Looking for a mid-drive commuter ebike under $2500

[ketchum]

I am looking for a commuter e-bike that I can use for groceries and simple cargo carrying. I need to climb hills in my area so only looking for a mid-drive electric bike. Any Advice ?

 

[Rick53]

I am looking for a commuter e-bike that I can use for groceries and simple cargo carrying. I need to climb hills in my area so only looking for a mid-drive electric bike. Any Advice ?

Specialized COMO 2

 

[cuwatra]

Specialized COMO 2

Does not come standard with racks, lights, or fenders. Not a very good commuter w/o those extras, which when added pushes the price point over $2.5k.

I'd look at offerings outside of the Big 3 for the most bang for your buck.

 

[FlatSix911]

Take a look at BikesDirect and Lenny's for some deals on Mid-drive commuters from $1,700 -$2,200.

Crazy Deal | Crazy Lenny's eBikes

Check out our Crazy Deals for the best prices in ebikes that you'll find.

www.crazylennysebikes.com

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products...es/ebikes-electric-bikes-elite-eadventure.htm
2020 Motobecane Front Suspension Electric Elite eAdventure Shimano Electric MidDrive $1699

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products...cycles/ebikes-electric-bikes-elite-eurban.htm
2020 Motobecane Front Suspension Electric Elite eUrban, Advanced Integrated Battery, Shimano MidDrive $1799

 

[Dewey]

I'd suggest the Gazelle NL for its double kickstand and steerer headset lock - the front rack moves with the handlebars which limits the weight you can comfortably carry up front without it pulling your steering to either side but it has wide Cruiser handlebars to help with that. By contrast another brand Rad Power I think most of their models have frame mounted front rack lugs. If you only need to carry stuff on the rear rack try the Giant LaFree E+1, the belt drive model, it has a good Yamaha motor & IGH so you can shift when stopped at a light, like the Gazelle NL it's a Class 1 with torque sensor, I've read on this forum the rack on the LaFree has a design that makes it a bit difficult to find panniers that work with it, although there are good sling over panniers from Dutch brand Clarijs that work available from JC Lind in Chicago.

 

[Rick53]

Does not come standard with racks, lights, or fenders. Not a very good commuter w/o those extras, which when added pushes the price point over $2.5k.

I'd look at offerings outside of the Big 3 for the most bang for your buck.

Trek Verve+ 2 Nice up Right :

 

[TomD]

Take a look at BikesDirect and Lenny's for some deals on Mid-drive commuters from $1,700 -$2,200.

Crazy Deal | Crazy Lenny's eBikes

Check out our Crazy Deals for the best prices in ebikes that you'll find.

www.crazylennysebikes.com

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products...es/ebikes-electric-bikes-elite-eadventure.htm

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products...cycles/ebikes-electric-bikes-elite-eurban.htm

Also, just to clarify, Lenny's rotates their specials all the time. The BH Atom Street and Gepida Ruga deals for ~$1800 may not show up tomorrow or the next day but may still be available. If you want 28" tires look at the Atom City which Lenny's will probably discount similar to the Atom Street. Lenny's will also take $300 to $1000 off any bike this month. Call them about any bike you're interested in. I've never purchased from Crazy Lennny's but everyone on EBR who has done business with them seems to be quite happy!

 

[Seattle.jones]

You can try Ariel Rider C-Class. For 1799 it has almost all the features for a commuter. You will need to do your own assembly or ask your local bicycle store to do it for $100 max.

We are going to face some hard economical times so it makes sense to save some. I love Specialized or Gazelle but they are expensive at least expensive for me.

 

[TomD]

Those Ariel bikes look like very nice value for the money with front basket and rear rack. That said the C-Class has a Dapu 500W mid drive. Dapu rear hubs are well regarded, but haven't heard good things about their torque sensing mid drives. I think for the same money the Brose motor on the BH Atom would be better, assuming the OP is looking for a step thru.

 

[TomD]

Here's another option. Might be a bit out of the box for commuting, but will be a plush ride with the fat tires. Decent cargo bike with rear rack and front basket. Powerful Ultra motor with 800+ wh battery. Quite heavy though. $2295 shipped after coupon.

Best 1000 Watt Mid Drive ebike Under $2500- BPM Imports

Looking for the best 1000 watt mid drive ebike under $2500? Look no further than BPM Imports! We have a wide selection of high-quality ebikes to choose from, all at competitive prices.

www.bpmimports.com

 

[cuwatra]

Here's another option. Might be a bit out of the box for commuting, but will be a plush ride with the fat tires. Decent cargo bike with rear rack and front basket. Powerful Ultra motor with 800+ wh battery. Quite heavy though. $2295 shipped after coupon.

