My name is Rick, and I live on Vashon Island, WA. I am 67 years old, 6 ft 4 in tall and I weigh 240 lbs. I have been riding a mountain bike since 1981, and I would like to transition to an ebike. Now, I primarily do road riding, including gravel roads. I would like to consider a sturdy ebike with tires fit for for gravel roads, and the ability to ride as much straight up as I can. I am looking for recommendations. Thank you.
Looking for ebike
- Thread starter drrjbrown
- Start date
Mtl_Biker
Active Member
Welcome Rick!
I don't have a suggestion for you about a particular make/model e-bike, but you should try to calculate how far you need to travel on a charge, and how much effort you're willing to put in. Do you want/need a rear rack? Fenders? Lights? Whether you need some assist with your pedaling or you want the bike to move without pedaling. And in my opinion, one of the most important things is to find a knowledgeable dealer you can trust, and see what he suggests. I've just recently gotten my first e-bike and while there were many interesting brands, I stuck with something I was able to get local help and support with. My bike is a Class 1, meaning I MUST pedal (no throttle) and then I get varying degrees of assist. I use my bike for daily commuting (65+ km round trip) and I needed a rack, fenders and lights. That narrowed down my choices quite a bit.
There's also a forum here (Help Choosing a Bike) where you can post your needs and get suggestions.
Have fun!
I don't have a suggestion for you about a particular make/model e-bike, but you should try to calculate how far you need to travel on a charge, and how much effort you're willing to put in. Do you want/need a rear rack? Fenders? Lights? Whether you need some assist with your pedaling or you want the bike to move without pedaling. And in my opinion, one of the most important things is to find a knowledgeable dealer you can trust, and see what he suggests. I've just recently gotten my first e-bike and while there were many interesting brands, I stuck with something I was able to get local help and support with. My bike is a Class 1, meaning I MUST pedal (no throttle) and then I get varying degrees of assist. I use my bike for daily commuting (65+ km round trip) and I needed a rack, fenders and lights. That narrowed down my choices quite a bit.
There's also a forum here (Help Choosing a Bike) where you can post your needs and get suggestions.
Have fun!
Thank you so much for this valuable information. One quick question: What classes are there, and what is the definition for each class?
J.R.
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Piedmont Highlands
Welcome to the forum. This will help with the classes.
What Are Electric Bike Classes and Why Do They Matter?
Hi guys! I'm moving some content off of the main site and into the most relevant categories of the forum. This post was originally made on October 10th 2016: As electric bicycles have become more popular in Europe, Asia and the Americas, different types of products have entered the space. Some...
electricbikereview.com
Svaldes
Member
Hello Rick. Welcome. I’m new here as well and 5 months into owning an ebike. I’m 74, 225, and 6 ft. I have biked all my life but after a bike trip in Italy I was enamoured with ebikes. I bought a VoltBike Yukon 750 Limited. The “Limited” gets you fenders and a back rack for $100. I also ride in roads and trails and not mountain biking. It is a great bike to ride with the 4 inch tires and in the US I believe the price is around $1799. Check out their web site and you can order directly there. Just my 2 cents for what I have found a great experience.
Thank you so much for your most informative response. This week I am going to four ebike stores to begin my very first test rides.
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
Hi Rick, I'm also new to ebikes, and am just about ready to choose a Giant Lafree E+ as my first electric ride. I was going to choose the E+2 model, after research and a couple of test rides, but after several suggestions in the Giant forum, have decided to take a look at the E+1, which has a belt drive rather than the traditional chain, before making my final decision.
The Giant seems to meet all the things you are looking for, so you might want to check it out!
The Giant seems to meet all the things you are looking for, so you might want to check it out!
Thank you so much for your response. I have added your information to my ebike notebook.
BBassett
Active Member
My suggestion to anyone and everyone that wants to own an ebike is to find the perfect bike for the riding they will be doing most of the time, buy it... then hang a BaFang mid-drive on it. $2000.00 will buy a BBSHD w/BlingRing, Eggrider interface, 30Ah EM3 lithium triangle pack, and a Grin Satiator to charge the battery. This investment will make most any bike a good ebike, add a few thousand more and you can own a Great ebike.
Cost of the bike
Cost of the electrical components
Cost of upgrade components
Mtl_Biker
Active Member
For the uninitiated (like me) could you please elaborate on that?
What’s a BBSHD w/BlingRing, etc?
Are you saying that besides the cost of the bike, adding $2000 of gear would give you a “good” ebike? And adding “a few thousand more” to that you’d have a great ebike? Would it then be better (and if so, how?) than buying a ready-made bike such as a Giant for about $3500?
