Looking for an e-trike

[Dave P]

I am watching this thread closely with interest because I may need to buy an e-trike soon for my wife. She currently has a Blix Aveny eBike that gave her great joy last summer, but because of declining health, she has been unable to ride so far this season and that situation has kept me off my ebike as well. We tried once, and she only made it 20' before falling, so I am hesitant to try again. My local LBS has a iZip E3 GO eTrike in stock for $2300. I kind of like the looks of it because it has a mid drive motor instead of a front hub drive and a 3 speed Sturmey Archer internal hub shifter. I realize this is a big compromise over her Blix eBike, but it may be our best option to stay on the trails. Does anyone have any experience with the iZip E3 GO?

I have no personal experience with the iZip E3 GO trike other than check it out online when I was looking and you being a well known member are probably familar with the iZip E3 Go 2017 review of the trike by EBR:

as well as the overall review by Court: https://electricbikereview.com/izip/e3-go/
I am familiar with Sturmey Archer internal hubs and they are great. I am not a fan of mid-drives. Obviously when you check it out at your LBS your experience and your wife's experience will weigh heavily on your decision.
Good luck.
Dave

 

[AlanDB]

I have no personal experience with the iZip E3 GO trike other than check it out online when I was looking and you being a well known member are probably familar with the iZip E3 Go 2017 review of the trike by EBR:

as well as the overall review by Court: https://electricbikereview.com/izip/e3-go/
I am familiar with Sturmey Archer internal hubs and they are great. I am not a fan of mid-drives. Obviously when you check it out at your LBS your experience and your wife's experience will weigh heavily on your decision.
Good luck.
Dave

Oh WOW! Not sure why I am a "well known" member as I just joined about a year ago. But thanks for pointing out the review … I had not really looked at reviews yet because there is not much selection for etrikes where I am. I was kind of hoping for some feedback from someone who actually owns one, but thanks for pointing out Court's review. That is helpful.

 

[Dave P]

Alan
Glad to be of help. I have neuropathy of my lower extremities and I can sympathize with your wife as I kept falling off my Trek (non-electric). Now I have several e-trikes and I love them for triking along the ocean for miles on end.
Best of luck to you!
Dave

 

[Dave P]

There are two bolts in the bottom of the bottom bracket. On a tandem, you have to adjust the front bracket to keep the chain tight, kind of an offset crank hub. One of the bolts that hold it tight was too tight and when I tries to loosen it, it snapped off. I will need drilled and removed. A machine shop can do it but the point is that Addmotor said "sorry" after sending me a youtube video on removing broken bolts. Once you own it, you are on your own.

Omaha Action Man
I have never received that kind of feeling or response from Addmotor. There has to be more to this story than what you are sharing. Where on the tandem bike is this bolt that you are talking about and what youtube video did they send you? Maybe someone can help and I would be willing to contact Addmotor about this. Anyway I disagree with your assessment of Addmotor without additional information. I realize you spent $3000 so I can appreciate your frustration if this is true but a broken bolt causing such a ruckus doesn't make sense without additional info. Thanks.

 

[Dave P]

I'm probably not describing the driveway too well. It's actually very hard-packed dirt with a few small'ish' rocks that are set into the dirt (some that are about the size of potatoes). No loose dirt (very little) but a number of ruts from tires as a previous tenant drove an 18-wheeler up & down the driveway while the snow was melting It's mostly smoothed out now but still some smaller ruts & bumps on the steeper portion. I wish I knew how to post a picture on here. Yes... buying blind is brutal!

The easiest way to post a picture is to write your response and then "copy" your picture and "paste" it into your post. In that way you avoid having to save your picture on your computer somewhere and use the "attach files" to pull it up off your computer since that seems problematic for you.

 

[EZ-Glider]

Colin
I couldn't find the new one you mentioned at electric trike. I have never heard of Daymak but I looked on their site at the one you mentioned and it looks pretty good. It has a Bafang 500W motor in the front and a 48volt 20ah battery which is remarkable. It has most of what you want and so close to you makes it even more attractive. You could drive up there, fall in love with it and haul it back to your place on Monday. I wonder if they would give you a few days for your wife to try it out.
Dave

Dave I've saved all links you've posted here & want to say I really really appreciate your help!
I'm still torn between a few trikes.
That Florence bike... the battery is lead acid. Not as good I understand. Also, it looks like the front wheel is also 20", the same as the rear two (don't the Addmotor bikes have a 24" up front?).
I had a couple of pictures saved of that new trike with the mid-drive but wasn't able to find where I'd stored them... til' this evening. Here it is..
It's their 2020 mid-drive trike. I believe it has a 750W motor. It also has limited differential ... both back wheels have power going to them. Brakes are hydraulic lines. The frame style looks a bit like a cross between the 330 & 350 (I thought).