Best 1000 Watt Mid Drive ebike Under $2500- BPM Imports

Looking for the best 1000 watt mid drive ebike under $2500? Look no further than BPM Imports! We have a wide selection of high-quality ebikes to choose from, all at competitive prices.

www.bpmimports.com

How's that large front basket effect the steering /handling?

 

[TomD]

No personal experience but should be fine. Bikepackers typically carry weight on handlebars.

 

[Mr. Max]

I'm not sure that you've really asked the right question? I think there's way, way more questions to ask.

Why do you think you need a mid drive motor? Have you ridden different e-bikes to feel a difference between a mid-drive and a hub motor, or are you just reading reviews? (reading reviews and watching videos is a fantastic place to start, but it can't replace you physically experiencing the bike with your butt on the seat, feet on the pedals and hands on the handlebars.) How steep are your hills? How long is your commute? How fast do you want to go? How much do you want to carry? How did you come up with your budget of $2500. Is it the most that you can afford? What if you spent way less and got a decent bike or waited a bit and spent a little more for a much better bike? Perhaps the most important question. If you get an internet bike are you willing to be the primary bike mechanic as many LBS's don't like to work on internet e-bikes. Or do you want the security of a LBS backing up the warranty?

In December, I went to Seattle to visit some friends who are opening a new brewery that is literally one block away from Rad Headquarters. I escaped my friends for a bit and rode all of the Rad models. I liked the RadCity the best, because it was the closest to a regular bike. Rad was having a pre-holiday sale so every bike was $200 off. I got the Radcity for $1299 with free shipping. For $1300, I think the Radcity is an awesome commuter bike, that has most every necessary feature included that a commuter needs.

I don't like admitting this to the entire world, but I'm not the skinniest guy on Earth and I'm in my mid-60's. Since December, I've put on about 700 miles on the Radcity, commuting as many days of the week as possible. My commute is about 15 miles round trip. It's a fairly hilly commute and I live at the top of one of the steepest hills of them all. 2 miles of up. I can carry 20 pounds of whatever in my panniers and go up any hill that I've found using the Radcity's granny gear and just the hub motor's mid-level power assist (level 3 out of 5 levels).

The Radcity and its non-geared hub motor works great for me to go up steep hills and like I said, I'm not skinny and am an old codger.

The weakness of the Radcity is as an internet bike neither of my two rural LBS's want to work on it. I had no idea that would be a problem before I bought the Radcity. Fortunately, I'm a decent bike mechanic, but I wish I would have known the implications of buying an internet e-bike before I purchased it. That's something that I highly recommend researching in your region before buying an internet e-bike. Will your LBS help you out when needed or are you on your own?

I am currently exploring buying a Specialized or a Trek, just to get a bike that can be supported locally. But without a doubt, before I ever buy another e-bike, I'm going to rent it for 3-4 days first and really try it out. If I can't do that then I won't buy the bike.

Best of luck in your quest! There are hundreds of e-bikes to chose from and that makes the decision of which bike is best for you to be especially tough!

 

[cuwatra]

I'm not sure that you've really asked the right question? I think there's way, way more questions to ask.

Why do you think you need a mid drive motor? Have you ridden different e-bikes to feel a difference between a mid-drive and a hub motor, or are you just reading reviews? (reading reviews and watching videos is a fantastic place to start, but it can't replace you physically experiencing the bike with your butt on the seat, feet on the pedals and hands on the handlebars.) How steep are your hills? How long is your commute? How fast do you want to go? How much do you want to carry? How did you come up with your budget of $2500. Is it the most that you can afford? What if you spent way less and got a decent bike or waited a bit and spent a little more for a much better bike? Perhaps the most important question. If you get an internet bike are you willing to be the primary bike mechanic as many LBS's don't like to work on internet e-bikes. Or do you want the security of a LBS backing up the warranty?

In December, I went to Seattle to visit some friends who are opening a new brewery that is literally one block away from Rad Headquarters. I escaped my friends for a bit and rode all of the Rad models. I liked the RadCity the best, because it was the closest to a regular bike. Rad was having a pre-holiday sale so every bike was $200 off. I got the Radcity for $1299 with free shipping. For $1300, I think the Radcity is an awesome commuter bike, that has most every necessary feature included that a commuter needs.

I don't like admitting this to the entire world, but I'm not the skinniest guy on Earth and I'm in my mid-60's. Since December, I've put on about 700 miles on the Radcity, commuting as many days of the week as possible. My commute is about 15 miles round trip. It's a fairly hilly commute and I live at the top of one of the steepest hills of them all. 2 miles of up. I can carry 20 pounds of whatever in my panniers and go up any hill that I've found using the Radcity's granny gear and just the hub motor's mid-level power assist (level 3 out of 5 levels).

