Pre-COVID I was in okay shape as I'd have to walk to my work's café in another building, which tended to lead to me just going for a walk around the area for the lunch hour. Post-COVID I've been working from home and rarely have a reason to leave the house outside of grocery shopping. I'd like to change that and get in better shape. I used to love to ride as a kid, but haven't really been on a bike since. I got a Walmart bike a few years ago (yes, I know better now), but haven't used it much until recently. I've been learning a lot in the last few weeks of my research and have fixed that bike up enough to be rideable again. My budget is very flexible, but this will just be an exercise machine and grocery getter, not a daily commuter, so I'm kind of weary of spending too much. I'm also not sure if I'd even keep up with it long-term. I bought an indoor bike a few months ago and have been using that several times a week since. It's just not the same as a real bike however. The cheap Walmart bike is way more fun even if I can't go very far with it at my current fitness level.

Anyways, enough of me rambling. Here's what I'm looking for.

• Needs
  
  • Can carry 275lb rider + around 30lbs of cargo.
  • Can carry roughly a shopping basket amount of groceries.
  • Can carry a large camera backpack (not at the same time as groceries).
  • Class 2, Class 3 capable preferred.
• Nice-to-have
  
  • Foldable, I don't think my small electric sedan can handle a bike rack. I don't know much about bike racks though and I don't expect to take it via car often. I have a garage so storage isn't an issue.
  • Mid-Drive
  • Torque sensor
  • At least front suspension, for the bad roads, but just a suspension seat might be enough?
  • I think I'd prefer a thumb throttle over a twist as I have wrist issues, but it's not a dealbreaker.
  • Step-through, again not a dealbreaker.
• Budget
  
  • $2k
  • As high as $4k for the right bike
• Riding Conditions
  
  • Mostly paved roads.
  • Very few bike lanes
  • Relatively hilly. Mostly rolling hills rather than steep hills.
  • Don't plan on going off-road much, if at all.
• Other
  
  • Range isn't really a concern. The places I plan to ride to are only maybe 10 miles round trip.
  • Would prefer to pedal and just have the throttle as a backup plan.
  • On an exercise bike, my cadence is around 50-60RPM. I can burst up to around 90 for about 30-60 seconds.

This is my "short" list so far (in no particular order):

• Lectric XPremium
• Lectric XPedition
• Aventon Abound
• Priority Current (through Costco)
• Ride1Up 700 Series
• Velotric Nomad 1 (My dad has this one and loves it)

Really leaning towards the Lectric XPremium or XPedition. While I prefer the XPremium, a lot of owners seem to say it feels underpowered. The XPedition seems like an ok alternative to it, but loses a few key features. The Current seems like an amazing value for the price. I'm just worried it can't support my weight + cargo and it doesn’t have a throttle. The others are just tough, good value bikes I've found. I'm open to other suggestions, even just brand recommendations. My thought is more to get something affordable (sub-2k) now and "upgrade" to something much higher end later down the road if I stick with it. Very much in the decision paralysis phase though...

Thanks in advance!

Update:
Ended up picking the Aventon Abound. I narrowed it down between the XPremium and the Abound, but the Abound ended up winning me over.

Reasons why (in no particular order):
- I have quite a few LBS close by that sells Aventons. While I'm relatively handy, I like the safety net of having professionals nearby.
- Between the color and the "no welds" look, I think it's just way better looking.
- I appreciate the built in turn signals.
- I don't think I'd need the extra range all that often, if at all. Plus the Abound is coming with a free extra battery (so 2 total), so it's kind of a wash.
- While I haven't tried a torque or even a cadence sensor, I think I'll prefer the torque.
- The class 2 limit doesn't seem to be an issue. It appears that going much faster than 20 on a cargo bike isn't a great idea anyways (while loaded anyways).
- I like the front suspension for the potholes in my area. It has a lockout too for when loaded with cargo or needing extra power.

 

[Ben J]

On an exercise bike, my cadence is around 50-60RPM. I can burst up to around 90 for about 30-60 seconds.

Did you just hop on an exercise bike to check, or do you ride regularly? I would expect your cadence to increase fairly rapidly if you rode regularly.

The reason it's important is that mid-drive motors are less efficient at low cadence, so you will have to de-rate the stated specs if you don't hit at least 75. And since you also care about class 3 (and speed) you should know that going above class 2 speeds will require pedaling and almost certainly require cadence around 90 to hit 28MPH. You can calculate it from the gearing and wheel size.

