Looking for first e-bikes. Two of them.

kayakdave

kayakdave

New Member
Greetings All.

As I am sure you can tell, I am a new member, and this is my first post. I’m a fit 6’1” 65-year-old and have been mountain and street biking for most my life. Recently, I was diagnosed with age related degenerative arthritis in my left knee and can no longer ride my bike. My wife and I love riding, so we sold our regular bikes and are test-riding and researching e-bikes and getting very confused.

I’m looking for a full suspension MTB to use on easy trails with some longer weekend rides and for camping trips. My wife wants a step through that has a low seat height. She doesn’t care if it has full suspension, but I think she would benefit from the softer ride. She really likes the FLX Step Through, but it only comes in one frame size which might be too tall for her at 5’3”.

Last weekend we tried the Sondors Smart Step, which we did not like. We also test rode the Giant Trance X E+ Pro which seemed a little pricey at $5,700 and my wife promptly dropped hers, twice. We liked the Giant but even the smallest frame size was not a good fit for my wife. I’d like something similar to the Trance, but a lower price would be nice. My wife would like the FLX Step Through or something similar with a smaller frame size. I also like the 2021 Motobecane HAL eBoost TEAM being sold on Bikes Direct but they aren’t in stock at this time and the one-year warranty seems a bit short to me. My best friend has a Haibike which he loves and thinks that would be a great bike for me as well.

I have been researching bikes in this forum and read through reviews on dozens of bikes from this site as well. Would love to get ideas from this group on what would be good e-bike choices for me and my wife. Thank you in advance for any and all your help.
 
I was in a similar situation when ebike shopping a few years ago. Most of my riding was aboard conventional Trek MTB's on singletrack and rough surface trails. I also have joint issues and was looking at full suspension e-bikes. Like you, I found the selection to be a bit lacking. I was at the point where my age limited my type of riding and singletrack & challenging downhill trails became a thing of the past.

Since I couldn't find a full suspension bike that suited me, I expanded my search to include hard tail bikes with good front suspension on which I could add a suspension seat post. I eventually purchased such a bike and although I still ride rough trails, I found the hard tail performed fine for my less aggressive riding style.

My point is, do you really need a full suspension bike? Try one with good front suspension and test ride it with a Thudbuster or Kinekt seat post. I think you'll find it nearly as comfortable as an FS bike for all but extreme trail conditions.
 
6zfshdb said:
I was in a similar situation when ebike shopping a few years ago. Most of my riding was aboard conventional Trek MTB's on singletrack and rough surface trails. I also have joint issues and was looking at full suspension e-bikes. Like you, I found the selection to be a bit lacking. I was at the point where my age limited my type of riding and singletrack & challenging downhill trails became a thing of the past.

Since I couldn't find a full suspension bike that suited me, I expanded my search to include hard tail bikes with good front suspension on which I could add a suspension seat post. I eventually purchased such a bike and although I still ride rough trails, I found the hard tail performed fine for my less aggressive riding style.

My point is, do you really need a full suspension bike? Try one with good front suspension and test ride it with a Thudbuster or Kinekt seat post. I think you'll find it nearly as comfortable as an FS bike for all but extreme trail conditions.
Click to expand...


Great idea, Thank you. How well do the suspension seat posts works with a 200 pound rider? I tried one years ago and it just made it hard to dismount the bike <grin>
 
kayakdave said:
Great idea, Thank you. How well do the suspension seat posts works with a 200 pound rider? I tried one years ago and it just made it hard to dismount the bike <grin>
Click to expand...

I have a Rockshox 30 gold front suspension on my bike and alternate between the Thudbuster LT and Kinekt 2.1 seatposts depending on the trail. I'm 6' 2", 260# and, properly adjusted, both work very well on most trail surfaces. Keep in mind with the seat height properly adjusted, you need almost 4" of seat rail to seat tube clearance for a good fit with both these posts. Make sure to check this when bike shopping.

If you search this site for "suspension seat posts", you'll find a great many threads on the subject. Many products are discussed and opinions vary greatly. The two products I mentioned seem to get the most positive reviews.

In any case, welcome aboard and good luck with your search!
 
6zfshdb said:
I have a Rockshox 30 gold front suspension on my bike and alternate between the Thudbuster LT and Kinekt 2.1 seatposts depending on the trail. I'm 6' 2", 260# and, properly adjusted, both work very well on most trail surfaces. Keep in mind with the seat height properly adjusted, you need almost 4" of seat rail to seat tube clearance for a good fit with both these posts. Make sure to check this when bike shopping.

If you search this site for "suspension seat posts", you'll find a great many threads on the subject. Many products are discussed and opinions vary greatly. The two products I mentioned seem to get the most positive reviews.

In any case, welcome aboard and good luck with your search!
Click to expand...


Good to know. Time to start researching suspension seat posts. Thank you for your help.
 
M02S for you and step thru for wife...1000W 17ah....45 miles without peddle assist...that’s along time to sit on a bike seat.
 