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
Just to be clear about the cost of the Giant Lafree ebikes I mentioned, the E+2 model is $1999 most places, and the E+1 is $2400 most places. So for between those two price points you could have a well-rated/reviewed entry into the wonderful world of ebikes 
.
.
BBassett
Active Member
The BBSHD is a 1000W mid-drive after-market electric motor. A BlingRing is a CNC cut front gear that corrects most off-set in the chain line. I don't know other ebikes much, everything has its own idiosyncrasies, advantages, and disadvantages. But most every produced ebike has a proprietary motor, electrical-system, and battery... always too small for me. I didn't even consider trying to go low-rent on my build and I don't suggest others do either. The motor, charger, battery, and control I suggest are all better than anything I have seen on production bikes and can be changed, reconfigured, removed totally and upgraded at any time you choose. I have also heard horror stories from ebike owners trying to get something electrical repaired When it fails.
So, yes... buy the bike, buy the necessary equipment to turn it into an ebike. The few thousand more that I am taking about is for items like a 14 speed internal geared Rohloff Speed-hub, a front dynamo hub for charging USB items and running your lights, the perfect seat for you, items that stand about most everything on the market.
Check these out:
https://imgur.com/a/3w6izz7 - Bike and Trailer
https://imgur.com/a/DKpcF0a
https://imgur.com/a/zXXlyuv
Check out 70 miles w/front panniers & trailer on Relive! https://www.relive.cc/view/g37290970278
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN67sUw0ykU-Mg5gLsOw9vF8kBMEM5cGCgCNmLT_j72h9iu5fKYFFVbLJ2Z415Umw?key=LUZqdEl1d3RjNV9id0ZvTEFickhITnBwWFZrU3hR
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNhEBjSjdDL6T2NIdSABTiA/videos?view_as=subscriber
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
So, how much total money are you talking, ballpark, to end up with an electric bike, after buying a regular bike and the gear you recommend to convert it to electric? And, how much technical know-how would someone need to accomplish a functional conversion?
BBassett
Active Member
That depends on the original bike and how much you can turn a wrench. Think of it as a scale from the cheapest ebike on Amazon or at Walmart at one end and a great ebike tailored specifically to you on the other end. Another great feature of this method is that everything can be reused, rebuild, rearranged, or even sold. Try selling a used production ebike and see what you get. Other advantages are that I have almost stopped driving my car since I began this build. But truthfully I have more money in my ebike now than I paid for my 750 Honda new.
Mtl_Biker
Active Member
Thank you. Great reply!
I’ve got a full suspension Specialized StumpJumper XC Comp FSR... do you have any idea if that could make a great e-bike? Actually no, forget about that. A bike without fenders and rear rack is of very limited use for me these days. I should keep it acoustic and use it for Sunday afternoon rides in the nature park.
Svaldes
Member
$23 at amazon https://www.amazon.com/ANZOME-Remov...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
However i had to install a stem extender to accommodate it https://www.amazon.com/ZHIQIU-Adust...ebaR+EXTENDER&qid=1567387656&s=gateway&sr=8-7
However i had to install a stem extender to accommodate it https://www.amazon.com/ZHIQIU-Adust...ebaR+EXTENDER&qid=1567387656&s=gateway&sr=8-7
Amazer98
Active Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Yarmouth
Rick,
Like you, I recently was focused on identifying an ebike that could handle both pavement and gravel. Plus, I wanted drop bars and an assisted speed of up to 28 mph. $5k was my maximum budget.
I whittled my choices down to a Giant Road-E+ Pro and the Bulls Grinder Evo. The creaky motor and head tube bearings issues scared me away from Giant, so I picked up the Bulls Grinder instead.
I think it’s a great ride and I posted a review here: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/bulls-grinder-evo-initial-thoughts.29446/
EBR also did a nice video review and write-up on its main webpage. Check it out!
Andy
Like you, I recently was focused on identifying an ebike that could handle both pavement and gravel. Plus, I wanted drop bars and an assisted speed of up to 28 mph. $5k was my maximum budget.
I whittled my choices down to a Giant Road-E+ Pro and the Bulls Grinder Evo. The creaky motor and head tube bearings issues scared me away from Giant, so I picked up the Bulls Grinder instead.
I think it’s a great ride and I posted a review here: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/bulls-grinder-evo-initial-thoughts.29446/
EBR also did a nice video review and write-up on its main webpage. Check it out!
Andy
BBassett
Active Member
I think you could build a better ebike than anyone is selling on the market today. But if you like it that's all that matters.