The Radcity and its non-geared hub motor works great for me to go up steep hills and like I said, I'm not skinny and am an old codger.

The weakness of the Radcity is as an internet bike neither of my two rural LBS's want to work on it. I had no idea that would be a problem before I bought the Radcity. Fortunately, I'm a decent bike mechanic, but I wish I would have known the implications of buying an internet e-bike before I purchased it. That's something that I highly recommend researching in your region before buying an internet e-bike. Will your LBS help you out when needed or are you on your own?

I am currently exploring buying a Specialized or a Trek, just to get a bike that can be supported locally. But without a doubt, before I ever buy another e-bike, I'm going to rent it for 3-4 days first and really try it out. If I can't do that then I won't buy the bike.

Best of luck in your quest! There are hundreds of e-bikes to chose from and that makes the decision of which bike is best for you to be especially tough!

Not having a LBS to work on the bike isn't really a deal breaker IMO. Mobile bike mechanics are available in most larger urban areas. Velofix is one of the bigger outfits that will come to where you and the bike are and work on your internet ebike, no questions asked.

Velofix
North America's Largest Fleet of Mobile Bike Shops
1-855-VELO FIX | www.velofix.com

 

[Mr. Max]

I'm sure Velofix is awesome if you live in a location that they service. I live in rural New England. For me, the nearest Velofix dealer is a 3 hour drive. All I'm saying is I wish I would have thought about that before I bought my bike and was recommending that Ketchum be smarter than me and do that research ahead of time. But yes, if you live in a city that Velofix services, you're set! Cheers!!

 

[Cyklefanatic]

Not having a LBS to work on the bike isn't really a deal breaker IMO. Mobile bike mechanics are available in most larger urban areas. Velofix is one of the bigger outfits that will come to where you and the bike are and work on your internet ebike, no questions asked.

Velofix
North America's Largest Fleet of Mobile Bike Shops
1-855-VELO FIX | www.velofix.com

But after using Velofix two or three times the price advantage of an internet bike disappear. Internet bikes are great for people who enjoy spinning wrenches as much as they do riding.

 

[Black47]

I only speak from trying out ebikes. The Trek Verve + isn't good at climbing hills in my opinion at $2.4, the Giant LaFree E+ 2 was fine at $2.0 but you need to add lights are the mids that I tried. The Magnum UI6 at $1.9 or the Magnum Metro at $2.2 and Aventon Pace 500 at $1.4 but needs fenders and rack (about $100 extra according to my LBS) among the rear hubs I tried would all work. I also tried a E-Joe Koda 3.0 at $1.7 but I'm not sure if they are still available. Frankly, I was all set to get the Giant LaFree until my knee acted up and I can barely walk and have a severe limp, so I put it off for now.

 

[cuwatra]

I only speak from trying out ebikes. The Trek Verve + isn't good at climbing hills in my opinion at $2.4, the Giant LaFree E+ 2 was fine at $2.0 but you need to add lights are the mids that I tried. The Magnum UI6 at $1.9 or the Magnum Metro at $2.2 and Aventon Pace 500 at $1.4 but needs fenders and rack (about $100 extra according to my LBS) among the rear hubs I tried would all work. I also tried a E-Joe Koda 3.0 at $1.7 but I'm not sure if they are still available. Frankly, I was all set to get the Giant LaFree until my knee acted up and I can barely walk and have a severe limp, so I put it off for now.

Better check the thread about noisy Giant motors giving people problems.

Widespread Giant motor creaking problem - time for a recall?

I just took my 2018 Dirt E+2 into the LBS, on Vancouver Island, to have the chain replaced. The tech reported that there was play in the motor likely due to wear on the bolts. The play can be felt when you jiggle the crank back and forth. They contacted Giant and expect to receive motor shims...

electricbikereview.com

 

[cuwatra]

But after using Velofix two or three times the price advantage of an internet bike disappear. Internet bikes are great for people who enjoy spinning wrenches as much as they do riding.

Not sure if you are implying that Velofix is dramatically more expensive than any LBS service's prices but if so I have not found that to be the case.

 

[Cyklefanatic]

Not sure if you are implying that Velofix is dramatically more expensive than any LBS service's prices but if so I have not found that to be the case.

My LBS does free tuneups for life of the bike. They also help guide me on specific repairs and equipment purchases. An Internet bike may arrive needing some assembly and adjustments as well as fixing of some transport damage.