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kayakdave said:
Great idea, Thank you. How well do the suspension seat posts works with a 200 pound rider? I tried one years ago and it just made it hard to dismount the bike <grin>
Click to expand...
It works very well, Dave. I am 200-pounder myself, and went down to it from 236 lbs. I ride a Turbo Vado with the Kinekt 2.1. With my body-mass decrease, I've just replaced the seat-post springs with lighter ones being the part of the original delivery. I also own a Giant FS e-MTB and confirm what @6zfshdb said before. Full suspension is necessary for difficult single track while a Kinekt is almost as good in urban/suburban/countryside environment.

I'm not in a position to recommend e-bikes for you :) Yet:

kayakdave said:
We also test rode the Giant Trance X E+ Pro
Click to expand...
If you wanted an e-MTB, that's a beauty e-bike. Did you look at the lower-specced models of the e-bike?
 
Stefan Mikes said:
It works very well, Dave. I am 200-pounder myself, and went down to it from 236 lbs. I ride a Turbo Vado with the Kinekt 2.1. With my body-mass decrease, I've just replaced the seat-post springs with lighter ones being the part of the original delivery. I also own a Giant FS e-MTB and confirm what @6zfshdb said before. Full suspension is necessary for difficult single track while a Kinekt is almost as good in urban/suburban/countryside environment.

I'm not in a position to recommend e-bikes for you :) Yet:


If you wanted an e-MTB, that's a beauty e-bike. Did you look at the lower-specced models of the e-bike?
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have some great bikes there. I love the Turbo Vado integrated battery. Does it have the motor that has a belt? I have a couple of friends that Specialized bikes with the belt motor and they have both broken numerous belts. All under warranty thankfully.
 
Yes, it is a belt motor, making it virtually silent. No trouble after 4000 km sharp (2494 mi).
 
kayakdave said:
My friends are both very gung-ho trail riders so I am sure that's a good part of why they have broken a number of belts.
Click to expand...
Are they riding the Levo? The motors of Levo/Kenevo indeed have had issues so Specialized extended the warranty very much. It doesn't happen often in Vado/Como though.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
Are they riding the Levo? The motors of Levo/Kenevo indeed have had issues so Specialized extended the warranty very much. It doesn't happen often in Vado/Como though.
Click to expand...

I love the specs of the Turbo Kenevo. Will have to add it back to my list of bikes to consider now that you have eased my mind about belt issues <grin>
 
kayakdave said:
I love the specs of the Turbo Kenevo.
Click to expand...
That's a big bike. Consider if you are in the downhill riding :) I dreamed of the Levo but since that was unavailable in May this year, I settled on the 2020 Trance E+ 2 Pro that gives me a lot of joy! (And Yamaha motors are rather reliable). Note: The Levo/Kenevo motors are not silent. The Vado/Como are.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
That's a big bike. Consider if you are in the downhill riding :) I dreamed of the Levo but since that was unavailable in May this year, I settled on the 2020 Trance E+ 2 Pro that gives me a lot of joy! (And Yamaha motors are rather reliable). Note: The Levo/Kenevo motors are not silent. The Vado/Como are.
Click to expand...

Good to know about the motor noise. When I demoed the Trance X E+ Pro it didn't sound very loud. Does it have the same motor as the E+ 2?
 
kayakdave said:
Greetings All.

As I am sure you can tell, I am a new member, and this is my first post. I’m a fit 6’1” 65-year-old and have been mountain and street biking for most my life. Recently, I was diagnosed with age related degenerative arthritis in my left knee and can no longer ride my bike. My wife and I love riding, so we sold our regular bikes and are test-riding and researching e-bikes and getting very confused.

I’m looking for a full suspension MTB to use on easy trails with some longer weekend rides and for camping trips. My wife wants a step through that has a low seat height. She doesn’t care if it has full suspension, but I think she would benefit from the softer ride. She really likes the FLX Step Through, but it only comes in one frame size which might be too tall for her at 5’3”.

Last weekend we tried the Sondors Smart Step, which we did not like. We also test rode the Giant Trance X E+ Pro which seemed a little pricey at $5,700 and my wife promptly dropped hers, twice. We liked the Giant but even the smallest frame size was not a good fit for my wife. I’d like something similar to the Trance, but a lower price would be nice. My wife would like the FLX Step Through or something similar with a smaller frame size. I also like the 2021 Motobecane HAL eBoost TEAM being sold on Bikes Direct but they aren’t in stock at this time and the one-year warranty seems a bit short to me. My best friend has a Haibike which he loves and thinks that would be a great bike for me as well.

I have been researching bikes in this forum and read through reviews on dozens of bikes from this site as well. Would love to get ideas from this group on what would be good e-bike choices for me and my wife. Thank you in advance for any and all your help.
Click to expand...

Hal Bike from BD was in stock this morning...
 
kayakdave said:
Good to know about the motor noise. When I demoed the Trance X E+ Pro it didn't sound very loud. Does it have the same motor as the E+ 2?
Click to expand...
Exactly the same motor. So if I say it is noisy, just fancy how silent the Vado/Como one is. No sound at all.
 
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