 

[EZ-Glider]

And another picture of it

 

[Dave P]

And another picture of it View attachment 33813

Colin
That is quite an e-trike you have pictured and it is definitely a mid-motor and your description seems reasonably accurate. Of course, the price at $3498 reflects all the "good" stuff they included: mid-drive, differential, hydraulic brakes etc. Do you have a link to it since I have not seen it before? It would be interesting to find the manufacturer as well as some more of the details such as the "high powered battery" etc. At that price, I am surprised they are using a chain for their mid-motor which kind of defeats their significant upgrade. Maybe more details will reveal why.

The Florence Daymak has a lithium battery and not a lead battery: http://www.daymak.com/offroad/florence-fat-tire.html Go down the page and click on "electrical". The Florence Daymak, as well as the new one you are showing, has 20" tires front and back. That is the same as the Addmotor M-330 which I own and have ridden the most. As you've indicated, it does look like a cross between the M-330 and the M-350 with its step-thru but of course the M-350 has a 24" front tire.

Glad to see you are still checking this material out. Hope I am of some help. If you want to see or maybe you have seen the etrikes coming out of China here is a link: https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/electric-fat-tire-tricycle.html Of course, you have to purchase 30 at a time or buy 1 but probably pay $1200 freight. Anyway, just ideas at this point.
Dave

 

[EZ-Glider]

Glad to see you are still checking this material out. Hope I am of some help.
Dave

Dave, I look forward to your comments here in a huge way! Lately when I log onto my email, the first thing I scroll to is see if there's a response to this thread from you! lol. (I'm serious).
I found a bike near to my home (just last night). It looks like the M-330. Very reasonably priced for me (vs. purchasing from the USA) and within 4hrs. of my home so I can rent a pickup truck to go and get it.

What do you think... is this an M-330?

 

[EZ-Glider]

I guess I can only add 1 pic. at a time to each post (hmm.. not sure as I'm a bit puter illiterate)

 

[EZ-Glider]

one last pic.
Thanks again Dave.

 

[Dave P]

one last pic.
Thanks again Dave. View attachment 33841

Certainly it has some similarities with the two baskets (front and back), the low step-thru, battery placement is close, etc but the M-330 doesn't have fenders, the display is centered...and most importantly you would see Addmotor on the frame and the display and Motan on the battery. Do you know what the mileage is on the etrike (I don't see it listed on the display)? Motor and Battery voltage and wattage? Obviously if the price is low enough it might be worth it whether or not it is Addmotor. I am quite sure it is a trike made in China but that is not a significant problem since Addmotor products among others are made in China. BTW I am attaching my display from my M-330 and an extra display I have which I purchased from China (note how it is exactly the same as the one on this trike)... I would add that my display on my M-360 is the same as the one on my M-330.

 

[JohnT]

If I remember correctly, you said your wife is 330 lbs. that will rule out a lot of options. If you decide to exceed a trike’s weight limit, try to stay on top of your spoke tension, especially if riding on anything beside smooth pavement.

It sounds like you’ve ruled out Pedego. I’m a Pedego dealer. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. The Pedego Trike’s official rating is 250 lbs., but unofficially, it can hold a lot more. I don’t know about 80 lbs over, though. Also, the Pedego Trike is designed to be low power, so decent hills at that weight would require a *lot* of pedaling. It’s a great trike, but it might not be the best option for your use. Oh, and the pedal position is foot-forward, but I wouldn’t call it recumbent, because you don’t really lean back.

Speaking of which, I really like the stability of recumbent trikes, especially the tadpoles, which have two front tires and one rear. Standard trikes can get tippy when one rear tire goes over a bump and the other doesn’t, or when braking while turning. That’s the reason Pedego Trikes are designed to be slower. You’re less likely to get yourself in trouble that way.

 

[Dave P]

If I remember correctly, you said your wife is 330 lbs. that will rule out a lot of options. If you decide to exceed a trike’s weight limit, try to stay on top of your spoke tension, especially if riding on anything beside smooth pavement.