To take the Abound as an example, a cadence of 90 in its highest gear is 20MPH (and it's a class 2 bike). Now since it's class 2, you could just press the throttle and go 20. Harder to find specs on the Lectric XPremium, but it looks like a 58T chainring according to a review (not on lectric's site) which would make it 26MPH at 90 RPM in top gear. Even though it's class 3 you'd have to maintain a cadence of 98 to go top speed. But if you could only hit 60 you'd need throttle to go over 17MPH.

 

[Xytan]

Dang, didn't realize how quickly you actually need to pedal. My exercise bike does have a cadence sensor in it to tell the RPMs, it's just a bar graph under some numbers so it's difficult to see the actual RPM. 50-60 is my "I can do this almost forever" speed. I know for sure there's no way I can currently keep up 90-100 RPM for long.

Maybe a cadence sensor is the way to go for now then. I have a goal to reach in fitness levels now too, so that's helpful. I figured a torque sensor would be better for fitness, but it seems like if I'd like to actually get anywhere in a reasonable time, cadence might be a better choice.

 

[indianajo]

Those high pedal cadences are for athletes pretending they are training for the tour de france. I pedal about 45-60 rpm, 70 miles per week in summer. I carry groceries on the outbound leg, 50-60 lb frequently, occasionally up to 80 lb. I ride about 8-10 mph, I don't like faster without a suspension. Suspensions & grocery runs are incompatible. The suspension has to be adjusted every time you load or unload.
Load placement is critical. With load on the back of a conventional cruiser or MTB, front tire weight can go as low as 50 lb. This led to the front tire whipping sideways on bumps, ridges of gravel, a stick, pitching me over the handlebar on my chin. 5 times 2008-2018. I now ride a cargo bike that puts my weight on the front tire, the cargo on the back. No more falls 2018-2023. You can buy short frame bikes that allow loads on the front tire that don't steer, but they are rare. Surface604 werk is one; there was a $5500 specialized MTB with mounts for a non-steering front rack.
I ride rolling hills with a geared hub motor on the front. The momentum of the downhill can help you up the next. If one spends a lot of time grinding up hills slowly, geared hubs can overheat the winding, permanent. Geared hubs in a wheel are a lot easier to change than a chain, IMHO. Gearsets last about 3000 miles. I keep a spare power wheel n the garage for one one day outages. Mid drives are available but blow your budget. Usually require a week or more of shop time if there is a problem, plus a ride to the shop. I don't give my bike rides in a car, I don't keep one.
I'd suggest check out the blix packa https://blixbike.com/packa or the new dubbel. Price meets your spec. 2" or 2.4" tires for big people. Known issues on the brand forum still has only one post. Last I checked had mounts for a non-steering front rack. Other stretch frame cargo bikes with big wheels, xtracycle, yuba, momentum, m2s, pedego. Some have a mid drive at the cost of 3000 miles chain replacement and no throttle. Required displays on some mids may fog up in the rain. Mine did, I deleted it. 20" wheel bikes like tern or euronau I would find painful through USA potholes. Fine for Germany, I never saw a pothole there, even on farm tractor tracks.
My bike exercise routine has my weight & rest pulse rate better than since 1978. I'm age 72. Bodies are meant to be used regularly. Biking doesn't hurt joints as running does. Happy shopping & riding.

 

[Xytan]

Thanks for all the info! Really pushing me towards the Lectric XPedition I think. Also branching out and looking at the Ride1Up Rift/Cafe Cruiser. Still eyeing the Abound though...

The Blix Packa and Dubbel look good, but they recommend only 250lb riders, which I am not quite there yet. Trying to stick around the 2k limit. I can afford something fancy, but want to start off small first.

 

[Ben J]

they recommend only 250lb riders

pff I'm way over (one of my) bike's limit and it's fine.

If you really care about limits, almost all bikes list a total weight (bike + rider) at 300lbs, which leaves approximately zero bikes for someone who is 275lbs. In practice you'll have to accept that you will put above average wear on it.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Those high pedal cadences are for athletes pretending they are training for the tour de france. I pedal about 45-60 rpm, 70 miles per week in summer.

Everyone's different. My knees would never tolerate cadences as low as yours — especially on hills. But they're quite happy at 75-85 RPM. That's just me. No pretending involved.

 

[rich c]

Class 2, class 3 capable are illegal in many states. You can't have a throttle and promise you won't use it. Class 3 can't have a throttle on the bike.

 

[Xytan]

I decided to just send it and just ordered the Aventon Abound. Not sure what it is, but I felt like it was just calling to me heh.
Thanks everyone for the input! It really did help me decide what to focus on in making my decision.