It sounds like you’ve ruled out Pedego. I’m a Pedego dealer. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. The Pedego Trike’s official rating is 250 lbs., but unofficially, it can hold a lot more. I don’t know about 80 lbs over, though. Also, the Pedego Trike is designed to be low power, so decent hills at that weight would require a *lot* of pedaling. It’s a great trike, but it might not be the best option for your use. Oh, and the pedal position is foot-forward, but I wouldn’t call it recumbent, because you don’t really lean back.

Speaking of which, I really like the stability of recumbent trikes, especially the tadpoles, which have two front tires and one rear. Standard trikes can get tippy when one rear tire goes over a bump and the other doesn’t, or when braking while turning. That’s the reason Pedego Trikes are designed to be slower. You’re less likely to get yourself in trouble that way.

John
I presume your business is an advertising supporter of EBR which is helpful to us all. Although a bit pricey Pedego ebikes seem to be fine machines although I have never looked at them in-depth and because of my lack of balance wouldn't do me any good if I did. As I have noted elsewhere the Pedego etrike doesn't meet my needs. I still have no idea why they stick with the plastic basket in the back. In any case that is the least of my concerns since I live just a few blocks from beaches in Florida and I need an etrike which has wide wheels and has more newton metres than the Pedego etrike can produce. Anyway, thanks for your tips. I am sure they will be helpful to some etrike riders.

 

[EZ-Glider]

If I remember correctly, you said your wife is 330 lbs. that will rule out a lot of options. If you decide to exceed a trike’s weight limit, try to stay on top of your spoke tension, especially if riding on anything beside smooth pavement.

It sounds like you’ve ruled out Pedego. I’m a Pedego dealer. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. The Pedego Trike’s official rating is 250 lbs., but unofficially, it can hold a lot more. I don’t know about 80 lbs over, though. Also, the Pedego Trike is designed to be low power, so decent hills at that weight would require a *lot* of pedaling. It’s a great trike, but it might not be the best option for your use. Oh, and the pedal position is foot-forward, but I wouldn’t call it recumbent, because you don’t really lean back.

Speaking of which, I really like the stability of recumbent trikes, especially the tadpoles, which have two front tires and one rear. Standard trikes can get tippy when one rear tire goes over a bump and the other doesn’t, or when braking while turning. That’s the reason Pedego Trikes are designed to be slower. You’re less likely to get yourself in trouble that way.

Thanks John. I was considering a tadpole trike but wasn't able to talk my wife into it. A friend of my sister actually just got one recently & loves it. Thanks for the tip re: spoke tension. I was an avid cyclist in my youth, truing up wheels for family & friends regularly... might just come in handy now. Thanks again!

 

[EZ-Glider]

Do you know what the mileage is on the etrike (I don't see it listed on the display)? Motor and Battery voltage and wattage?

Mileage is 'zero' (or close to it). 500W Bafang motor, 48V 15AH li-on battery. I'm going up to see it on Wednesday

 

[Gfmucci]

one last pic.
Thanks again Dave. View attachment 33841

That looks identical to an Emojo Caddy. Its flat fenders, front basket, and wrap around handlebars are just like the Caddy's. The Caddy is single speed pedal power.

 

[Dave P]

Mileage is 'zero' (or close to it). 500W Bafang motor, 48V 15AH li-on battery. I'm going up to see it on Wednesday

The specs look good especially that battery number. The derailleur doesn't look like a single speed. Did he indicate why he/she wants to sell it? Are you taking a uhaul trailer with you just in case you want to purchase it?

 

[EZ-Glider]

The specs look good especially that battery number. The derailleur doesn't look like a single speed. Did he indicate why he/she wants to sell it? Are you taking a uhaul trailer with you just in case you want to purchase it?

He initially was purchasing one for his father-in-law (95yrs. old!), tried renting him a Pedego trike but it didn't work out for him (his feet kept bumping into the carrier on the back). It's a long story how he ended up with an 'extra' trike. I'll expand on that when I get a few moments (still moving today... ugh! and vehicle broke down... actually 3rd vehicle breakdown in 5days!)
Going to rent a truck for the drive.

 

[EZ-Glider]

Colin
You could drive up there, fall in love with it and haul it back to your place on Monday.
Dave

Make that Wednesday & Thursday. Tried to rent a truck in my area today and there weren't any available until July!!!! I was shocked! Managed to borrow a truck tonight and heading out in the morning.
Any tips on what I should be looking for as I take this for a test drive? (I won't be picking up the trike til' Thurs. morning so any tips before then would be awesome!).
thanks again